Chapter 760: The Full Moon Banquet

"Bro, aren't you eating?"

"I just finished the feast—how could I eat more? Hurry up and eat!"

"Mmm, then I'll eat it all!"

Li Juan was truly hungry; she devoured one dish, one soup, and a portion of braised meat, leaving not a drop of broth behind.

Watching the girl finish, Li Ye asked casually, "Did you see Big Sister come by my place today?"

Li Juan replied offhandedly, "I saw Big Sister's car parked at the gate—when you arrived, it hadn't left yet."

Li Juan's words trailed off awkwardly.

Just a moment ago, when she waited for Li Ye, she'd claimed she was tired from cycling and had stopped to rest at the alley entrance—but now she'd seen Li Xia Yue's car outside Li Ye's house, so wasn't that "passing by one's own door without entering"?

How dare you lie to your big brother? Are you itching for a beating?

But Li Ye seemed not to have caught on; he just told Li Juan, "Then go back with your big sister! She's heading to Zhongguancun anyway, and it's pitch dark—you shouldn't ride your bike."

Li Xia Yue and Yang Yang Yumin still lived in Zhongguancun, close to Jingda; one ride would take them both home.

But Li Juan stubbornly shook her head. "No, Brother, my bike has lights—I can ride back in half an hour, and it'll help me digest."

"Fine, whatever."

Li Ye didn't press her; instead, he asked the restaurant owner to pack up a portion of braised meat for Li Juan to take home and share with her classmates.

When you're away from home, you need to get along with your classmates—being too stingy makes you an outcast.

But being stingy is still better than the alternative; at least no one owes anyone. If you're stingy and also like to take advantage, that's when things get unbearable.

Watching Li Juan pedal away like the wind, Li Ye suddenly called out, "Remember to feed Xiao Hui often—don't let them get skinny!"

"Got it, Brother—I won't let them go hungry!"

Xiao Hui was the son of the big yellow dog Bapu Luo Fu, left behind at Zaojunmiao's sihe Academy to guard the place; now that Li Ye rarely returned, the courtyard had become almost exclusively Li Juan's.

Li Ye's words carried the unspoken meaning: remember, this will always be your "natal home."

He believed Li Juan understood.

The girl wasn't dumb—she'd just been a little insecure since childhood. After starting high school, she'd seemed more cheerful, but lately, signs of regression were reappearing.

Li Ye carried the chicken soup home, entered the bedroom, and saw Wen Wen Leyu feeding her son.

"This chicken soup was boiled by Xiao Juan—it should still be hot. Are you hungry? Let me pour you half a bowl to try?"

Wen Wen Leyu flipped her son over to keep feeding him and pouted, "Half a bowl? I'm eating for three now—I need at least two bowls!"

"Alright, I'll serve you three right away!"

Li Ye quickly grabbed a bowl and brought the soup, broth and all, right to her lips.

Wen Wen Leyu gulped down the entire bowl, licked her lips, and said, "This soup's delicious—where's Xiao Juan? Ask her what she used to cook it."

As Li Ye cleared the empty bowl, he murmured, "She went back. She originally brought the soup to my workplace, but I left early today to host guests, 【31】 and she waited outside the street corner for ages—never came inside. I don't get it—we were fine before, why did she suddenly become so distant?"

Then she waited for me at the street corner for a long time, refusing to come inside—how did we suddenly become so distant when things were fine before?

"."

Wen Wen Leyu blinked her big eyes several times, then lowered her voice, speaking mysteriously: "You're such a clueless oaf—you didn't notice Xiao Juan's change. She's only not distant with you, 【34】 but the other day in the hospital, Xiao Juan ran into Mom. I saw her look guilty, and even her gaze toward Grandpa and Grandma turned awkward. 【35】 Especially after you all refused my mother-in-law's offer to help me with the postpartum care, Xiao Juan stopped speaking up even a little."

A few days ago, when I was in the hospital, Xiao Juan ran into Mom—I could tell she was clearly guilty, and even her gaze toward Grandpa and Grandma felt off.

Especially after you refused when my stepmother wanted to come care for me during confinement, Xiao Juan even dared not speak loudly.

"."

Li Ye instantly pictured the scene Wen Wen Leyu described: lonely Li Juan, awkwardly caught among Li Xia Yue, Li Li Mingxiang, Fu Fu Yiruo, Fu Fu Guiru—like a total outsider.

"It's all in her head—Grandpa and Grandma aren't like that."

Li Ye held firm: Li Juan was just overthinking, which made her feel guilty around Fu Fu Guiru and revert to how she'd been when she first stepped into the Li household—timid, fearful, shrinking from everyone.

