Chapter 68 Christmas is about many things
Itadori Yasuke had not originally planned to go out in the winter.
Old people are cautious about winter, and Itadori Yasuke doesn't want to cause trouble for his grandson and his caregivers.
Gong Zhili prepared everything very well, and he could cook and wash clothes at home. Except for going to Gong Zhili's house for a meal the next day, he took care of everything else by himself.
The time was not difficult to endure. Compared with my hometown in Sendai, the place here was more spacious. Whether it was sweeping snow in the yard or going to the village to shop, there was no inconvenience.
Itadori Yasuke sometimes stands by the lake and enjoys the scenery on days when there is no snow.
A broad vision can bring a broader way of thinking. He looked at the lake several times and found that the villagers gradually came to the lake fully armed and started skating on the ice.
When he walked to the lake today, he saw Gong Zhili followed by a group of children, also preparing to go to the lake.
When the people in the village saw them, they greeted them one after another. After responding a few words, Miya Chiri saw Itadori Yasuke. Itadori Yuji also noticed his grandfather and excitedly wanted to run across the ice to them. However, Miya Chiri grabbed his clothes and scolded him, so he calmed down and slowly wandered over from the shore to find his grandfather.
"Grandpa, come watch me skate!" Hisahito held his hand. "Chiri said we all have to learn skating moves today. I'm definitely the first one to learn because Chiri said I have the potential to be an athlete!"
As Yuji Yasuke listened to his grandson talking, he gradually made a decision in his heart.
Gong Zhili once again confirmed that these children's physical fitness was better than that of other children.
Even Tsu Miki has better balance and leg strength than her peers in the village.
Is it because he's always been by her side? Is he influenced by her power? And what about the other children's exceptional physical abilities? Besides their own connection to the cursed energy, is she also a factor?
Gong Zhili imagined the range of the barrier and sent a message to ask Naoko, telling her his guess and asking her to do some more examinations on Naoko.
Ieiri Glass replied quickly: "After I examine Riko, I will take some time to go to the village to give the children a physical examination."
Gong Zhili thought for a moment and replied, "Can we keep the children's medical records sealed in the village?"
Ieiri Naoko didn't mind this at all: "Then can I bring Riko and the others' medical examination records over and leave them with you?"
With Zhili in the barrier, these materials are safer than in the deep sea. After all, she heard from Gojo that human fear of the ocean can also breed cursed spirits.
There was nothing Gong Zhili couldn't agree to.
Recently, besides designing the cake for Christmas Eve, she has been thinking about the structure of her new house.
The new house is for the children to live in when they grow up. It is not far from home. A ten-minute walk along the lakeshore where taro grows will lead to another terraced field. The open space above the terraced field can be used to build a new house.
After the children learned to skate, they always went to play on the ice, while she stayed at home writing and drawing.
In winter, there are limited ingredients at home and no fresh fruits to make Christmas cakes. She did buy canned fruits and was struggling to decide whether to use canned fruits or pumpkin to make cakes.
When she talked to Nariko on the phone about her troubles, Nariko suddenly became excited and said, "We're on holiday now. Can I come to your place for Christmas?"
Gong Zhili: "You guys? You and Kuroi?"
Naruko let out an "Ah," then quickly added, "I'm living in the high school dormitory on vacation. Kuroi has other work, so I'm here to keep Naruko-san company. Naruko-san and I will go together!"
Gong Zhili: "Why are you here?"
Tennen Riko: "Uh, maybe I'll have to ask Gosho-senpai for help. How about this, I'll go ask him if he wants to come along!"
Gong Zhili: "Then I'll wait for your news. Once I know the number of people, I can prepare the materials."
The ones who finally decided to come were Tenchu Ryoko, Ieiri Shoko, and Gojo Satoru.
After sending the guests here, Geto Suguru has to go home to celebrate Christmas and cannot stay here.
Gong Zhili gave him a pre-baked egg tart: "Eat it while it's hot. It won't taste as good when it gets cold."
