Crossing Over to Yamada Love

"Grandma, knead the dough first. Make it a little firmer." After looking her over, Mo Lan started scooping water for Wang Shi to knead the dough.

Mo Lan watched Wang Shi kneading the dough, and thought about reaching out to get some dough to smear on her or her grandmother's face, but she only thought about it and didn't dare to do it. This place was different from that time and space; dough was a rare commodity in this family. If she dared to waste it, even if Wang Shi loved her dearly, she probably wouldn't give her a good look.

She watched as Wang kneaded the dough and told her to let it rest for a while. Then Mo Lan went to help her sister Mo Mei prepare potatoes and peel scallions.

The three chatted casually while working, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

"Milk, cut the noodles a little wider, that way they'll taste better."

"Sis, if the potatoes are a little bigger, just cut them into small cubes."

"Milk, don't scoop out the pork cracklings. Just put them in the dish as is, it'll smell delicious."

…………

Mo Lan's clear voice kept coming from the kitchen, which made Mo Changhai in the courtyard grin from ear to ear.

"Hey, Changhai, what brings you out here?" Mo Quan, who had just returned from the fields, stepped into the yard and saw his eldest son sitting on a stool. Startled, he dropped his hoe and hurriedly went up to ask.

"Father, Second Uncle, Second Brother, you're back from the fields." Mo Changhai recognized the people who had come and hurriedly greeted them, then tried to stand up. But his body was weak, and he swayed as soon as he stood up.

Mo Quan quickly helped him up, and Mo Changhe also stepped forward to support his brother on the other side.

"Sit down, you sit down. We're family. No need for formalities." Mo Quan and Mo Changhe hurriedly invited Mo Changhai to sit down.

“That’s right, why is Changhai so reasonable? We’re family, no need for formalities.” Mo Jin put down his hoe and looked at his nephew with a smile.

"The weather's nice today, so Lan helped me out for some fresh air. She was worried I'd get stuffy inside," Mo Changhai explained with a smile, revealing why he was in the yard.

"Good, good, good to be out." Mo Quan was never good with words. Besides saying "good," he didn't know how else to express his feelings. But looking at his slightly glistening eyes, one could tell how excited he was at that moment.

"Lan'er did the right thing, brother. You should have been out and about a long time ago. You have no idea how much Father and Mother have been looking forward to you coming out. They are so happy now." Mo Changhe's handsome and resolute face was also full of smiles. Not only his parents, but he also hoped that his brother would get out more often and stay healthy.

"Yes, second brother. I understand. Father and second uncle, I'm sorry to have troubled you. Changhai's health isn't good enough for the family, and it's only a burden for you to take care of him. But as long as I'm not feeling unwell, I'll stay with everyone." Mo Changhai's emotions were also fluctuating greatly at this moment. He was truly unfilial, causing his family so much worry.

"What are you saying? We're family, there's no such thing as being implicated. I'm happy, I'm happy to see you." Mo Quan patted Mo Changhai's shoulder, his face beaming with joy, but he didn't dare to hit him too hard, afraid his son couldn't bear it.

Mo Lan clearly heard the conversation outside from the kitchen. She watched as Wang Shi prepared the noodles, the billowing steam blurring her vision. Her grandmother must be excited too. Mo Lan couldn't bear to watch any longer and got up to go outside into the courtyard.

"Grandpa, Second Grandpa, Father, you're back! I'll go get you some stools." Mo Lan greeted them with a smile, then hopped into the house to get the stools.

"Hey girl, slow down, let me help you." Mo Changhe called out to his daughter, who was so lively, and followed her into the house to get a stool with her.

Mo Quan and Mo Jin looked at the father and daughter and couldn't help but nod and smile.

Seeing that everyone was seated, Mo Lan tilted her head and said, "Grandpa, my grandma and my sister are making noodles. Why don't we eat in the yard today? It's not too hot or too cold here. It would be nice if the whole family could cook noodles together."

“Okay. Lan’s suggestion is good. There are fewer people at home today, so let’s not separate by gender and eat together.” Mo Quan was obviously in a good mood and satisfied with Mo Lan’s suggestion, so he readily agreed.

