Sky Curtain: My Happy Daily Life Exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 68 Family Reunion, Little Sizi Receives Gifts

The car sped merrily along the country road, and Xiao Sizi gradually loosened her grip on the rubber duck, nuzzling her little head against Lu Chen's arm.

Lu Chen gently adjusted her position to make her more comfortable, his gaze sweeping across the wheat fields flashing past the car window.

My mother, sitting in the passenger seat, was checking the shopping bags: "The incense, candles, and paper money are all here. We've got the things to send to my mother and sister, and we have enough fruit and snacks too—but since we're suddenly going to invite a few more relatives, I'm afraid we'll have to chop up some more meat for the dumpling filling."

"It's alright, I'll have Lu Chen's dad get the chopping board when he gets home," the third grandmother chimed in from the back seat. "Eldest daughter-in-law, you're quick and efficient, go home and knead the dough first. Lu Chen's mother, you go home and chop the meat and make the eggs. Second son's wife, you come with me to the vegetable garden and pick a couple of bundles of chives and a few cabbages, they'll be fresh!"

"Alright, let's go to the vegetable garden!" Second Grandma replied, then peeked into the front seat, "Lu Chen, is the beggar's chicken safe in the trunk? Don't let it get jostled and break the mud shell."

"It's cushioned by a fruit crate, it won't break." Lu Chen had barely finished answering when the little one in his arms seemed to be awakened by the key phrase, groggily tilting her head back, her eyelashes fluttering: "Muddy little thing—it didn't break?"

"It's not broken," Lu Chen said with a smile, pinching her little nose. "We'll crack the egg after Sizi wakes up from her nap."

The little guy finally let out a satisfied "Mmm" and fell into a deep sleep, with only the sunflower balloon on his wrist gently tapping the roof as the carriage swayed.

Under the vast sky, the discussions among the ancients became even more lively.

"Listen to this! For a simple home-cooked meal, the whole family pitches in, some cutting vegetables, some kneading dough," Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and sighed. "Such harmony is the foundation of a family's prosperity."

Cheng Yaojin, however, stared intently into the void, as if he could see through the carriage wall to the trunk: "Two beggar's chickens! If I, Old Cheng, could pass through them, I'd grab a clod of mud in each hand and perform a double-hammer egg-cracking demonstration right there!"

He was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks, which made Yuchi Gong laugh loudly: "Brother Zhijie, wipe your drool, if you punched that chicken, it would be turned to mush!"

On the other end, Zhu Yuanzhang glared at the chives and cabbages on the light screen: "Girl! Did you see that? Their vegetable garden, the chives are so fresh and the cabbages are so plump! If I had these when I was a kid, I wouldn't have been so hungry that I had to eat tree bark!"

He grew angrier and angrier, and slammed his hand on the imperial desk: "Issue an imperial decree! Have the Ministry of Revenue plant it on the imperial estates too! Plant it on large tracts of land!"

They specialize in growing chives and cabbage!

Empress Ma, suppressing a smile, advised, "Chongba, don't be hasty. It's a good thing that the people are prosperous now. You just mentioned wanting to replicate the regulations for those sacrificial items; the Ministry of Revenue has submitted a proposal. Would you like to review it?"

"Look! I'm looking now!" Zhu Yuanzhang then remembered the important matter, grabbed the memorial, and muttered, "After I finish this, I must tell the imperial kitchen to bring up beggar's chicken and dumplings—"

The car turned into the village entrance, making a slight clattering sound as it rolled over the bluestone road.

Little Sizi was jolted awake. Rubbing his eyes, he looked out the window at the familiar gray tiles and white walls, and immediately perked up: "We're home! Seven, time to eat!"

Lu Chen parked the car and had just picked up the little girl when she broke free and ran into the yard, her balloon bobbing behind her as she called out in a clear voice, "Muddy Egg! The rhinoceros is going to knock on the egg!"

At noon, the whole family gathered together. They heated up rice and meat, and there were so many leftover ingredients that they didn't need them. There were also plenty of cold dishes. Lunch was simple yet plentiful.

After finishing their meal, the second and third grandfathers went to the village entrance to wait for their children and grandchildren to return.

Dad went to inspect the fields, and the rest of us rested at Lu Chen's house. We were going to make dumplings later, because if we did it too early, the dumplings would collapse and stick to the board.

Grandma, Auntie, and Mom were chatting happily, while Xiao Sizi and Lu Chen were watching TV. Suddenly, footsteps came from the yard.

"Grandma, Third Grandma, Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt!"

"Mom, Third Aunt, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law!"

Whoosh! My second aunt's eldest son and his family of three have returned.

"Hey! Lu Ming! Ye Li, Xiao Yu, come quick! Come sit down!" Mom spotted the three of them and quickly offered them seats.

"Are you tired? Are there three of you?" Grandma San asked affectionately.

"Was the journey smooth?" Grandma patted her grandson.

"It went very smoothly, Mom." Lu Ming's wife, Ye Li, smiled faintly.

"What would you like to drink? What would you like to drink, Xiaoyu?" Auntie asked with concern.

"We have water, don't bother, sister-in-law." Ye Li stroked her long, wavy hair, then turned to Xiao Sizi: "Oh, this is Xiao Sizi! She's even cuter than a rag doll."

"Come here, little Sizi, this is a Barbie doll your aunt bought for you. Look, do you like it?" Lu Ming solemnly brought over a large pink box.

"Porridge!" Little Sizi's eyes widened instantly.

"Hey, a tiny doll!" Little Sizi picked up the large box, placed it on her lap, and began to examine the pink tulle dress doll under the transparent packaging.

The little guy blinked his big eyes and was amazed when he saw the little baby.

