Crossing Over to Yamada Love

"Lan'er is back. Did you manage to calm your mother down?" Madam Wang asked with a smile as she made the bed for Mo Lan, who had returned home much earlier.

Mo Lan smiled sheepishly. Her grandmother was truly amazing; nothing could escape her eyes. She climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and lay down next to her grandmother.

"Grandpa, Grandma, you won't blame Lanlan for what happened today, will you?" She hugged Wang's arm and asked them softly.

"How could that be? Lan'er thought of her family and knew to buy things for them. I'm so happy." Mo Quan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), smoking and smiling with satisfaction.

"Look how pleased you are with yourself. Go to sleep." Madam Wang gave Mo Quan a reproachful look, then said to Mo Lan, "You did the right thing, and I understand your intentions."

"Grandpa and Grandma are so good. They're getting old, so they eat as much as they want. Otherwise, the food they save wouldn't end up here with us," Mo Lan said softly, leaning close to Wang Shi.

"Hehe, Grandpa and Grandma are fine. It's just that you younger generations have suffered. But we are blood relatives after all. As long as it's not a big deal, let's just let it go." Madam Wang understood what Mo Lan meant and tried to persuade her helplessly.

Mo Quan remained silent, as they were his younger brother's family, and he couldn't say anything.

Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, Liu and Qiu came into the house and gave Mo Lan and Mo Mei some more advice, telling Wang to take care of herself. Then they each went back to their parents' homes.

The men went to the fields, but there wasn't much work to do there. Their 20 mu of fertile land was all planted with rice, and since it wasn't rice season yet, there was no need to tend to it. The remaining 25 mu of medium and low-grade land had some wheat planted in it.

Farmers can't stay idle, so they often go to the fields to check on the crops and pull some weeds. Now that weeds are starting to grow, they go to the fields to check on the crops and pull some weeds.

Mo Lan noticed that her mother and Liu had already fed the pigs and chickens and swept the yard clean. They had done this in advance, worried they might be too busy. Mo Lan sighed inwardly; her mother and aunt were truly diligent.

She went to the vegetable garden in the yard. Since it was only April, many vegetables had not yet been planted, so the garden looked empty. The rows were basically ready, with a few scallions weighed down.

I reckon it'll be time to plant vegetables in about two weeks. When it's done, the lush greenery will be a delightful sight. Tender cucumbers, sweet and sour, juicy tomatoes, purple eggplants, soft and sweet pumpkins and squash, spicy chili peppers, bright green scallions, tender lettuce, radishes, and bok choy. Sweet Chinese cabbage, and soft, sweet potatoes…

Mo Lan's mouth watered at the thought; all the vegetables here were natural! The taste was absolutely authentic, incomparable to those greenhouse-grown or organic vegetables from another time and space.

When it's time, add potatoes, squash, and eggplant, and steam a bowl of chili sauce. It'll definitely smell amazing! Lettuce, bok choy, scallions, and cucumbers—these raw vegetables eaten with dipping sauce will surely be incredibly fresh and crisp.

She cooked some rice and porridge, and the taste made Mo Lan want to smack her lips. What a glutton! She despised herself.

Mo Lan turned and left the vegetable garden. Then she went to check on her uncle, Mo Changhai. Mo Changhai had already eaten the millet porridge that Liu Shi had cooked for him and was now sitting there reading a book.

"How is Uncle? Is he in pain today?" Mo Lan asked her uncle as she climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

"It's alright. I don't know why, but it hasn't hurt as badly as before. Your aunt told me that our Lan'er has become smarter and more capable. Thank you, Uncle." Mo Changhai looked at Mo Lan with affection and thanked her softly.

"No need to thank me, we're all family. Only when Uncle is well can my grandparents, parents, and other family members be at ease. Uncle, just focus on getting better." Mo Lan was happy to know that Mo Changhai wasn't in as much pain as before.

