"Little Mo, do you want a wing, a drumstick, or the chicken head?" Grandma Wu turned and asked Little Tang Mo.
Drumsticks, wings, and chicken heads were all kids’ favorites. Little Tang Mo thought for a moment. "A wing."
The moment Little Tang Mo answered, Grandma Wu smiled and placed a wing in his bowl.
"There’s more after you finish."
"They’ll be stuffed just from this. Give the rest to my cousins," Wu Sheng quickly interjected.
The meal was joyful and harmonious. Having eaten together at the same table, they had all grown a little more familiar with each other.
The only problem was that the family kept thinking Su Li and Little Tang Mo didn’t like the food and hadn’t eaten enough.
They only ate two meals a day, and because they did manual labor, they expended a lot of energy and ate quite a bit more.
Su Li and Little Tang Mo weren’t big eaters to begin with. Plus, they had already eaten Yellow Bubble Fruits and crisp plums earlier, filling their stomachs with fruit. Because the dishes were so delicious, they had already eaten until their bellies were round, but to the family, it still looked like they had eaten very little.
Grandma Wu and the aunt were worried. It was no use even when Wu Sheng explained that they simply didn’t eat much; they were still trying to figure out what else they could make that Su Li and the others might like.
"Auntie, really, there’s no need. I’m truly full."
In the end, Su Li had no choice. She and Little Tang Mo were forced to show off their round, full bellies.
Only then did Grandma and the aunt believe them, albeit dubiously.
Wu Sheng was off to the side, laughing uncontrollably. After he finished laughing, his heart felt both sweet and sour.
It was sweet because of how wonderful Grandma Wu and his aunt were, but sour because he couldn’t stay and spend more time with them.
Grandma Wu and the aunt were simple, honest people, and they had raised their children well. Su Li and Little Tang Mo weren’t difficult to get along with either, so it was easy for them to grow closer, especially after Su Li and Little Tang Mo showed off their bellies.
After the meal, Su Li helped clear the table and was about to wash the dishes, but the aunt adamantly stopped her.
"Just let your two cousins wash them. You’ve had a long and tiring journey."
To her, Su Li was a city girl. She was worried Su Li would find it distasteful, so how could she dare let her wash dishes?
"Auntie, you don’t have to be so formal. I grew up in the countryside too. My family’s home isn’t even this nice," Su Li explained helplessly.
The aunt was a little doubtful. "Really?"
She looked at Su Li, who was so fair and clean. It wasn’t just her clothes and appearance; her entire demeanor didn’t seem like that of someone from the countryside at all.
"It’s true. You and Grandma don’t need to be so formal."
Wu Sheng also chimed in to support her, and only then was the aunt half-convinced.
But even though she believed her, she still didn’t let Su Li wash the dishes.
The aunt and Grandma prepared the beds for Wu Sheng, Su Li, and the others.
Even though Wu Sheng only came back to stay for a few days a year at most, his room was always kept for him. The same went for Wu Qihua’s room.
Since Wu Qihua hadn’t come, Su Li would stay in her room.
Wu Zhuangshi had been in poor health since birth and basically grew up on medicine. Later, his illness became more and more severe.
To pay for his treatment, the Wu Family had nearly bankrupted themselves. At times, they were so poor they could barely afford to eat.
These hard times only began to improve after Wu Qihua married into the family.
Wu Qihua had a large dowry, but the Wu Family didn’t want to take advantage of her and was always unwilling to accept too much of her help.
After getting through the most difficult period, they relied on their own hard work, step by step, to build a better life, which led to everything they had today.
However, this was also inseparable from the help of Wu Qihua and Wu Sheng. Wu Sheng was rather domineering in this regard.
"This is a token of my regard. If you don’t accept it, I won’t come back anymore."
Other families worried about poor relatives constantly showing up to freeload and take advantage, but the Wu Family was the complete opposite; they refused to take advantage of anyone, no matter what.
