Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

Mo Ye nodded and turned back.

He Wanning took Tongtong to collect clods of dirt nearby.

As she picked them up, she pointed out to Tongtong which ones could be used and which ones couldn't:

"Tongtong, don't bother with the smaller ones, pick the bigger ones."

Tongtong let out a "woof," bent down, picked up a clod of dirt bigger than her face, and wobbled back, muttering, "Is it big or not...?"

He Wanning glanced at it and almost burst out laughing: "It's too big, it won't fit."

Tongtong put down the clod of earth, her little face full of confusion: "So how big do you want to be?"

He Wanning squatted down and gestured with her hand: "About this size is fine."

After working for a while, the two piled up two small hills of dirt.

Tongtong rubbed her chubby little hands together; it was finally time to begin.

He Wanning drew a circle on the ground: "We're building this big, so let's follow this circle."

Tongtong picked up the first clod of dirt and placed it on the outermost edge of the circle.

He Wanning glanced at it and shook her head: "Tongtong, zoom in first, do you even know how?"

Tongtong's face flushed red instantly, and she retorted, "Of course I can! I'm just testing if Auntie knows how to match it!"

He Wanning didn't expose her, and started building on her own, slowing down her movements considerably.

Tongtong didn't say anything, but her eyes kept sneaking glances, like a kitten observing from a corner.

After watching for a while, she finally understood: first enlarge it, then stack it up in circles, with each piece tilted slightly inward.

She started building, but it looked easy but was difficult to do. Either the clods of earth were placed too straight and had no angle, or the building collapsed with a "crash" halfway through.

Her face flushed red with anxiety: "Why is it so difficult!"

He Wanning stopped what she was doing, glanced at her, and sighed helplessly: "Let me do it."

Although Tongtong was unwilling, she had no choice but to reluctantly give up her place when she saw He Wanning's earthen kiln, which was already mostly complete.

Seeing her standing dejectedly to the side, He Wanning added, "Come here, your aunt will teach you."

Tongtong's little tail immediately wagged: "Yay!"

She ran over with her short legs and squatted down next to He Wanning.

As He Wanning worked, she said, "You see, this kind of work isn't just about putting things up. After you finish one piece, you have to leave room for the next one, otherwise you won't know how to put the next one up."

Tongtong nodded her little head attentively, like a primary school student listening to a lesson.

She reached out her hand and whispered, "Tongtong wants to come."

He Wanning nodded and made room for her: "You take it, I'll keep an eye on it for you."

Tongtong carefully placed one piece on the table, and He Wanning helped her adjust the angle. Then she placed another piece on the table and adjusted it again.

When the last small clod of earth was placed on top, Tongtong jumped up excitedly.

"All set up!"

Before He Wanning could say "Don't jump," Tongtong stumbled and fell face-first onto the newly built earthen kiln.

With a loud crash, most of the clod of earth collapsed, and all the previous efforts were in vain.

Tongtong lay on the mound of dirt, stunned for a second, then quickly stood up, patting the mud off her chubby little hands, her face full of guilt: "Auntie, I didn't mean to!"

He Wanning took a deep breath:

"Of course I know you didn't do it on purpose! If you did, I'd spank you!"

Tongtong glanced at He Wanning and realized that she didn't seem angry at all, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

He Wanning glanced at her: "Hurry up and help!"

Tongtong immediately perked up, shouting, "Tongtong's here!"

The two of them built it again.

This time, Tongtong was much more careful. She held each clod of soil firmly and gently pushed it with her fingers before putting it down to make sure it was stable before letting go.

He Wanning looked at her cautious little appearance and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up slightly.

Finally, the last piece of earth was placed on top perfectly, and a complete earthen kiln stood steadily on the open ground, like a small fortress.

Tongtong squatted down beside her, a little dust still clinging to the tip of her nose, but she smiled like a newly blooming flower.

Mo Ye walked over carrying a bundle of firewood, glanced at the earthen kiln, and nodded: "It's well-built."

Tongtong immediately stood up, put her chubby little hands on her hips, and raised her chin high: "Yeah, isn't Tongtong amazing!"

"Yes, Tongtong is very capable."

Tongtong happily squatted back down in her spot: "I'll start the fire!"

He Wanning quickly stopped her, saying, "Let me do it."

She was afraid the little girl would collapse the kiln.

Tongtong blinked her eyes: "Tongtong can do it!"

He Wanning knew that she wouldn't give up unless she did something, so she had to compromise: "Tongtong can just help me pass firewood over there."

Tongtong nodded and excitedly squatted down next to He Wanning, like a little puppy waiting for a command.

He Wanning lit a fire, and the flames leaped up, licking the clods of earth and emitting a warm glow.

Tongtong sat on a small stool next to her, occasionally handing her a piece of firewood; her little face was rosy from the firelight.

After burning for more than an hour, the surface of the soil block was already red and hot.

He Wanning nodded in satisfaction: "That's about it."

Mo Ye brought out the chicken, sweet potatoes, and taro wrapped in tin foil. Several people worked together to bury them in the kiln, using shovels to push soil over them and cover them completely.

Mo Ye patted the mud off his hands: "Let's go back and have a barbecue."

Tongtong said, "I'll go call Brother Yunqi!"

When Tongtong pulled Moyun back, Moye had already lit the fire.

Tongtong squeezed to the front of the grill, grabbed a skewer of chicken wings with her chubby little hands, and put it on the wire mesh.

Within minutes, the chicken wings had turned into a dark, unappetizing mess.

Tongtong picked it up, turned it over and looked at it, pouted, and then turned to look at Mo Yunqi beside her: "Brother~"

Mo Yunqi readily agreed, "Okay, brother will grill it."

Tongtong took another sausage. This time she was a little smarter and knew that sausages were easier to grill, but she still couldn't escape the fate of burning it. One end was charred black, while the other end was still half-cooked.

She looked at the half-raw sausage in her hand, her lips pouting higher and higher. Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore, put the sausage aside, turned around and threw herself into He Wanqing's arms, her voice muffled and soft: "Mom, you're so hard to deal with~"

He Wanqing looked down at the round, chubby little dumpling in her arms, covered in cigarette ash, and reached out to wipe the black mark from the tip of her nose:

"Tongtong's strengths don't lie in this; she can just eat from now on."

Tongtong snuggled closer to her, her voice muffled: "But Tongtong likes to bake."

He Wanqing pinched her cheek and gestured with her chin toward Mo Ye:

"Then go to your father and have him teach you."

Tongtong immediately raised her head, like a little battery that had been fully charged, and ran over with her short legs. She carried her little stool and sat down next to Moye.

Mo Ye turned his head and saw his daughter's big, watery eyes. He put down the chicken wing he was holding, picked up a new skewer of chicken wings from the wire mesh, and handed it to her: "Here, let Daddy teach you."

He held her small hand and guided her to flip the noodles, brush on the oil, and sprinkle the seasonings, step by step, moving very slowly.

A few minutes later, a string of golden-brown, crispy chicken wings was ready.

Tongtong held up the string of chicken wings, her little face beaming with joy.

She was the first to run to He Wanqing and hold the skewer of chicken wings to her lips: "Mom, eat!"

He Wanqing looked at the perfectly grilled chicken wings in front of her, and surprisingly, she wasn't driven mad by filial piety this time.

She took it, took a bite, chewed it, swallowed it, and nodded seriously: "Delicious."