Li Weibo and Li Zhenguo walked in from outside the kitchen.
Li Weibo tapped his younger brother's forehead. "When I was little, I thought I was really adopted. I was as introverted as a little girl."
"After I knew I wasn't adopted, but born extra, I was as lively as a monkey. It would have been better not to tell you and let you think you were adopted."
"That won't do," Li Weixin dodged his second brother's finger flick. "Facts are facts, and they can't be hidden."
"Besides, I have the right to know my origins. Mom didn't want me to be sad, did she, Mom?"
Tian Jing glanced at him. "You can still remember you have a mother. Not bad memory."
"Mom!" Li Weixin quickly circled behind his mother to coax her. "Grandma is the most important, I'll coax her first."
Tian Jing's eyes widened. "And then you'll coax me?"
"Hehe." Li Weixin passed the buck. "Dad says women need coaxing."
Then, before his father could reprimand him, he ran to Yu Ziyu and extended his hand.
"Second Sister-in-law, let's have a formal introduction. My name is Li Weixin, my nickname is Ranran, Li Weibo's younger brother."
Li Weibo slapped his younger brother's hand away. "Where did you learn to flirt? And with your second sister-in-law?"
"Was I wrong?" Li Weixin scratched his head. "I learned it on this mission."
"After locking me up for two years, when I finally got out, I felt like an idiot who had come out of the mountains, out of sync with the world."
"So I desperately absorbed all sorts of advanced and fashionable ways of speaking."
Li Weibo's palm swung again. "So advanced, learning all sorts of nonsensical things. It would have been better to keep you locked in the mountains and not let you out."
Li Weixin dodged out of the kitchen. "Comrade Li Weibo, come out and fight properly, don't sneak attacks indoors."
"Hmph!" Li Weibo stepped out of the kitchen door. "Strength for strength."
"Absolutely."
Li Zhenguo also chased out, and soon, the sounds of fighting could be heard outside.
Li Min saw that Yu Ziyu remained unfazed and asked, "Aren't you worried?"
"Worried about what?" Yu Ziyu continued to pinch dumplings. "It's normal for brothers to bicker."
"Although I'm the only child in my family, I've seen many brothers and comrades fight. People who don't bicker when they meet don't have deep feelings."
"Second Brother, you sneak attacked again!" Li Weixin's voice came from outside.
"To deal with a weakling like you, do I need to sneak attack?" Li Weibo said disdainfully.
"Fighting me in strength, you dare? You're like an old man hanging himself, courting death."
"You can't play fair, I'm not playing with you anymore."
"No, let's fight again." Li Weixin chased after Li Weibo, and they chased back into the kitchen.
"Alright, stop messing around." Tian Jing spoke. "If you have energy, wash your hands and come roll the dumpling wrappers."
Li Weibo also washed his hands and sat down to roll dumpling wrappers.
Li Weixin started complaining again. "When I wasn't back, why didn't Second Brother roll dumpling wrappers?"
Li Zhenguo flicked his finger at his youngest son's forehead. "Don't be as petty as a girl. Your second brother was talking with me in the room."
"Grandma, Mom, Second Sister-in-law, Aunt, Eldest Aunt," Li Weixin called out to all the women in the room.
"My dad says you are all petty."
Li Zhenguo's flick turned into a slap. "Sowing discord."
Having received a slap, Li Weixin became obedient. "If I hadn't run fast, my eldest brother would have gotten leave. Hmph! You're all bullying me alone."
"Your eldest brother is also with the team?" Tian Jing asked. "Then why isn't he coming back for New Year's?"
As soon as Tian Jing finished speaking, a voice came, "I'm back."
"Wuwuwuwu."
Two voices came from outside the door, followed by a black shadow that rushed in and pounced on Li Weixin's back.
Caught off guard, Li Weixin was pressed onto the dough board, getting his face full of flour.
He suddenly sat up. "Xiao Xiao Hei! Why are you back?"
"Wuwu." Xiao Xiao Hei stuck out its tongue and licked Li Weixin's face.
Li Weixin pushed it away with disgust and stood up. "Didn't I tell you to stay with Big Brother at the team and behave?"
Then, Li Weixin asked the person who came in with two luggage bags, "Big Brother, don't you have New Year's leave? Why are you back?"
Li Weihao ignored his younger brother with a face full of flour. After greeting his family in the kitchen,
he looked at Li Weibo. "Second Brother, introduce us."
Li Weibo put down the rolling pin and took his girlfriend's hand. "Ziyu, this is my eldest brother, Li Weihao."
"Big Brother, this is my fiancée, Yu Ziyu."
Yu Ziyu understood why her boyfriend introduced her as his fiancée and didn't object to this identity.
She generously nodded at Li Weihao. "Hello, Big Brother!"
Li Weihao nodded at her. "Hello! Welcome to our Li family."
Li Weibo breathed a sigh of relief and secretly squeezed his girlfriend's hand.
