Crossing Over to Yamada Love

Wang smiled, touched Mo Lan's hair, and said to Liu, "I've bought the goose eggs. Starting tomorrow morning, you can cook them for the eldest son with dandelion every day."

"Don't worry, Mother." Madam Liu nodded, looking tenderly at Mo Changhai. How could she not care about her husband's affairs?

“Changhai, you must not only eat the goose eggs, but also drink the dandelion and the water boiled with them. It certainly won’t taste very good, just think of it as taking medicine,” Wang instructed her son.

"Mother, don't worry, I will definitely drink every last drop of that soup. Lanlan picked the dandelions, Mother bought the goose eggs, and Yue'er cooked it herself. How could it not taste good? I think it must be the most delicious thing in the world." Mo Changhai's eyes were full of emotion. With his family caring for him so much, what more could he ask for? Even if it tasted a little bad, he would drink it with a smile, even if it were poison.

"Mother, how long will Changhai need to eat goose eggs for this illness? What will we do when the dandelion runs out?" Liu asked, her brow furrowed, clearly having thought about it for a long time.

Wang looked at Mo Lan; this was the method she had suggested, and she herself hadn't really asked for details at the time. She was already thinking about replacing Lan'er.

“Aunt, the doctor said we need to eat 100 goose eggs. As for dandelions, they won’t grow for more than 3 months. When the dandelions are almost gone, we’ll dig them up and dry them. Then we can use the dried ones to cook goose eggs for Uncle.” Mo Lan had already thought of a solution, and when her aunt asked, she just said it directly.

"That's good, now I can rest assured. Thank you, Lanlan." Liu's heart was at ease, and her eyes were filled with even more affection as she looked at Molan.

"Auntie, you're too kind. By the way, where are my mother, brother, and sister?" Mo Lan was puzzled. Why were her uncles and the others out, but Qiu Shi and the others were nowhere to be seen?

“Your brother went to gather firewood. Your mother, Mei, and I were preparing vegetables in the backyard. I came over to get some water and happened to see the argument over here. They’re still in the backyard, so we can’t hear them here. Xiao San’er is sitting in the backyard, watching us work,” Liu explained to Mo Lan with a smile.

No wonder I haven't seen them; they've all been busy. Erlang really is something else. With so many people in the family, they burn through firewood every day. Mo Quan, Mo Jin, and Mo Changhe go into the mountains every now and then to gather enough firewood for several days. Erlang goes to collect firewood every day; although the amount isn't much, it adds up to a lot of help over time.

Mo Lan glanced at the second wife's side, pursed her lips, and said, "They always complain about the first wife. They do all the work: burning firewood, getting water, tending the vegetable garden, cooking. It's the first wife who does all that! Water is scarce here. How much water does such a large family use every day? My father has to fetch water before dawn every day. He's the only strong laborer in the family, and his shoulders are probably never idle."

The family must be separated! It absolutely must be separated! These parasites must be separated from them! Let them fend for themselves! Mo Lan bit her lip, hoping that heaven would soon grant them a chance to separate. At this moment, she had no idea that this opportunity was already approaching her.

"Uncle, why don't you sit in the courtyard and teach me and Xiao San'er to read? It's cool here, and the light is good." Mo Lan and Liu Shi helped Mo Changhai sit down next to a tree in the courtyard. Then she asked her uncle's opinion.

"Okay. Go get the book for your uncle, and call Xiao San'er over while you're at it." Mo Changhai sat under the tree, feeling the gentle breeze and bright sunshine, looking relaxed and at ease.

"Okay, I'm going right now." Mo Lan skipped away. Actually, this didn't suit her age at all, but she was still young, so she didn't mind doing childish things. As long as she was happy.

"This girl is really naughty. She's so old and still can't walk properly." Mo Changhai laughed and scolded, then sighed and said, "She's really talented. She can learn everything I teach her in no time. It's a pity she's not a boy, otherwise she might actually be able to pass the imperial examinations and come back with a degree."

“We don’t have any dim-witted children in our family. They’re all good to me.” Madam Wang smiled, though only she knew the truth about Mo Lan’s intelligence.

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A few days passed in the blink of an eye. During these days, Mo Lan dug up dandelions every day. She would dip the tender ones in sauce to eat, and dig up the larger ones with the roots. She would give the rhizomes to Mo Changhai to make tea, and she would dry the leaves to save them.

When it's time to dig dandelions, she goes by herself to the farther ones, and takes her little sister with her to the closer ones. The little one is quite capable; after she finishes digging, she just puts them by the roadside, and her sister picks them up one by one with a basket.

That day, Mo Lan and Xiao San'er finished digging up dandelions and entered the house, only to hear bursts of laughter coming from inside.

"What's this?" Mo Lan wondered. There must be guests at home. Who could it be? With a questioning look on her face, she placed the basket at the entrance of the kitchen and then led Xiao San'er to wash her hands.

"Lanlan, San'er, your grandma and the others are here. Wash your hands and go inside to see them. They're in your grandma's room." Liu, who was busy in the kitchen, saw the two of them and hurriedly said with a smile.

"Grandma's here! That's wonderful! Let's go right away!" Mo Lan was also very excited. She hadn't seen her maternal grandparents' family since she came here. Last time, Qiu Shi went back to her parents' home, but she couldn't go because she had to stay and help Wang Shi. Who knew they would come today? Finally, she could see them.

