By the time Shen Weimin returned from delivering New Year gifts, even his father was already in the gatehouse of the scrap collection station. Only his mother and Xiao Si had yet to arrive.
His wife was adding glass noodles to a large pot on the coal briquette stove inside, while Mr. Shi and his father happily sipped on their drinks nearby.
Ordinarily, they should have invited Mr. Shi to have this meal at his parents' place, which was more spacious. But Mr. Shi found it too crowded and noisy there, which wasn't good for a proper chat.
Speaking of which, there was a place both spacious and suitable for heart-to-hearts. Mr. Shi had been assigned a nice courtyard house back in the county town, but he left it vacant and refused to move in.
However, everyone knew his stubborn nature—what he said was final—so no one ever insisted he move somewhere more comfortable. This, in turn, led him to truly treat this place as his home.
