"Mom, you shouldn’t be so busy, you’re always busy at the factory, you should rest when you get home."
Xu Nianhua came down from upstairs to the kitchen and, seeing the prepared dumplings on the cutting board, said with a heartache, "Mom, you should really get some more sleep."
Ji Ying was already very busy at the factory on a daily basis and then she had to get up early in the morning to make dumplings.
"It’s alright, I can’t sleep even if I lie in bed." Ji Ying urged her, "Go brush your teeth and wash your face, the dumplings will be ready soon."
"Mom, you’re so great!"
Xu Nianhua hugged Ji Ying and cooed lovingly, her tender voice making Ji Ying feel like her daughter was still very young. Ji Ying, slightly embarrassed by Xu Nianhua’s straightforward words, purposely put on a stern face and said, "Alright, you’re grown, don’t act like a child, or people will laugh at you."
"They wouldn’t dare, they’re probably just envious."
Xu Nianhua brazenly smiled, in front of her own mother, she was truly just a young woman in her early twenties. She quickly washed up and then went to help out, insisting to Ji Ying, "Mom, let me cook the dumplings, I guarantee they’ll be delicious!"
"Really?" Ji Ying looked at Xu Nianhua uncertainly.
Although Xu Nianhua had shown off her cooking skills before, and she was pretty good, cooking dumplings, though it seemed simple, had its own little tricks to ensure they turned out well.
"Of course it’s true."
Xu Nianhua patted her chest, guaranteeing it, "Cooking dumplings is simple, just wait for the water to boil, add the dumplings and some salt, then when the water boils again, add some cold water, let it boil again, add more cold water, doing it three times. That way, the dumplings are less likely to stick to the pot or burst, and they taste especially delicious."
Ji Ying watched her daughter’s skilled movements, unable to resist saying, "Not bad at all, looks like you do have a knack for cooking."
"You bet." Xu Nianhua said proudly, and only when the dumplings were ready, did she ask, "Has the second brother not woken up yet?"
"Nianji and Nian’an left early in the morning. It’s just us few at home now," explained Ji Ying.
Xu Nianji had deliveries to make, of course he’d left home early. Xu Nian’an had to go study medicine with Du Chang, and he left at six-thirty as well.
"Dad, sister-in-law, time for dumplings."
Xu Nianhua called out loudly, joyfully exclaiming as if showing off a treasure, "Dad, come and try, the dumplings Mom made, the dumplings I cooked, come and see how they taste!"
"Nianhua cooked the dumplings?" Xu Qinghe had just returned from the furniture factory, where he went every morning to make the rounds, and seeing the steaming dumplings on the table felt heartwarmingly comforting.
The dumplings Ji Ying made had thin skins and were generously filled, biting into one, the meat’s flavor mixed with the broth was exceptionally delicious.
"Delicious, Jiying’s wrapping is good, Nianhua’s cooking is good!" Xu Qinghe praised them, offending neither.
"Then tell me, which is better, my cooking or mom’s wrapping?" Xu Nianhua teased, not shying away from stirring the pot.
"Both are good." Xu Qinghe eagerly ate the dumplings, focusing on eating and not on anything else.
Zhou He gently blew on the dumplings and fed them to Zhuangzhuang bit by bit, loving the warm atmosphere in the home.
After breakfast, Xu Nianhua washed and hung up the clothes, then went out for a walk, pushing Zhuangzhuang around the village.
"Humph, acting all high and mighty just because you have some stinking money, what are those clothes you’re wearing?" a sharp voice rang out, Xu Nianhua was startled, she never expected the comment to be about her.
"Xu Nianhua, at least call me grandma, now that your family has money and you’ve been to university, do you no longer recognize me as your grandma?"