Chapter 32
When little Chengjia woke up from his afternoon nap, he was eager to go outside and play with his friends. Yuan Mei and Luo Can had no choice but to take him out to find his friends.
After playing for more than two hours, he came back covered in grime and dust with a string of little radish heads trailing behind.
Luo Zhengzheng came downstairs, saw them, and couldn't help but laugh, asking her son, "Did you bring friends over for a visit?"
Little Chengjia, with his adorable cat-like face, pointed at his friend and said, "Friend, come play."
Yuan Mei led a group of children to wash their hands and faces: "He didn't want to come back after playing. We brought him back to eat some fruit. These children couldn't bear to part with him, so they came over to play with him too."
Luo Zhengzheng went inside to get some cookies and cut apples. Then she asked him to treat his friend: "Invite your friend to have some fruit."
Little Chengjia enthusiastically pulled the child's hand and said, "Eat fruit."
The little radishes gathered around the small dining table, eating cookies and fruit and chattering in words that adults couldn't understand.
After they finished their snacks, the children's parents came and took them home.
Although Jiajia was reluctant to part, he still said goodbye to his new friends and told them to come back to play tomorrow.
Yuan Mei asked Luo Zhengzheng, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Luo Zhengzheng replied, "Anything."
Yuan Mei glared at her: "You're so easygoing. Son-in-law is fine with anything too?"
Luo Zhengzheng was quite dismissive: "He's not picky about food, any simple meal will do the trick."
Yuan Mei poked her forehead. Son-in-law was a pampered guest. even if he wasn't picky about food, he couldn't be easily dismissed. "I'll ask Gu Shi later."
However, Gu Shi was really easy to please. When he came downstairs, Yuan Mei asked him what he wanted to eat. The stewed goose in an iron pot at noon had already satisfied his appetite and he didn't have anything else he particularly wanted to eat.
Since Son-in-law didn't have any particular food in mind, Yuan Mei made the decision at once: "Just now in the village, your fourth aunt gave me some celery stalks. They're so tender, I'll make dumplings for you."
Luo Zhengzheng nodded: "Okay, let's have dumplings then, and also make some red bean soup, I want to drink red bean soup."
Yuan Mei rolled his eyes at her: "I just asked you what you wanted to eat and you said anything, but now you want red bean soup."
Although she kept grumbling, she still went to the kitchen, scooped out half a bowl of red beans, rinsed them clean, and cooked them in a pot. Then she went to knead the dough, scramble the dumpling filling, and roll out the dumpling wrappers.
Luo Zhengzheng sat on a stool preparing to make dumplings. Gu Shi washed his hands and sat down next to her.
Luo Zhengzheng looked at him: "What are you doing?"
Gu Shi said, "Make dumplings."
Luo Zhengzheng: "You can?"
Gu Shi smiled and said, "Teacher Luo can teach me."
Luo Zhengzheng smiled and said, "Okay, I'll teach you. But don't be too stupid, or I'll scold you."
Gu Shi glanced at her and said, "No one has ever called me stupid."
Luo Zhengzheng held up a dumpling wrapper: "It's actually very simple. Watch me wrap it a few times, and you'll learn how."
Upon hearing Daughter's words, Yuan Mei couldn't help but glance at her, but refrained from saying a word.
It was indeed very simple. Gu Shi was as smart as he claimed. He learned how to make dumplings after watching Luo Zhengzheng make two, and he did a pretty good job of it.
A few minutes later.
Luo Zhengzheng glanced at the rows of dumplings he had made, almost all of them identical and neatly arranged, and suddenly laughed: "Do you know what your dumplings look like?"
Gu Shi could tell from her expression that she wasn't going to say anything nice, so he silently continued making dumplings, refusing to chat with her.
Seeing his indifferent expression, Luo Zhengzheng felt as if he was telling her through his actions that he was focused on his work and she shouldn't disturb him.
