After a sleepless night until dawn, the whole family got up late that morning. They had all gone to bed far too late the night before, including the two children.
But the moment the boys woke and saw Ye Yaodong, they remembered the fried dough cakes and Maltose their father had promised them. They had fallen asleep waiting for him yesterday and had no idea when he had come home.
"Dad, Dad, where are our fried dough cakes and Maltose?"
"Dad! Dad!"
They climbed straight over to Ye Yaodong, one pushing him and the other sitting on him, startling him awake. He immediately shielded his privates.
"Get off!"
"Dad! You promised yesterday that you'd bring us fried dough cakes and Maltose!"
"Yeah, yeah! Fried dough cakes and Maltose!"
Lin Xiuqing woke from the noise too and sat up. "You're at it first thing in the morning. You already went on about it all evening yesterday."
"Dad promised us! He has to keep his word!"
Ye Yaodong scrunched up his face. The two boys were pestering him before he had even opened his eyes, and the younger one was wriggling around on his stomach. He rolled onto his side, laid the boy down, and hurriedly said, "I bought them, I bought them. They're on the table outside."
"Oh! Yay, yay, yay!"
"Yay, yay, yay!"
Too excited even to get dressed, the two climbed out of bed and raced outside one after the other.
Ye Yaodong breathed a sigh of relief, pulled the quilt over himself, and closed his eyes again.
Sitting beside him as she dressed, Lin Xiuqing teased him. "Let's see if you dare tempt them again. They might forget anything else you say, but promise to bring them food and they'll remember it for ages."
"That's true. They asked