Geto Xiayou took it with a smile and thanked him. He looked at the kitchen which had become bustling with activity. He felt a little sorry that he couldn't stay, but thinking of his parents at home, he left the village anyway.
When he returned home, his parents, who had already planned to spend Christmas Eve with him, were surprised: "Aren't you going to celebrate with your friends? We heard that high school students like to party outside these days, so you're planning to spend Christmas alone..."
Geto Suguru realized: his parents probably felt he had fully integrated into the lives of teenagers, were pleased with their son's cheerfulness, and were also celebrating the return of their own world...
So he immediately made up his mind: "I just came back to visit you. Actually, Wu and Gaozi are waiting for me, so I'll leave first."
Sure enough, his parents said goodbye to him happily.
Xia Youjie sat on the Rainbow Dragon and sent a message to Gong Zhili, asking her to add his portion to the dinner.
His heart was filled with anticipation and joy at this moment.
Gong Zhili didn't read the message. It was Mimiko who heard the phone ringing in the bedroom, ran to the kitchen, took the phone and handed it to Gong Zhili.
Miya Chiri asked Naoko to turn on her phone, as she was busy mashing pumpkin and couldn't get away. After reading the message, Naoko loudly announced, "Getsuko is coming to dinner too!"
Nanako and Mimiko cheered, and the other children running around in the room also cheered for no apparent reason, and the room suddenly became lively and noisy.
Gong Zhili smiled, put the mashed pumpkin meat aside, took out the golden egg liquid beaten by Nitro, slowly poured the mashed, still warm pumpkin puree into the egg liquid, then added appropriate amount of brown sugar, followed by shaking it to melt, and finally sprinkled the flour sifted by Gojo Satoru in as lightly as snow powder. Every time he sprinkled it in, Gong Zhili gently stirred it from the bottom up with a wooden spoon to ensure that the flour and pumpkin egg liquid were fully combined. Finally, the batter became smooth and thick, shining with a warm golden orange luster.
The prepared batter was slowly poured into a long, greased baking pan. Gong Zhili knocked the baking pan on the table a few times to shake out the bubbles and make the surface of the batter smooth.
The oven was preheated, she put the baking pan in, closed the door, and set the temperature and time.
When Geto Xia Yu arrived, the cake base in the oven was emitting a rich and complex aroma - the sweetness of pumpkin, the mellowness of eggs and milk, the burnt aroma of butter, and the fragrance of grains after baking flour - as soon as he entered the entrance, the fragrance coming from the kitchen next door made him dazed.
He felt the hunger in his stomach becoming increasingly stronger, and the egg tarts he had eaten when he left here seemed to have been digested immediately.
"Excuse me—" he said with a smile. Miyajima poked her head out from the kitchen and said, "It's just right. Come and help me spread the cream. Gojo said you got the highest score in home economics. When it comes to spreading cream, they can't expect anything at all."
Gojo Satoru, who was playing Jenga with Yujin and the others in the living room, said loudly, "Because Jie will cook in the dormitory!"
Gong Zhili was shocked: "You have a kitchen in your student dormitory?"
Xia Yujie took the spatula from her hand and said helplessly: "I only do it occasionally. It's no problem to spread the cream."
He seriously suspected that Wu was unable to do this job because he was completely obsessed with Jenga.
As he spread the butter, he asked, "Don't you need someone else to help you cook?"
Gong Zhili smiled and said, "They had prepared all the raw materials, but I kicked them out because they were too much of a nuisance in the kitchen."
They were nearly done with the whipped cream.
Geto Xiayou didn't notice that a comfortable smile appeared on his face again.
The living room was warm. Tsu Miki was lying on the table, concentrating on painting on the paper with crayons. Fushiguro Megumi nervously watched Yuhito carefully pull out the wooden block. The twin sisters cheered in low voices, with concentration and excitement on their faces.
Gojo Satoru didn't let up at all just because his opponent was a kid, which seriously made Tennenoriko almost unable to bear it. But because he was a senior, her upbringing prevented her from complaining in front of so many kids!
