Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 128 - 128: 126: Repaying Debts: The Storm Approaches (Part I)

Soon, the sweet aroma of the pastries and the fragrance of the pumpkin pancakes wafted through the air, making everyone’s mouths water and unable to resist the temptation to eat them right away.

“Mom! Mom, they smell so good and sweet! I want some too, Mom!” cried YingEr.

The little glutton’s voice arrived before she did!

She had already been following Xuan’er closely, their noses twitching, both of them looking like a pair of small dogs outside the kitchen, whimpering softly and wagging their tails, wanting but not daring to come in.

Di Xuan’s eyes were also fixated on the goodies in the pot, and he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva, they were just too fragrant and sweet!

“Hold on, Mom will give you some now.”

Liu Sisi got up, picked up two small bowls, and placed two of the earliest pumpkin pancakes from the pot into them: “Come to the small table to eat! Be careful, it’s still hot.”

“Thank you, Mom, you’re so kind!”

Di Ying cheered as she sat down at the small table, eagerly taking pieces of the pumpkin pancakes and stuffing them into her little mouth.

Though Di Xuan was sensible, he was still a child and couldn’t resist the temptation of the delicious food. He, too, sat down at the small table and started eating.

“Why don’t you have a bite too?” Di Yelei picked up a cooked pancake and offered it to Liu Sisi.

Should I eat it now?

She accepted it with a hint of embarrassment and took a small bite. The distinctive sweet taste of the pumpkin pancake filled her mouth. Crispy, sweet, and fragrant – it was definitely delicious!

“You should have a bite too.”

Seeing Di Yelei’s gaze fixated on the pancake in her hand, she offered it back to him.

Without hesitation, Di Yelei took a bite right where Liu Sisi had bitten, exposing the gap she had left.

Boom!

Liu Sisi’s face instantly turned red.

He had just…!

Realizing her gaze, he licked his lips in a suggestive manner and grinned triumphantly at her, baring his white teeth.

Glaring at him, Liu Sisi used the opportunity to check the baking tube to escape his gaze.

Once all the pumpkin pancakes were done, she turned off the heat, opened the baking tube, and took out the cake. The two children’s eyes widened

She cut off one piece, and each person got a small slice to eat. Seeing the two children enjoying the food, Liu Sisi also tried a bite.

It tasted just as good as the cakes from her past life!

Liu Sisi happily gestured to Di Yelei, giving him a thumbs up, and eagerly broke off a large piece to feed him.

“While these pastries taste just right, let’s pack them up and take them to Mr. Land Officer and Zhang Peng. It’s not good to always owe them money.”

“Alright, I’ll go get ready.”

Liu Sisi hurriedly went to pack the items, took a bamboo basket, and followed Di Yelei out the door.

The first stop, naturally, was the Land Officer’s home.

Mr. Land Officer had just woken up from his nap and looked a little surprised to see them.

“Oh, Ye Lei and Sisi are here, come in quickly. Sit, sit down first. How come you have time to visit this old fool today?” Land Officer was as affable as ever.

Di Yelei sat down cautiously: “Mr. Land Officer, Sisi and I came here today to apologize to you. Last time my dad was seriously ill, Sisi came to borrow silver from you…”

“Ah! We are all fellow villagers, and I am the elder, so don’t mention these things.”

Land Officer waved his hand: “On the contrary, it’s your immoral second sister-in-law, sigh! Lately, she has really been making this old man angry! Cough, cough…”

“Mr. Land Officer, I really appreciate your help, and I am very sorry.”

Di Yelei didn’t know what to say.

“Never mind, she’s her and you guys are you guys. Did you two come here today because she’s causing you trouble again? I’ll clean up and go with you.” Land Officer instinctively thought that Ms. Zhang had made a fuss again.

“No, Mr. Land Officer! Sisi and I came here today to repay your silver.”

Di Yelei hurriedly took out the gifts and carefully handed them over: “This is a little token of appreciation from Sisi and me, some homemade snacks. We hope Mr. Land Officer will accept them. Here is 25 taels of silver, please count to make sure it’s correct.”

“You two…You’ve really worked hard. In such a short time, you earned enough money. It’s really amazing!” The Land Officer exclaimed, looking at Di Yelei’s honest face and motioning his wife to accept it.

The Land Officer’s wife had already smelled the fragrance coming from the basket. She took it and picked up the gifts inside: “Oh my! This is a lot of stuff, you must’ve spent a lot of silver on it, right? You two are really…”

She held in her hand a cake made by the couple themselves.

“Madam, all these snacks were made by us, so they only cost some base ingredients, we didn’t buy them.” Liu Sisi said with a smile.

“Oh? Your skills are getting more and more impressive! Look, there are different types of snacks, and they taste even better than they look!”

Land Officer also hurried over and picked up a small triangular cake to eat: “I’m so envious of Elderly Mr. Di for having such a capable daughter-in-law like you. Nice! Very nice!”

“Isn’t it? Look, there is… and this too!” The Land Officer’s wife hesitated.

On the surface of the bamboo basket was cake, below it were various biscuits, along with ten eggs, two taels of meat, and two meters of silk cloth, which left the Land Officer’s wife dumbfounded!

These items were worth a lot of money! Land Officer looked up and his smile disappeared as he put down the pastry.

“Ye Lei, it’s not even a special occasion, you…”

“Mr. Land Officer, this is my way of showing gratitude. From childhood to adulthood, you’ve been taking great care of me, especially this time. If it weren’t for the silver you lent, my dad might not have made it… so please accept this gift! And you must accept it. It’s also a little token of gratitude from your junior!” Di Yelei said respectfully.

“But wasn’t this too much…?” Land Officer’s wife shuddered. These gifts were worth almost two taels of silver.

“Madam, please accept these gifts as a token of our appreciation!” Liu Sisi also smiled, not showing any reluctance at all.

Land Officer’s gaze deepened, and with a wave of his hand: “Take it! Ye Lei, if there’s anything you need, just come to me, this old man. I’m still able to move around, huh?”

“Thank you, Mr. Land Officer.”

After exchanging thanks, the family left the Land Officer’s home.

“Did these two kids strike it rich?” The Land Officer’s wife muttered to herself.

Land Officer couldn’t help but pinch another piece of pastry into his mouth: “How could they get rich? I heard that Sisi is working as a helper at the bookstore in the small town, and she goes home every night to copy books. Ye Lei spends more than ten days up the mountain hunting without returning home. These two kids are really giving their all, it’s like exchanging their lives for money. Sigh! None of it is easy!”

“Sisi is working as a helper? How could she…?” Land Officer’s wife was shocked.

“You women with long hair and short experience, just look at how fragile Sisi appears, but she can copy books, read and write, and is even helping in the bookstore. It seems that their daily life is getting better and better.” Land Officer put the last piece of cake in his mouth, clapped his hands, and shook his head as he left the room.