Chapter 476 - Chapter 476: Touched
Chapter 476: Touched
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
With anticipation gleaming in his eyes, Shi Tou wore a sweet smile on his face. “Okay, Shi Tou will wait patiently,” he said. Gu Zi gently patted his head and handed over the dumplings Shi Tou had brought, which were specially delivered by someone else. Sharing the food in front of the whole family was a form of courtesy.
She then moved to the kitchen, igniting the fire and pouring water into the iron pot. Once the lid was secured, the fire blazed, and in no time, the water inside the pot began to boil.
Gu Zi dropped more than twenty dumplings into the pot. As soon as they floated to the surface, she scooped them out. At this point, the filling was cooked, and the dumpling skin was chewy, making them exceptionally delicious.
She ladled four dumplings into an iron bowl for Shi Tou and carried it out of the kitchen. Holding a dumpling with chopsticks, she brought it to Shi Tou’s mouth, “Shi Tou, here come the dumplings. Blow on them before eating. Su Bing, Su Li, help yourselves to the dumplings. Let’s finish this meal before continuing to wrap more. Once you’re done, you can cook them yourselves.”
Su Bing rose and headed to the kitchen, followed by Su Li, who whispered to his brother, “Shi Tou always gets fed by mom, and I’m not much older than him!”
Su Bing glanced back at his younger brother coldly, “You’re not much older than him, but you’re old enough to feed yourself.”
With that, he handed a bowl of dumplings to Su Li, who took it, still trying to figure out whether his brother was agreeing with him or not.
In the dining room, Shi Tou was tasting taro-filled dumplings for the first time and couldn’t stop eating. When Aunt Zhang, who had been waiting at home for her grandson to return, came over with Lele, Shi Tou was stuffing dumplings into his mouth. Noticing the shape of the dumplings, she realized they weren’t from her home. At least he hadn’t stolen the food that had been delivered.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but scold him, “You gluttonous child, you were supposed to bring dumplings for your aunt Gu Zi to taste. How did you end up eating at her house? You’re so hopeless! Gu Zi, why do you keep spoiling him? He’s always causing trouble for you.”
Gu Zi shook her head and went over to take Lele, giving her a kiss. Lele, who hadn’t seen her mother all morning, was missing her terribly. Clinging to her mother’s neck, she mimicked her mother’s action and kissed her on the cheek.
“Aunt Zhang, it’s me who’s troubling you,” Gu Zi said. “If you keep talking about Shi Tou like this, I might not dare to ask you to look after Lele in the future. Since you’re here, why don’t you try the dumplings I made?”
The dumplings from Aunt Zhang’s house were stuffed with cabbage and pork, a few of them generously filled. They seemed to have been specially made and delivered.
The reason Gu Zi could tell was because she had seen Shi Tou eat dumplings on several occasions, and they rarely contained much meat.
The dumplings were usually filled with shredded cabbage and a bit of minced meat, just enough to give it a hint of meat flavor. For Aunt Zhang and many other villagers, this was the standard dumpling filling.
However, the eight large dumplings delivered today were filled to the brim with pork, with very little cabbage. It was a testament to Aunt Zhang’s sincere regard for her neighbor.
Aunt Zhang’s family was not wealthy, but she used what she considered the best to maintain her friendship with Gu Zi. This simple and kind-hearted mentality of the working class should shine like a gem, but it often seemed so ordinary that it was overlooked. Gu Zi was deeply moved.
Shi Tou, undeterred by his grandmother’s scolding, looked up while chewing and said to his grandmother, “Grandma, Auntie and the two elder brothers ate all the dumplings we sent them. Auntie told me to eat here, so I did. I even washed my hands, look.”
He extended his chubby little hand towards his grandmother. Indeed, Aunt Zhang felt a bit guilty. She shouldn’t have scolded him. Over the past few days, her Shi Tou had changed a lot.
Gu Zi knew how to educate children. A few simple words had brought about so many changes in Shi Tou. Shi Tou no longer wished to be as dirty as the other children, which was truly remarkable!
Aunt Zhang also ate a few large dumplings at Gu Zi’s place. When she left with her grandson, Gu Zi packed more than a dozen dumplings for them to take home and cook.
Although Aunt Zhang felt a bit guilty, she couldn’t argue with Gu Zi’s persuasive words and had to accept them. In her heart, she thought that she would help Gu Zi more if he ever needed it.
After the family had eaten the dumplings, lunch for the day was considered over. Gu Zi went into the kitchen and steamed thirty dumplings to put in a lunch box for Su Li to take to his father.
Because there was some distance to travel, unlike at home where they could eat immediately, the steamed dumplings wouldn’t stick together as quickly, so steaming them was better.
When Su Li delivered the dumplings, he chattered non-stop to his father, “Mom is so thoughtful. To ensure you get fresh and hot dumplings, we all had boiled dumplings, but yours were steamed… I also want to try and see what the difference is.”