Rebirth: My Home Has Become a Gathering Place for Young Women with a "Crazy" Spirit

Qin Lang and Wu Xiaoxiao crossed the small square and turned into a narrower alley. Various flowers were planted at the base of the walls on both sides of the alley, including roses, cockscomb flowers, peonies, and more.

The two walked deep into the alley and stopped in front of a red iron gate. The paint on the gate was peeling, revealing dark red rust underneath.

Wu Xiaoxiao ran over in a few strides, pushed open the iron gate, and shouted, "Mom! I'm home!"

Qin Lang followed her in. In the courtyard, a middle-aged woman wearing a floral short-sleeved shirt was squatting on the ground picking vegetables. Hearing the sound, she suddenly looked up, dropping the vegetables she was holding to the ground.

The woman bore a resemblance to Qin Lang's father; she was his aunt, Qin Fang.

Qin Lang stood at the door, watching his aunt stand up. The expression on his face changed from surprise to anger, tinged with a hint of grievance. Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened, but she didn't cry. Instead, she grabbed the broom beside her and rushed towards Wu Xiaoxiao.

"You brat! You finally know how to come back!" The broom swung in the air but didn't actually land. "Do you know how worried your dad and I were! We called so many times and you wouldn't answer! You think you're all grown up now?!"

Wu Xiaoxiao ran around the yard covering her head, shouting, "Mom! Mom! I was wrong! Mom, please stop hitting me! My cousin is here! He's watching! Please give me some face!"

Aunt paused in her broom, turned around, and saw Qin Lang standing at the door.

Her expression changed instantly. She lowered the broom and threw it to the ground. She strode over, grabbed Qin Lang's arm, and looked him up and down.

"Xiao Lang, you've lost weight." Aunt's voice trembled slightly, and tears finally welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Her tone carried a hint of complaint, but more than anything, it was heartache. "You child, how long has it been since you last visited your aunt? Last time I took a ride to deliver some freshly steamed buns to you, you kept the door locked... I thought you didn't want to see your aunt anymore..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lang felt as if something had suddenly struck his heart, and his nose felt a little sore.

Looking at his aunt's obvious wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, the white hair at her temples, the rough calluses on her hands, and the tears rolling down her reddened eyes, Qin Lang suddenly felt as if a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat.

"Auntie," his voice was a little hoarse, "I'm sorry, I was a bit...struggling to get over it recently."

Qin Fang's tears fell even harder, but she quickly sniffed, wiped them away with her sleeve, gently patted Qin Lang's shoulder, and smiled through her tears, saying, "Don't say anymore, don't say anymore, it's good that you're here, it's good that you're here. Come in and sit down, Auntie will make you something delicious, just wait, there are ribs in the refrigerator, Auntie will make you braised ribs, you loved eating this the most when you were little."

She turned and walked into the house, but stopped after a couple of steps. She glanced back at Wu Xiaoxiao and said irritably, "You come in too. I'll settle the score with you later."

Wu Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue and followed Qin Lang into the house.

My aunt's living room wasn't big, but it was very clean. The sofa cushions were faded from washing and were neatly arranged.

My aunt first took a few apples from the cupboard, washed them several times at the kitchen tap, and then put them in the fruit bowl on the coffee table. "Xiao Lang, have some apples first, they're very sweet."

As she spoke, she picked up the teapot on the coffee table to make tea for Qin Lang, but Qin Lang stopped her, saying, "Auntie, I'm not a guest, you don't need to worry about me. I can get my own water."

"Alright, you sit down first, I'll go cook for you." Qin Fang didn't insist anymore, put down the teapot, and went to the kitchen.

As he passed by Wu Xiaoxiao, he scolded, "Don't just stand there, come over and help me out."

"Okay." Wu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to obediently follow him into the kitchen.

Qin Lang sat down on the sofa and began to look around the room, which felt both familiar and somewhat strange to him. A family photo hung on the wall; his aunt looked much younger in the picture, and next to her was his uncle, who hadn't yet become paralyzed. He was wearing a gray jacket and his eyes were squinting as he smiled. At the very front of the photo stood a little girl with two braids, missing a front tooth, and laughing carefree.

Qin Lang remembered that this was a family photo taken when Wu Xiaoxiao was five years old.

His gaze shifted from the family photo to the bedroom with its door ajar. He knew his uncle was inside, but he wasn't sure if he should go in.

Just then, Aunt peeked out from the kitchen, holding a spatula in her hand, a smile on her face, and said, "Xiao Lang, go see your uncle, he's been thinking about you."

Qin Lang stood up, walked to the door, and pushed it open. The room was poorly lit, and the curtains were only half-drawn. Lying on the bed against the wall was a thin man, his uncle Wu Yong.

Wu Yong, who was taking a lunch break, opened his eyes when he heard the door open. His face was a little pale, but he seemed to be in good spirits. He turned his head to look at the door, and the moment he saw Qin Lang, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his cloudy eyes.

"Little Lang is here?" Wu Yong's voice was a little weak, but his tone was clearly happy. "Come, come sit down."

Qin Lang walked over and sat down on the chair by the bed. Looking at his uncle's body, which was so thin that he was almost just skin and bones, he felt a surge of indescribable bitterness in his heart.

Uncle wasn't like this before. Qin Lang remembered visiting his aunt's house as a child, and his uncle would lift him high above his head and take him to pick the round, bell-shaped jujubes at the end of the alley—they were so sweet. Back then, his uncle's hands were very strong; he could lift Qin Lang high with one hand while firmly gripping the jujube branch with the other. His uncle was very robust back then.

"Uncle, how are you feeling?" Qin Lang tried to keep his voice calm.

"Same as always, I won't die." My uncle smiled, a smile with a kind of magnanimity. "It's just that I'm a burden to your aunt..."

The two chatted in the room for a while, talking about everyday things: how Qin Lang was doing in school, how playful Wu Xiaoxiao was, and how her uncle's rehabilitation was going. Neither of them brought up anything heavy…

After chatting for about half an hour, the aunt came in and overheard her husband, Wu Yong, saying, "Your aunt has been taking care of me every day these days, it's been so hard for her..."

"Why are you saying all this?" Aunt walked in and complained to her husband, "Why are you saying all this? You're my man, if I don't serve you, who will? Xiao Lang, and you too, come on, let's go eat."

Qin Lang helped Wu Yong into his wheelchair, and the three of them came out of the room. Wu Xiaoxiao had already set out the food.

"Xiao Lang, sit down and try this braised pork ribs that your aunt made." While pushing her husband Wu Yong to the table and placing him there, the aunt invited Qin Lang to sit down and eat.