Crossing Over to Yamada Love

As soon as she finished speaking, people around her started talking:

"Erniuzi, let's chip in. I love pig's head meat the most; it's so delicious."

"Yes, I love those pig ears. They're so crunchy when you bite into them. They make my mouth water just looking at them."

"Count me in. I like pig ears too."

"The pig's tail is mine; I like to gnaw on it."

The crowd started arguing, but Mo Lan watched with a smile, letting them discuss it among themselves.

In the end, the five of them pooled their money to buy a platter of braised meat, and the three of them pooled their money to buy peanuts. Since the three of them couldn't split the peanuts equally, Mo Lan told them to figure it out themselves, since she would only charge ten coins.

Many others also wanted to chip in to buy groceries, but they were too late and someone else beat them to it. They kept complaining and asking Mo Lan to make more tomorrow.

Mo Lan smiled and agreed, then went to Manager Qin's place, where she saw him and Manager Zhang each holding a chicken leg and a chicken breast, happily munching on them.

She asked, "How do you two gentlemen find the taste? Is it to your liking? If there's anything you're not satisfied with, please let us know."

"Not bad, it smells delicious, it's so satisfying to eat like this. The pig's ears are also very well mixed. Girl, from now on, I'll take care of your lunches. Do it this way, and don't you dare make it any worse than before." Steward Qin, with oil all over his mouth and hands, generously promised to take care of Mo Lan's lunches from now on.

"Don't worry, Master, it'll definitely taste better the more you make it." Mo Lan smiled brightly.

The manager nodded and said, "The vegetarian buns taste good too. I didn't expect your buns to be so well-made."

"Master Zhang is too kind. Our steamed buns are made with a secret family recipe. It's just that this place wasn't suitable for opening a shop before, so these food recipes were buried. Now that you gentlemen are building courtyards here, our recipes will finally come in handy. But then again, no matter how good the recipe is, the business still depends on your support, Master." Mo Lan said, half-jokingly.

"This little girl is quite eloquent," Manager Zhang said with a smile, glancing at Mo Lan.

Mo Lan smiled innocently and said, "My elders taught me that."

"Haha, I like her. This little girl is so honest and suits my temperament perfectly." Manager Qin looked at Mo Lan's genuine demeanor and felt that she was exactly what he wanted.

Mo Lan made a couple more jokes and then went to collect the money.

Seeing that many people were still clamoring for steamed buns, and that the truck was already empty, the group apologized to everyone, put away their bowls, and turned back.

As they approached the village entrance, Mo Lan spotted Cheng Xiao, who was walking towards the village. She was about to raise her arm to greet him when her eyes suddenly narrowed. Not far behind Cheng Xiao, there was another person—was that Mo Ju?!

Mo Lan suddenly remembered the time when she first met Cheng Xiao. She was afraid that the villagers would gossip, so she walked ahead and let Cheng Xiao walk behind her. Was he doing the same thing with Mo Ju now?

How did they end up together? Oh, right, last time Mo Ju practically begged Young Master Cheng. Maybe it was because Young Master Cheng took pity on her, and the two hit it off. But Mo Ju is indeed quite pretty; aside from being a little dark-skinned, she's still quite delicate-looking.

However, she wasn't simple-minded. If Xiao Chengxiao got entangled with her, he'd probably be in for a rough time. Mo Lan thought mischievously.

She then lowered her hand, which was halfway raised, and followed the car back.

Cheng Xiao also saw Mo Lan and the others from afar. He was quite happy and quickened his pace, wanting to rush over and greet them. However, he didn't expect them to leave directly, and Cheng Xiao felt a little disappointed.

After digging dandelions with that girl for the first time, he often went there to wait for her, but he never saw her again. Last time, someone asked about her home, so he took the opportunity to go there. Who knew he would encounter such a thing? Seeing her hitting someone with a broom that day, he was both shocked and a little heartbroken. He had been wanting to find a time to talk to her, but he never had a suitable opportunity.

A few days ago, while he was reading at his usual spot, he unexpectedly ran into Mo Ju. He was surprised to find that the girl was quite pitiful, having such a father. So he chatted with her for a bit.

He happened to run into her again today, but he wanted to see the little girl named Mo Lan, not Mo Ju. So after greeting her, he got up and went back. To his surprise, he saw her from afar, but she ignored him. Perhaps she didn't see him? Perhaps she was too shy with so many people around? He tried to find reasons for Mo Lan's behavior in his mind.

When Mo Lan and the others arrived at the backyard, lunch was already prepared. A large pot of shredded chicken noodles was served, and Qiu Shi had already ladled a bowl for each of them and placed it on the table.

The aroma of the noodles made Mo Lan's mouth water. This chicken noodle dish was a suggestion she made to Wang Shi. This year, there was a lot more wheat than usual, and after paying the government grain tax, they stored it all away. Since they had drawn water yesterday, Mo Lan only bought a chicken this morning and made a big pot of chicken soup. She then divided the soup into two pots, shredded the chicken meat and put it into the pots, added white noodles and some spinach. The soup and noodles were enough for many people.

