Early in the morning, the Sun family villa in the south of the city was already bustling with activity.
Several osmanthus trees were planted in the courtyard, their fragrance wafting on the autumn breeze. Since arriving yesterday, Shen Yin had been eyeing these osmanthus trees with interest.
As the ancients said: "Regular consumption of osmanthus can perfume the body and warm the stomach." For a foodie like her, the goal was naturally to find a way to get that osmanthus fragrance into her belly.
"Aunt, is it alright if I pick some of the osmanthus flowers from the yard? I'd like to make some osmanthus mooncakes or osmanthus cakes," Shen Yin asked.
"Of course! I collect some every year for tea, but I've never made osmanthus cakes before. Are they difficult to make?"
"Not at all, Aunt. I'll go pick some flowers now."
"Mommy, Zhengzheng wants to go too!" The little one had just woken up and was already clinging to Shen Yin.
Aunt followed them out. It was still early, and dew still clung to the osmanthus blossoms, making it the perfect time to pick them without the petals scattering.
With the help of Aunt and Zhengzheng, Shen Yin collected a good amount of osmanthus petals.
"Yin Yin, what do we do with them now?" Aunt asked.
"Let's head to the kitchen, Aunt."
Shen Yin washed the osmanthus flowers and removed the stems to prevent any bitterness.
The delicate osmanthus flowers were layered with sugar – a thick coating of fine white sugar covered each layer of petals, gradually absorbing the osmanthus fragrance.
As time passed, the color of the osmanthus became more vibrant and beautiful, while the white sugar turned crystal clear.
"What are you making?" Aunt asked, seeing this method of preparing osmanthus for the first time.
"This is osmanthus sugar syrup, which will be the filling for the osmanthus cakes."
Shen Yin continued her work, finding rice and glutinous rice in the cupboard. In the past, when she made osmanthus cakes, the maids would grind the rice into flour days in advance. But now, with no time for that, she was thankful for modern technology – she spotted a high-speed blender among the kitchen appliances.
After steaming the rice flour, Shen Yin followed the steps one by one: kneading, rubbing, beating, arranging, sprinkling, cutting, and imprinting. Finally, a steamer of osmanthus cakes was ready. They looked like mooncakes but more exquisite – white in color with osmanthus flowers dotting the surface, incredibly enticing.
"These look delicious! Yin Yin, you're so talented. If my daughter-in-law had even half your skills, I'd be content," Aunt remarked.
She tried one, finding that the osmanthus cake was initially sweet and moist. After a few seconds, the rice aroma and osmanthus fragrance intertwined, creating a delightfully sweet taste.
"Delicious! Even better than the ones from the pastry shop," Aunt praised after tasting, unable to stop complimenting.
"Grandma!" A boy of about 10 years old ran in from outside.
Zhengzheng looked over as the boy approached.
"Who are you?" the boy asked.
"I'm Zhengzheng. Who are you?" Zhengzheng didn't recognize the boy in front of him and felt a bit timid, even shy.
"My name is Sun Zhixiao. I'm older than you, so you should call me big brother," the boy said.
Zhengzheng looked at Shen Yin, who gave him a gentle pat.
"Big brother," Zhengzheng said obediently.
"How old are you?" the boy asked again.
"I'm two years old," Zhengzheng said, holding up two fingers.
"You're so little!" Sun Zhixiao exclaimed.
"Watch your words," Aunt chided. "Of course he's small, he was born later. Zhengzheng, would you like to go play outside with your big brother?"
Zhengzheng was a bit scared but also wanted to go out. After hesitating for a moment, he followed Sun Zhixiao out of the kitchen.
The living room suddenly became lively.
Hearing Zhengzheng laughing so happily outside, Shen Yin felt a twinge of regret. She realized she had overlooked something important – Zhengzheng had never really played with other children his age. He was always surrounded by uncles and aunts. She wondered if he would have trouble adjusting when he started school.
Sun Lufei's son, who was Xu Xiuhe's cousin, was also a businessman. The two men found common topics to discuss, which eased Sun Lufei's initial worry about them not getting along.
Sun Zhixiao's mother also entered the kitchen. Since it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Sun family's housekeeper was on holiday, so the three women busied themselves in the kitchen.
The two children played boisterously in the living room, their laughter and chatter creating a harmonious atmosphere throughout the house.
"Have you and Xiuhe thought about having a second child?" Aunt asked.
"Zhengzheng is still young, so we haven't considered it yet," Shen Yin replied.
"Now that the two-child policy has been implemented, and you don't have financial pressures, even having two more wouldn't be overwhelming."
"We're thinking of waiting until Zhengzheng is a bit older before having another."
"That's right, you still look young. There's no rush indeed."
Sun Zhixiao's mother always wanted to escape whenever this topic came up. Sure enough, this time was no exception.
"Zhixiao's mom, you should hurry up and have another one. The earlier you have it, the earlier you'll recover. Don't worry about childcare, I'll help," Aunt said.
During lunch, Sun Lufei brought up Shen Yin again, mentioning that he had seen her on television. He praised her capability and complimented Xu Xiuhe on marrying such a good wife.
"Where did you buy these osmanthus cakes? They're still warm and melt in the mouth," Sun Lufei said after tasting one.
"Yin Yin made them. Store-bought ones aren't this fresh or delicious. The osmanthus flowers were picked from the tree just this morning," Aunt explained.
Hearing this, Sun Lufei began to study Shen Yin closely. He prided himself on being a good judge of character, and he could see that his nephew had chosen his wife well.
"What are your plans regarding Xu Guimin?" Sun Lufei asked, getting to the point.
Xu Xiuhe, after hearing about his mother's past last night, felt his hatred for Xu Guimin deepen. He had previously planned to let bygones be bygones and pretend he didn't have a father. But now, he felt differently.
His mother's hard work was embedded in Xu Guimin's company. Why should it be given to that illegitimate son? He would take back everything Xu Guimin owed his mother. One day, he would acquire the Xu Corporation.
"I'll acquire the Xu Group," Xu Xiuhe said, causing a sudden silence at the dining table.
Sun Lufei had thought Xu Xiuhe would go back to fight for his inheritance, but instead, he wanted to acquire the Xu Corporation. Impressive – truly his nephew, and indeed Wen Ting's son.
Wen Ting was good in every way, except for her poor judgment in men. If she hadn't been so determined to marry Xu Guimin, she might not have fallen seriously ill at such a young age.
"As far as I know, the Xu Group is not small. Won't it be difficult to acquire?" Xu Xiuhe's cousin suddenly asked from across the table.
"It will be challenging, but the Xu Group is currently on a downward trend. An acquisition is not impossible," Xu Xiuhe replied.
"Let me know if you need any help," his cousin offered.
"Thank you, I will."
After lunch, the family chatted for a while before Xu Xiuhe prepared to continue their journey. Yun City was their ultimate destination, and it wouldn't be appropriate to overstay their welcome at the Sun family home.
Sun Lufei kept trying to persuade them to stay, but Xu Xiuhe politely declined.
In the RV, Xu Xiuhe was looking at the vehicle when Shen Yin brought up the topic from lunch.
"Are you really planning to acquire Xu Corporation?" she asked.
"Yes. Don't you believe me?"
"No, I do believe you, and I support you too. But won't it be quite difficult? If so, it'll be very hard on you."
"It will be extremely difficult."
"Then why not just go back and fight for your inheritance? Xu Zhengyang and Yang Cui seem quite afraid of you returning."