Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

The children's good intentions couldn't be wasted. The basket was full of grass jelly, and the tender shoots were fresh and couldn't be left out. Shu Yun took advantage of her free time to cook all the grass jelly.

There were just too many, and the bowls and basins at home weren't enough, so Shu Yun simply washed a bucket clean and poured everything into it, filling the bucket to the brim with green rice cakes.

Shu Yun scooped a bowl of green rice cake with a spoon and added brown sugar water. The green rice cake itself didn't have much flavor, only a faint fragrance. It was more appealing to eat its soft, smooth texture. After adding brown sugar water, the taste became even sweeter, just like jelly in later generations. After eating a bowl, it was refreshing and cooling.

She made too much food, and since there were only two of them at home, she and Gu Jun couldn't possibly finish it all. So Shu Yun simply scooped out the portion that they ate at home and carried the rest in a bucket to deliver to her sisters-in-law, with whom she was on good terms.

She carried the bucket out, and A-happy followed at her feet, occasionally catching wild butterflies by the roadside and eating a few wildflowers and weeds. When Shu-Yun walked away, she immediately jogged to catch up.

Shu Yun first went to Tian Xiufen's house, which was the closest to her. The gate of Tian's house was closed today. Shu Yun knocked on the door, and after a while, Gou Dan opened the door.

Shu Yun bent down and ruffled the child's hair, asking, "Where's your mother?"

Dog Egg: "Mom went to Grandma's house."

Tian Xiufen's family home is in a rural area of ​​a neighboring city. She had married far away and lived in another province for many years. In recent years, her husband was transferred to another job and happened to return to Haicheng, which is much closer to home. It only takes about 2 hours by bus to get there.

Her elderly mother fell and broke her leg. Tian Xiufen was worried about her, so she left her husband and son at home and went back to her parents' home to take care of her. She has been back for several days now.

Tian Xiufen had told her this before she left, but it had been several days. Shu Yun thought she had already returned, but she hadn't expected her to still be here.

She looked down at her face, which was covered in a layer of dust, and her clothes were filthy. She thought to herself that a family really can't function without a mother. Look at how dirty the children have become after only a few days of Tian's absence.

Shu Yun: "Gou Dan, go get a big bowl. This is some green rice cake I made. Take it back and have some."

Upon hearing that there was something delicious to eat, Gou Dan's eyes lit up, and he ran back to get a bowl. Shu Yun scooped a big bowl full for him. "This is made with the little green grass you picked for me last time. You can add some brown sugar, mung beans, or chili peppers, whatever you like."

Dog Egg was very surprised. He reached out his little hand and poked the green cake. "It's soft and bouncy!"

Shu Yun then went to Shi Yan's house. "Is Sister Yan home?"

She called out several times but no one answered. Just then, she saw Shi Yan's neighbor return from the next house and quickly greeted her, "Sister-in-law, these are the green rice cakes I made myself. Would you like some? I noticed that Sister Yan's house next door doesn't seem to be home. I can leave some at your place, and you can give them to her later..."

Before Shu Yun could finish speaking, the man glanced at her briefly as if she were a virus, and said, "No, I'm busy."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut, leaving Shu Yun standing there bewildered, blinking in confusion. She didn't even know the person in front of her; how had she offended him?

Shu Yun then went to a few more houses, but the reactions of the people there puzzled her. In some houses, she could clearly hear sounds, but when she called out to them, the people inside didn't respond. Some did come out, but they were reluctant to accept her gifts.

The reactions from everyone made her deeply suspicious. Hadn't she been staying home quietly lately? She hadn't done anything that would anger anyone.

Shu Yun shook off the jumbled thoughts in her mind and carried the bucket of water, which hadn't been used up too much, to the Feng family's house.

As they approached, the Feng family's neighbor, whose door had been open, immediately closed it. Shu Yun rolled her eyes. Hearing children's voices coming from the Feng family's house, she cleared her throat and called out, "Is Sister-in-law Yang home?"

Hearing Shu Yun's voice, Yang Yuzhen's smile, which had been playing with the child, faded. She hesitated, looking at the doorway before turning to the giggling baby in her arms. Biting her lip, she opened the door. "Shu Yun, what can I do for you?"

Shu Yun breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw the door open. "It's nothing. This is some green rice cake I made myself. I used the herbs your Da Bao gave me last time. There's a lot of it, so I thought I'd bring some over for you to try."

Shu Yun smiled gently, her cheeks flushed from walking, making her look like a delicate porcelain doll, completely harmless. Yang Yuzhen smiled with relief, this time her smile was much more sincere, "It looks so crystal clear, it's really nice, but this is the first time I've seen it. How do you eat it?"

Shu Yun: "This thing itself doesn't have much flavor. It's all about the texture. See what flavor your sister-in-law likes. If she likes it sweet, she can add some brown sugar water. If she likes it spicy, she can add chili oil. Sweet or salty is fine."

As Shu Yun spoke, she scooped out two large bowls, but Yang Yuzhen quickly stopped her, saying, "That's enough for two, that's enough. How can anyone eat so much?"

Shu Yun said helplessly, "I don't know what's wrong with everyone today. They don't want any of the leftovers when I try to give them to them. No wonder there are so many leftovers. Sister-in-law, you have a lot of family members, so take some. I can't finish them all even if I take them home, and in the end, I'll just have to throw them away and waste them."

Yang Yuzhen brought in two large bowls of green rice cakes. "Shuyun, I just made some cornmeal buns. Take some and eat them for breakfast."

Shu Yun refused. She knew about cornmeal cakes; they were made by grating fresh corn into a paste, adding sugar and glutinous rice flour, and mixing it together. They were soft, sweet, and delicious, and it was obviously made for the two children. How could she compete with the children for food? Besides, they were made from precious grains, much more valuable than her green rice cake.

But Yang Yuzhen insisted, "I've already taken your things, so even if you don't take them back, I don't want them anymore." She even made a gesture as if to return the green rice cake.

Shu Yun sighed and brought over a few, saying, "These will do, thank you, sister-in-law."

Shu Yun said goodbye and left. Yang Yuzhen stood outside the door and watched her walk away. She hesitated several times before finally calling her back when Shu Yun walked out of the tenement building.

"Shuyun, your sister-in-law recently heard something about you. A lot of people in the compound are talking about it, but I don't know if it's true or not. Judging from your reaction today, you probably don't know yet, right?"

Shu Yun recalled everyone's reactions today and had a bad feeling. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "What?"

"It's about your parents..."

Shu Yun thanked Yang Yuzhen, after all, it was not easy for her to associate with her and tell her about things at a time when her identity was sensitive.

Shu Yun was already mentally prepared, after all, the family compound was not far from the city, and they would find out sooner or later. She smiled and said goodbye to Yang Yuzhen before leaving.

When Yang Yuzhen returned to her doorstep, her neighbor, who had been listening to the commotion, immediately opened the door and said, "Shu Yun's identity is so sensitive now, aren't you afraid? You even dared to exchange things with her? Aren't you afraid of getting yourself implicated?"