After everyone was seated, Mo Lan took a bite of noodles and a sip of soup. Ah, so comforting! She let out a satisfied sigh. These noodles were much better than the big meat noodles sold in noodle shops.

Mo Lan was slurping her noodles with gusto when she suddenly heard voices behind her.

"Grandpa Quan, Grandma Quan. Hello, Aunties."

Mo Lan turned her head to look and saw that it was the calf who had come to report the well water yesterday.

"Hey kid, what's wrong? What happened?" Mo Quan asked after taking a bite of noodles.

"I...I..." Niu Duzi stammered twice, unable to finish his sentence. His face flushed red, and he stared at the ground with embarrassment, unsure of what to do with his hands.

"You silly kid, just say what you want to say." Mo Quan was getting a little anxious when he saw that Mo Quan had been stammering for a long time without saying anything.

"I, I, the noodles at noon were so delicious, my dad won't let me have another bowl, I'm not full, Grandpa Quan, Grandma Quan, can I have another bowl, not just half a bowl?" Niu Duzi finally blushed and said his request.

“You silly child, what’s so hard about it? Just eat. I’ll make sure you’re well-fed since you’re here to work.” Mo Quan said, glancing at Wang Shi.

Just as Wang was about to get up with a smile, Qiu hurriedly stood up and said, "Mother, let me serve it." After saying that, she quickly grabbed a bowl and ladled noodles from the pot.

"That's enough, that's enough, Auntie, half a bowl is enough." Niu Duzi hurriedly called out as he watched Qiu Shi serve him noodles.

Mrs. Qiu placed a full bowl of noodles into Niu Duzi's hands and said, "Eat up, and I'll give you more if you want more."

"That's enough, thank you, Auntie." After saying that, Niu Duzi started munching on his noodles.

"Grandpa Quan, your family's food is so delicious! Everyone's praising it, saying that the Mo family is really generous, paying wages, providing meals, and eating well at that. Everyone's working with great enthusiasm." Niu Duzi chatted with everyone while eating noodles.

The Mo family members chuckled. Who doesn't like to hear nice things? Besides, the Mo family paid the workers generously and provided good food for the house construction, earning them a good reputation in the village. The Mo family is not what it used to be; more people go out to greet them, and some even fawn over them. Their status has risen considerably.

**************

Nothing much happened in the afternoon. After finishing her accounts, Mo Lan handed the money to Wang Shi, then went out with a basket on her shoulder. The dinner was all prepared, including pig intestines and trotters, plus two vegetarian dishes, which would be enough. Taking advantage of the free time, she went for a stroll by the mountain to see if there was anything else she could gather.

"Lanlan." Mo Lan was staring at both sides of the road when she heard someone call her from behind.

She turned around and saw Cheng Xiao. Hadn't he gone back? Why was he back behind her now?

"Greetings, Young Master Cheng." Mo Lan smiled and greeted him.

"What are you looking at?" Cheng Xiao looked at the girl in front of him who was smiling innocently, his eyes gleaming with a faint light.

"Let me see if there are any wild vegetables left, but I think there aren't any, they're all out of season," Mo Lan replied casually, without any disappointment. Wild vegetables were out of season, but in a little over a month it would be mushroom season. Compared to wild vegetables, she preferred mushrooms; chicken stew with mushrooms from Northeast China was famous. Hehe, what she actually loved most was fresh mushroom soup.

Cheng Xiao looked at the girl in front of him. Her eyes were shining brightly. He wondered what she had remembered. Was he among those memories?

"I heard you're sending steamed buns to the garden construction site. Is business good?" Cheng Xiao asked, trying to start a conversation when she didn't answer.

"It's great, we sell out every day. I expect it will be even better once our shop opens." Mo Lan said frankly that business was good.

"That's good. I've waited for you over there many times, but you haven't gone to dig up dandelions again." Cheng Xiao's first sentence was gratified, but the second sentence was tinged with resentment.

"Dandelions are everywhere at that time of year, so I didn't go that far. Why are you waiting for me?" Mo Lan asked, puzzled, her words lacking sincerity.

"You said you'd often go dig dandelions if you had nothing to do." Cheng Xiao looked at Mo Lan with a slightly flushed face. Actually, he didn't know what he was thinking. This girl was still young. He probably didn't have any other thoughts. He just liked talking to her and felt happy looking at her.

"I do dig often, but I haven't gone that far, hehe. Young Master Cheng, you don't want to get fallen again, do you?" Mo Lan said with a mischievous grin.

Cheng Xiao's face flushed instantly. He remembered their first meeting, how he had tried to pull her away, only to have her pull him to the ground. Her smile was genuine, her heart pure. He felt completely at ease with her.

Looking at Cheng Xiao's flushed face, Mo Lan thought to herself, "Could this little boy have some feelings for me? No, no! I'm only nine years old, how could that be? I can't let my imagination run wild."

"Is your shop almost finished being repaired?" Cheng Xiao asked, putting aside his chaotic thoughts.