Chapter 922: Daily Life Before Dragon Boat Festival
Chapter 922: Daily Life Before Dragon Boat Festival
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Gu Zi walked over and sat down beside Su Li, ready to unwrap the zongzi in her bowl.
She served herself and her two sons each a zongzi to taste, but as for Su Le, she decided to give her just a symbolic taste. Su Le was still too young, and Gu Zi believed that children under ten shouldn’t eat overly sticky foods, as it wouldn’t be good for their digestive health.
She had thought that with Su Li’s hearty appetite, he would have devoured a good portion by now, but to her surprise, he hadn’t even started eating. Concerned, she asked, “Do you need Mom to help you unwrap it?”
Su Li shook his head and sat up straight, determinedly beginning to peel the zongzi himself. “Mom, I can do it myself. You’ve worked hard already. If you do everything, you’ll wear yourself out. We were waiting for you to come so we could eat together as a family.” Then, with a curious tone, he added, “By the way, when will Dad be back?”
Gu Zi hadn’t expected Su Li to mention Su Shen. In the past, Su Shen had a low presence in Su Li’s mind; as long as he wasn’t home, Su Li rarely brought him up. This time, however, it seemed that Su Shen had been making an effort, as Su Li’s relationship with him had evidently improved.
Gu Zi was pleased to see this development but didn’t know when Su Shen would return. Still, she wasn’t worried because he had promised to come back before the Dragon Boat Festival, and he had never gone back on his word. “Dad might come back tonight. He’ll definitely be here to celebrate the festival with us,” she reassured Su Li.
Su Li nodded and took a small bite of the zongzi, mimicking how his mother had done it. The glutinous rice was chewy but not overly sticky; it was soft and fragrant, bursting with savory flavor and leaving a subtle sweetness behind.
Su Li was immediately captivated by the taste and took a larger bite. “This is delicious! It’s the best food in the world, Mom!”
Across from him, Su Bing ate gracefully, enjoying the zongzi too. While it was indeed tasty, their mother had made so many delicious dishes that he found it hard to understand why his brother was so easily impressed with zongzi after eating so many other tasty foods.
Yet, he secretly adored seeing Su Li’s unfiltered joy; it made him feel warm inside and made Su Li all the more endearing—something he doubted he could ever replicate.
Gu Zi, feeling indulgent, handed Su Bing half of the already unwrapped sweet red bean zongzi. “Here, give this a try. Let’s see which is better—savory or sweet!”
Su Li didn’t hold back; he picked up the juice nearby and took a sip before diving into the sweet red bean zongzi. The new flavor was a delight—chewy and fragrant glutinous rice paired with the sweet, smooth red bean filling. For a dessert lover, it was a heavenly combination, absolutely delicious!
However, Su Li was both a sweet and savory food enthusiast, and he found himself at a crossroads: which was better, sweet or savory zongzi? After pondering for a moment, the little foodie offered a balanced verdict. “Mom, I think both are delicious! Let’s make sweet and savory zongzi every Dragon Boat Festival!”
Meanwhile, Su Le sulked in the corner, as she was not allowed to eat any zongzi. Her little mouth was puffed up, resembling a goldfish, her brows furrowed in a way that made her look adorably disgruntled.
Although she appeared quite cute, Gu Zi had to resist the urge to pinch her cheeks—after all, you couldn’t just go around squeezing a child’s face whenever you wanted. She knew her little tyrant was upset; when Su Le got mad, she wouldn’t talk to anyone, puffing up her cheeks and specifically directing her ire at Su Li.
But upon hearing Su Li’s conclusion, Su Le marched over, hands planted firmly on her hips, and declared to her brother, “You silly second brother! Zongzi can only be sweet or savory, or maybe plain rice zongzi! Saying what you did just makes you sound not so smart. When we go out, don’t tell anyone I’m your sister!”
Su Le was furious. Unable to take her anger out on her mother, and too timid to confront her older brother, she chose to pick on her second brother instead. Although she felt a twinge of sympathy for him, their mother had once said that a pretty girl shouldn’t sulk; otherwise, she would quickly become an old maid.
That remark had been aimed at Gu Zi in a playful moment with Su Shen, but little Su Le had overheard it during her nap. As the family’s little beauty, she was determined not to turn into an old maid. She had plans to grow up and become a flower alongside her mother!