She was like a slacker who liked to get her deskmate to talk during class, completely ignoring his rejection and saying with a smile, "I think the dumplings you make are just like you, all so serious and with the same expression."
Gu Shi finally looked up at her, glanced at the dumplings she had made, and replied with two meaningful words: "Indeed."
Seeing his meaningful expression, Luo Zhengzheng asked him, "What do you mean?"
Gu Shi pointed to the dumplings she had made: "They're all different sizes and shapes, all crooked and messy. They look like a bunch of kids playing around. Someone hasn't grown up yet."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at the dumplings she had made, feeling unusually guilty. Although she knew how to make dumplings, they weren't very pretty. Then she looked at Gu Shi's dumplings, each one plump and neatly arranged like an infantry formation—so orderly! The student was even better than the teacher. She stubbornly said, "As long as they're edible, it’s fine."
Gu Shi listened to her sophistry and decided not to argue with her: "Yes, as long as it's edible, it’s fine."
Luo Zhengzheng glanced at him sideways, feeling utterly defeated, and lowered her head, becoming obedient.
Yuan Mei was rolling out dumpling wrappers when she overheard her daughter and son-in-law's conversation. She was somewhat reluctant to admit that this was her daughter. This bad habit of hers, which she had since childhood, hadn't changed even after getting married and having children. She thought that even after a few decades, it might not change. Fortunately, Son-in-law had a good personality and didn't hold it against her.
After cooking the dumplings, Luo Can picked up a plate, took out a dumpling, and joked with a smile, "This dumpling must have been made by my elder sister."
Luo Zhengzheng handed her son a bowl, put two dumplings in his bowl, and then looked at him, asking, "What's wrong with the dumplings I made? Can't be eaten?"
Luo Can ate the dumpling in one go: "It's edible, but it's too ugly."
Luo Zhengzheng glared at him and asked her son, "Are the dumplings Mom made ugly?"
Little Chengjia sat obediently on the stool eating dumplings. When he heard mom's words, he giggled and said, "No ugly, Uncle ugly."
Luo Can looked at him, widening his eyes to scare him. "What did you say?"
Little Chengjia wasn't afraid at all: "Uncle ugly."
Luo Can tickled his armpit: "Who's ugly?"
Little Chengjia laughed, but still insisted, "Uncle ugly."
Yuan Mei went up and whacked him, glaring at him angrily: "He's eating, why are you teasing him? He'll choke."
Luo Zhengzheng sat next to him and put the ugly dumplings she had made herself from her plate onto Gu Shi's plate. Gu Shi glanced at her.
Luo Zhengzheng smiled brightly: "I'll only eat what you make, isn't that giving you face?"
Gu Shi bluntly exposed her, "Isn't it you disdaining the dumplings you made being too ugly?"
Luo Zhengzheng, of course, refused to admit it: "How can you doubt my sincerity? Even if it's ugly, it's still a dumpling. The filling is the same, the wrapper is the same, and the taste is the same. There's no difference in the taste once you eat it."
"Okay, I believe you."
Gu Shicheng accepted her sincerity, lowered his head, picked up the so-called ugly dumpling Luo Zhengzheng had given him, and ate it in one bite.
The next day, before dawn, Luo Yongsheng got up, caught two geese, and killed them. Gu Shi heard the noise and got up to help.
After breakfast, they prepared to go back.
Yuan Mei helped them load things into the car, including dried radishes and dried gourds given to him by the villagers.
They also loaded the car with peanuts and soybeans given by their uncle and aunt.
Luo Yongsheng took a few old pumpkins from his home and threw them into the boot.
Yuan Mei also pickled a few jars of duck eggs. After Luo Can went to university, it was just her and Luo Yongsheng at home, and they couldn't eat much. So she asked Son-in-law, "Would you like some salted duck eggs? They're not too salty. Take some home?"
Gu Shi didn't know the meaning of politeness: "Okay, take some."
