Gu Xingyu subconsciously swallowed.
He had never smelled anything so fragrant before; even the meat buns his father brought back from the state-run restaurant back then weren't this fragrant.
The little fellow's eyes darted around, following the source of the aroma, only to discover it was coming from his own home.
Shen Lu, holding a basin full of meat buns, called out to the two of them, "Come and eat quickly, they're most fragrant right after being steamed."
After putting down the buns, she turned to the kitchen to prepare a cold side dish.
Gu Xingyu was, after all, just a five-year-old child, his willpower already shattered by the aroma of the meat buns.
He stared intently at the meat buns and asked Gu Xingze.
"Brother, can we eat them?"
Gu Xingze watched Shen Lu's busy back.
Their mother seemed like a completely different person, both in how she treated them and how she treated their home.
There were only two possibilities: either she had genuinely repented, or she intended to leave them completely.
If it were in the past, Gu Xingze could have calmly analyzed the situation.
But now, his attention was entirely on Shen Lu; he craved his mother's warmth.
Yet, the scenes of Shen Lu punishing them in the past were still vivid in his memory.
Gu Xingze didn't know what to do.
Shen Lu came over with a large plate of cold mixed bean sprouts.
"Dinner is ready."
The two little ones exchanged a glance, neither of them moving.
Shen Lu knew the two little fellows needed more time to believe her, so it was normal for them to be hesitant to eat her cooking now.
Without a word, she picked out six plump meat buns, put them on a plate, and went out.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Shen Lu knocked on the door of the neighbor across the way.
When Li Mei opened the door, she saw the round Shen Lu holding round buns.
"Sister, thank you for defending me this morning. These are buns I just steamed, please try them."
Shen Lu smiled, two small dimples appearing at the corners of her lips, making her look exceptionally charming.
Li Mei and Shen Lu had lived across the door from each other for so many years, and this was the first time Shen Lu had proactively come over to give her food.
In fact, it was the first time she had ever seen Shen Lu cook.
Recalling how clean and tidy Shen Lu had kept the house, Li Mei finally felt a bit relieved, thinking that Shen Lu genuinely wanted to settle down and live a stable life.
Li Mei was a straightforward person. She didn't dwell on past events and instead cheerfully accepted the plate.
"That's more like it. With two such adorable elder sons and Commander Gu being so outstanding, it's something many people wish for. It's good to live a proper life from now on."
"Yes, sister. I was foolish before, but I will correct myself from now on. Please supervise me." Shen Lu said, bowing.
Li Mei was touched by Shen Lu's sincere attitude of reform.
"I helped you this morning because, compared to you, your mother-in-law's family is even less reliable. Leaving the two children here, at least they are under my watch, and I can help out if anything happens."
Only then did Shen Lu understand why Li Mei had helped her. She hadn't expected her to be so thoughtful and to genuinely care for the twins.
Shen Lu said sincerely, "Thank you, sister."
Li Mei waved her hand, "We're neighbors, don't be so polite. Go back and eat quickly. We're about to eat at my place too. Let's chat again when we have time."
Shen Lu nodded and turned to go home.
The buns on the table were still there, untouched, and the two little fellows were still standing in their spots. They stiffened noticeably upon hearing Shen Lu return.
Shen Lu put her hand to her forehead. The original owner was truly terrible, having scared the two children so much.
However, she had plenty of patience.
Shen Lu proactively sat at the dining table and picked up a bun to eat.
With a fierce bite, the flavor of the pork and shiitake mushroom filling exploded into the air.
Shen Lu closed her eyes in happiness, admitting that her cooking skills were still as good as ever.
The bun had thin skin and generous filling, each one perfectly sized with eighteen pleats. She had specifically used meat with a good balance of fat and lean. One bite, and the juice instantly burst in her mouth, filling it with fragrance.
Another bite of the crisp, refreshing cold mixed bean sprouts relieved the greasiness; the two complemented each other perfectly.