She turned her gaze to Naoko Iehara who was curled up on the sofa reading a book. Naoko was not reading very seriously and easily noticed her gaze.
"What's wrong?" Glass asked. "If this is a condemnation of Gojo's behavior, you can put it aside for now. This guy won't change."
Tennantiko looked at the oldest person in the living room, Itadori Yasuke.
Itadori Yasuke was unmoved. The expression on his face was much softer than before. He just stared at his grandson's face as he played the game seriously.
Even the child’s parents don’t think there’s anything wrong with Gojo-senpai’s behavior!
Tennantiko pouted and decided not to watch the game, and turned to watch a TV program instead.
As the festival approaches, major TV stations are broadcasting more and more Christmas programs and New Year warm-up programs, which really makes people feel that the entire island country is celebrating these days.
Gojo Satoru finally won the game. His hand was much steadier than Yuhito's little finger, and his observation ability was also better than his. It was reasonable for him to win. He gave up his position in the game and let Megumi Fushiguro and Nanako play against each other. He sat on the sofa and picked up a magazine to read.
When Gong Zhili came out with the cake, his eyes stayed on her for a moment, then he jumped up and said, "I'll help!"
Xia Yujie followed behind Gong Zhili and handed the dish in his hand to Gojo Satoru: "You take this, I'll go back and get more."
The protagonist has to put the cake on the table, which is also a sense of ritual.
Gojo Satoru: "Jie——"
Geto Summer Oil: "Glass, come and help."
Today is Christmas Eve. Besides the cake, the second most important thing is of course the dinner!
Gong Zhili cooked more than a dozen dishes, including a cake. She was once again glad that she had made the side tables around the stove wide enough so that ten people could sit together for a meal.
I feel like the kids will still be able to sit there even when they grow up.
In front of the delicious food, everyone maintained their respect for the creator - everyone was eating with full concentration. Itadori Yasuke tasted the delicious and heart-warming meal, and once again sighed that Prince Hisahito was so strong, which must be due to Miya Chiri's good cooking skills.
No child would be picky about such delicious food.
After the meal, it was time for the children to cut the cake, which was the most exciting part for them. Gong Zhili looked at the empty bowls and plates in front of him, estimated their stomach capacity, and only cut a small piece for each person to ensure that they would be satisfied but not overeating.
Megumi Fushiguro pursed her lips at the tiny piece and protested softly, "Mine is so small."
Tsumiki has more than him.
Gong Zhili was very strict: "Hui, you just ate a lot of beef, and your stomach should be full now. You can only eat this much."
Fushiguro Megumi, who accidentally ate too much roast beef because it was delicious: "..."
Yuhito was glad that he gave up the last piece of chicken wing, so now he could get a little more cake than Hui.
After Gong Zhili finished cutting the cake, she covered the remaining half and smiled: "Put the rest of the cake in the refrigerator. You can eat it tomorrow."
The children's mood was finally cheered up. The cake was of course delicious and had a festive sweetness. Eating cake on this night seemed to represent some kind of luck and happiness, and they were very happy when they put it in their mouths.
Glass was not interested in sweets. She had eaten all five of them. She had already been satisfied with dinner and just wanted to rest.
But after dinner, they were responsible for cleaning up. The children cleaned up their own dishes, and Hisahito took his grandfather's portion away. Although Nozomi wanted to rest, she couldn't lie down on the sofa in this situation.
The night was deep, and Miyajiri and Gojo were sending Itadori Wosuke home. Walking in the snow, Itadori Wosuke's voice was clearly audible: "Regarding Gojo's previous proposal, if you don't mind an old man like me, I'd like to move to the village next spring. I have a lot of things to do for you."
Gojo Satoru perked up: "Really? That's why I told you long ago that moving here is the best option—"
Itadori Yasuke ignored him and thanked Miya Chiri: "It was you who made me make up my mind, Miss Miya. Your education of Hisahito and your attitude towards life made me feel that my previous thoughts were too weak."
