Xiao Yunying served out two medium-sized skewers, enough for their meal, poured thick broth over them, and finally garnished them with some cilantro leaves.
There were two large and two medium-sized cilantros, which she put into a porcelain bowl. Not knowing whether the Xiao family ate cilantro, she didn't add any. She then called over Luo Yang and asked, "Do you know where my family lives?"
"Know."
"Help me deliver this fish over there, I'll cook some vegetables, and you can eat when you get back."
The fish would smell stronger when it got cold, and it would be too time-consuming for her to go back and forth, so she wanted Luo Yang to run an errand for her.
"What?!"
"What's wrong? Don't you want to go?"
Luo Yang spoke with some difficulty: "I don't know... how to address them."
Previously, they did not acknowledge the stepmother's status or her family, and the two families did not have much contact, so they never thought about how to address each other.
Mu Lianrong would occasionally come over, but because their previous stepmother always beat and scolded them, and they also disliked her mother, they never thought of greeting her.
Luo Yang didn't understand. Her stepmother was definitely not the same as before, so why was she being so good to her former stepmother's family?
If Xiao Yunying knew Luo Yang's thoughts, she would definitely tell him, because she was willing to repay their unconditional care and help.
Even knowing that this affection was for the original owner of the body, not for her.
But now she has accepted this warmth, which makes her feel that she is not alone in this strange world, and that there are people who care about her. She will cherish this touching family affection and will not let it disappear because of the original owner's departure.
"Call her whatever you want. If you see my mother and she doesn't want to call me 'Grandma,' just call her 'Grandma' like the other elderly people in the village."
Luo Yang stood there looking embarrassed. Xiao Yunying didn't want to force him: "Then you stay home. I'll go and cook when I get back."
Luo Yang snatched the porcelain basin: "I'll go instead."
As Xiao Yunying watched his retreating figure, she muttered to herself: "Young people's thoughts are really hard to fathom."
She smoothed her hair behind her ear, went back to the stove, sliced some meat, and stir-fried some spicy and sour bean sprouts.
Luo Yang returned quickly, panting as he ran. Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "What's the rush? We'll wait for you to come back before we start eating."
"I'm not in a hurry to eat."
The child didn't realize she was joking: "Where's the porcelain basin for the fish? Didn't you bring it back?"
Luo Yang's eyes widened: "I ran too fast, I forgot..."
"It's alright. My older brother took the bowl that held the pig liver yesterday and didn't bring it back. I'll get it when I have time."
Luo Chen said the rice was cooked, and Xiao Yunying opened the pot lid and stirred the rice a few times with a wooden spoon.
There was only one pot lid at home, and the lid used for cooking rice was the one from the earthenware jar. She needed to ask the Yang family to make her a new pot lid.
“I, I called you Grandma.”
Xiao Yunying paused for a moment while scooping rice into her bowl, then added another spoonful: "Okay, grab your chopsticks and get ready to eat."
She didn't show it on her face, but she was secretly quite happy.
Does this mean that the children are starting to accept her?
I feel a sense of accomplishment.
At the dinner table, Luo Li ate such delicious fish for the first time and kept picking at the fish meat.
He vaguely remembered that his father had made it once before, when he was still alive. It had a strong fishy smell, and the fish meat was bitter. It was so bad that it couldn't be worse.
He had almost forgotten what his father looked like, but he still remembered that awful fish.
Xiao Yunying carefully removed the bones from the fish and placed it in Luo Xin's bowl, reminding Luo Li, "Eat slowly, be careful of the fish bones."
"I know that you should only eat small pieces at a time, as there are no fish bones."
After eating, Xiao Yunying wanted to run up the mountain again.
Luo Chen felt a bit overwhelmed. Why did she always want to run to the Western Hills? Was she homesick?
"You probably won't be able to go; the sky is overcast again."
Xiao Yunying went outside and glanced at the sky, which was gloomy: "Is it raining again? Can't it wait a few days before it rains?"
Luo Yang said from the side, "It should snow in another month."
"Oh dear, we need to hurry up and build the house."
She was so focused on getting up the mountain that she forgot about the most important thing.
"Luo Chen, have you found the house and land deeds?"
"Found it, it's in the box where Grandma keeps her jewelry."
Luo Chen went back into the house and took out a wooden box. The dark red wood felt heavy in his arms, and it was carved with exquisite patterns, including a dragon and phoenix motif.
Xiao Yunying narrowed her eyes. The phoenix carved on the wooden box had nine tails, and the dragon was a golden dragon with five claws and whiskers.
In the original owner's memory, ordinary people in this world could use dragon and phoenix patterns, at most for weddings.
She used to frequently get jobs making dragon and phoenix quilt covers, and Cheng Yue was worried that she might be breaking a taboo, so she specifically explained it to her.
The dragon and phoenix patterns used by ordinary people have specific requirements: the dragon must be without claws or whiskers, and the phoenix can only have one tail, or at most two tails.
A dragon without claws would appear rather strange, so different dragon and phoenix motifs in various poses are often used to cover up the flaw of a clawless dragon, either by intertwining them or by other patterns.
Dragons with four claws and no whiskers can only be used by royalty, such as princes and grandsons of emperors. Phoenixes with two to seven tails can only be used by noblewomen of rank or with titles.
Phoenixes with seven or more tails were exclusively reserved for royalty, such as princesses and concubines.
The dragon with five claws and whiskers and the phoenix with nine tails could only be used by the emperor and empress; this was an inviolable rule.
Unless those two bestow it upon someone, anyone who dares to use it for personal purposes should be prepared to have their entire family executed.
Xiao Yunying had no doubt that the box was secretly made by Luo Sheng's mother. In this world where imperial power was supreme, even a madman would not dare to recklessly challenge the authority of the royal family.
Whether the wooden box belonged to Luo Sheng's mother or was bestowed upon her by higher authorities, the fact that Luo Sheng's family possessed it was enough to show that their origins were extraordinary.
(The use of dragon and phoenix patterns is limited to the context of this article; please do not take it too literally.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
