Gu Xun across from her showed no reaction, while Jiang Mo saw the big black bull open its mouth and say, "Get me some grass to eat."
"You want grass?" Jiang Mo asked dumbly, feeling vaguely that something wasn’t right.
No, no—wasn’t it a rule that animals weren’t allowed to gain sentience after the founding of the nation?
How could a cow talk?!
Just then, Gu Ye ran into the courtyard and saw Jiang Mo looking dazed. "What are you doing?"
She seemed a little silly at the moment.
"Ahhh! Gu Ye, there’s a snake on your head!" Jiang Mo shrieked, jumping in alarm.
"What? A snake?" Gu Ye panicked, swatting at his head.
Gu Xun seemed to realize something and called out to Gu Ye, "Stop yelling, there’s no snake."
Gu Ye spun around in a full circle before calming down, his face flushing. "Jiang Xiaomo! What kind of joke is this?"
He was terrified of snakes.
"She wasn’t joking with you," Gu Xun explained. "I think she’s probably hallucinating from mushroom poisoning."
The commotion in the courtyard drew everyone outside, and Jiang Mo witnessed a scene even stranger than a dream.
After realizing Jiang Mo had eaten toxic mushrooms, Gu Baotian quickly had Li Daming and Wang Xia take her to the hospital.
"This shouldn’t have happened. We’ve eaten them before without any issues," Gu Baotian muttered, rubbing his bald head. He turned to the others. "Did anyone else have the soup? Any reactions?"
Everyone said they were fine—some hadn’t drunk it, others had only taken a sip or two. No one else had a reaction like Jiang Mo, who had downed two whole bowls.
Jiang Mo knew she was hallucinating from mushroom poisoning, but she couldn’t control what she saw.
After being rushed to the hospital by Li Daming and Wang Xia, she saw frogs hopping over to talk to her—even trying to drag her away.
"Those aren’t frogs, they’re doctors and nurses," Wang Xia explained.
Then again, she wasn’t much better off—her own daughter had called her a dog spirit.
The nurses and doctors paused at the remark, but Wang Xia quickly clarified, "She’s hallucinating from mushroom poisoning."
The doctor nodded—that made perfect sense.
They induced vomiting, pumped her stomach, and put her on an IV. Since it was late, she stayed overnight.
Once she recovered, Jiang Mo covered her face and whispered, "Mom… I didn’t do anything embarrassing, did I?"
"Of course not," Wang Xia said flatly. "You just tried to beat us ‘monsters’ to death with a golden staff."
Jiang Mo: "…"
When she found out she was the only one who got poisoned, she swore never to greedily eat wild mushrooms again.
Damn mushrooms ruined me.
Returning to the old house, Jiang Mo was too embarrassed to face anyone. But everyone gathered around, concerned.
She put on an energetic act: "Heh heh, I’m totally fine, no need to worry!"
Gu Baotian felt terrible, suspecting he’d missed a poisonous mushroom. He pulled Jiang Mo aside and secretly handed her a red envelope. "Take this. I’m sorry this happened."
"Grandpa, I can’t accept this! It’s my own fault for eating so much," Jiang Mo refused, trying to slip away.
Gu Baotian grabbed her arm. "Take it. You’ve been helping out all week—consider it a welcome gift."
"Grandpa Gu, really, I can’t—"
Chinese people had an art to gift-refusals, especially during holidays.
After a few back-and-forths, Gu Baotian put on a stern face. "Just take it!"
"Fine," Jiang Mo finally accepted the red envelope.
"That’s more like it!" Gu Baotian beamed. "Grandma Wang gave us oranges, cured meat, and veggies from the garden. Take some back to the city when you leave."
When they returned to Jiangcheng, Jiang Mo and Wang Xia brought back a haul from the countryside—along with a video of Jiang Mo’s embarrassing mushroom trip.
Gu Ye, fascinated by her hallucinations, had recorded the whole thing.
Watching the footage, Jiang Mo cringed.
"Please delete it."
"Not a chance," Gu Ye grinned. "This is too good to erase."
The holiday ended quickly. Back in the city, it was back to work and school.
Jiang Mo took some of the oranges from the countryside to Liu Guochuan.
"Grandpa Liu, these are from a rural orchard. There’s also some fresh bamboo shoots—share them with Grandpa Pan and Grandma Zhong," she said, struggling with the heavy bags on her electric scooter.
