Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 30 - 26 Cloud Cake

Chapter 30: Chapter 26 Cloud Cake

"Pah!" Aunt Wang spat with her hands on her hips, seeing Wang Yue admitting defeat. "This scoundrel, she’s been petty-minded since she was a child, always can’t stand seeing others doing well."

"Ah, Third Brother Gu, don’t bother with her. I grew up in the same village with her. She’s the kind with narrow vision, yet she thinks she’s the best-looking in Wang Family Village. Loves to compare herself with others, and after marrying into our Shangling Village, she still thinks she’s the village beauty. Doesn’t she realize how old she is? The older she gets, the more childish she becomes. Ever since your wife came, she’s always been raising her brows and glaring, pah, shameless!" Aunt Wang explained with a smile to Mr. Gu, then turned to see Gu Chengyu gazing at her with his bright black eyes.

"Oh dear! Look at my mouth, just babbling nonsense. Gu Family’s fifth child, go home with your dad and the others! If you come back late, your mother might not let you out next time." With that, she waved her arm, grabbing her ten-year-old Gousheng and went home.

Turns out it was still the mother who stirred things up. No wonder, she usually never leaves the house, just stays within the Gu Family’s small plot. Besides, marrying in as a second wife, she’s probably afraid of being talked about.

Who says all farmers are honest? Gu Chengyu squinted at Wang Yue’s departing figure. To be honest, he once was a woman too, and a woman’s jealousy can be quite terrifying. A few snide comments here and there are fine, but the real fear is the trouble it might cause later. But then again, Aunt Wang is quite straightforward, and seems upright, especially considering she knew Wang Yue from the same village, surely she knows her well. Moreover, the two are not on good terms.

Gu Chengyu is someone who prepares in advance, he likes to think and act cautiously, preventing problems before they occur. Of course, except for the time he got caught washing his face, as Gu Chengyu has this tendency, a bit of cleanliness obsession, actually more like a perfectionism.

Generally, men don’t interfere with women’s quarrels. Although Wang Yue said some excessive things, the three of them, grown men, couldn’t really argue with her.

After thanking Aunt Wang, Mr. Gu led Gu Chengyu to the entrance of the Gu Family courtyard. Gu Chengyu looked at the wooden courtyard door of the Gu Family and the thatched roof, reminding him of his mother. Apparently, in the eyes of some at the Gu Family, Mrs. Gu seems to be quite the character~

"Mom, I’m back!" Gu Chengyu let go of Mr. Gu’s hand, pushed open the gate, and once in the yard, shouted towards the main house.

"Oh! My precious Xiao Bao, why were you gone so long?" Mrs. Lv, hearing her youngest son’s shout, hurried out of the main house, still holding an embroidery hoop. Gu Chengyu hadn’t reached the main house before Mrs. Gu enveloped him in a hug.

Oh mother~ Can we not have such enthusiasm every time? It makes him quite bashful. Gu Lan, walking behind them, was already accustomed to this. Her grandmother often hugs Little Uncle affectionately; at first, it gave her goosebumps, but over time she got used to it and went to help her mother in the kitchen.

As she passed by the west wing, she glanced over and saw the doors and windows tightly shut, curling her lips. Today, it was Second Aunt’s turn to cook, but she shirked, claiming a stomachache. She must be cooking up a small meal for herself in there again! Several times, she saw Second Aunt and her sons with oily mouths!

Mr. Gu and the others had already begun setting aside farm tools, getting ready to wash up; they also needed to secure the chicken coop before dinner.

"If I didn’t ask Er Ya to call you, you wouldn’t come back, right? Did you play with Tie Dan and Shi Tou?" Mrs. Lv pushed Gu Chengyu aside, noting his clothes were still clean, and felt satisfied. She always knew her Xiao Bao wasn’t like those muddy village monkeys. Xiao Bao loved cleanliness from a young age.

