Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Warming the Pot, Big Meat Buns

After checking out, Gu Qinghuan was worried that Gu Lanting might come back and not find anyone, so she wrote a note and stuck it on the door. He would see it as soon as he returned.

She moved all their things back to the small villa and took out the three little rabbit cages she had prepared in advance.

“Come over here and take a look. What do we have here?”

Dabao and Beibei were the first to arrive. The moment they saw the little rabbits in the cages, they couldn’t take their eyes off them.

“Mom, these rabbits are so cute!” Beibei’s eyes sparkled instantly.

Dabao was clearly smitten as well.

Encouraged by Zhong Luoning, Youran walked over slowly. The moment she saw the little rabbits, her eyes lit up.

Gu Qinghuan said generously, “These are especially for you. Each of you can pick one.

But let me say this first—once you choose, you’ll be responsible for taking care of it: feeding it every day, cleaning up after it, and raising it.

Don’t expect me to help, okay?”

Beibei’s eyes darted from cage to cage, finding them all adorable, not caring at all about Gu Qinghuan’s warning.

Dabao, on the other hand, nodded seriously. “Mom, we’ll definitely take care of our rabbits ourselves.”

Youran didn’t respond, but she was clearly thinking it over.

Beibei quickly picked out her rabbit and carried the cage in her hands. “Mom, I’ve chosen mine.”

Dabao just looked on, not stepping forward to pick. He wanted to let Youran choose first—after all, there were three rabbits, so he’d get one in the end.

Youran stepped up and picked out the rabbit she liked.

Only then did Dabao take the last remaining rabbit, happily playing with it.

Zhong Luoning and Gu Qinghuan didn’t interfere, letting the three of them work things out on their own.

Dabao was a good big brother, always letting his sisters go first.

“Huanhuan, you and your husband have really raised the kids well,” Zhong Luoning said sincerely.

After Gu Qinghuan and the others had left earlier, Dabao and Beibei had enthusiastically played with Youran. Even when she didn’t respond, they didn’t get upset; instead, they worked even harder to explain things to her.

Zhong Luoning immediately took a liking to these two kids. Kind and adorable children are always irresistible.

“It’s not really my doing—it’s all thanks to Xu Huaian, and the kids themselves are great, too.” Hearing her cousin’s praise, Gu Qinghuan felt proud—after all, they were her own children.

The three kids, excited with their new rabbits, gave them water, fed them carrots, and even started coming up with names. They were having the time of their lives.

While Zhong Luoning watched the kids, Gu Qinghuan and Xu Huaian started unpacking their things.

As usual, they needed to get a few rooms ready.

There were four bedrooms on the second floor: one for Zhong Luoning and her daughter, one for Gu Qinghuan, one for Xu Huaian, and one for the two kids.

Originally, the room Zhong Luoning was using was meant for Gu Lanting, but for now, Lanting would have to stay on the first floor.

There were two bedrooms on the first floor: a maid’s room and a large bedroom with a study—perfect for Gu Lanting.

The rooms had all just been cleaned, so there was no need to tidy up again.

Gu Qinghuan needed to make all the beds so everyone could rest that night. Luckily, she had prepared enough sheets and quilts.

After asking the kids, Dabao wanted to sleep with Dad tonight, while Beibei still wanted to sleep with her.

As for the villa across the street, they’d wait for Ming Ruxue to move in and decorate it herself. Gu Qinghuan had already prepared beautiful sheets and brand-new comforters for her.

Once everything was put away, the house instantly felt lively. By then, it was already six o’clock—Lanting should be getting out of school soon.

Gu Qinghuan started preparing dinner. This was their first meal in the new villa—a “warming the pot” meal, so it had to be special.

But to take care of Zhong Luoning and her daughter’s stomachs, tonight’s main dish would be millet porridge.

To go with the porridge, she planned to make a big batch of meat buns.

Tonight, the whole family would make the buns together. Gu Qinghuan mainly wanted Zhong Luoning and little Youran to feel the warmth of family.

She used pork that was seventy percent lean and thirty percent fat, chopping it into filling—a job for the strongman, Xu Huaian.

The three kids were in charge of washing the vegetables. Gu Qinghuan specially gave them a basin of warm water so their hands wouldn’t get cold.

Since Zhong Luoning’s hand wasn’t convenient, she was put in charge of supervising the kids.

Gu Qinghuan first mixed yeast into the dough to let it rise. Once Xu Huaian finished chopping the meat, he could knead the dough.

She kept busy, too: blanching green beans for two minutes, cooling them, and chopping them up.

She simmered scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise in water for five minutes, then strained out the solids, leaving only the fragrant water to cool.

She added the peppercorn water to the meat filling in batches, stirring until it was sticky, then seasoned it with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, chicken bouillon, and five-spice powder, and added oil to lock in the moisture.

Finally, she mixed in the chopped green beans and a big handful of scallions, stirring everything together. The bun filling was ready.

The three kids crowded around, watching Gu Qinghuan’s every move, drooling as they watched.

Xu Huaian, a true Northeasterner, had kneading dough in his genes—it was no trouble at all.

He punched down the dough, kneaded it until smooth, pinched off pieces, and rolled out wrappers in one smooth, quick motion.

The kids watched, mouths agape. It was the first time Dabao and Beibei had seen their dad roll out bun wrappers.

This greatly satisfied Xu Huaian’s vanity. He kept showing off his skills, making the kids squeal with excitement—even Youran tugged at Zhong Luoning’s sleeve, signaling her to watch.

Gu Qinghuan and the three kids wrapped the buns together, getting flour all over their faces. The buns they made were all sorts of funny shapes, but no one minded at all.

The whole family was full of laughter and joy.

It was at this moment that Gu Lanting came in. He’d gone back to the rental apartment after class, saw the note on the door, and hurried over.

He was puzzled—why did his sister suddenly want to move? The small villa didn’t even have all its furniture yet, and the lease on the apartment wasn’t up!

He hadn’t seen Zhong Luoning in a long time and was happy at first, but then he noticed the bandage on her wrist and Gu Qinghuan’s red, swollen eyes. Instantly, his mind filled in the blanks.

“Luoning-jie, did someone from the Xu family bully you? I’ll go beat them up!” Gu Lanting immediately rolled up his sleeves, looking ready for a fight.

Zhong Luoning felt a warm glow in her heart, touched by how Gu Qinghuan and her brother stood up for her, but she didn’t want Gu Lanting to get into trouble for her sake.

She quickly looked to Gu Qinghuan for help.

Gu Qinghuan shot Gu Lanting a glare. This kid was great in every way, just a bit too young and hot-headed, always jumping to conclusions.

Was this really something that could be solved with a fight?

“Jie, why are you glaring at me? You still haven’t told me—what happened to Luoning-jie?”"