After he had said this long string of words, he fell silent, as if he had already used up all his strength just to say what was in his heart.
When Gojo Satoru and Miya Chiri returned, they both sighed, "How could someone be so stubborn? Or are all the elders of that generation like this?"
Gong Zhili yawned and said, "Anyway, it's a good thing. Don't worry about it."
Gojo Satoru still found it hard to accept: "He said it was your credit. Have you said anything to him recently?"
Gong Zhili gave him an exceptionally superior smile: "Old people like good young people like me who work quietly and steadily."
Gojo Satoru: "Don't tell me I'm not ambitious? Don't tell me I'm not down-to-earth? I'm also a good young man!"
Miyajima grinned, as if she found his aggrieved expression particularly amusing. "How would I know? Maybe you and Hisahito were too serious when you were playing Jenga, Gojo."
Gojo Satoru curled his lips: "Weren't you in the kitchen at that time?"
Gong Zhili: "Who told you to shout so loudly when you celebrated winning a game?"
The two of them bickered and returned to their brightly lit home.
Because it was Christmas holiday, the work of the sorcerers was concentrated in the big cities where emotional fluctuations were greater. "So many people break up around Christmas," explained Geto. "Negative emotions tend to accumulate, and the resulting cursed spirits become particularly confused."
They went out to remove cursed spirits several times, and seemed to have experienced the joy of living in the village, so they would come to stay for a few days from time to time.
After giving the children a physical examination, Ieiri Shoko tended to stay here and not leave. In her words, "this place is too suitable for hibernation." In addition, her previous research on triggered reversal techniques had achieved certain results, so Gojo Satoru turned a blind eye to her slacking off here.
Gong Zhili was drawing a design in front of the fireplace that day. Hearing this, he asked curiously, "Will Gojo pay you? Why do you need his permission to rest here?"
She was purely curious and felt that everyone in the technical college and the affiliated high school listened to Gojo's words.
Ieiri Naoko heard the hidden meaning in her words and said, "Because... he really did a lot to make people feel that following him could lead to a different future? It just happened without them realizing it."
Gong Zhili, buried in the design drawings, casually said, "Is Gojo the type who does a lot but never shows it?"
Ieiri Glass smiled silently: "Probably."
Anyway, she had never seen Gojo show off his achievements and expect to get recognition from certain people.
It would be better to say that this image doesn't suit Gojo at all?
Gong Zhixiang thought of the quarrel a few nights ago and had reservations about this.
Outside the house came the sound of Nariko shouting excitedly as she was skating on the lake. She can skate, and now she is leading a group of children to play train games on the ice. She has a lot of fun every day. The results of her last physical examination also showed that her physical condition has greatly improved.
Ieiri Shoko commented on the conclusion of the physical examination: "I think your previous hypothesis makes sense, but I don't have more external data for experimental comparison right now - this kind of thing is not easy to compare."
Gong Zhili nodded in understanding and said, "If it's true, then the future of these children is worth looking forward to, isn't it?"
She unknowingly learned from Gojo to use the word "expectation" to express her good mood.
Ieiri Naoko hummed. Leaning over to watch her drawing, she asked, "Can you also draw blueprints?"
It still looks like a very professional layout plan.
Gong Zhili: "If the size isn't a concern, I really enjoy drawing this kind of layout. When construction begins, I'll need to find someone to help me rearrange it. Right now, I'm just killing time."
Ieiri Naoko lay down beside it and watched for a while, then pointed at one of the spots and asked, "What is this piece used for?"
Gong Zhili became interested and began to explain his plan in detail. "Aren't there a few terraced fields to the south? There's a piece of open space at the top that's perfect for building a house. I plan to plant some large-scale crops like rapeseed, cotton, rice, and corn on the terraces over there. When the harvest comes, we'll dry them on the lakeside dock. I'm planning to create a garden near the house and put out a swing. On the terraces to the east, I'll build a warehouse and an outdoor kitchen for the summer. There's also a few open spaces. What do you think would be the best uses for them?"
