“It’s like this, Dad, Mom. Back when I was all dazed and confused, I felt like my soul was somewhere else in another world. While I was there, I learned a lot of things, including how to cook.
One day, a voice whispered in my ear, telling me it was time to return, for my soul to reunite with my body. So I came back to consciousness. At that moment, someone who called themselves an ‘old immortal’ said that due to their mistake, my soul had been separated for so many years. To make up for it, they taught me many skills for surviving and making a living.”
After saying this, Shen Youyou observed the expressions of her family.
Sure enough, each of them looked shocked, their mouths wide open.
For a long while, no one spoke.
Finally, Li Shi broke the silence first. Her eyes were red, and her voice a little shaky:
“Y-You… Youyou, I knew, I knew my Youyou wasn’t a fool! So it was your soul leaving your body all those years. If I had known… I should have found a shaman to check on you! It’s all my fault that you seemed daft all these years… I’ve wronged you, my daughter.”
As she spoke, tears began to form in her eyes.
Shen Youyou hadn’t expected that her offhanded excuse would make her mother feel guilty. It made her heart feel a little bitter.
Fortunately, Shen Nan quickly stole everyone’s attention:
“Wow! Sis, you were guided by an immortal?! No wonder your cooking is so amazing! You must have huge luck ahead! Ordinary people don’t get this kind of opportunity. I want to meet an immortal too!”
Shen Father also chimed in:
“Yes, yes, don’t cry, your mother. This is a good thing. Youyou’s luck is still ahead of her—what’s past is past!”
“That’s right, Mom, don’t cry. This is also a blessing in disguise. Don’t worry, our family’s future will only get better. One day, even the old Shen family will have to look at us differently!”
Shen Youyou picked up a piece of chicken and put it in her mother’s bowl to comfort her.
Li Shi looked at her daughter and replied with a grateful smile:
“Mm, I know. As long as all of you are well, I’m content. As for the old Shen family, I just want to stay far away and never see them again!”
“Mom is right. I’ve lost all hope in them too. From now on, we’ll close our doors and live our little life, with no ties to them. Once my leg heals, I’ll build two more wooden houses nearby—comfortable ones.”
Hearing about the new houses, Shen Youyou was overjoyed. Living squeezed together in this tiny thatched cottage had been quite miserable.
And so, the family of four sat together, eating one of the best meals they’d had in days, dreaming of a brighter future.
The next day at noon.
Mo Yan had already boiled the three eggs for breakfast.
None of them had had eggs in a long time. Occasionally eating one felt extraordinarily delicious.
When it came time for lunch, Mo Yan reluctantly entered the kitchen, sighing and muttering in his mind:
“Why do we have to eat every day? Why must I cook every day? Back when we had servants, I didn’t mind. But now, it’s my turn… I really want to die! Cooking every day… I’m about to throw up. And what I make is so disgusting. If it weren’t for these two little kids, I’d rather live like a wild man!”
Just as he was about to toss the wild chickens he caught in the morning into the pot, a voice rang innocently from the kitchen doorway:
“Uncle, we don’t want to eat your cooking anymore! It’s really too bad!”
“Yeah, Uncle, stop cooking. Let’s think of a solution. After eating Sis Youyou’s chicken yesterday, we really can’t eat your chicken—it smells so fishy!”
Yuanzi followed her brother, echoing him. Their expressions were as disgusted as could be.
Mo Yan, embarrassed, tossed the ladle aside and joined the two little ones outside the kitchen.
The three of them squatted on the ground, looking up at the sky and then down at the earth.
“I think it’s hard to swallow too! But what can we do? Sis Youyou isn’t even family. How could she cook for us every day?”
Mo Yan felt the same way about his own cooking. Hearing the little ones protest, he immediately gave up.
“Um, Uncle, do you have money? We could ask Sis Youyou to sell us her cooking?” Yuanzi suggested.
Mo Yan didn’t even look up: “No money. We’ve spent it all. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be stuck here in this deep mountain, making you kids suffer with me!”
Tuanzi also thought hard and asked:
“Then Uncle, do you have anything you could trade? We could go exchange it with Sis Youyou?”
Seeing how eager the two kids were, Mo Yan began to think seriously.
Indeed, since following him, this period had probably been the toughest time in their short lives.
Now they just wanted normal meals. He couldn’t refuse.
Squatting on the ground and thinking hard, Mo Yan realized: aside from being skilled in martial arts and able to catch enough prey to keep the kids from starving, he had no other special skills.
Hmm… maybe he could propose a deal. If from now on, Sis Youyou’s family provided meat, he would take care of the hunting for them, making sure she never loses out. That way, all three of them would be fed.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. This was probably the best plan.
So Mo Yan immediately stood up.
He took the two kids and headed toward Shen Youyou’s house.
On the way, he told the two little ones: if necessary, they could act pitiful or play the victim to gain her sympathy.
For the sake of delicious meals, the three of them were willing to be shameless! What was face compared to a full belly?
When Shen Youyou saw the three at her kitchen doorway, she was a little confused. She quickly came out to speak to them.
“Mo Ge, what are you doing here?”
Without beating around the bush, Mo Yan stated their request directly. To make sure she agreed, he added:
“I’ll try to catch as much game as possible, so you won’t lose out. My cooking really is bad… I can take it myself, but I feel sorry for the kids suffering with me.”
After saying this, he quickly patted the two kids. They immediately went into performance mode for tasty food:
Tuanzi: “Sis Youyou, please pity us! Following Uncle, I’ve never had a full meal!”
Yuanzi: “Sis Youyou, my Uncle may cook terribly, but he’s skilled in fighting. If your family provides meat, Uncle will take care of it. Dad’s injuries will heal faster with meat, too. Let’s help each other, okay?”