The oranges were a gift from Wang Cuifen, and the bamboo shoots were bought from a roadside seller.
Liu Guochuan happily invited her in. "Back from the countryside? How was the trip?"
"You’re too kind, remembering us with gifts. You shouldn’t have spent money."
Jiang Mo smiled. "They’re cheap, really."
Liu Guochuan called his two friends. Zhong Xiaoqin was out, but Pan Weidong said he’d come over soon.
"You wouldn’t believe it—Grandpa Pan’s been showing off lately. The bait you gave him works wonders. He caught a ten-pound fish the other day," Liu Guochuan said, a hint of envy in his voice. "He’s been insufferable ever since."
Typical fisherman behavior—Jiang Mo understood. "How about you, Grandpa? Caught anything big?"
Liu Guochuan led her to the backyard fishpond. Jiang Mo peered in. "Grandpa Liu, yours are huge too!"
He couldn’t suppress a proud smile. "Not bad, not bad."
They chatted in the backyard as Liu Guochuan showed off his latest woodwork projects.
"Old Liu, where are you?" Pan Weidong’s booming voice carried from the living room.
"Quit yelling, we’re back here!" Liu Guochuan rolled his eyes.
Pan Weidong followed the sound. "Ah, there you are! Hiding, huh?"
"Jiang Mo, you’ve gotten even prettier since I last saw you!"
"Must be the countryside air," Jiang Mo laughed. "Your gifts are in the living room."
Though the items weren’t expensive, the three elders appreciated being remembered—especially Pan Weidong, who was riding high on his fishing success.
"About that bait… can I get some more?"
"Of course," Jiang Mo said. "Just let me know when you run out."
Liu Guochuan nudged Pan Weidong aside. "Jiang Mo, would you mind filming my woodwork again?"
His online account still only had two videos—editing was tricky for him despite her earlier tutorial.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Mo suggested, "How about we try live streaming? That way, even if I can’t film, you can still interact with viewers."
"Going live?" Liu Guochuan was intrigued. He pulled out his phone, "How does it work?"
Just then, a call came in.
Liu Guochuan glanced at the caller ID and dismissively rejected the call.
But the moment he hung up, the phone rang again.
"What's going on?" Jiang Mo asked.
Liu Guochuan hung up again, "Nothing, just a scam call."
Meanwhile, Liu Chen found it odd that his calls kept getting rejected.
The old man had quite the temper—after blacklisting him last time, he still hadn't been taken off the list.
Now he wasn’t even answering calls. Worried something might be wrong, Liu Chen called the family housekeeper instead.
"The old man? He’s at home, perfectly fine," the housekeeper said. "Grandpa Pan and that girl Jiang Mo came over today. They’ve been chatting happily."
Liu Chen was familiar with Pan Weidong, but Jiang Mo was a stranger who’d been appearing frequently lately.
Come to think of it, wasn’t it because of her that the old man had blacklisted him?
"Do you know what they’re talking about?"
The housekeeper glanced toward the backyard, "Sounds like... they’re planning some kind of livestream..."
A livestream for elderly people?
Liu Chen frowned. "Alright, got it."
Still uneasy, he decided to swing by the family home to check.
When he arrived, only Liu Guochuan was there—Pan Weidong and Jiang Mo were nowhere in sight.
Noticing Liu Chen looking around, Liu Guochuan waved a hand, "What are you searching for? Your grandpa’s right here!"
"Grandpa, why weren’t you answering my calls?" Liu Chen asked as he took off his suit jacket.
"I’m busy, no time for your calls," Liu Guochuan retorted. "You’re the one swamped with work—what brings you here now? Here for a free dinner?"
Liu Chen sighed, "Yes, yes, I’m here to mooch off your dinner."
Despite his grumbling, Liu Guochuan immediately instructed the housekeeper to prepare dinner. "Cook those bamboo shoots Jiang Mo brought over too."
Hearing his grandfather mention Jiang Mo, Liu Chen seized the opportunity. "I heard she was here this afternoon. I was hoping to meet her."
"You’ve got sharp ears," Liu Guochuan said, knowing someone had snitched. "She had things to do and left."
Liu Chen thought: What bad timing. Just missed her.
Over dinner, he finally learned what the livestream was about.
Well, he’d overthought it.
Liu Guochuan scolded him, "Too much scheming in the business world makes you see the worst in people. That girl’s perfectly nice."
Liu Chen disagreed. "Being cautious never hurts. Besides, you haven’t known her long."
