At the Xu family home, Xu Changqing finished washing her hair and wrapped it in a dry towel. She glanced at the small front garden as she walked down the corridor to the backyard.
Over by the backyard stove, the one they used in the summer, Old Mrs. Xu had already prepped the vegetables for lunch. They were all chopped, and the ones that needed it had been blanched and were now cooling, ready for a cold dressing.
Seeing this, Xu Changqing wanted to take charge of the cooking, but she couldn't get past her grandma's complaint that she used too much oil. Unable to win the argument, she had to let her have her way and just focused on drying her hair.
"Why did Grandpa go out again?" It was almost ten o'clock. Logically, since he hadn't gone to work in the morning, he shouldn't be heading out for the afternoon shift until much later.
"To find your Second Grandpa, of course."
