Chapter - 41 - Difficult Dinner

"Let's start steaming the buns right away," Yi Minghuan declared.

He placed the firewood in the corner, washed his hands, and prepared to add water to the cauldron for heating the soup and steaming the buns.

"Hold on a moment, she locked up the steamed buns and stored them in the main room," Tang Li remembered and quickly added, "It won't be easy to fetch them."

To prevent anyone from pilfering the steamed buns, Gu Xiulan had placed them in a basket, hidden them inside a cabinet in her sleeping quarters, locked them securely, and even concealed the key.

Retrieving the steamed buns required a fair amount of effort.

These days, obtaining even an egg or a steamed bun involved elaborate negotiations and often led to heated arguments.

Tang Li found this situation both exasperating and strangely amusing.

She understood that in difficult circumstances, people developed a particular passion for even the simplest things.

For instance, as she inhaled the delightful aroma of the fish soup now, she considered it the most exquisite delicacy in the world.

The mere thought of savoring it soon made her mouth water, and her anticipation grew.

"I'll ask Dad to fetch the steamed buns," Yi Minghuan offered, showing no desire to enter the main room.

"I'll come with you," Tang Li hastily volunteered, her protective instincts kicking in.

She couldn't bear the thought of Yi Minghuan being mistreated again.

Whenever she heard of someone bullying him, she was ready to go to war!

"Eldest daughter-in-law, if your mother is still passed out, could you try to wake her up?" Father Yi called out from the entrance of the main room. He had squatted there, and his voice echoed inside.

"I won't do it," Su Cheng who was changing Gu Xiulan's clothes, retorted with irritation. "Pinching my mother-in-law awake will be painful and she'd definitely beat me! If you want to wake her, you can do it yourself."

Su Cheng had grown fed up with her cantankerous and malicious mother-in-law. She even wished the old woman could remain quietly in bed for a couple more days, sparing her the trouble of getting up.

She was willing to continue serving her in this condition.

Father Yi lowered his head in response, realizing he didn't have the courage to wake her. He knew that if he did, the old woman would never forgive him and would most likely chase him with a broomstick.

"Father, it's time to prepare dinner. Retrieve the buns, and I'll steam them," Tang Li and Yi Minghuan walked to the main room entrance.

They spotted Father Yi squatting there, head down, and called out to him.

"Huh?!" Father Yi raised his head, startled by the noise.

He stared blankly at them for a moment before finally responding,

"Your mother is still unconscious. She hid the key, and I have no idea where it is."

".....",Tang Li sighed inwardly.

It was the first time she had encountered such a feeble man with no authority in his own home. He didn't even know where his wife had hidden the keys.

It was astonishing!

"I'll ask brother," Yi Minghuan said, glancing at his father before heading towards the western room.

In this family, Gu Xiulan was cautious around everyone except her beloved son. Yi Wanjing must be aware of the key's whereabouts.

When Yi Minghuan questioned Yi Wanjing about the key's location, Yi Wanjing hesitated, reluctant to reveal it so easily.

But Yi Minghuan had no patience for unnecessary conversations and was ready to resort to physical force.

In the next moment, Yi Minghuan raised his fist, which sent Yi Wanjing into a state of panic.

He finally relented, saying, "Stop, stop! I'll go get the buns."

With his objective achieved, Yi Minghuan turned and headed to the kitchen without arguing any further. He added water, placed a grate over the cauldron, ignited the fire, and swiftly began boiling the water to steam buns.

"Wow! This fish soup smells absolutely divine! Brother, you're filial, and you've improved our meals as soon as you returned home,"

Yi Wanjing exclaimed after a while, coming over with a bag of steamed buns and taking in the mouth watering aroma.....