Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 421 Still Happy

"I understand, Mom." For some reason, Zhiyuan sensed a deep sadness and exhaustion in Lin Qingping's voice, a "punishment" that left a more lasting impression than any beating or punishment from his father.

Perhaps, even after his father punishes him, he will still go out to sell shaved ice. But after Lin Qingping hugged him and said those words, he thought to himself, "Then I won't sell shaved ice anymore, and I won't go out of the island again."

Actually, he still didn't understand why Lin Qingping was angry. After thinking it over and over, he figured it was probably because of the shaved ice incident...

“I really like it, thank you, Zhiyuan.” Lin Qingping picked up the brooch on the table and smiled. “I’ll wear it when I’m all dressed up.”

"Mom, you look beautiful no matter what!" Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief; his mother finally smiled.

Lin Qingping pushed the rice bowl towards him, saying, "Hurry up and eat."

Zhiyuan cautiously peered outside; his father, Gu, hadn't been allowed to eat yet...

"Mom..." he called softly.

"Eat your food and mind your own business!" Lin Qingping seemed to know what he wanted to say.

Zhiyuan sighed inwardly and slowly began to eat, glancing at his father working outside as he ate.

Lin Qingping ate very quickly, finishing in just a few bites. She put down her chopsticks, glanced at Zhiyuan, and said, "Eating so slowly, who are you leaving food for?"

Zhiyuan: ...

"No... I didn't give it to anyone... No... It's not very tasty..." Zhiyuan secretly broke out in a cold sweat. His mother was really amazing. How could she read his mind?

Lin Qingping snorted, picked up the brooch, and stood up. "I'm done eating. You can eat slowly and wait patiently." After saying that, she went into the room.

Zhiyuan was overjoyed and quickly ran to the window to call Gu Juncheng, "Dad Gu, come and eat! Mom's not angry anymore!"

Gu Juncheng glanced back at him, then continued working, "Almost done!"

Inner monologue: I'm just not angry with you! You brat, you caused this mess, I'll take the blame for everything!

Gu Juncheng was busy until the afternoon when he finally came in, covered in sweat. He quickly rinsed himself with a bucket of water, changed his clothes, and without even having time to eat, hurriedly told Zhiyuan, "Tell your mother that the kiln she wanted is ready to use."

"Dad Gu, aren't you going to eat..." Before Zhiyuan could finish speaking, Gu Juncheng's figure had already disappeared.

Zhiyuan had no choice but to give up and went to knock on the door to convey what Gu Juncheng had said to Lin Qingping.

Lin Qingping's eyes visibly lit up, and she patted his head, "Wait, I'll bake you something delicious!"

She walked into the courtyard and saw that the fire in the large earthen kiln she wanted was burning brightly.

On such a hot day, she didn't want to make Gu Juncheng work outdoors, but he started without saying a word.

She watched him work on the kiln, not knowing his progress, when it would be finished, or when it would be dry. He never told her, but today he suddenly said that it was ready to use!

She loves experimenting with food; it's a source of joy in her life, whether ordinary or eventful.

She immediately began preparing the ingredients and asked Zhiyuan to inform his friends to come over for a delicious meal that evening.

"Okay!" Zhiyuan hurried off.

Lin Qingping smiled. What's even more gratifying than the effort of cooking is having people appreciate the food she creates.

Zhiyuan was undoubtedly her biggest supporter.

When Zhiyuan arrived at Chen Lei's house, Chen Lei had just finished his performance as a gentleman and looked dejected when he saw Zhiyuan.

"Are you done with your punishment?" Chen Lei asked him.

Zhiyuan nodded. Actually, he wasn't punished much, but his father, Gu, seemed to have fared worse.

Chen Lei was puzzled, "Why are you so happy that you were punished?"

Chen Lei was frustrated. Not only was he punished, but his father also confiscated all the little money he had earned from selling shaved ice over the past few days…

Zhiyuan's eyes crinkled with laughter. "I'm so happy!"

Chen Lei didn't understand.

He wasn't his parents' biological child. What he feared was that if they didn't scold or punish him when he made a mistake...

Zhiyuan smiled as he looked at the sunset on the horizon and said again, "Of course I'm happy. Even if my father wants to beat me up, I'll still be happy."

Chen Lei looked at him, finding it incomprehensible, and whispered to him, "How about... we get a different dad? My dad beats people really hard, why don't you try it?"

In the evening, Gu Juncheng walked towards his home.

The sunset glow along the way was breathtakingly beautiful.

Thinking about Lin Qingping's reaction when she saw the kiln, could he be considered to have made amends?

They quickened their pace without realizing it.

Before I even got home, I could smell a delicious aroma.

It was a familiar scent to him—the smell of toasted bread, which he often smelled when he helped out at Lin Qingping's shop.

Only then did he realize that he was very hungry, and it was only then that he remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch.

The aroma of toasted bread made him jog along the way.

When I got to the gate, I found that several children had surrounded the small table in the yard. Then I looked closer and realized, hey, these were the same kids who had caused trouble today.

At this moment, Lin Qingping stood in front of the earthen kiln, and several children behind her craned their necks, waiting for Lin Qingping to bring out the things from the kiln.

Perhaps Lin Qingping was too focused on his work and didn't notice his return. He quietly found a chair next to Zhiyuan and sat down. Some braised dishes were already laid out on the table.

Zhiyuan saw him, "Gu..."

"Shh—" he told Zhiyuan to be quiet.

Zhiyuan shook his head inwardly, then was drawn by the cheers of his friends. Suddenly, a rich aroma wafted from the courtyard. It turned out that Lin Qingping had opened the small wooden door of the kiln and brought out a roasted chicken.

"Wow, this smells amazing!" the children cheered.

"Come on, put your plates down." Lin Qingping brought the roast chicken to the table.

Zhiyuan turned around and saw that Gu's father was gone. He looked again and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Lin Qingping used a small knife to cut the whole chicken into pieces, putting a large piece on each child's plate. When she gave it to Zhiyuan, suddenly, there was an extra plate next to him.

Looking at that person's cheeky face, Lin Qingping's hand held a piece of chicken that stopped in mid-air, but eventually fell down and placed it in that person's bowl.

Then, Lin Qingping turned around and brought out a plate of grilled fish, a plate of grilled shrimp, and a plate of grilled vegetables from the kiln. Finally, she packed a basket of grilled noodles and placed it on the table.

It has to be said that the kiln Gu Juncheng built was really big enough to bake so many things effortlessly.

By this time, darkness had fallen, and a bright moon rose from the sea, its silvery light shimmering and its shadows dancing.

Lin Qingping watched the child and someone else enjoying their meal. She took a piece of bread, tore it off piece by piece, and ate it. Her mouth was full of the aroma of wheat, the taste of her favorite bread.

The half-grown child and the man who had been starving all day devoured the little food she had prepared in no time.

"Uncle Gu, Aunt Lin, let's go wash the dishes." They were all very diligent children, even the youngest, Fang Yi, was eager to do the work.

Gu Juncheng looked at her, and their eyes met in the moonlight.