Grandma came back in the late afternoon, after what felt like an unnecessarily long vacation at her friend's house.
Two weeks.
Fourteen days.
Chen had counted.
The house had not been empty while she was gone. It had functioned just fine. Meals were still cooked. Floors were still swept. Yun Hu still caused daily chaos.
But it hadn't felt complete.
So when Grandma finally messaged that she would be arriving today, Chen woke up earlier than usual.
He told himself it was normal.
It was not.
By nine in the morning, he was already in the kitchen.
He planned a feast.
Not a simple "welcome back" meal.
A feast.
There was braised pork simmering slowly on the stove, glossy and fragrant. A whole steamed fish resting on a plate layered with ginger and scallions. Stir-fried vegetables bright and fresh. A light soup bubbling gently with tofu and mushrooms. Even small side dishes arranged carefully — pickled cucumbers, cold shredded potatoes, and Grandma's favorite sesame spinach.
He moved quickly but carefully, tasting, adjusting, plating, wiping the edges of dishes twice.
Yun Hu followed him everywhere.
The fluffy menace kept weaving between Chen's legs, occasionally meowing loudly as if supervising.
"You're not helping," Chen muttered when Yun Hu attempted to jump onto the counter.
Yun Hu tried anyway.
Chen caught him mid-air.
"No."
Yun Hu responded by dramatically crawling onto a chair and staring at him with wide, accusing eyes.
Chen sighed. "Fine. You can help emotionally."
The cat blinked, satisfied.
As the afternoon stretched closer to evening, the house slowly began to smell like warmth itself — soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger. It wrapped around the walls and settled into the curtains. It felt like comfort.
Chen changed his clothes twice before finally settling on something simple.
He checked the table setting three times.
Chopsticks aligned.
Bowls centered.
Soup ladle placed neatly.
He paused.
The house felt expectant.
When the doorbell rang, his heart jumped in a way that annoyed him.
He walked to the door — not too fast.
Definitely not running.
He opened it.
And there she was.
Grandma stood with her small suitcase, smiling in that calm, knowing way of hers.
"Ah," she sighed softly. "Home."
Chen didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and hugged her.
Careful.
Warm.
He didn't squeeze too hard, but he didn't let go immediately either.
Grandma laughed quietly and patted his back.
"You missed me."
"I didn't," Chen said automatically.
"You did."
He didn't argue.
She stepped inside, looking around the house with satisfaction.
"It smells good."
"I cooked."
"All of this?"
"Yes."
"We'll see if it tastes as good as it smells."
Before Chen could respond, Yun Hu appeared like a white whirlwind.
The moment Grandma sat down, Yun Hu leapt into her lap and began crawling all over her — over her arms, up her chest, onto her shoulders. He rubbed his face against her cheek and purred so loudly it practically vibrated.
"Oh my," Grandma laughed. "So clingy?"
Chen crossed his arms. "He's dramatic."
Yun Hu meowed loudly as if protesting that accusation and climbed even higher, settling half across her shoulders like a scarf.
Grandma scratched under his chin gently. "You missed me too, didn't you?"
Yun Hu answered by pressing his head against her jaw.
The house, just like that, felt full again.
A while later, the front door opened again.
Footsteps.
Slightly hurried.
Xu Jin walked in, loosening his tie, looking mildly annoyed at himself.
"I'm late—"
He stopped.
His eyes landed on Grandma.
"Grandma!"
He crossed the room quickly — no hesitation, no pretended composure. He went straight to her and wrapped his arms around her.
It wasn't careful like Chen's hug.
It was firm.
Almost boyish.
Grandma returned the hug, but only for a second before pulling back slightly.
Then she gave him a side-eye.
A very deliberate one.
And leaned closer.
"You're too slow," she whispered.
Xu Jin blinked.
"What?"
She didn't explain.
She only smiled faintly and patted his arm.
Xu Jin straightened, clearly puzzled.
Too slow?
Slow for what?
He glanced toward Chen unconsciously.
Chen was standing by the table attentively preparing everything.
Something flickered there.
Xu Jin's confusion didn't disappear — but it shifted. His attention was pulled somewhere else entirely.
Soon enough, they all sat down together.
It had only been a few days of Grandma's trip.
Not months.
Not years.
But tonight felt different.
They were all together again.
Grandma at the head of the table.
Chen to her right.
Xu Jin across from Chen.
Yun Hu still half-occupying Grandma's lap, occasionally reaching a paw toward the table and getting gently swatted away.
The first bite of food was quiet.
Grandma tasted the braised pork.
She chewed thoughtfully.
Chen watched her like a student waiting for exam results.
She swallowed.
"Not bad."
"Not bad?" Chen frowned. "That's it?"
She smiled. "It's very good."
Relief softened his shoulders.
Xu Jin picked up a piece of fish and nodded slowly. "You overdid it."
Chen narrowed his eyes. "You don't have to eat."
"I didn't say it was bad." with crying face.
"You implied it."
"I implied you're trying too hard." with big eyes to look innocent.
Chen opened his mouth to retort.
Grandma interrupted calmly, "He did try hard."
Silence.
Xu Jin looked at her.
Grandma calmly continued eating.
Chen looked down at his rice, suddenly very focused on nothing.
The table gradually filled with conversation.
Grandma talked about her friend — about their endless gossip sessions, about the park near her friend's house, about the ridiculous cat that lived downstairs and refused to be friendly.
Yun Hu flicked his tail as if offended on behalf of all cats.
Chen listened carefully, asking questions here and there.
Xu Jin pretended not to stare at Chen — and failed.
At one point, Chen reached forward to refill Grandma's bowl.
At the same time, Xu Jin reached to move a dish closer to her.
Their hands brushed.
Just briefly like it's natural.
Grandma noticed.
Of course she did.
She didn't comment.
But the corner of her lips lifted slightly.
Dinner was too delicious.
Not just because of the food.
But because of the atmosphere.
The house was practically overheating with warmth tonight.
The lights felt softer.
The air felt lighter.
Even the usual small arguments — about who forgot to buy something last week, about who left dishes in the sink — felt gentle instead of sharp.
At some point, Yun Hu climbed off Grandma and made his way onto Chen's lap.
Then, without warning, he stretched and put one paw on Xu Jin's leg too.
As if bridging something.
Xu Jin looked down at the cat.
Grandma watched all of them happily but retorted in his mind " that brat xu jin can't even utilize the time had given him" side eyeing to the oblious man.