Chapter 136: A Confused but Delightful Feast

"Mother!" Du Yun, along with Du Bo and Du Yin, who had come racing back from goodness knows where, caught sight of their mother and rushed to greet her.

"I'm back!" Du Yun's mother’s face was flushed, and her smile was beaming; it was clear she was in high spirits.

"You're back! How did it go?" Seeing the radiant smile on her daughter's face, Grandmother Du’s own face lit up. All her years of toil and worry were for nothing more than her children's happiness, and seeing her daughter so joyful meant more to her than anything else.

"I went to several houses and inquired around—everything looks good!" Du Yun's mother’s eyes sparkled. She was overjoyed with the news, unable to stop her mouth from curling into a grin as she spoke.

"I told you it would work out, didn't I? I am your mother, after all!" Grandmother Du said with a look of triumph, ushering her daughter into the house while she headed off to prepare a meal.

"Mother, where did my eldest brother and the others go?" Du Yun's mother looked around the house and, noticing her brother hadn't appeared all day, felt a twinge of confusion.

"They went to your sister-in-law's family home to help out. They’re harvesting fish from the ponds at her parents' place. Your eldest and second brothers both went, and they took the children along too," Grandmother Du replied, sounding somewhat displeased.

"And Father?" Du Yun's mother was stunned. It was one thing for her eldest brother to help his wife's family, but for the second brother's entire family to go along—and with the children in tow—seemed a bit excessive.

"He had nothing to do, so he tagged along, too!" Grandmother Du’s expression darkened further; it was clear this was the source of her irritation.

"Why would an old man like Father go running off? Don't worry, Mother, when he gets back, I'll give him a piece of my mind for you!" Seeing her mother upset, Du Yun's mother playfully nudged the old woman to cheer her up.

"You! You’re just buttering me up!" Teased by her daughter, Grandmother Du actually laughed, a sight that made Du Yun rub her eyes in disbelief.

"Douzhi, am I seeing things? How could my mother talk like that?" Du Yun wondered if she had transmigrated to yet another planet like Greenfields Star, encountering people with the same faces but entirely different personalities.

"You aren't seeing things; that is indeed your mother," Douzhi replied after scanning the space they were in. Finding no anomalies, it couldn't understand why its master was so surprised.

"Oh," Du Yun murmured, dazed. A vague thought flickered through her mind, but it vanished before she could grasp it.

"Since the others aren't home, I'll stay here for a couple more days. That way, you won't be lonely," Du Yun's mother said, linking her arm through her mother's and walking into the house. The old woman agreed repeatedly, her face so full of smiles that all traces of her previous annoyance had vanished.

Du Bo and Du Yin had no objections to staying a few more days at their grandmother's spacious, bright house. Although Du Yun felt it might be a bit of a delay, the sight of her grandmother's genuinely happy face made her swallow the words she had been about to speak.

Du Yun turned her thoughts to her sister's upcoming wedding. All the preliminary rituals had been completed, leaving only the wedding procession itself. Aside from that, the only major task left was the wedding banquet. There was still plenty of time, so she decided to settle in comfortably at her grandmother's house.

There were only five of them for dinner, but the spread was anything but simple. With Grandmother Du directing, Du Yun's mother cooking, and Du Yun assisting, the three generations of women worked together to prepare a meal that was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

"My, look at all this delicious food!" The five of them sat around the table, staring at a large basin of stewed fish, a basin of hearty mixed stew, and a plate of fragrant, oily stir-fried leeks with eggs. Just the sight of it was enough to make one's mouth water.

"Eat up, while it's hot!" Grandmother Du didn't need to look at the fish to know it hadn't come from their own larder—she knew exactly what was in her kitchen. Assuming it was a gesture of filial piety from her daughter, she smiled and placed a piece of fish into her daughter's bowl.

"Right!" Seeing the tender fish meat in her bowl, Du Yun's mother felt a lump in her throat. Her own mother was truly beyond compare; not only had she sent her eldest brother to bring her chickens and eggs, but now that she was visiting, her mother was stewing fish and meat for her, fearing she wouldn't eat well.

"Eat, eat!" Du Yun hurriedly began piling food into the bowls of Du Bo and Du Yin, who were about to speak. The food was delicious, but its origins wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, as the ingredients had actually come from Du Yun's storage grid. If someone let something slip, the lie would fall apart.

In truth, Du Yun hadn't intended to bring out so much meat and fish, knowing full well that her grandmother and mother were aware of what she had brought with her. Pulling a pile of food out of nowhere would be impossible to explain.

But when her grandmother mentioned that her uncles had all gone out, the image of the old woman left all alone in the quiet house had felt so desolate. If her own daughter came home only to eat scrambled eggs or plain vegetables, it would have been even sadder.

And since her mother had always been suppressing her true nature at the Du household, it would be too pathetic if she couldn't even enjoy a satisfying meal when she came home to her mother's house.

Thinking of such a bleak dinner scene, Du Yun had shivered and decided to take a gamble. She had brazenly taken the fish and meat out of the grandmother's storeroom, deciding to cook them regardless of the consequences. If they didn't ask where it came from, she wouldn't say.

As it turned out, neither woman asked, and they naturally attributed the credit to each other, creating a wonderful misunderstanding that set Du Yun's mind at ease.

It had to be said that Du Yun's mother had impeccable cooking skills. The home-style stewed fish and vegetables might not have looked as refined as Du Yun's own cooking, but the flavor was absolutely superb.

Even though Du Yun was still slightly anxious about the origins of the ingredients, her chopsticks moved quickly. Finding it too slow to pick at the food, she simply scooped a large spoonful of the mixed stew into her bowl and began to eat.

It wasn't white rice, but sorghum rice—round, vibrant red grains served in a bowl. Drenched in a large ladle of savory, colorful stew, the grains were chewy and sweet. Paired with the fragrant broth, Du Yun, whose stomach had been growling for a while, began to eat heartily.

Despite the fact that the table was filled only with women and children, they showed no hesitation in the face of such a feast. The red sorghum rice paired with the delicious stewed fish and vegetables was incredibly satisfying. As they listened to Du Yun's mother recount the news she had gathered from her childhood friend, they enjoyed the meal in an atmosphere of unexpected warmth.

Before they knew it, the sun had set behind the western hills. Du Yun, feeling peaceful and content, lay on the earthen kang, listening to the soft murmur of her grandmother and mother talking, and slowly drifted off to sleep.