Seeing that her suggestion had been accepted, Mo Lan's little face was full of smiles. She ran into the kitchen and looked at Wang Shi with amusement.

"You little rascal, you're such a clever girl." Madam Wang gave her a reproachful look and pointed at her forehead. But the smile on her face showed how satisfied she was with Mo Lan's suggestion.

"Hehe, Lanlan knows that Grandpa wants to eat with Uncle." Mo Lan ignored her forehead and hugged Wang Shi's leg, giggling.

"You. Alright, the noodles are ready, I'll go scoop them out." Wang and Mo Lan exchanged a few playful words, then Wang took a strainer to scoop out the noodles.

Beside her was a large copper basin filled with cooled boiled water. As soon as the noodles in Wang's strainer entered the basin, they separated one by one. After she had scooped all the noodles out of the pot, she stirred them in the basin a couple of times with the strainer to prevent them from sticking together.

"Lan'er, don't move. It's too heavy for you to lift. Wait until the milk comes." When Wang saw Mo Lan reach for the noodles, she hurriedly called out to her.

Mo Lan stuck out her little tongue. She used to help her mother serve noodles. When she saw Mo Mei adding firewood and stirring the dishes, she instinctively wanted to serve the noodles, forgetting that she was still a child.

Wang added some more noodles to the pot and put the lid on, worried that there wouldn't be enough for everyone, so she added some extra as a backup.

Inside the courtyard, Mo Changhe had already set up a table and arranged chairs. Mo Lan smiled as she looked at him; her father was quite diligent, unlike the men described in books who did nothing at home. She just waited to eat.

Wang placed a large bowl of noodles on the table, then took the bowl from Mo Lan's hands, while Mo Mei carried a bowl of vegetables behind her.

After setting everything out, Wang began to put noodles into the bowls one by one. After putting the noodles in, she used a spoon to scoop the vegetables into the bowls and placed them in front of everyone.

"Mother, you should eat with us too," Mo called out to Wang Shi, who was about to turn and leave.

“That’s right, sister-in-law, please sit down and eat.” Mo Jin also urged Wang Shi.

"You all eat first, there's still some in the pot. Add more if you need more. I'll go watch the fire." Madam Wang smiled kindly, telling everyone to eat first, and then she turned and went into the kitchen.

"Wait a bit, the noodles will be ready soon." Mo Lan sat down on the stool, kicking her little legs dangling, her eyes fixed on the white noodles in her bowl, urging everyone to wait.

"Hmm. Isn't Changsheng coming back for lunch?" Mo Quan'en asked Mo Changsheng after saying that.

Mo Lan inwardly curled her lip; that third uncle of hers didn't care about anything but gambling all day long. He wouldn't even come back for meals unless called.

"Never mind him, who knows if he's gambled away money again." Mo Jin was furious when his older brother mentioned his son, and his face darkened.

"It's alright, I've saved some noodles. Changsheng can eat them whenever he comes back," Wang said as she brought over the noodles.

"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law. Please come and eat." Mo Jin smiled gratefully at Wang Shi.

After Wang was seated, Mo Quan said, "Let's start eating," and then everyone began to eat.

Mo Lan used her chopsticks to stir the vegetables and noodles together, turning the white noodles a darker color. She took a bite—mmm, so delicious! The noodles were smooth and chewy, and the vegetables contained pork cracklings, small cubes of meat, and potatoes. The flavors blended together perfectly.

Take a couple of bites, then a clove of garlic. Mo Lan grinned; the garlic was a bit spicy, and she had bad breath afterwards, but she could rinse her mouth later. Don't underestimate garlic; it's a good thing! It kills bacteria, reduces inflammation, and prevents disease—very useful!

*******

Today marks the first recommendation of this book. Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Qingqing, for giving Xuexue this opportunity, and thank you all for your support! Xuexue is adding an extra chapter today as a way of giving back.

Xuexue got home a little after 2 AM and hurriedly started writing. This chapter is only now finished, so I'm posting it quickly. I'll continue writing the next chapter and post it as soon as it's done. I hope everyone enjoys this book and continues to support Xuexue. Thank you!