"San'er misses Grandma, Sister, let's hurry up." The little guy was also very excited, and he washed his little hands haphazardly, urging Mo Lan to hurry up.

"Alright, look how anxious you are. If you don't wash your hands properly, how will Grandma hold you later? You'll get Grandma's clothes dirty." Mo Lan pinched Xiao San'er's nose and laughed at him.

"Okay, then I'll wash them properly." The little guy was a bit embarrassed and quickly put his little hands back into the basin to wash them carefully.

After washing up, the two came to the house. Mo Lan looked up and saw that the house was full of people, and the kang (a heated brick bed) was almost full of them.

"Lanlan, Xiao San'er is back. Come here quickly." A middle-aged woman sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) saw the two of them and hurriedly called out.

Mo Lan nodded, gave a sweet smile, and then looked at the unfamiliar faces in the room.

There were three unfamiliar faces sitting on the stool. One was a man around 60 years old, with a dark complexion, deep wrinkles etched on his face, small, somewhat cloudy eyes, and a beard and hair that were half white and half black. He was wearing a dark cloth outfit, with a tobacco pouch on his belt and a pipe in his hand, which he was smoking. He was clearly a genuine old farmer; he must be my maternal grandfather—Qiu Shi.

Sitting to his left was a middle-aged man. The first thing that caught his eye was his full beard, thick black eyebrows, small eyes, and slightly protruding teeth when he smiled. His dark skin and large hands all indicated that he must have worked in the fields year-round. This was his maternal uncle, Qiu Baosheng.

Finally, there was a boy of about 16 or 17 years old. He had slightly dark skin, thick eyebrows, bright and lively eyes that were neither too big nor too small, a straight nose, and a slightly open mouth revealing a smile with very white teeth. He wore a set of blue clothes that were very clean. He looked quite good and didn't resemble his maternal grandfather or maternal uncle too much. He was his maternal uncle's eldest son—Qiu Dajun.

Mo Lan, pulling Xiao San'er along, first chuckled and greeted Grandpa, Uncle, and Brother Da Jun. After the three nodded and smiled at them, she led Xiao San'er towards the kang (a heated brick bed).

Sitting next to Wang on the kang was an old woman of about the same age, but she looked much older than Wang. Her face was covered with deep wrinkles, and although her eyes were kind, they were somewhat cloudy. She wore a scarf around her neck, a brown cloth top, and black leggings. She was dressed like an old peasant woman. This was Mo Lan's maternal grandmother—Qiu Changshi.

Two other ladies sat beside her. One was in her forties, slightly plump, with a round face, not fair skin, thick eyebrows, small eyes, wrinkles around her eyes, upturned corners of her mouth, and a hearty laugh. Her teeth, which she revealed after laughing, were somewhat yellow. She was the one who had called Mo Lan and Xiao San'er earlier. She was Mo Lan's maternal aunt, Qiu Huangshi.

The lady sitting next to her was younger than her, with willow-leaf eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, fine lines at the corners of her eyes, and a slightly large mouth. She had a smiling expression and was quite pretty. She wore a purple outfit that fit her perfectly. This was Mo Lan's second aunt—Qiu Fangshi.

Sitting next to Qiu Fangshi was a girl of about 11 or 12 years old. She looked somewhat like Qiu Fangshi, but wasn't as fair-skinned or had as big a mouth. She was a pretty girl next door. This was Qiu Fangshi's eldest daughter, her cousin—Qiu Yuzhen.

Mo Lan sweetly called out to her maternal grandmother, aunt, and cousin. She let her maternal grandmother pull her into her arms and look her over, silently rummaging through her memories of her maternal grandmother's family. Her maternal grandfather's family was a typical farming family. He and her maternal grandmother had two sons and one daughter, so Mo Lan only had two maternal uncles and no maternal aunts or other relatives.

My eldest uncle has one son and two daughters. The son is Qiu Dajun, who is sitting there. The two daughters are Qiu Qin, who is 16 years old and already engaged. She will marry next year and is waiting to be married at home. The other daughter is Qiu Fang, who is 14 years old. She is also about the age to be married, so she doesn't want to go out, for fear of gossip.

My second uncle's name is Qiu Lansheng. He has two sons and a daughter. His two sons are Qiu Erjun, 14 years old, and Qiu Xiaojun, 10 years old. Neither of them came today. I suppose they are at home looking after the house.

"You silly girl, you didn't even visit your grandma last time. Look, this wound hasn't healed yet. Does it still hurt?" Qiu Changshi touched the wound on Mo Lan's head and asked with heartache.

"Grandma, it doesn't hurt anymore. Don't worry." Mo Lan let her grandmother hug her. She could tell that her grandmother really loved her. As soon as she saw her, she was busy asking about her injury and didn't even have time to hug her good grandson, Xiao San'er.

"That's good. Lanlan, you don't know, but when your mother mentioned it last time, your grandmother was so worried that she couldn't sleep for several nights. If your mother hadn't promised you that you would get better, your grandmother would have come to see you right away." The eldest aunt looked at Molan gently from the side, her eyes revealing concern.

After she finished speaking, she hugged Xiao San'er tightly and asked, "Xiao San'er, do you miss Grandma and Auntie?"