As Shen Lu was eating heartily, a rumbling sound came from directly in front of her: "Gurgle, gurgle..."
Shen Lu looked up and realized it was Gu Xingyu's stomach growling.
Shen Lu couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
Gu Xingyu's ears instantly turned red, and he made as if to rush out of the house.
"You bad woman, I'm going to find Daddy!"
"Your dad is far away. You'd starve to death before you even reached the military camp."
Gu Xingyu's face turned even redder with anger.
"You... wait until I grow up, and I'll defeat you, you bad woman."
"That's if you can grow up first. The nurse said you two are currently malnourished, which might affect your height. When you grow up, you might not even be as tall as me."
Facing these two stubborn children who had been terrified by the original owner, she could only resort to provocation.
As expected, Gu Xingyu was like a firecracker, easily ignited.
As soon as he heard he might not grow tall, he forgot everything else.
He angrily sat down at the dining table, grabbed a bun, and stuffed it into his mouth, as if venting his anger on the bun instead of Shen Lu.
The moment Gu Xingyu put the bun in his mouth, he froze.
The bun was packed with meat, and one bite sent hot, savory juice flooding his mouth. He had never eaten such a delicious bun before.
Gu Xingyu's eyes lit up instantly. He forgot his wariness of Shen Lu and turned to call out to Gu Xingze, "Brother, come quickly, it's so good!"
Gu Xingze sat quietly and obediently at the dining table, picked up a bun, and took small bites.
Gu Xingze didn't react as dramatically, but his eyes were fixed on the bun in his hand. After finishing one, he quickly reached for another.
Seeing this, Shen Lu couldn't help but chuckle softly. They were indeed just two proud little kids.
Worried they might choke, Shen Lu brought the malted milk food over and placed it in front of them.
Gu Xingyu had eaten two buns in one go and was now choking. He picked up the malted milk food, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and let out a hearty "Hah!"
His expression was incredibly cute.
Shen Lu admired her two elder sons.
The original owner had excellent features and fair skin. The two little fellows were also very handsome, with faint traces of Gu Xiao's features.
They looked like they were carved from the same mold, the only difference being that the elder son, Gu Xingze, had a mole on the tip of his nose, while the younger one had a mole by the corner of his eye.
However, perhaps because the original owner had such a strong aversion to Gu Xiao, Shen Lu couldn't recall any details of Gu Xiao's appearance from her memories, only remembering that he was a very tall man.
But the man didn't matter. If their relationship became incompatible, she could take her two sons and leave.
She was confident she could seize the opportunities of the era and become prosperous.
Shen Lu's heart was full.
✦✦✦
The neighbor, Political Commissar Lu, saw a plate of buns on the table as soon as he got home.
"What's this? You have the leisure to make buns today?"
Li Mei tilted her chin towards Shen Lu's house.
"The neighbor gave them to us."
"Oh? That plump woman next door, where did she get such kindness?"
Li Mei explained the whole story of what happened today to her husband in detail.
Political Commissar Lu clicked his tongue and sighed after listening.
He had known Gu Xiao for a long time and knew how difficult his journey had been, with constant chaos at home and not a single peaceful day.
It would be best if Shen Lu was willing to truly settle down and live a proper life.
As Political Commissar Lu thought this, he casually picked up a bun and put it in his mouth.
He had expected it to be an ordinary bun, but he was surprised by how delicious it tasted.
Shi Tou, Political Commissar Lu's son, saw his father's incredulous expression. He picked up a bun with some confusion and took a bite, exclaiming.
"Mom, where did you buy these buns? They're too delicious!"
Li Mei looked at the two of them making a fuss and reprimanded them.
"It's just a bun, look at the two of you, your father and son."
Li Mei casually picked up a bun and took a bite.
Then.
"Shi Tou, eat less. You need to lose weight."
"Dad, don't fight with me, I'm still growing!"
"Alright, for fairness, two each."
Shen Lu didn't expect that the buns she casually gave away would cause such a stir at Li Mei's house.
✦✦✦