A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 82 The Refreshing Feeling of Returning Home

The lingering heat of their Shanghai trip was still fresh in their minds when Li Yuan and her family of five embarked on their journey home. The blazing sun of their hometown seemed to be opening its arms wide, welcoming them back in the warmest way.

"Wow, is the sun back home trying to bake us alive? It feels even hotter than Shanghai!" Liu Yixin exclaimed as soon as she got out of the car, her facial expression as exaggerated as a comedian's.

"Haha, baby, this is the 'warmth' of our hometown, pure and unadulterated!" Liu Xuan replied with a smile, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he dragged his luggage.

Li Shiqing remained calm. "It's alright. Calmness will cool you down. Let's hurry inside. I feel like I'm about to burst into flames."

The youngest son, Liu Qicheng, bounced around in the yard like a little ball, saying, "It's hot but fun too! I can play water games in the yard!"

Looking at this group of lively characters, Li Yuan shook her head helplessly, "You guys rest for a while, I'll go see what I can do to cool you down."

Stepping into the kitchen, Li Yuan looked at the empty freezer and had a sudden inspiration. "Hey, I've got it! I'll make some homemade ice cream and let this hot weather know we're not to be trifled with!"

She first pulled out her treasured chocolates, muttering, "Chocolate flavor is a classic among classics. In this hot weather, even chocolate has to be conquered by me and turned into delicious ice cream."

Liu Yixin followed in like a little tail, "Mom, I want to help! I want to make super delicious chocolate ice cream!"

“Okay, but you have to chop these chocolates first. That’s a tough task.” Li Yuan smiled and handed the chocolates to her daughter.

Liu Yixin took the chocolates and pretended to brandish a knife, "Watch me, the chocolate hero, cut you all to pieces!"

Liu Qicheng, who was standing nearby, also came over and said, "Sister, I want to cut too! I want to cut too!"

"Don't you dare cause trouble, little brat. If you cut your little hand, Mommy will be heartbroken," Liu Yixin said like a little adult.

Li Yuan stirred the milk and cream, laughing as she said, "You two stop arguing. We have an important task for you later. Let's make mung bean ice cream. Mung beans are a summer heat remedy."

"Mung bean ice cream? That's awesome! I love the taste of mung beans." Liu Qicheng clapped his hands and cheered.

Li Shiqing also came in. "Mom, let me help cook the mung beans. I'm sure my mung beans will be soft, sticky, and sweet."

"Great, my eldest daughter is so reliable," Li Yuan praised.

The kitchen was a hive of activity. Liu Yixin was busy cutting chocolate, humming a tuneless little tune; Liu Qicheng was cheering his sister on from the side, occasionally sneaking a piece of chocolate into his mouth; Li Shiqing was focused on cooking mung beans, stirring them every now and then, her eyes fixed on the mung beans in the pot, as if she were conducting a major experiment.

"Mom, is this chocolate chopped finely enough? I feel like my hands are going to break," Liu Yixin said, holding up the chocolate pieces that were cut into pieces of varying sizes.

"Not bad, not bad, you've improved, much better than I expected. Now, put the chocolate chips into this milk and cream mixture, and then stir it well," Li Yuan instructed.

Liu Yixin carefully poured in the chocolate, then picked up the mixer and began stirring like a professional chef. "Look at my stirring skills, could I open a dessert shop?"

"You should finish making this ice cream first," Li Yuan joked with a smile.

The ingredients for the chocolate ice cream are almost ready, and Li Shiqing's mung beans are cooked.

"Mom, the mung beans are cooked. What's the next step?" Li Shiqing asked.

“Take the mung beans out of the water, mash them into a paste with a spoon, and then mix them with cream and sugar,” Li Yuan replied.

Liu Qicheng volunteered, "I'll press the mung bean paste; I'm very strong!"

He picked up a spoon and pressed the mung beans hard, resulting in mung bean paste splattering everywhere, including his face.

"Oh my, little brother, are you fighting a war or making mung bean ice cream?" Liu Yixin laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, looking at her little brother's appearance.

"I... I didn't mean to, the mung beans were too slippery," Liu Qicheng explained, feeling wronged.

Li Yuan quickly came over to clean up the mess, "It's alright, it's alright, this is the fun of cooking! Come on, Mom will teach you how to press it, gently, like this..."

With Li Yuan's patient guidance, the mung bean paste was finally successfully mixed with the other ingredients.

"Okay, now put the ingredients for these two ice creams into the molds respectively, and then put them in the freezer," Li Yuan said.

"How much longer do we have to wait before we can eat? I can't wait any longer!" Liu Qicheng looked at the mold with longing eyes.

"Little glutton, it'll be at least a few hours. Go play for a while, and Mom will call you first when it's frozen solid," Li Yuan coaxed her son.

A few hours later, Liu Qicheng rushed into the kitchen like a little alarm clock, "Mom, can we have ice cream now?"

"It should be almost done, let's take a look." Li Yuan opened the refrigerator and took out the mold.

"Wow, it looks amazing!" Liu Yixin exclaimed excitedly.

The family sat around a small table in the yard, enjoying homemade chocolate ice cream and mung bean popsicles.