Ieiri Naoko offered a very pertinent suggestion: "Just build it into a small stadium. They will definitely learn to use various weapons after attending the Jujutsu School. You can prepare a weapons room first."
She pointed her hand beside the warehouse and said, "Add it here."
Gong Zhili quickly grabbed a pen and added the weapons room, and simply connected the bottom few plots of land into one, marking the words "training ground".
Gong Zhili was curious: "I heard from Riko that you have a fighting class. How good is Jiner-kun's teaching?"
Ieiri Naoko: "I won't really hit someone to the point of causing serious injury. I'll be careful with my attack and reception."
Gong Zhili looked bewildered: "Huh?"
Ieiri Naoko snorted and explained, "You know, he used to snipe sorcerers a lot, so his fighting skills are all lethal. He's already quite impressive if he can control them to the point where he doesn't seriously injure the students."
Gong Zhili's sense of crisis resurfaced. "Do you think my children will be able to beat him when they go to middle school? If all four of them go together?"
Not to mention the age gap or the one-on-one duel, she is now starting to worry about the children getting beaten!
Ieiri Naoko was silent for a moment: "If you train them from a young age..."
Gong Zhili showed hope: "Maybe it will work?"
Ieiri Glass: "Maybe I can hold out a little longer."
But it is also possible that this will provoke Fushiguro's anger and make him attack even more fiercely.
Gong Zhili took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to call the children back to class immediately, changed a piece of paper and began to make a training plan for them.
Ieiri Naoko held her hand and said sincerely, "Give the children a happy childhood. This way, they will have more mental fortitude when facing the terrifying fighting lessons."
"Based on their current growth rate, they will definitely make a big leap during their junior high school period. Don't put too much pressure on them in advance." It might backfire.
Miyajima noticed the implication in her words and agreed with her statement, sighing, "Shinji-kun... he fought Gojo once last time, but he wasn't using his full strength. If we only talk about fighting skills, who's stronger, him or Gojo?"
Ieiri Naoko spread her hands and said, "I don't know. Gojo did fight him seriously, but there was no one else present. I think Fushiguro Shinobu lost. After all, he has become a teacher in the school."
Gong Zhili: "Is it not okay to ask Gojo?"
Ieiri Shoko: "He always keeps secrets about information he doesn't want to reveal."
Just like Miya Chiri now, her existence is completely unknown to some people in the magic world. Gojo seems to be selecting people who know the truth, and other people who are not within the selection range cannot detect Miya Chiri's existence at all.
Ieiri Shoko also wants to know how Gojo did it, or is there anything in this world that can stump him?
Gong Zhili: "Glass, are you a little scared of Gojo?"
Ieiri Shoko: "Ah, if I could help it, I definitely wouldn't want to become his enemy. Can this thought be considered fear?"
Gong Zhili smiled for a moment and said, "It would be great to be his companion."
Ieiri Shoko added: "It would be better to become a companion he recognizes."
Gong Zhili was curious: "What about Xia Yu? He's also very strong. I've seen the cursed spirits he's subdued recently. It seems like there are all kinds of cursed spirits. Are these all subdued by him personally?"
Ieiri Naoko touched her chin. "At the beginning of the school year, I thought he was a little crazy, but he's become more cheerful lately. A bit like... a weaker version of Haibara?"
Gong Zhili laughed again at her description. He stopped talking about the boys and asked, "So, Xiaozi, what do you want to do in the future? Will you always be a school doctor?"
Ieiri Naoko: "Maybe I should get a medical license."
Gong Zhili: "Actually, Nitro, you also like being a doctor?"
Ieiri Naoko pondered this and said, "It's not so much that I like it, but rather that I'm too used to it. I've walked this path for too long, and the joys and pains along the way are so profound that I can't imagine myself doing anything else."
Gong Zhili: "You're only relieved, but not happy?"
Ieiri Glass: "Happy things happen after get off work. I'm happy when I don't have to work, and I've been especially happy lately."
