CHAPTER 239: CHAPTER 238: HOME-COOKED MEAL IS DELICIOUS (PART 1)

Mu Shuangshuang threw out those domineering words, then helped Mu Dashan and took the two little kids back home, leaving the people of Old Mu Family steaming with anger.

This trip really refreshed Mu Shuangshuang’s worldview.

She learned that if Old Mu Family tries to make nice in the future, she must be vigilant, or else she’ll be sold and still help the sellers count their money.

An entire afternoon was tossed around, not only did she not eat lunch, but she also wasted so much time.

Mu Shuangshuang rested for a moment before saying to her family, "Dad, Mom, you go take a nap first, I’ll go to the kitchen to make something to eat, I figure by the time you wake up, lunch will be ready."

Mu Dashan was still deep in the pain and self-blame from earlier, unable to extricate himself.

Yu Si Niang softly spoke comforting words beside him, but they were of little use.

This time Mu Shuangshuang didn’t say anything, because in this kind of situation, simply guiding won’t help; the decision still lies with Mu Dashan.

"Sister, let me help you cook!" Little Zhi gleefully followed Mu Shuangshuang to the kitchen.

With such little time, if they want to make a meal, it has to be simplified.

Mu Shuangshuang thought for a while and decided to make egg pancakes. Last time, the pancakes only had chili added, nothing else, so this time she could make an upgraded version.

Mu Shuangshuang took three eggs from her room, cracked them, and used chopsticks to beat them thoroughly, ensuring that when lifted by a chopstick, there’s no feeling of long strands.

She added some chili sauce, along with the veggies she blanched in water at noon, cut into small pieces, and finally added flour, stirring continuously.

The liquid mixed together in the large sea bowl, once the lumps were eliminated, were shaped into round pancakes, set aside on a cutting board.

Mu Shuangshuang lit the cedar twigs in the stove and added some firewood inside; making egg pancakes required a low flame, if the fire is too big, the outside of the pancake would burn, while the inside would remain raw.

She added rapeseed oil to the hot pan, and when the oil was hot, Mu Shuangshuang put the prepared pancakes into the pan, instantly the frying sound of "sizzling" oil erupted, and the fragrance spread swiftly.

Little Zhi sat on the kitchen doorstep, resting her chin on her hands, watching Shuangshuang prepare lunch. Smelling the aroma of the egg pancakes, she drooled.

Mu Shuangshuang fried four pancakes at a time, and after frying eight of them, she began to prepare the main dish for today—loofah soup.

Loofah is abundant in summer, with a special advantage of cooling and detoxifying, which is great for farming families busy with harvesting and planting.

Meanwhile, loofah could be stored for several days, making it an excellent choice for the third branch family, currently without fresh vegetables.

She sliced the loofah, diced the garlic, and once the oil was hot in the pan, she added the garlic to sauté the aroma, then the loofah slices, adding water when they were half-cooked.

Mu Shuangshuang added a ladle of water to the iron pot, covered it, and just waited for the soup to boil before it was ready to eat.

"Little Zhi, go call brother and mom to get up and eat."

Mu Shuangshuang prepared Mu Dashan’s lunch of two egg pancakes and a bowl of loofah soup, Yu Si Niang had already gotten up from her nap.

"Mom, you and Xiao Han wash your faces first, the weather is so hot, who knows when it’ll rain."

The end of double harvest didn’t bring the expected heavy rain, instead the weather got hotter; Mu Shuangshuang now wished for a straw fan every day, or life would be unbearable.

The meal was set on the table, unsurprisingly eliciting another round of praise from Yu Si Niang, who said, "Shuangshuang’s cooking is really tasty, I think I can’t compete, if she gets married in the future, I won’t get to eat it."

"Then Mom should eat more now, or there won’t be anyone to cook for you later." Mu Shuangshuang pretended to be serious, unexpectedly causing Yu Si Niang to burst out laughing.

Little Zhi grinned listening to her mom and sister joke around, sometimes joining in, while Xiao Han kept his head down eating, his book warped from being pulled, yet he wouldn’t let go.

The egg pancakes Mu Shuangshuang made tasted indeed good, with the aroma of eggs and the spiciness of chilies; with one bite, the whole taste buds seemed to melt, especially when paired with a bowl of loofah soup, it was simply a pleasure.

Thus, homemade food is the best; no matter how sumptuous others’ food is, it can’t fill you up!

After lunch, Yu Si Niang cleaned up the kitchen, while Mu Shuangshuang prepared pig feed, fed the little pig, and after all the hustle and bustle, it was time to head out for afternoon work.

Mu Shuangshuang and Yu Si Niang dressed appropriately and headed out, while a bunch of labor from Old Mu Family were still stirring things up at home.

"Dad, Mom, didn’t you say the oldest sister and Xiangxiang would be back today, so no need to work? Look, it’s so hot, why don’t we skip work and do it early tomorrow?"

Mu Danian just came out of the latrine, all sweaty; this short time nearly killed him in the latrine, so there’s no way he’d go in such hot weather.

"Exactly, Mom, you always say it’s important to keep promises, if you force us to work now, wouldn’t that be breaking your word?" Mrs. Lin foolishly chimed in, because she also didn’t want to work.

"You filthy stupid woman, quit being foolish here. Anyone else can skip, but you must go for me, old lady."

Old Mrs. Mu was still thinking of the chicken Mrs. Lin had killed, so her words were harsh.

Mrs. Lin awkwardly smiled and stepped aside, inwardly cursing, "Old crone, it’s just a chicken, worth remembering forever? Moreover, she spat it out, didn’t eat anything."

Old Mrs. Mu urged a few times, seeing nobody move, she took a broom from behind the door and wildly swung it at Mu Danian’s group, finally chasing them out.

As they walked, Mu Danian grumbled in annoyance and then sighed.

"Second brother, I truly think our life isn’t worth living; look, during lunch, all the good food went to big brother, second sister, and Xiangxiang.

Big brother is okay, we still rely on him to make money, but look at second sister, already married, eating and drinking here every day, eating a lot but not working, why should we do the work to feed a stranger?"

To Mu Danian, a married daughter is like spilled water, Mu Zhenzhen now is an outsider, one who’d snatch things from them.

"Isn’t that right? I haven’t liked Mom’s ways for a long time, biased way too much. Big brother is fine, but now with Xiangxiang back, we’re really in for it." Mu Dazhong, looking sallow, also felt extreme dissatisfaction with Mu Zhenzhen.

"Husband, Fifth, why don’t we send Gou Dan’s Second Aunt back?" Mrs. Lin suggested.

"Second sister-in-law, you speak lightly; last time Dad said to let Zhenzhen go back, Mom threw a tantrum and wouldn’t agree." Mu Danian rolled his eyes, disagreeing.

"Well, I’ve got it! I know how to send Second Sister back!"