"This chocolate ice cream is rich and smooth, it tastes even better than what you buy outside!" Liu Xuan praised as he ate.

"I think the mung bean ice cream is better. It's refreshing and delicious, and full of the aroma of mung beans," Li Shiqing said.

Liu Yixin and Liu Qicheng were too busy eating ice cream to talk, their faces covered in cream and chocolate, looking like two little kittens.

"You two eat slowly, don't get an upset stomach," Li Yuan reminded them with a smile.

"Mom, this is the best ice cream I've ever eaten. Let's make it every day from now on!" Liu Qicheng said indistinctly.

"That won't do. Eating too much ice cream will turn you into a little fat boy," Liu Xuan teased his son with a smile.

"No, I'll burn off all the calories! I'm going to run laps around the yard so many times!" Liu Qicheng said, waving his little arms.

As Li Yuan and her family enjoyed the delicious homemade ice cream, a thought suddenly flashed through Li Yuan's mind: Why not share this delicious ice cream with the neighbors? Let everyone feel the coolness and sweetness in this hot summer.

She told her family about the idea, and they immediately agreed.

Liu Xuan laughed and said, "That's a great idea! We already get along well with our neighbors, and this ice cream will definitely make us even closer."

Liu Yixin jumped up excitedly: "Great! I'll deliver them to the neighbors, they'll be so surprised!"

Li Shiqing, on the other hand, was more thoughtful. "Mom, should we put it in a pretty box? It would look more thoughtful that way."

"My daughter is so thoughtful. Let's quickly find some boxes to pack the ice cream," Li Yuan praised.

So the family got busy again. Liu Yixin and Liu Qicheng were responsible for carefully scooping the ice cream into delicate little boxes, while Li Shiqing decorated the boxes with colorful ribbons, making them look exceptionally beautiful.

After everything was ready, Liu Yixin skipped and hopped over to Grandma Wang's house next door, carrying a box of chocolate ice cream. She rang the doorbell, and Grandma Wang opened the door. Seeing Liu Yixin, a kind smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Grandma Wang, we're back from our trip to Shanghai! My mom made a lot of ice cream, this one's chocolate flavor, it's especially delicious, I brought it for you to try!" Liu Yixin said with a smile.

"Oh, Yixin, you children are so thoughtful! Even on such a hot day, you're still thinking of your grandma. Come in and sit for a while," Grandma Wang greeted warmly.

"No, Grandma Wang, I still need to deliver some to other neighbors. Please try it, and if you like it, I'll bring you some more." Liu Yixin handed the ice cream to Grandma Wang.

Grandma Wang took the ice cream and said with emotion, "Good, good, this ice cream looks delicious. Grandma's heart is sweeter than honey right now."

After leaving Grandma Wang's house, Liu Yixin went to Uncle Li's house across the street. Uncle Li was watering the flowers in the yard. When he saw Liu Yixin coming, he put down the watering can.

"Uncle Li, this is homemade ice cream. Please have a taste, Auntie." Liu Yixin handed over the ice cream.

"Wow, thank you so much! Your family is so thoughtful. On such a hot day, eating ice cream must be so refreshing," Uncle Li said happily.

"Uncle, this is mung bean flavored, it's very refreshing!" Liu Yixin said.

"You're so thoughtful. I haven't had mung bean ice cream in ages. By the way, how was your trip to Shanghai?" Uncle Li asked curiously.

"It was so much fun! We went to Disneyland, as well as a science museum and an aquarium. My sister, brother, and I all had a blast!" Liu Yixin excitedly shared her travel experience.

"Haha, that's good. When you have time, your parents can tell us about it, so we can experience the charm of Shanghai," Uncle Li said with a smile.

Liu Yixin continued delivering ice cream from house to house, and at each house she visited, she was greeted with warm thanks and compliments from her neighbors. Some neighbors would chat with her for a few minutes, while others would give her some fruit or snacks they had grown themselves.

At home, Li Yuan and Liu Xuan were also busy. They put the remaining ice cream in a large tray, planning to take it to the community's public rest area to share with more neighbors after Liu Yixin finished delivering the ice cream.

Liu Qicheng watched longingly from the side, "Mom, I also want to deliver ice cream to the public rest area."

“Okay, let’s go together when my sister comes back,” Li Yuan said with a smile.

A little while later, Liu Yixin returned after delivering the ice cream. The family carried the tray to the community's public rest area, where several neighbors were chatting and relaxing.

"Everyone, come and try this! It's homemade ice cream, with chocolate and mung bean flavors," Li Yuan called out to everyone.

The neighbors gathered around, took the ice cream, and their faces were filled with happy smiles.

"Li Yuan, your skills are really excellent. This ice cream tastes even better than what you buy outside," Aunt Zhang praised.

“That’s right, and you’re so generous in sharing with everyone, that’s wonderful!” Uncle Zhao chimed in.

“We’re all neighbors, it’s only right. On such a hot day, let’s all have some ice cream together to cool off,” Liu Xuan said with a smile.

Children laughed and played nearby, while adults ate ice cream and chatted happily. Neighbors who were initially somewhat unfamiliar with each other became closer and more familiar because of this small ice cream.