Gong Zhili: "What do you think is a good thing for me to do after I turn eighteen?"
Ieiri Glass: "When you were eighteen, the youngest of these kids were already in elementary school. Didn't you say you were going to get a driver's license and go traveling?"
Gong Zhili: "Well... that's the initial plan, but if I have to bring the kids, I can only go out during holidays. What about during the week? If I just farm, I don't think it will take up much time."
Even if the planting area is expanded, her body has been well trained, and she can handle transplanting rice, harvesting wheat, and harvesting corn. Moreover, her children will help when they grow up. She feels that she will not have much work to do in the village in the future.
After listening to her analysis, Ieiri Shoko asked, "Is there anything in particular you want to do?"
Gong Zhili did not give an answer this time.
Her desire to explore the outside world in her previous life came from the constant question of survival hanging over her head. Now...
She felt like she was really a little lost.
She wasn't very keen on expanding the barrier outwards. She had previously said she wanted to catch the cursed spirit to take a look, but she only stayed at the front end.
"Will my life revolve entirely around my children?" Gong Zhili imagined herself in the TV drama. "When they grow up, they'll leave home one by one and never come back to visit me. I'll be all alone..."
She couldn't go on. The more she spoke, the more outrageous it seemed, and yet there was also a lot of humor in the outrageousness.
Ieiri Glass laughed: "If I had a guardian like you, I would stay at home all my life and would never want to go anywhere."
"We're back!" Tenriko's energetic voice rang out at the entrance.
The children returned home one after another. Gong Zhili didn't move at all. They dealt with their sweat and dirty clothes by themselves, and sat down obediently to talk to Gong Zhili.
Ieiri Shoko: Perhaps children are more worried about being kicked out of home when they grow up than leaving home on their own.
She estimates that in a few years, cooking at home will be a rotation system.
Thinking of this, Ieiri Shoko decided to cherish every meal cooked by Miya Chiri from now on.
Nanako loves ice skating and she is also interested in the ice skating shows on TV. However, she prefers larger lakes to ice rinks on the shows.
When Gong Zhili heard her mention the ice skating program, she asked, "Do you want to buy some ice skates?"
Nanako shook her head: "Once the ice melts, it won't be usable. I'll buy some myself when I go to Tokyo later!"
They all knew that they would go to Tokyo Jujutsu High School for high school, and Tsu Miki also wanted to go to school in Tokyo, so recently they talked about "what will happen when we go to Tokyo in the future", which sounded quite interesting.
Ieiri Shoko suggested to Miya Chiri, "Why don't you go to Tokyo and buy a house soon, and then live there later? There are many nice houses with gardens in Tokyo."
It's not bad to live near the college.
Gong Zhili: "Huh? Buy a house? But the housing prices in Tokyo are very expensive."
Ieiri Naoko sold out her teammates without hesitation: "Gojo is rich."
Miyajiri: "...Noseko, you just said you don't want to stand against Gojo."
Ieiri Naoko waved her hand: "That doesn't count."
After listening to their conversation, Chiriko came over excitedly and said, "Are you going to buy a house in Tokyo? I want to be Chiri's neighbor!"
Miyajiri: "Riko, have you saved a lot of money?"
Tennen Riko crossed her fingers. "Actually, Gojo-senpai and Gojo-senpai shut down a sect called the Bankei Cult. After clearing out their accounts, they gave me some money as compensation for my hard work as a Star Plasma Body. So, I was thinking about it too."
Gong Zhili laughed: "Okay, if I want to buy a house in Tokyo, I will definitely invite you."
Ieiri Naoko: "Then please leave a room for me at home. I don't mind sleeping in the same bed with you guys."
She usually lives in the college dormitory and it's pretty good.
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Author's note: The inspiration and shape of the cake come from "Little Forest", but it's even bigger. I worked really hard today! Although my update schedule fluctuates, I'll write more when I have time. I'm so hungry now that I'm going to sleep flat on my back.
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