Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

After leaving the east room, Chen Feng walked towards the kitchen at the back. The kitchen, separated by mud-brick walls, was narrow and the door frame was low, so he had to bend over to enter.

His mother, Liu Xia, was lifting a freshly plucked chicken out of a steaming earthenware basin, water droplets dripping down its skin.

"Mother, I'm back."

"Hey, Fuko!"

Without looking up, Liu Xia said, "Your wife is kneading dough inside. We're making dumplings today!"

The kitchen was filled with steam, the smell of alkaline water mixed with the distinctive fishy odor of poultry. Liu Xia had just pulled the smooth chicken out of the boiling water, water droplets rolling down its waxy yellow skin and running down her large, calloused hands.

"Mother, give it to me."

Liu Xia was taken aback.

Does this sound like something that would come out of that playful son?

She looked up and saw that Chen Feng had already stretched out his hand, palm up, waiting.

"You just came in, take a break..." she said before she could finish.

Chen Feng's hand had already supported the chicken's body.

It was wet and still hot, with loose, sagging skin.

He didn't flinch or frown; he simply took it, sat down on the small stool by the door, and, using the daylight streaming in from the doorway, carefully examined the remaining downy hairs on the chicken skin.

Liu Xia stood there empty-handed, the water stains on her apron slowly spreading.

She watched as her son hung the chicken on the iron hook by the door, took the chipped old kitchen knife from the windowsill, and rubbed it twice on the whetstone.

Liu Xia couldn't help but sigh: After going on this long trip, this child has really grown up. Before, this child would never have touched these things.

Always complaining about the dirt and fishy smell, it can't even stand still, like a startled sparrow.

She looked away and turned to scoop water from the basin. Her hand trembled slightly, and the scoop tapped softly against the rim of the basin.

Lin Xiu's voice came from inside the room, through the curtain: "Mother, the dough is rising. Should it be cabbage or pickled cabbage?"

"Make them all!"

Liu Xia called out in response, then turned back and took out an old handkerchief pouch from the inner pocket of her bosom. She opened it layer by layer to reveal several neatly folded bills inside, the largest denomination being five yuan.

"This is what you sent last time. Xiuer didn't touch it, saying she was saving it for emergencies. I told her that since you came back yesterday, we should at least have a good meal today, and only then did she agree to let me go to Old Butcher Wang's place at the east end of the village and borrow this old hen that doesn't lay eggs on credit."

Chen Feng looked at the few bills whose edges had softened from being handled so much, and his throat bobbed.

In his past life, he was just messing around outside, sending money sporadically and being too lazy to write back.

Little did they know that their mother and wife at home had to budget for even a decent meal of white flour dumplings until the end of the year, and they even had to buy a chicken on credit.

"Mother, please take this money back."

He wiped his wet hands on his old trousers. "From now on, I'll stay at home and inherit Dad's mountain-climbing skills... Our family's life will get better, we'll have white flour dumplings, no need to wait for the New Year."

The old lady insisted on stuffing the handkerchief into his coat pocket: "You're the head of the household, you take it."

As they were talking, the curtain was lifted, and Lin Xiu came out carrying a heavy earthenware basin containing freshly kneaded dough covered with a damp cloth.

Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were covered in white flour. When she saw Chen Feng squatting there handling the chicken, she paused for a moment: "...You leave it there, I'll do it."

"It'll be ready soon." Chen Feng stood up and handed over the cleaned whole chicken. "Is the dough ready? I'll roll it out for you."

Lin Xiu took the chicken, her icy fingers touching his, and she recoiled as if burned: "You... can even roll out the dough?"

"Yeah, I learned by cooking with my coworkers outside."

Chen Feng walked to the old, blackened jujube wood chopping board and scooped up a ladle of water to wash his hands.

He wasn't telling the truth.

In his past life, he went from burning even a simple stir-fry of vegetables to being able to host a table full of coworkers all by himself; he learned to do everything on his own.

Eating alone is ultimately tasteless.

What I crave most is still the food from home.

The curtain fell, leaving only the two of them in the cramped kitchen.

Lin Xiu placed the chicken on the cutting board, picked up the heavy cleaver and began chopping the filling, the "thump thump thump" sound solid and steady.

Chen Feng lifted the damp cloth, revealing a smooth, white dough, sprinkled some flour on it, and began to knead it.

The only sounds were the crackling of firewood in the stove and the movement on the cutting board.

"Xiaoshan and Xiaoyue..." Lin Xiu suddenly spoke, her knife still in her hand, her voice soft amidst the chopping sounds, "Last night when I saw you come back, I tossed and turned in bed for half the night, so happy I couldn't sleep."

