Going Home

Seven thirty in the evening.

It was fully dark outside.

Second Aunt-in-law sat in the living room, her reading glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She pressed the TV remote a few times, then set it back on the table.

The clock on the wall ticked forward another notch.

She looked up at it, then called toward Feng Binbin, “Bin Bin, did Baby say where he is yet?”

Feng Binbin was peeling half an orange, his phone still open to the chat window.

“He’ll be here soon, he’ll be here soon. He said he’d just take a taxi back. Don’t worry.”

That was the third time he’d said it that evening.

It wasn’t that Second Aunt-in-law hadn’t heard him. She simply couldn’t sit still.

Feng Binbin was getting a little exasperated.

He had already asked Lin Mo, who had only said that he was on his way back.

After thinking it over, Feng Binbin hadn’t pressed him. Lin Mo was different from how he used to be. If he was coming home late, he probably had something to take care of.

In reality, Lin Mo had set off at a mad dash the moment he finished dealing with things at Third Uncle’s place. It didn’t take long to get back to Heshan from Yangcheng.

Before long, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Someone was dragging a suitcase by the entrance, its wheels bumping against a couple of stones.

The next second, Lin Mo’s voice rang out.

“Oi, I’m home! Someone come out and welcome me!”

Hearing him, Second Aunt-in-law took off her reading glasses, stood up, and headed straight for the door.

Feng Binbin followed behind her, an orange segment still hanging from his mouth.

When they stepped outside, Lin Mo was standing there with a backpack on his back and a bag in his hand.

The moment Second Aunt-in-law saw him, the wrinkles on her face seemed to relax.

“Baby, you’re finally home.”

Before Lin Mo could answer, Feng Binbin spoke first.

“Hey, you little noodle! Second Aunt-in-law’s asked me hundreds of times where you are.”

Second Aunt-in-law turned around and glared at him.

“Hundreds? Don’t make things up.”

Feng Binbin spread his hands. “Fine, ninety-nine times.”

“Baby, was the ride tiring? You must be hungry, right? I’ll go get you a bowl of soup from the kitchen first.”

Second Aunt-in-law couldn’t be bothered with Feng Binbin’s teasing.

“Second Aunt-in-law, I’ve been traveling back from university too, you know. I’m tired as well!” Feng Binbin continued joking.

Lin Mo set down his luggage and brushed the dust from his clothes.

“Second Aunt-in-law, I’m fine. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s all right, it’s all right.” As she spoke, Second Aunt-in-law headed toward the kitchen in the courtyard.

“Hey, I was hungry and had nothing to eat. Now that you’re back, we can finally have dinner.”

Feng Binbin continued teasing him.

Lin Mo glanced at him. “World’s Number-One Go-Getter, Brother Bin, if I remember correctly, your winter break started ages ago, didn’t it?”

“What’s ‘World’s Number-One Go-Getter’?”

“World’s Number-One Go-Getter, Brother Bin.”

Feng Binbin picked up an orange peel and moved to throw it at him. “People from the provincial capital really do have all kinds of fancy phrases.”

Lin Mo dodged and casually dragged his luggage inside.

“My winter break did start ages ago. I came back as soon as I could. You’re the one who—”

Feng Binbin leaned against the doorframe. “I remember you came back much earlier last year.”

Lin Mo hung up his coat.

“Things are different now. I know more people, and there are a lot of things I need to take care of before I can come back.”

Feng Binbin knew what Lin Mo meant. After all, Lin Mo had grown up studying outside Heshan, so he barely had any friends here.

In the past, whenever he came back, he would keep Second Aunt-in-law company, help with a bit of farm work, and take a walk around the village. Hardly anyone there even knew him.

So Feng Binbin reached out and patted Lin Mo on the shoulder.

“Fine. As long as you make it back for New Year’s Eve dinner.”

“Of course I’d come back.”

“If you don’t come back, Second Aunt-in-law nags me. If you do come back, she nags you instead. Tell me, shouldn’t I be hoping you’ll come home?”

Lin Mo nodded. “Fair point. You’re very good at self-preservation.”