"Speaking of which," Liu Guochuan changed the subject mid-bite, "at your age, have you got a girlfriend yet? When are you planning to settle down?"
"Too busy, no time," Liu Chen gave his usual excuse.
Liu Guochuan leaned in. "Want me to introduce you to someone? Pretty, charming, and capable."
Liu Chen sensed trouble. "...You’re not talking about Jiang Mo, are you?"
Meanwhile, Jiang Mo—completely unaware she was being set up—had just finished teaching the basics of livestreaming when Wang Xia called her home.
To bathe the two cats.
The pair had gotten themselves dirty who-knows-where.
After washing and blow-drying them, Jiang Mo settled into a chair in the yard, snacking on fruit while enjoying the sunset.
Pure bliss.
In the group chat, Zhang Qingqing vented, "When will this job ever end? My boss is driving me insane. ‘Good pay, easy work, close to home’—yeah right, I got none of that."
Jiang Mo replied, "Isn’t this only your second day?"
Zhang Qingqing had just landed this job and had celebrated in the chat.
"Exactly! Two days in, and I already want to quit," Zhang Qingqing groaned. This job wasn’t worth a single day.
Li Wan'er chimed in, "Jobs are hard to come by. Stick with it for now."
Jiang Mo @-ed Li Wan'er, "Figured out what you want to do yet?"
Li Wan'er: My family’s pushing me to take the civil service exam, but I’m not cut out for it. The competition’s brutal. So jealous of you.
Zhang Qingqing: sigh Jealousy overload.
As Jiang Mo bantered with her friends, a head peeked sneakily into the yard.
Spotting him, she waved. "Done with school? Come have some fruit—why lurk at the gate?"
Gu Xuan grinned and scampered over. "I looked everywhere for you!"
"What for?" Jiang Mo speared a piece of mango and handed it to him.
Gu Xuan plopped onto the chair opposite. "So... sis, can you make me more AK47s?"
Ah, so that’s what he’s after.
"Still want more, huh?"
"Yeah! My classmates saw the photos I posted last time and all want one... I kinda promised them..."
Jiang Mo nodded. "Sure."
Gu Xuan: "Twenty, please."
"Wait—twenty?!" Jiang Mo instantly regretted agreeing.
"Yep! Got lots of buddies. One each adds up."
Well, a promise was a promise.
Jiang Mo grudgingly woke up early the next day to handcraft twenty AK47-shaped pastries.
Gu Xuan happily trotted off with a bag full of "guns."
As Jiang Mo turned, she saw Gu Xun coming downstairs. Mimicking a drama, she bowed playfully. "Safe travels to work, Mr. Gu."
Gu Xun: "Not working today."
Oops.
Jiang Mo blinked. "Then... carry on. I’ll get back to work."
Gu Xun stopped her. "Free today? I need you to accompany me for something."
An hour later, they stood inside Lotus Supermarket—the largest upscale grocery store in town.
As a foreign-chain member-only store, Lotus offered premium products at premium prices. A casual trip here easily rang up four-digit totals.
The moment they entered, Jiang Mo was drawn to the sampling counters.
Something smelled incredible—a rich aroma wafted from a steak promotion. After trying a piece herself, she skewered another and hurried back to Gu Xun.
"Mr. Gu, try this sample!"
Gu Xun: "You have it."
"I already did. This one’s for you," Jiang Mo insisted, holding it out.
Relenting, Gu Xun accepted it.
Gu Xun had recently moved into a new place, and friends had invited themselves over for a housewarming that evening.
The new home was sparsely stocked, so he’d dragged Jiang Mo along to shop for kitchenware and dinner ingredients.
After asking what he already had, Jiang Mo realized they needed... basically everything.
They went on a massive spree, tossing items into the cart without checking prices—an oddly satisfying experience.
Unlike her usual shopping habits—where she pinched pennies, compared prices, and sometimes even left physical stores to buy the same items online if they were cheaper—this time was different.
"Mr. Gu Xun, for dinner tonight, should we get some shrimp? How about lamb chops?" Jiang Mo asked, eyeing the plump, fresh ingredients.
Gu Xun glanced at her earnest expression as she picked through the options. "You decide. I have no objections."
Having accompanied Wang Xia and Chef Li Daming on market runs before, Jiang Mo quickly settled on the evening's menu.
With three full bags of groceries loaded into the trunk, they drove off toward Gu Xun's new home.
