Xiaohu shook his head so hard it looked like a rattle drum.
“I’m not going! I’m not going! The foolish girl bites people! I’m scared of her!”
He had no idea why, but ever since he’d tricked the foolish girl into climbing a tree and made her fall, every time she looked at him, it felt like she wanted to stab him.
She had even tricked him out of an egg.
Now Xiaohu wasn’t so sure which one of them was actually the fool.
“What’s there to be afraid of? She’s just a fool! How did I end up raising such a coward? Get over here!”
Second Aunt’s face turned green with anger. She grabbed her son’s ear, dragged him over to the stove, shoved a large bowl into his hands, and scolded him as she lectured,
“Listen carefully. Carry this bowl to their house, stand right at the doorway, and just watch them eat! I refuse to believe your eldest uncle won’t give you a bite. You’re his oldest nephew!”
Xiaohu awkwardly shook his head and edged backward.
“I’m not going, Mom. It’s embarrassing…”
“You useless idiot…”
Second Aunt pinched his arm in frustration.
“Can’t you smell how good that meat is? Half the village won’t be able to sleep tonight because they’re craving it!
Tell me—which do you want? Your pride, or meat? If you choose your pride, you won’t even get a fart to eat!”
Xiaohu swallowed as saliva pooled in his mouth again.
The temptation of meat was simply too much to resist.
…
Even though everyone had repeatedly urged the old man to come over for dinner that evening, he still quietly slipped away before mealtime.
When a basin of braised pork offal, wild vegetables cooked in meat broth, and steamed corn buns were finally placed on the table, Fenniang had no choice but to send Zhuo Chang’an to look for him.
Holding Zhuo Ling’s hand, Zhuo Chang’an walked toward the entrance of the village.
The setting sun bathed the road in golden light.
Soon they saw a stooped old figure slowly making his way toward them.
“Little girl? Is… is that my little girl?”
The old man peered in their direction, then smiled warmly and waved to Zhuo Ling.
“Come here, come here.”
“Great-Grandpa!”
Zhuo Ling skipped happily over to him.
The old man reached into his clothes, took out a bundle wrapped in leaves, bent down with trembling hands, and held it out to her.
“Look. See what this is?”
The leaf wrapping slowly unfolded.
Inside were more than a dozen bright red little berries.
“Wow!”
Tilting her head, Zhuo Ling clapped excitedly and bounced in place.
“Fruit! Pretty! Great-Grandpa… pretty…”
She had never seen such beautiful fruit before.
Each berry was only about the size of a fingernail, covered with tiny seed-like bumps, bright red and glistening, so tempting it was impossible to look away.
“Wild raspberries.”
Great-Grandpa smiled as he placed the berries into her hands.
“Go on. Eat them.
“They’re sweet.”
Ding…
“Natural wild raspberries discovered. Value: 18,000 Underground Credits each…”
The system notification sounded.
A red targeting frame locked onto the berries.
Sell?
Without a second thought, Zhuo Ling mentally slapped No.
Absolutely not!
Eighteen thousand each?
Even if they were worth a hundred and eighty thousand each, she still wouldn’t sell them!
Were these just wild raspberries?
No.
These were Great-Grandpa’s love for his great-granddaughter.
A string of drool shamelessly escaped the corner of her mouth.
She picked up one raspberry and popped it into her mouth.
With the gentlest press of her tongue, the juice burst instantly across her lips.
The flesh was soft and delicate, filling her mouth with cool, slightly tart juice mixed with just the right touch of sweetness.
It was the first real fruit she had ever eaten.
It was unbelievably delicious.
So delicious that she couldn’t bear to eat them all at once.
She ate them one by one, wanting to make the wonderful feeling last just a little longer.
“Sweet?”
Seeing her eyes curve into happy crescents, Great-Grandpa lovingly rubbed her little head.
“Eat them all. Tomorrow I’ll go find you some more.”
That filling lunch at noon had nearly left the old man dizzy with happiness.
Thanks to his great-grandson and great-granddaughter, he had finally tasted fragrant pork after going an entire year without a single bite of meat.
