In this way, the family, rare as it was, sat together and had a proper meal.
Because there wasn’t enough time, Lu Zhaozhao didn’t manage to make bone broth and simply ate the buns, drinking some water.
For them, that was already very good.
Everyone in the Gu family, adults and children alike, ate to their satisfaction.
Lu Zhaozhao herself had the most satisfying meal since she had arrived in this world.
This was what real food should taste like!
Moreover, because the wild bitter vegetables were grown in her spiritual field inside the space, Lu Zhaozhao felt that these buns were even tastier than any she had eaten back in the twenty-first century. Perhaps it was because she was so hungry.
After all, when one was hungry, anything tasted delicious.
After spending the whole morning running around with Gu Yan, her energy had been completely drained. Could she not be hungry?
After they ate their fill, everyone went about their own business. The two little ones, having enjoyed the fragrant buns with crispy bits, grew even fonder of Little Aunt.
At the same time, in their young hearts, a certain feeling was planted.
That was: wherever Little Aunt went, there would be good food.
So, whenever the two little ones were around Lu Zhaozhao, they unconsciously tried to please her. Even Lu Zhaozhao noticed how obvious it was.
But she could understand it; at their age, all they knew was eating and playing. Thinking about tasty food was perfectly natural.
While Lu Zhaozhao chatted casually with the two little ones, there was suddenly a commotion at the Gu family’s door. She looked up and saw a woman she didn’t recognize, carrying a basket and glancing around nervously.
Before Lu Zhaozhao could ask who she was looking for, Gu Yan calmly walked to the door and said,
“Sister-in-law Zheng, what brings you here?”
“Gu Yan, well, I came to bring you a gift. I heard you’ve married a new wife. We’re neighbors after all, and you saved my life once. I had to come see her. This must be your wife, right? She’s really quite lovely.”
Madam Zheng spoke while smiling at the young wife, who had just come inside from standing at a distance, and praised her warmly.
Though Lu Zhaozhao didn’t know her, she understood from the conversation that this was a neighborly sister-in-law visiting. She stepped forward to greet her:
“Oh, it’s Sister-in-law Zheng. My name is Lu Zhaozhao. Please take care of me from now on.”
“Nonsense, we’re neighbors. We should help each other. I really should have visited sooner, but I was embarrassed to come empty-handed. These eggs I’ve been saving for several days, so don’t think it’s too little. And these vegetables are homegrown. Not worth much, but please take them.”
Seeing how polite Gu Yan’s young wife was, Sister-in-law Zheng liked her instantly. This girl seemed easy to get along with.
Her heart swelled with happiness for Gu Yan. Without a woman in the household, managing everything would be difficult.
Looking at how clean and happy the children’s faces were after just two days of the young wife being there, she felt glad.
Lu Zhaozhao immediately understood.
Although Gu Yan and she hadn’t held a formal wedding, Sister-in-law Zheng, whose life Gu Yan had once saved, wanted to come and congratulate them. She was short of resources, so she had to wait until her chickens laid enough eggs, which had delayed her visit by a couple of days.
“Sister-in-law, you’re so thoughtful. There’s no need to be so polite. This is too valuable; please take it back.”
Although Lu Zhaozhao also wanted the eggs, seeing Sister-in-law Zheng’s thin, frail frame, she knew the woman’s life wasn’t easy. Despite that, she had brought over about ten eggs. Lu Zhaozhao would simply remember her kindness.
“Take them. If it weren’t for Gu Yan, I might have already lost my life. Even if you don’t eat them, the children need them. Please accept them.”
Madam Zheng had finally found a reason to repay her benefactor and insisted on giving the eggs.
Faced with such a warm gesture, Lu Zhaozhao didn’t know what to do. She looked helplessly at Gu Yan, who nodded, signaling her to accept them. Only then did she take the basket with relief.
“All right, thank you so much, Sister-in-law Zheng. Wait a moment—I’ll put the eggs away and return the basket to you.”
She hurried inside, found a basin, and carefully arranged the eggs.
There was also a bunch of fresh, tender green vegetables that looked very appealing.
After placing the vegetables, Lu Zhaozhao suddenly remembered that she hadn’t finished the buns at her own house. She lined the basket with oiled paper and placed five buns inside. She didn’t know exactly how many people were in Sister-in-law Zheng’s family, but five should suffice.
With this, the neighbor had brought eggs and vegetables, and Lu Zhaozhao returned a few buns in kind.
In neighborhood relationships, it was natural to reciprocate.
One gives, one receives, and gradually the neighbors grow closer. They say distant relatives aren’t as good as close neighbors. Maintaining a good relationship with neighbors could be very helpful in times of need.
Madam Zheng hadn’t expected the Gu family to give a return gift. She hesitated a little, but when Lu Zhaozhao mentioned that the buns had wild vegetable filling, she accepted. Wild vegetables were common and occasionally gathered, so they weren’t rare, but the white flour was quite precious. Thinking of her daughters at home, Madam Zheng accepted it with a grateful heart. She would remember the Gu family’s kindness.
After Madam Zheng left, Lu Zhaozhao curiously asked,
“Sister-in-law Zheng said you saved her life. What happened, Husband? Tell me!”
Gu Yan hadn’t expected her to be interested, but there was nothing he couldn’t say. Calmly, he explained:
“It’s nothing special. Once, when I went hunting in the mountains, I happened to meet Sister-in-law Zheng picking mushrooms. The mountain paths were slippery from the rain, and she twisted her ankle. I originally wanted to carry her down, but she thought it would look bad and refused. So I sent a message to her two daughters. Eventually, the two daughters carried her down on a wooden board.”
Gu Yan thought she was a bit stubborn. No one had seen him helping, so why worry? But since Sister-in-law Zheng insisted, he let it be.
It delayed him quite a bit that day, and he didn’t get much game.
“Sister-in-law Zheng’s daughters carried her? They’re that big already! I thought she wasn’t very old herself,” Lu Zhaozhao exclaimed. She had thought Sister-in-law Zheng was no more than thirty, and yet her children were so grown.
“Yes, she has three daughters. The eldest is twelve, the middle one ten, and the youngest eight.”