Family Banquet (1)

Ever since Lin Huaixu and Zhou Wan moved into Bamboo Retreat, Shen Yuxi had lost the peace and quiet he once enjoyed.

He lived atop Spirit Pool Peak. Unless he rode a Spirit Crane, the mountain path down inevitably passed Bamboo Retreat. What was more, the two of them always used "making amends" as an excuse—bringing over a plate of freshly steamed pastries today, asking tomorrow whether he needed help tending the Spirit Pool. Even if Shen Yuxi wanted to hide, he could not escape the fate of seeing them every day.

The noon sun was perfect that day, spilling warmly into the little courtyard of Bamboo Retreat halfway up the mountain. Amid the swaying bamboo shadows, the fragrance of food filled the entire yard.

Zhou Wan wore a plain, fine cotton dress, with fresh bamboo shoot crumbs still clinging to its hem. She emerged from the kitchen carrying a white porcelain plate. The stir-fried bamboo shoot tips on it were a gleaming emerald green, glistening with oil and fragrant enough to stir anyone's appetite.

She had just gently set the plate down on the stone table in the courtyard when a burst of light footsteps sounded beyond the gate, accompanied by the soft rustle of fabric—

Lin Mumu came running in front, with Chu Xuan and Su Miaoxi close behind. Each carried a vermilion lacquered food box bearing the emblem of Return Home, Mysterious Creek Town's most famous restaurant. Small bronze bells dangled from the corners of the boxes, chiming as they walked. Feng Yue, Wen Jian, and the others followed behind, and even Chu Shihan, who usually disliked this sort of social visit, had come.

"Wonderful, we made it just in time for lunch!" Lin Mumu said with a grin as she pushed open the bamboo gate. Dressed