Twelve, Cooking

Luo Jiansen and the three others had searched the town for a long time but failed to find Luo Shu and the others; they could only return to Luo Family Village with frustration in their hearts.

"Dad, Mom, how about I go back to town tomorrow to look for them?" Luo Erya suggested. Her mother's money was her own, so how could she just watch as her mother gave it away?

"Tomorrow, I'll go with Erya," said Luo Daya, her mouth watering at the thought of the street food. When she went tomorrow, she would definitely ask her mother for more money so she could buy some delicious treats. As for looking for Luo Shu and the others, she wasn't interested at all.

Wang Liying thought for a moment and looked at Luo Jiansen, "Jiansen, why don't we do as Erya suggests? It's always worrying when the children are out there by themselves. If something happens, that would be terrible." She didn't believe Luo Shu could hide forever; as long as Luo Shu was in the town, they would definitely be found.

"What's there to look for? I'd be happy if they were dead outside! Nobody should bother with them anymore. Whether they're dead or alive, it has nothing to do with me." Every time he thought about how his hand was broken by Luo Shu, his anger became uncontrollable.

"But..." As Wang Liying tried to persuade him further, she saw the gloomy expression on Luo Jiansen's face and had to hold her tongue. It seemed she would have to think of another way to deal with this; in any case, she was absolutely not going to return the money.

Aunt Chen, holding some meat, walked out from her house and greeted Luo Shu with a happy face: "Luo Shu, you're back!"

"Aunt Chen, what's making you so happy?" Luo Shu asked curiously, seeing Aunt Chen's beaming smile.

"My eldest has come home, and he brought us meat," Aunt Chen said cheerfully, showing the meat in her hand to Luo Shu. It had been over a year since Big Brother Chen's family had moved out and returned. How could she not be overjoyed by his visit?

Luo Shu was a bit startled, "So Big Brother Chen has come back, that's really great." She hadn't expected that just when she wanted to get to know Aunt Chen's son, he had returned. What a coincidence.

Moving forward, she passed several packages of herbs to Aunt Chen, "Aunt Chen, this is the medicine I got for Uncle Chen. It's the same as the medicine he used to take, to be taken once in the morning and once at night."

This..." Aunt Chen hesitated as she looked at the medicine in Luo Shu's hands, unsure whether to accept it. She knew it was a kind gesture from Luo Shu, but after all, it was medicine, and taking the wrong kind could be a matter of life or death.

Seeing Aunt Chen's concern, Luo Shu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Aunt Chen, this medicine was prepared at Jimin Pharmacy. I asked Shopkeeper Liu, and he said that it is beneficial for Uncle Chen's health."

Aunt Chen nodded her head with a smile and accepted the medicine, "Then I won't be polite, Luo Shu, thank you. At noon, my family will be cooking braised pork; you and your siblings should come over for a meal." Since Shopkeeper Liu said it was alright, there should be no problem; besides, Luo Shu wouldn't harm them.

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Aunt Chen. You're busy, so I'll head inside now," said Luo Shu, making her way to her own house. She didn't care much for braised pork. The reason she agreed to have a meal at Aunt Chen's house was to get acquainted with Aunt Chen's son, which would be useful for dealing with household registration matters in the future.

Aunt Chen placed the meat in the kitchen and, holding the medicine given by Luo Shu, walked into the house.

Uncle Chen was talking to his son, Chen Zhihe, in the main hall. Seeing Aunt Chen carrying the medicine, he asked, "Is this the medicine from Luo Shu?" He had overheard her conversation with Luo Shu outside.

"Yes, this medicine was specially prepared by Luo Shu at Jimin Pharmacy. She asked Shopkeeper Liu, and he said that this medicine would be good for your health," Aunt Chen said with a smile.

Uncle Chen sighed, "That girl really is considerate. It's just a pity that such a good child has had such a hard life."

"What happened to her?" Chen Zhihe asked with some curiosity. When he got home, his mother had told him about renting out the house. At first, he had some reservations, but after meeting Luo Shan and Luo Zheng, he let go of his worries. Having worked at the Public Security Office for so many years, he could tell at a glance what kind of people they were.

"Luo Shu and her siblings are from Luo Family Village. Their father married a stepmother who abused them daily, never allowed them to eat their fill, and constantly made them do chores. This time, she even drove them out of the house. If Luo Shu hadn't found a ginseng in the mountains and sold it for some money, they would be on the streets now," Aunt Chen said, shaking her head in sympathy. She had learned all of this from Luo Shan.

"That really is quite pitiable," Chen Zhihe frowned. In his years of service, he had seen similar cases; in one case, a child was even abused to death by their stepmother.

"Zhihe, why don't you stay for lunch before you leave today?" It had been a long time since the elderly couple had seen him, and they really didn't want to let him go back so soon.

Chen Zhihe paused, wanting to refuse. But seeing the hopeful look in his parents' eyes, he ultimately didn't have the heart to decline, "Alright then." He had been busy with his career for over a year and had not visited his parents for a long time; he truly felt guilty.

Upon hearing Chen Zhihe's agreement, joy instantly spread across the faces of the old couple.

"Great! Then you two have a chat, and I'll go to the kitchen to cook," Aunt Chen said with light steps as she left the room.

Luo Shu was busy in the kitchen. Although she had agreed to eat at Aunt Chen's house, she couldn't go empty-handed. Since she had bought extra vegetables yesterday, she decided to cook them and take them to Aunt Chen's house for lunch.

"Luo Shu, why are you still cooking? Didn't you agree to eat at Aunt Chen's?" Aunt Chen asked with some surprise upon seeing Luo Shu cooking in the kitchen.

"These vegetables were bought yesterday; they won't taste good if they're left too long. I'm planning to take them to Aunt Chen's to share at lunch," Luo Shu said with a smile, her hands continuing their work.

"You child, Aunt Chen's house isn't without vegetables," Aunt Chen said with a laugh as she approached to help. But, seeing Luo Shu's skilled movements, she knew that she couldn't really help and could only keep Luo Shu company with conversation.

"These radish shreds are so finely cut; they look as if they were done by a machine. You are so capable. Whoever marries you will be truly fortunate." If only her three sons weren't already married, she would have taken Luo Shu as a daughter-in-law without hesitation.

"Aunt Chen, please don't make fun of me," Luo Shu said as she placed the finely cut radish into a bowl and then began to slice and mince the meat at her side. She planned to make radish and meatballs, which was Lu Hanmo's favorite dish. She would make extra today and send some to him with her letter tomorrow. Lu Hanmo's base was not far from here and it would only take a day to deliver. With the cold weather, the meatballs wouldn't spoil for a few days.

She knew that in doing this, she was being rather forward. But she didn't want to miss her chance with him again. Having been given the opportunity to live this life once more, she didn't want to leave any regrets behind.