Chapter 775: Writing a Letter
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
For this meal, An Yun and Li Hua took the helm in the kitchen, with Gu Zi as their assistant. The dishes they prepared were typical of everyday rural cuisine. However, unlike the usual fare, the table was laden with an abundance of meat and vegetables.
Su Li, who used to salivate at the mere sight of meat, was no longer as voracious when it came to food. Ever since Gu Zi appeared in their lives, the siblings had never gone hungry. Instead, they were treated to a rich and balanced diet.
An Yun watched her three grandchildren, each one appearing more adorable than the last. Her affection for them was palpable. She served the eldest two, who were unafraid of fish bones, some steamed dried fish. “You’re growing, so you need to eat more. Try it and see if it’s good,” she encouraged.
Su Li, upon seeing the dried fish, was intrigued. Despite having eaten little, he couldn’t resist satisfying his curiosity while eating the fish. “Grandma, why do we dry the fish before eating it?” he asked.
An Yun replied with a loving smile, “Sometimes we catch too many fish and can’t finish them all at once. We can’t let them go to waste, so we turn them into dried fish. This way, we can eat them whenever we want, turning a passive situation into an active one. The working people are truly wise.”
Listening to this, Gu Zi’s face broke into a faint smile, a hint of pride evident in her expression. This was her mother, after all. If it were someone else, they might have bluntly told the child that ordinary people didn’t have that much food or money to buy meat, so they had to resort to drying the fish they caught to supplement their protein intake.
While this explanation was undoubtedly true, it lacked a certain charm. Her mother’s explanation, on the other hand, was more conducive to the children’s growth. With this in mind, the meal was even more enjoyable.
Lin Lao’er was the first to finish. Due to his physical disability, the others didn’t let him do much. As soon as he finished eating, he went to the living room to watch the opera program on television.
Sitting on the sofa, humming a tune with his granddaughter in his arms, he was content. At that moment, he understood why people were increasingly reluctant to be farmers and instead sought to earn money or become officials. Everyone wanted to enjoy life to the fullest…
In the quiet of the night, Gu Zi emerged from her bath, settling herself at the edge of her bed to pen a letter to her beloved husband, Su Shen.
In her letter, she assured him that all was well at home, urging him not to worry and to devote himself fully to his tasks. Time and energy were precious commodities, she reminded him, and he should strive to excel, to be the best. She wanted to be able to boast about how wonderful her man was.
She wrote of her own days, filled to the brim with work, tending to the yard, helping the children with their homework, and caring for little Lele. Her family had visited that day, she added, so he needn’t worry about her having time for any other man. However, she did request that he bring back some local specialties from his travels, so she could taste the flavors of the capital.
Gu Zi filled a page with her words, then tucked the letter into an envelope. There was much more she could have said, but she refused to write more than a page, not wanting to seem overly sentimental.
The following morning, Gu Zi sent off her letter. The process was surprisingly convenient in their small community. All she had to do was affix a stamp to the envelope and drop it into the mailbox at the corner of Fulun Road. At a certain time, someone would come to collect the mail and send it off to its various destinations.
Upon her return, she found that Li Hua had already prepared breakfast. Each person was served a bowl of tomato and egg noodles.
The two brothers were enjoying their meal, finding the hand-rolled noodles particularly satisfying. Gu Zi joined them, and as they ate, Li Hua mentioned that she had packed up the items for Grandma Gao. After breakfast, they would deliver them.
Gu Zi nodded, swallowing a mouthful of noodles before speaking. “We’ll go together,” she said. “And sister-in-law, don’t tell Grandma Gao about our restaurant yet. I haven’t had a chance to tell her myself. And remember our discussion last night about opening a branch in the city? Let’s keep that to ourselves for now.”
Li Hua had shared her thoughts with Gu Zi the previous night. The reason they had closed the restaurant for a few days was to give everyone a much-needed break. Money was important, but not at the expense of their health. Rest was essential.
Gu Zi had also mentioned her plans to open a branch of the restaurant, so Li Hua understood her meaning. “Don’t worry,” she assured her. “I know what to say.”
After breakfast, Gu Zi and Li Hua delivered the items to Grandma Gao’s house. Grandma Gao was delighted and invited them to go shopping with her. “I haven’t been out in a while,” she said. “The weather is perfect today for a stroll. Gu Zi, why don’t you bring your parents and sister-in-law along? We can all enjoy the day together. What do you think?”