Before long, Second Aunt-in-law’s voice came from the little kitchen window in the courtyard.

“Come carry the soup!”

Feng Binbin nudged Lin Mo, signaling for him to go.

Lin Mo answered and headed into the kitchen.

A large pot of slow-cooked soup sat on the stove: chicken feet simmered with peanuts and hyacinth beans. Steam rose from the surface, and the aroma was impossible to contain.

Whether it was nutritious or not, it was definitely delicious.

Lin Mo carried the pot to the dining table and ladled out the soup.

Three bowls, each with one chicken foot.

The chicken feet had been stewed until tender. One gentle suck and the meat slipped right off the bone.

Feng Binbin took a sip and leaned back against his chair.

“This is what coming home is supposed to feel like. No one makes soup like this for you in Yangcheng, right?”

“Not exactly. My landlady is a very kind woman. She often makes soup and brings it over for us.”

“Oh, so you met a good person.”

Still, coming home really did feel different.

After drinking that bowl of soup, his stomach settled, and so did the rest of him.

Second Aunt-in-law was still in the kitchen stir-frying vegetables.

Winter dishes cooled quickly, and she refused to start cooking too early.

There were greens sizzling in the wok, braised pork and fish in the steamer, and a plate of poached chicken on the side.

There were only three people for New Year’s Eve dinner.

His aunt-in-law had gone to her parents’ home for dinner, while his great-aunt’s family was celebrating at their own place.

The table wasn’t especially full, but once Feng Binbin sat down, he never stopped talking. The meal was small, but it certainly wasn’t quiet.

When all the dishes had been served, Second Aunt-in-law picked up a piece of fish belly and placed it in Lin Mo’s bowl.

“Eat the belly first. It doesn’t have many bones.”

Lin Mo picked it up and put it in his bowl. “Second Aunt-in-law, you’re being so blatantly biased.”

Feng Binbin immediately chimed in. “Tch. What about me, Bin Bin? I got the same treatment when I first came back, all right? I’ve eaten so much fish belly that I’m sick of it. Of course, now that you’re back, I’ve lost my former position.”

Second Aunt-in-law ignored him and turned to put a piece of chicken thigh in his bowl.

“Eat your food. You talk too much.”

Feng Binbin was satisfied. “All right, my position is restored.”

Halfway through the meal, Feng Binbin bit into a mouthful of vegetables and said casually, “I heard you brought glory to the country. Very impressive.”

“Of course I did. Don’t you know who my cousin is? Right? But how did you hear about it? I haven’t even started bragging yet.”

Feng Binbin put down his chopsticks, suddenly energized.

“Didn’t you ask me to keep an eye on those foreign-aid construction projects? There’s a student in our dorm whose father works at the Engineering Bureau.

“His father wants him to get involved. He says whether it’s to build up his credentials or make money, there’ll be opportunities afterward. So everyone in our dorm has been keeping an eye on the related news lately.”

Lin Mo paused with his chopsticks halfway to his dish.

He had asked Feng Binbin to keep an eye on the foreign-aid construction projects precisely to pave the way for him.

There were plenty of university students, but truly breaking out of one’s old circle took more than a degree.

Information gaps were where the real value lay.

Feng Binbin continued, “At first, we only saw reports from foreign news outlets. Then we noticed that Huaxia had come first in the Olympiad. I remembered you telling me you’d taken part in the math competition, so I looked it up on a whim. Well, look at you—you really did bring glory to the country.”

He looked at Lin Mo and clicked his tongue.

“Your name is worth quite a bit now. If you set up a stall outside the school and sold autographs, you could probably get two yuan apiece.”

Lin Mo shook his head. “Two yuan? You’re underselling me. If I sign it and you add a certified cousin stamp, we can charge five.”

“I’m charging a stamping fee.”

“What a heartless middleman.”

“It’s a family business. A reasonable commission.”

Second Aunt-in-law didn’t understand any of their nonsense, but she had known about the matter for a while.

She picked up the other chicken thigh and placed it in Lin Mo’s bowl.

“That’s my Baby, so capable.”

“Heh heh. Of course I am.”