"Mom, I saw dad and the others tilling the soil, so I didn’t play with them. I missed you during my outing!" There was no other way, if he wanted to go out smoothly next time, he had to sweet-talk his mom. Who can blame her for enjoying being coaxed?

Tie Dan and Shi Tou were among the few in the village whom Gu Chengyu could play with. Actually, it was rare for him to hang out with others because he seldom went out.

Upon hearing her darling missed her, Mrs. Lv blossomed with joy and said to Gu Chengyu with a grin, "Come, join mom for a rest inside. I need to have your second brother fetch your third brother at the junction. He sent word back with Er Niu, saying his master would visit his fiancée’s family, and he’d be back for dinner tonight."

"Second Brother, go wait for Third Son at the front. He said he’s coming back today. I’m not sure if he’s bringing anything, so go and help him out."

"Alright, mom, I’m on my way." Gu Chengyi put down the hoe, washed his hands, and went out.

Gu Chengyu was taken back to the main house and seated on the kang bed. "Third Brother hasn’t been back for a long time," Gu Chengyu sighed, missing him. Third Brother treated him well, bringing small snacks from town, like Sanhe flour buns costing a coin and wood carvings. Of course, he wasn’t yearning for the buns!

"Isn’t it? His master is strict, and life as an apprentice is tough, after more than half a year, he’s only earned ten coins." Mrs. Lv sighed, put down the hoop, climbed onto the kang, and began rummaging in a small chest at the kang’s end.

Gu Chengyu found it amusing. When no one else is around, whenever his mother does this, he knows what she plans on doing. Sure enough, Mrs. Gu fished out an oiled paper package from the chest, glanced out the window to ensure no one was approaching the main house, and quickly unwrapped it, revealing the pastry inside.

"Xiao Bao, eat quickly! It’s not good if those with shallow eyes see it. You must be hungry after playing all afternoon. This is Cloud Cake, very delicious." Mrs. Gu smiled, bending to put the pastry by Gu Chengyu’s mouth.

This Cloud Cake was brought back last time by Dad from a small market in Dashang Village, just half a pound, along with half a pound of Jujube Cake. Pastry is heavy, and half a pound doesn’t amount to much. Jujube Cake is made with slightly coarse black flour, of course, it wouldn’t taste good with coarse flour alone, a little bit of white flour is added. Cloud Cake, however, is made with fine white flour, with a bit of fine white sugar. It’s considered decent at the market. Usually, farmers attending the market are reluctant to buy Cloud Cake, even Jujube Cake, is something more affluent farmers rarely buy to treat their kids.

Mrs. Gu had just one piece of Cloud Cake and three pieces of Jujube Cake in her other hand. Last time Fourth Brother and Second Sister Gu Wan each shared a piece of Cloud Cake, although he didn’t take any. His father said that his mother liked Cloud Cake, and from his birth till now, they had only bought it twice.

Seeing Gu Chengyu’s mouth unmoving, only gazing at her with those eyes similar to hers, Mrs. Gu urged, "You child, why stare at mom? Hurry and eat. Last time you didn’t, but I saved it for you! There’s still another piece. You’re the youngest in the family, eat more. I’ve saved your third brother’s piece, and the Jujube Cake is for your dad. It’s filling, a good buffer when hungry, especially with so much work in the fields lately."

Half a pound of pastries amounted to roughly five pieces, meaning his mother hadn’t eaten any.

Gu Chengyu’s eyes grew misty, his throat felt choked with emotion. This woman before him indeed seemed like a character from previous novels; stingy, biased, bossy, sometimes unreasonable, yet she remained his mother. She loved her children and wholeheartedly planned for them. He felt sorry for First Brother’s and Second Brother’s families, vowing to compensate them in the future.

Mrs. Lv noticed Gu Chengyu still wouldn’t open his mouth, staring at her with a somewhat inexplicably complex look, and felt a hint of surprise. How could such a gaze come from a little child?

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