"Good girl, your uncle is so grateful for your care," Mo Changhai said with emotion.

"Uncle, why don't you get out of bed and walk around?" Mo Lan's eyes lit up as she began to urge Mo Changhai to get out of bed.

"This? Shouldn't a sick person rest?" Mo Changhai hesitated. He didn't want to get out of bed.

Oh my god, even if you're not sick, lying down all the time can make you sick. If you lie down for a few more years, my uncle probably won't even be able to walk anymore.

"But that day, Lanlan asked the doctor in town, and he said that Uncle should move around more and not stay on the kang all the time, and the room should be well-ventilated. Could he have been wrong?" Mo Lan asked, frowning and looking puzzled. Using the town doctor as a shield was her favorite excuse lately, and it worked every time.

"This?" Mo Changhai pondered for a moment. He hesitated and said, "Then shall I go down and try it?"

"Yes, yes, I'll help Uncle, Uncle, go slowly." Mo Lan seemed excited, first jumping off the kang, and then going to help Mo Changhai.

Mo Changhai slowly stood up. He felt his legs trembling, weak, and swaying.

"Uncle, hang in there! You'll get used to it. Don't be afraid of the pain. Lanlan is with you," Mo Lan hurriedly encouraged Mo Changhai with a smile. She didn't want to give up halfway.

Mo Changhai smiled at Mo Lan, and encouraged by her, he slowly moved his feet, step by step, towards the door. Looking at the sunlight in the courtyard, he shielded his eyes with his hand; the sudden, intense light made him feel uncomfortable.

"Uncle, take a break, then let's take a walk in the yard. The air outside is fresher and more comfortable than inside." Mo Lan helped Mo Changhai, telling him not to rush and to walk slowly.

Finally, with Mo Lan's help, Mo Changhai stepped out of the house and stood in the courtyard, taking a deep breath and taking in the world around him.

How long had it been since he stood in this courtyard? How long had it been since he smelled such fresh air? Mo Changhai felt his heart tremble slightly, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Thinking back to when he first fell ill, I wasn't lying in bed. I often worked despite the pain. Later, when the pain became so frequent, I finally asked a doctor for medicine. At first, I just wanted to rest for a few days, but then the illness started to recur, and I had to lie down to rest from time to time.

He didn't want to stay in bed all the time, but every time he stepped out of the room, his second aunt and third sister-in-law would mock and ridicule him, saying he was faking illness, calling him a burdensome sickling, and so on. He could tolerate their insults, but he couldn't stand them using him to ridicule his mother and Liu. So he stopped going out. That way, they would have less to talk about. Over time, it became a habit. If Lan hadn't led him across that threshold today, he didn't know how much longer he would have had to lie there before he could come out and see the world.

"Eldest son, you, you, you finally came out?" Wang was in the kitchen when she heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. To her surprise, her granddaughter was helping her eldest son out.

"Mother," Mo Changhai called out, his eyes filled with tears. His voice trembled, revealing the turmoil in his heart.

"It's good that you're out, it's good that you're out." Wang walked to their side, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. It was hard to tell whether those tears were bittersweet or tears of relief.

"Mother, you're getting old. Look at all these gray hairs. It's all because of your son that you've had so much trouble." Mo Changhai looked at Wang Shi with a heavy heart and was about to kneel down.

"Stand still, don't stand like that. I'm so happy today, my son can finally go out for a walk. I'm so happy." Madam Wang quickly helped Mo Changhai up, took his hand, and kept talking.

Mo Lan's eyes welled up with tears. She understood Wang Shi's feelings at that moment. She felt sorry for her eldest uncle, thinking that she was incompetent and that her eldest son had suffered so much. But she was helpless because she couldn't take away his pain, and she couldn't manage the second branch of the family because it was her husband's younger brother's family, and she couldn't interfere.

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Thank you Li Xuexiang for the lucky charm, and thank you Ziyan Zhao Yilin for casting your vote. Thank you everyone for your support!