Yu Ziyu smiled at him. "Hurry up and roll dumpling wrappers."
Li Weixin was unhappy. "Second Sister-in-law, you haven't greeted me yet."
Yu Ziyu nodded at him. "Li Weixin, hello!"
Li Weixin felt content. "Second Sister-in-law, I'm very happy you're becoming my Second Sister-in-law. Truly, at first glance, you and my second brother are a great match."
"Hehe." Yu Ziyu chuckled. This younger brother-in-law was someone who liked to draw attention to himself. "Thank you, I love hearing that the most."
"Right?" Li Weixin smiled happily. "Someone told me that when men and women are friends, you must say they are a good match and have a husband-and-wife look."
"When you and my second brother get married, I'll say you have a husband-and-wife look."
Tian Jing immediately slapped her younger son with her flour-covered hand. "You're almost nineteen, and you still talk so carelessly?"
Li Weixin, with a pale face and white hair, looked very wronged. "Second Sister-in-law is our family. If I talk more, she'll understand me faster."
"Yes, yes," Yu Ziyu's eyes curved with a smile. "Ranran is right. However, through your second brother's personality, I can see that everyone in our family has a great personality."
Li Weixin raised his chin. "Of course, Grandma and Mom have great personalities, which is why they raised us so well."
"Stop fooling around," Li Weibo kicked him with his foot. "Hurry up and work."
Li Weixin stood up. "I need to wash my hands and face. Xiao Xiao Hei licked me."
Seeing that everyone who was talking had finished, Xiao Xiao Hei finally rubbed against Tian Jing's leg, then against Li's mother's leg.
This made Li's mother praise happily, "Xiao Xiao Hei is so good, you've been gone for two years and you still remember me?"
"Wuwu."
Xiao Xiao Hei nuzzled her again, then turned and nuzzled the rest of the Li family, before sitting in front of Yu Ziyu and looking at her.
Ever since Xiao Xiao Hei greeted people by rubbing against their legs, Yu Ziyu had forgotten about wrapping dumplings.
Seeing Xiao Xiao Hei looking at her, she excitedly reached out. "Hello, Xiao Xiao Hei! My name is Yu Ziyu."
"Wuwu." Xiao Xiao Hei just gave a low whimper.
Li Weibo picked up its paw and placed it on his girlfriend's still-extended hand. "This is my girlfriend, who will be my wife, and also a member of this family."
Xiao Xiao Hei stepped on Yu Ziyu's hand with its paw, then took it back, and then chased after Li Weixin, who had come in.
Li Weixin picked up the rolling pin again to roll dumpling wrappers. "Big Brother, where did you get leave?"
Li Weihao had already washed his hands and started wrapping dumplings. "After you left, Xiao Xiao Hei howled so much it disturbed the entire courtyard."
"When you were on your mission, I told Xiao Xiao Hei to stay with the captain and wait for you to return."
"After you returned, before you even had time to care about Xiao Xiao Hei, as soon as you heard you had a Second Sister-in-law, it immediately demanded leave and didn't even bring Xiao Xiao Hei back. Isn't it sad?"
"The captain heard its miserable howling and had to give me leave."
Li Weixin didn't believe it. "Xiao Xiao Hei could never be so disobedient. You must have used Xiao Xiao Hei as an excuse."
Li Weihao gestured behind him. "If you don't believe me, ask Xiao Xiao Hei."
Li Weixin turned and asked Xiao Xiao Hei, "Xiao Xiao Hei, do you miss home too?"
"Wuwuwuwu." Xiao Xiao Hei barked a few times at Li Weixin, then went and rubbed against Grandma Li's leg.
"Big Brother, you're lying!" Li Weixin pointed at Xiao Xiao Hei with the rolling pin. "It misses Grandma's stewed meat."
"Aowu." Xiao Xiao Hei howled upwards.
"Listen," Li Weixin glared at Li Weihao. "When Xiao Xiao Hei howls like this, it means I've guessed correctly."
Li Weihao pointed at Xiao Xiao Hei. "Xiao Xiao Hei, you've revealed yourself."
Actually, when Li Weixin submitted his mission report, he heard that his future Second Sister-in-law had come and was at home. Seeing his eldest brother in the office, he misunderstood that his eldest brother was taking leave.
He said to Captain Zeng, "I should take my annual leave," and ran off, not even bothering with his luggage or Xiao Xiao Hei.
In fact, Captain Zeng had planned to give them all leave to celebrate a reunion year.
Knowing the reason, Li Weixin angrily rolled the dumpling wrappers with force.
"Captain Zeng is also a liar. He said he'd give me leave after I passed the exam. After I passed, he said he'd give me leave after I successfully completed my first mission."
"If I hadn't run, he would have made me wait until after the New Year to take leave."
Before long, a pile of dumpling wrappers too thin to be wrapped had accumulated in front of him.