The moment he heard there would be steamed buns to eat, Da Hu’s eyes immediately lit up.
He looked so excited that he practically started drooling.
Embarrassed, Aunt Li quickly waved her hands.
“No, no, no. If you buy them, you should keep them for yourselves. Don’t give them to Da Hu.”
Gu Xiaoxiao stood up and smiled.
“Consider it my apology to Da Hu.”
“Aunt Li, please don’t refuse.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll bring them over tomorrow.”
“We’ll head inside first.”
After waving goodbye to Aunt Li and Da Hu, she turned and entered the courtyard.
The mother and son remained standing outside, staring at each other.
Aunt Li was the first to recover.
Immediately, she grabbed Da Hu by the ear.
“Ow! Mom! It hurts! It hurts!”
Da Hu hurriedly covered his ear.
At the rate she was pulling, he felt like it might come off.
“It hurts?”
“You still have the nerve to complain?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about any of this?”
“Do you realize that if Gu Xiaoxiao hadn’t exposed the truth today, you would’ve carried this blame for the rest of your life?”
Aunt Li was furious.
She suddenly regretted raising such an honest and simple-minded son.
Something this important, and he hadn’t said a word.
Looking aggrieved, Da Hu muttered,
“Mom, I know I was wrong. Next time something like this happens, I’ll tell you.”
The moment he said “next time,” Aunt Li’s grip tightened even further.
“Next time?!”
Da Hu wanted to cry.
Why was every answer wrong?
What was he supposed to say?
After returning home, Gu Xiaoxiao was immediately surrounded by her family.
Old Madam Gu carefully examined her from head to toe.
“Xiaoxiao, are you sure you’re alright?”
“That Xu Cuihua didn’t do anything to you, did she?”
“That’s right,” someone else chimed in.
“You said she was the one who pushed you. Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“If we’d known, we definitely wouldn’t have let her off.”
“Exactly!”
Gu Yanchen puffed up angrily.
“Big Sister treats her so well, and she still pushed you! She’s such a bad person!”
Thinking back to the days when everyone had said his sister would never wake up again, his eyes reddened.
Even though he was afraid of her back then, he still liked his sister.
The thought of never seeing her again had made him cry secretly by himself.
And now it turned out that the culprit was her so-called best friend.
Hmph.
He would never talk to Xu Cuihua again.
Feeling the overwhelming love and concern of her family, Gu Xiaoxiao’s heart warmed.
She would cherish them.
“I’m sorry, everyone.”
“I wasn’t trying to hide it.”
“When I first woke up, my head hurt and my memories were all mixed up.”
“It wasn’t until I saw Cuihua today that everything suddenly came back to me.”
Seeing her sincere expression, the family finally stopped pressing the issue.
After confirming she was truly fine, everyone gradually dispersed.
Gu Xiaoxiao looked around.
There was someone she hadn’t seen all day.
Old Madam Gu noticed.
“Xiaoxiao, what are you looking for?”
Had she lost something?
“Grandma, where’s my mother?”
Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen the original owner’s mother at all.
Not yesterday.
Not today.
Old Madam Gu immediately understood.
“Oh, your mother?”
“She went back to her parents’ house.”
“She should be back tomorrow.”
“You went out with Cuihua earlier, and something happened over there, so she hurried back.”
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded.
No wonder she hadn’t seen her.
The original owner really hadn’t paid much attention to her family.
Old Madam Gu headed into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
The commotion with the villagers had delayed things considerably.
Everyone was already starving.
Grandpa Gu and Father Gu still needed to return to the fields after eating.
She had to hurry.
Just as she rolled up her sleeves—
“Grandma, let me cook.”
Old Madam Gu looked up.
It was Gu Xiaoxiao.
Immediately, she frowned and tried to shoo her out.
“What are you doing?”
“Go outside.”
“Grandma will have food ready soon.”
Gu Xiaoxiao was pushed out.
A few seconds later…
she walked right back in.
Old Madam Gu stared at her helplessly.
“Why are you back again?”
“Grandma, let me cook.”
This time, her tone was firm.
Seeing the determination on her face, Old Madam Gu finally sighed and stepped aside.
“Fine.”
“If you want to cook, then cook.”
Worst case scenario, everyone would just go hungry tonight.
At last, Gu Xiaoxiao got her wish.
The truth was, after seeing the family’s usual meals in the original owner’s memories, she had been horrified.
Everything was either boiled or steamed.
No seasoning.
No flavor.
Nothing.
She absolutely refused to eat food that bland.
The only solution was to cook it herself.
She surveyed the kitchen.
Several strips of cured pork hung from the ceiling.
A pile of wild vegetables sat on the ground.
Then she remembered the cabbage growing in Grandma’s vegetable patch.
“Grandma, could you pick some cabbage for me?”
Stir-fried cabbage with cured pork was delicious.
The moment she spoke, Old Madam Gu immediately went to harvest some cabbage.
The wild vegetables were already prepared.
She could simply stir-fry them later.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoxiao dragged over a stool.
Standing on it, she reached up and cut down a piece of cured pork hanging from the ceiling.
When Old Madam Gu returned with the cabbage, she found Gu Xiaoxiao skillfully slicing the meat.
The girl looked up and grinned.
“Grandma, could you wash the cabbage? I’m busy over here.”
Old Madam Gu froze.
She watched the neat slices of pork accumulating on the cutting board.
A strange feeling rose inside her.
When had her granddaughter become so capable?
“Grandma?”
Gu Xiaoxiao called again.
Only then did Old Madam Gu snap out of her daze.
She hurried off to wash the vegetables.
After years of practice, she worked quickly.
Soon the cleaned cabbage was delivered to the kitchen.
“Xiaoxiao, what are you planning to make?”
Gu Xiaoxiao smiled.
“Cabbage with cured pork.”
“And a simple stir-fried wild vegetable dish.”
Old Madam Gu looked confused.
What was stir-fried wild vegetables?
She stood nearby and watched.
Only then did Gu Xiaoxiao realize a major problem.
She had no idea how to start a fire.
Turning to Old Madam Gu, she immediately looked pitiful.
“Grandma…”
“I don’t know how to light the stove.”
(╥﹏╥)
Old Madam Gu burst out laughing.
Her face was full of affection.
“Alright, Grandma will do it.”
In a few practiced motions, the fire was lit.
Gu Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled.
“Grandma, you’re amazing!”
The praise instantly made Old Madam Gu beam with pride.
She became even more enthusiastic about tending the fire.
Gradually, the water remaining in the wok evaporated.
Gu Xiaoxiao scooped out a spoonful of lard from a clay jar and dropped it into the pan.
The moment she saw how much the lard level had fallen, Old Madam Gu’s heart twitched painfully.
That was precious cooking fat!
Still, she silently comforted herself.
It’s fine.
Xiaoxiao can use whatever she wants.
The lard melted and shimmered.
Once the oil was hot enough, Gu Xiaoxiao tossed in some garlic.
Sizzle!
Instantly, a rich aroma burst from the wok.
Outside in the courtyard, Grandpa Gu and the others sniffed the air drifting from the kitchen.
Their already-empty stomachs growled even louder.
Something smelled incredible.