"I'll go pick them up for you." Yuan Mei ran to the kitchen again and took out a bag with a frown. She decided to let them take the jar with them. Gu Shi hurried over to help carry the jars.
Luo Zhengzheng leaned lazily to one side, watching them keep loading things onto the car, now even jars were being loaded onto the car: "..." She was speechless.
After carrying out the jar of salted duck eggs, Yuan Mei said to Son-in-law, "There are still a lot of chicken, duck and goose eggs. Your dad and I can't finish them all. They were all raised on grain, without any feed. We'll pack some for you to take back."
Though she said she would pack some, she brought out two buckets full of eggs.
Luo Zhengzheng looked at Gu Shi: "My mom is so good to you. She even loaded all the food you wanted into the car."
Gu Shi raised an eyebrow, quite pleased with himself: "Mother-in-law is naturally good to me."
Luo Zhengzheng: "......"
Skin was quite thick.
Back home, Luo Zhengzheng took the goose and other things to the main house and asked the kitchen staff to prepare them.
The chef stewed the goose that evening.
When Gu Boyuan heard that it was a goose his daughter-in-law had brought back from maternal home, he ate a lot of it. While eating, he commented, "Your parents raised this goose well. The meat is tender and chewy."
Sitting at the side, Gu Xian pursed his lips: "It's alright. I think it's mainly because of our chef’s excellent cooking."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at him, not intending to give him any face at all, since he hadn't given her any face either: "Then don't eat anymore. From what I see, you ate the most."
Gu Shi also looked at the bones on the plate in front of him: "Indeed."
While munching on a goose head, Liu Hanyue slowly mocked, "Some people just have a sharp tongue."
Gu Boyuan was also displeased: "Even food can't shut you up."
Gu Xian felt wronged. He only made a casual remark, so why was everyone criticizing him?
Ye Li looked at the other dishes on the table and slowly said, "This plate of peanuts, salted duck eggs, and pumpkin stew are all ingredients that Zhengzheng brought back from maternal home. There are also many eggs and dried goods in the storeroom."
Liu Hanyue looked at Gu Xian: "Rather giving it to you, it is better to feed it to a dog."
Whether it tasted good or not, it was the thought that counted. Besides, the goose meat was indeed good. Nothing good came out of the dog man’s mouth.
Luo Zhengzheng suppressed a laugh, thinking to herself that he deserved the scolding.
Gu Xian looked at her and said, "That's going too far. If you want to say something, just say it. Why do you have to scold?"
Ignoring the two of them, Gu Boyuan looked at Luo Zhengzheng and said with a smile, "Did you bring all your parents' things here?"
Luo Zhengzheng pointed at Gu Shi: "It's all food he wants. He takes whatever my parents give him without any politeness. He even brought back my mother's salted duck egg jar."
Gu Shi said, "Why shouldn't I accept what Mother-in-law offers?"
Gu Boyuan laughed loudly: "Your parents-in-law were good to you, so you should be more filial to them."
For once, Luo Zhengzheng said something in support of Gu Shi: "He is still very filial."
Gu Boyuan and Ye Li both agreed on this point. Although their son seemed a bit cold, he was good at social interaction.
Seeing that Luo Zhengzheng had once again won over her in-laws, Wang Yaning thought to herself, "Luo Zhengzheng is really clever. She always manages to please her in-laws."
Should she also go back to maternal home to get some things? But maternal home wasn't in the countryside and there weren't any agricultural products she could take. Maybe she should ask her grandfather to write a couple of calligraphy pieces to give to her in-laws?
After all, it was not the price of the gift that matters, but the thought behind it!
Yu Shuang didn't have any thoughts. All she wanted to do now was to take good care of her pregnancy and have a son.
As for Liu Hanyue, she has no interest. All she wanted to do was film the TV series with Luo Zhengzheng, act more, and earn more money. She couldn't wait to get along better with her.