With all the commotion in the courtyard, Dabao might have been frightened. When Ji Huan turned around, she saw him half-hidden in the kitchen doorway, staring in their direction.
The fire had naturally gone out. Ji Huan patted his head, relit it, and had Dabao sit down to keep feeding the flames.
Zhen Jili sauntered in with his hands clasped behind his back, a smug look on his face. "So? Good thing I had the brilliant foresight to take a day of family leave. If I hadn't shown up, they would have bullied you to death!"
"Not necessarily."
Ji Huan was scrubbing a small pot. She pointed to the other stove opening and told him to tend the fire with Dabao.
Zhen Jili grumbled as he went to sit down. Dabao's little brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, his eyes glued to the firewood in Zhen Jili's hands.
Seeing this, Zhen Jili teased him, "Why don't you do it? I always respect the old and care for the young."