"Sigh~"

Wen Wen Leyu sighed. "I know some of Grandpa and the uncles feel the same way. No one's to blame, so while the two families aren't close-knit, they don't feel awkward when they meet."

"They just haven't gotten used to it yet—give it time, it'll get better."

Li Ye knew the situations Wen Wen Leyu mentioned, but their circles differed, their values diverged. Han Han Chunmei and Li Juan were both conservative women, far less open-minded—they could only hope time would resolve everything.

But Wen Wen Leyu said, "Don't just wait to get used to it—Xiao You'an's full moon is coming soon. What are you going to do about his full moon banquet?"

"Full moon banquet?"

Li Ye frowned slightly. "I hadn't even considered that."

Although Han Han Chunmei gave birth to Li You'an in Hong Kong, granting the boy a Hong Kong identity, Li Kaibian was still a state enterprise official on the mainland—he could never openly throw a full moon banquet.

So Li Ye had never given it a thought.

Wen Wen Leyu said, "My mother-in-law was still in her postpartum period herself, yet she came to care for me—she truly sees herself as part of the Li family. Your child's full moon—your family can't throw a big feast, but at least a few close relatives should come for a drink, right?"

"But you all refused her. Now she's alone in Hong Kong, with no one to look after her—won't she think too much?"

"After I gave birth to Xiao Bao and Xiao Dou, I felt how exhausting it was. If no one was there to help me, I wouldn't be happy either."

"Hmph~"

Li Ye inhaled sharply—he realized he'd been careless.

But Grandpa and Grandma hadn't said a word. As a grandson, should he bring this up?

"Waaah~"

As Li Ye was pondering, he suddenly heard his daughter crying.

"Oh no, is Xiao Dou hungry or wet?"

Li Ye quickly picked her up, gently unbuttoning her clothes to check if she'd soiled herself.

"Hmm, no wetness—so she's hungry. Honey, it's your turn to feed her?"

Seeing his daughter's bottom was clean, Li Ye poked her lips gently; she immediately began searching, and he knew she was hungry for milk.

But Wen Wen Leyu snapped, "Is this daughter a ghost of starvation? I just fed her a full feed, Xiao Bao got half, and now she's hungry again—I can't keep up even with ginseng!"

"If you can't keep up, then don't! I'll mix her some formula. Don't get angry, don't stress yourself out, don't scare the baby."

Li Ye swiftly prepared formula to give his daughter a supplemental meal.

But the little girl was picky—she tasted the formula, then pushed the bottle away, repeating this several times before reluctantly starting to eat.

Wen Wen Leyu grumbled beside her: "I wonder where this daughter gets such a huge appetite—she stole nutrients from her brother in the womb, and now she's still hogging more than she should."

According to Dongshan tradition, before a newborn receives their formal name at the full moon, they're given two informal "baby names"—essentially nicknames.

These nicknames are usually chosen casually by elders—some call their kids "Cat" or "Dog," others "Chair" or "Stool."

Li Ye's children were relatively decent: the son was called Xiao Bao, the daughter Xiao Dou.

Xiao Dou was born stronger than her brother and had a bigger appetite—she cried if she wasn't full, and her cries were loud and piercing, driving Wen Wen Leyu to distraction.

In contrast, Xiao Bao was easygoing—whether he ate a lot or little, he'd sleep for hours afterward; compared to his sister, he was the picture of peace.

"Is Xiao Dou crying again? Hand me the bottle!"

Fu Fu Guiru, hearing her granddaughter's cries, walked in and took the bottle from Li Ye to feed her.

After finishing, Fu Fu Guiru suddenly said, "This afternoon, Han Han Chunmei called. Your sister answered. She casually mentioned how much the kids eat, and Han Han Chunmei said her milk supply is plentiful—she can't finish feeding one child, so she wants to come help Xiao Yu take care of them."

"."

Li Ye swallowed hard and whispered, "It's too far from Hong Kong—she's still in her postpartum period, and bringing a newborn along isn't convenient."

Fu Fu Guiru shot Li Ye a cold glance. "She gave your Li family a son. You won't even throw a full moon banquet, and you never even ask after her—do you have any conscience?"

Li Ye swallowed again, sheepishly saying, "It's my fault—I'll call right away and ask whether to hold the banquet in Hong Kong or bring her to Beijing."

"Why is everything always your fault? Are you an idiot?"

Fu Fu Guiru scolded Li Ye harshly, jabbing his forehead with her finger. "Stop taking everything on yourself—your father's still alive!"

"."