But how could he simply accept their kindness without giving anything back?
He was an old man with one foot already in the grave.
What could he possibly give those children?
After thinking it over, he had gone into the forest alone, searching through the quieter areas, planning to dig up some wild vegetables. At least that would count as something.
Instead, he unexpectedly found several wild raspberry bushes hidden among the shrubs.
The drought had left very few berries on them.
He picked every ripe one he could find and brought them back, hoping the children could enjoy them as a little treat.
“Sweet! Mm-hmm… sweet!”
Zhuo Ling happily bounced up and down in front of Great-Grandpa, making the old man laugh heartily.
She picked up another berry, stood on tiptoe, and held it to his mouth.
“Sweet! Great-Grandpa… eat! Eat!”
“Great-Grandpa won’t eat. You eat, little girl.”
He stroked her head again, every wrinkle on his face filled with affection.
“Eat! Eat!”
Zhuo Ling puffed out her cheeks and twisted her little hips in annoyance, refusing to give up until she managed to feed him.
Then she picked up another berry and stuffed it toward Zhuo Chang’an’s mouth.
“Eldest Brother eat! Eldest Brother eat!”
She blinked her bright, watery eyes at him.
“Tasty?”
Zhuo Chang’an smiled and nodded.
“Very tasty.”
“Chang’an, our little girl certainly isn’t stingy.”
The old man sighed with emotion.
“They say some children awaken early, while others awaken later. Perhaps she’s simply one of those late bloomers. If you ask me, Little Ling may one day surpass plenty of other people.”
“Yes, Great-Grandpa.”
Zhuo Chang’an looked deeply at Zhuo Ling before smiling gently.
“Mother is waiting for us to come home for dinner. Let us go back.”
The rich aroma of rendered fat and simmering meat filled the little thatched house.
The moment anyone stepped inside, the smell alone was enough to make them weak in the knees.
With nothing more than scallions, ginger, salt, and water, the pork offal had simmered for over an hour until it became tender and silky.
One bite, and it practically melted in the mouth.
Every stick of firewood had been chopped and carried home by her sons one piece at a time.
Normally, Fenniang could never bear to use so much wood for cooking.
But if the pork offal wasn’t simmered until tender, it would be as chewy as leather, ruining the flavor completely.
Fenniang mixed coarse flour with just a little white flour to make flat cakes, then stuck them around the edge of the pot to cook alongside the pork offal.
When she pried them off, the bottoms had turned beautifully golden and crisp.
The warm fragrance of fresh bread instantly elevated the already irresistible aroma of the meat.
The entire family was too busy eating to talk.
One hand clutched a flatbread while the other hurriedly shoved meat into their mouths.
Oil dripped from the corners of their lips.
Great-Grandpa squinted contentedly as he slowly chewed each bite of pork offal.
Second Brother buried his face in his bowl, noisily wolfing everything down.
His chopsticks never stopped moving.
Third Brother didn’t even bother sitting down.
If Fenniang hadn’t stopped him, he would have hugged the whole basin of meat and eaten straight from it.
As for Zhuo Ling, she was practically staring in amazement as she ate.
She had never expected different parts of the pork offal, all cooked in the same pot, to have completely different textures and flavors.
The intestines were incredibly soft and tender, with a rich, fatty aroma that was even more irresistible than the pork itself.
The lungs were full of tiny holes that had soaked up the broth. Every bite burst with soup, giving them a pleasantly springy texture.
The stomach was tender with just a bit of chew. There wasn’t anything particularly special about it—it mostly tasted like the delicious meat broth.
But the biggest surprise of all…
Was the pan-baked flatbread.
The top was soft and fluffy.
The bottom was crisp, golden, and wonderfully fragrant.
After dipping it into the meat broth, one bite was so delicious she almost wanted to roll around on the ground.
She had to admit—
Mother’s cooking was incredible.
Just as everyone was eating happily, Xiaohu appeared at the doorway, clutching a large bowl and sucking on his fingers.