Chapter 44 – Planting Scallions

Gu Yuzhu truly didn’t know what to say. “Mom, is there anything you can’t cook?”

Yan Fengru thought seriously about it. “Well, not exactly everything.”

Gu Yuzhu: “…”

Then why are you asking me what to say? What if I mention something you don’t know how to make and end up scaring you? She silently complained in her heart but still had to act sweet and adorable in front of her mother.

“Mama~! Zhu’er likes sooooo many delicious things! Will you make them all for me?”

Yan Fengru: “…” Tsk! This little girl is certainly greedy! But what’s there to fear when a mother is here to spoil her daughter?

In fact, considering the small population in town and its relative lack of wealth compared to the prefectural city, too fancy a dish wouldn’t be suitable. After thinking it over, the safest options were common fare like steamed buns, mantou, sesame flatbread, and the like. Precisely because they were common, they would need to be made better than anyone else’s to stand out.

Otherwise, there would be no competitive edge.

But Yan Fengru wasn’t some naive young girl anymore—she knew better than to completely edge others out of a livelihood. There were many nuances involved.

Still, not wanting to crush her daughter’s enthusiasm, Yan Fengru responded earnestly, “Then Mama will make your favorite big meat buns, okay?”

Gu Yuzhu: “…”

Although she’d been a meat-lover in both lives, if they were making meat buns, shouldn’t she plant wheat or scallions? Either one should be acceptable, right?

“Okay! Then I’ll plant scallions! Mama can use the scallions I grow in her meat buns, okay? I promise I’ll grow them well!”

Yan Fengru was utterly charmed by how serious her daughter looked. Still, she didn’t take it too seriously. At her daughter’s insistence, she asked her two sisters-in-law for some scallion roots and handed them over.

Honestly, when Gu Yuzhu received the roots, she was a little doubtful. But thinking it through, she figured her mom was probably just humoring her. After all, what else could a little five-year-old insist on planting? Scallions, ginger, and garlic were probably the best fit—easy to grow and hard to kill.

And that was exactly what Yan Fengru thought. She was genuinely worried that if her daughter finally made a request and the thing she wanted to grow turned out to be too difficult, it wouldn’t survive, and she’d end up crying.

But Gu Yuzhu was serious. She planted the scallion roots in the backyard, watered them daily, and occasionally sneaked in a little spring water from her space when no one was looking.

She didn’t know if the water in her space had any special properties, but it just felt different from regular water. After all, how could it be called space water if it weren’t special?

Still, you couldn’t tell much in just a day or two.

But after a few days, the scallion roots began sprouting tender, green shoots! Gu Yuzhu: “!!!”

When they had grown up a bit, she secretly transplanted one of the green scallion shoots into her space.

…

“Big Sister went to town, with Xingye and the others. Since Bo’er’s going to study at the academy, she also wanted to go look at the plot of land next to our house to build a courtyard…”

From afar, Gu Yuzhu heard Lin-shi talking with someone.

“My goodness, such a rush? Doesn’t the family already have plenty of rooms? But your sister-in-law sure has sharp eyes. You should be mindful, too. The more capable she is, the more respect you should show her—that way, Xingye will value you more.”

“Ma, of course I know that. What do you take me for? Of course I respect Big Sister for raising Xingye and his brothers with so much effort. I treat her like my real sister.”

Tang-shi, Lin-shi’s mother, gave her daughter a glance and sighed.

Her daughter’s thoughts weren’t exactly wrong—everyone has their own ideas—but what she meant when saying all this wasn’t for her daughter to truly treat Yan Fengru as a blood sister out of sincere respect.

Rather, it should be just on the surface.

But she didn’t point that out.

Her daughter was simple-minded, and in the eyes of shrewd people, a person with too many thoughts couldn’t hide them—others would see right through them anyway. Sometimes, it was better to be simple and straightforward. If she committed to something, she’d genuinely do it, and that sincerity was visible to others.

“You always say you understand, but listen—your sister-in-law has good judgment. She knows to send her child to study. What about Meihua?”

Lin-shi understood her mother well. The moment she said that, she got the message.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. Of course it’s good for kids to learn to read, and we can afford it. But Xingye says Meihua’s not the quiet type and hasn’t matured yet. If he really has the aptitude, we’ll consider it in a few years…”

Though she said that, Lin-shi couldn’t help feeling anxious when she saw her husband’s nephew already enrolled in school, while her own son hadn’t made any progress.

After all, her eldest son Yan Meihua was already six this year—a whole year older than Bo’er. Yet Bo’er was already starting his education, while her own husband didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

Since her husband wasn’t worried, there wasn’t much she could do. Among the three brothers, each had a strong personality, so major family decisions were made by the men. Only the minor day-to-day matters, like meals, were left to the women.

Tang-shi didn’t know what else to say. As a mother and grandmother, of course she hoped her grandchildren would do well. But if the child’s mother wasn’t taking the initiative, all she could do was give a few more reminders.

“You’ve always been simple-minded. Marrying someone like Xingye really is a case of ‘blessed are the fools.’ But you can’t just be passive about everything. Men can be careless—women are better at thinking things through. Why don’t you wait for Bo’er to come back and then mention it to your husband?”

Since her own mother had said so much, Lin-shi couldn’t just respond with a flat refusal—she’d risk upsetting her.

Just then, Tang-shi spotted Gu Yuzhu. “Oh my, isn’t this little Zhu’er?”

She shot a look at her daughter, and Lin-shi immediately understood.

She smiled and said, “Big Sister went to town. She’s probably preparing to build the courtyard and couldn’t take the kids, so she left them at home. There are plenty of children here, and they’re all well-behaved. My sisters-in-law and I are watching over them—it’s no trouble at all.”

Tang-shi inwardly scoffed. As if that’s what she was worried about. What she was concerned about was whether the little girl might overhear something she shouldn’t. Unlike her own daughter, Tang-shi wasn’t so naïve. Little kids might be young, but they had ears and mouths. If they heard something, they could repeat it—especially when their words seemed innocent and unfiltered, which often made adults more inclined to believe them.

Still, thinking back, she hadn’t said anything improper. With that thought, Tang-shi’s face lit up with a smile.

“Oh my, this must be little Zhu’er! Just look at how well your mother raised you—like a child straight off a New Year’s poster!”

Gu Yuzhu, forced to accept the compliment: “…”

“Second Aunt, did my mother really go to town?”

“That’s right, little Zhu’er. You’re up? Your mother made you noodles. I’ll go reheat them for you. But first, wash your face. The hot water is still in the pot—it should still be warm.”

Tang-shi looked at her daughter being so considerate and couldn’t help but wince. Then she looked over at her own grandson squatting and playing with mud… and honestly didn’t know which one felt more like her real grandchild. But then again, maybe her daughter truly was “a fool with good fortune.”