"Xiaoyue can only call you 'Dad' now, and you've already gone out..."

Chen Feng paused in kneading the dough, his grip becoming more steady: "It's my fault... for taking too long."

"No delay," Lin Xiu said, her blade flashing cleanly and decisively. "The person is back, that's more important than anything else."

The rhythmic chopping of filling and the kneading of dough on the cutting board—these most ordinary sounds intertwined and entered Chen Feng's ears, bringing him peace of mind and reassurance.

He looked up. Lin Xiu was facing him sideways, intently chopping minced meat. The lines of her profile were softened by the flickering firelight from the stove, and the white flour on the tip of her nose was still on.

"Xiuer," he called out.

"Hmm?" She didn't turn around, but her hand movements slowed down slightly.

"Add more oil to the filling. The kids are growing and love flavorful food."

Lin Xiu then turned her head and glanced at him quickly. The light from the stove fire flickered in her dark, bright pupils.

She didn't speak, only nodded slightly, and turned back to continue chopping the filling, but the sound of her knife seemed lighter now.

Chen Feng lowered his head and continued to knead the dough, which was becoming smoother and more elastic.

Since his parents and wife passed away in his previous life, the empty space in his heart has been slowly being filled with a long-lost warmth.

Outside the window, Liu Xia squatted by the small vegetable patch, listening to the lively sounds coming from inside the house. She wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, which was covered in mud, and smiled again.

The freshly pulled scallions in my hand are plump and juicy, with glistening black mud still clinging to their roots.

Not long after, footsteps could be heard in the courtyard.

"Third brother's back?" Wang Chunmei, the eldest sister-in-law, called out before she even entered the door. She was holding the hand of a seven or eight-year-old boy, leading another child who was walking a little unsteadily, and carrying a small cloth bag in her other hand.

Second sister-in-law Li Qiaoyun followed behind, holding a two-year-old girl in her arms and carrying a bamboo basket in her other hand, containing a few eggs and a bunch of bright green spinach: "Third brother, you must be tired from the journey. I brought you some eggs to add some vegetables."

"Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law." Chen Feng greeted them, and seeing his two sisters-in-law's noticeably thinner faces, he felt a pang of sadness.

In my past life, my eldest brother had an accident at the mine, and my second brother injured his back at the construction site. Both families struggled to make ends meet.

The two sisters-in-law suffered a lot while raising the child.

Later, although he made some money, he only cared about his own little family and provided very little help to his brother and sister-in-law.

"Come in and sit down."

Liu Xia came in from the yard, carrying sweet potatoes she had just dug up from the ground. "We're making dumplings today, and we'll all eat here!"

"How can I let you guys do all this work?"

Wang Chunmei put the cloth bag on the stove, rolled up her sleeves, and came over to help. "I can roll out the dough quickly, let me do it."

Li Qiaoyun also joined the chopping board: "I'm fast at chopping filling, Third Sister-in-law, let's do it together."

The cramped kitchen suddenly became lively.

Chen Feng was pushed to the front of the stove to tend the fire. He watched as the four women moved around in front of the stove, some chopping vegetables, some kneading dough, and some talking. The originally quiet house suddenly came alive.

"Is Third Brother leaving again this time?" Wang Chunmei asked as she deftly rolled out dumpling wrappers.

"I'm not leaving." Chen Feng added a piece of firewood to the stove. "I'll stay home."

"That's great!" Li Qiaoyun chimed in. "You don't know, Dad's legs hurt terribly on rainy days. Having a man at home makes all the difference."

Liu Xia was washing cabbage when she heard this and smiled, "I'd be happy if all three of you brothers were home."

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen after he said that.

In their past lives, the three brothers went their separate ways and could not see each other all year round. Only when they grew old did they realize that no amount of gold and silver could compare to a family reunion and a meal together.

"Sister-in-law, my second brother said in his letter, how is his back?" Chen Feng asked.

Li Qiaoyun paused, her voice lowering, "It's still the same; it hurts on rainy days. Last time at the construction site, I fell off the scaffolding and spent two months recovering, losing my job... Now that I'm back, I don't know what to do next."

Wang Chunmei sighed, "Your older brother has it tough working at the mine. I heard business has been bad lately, and they've been delaying his wages..."

The fire crackled in the stove, reflecting the worried expressions on everyone's faces.

As Chen Feng watched the flickering flames, the thought in his mind became clearer and clearer—to rush to the mountain.

Not only do they have to support their own family, but if possible, they also have to help their older brothers.

It's always better for three brothers to stick together than to fight alone.