Fortunately, as time went on, neither Wu Qihua nor Wu Sheng ever grew distant. They continued to treat the family as close kin, so the family gradually stopped refusing everything.
Originally, with Wu Qihua’s and Wu Sheng’s skills and abilities, the family could have easily found jobs in the city or even the Imperial City, instead of toiling so hard in the village.
But neither Grandma Wu, nor the aunt, nor the cousins were willing.
They just wanted to live and work honestly, relying on their own abilities.
Whatever they wanted, they would strive for it themselves. Just like Wu Dong, who was a good student and got into university on his own merits.
Wu Qihua’s influence on the Wu Family was profound, but the family’s rare and simple spirit also influenced Wu Qihua and, in turn, Wu Sheng.
After dinner, they chatted until ten. They watched a bit of television—a gift Wu Sheng had insisted on giving them after they got electricity—before it was time for bed.
Su Li was too full to sleep. Wu Sheng noticed this clearly, so after everyone else was asleep, he led her out to a haystack under the moonlight.
"I really like Grandma, my two aunts, and my cousins. Even though I only see them once a year..."
Wu Sheng lay with his hands pillowed behind his head, gazing at the moon above. "But I feel like our bond has never changed."
Su Li sat beside him, hugging her knees. "That’s how it is with family."
"I love it here too. Coming back here... my heart just feels so at peace."
After speaking, he looked at Su Li and spread his arms. "Want to lie down too?"
Su Li glanced back at him and shook her head. "No, thanks."
A flash of regret crossed Wu Sheng’s eyes. "I have a feeling it’s going to rain tonight. If it does, we can go pick mushrooms in the mountains tomorrow."
"The weather seems fine. Why would it rain?" Su Li said, looking up at the sky.
"Want to make a bet?" Wu Sheng asked, full of excitement.
"What’s the bet?" Su Li asked curiously.
"If it rains tonight, you have to give me a kiss, any day before we leave the village." Wu Sheng revealed a mischievous grin.
Su Li: "..."
Seeing Su Li’s silence, Wu Sheng said, "It’s settled, then."
Su Li: "...Let’s go back and sleep."
’It’s not going to rain.’
As it turned out, in the middle of the night... it really did rain.
When they woke up the next day, the air was impossibly fresh.
After dawn, the weather cleared up. The clouds rolled away, leaving a vast, clear sky.
Wu Sheng took Su Li and Little Tang Mo up the mountain to pick mushrooms first. Then they returned and went to the bamboo forest to harvest bamboo shoots, coming back with a full load before lunch.
After lunch, it grew hot outside, and the sun was scorching.
Wu Sheng was a man of his word and took Little Tang Mo to teach him how to swim.
Su Li went with the aunt to do laundry in the shade of the trees by the lake.
The sounds of Wu Sheng’s and Little Tang Mo’s voices and laughter drifted over from a distance. Su Li watched the scene before her, her heart serene and peaceful, a smile constantly playing on her lips.
As she chatted with the aunt, Su Li would occasionally glance over at Wu Sheng and Little Tang Mo in the distance.
However, whenever Wu Sheng looked back at her, Su Li would quickly avert her gaze.
Naturally, since he was in the water, Wu Sheng was completely bare-chested. Su Li felt too shy to look.
Even though she only caught occasional glimpses, Su Li was certain that in the modern era, a sight like that would make a horde of women scream.
’An eight-pack, and all that... AHEM... Although I’m too embarrassed to count, it looks like he has one.’
Little Tang Mo swallowed quite a bit of lake water, but the results were good. He was a very fast learner and already dared to splash around on his own.
’Come to think of it, I can’t swim either,’ Su Li thought, watching them with envy.
After finishing the laundry, the aunt went back, leaving Su Li and Little Tang Mo to watch Wu Sheng catch fish.
Wu Sheng, true to his word, started grilling fish by the lakeside.