Xiao Jinglin had picked New Year’s Eve for the family to move into their new house. It was an auspicious day and was perfect for home warming. Mu Feichi had dismissed his butler early for the reunion dinner with his family. Together with Great White and Yun Xi, the trio arrived right on time at the manor purchased by Xiao Jinglin when he returned.

The estate was not too far from Mount Tianyu, and it was part of the newly developed bungalows by the Huo Corporation. The estate did not lose to any military estate when it came to privacy and security features.

Xiao Jinglin had prepared the materials for the reunion dinner beforehand. He was the cook of the family, and he was in charge of cooking every reunion dinner. If he was back in his big family, everyone would have lent a hand when it came to preparing the food.

Mu Feichi dragged Yun Xi out of the car. The two came face to face with the couplet Yun Xi had written yesterday, greeting them at the front door. The couple stood proudly alongside two large red lanterns that illuminated the space around them.

The exterior of the manor was similar to the Mu family manor. The architecture combined traditional and western styles, producing a rustic simplicity. The house itself carried an authentic and rich sense of Chineseness.

The doorbell rang, and Xiaoer was the one to answer it. “Happy New Year, Young Miss!” he greeted the trio loudly and enthusiastically.

“Happy New Year! Where are Xiaosi and Xiaoliu?” This was the first time the three of them had spent the New Year with Xiao Jinglin in Jun Country. Yun Xi had heard that there were ten of them, all of them named in ascending numbers. All of them were orphans that Xiao Jinglin had adopted, so they didn’t have a name. The only surname came from the Xiao family.

“We’re all busy waiting for you to make dumplings with us!”

Stepping into the estate, Yun Xi scanned the various furniture and interior design of the house. They may have bought the house in a rush, but there was a lot of effort put into decorating it. All the rooms were tastefully decorated and carried an air of elegance.

Xiao Jinglin hurried out of the kitchen as soon as he heard the noise. The two visitors had come ahead of time. “The dough is ready,” he said as he dusted his hands against his apron. “We’re all waiting for you. Go wash your hands quickly.”

Yun Xi regarded the man before her with surprise. Her gaze was fixed on the apron tied around Xiao Jinglin. She had never imagined someone as sophisticated and respected as Xiao Jinglin would have such a homey side to him.

“Right!” Gathering her bearings, she turned and dragged Mu Feichi with her into the kitchen to wash their hands. The two bumped into Xiaosi and Xiaoliu, who were carrying the prepared dough and fillings out of the kitchen.

The heating in the house filled the rooms with warmth. Even Grandfather Xiao had headed down from his study on the second floor to join in the dumpling-making session.

The family sat around a round table, each busy with their own task of making the dumplings.

Yun Xi sat awkwardly between Mu Feichi and Xiao Jinglin. Her eyes switched from Mu Feichi to Xiao Jinglin and back again to Mu Feichi. She studied their techniques for a while, but she still could not understand how to make one the way they did.

She had found a weakness today, and it was making dumplings.

Dumplings were not a common food in the South of Muyang town. The kind Yun Xi was used to was wantons that could be made with just a pinch of the fingers. Dumpling-making was something that took skill and precision. If Yun Xi squeezed too hard, all the filling would fall out; too soft and it would not close—this took practice.

“It looks like there’s something you don’t know how to do after all!” Mu Feichi laughed as he watched Yun Xi burst another filling out of the skin of the dumpling. The shepherd’s purse leaves in the filling were crushed into an almost juiced state. The man reached out and saved the dumpling from Yun Xi’s hands.

“You use one hand to hold here, and you fold the edges layer by layer. Don’t move this finger…” Mu Feichi explained as he salvaged the dumpling in his hands.

Folding dumplings was a skill that parents were supposed to teach their children when they were young. The scene before him was quite a heart-breaking one for Xiao Jinglin.

As she placed her latest disaster piece on the plate, Yun Xi declared, “This is too hard. I’ll just be responsible for eating!” It still had some filling on the edge of the skin and stood out like a sore thumb on the plate of well-made dumplings.

“Be patient. Here,” Xiao Jinglin took a spoonful of shrimp filing and a sheet of dumpling skin and placed them in Yun Xi’s hands. “Do it slowly,” he said as he turned his body around to show Yun Xi how each step of the dumpling making was supposed to be.

Mu Feichi gave the two a look and then silently stood up and took out a sanitized silver coin from the bowls. His hands quickly worked them into a dumpling as Xiao Jinglin continued to teach Yun Xi.

Old Master Xiao had stopped the dumpling making as well as he looked up to take in the scene of the father and daughter making dumplings. For the first time in the many years of Xiao family reunion dinners, he felt the true meaning of home.