"Come here, Sizi, look! This little baby's arms and legs can move!" Aunt Ye Li took the baby out of the box.

"Really?" The little boy's eyes lit up even more.

"Yes, and you can change the clothes on these dolls too. There are dresses for the little dolls on this hanger. Auntie will teach you how to change their clothes in a bit," Ye Li patiently explained.

"Thank you, Auntie~~" Little Sizi squinted her eyes into slits.

"Little sister. This is my favorite toy gun, I'll give you one." Little Lu Yu handed over a yellow and black toy gun.

"A pistol? What's that?" The little guy's eyes widened instantly.

"Beat the bad guys! Like in the movies, bang bang bang! A barrage of bullets at a group of people!" Lu Yu gestured as he spoke.

"Beat up bad guys? This little thing will do?" Little Sizi still couldn't believe it.

"Yes, it has a mechanism inside."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Little Sizi exclaimed sincerely.

Little Sizi held the yellow and black pistol, his little finger curiously poking at the trigger.

Lu Yu squatted down to demonstrate: "Pressing here will make it light up! And there will be a 'bang bang' sound!"

Before the words were even finished, the pistol suddenly flashed red, and an electronic voice boomed throughout the living room: "Don't move! Hands up!"

"Ah!" Little Si was so startled he almost dropped his gun, then giggled and ran around the room, pistol in hand. "The bad guy got away! Let's catch the bad guy!"

The adults were amused to the point of double-headedness, and Third Grandma wiped away tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes: "This girl is even more lively than setting off firecrackers during the New Year!"

The sky shook—

Ying Zheng abruptly stood up, his dragon-embroidered sleeve flipping over the bamboo slips on the table: "Such concealed weapons can actually produce both sound and light?! If equipped with the elite troops of Qin, what would the Xiongnu be to fear!"

Li Si hurriedly tried to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, this thing seems to be a child's toy; the light screen has no lethal effect—"

"A theatrical prop?" Ying Zheng squinted at the flashing red light from the muzzle of the gun as Xiao Sizi pulled the trigger. "Immediately summon the Mohist craftsmen! I need this sound and light magic!"

Zhu Yuanzhang, however, stared at the half-broken plastic sword peeking out of Lu Yu's backpack pocket: "Girl! Did you see that? This kid's sword is made of glass! How much silver must that cost?!"

Empress Ma gently patted the back of his hand: "Chongba, even if it's some kind of 'plastic,' children have them, so it must be very cheap."

"Cheap?" Zhu Yuanzhang pounded his chest and stamped his feet. "If I had had a wooden sword back then, I could have been a mountain king!"

"What's strange is that the little doll looks exactly like a real person! It's so beautiful!" Empress Ma admired the Barbie doll with great interest.

At the same time, Barbie dolls have also captivated countless young girls and women under the sky.

"That doll is so beautiful! Like a fairy!"

"I wish I looked like that!"

"The dolls can have their clothes changed, that's amazing!"

The courtyard was filled with the lively atmosphere of cooking.

Before the laughter subsided, the door was pushed open again.

"I'm back!" A tall, thin, and cheerful young man came in, pulling a suitcase.

"Lu Fei!"

"Big brother!" Lu Chen quickly went to greet him.

"This boy has gotten thinner again," Grandma San criticized.

"Third Grandma, I haven't lost weight, I've gained muscle! Look!" Lu Fei bent his arm.

"Wow! Muscles, huh? Why isn't it all beefy?"

"Hahaha··"

Amidst everyone's laughter, Lu Fei pulled a plastic bag tied with a bow from his suitcase: "Sizi, stop laughing! Look what your big brother brought you!"

.....

Inside the bag, a large, round, black and white woolen dumpling sat.

"Panda plush toy!" Little Sizi rushed over and hugged the plush toy, which was taller than her, burying her face in its fur. "Thank you, big brother!"

'

"Oh! A big pot?" Lu Fei was a little dumbfounded.

Amidst the laughter and conversation, my second uncle's family arrived.

The uncle and aunt took out a beautiful pink outfit and dressed Xiao Sizi in it. The older brother also brought Xiao Sizi a bag of assorted candies.

Little Sizi is so beautiful and sweet, the little guy is so happy he can't stop smiling.

Later, all the relatives from the same family came over, and everyone helped set the table, get the tableware, and make dumplings.

As the sun began to set, two lumps of mud were finally placed on the bluestone slab in the center of the courtyard.

The whole family gathered in a circle, with Xiao Sizi eagerly holding a sledgehammer. Lu Chen guided her hand, aiming it at the mud shell: "Tap gently, don't break the chicken inside!"

"clang!"

The mud shell cracked open, releasing a burst of fragrance from lotus leaves mixed with the aroma of meat.

Under the sky, Cheng Yaojin stamped his feet anxiously: "Put in more effort, little girl! I, old Cheng, am frustrated just watching!"

Lu Chen grasped Xiao Sizi's hand and struck again with all his might, the mud slapping off with a "whoosh" to reveal the glossy chicken body.

"Wow! I did it!" The little guy tore off a chicken leg and handed it to Lu Chen: "Brother, Brother!"

Lu Chen took a bite from her hand, and the juice dripped down the corner of his mouth.

Li Shimin nodded as he looked at the light screen: "The young son is so filial, sharing his food instead of eating it all by himself. This should be recorded in the 'Imperial Model' to admonish the princes."

Here.

A "battle" of dumpling fillings is taking place in the kitchen.

Grandma Er chopped cabbage and complained, "Chive and egg filling is too bland! Pork and cabbage is much better!"

The aunt scooped up a spoonful of shrimp and mixed it into the filling bowl: "Mom, these days everyone's into fresh flavors. Lu Ming's colleague in Shanghai taught me this; shrimp and three-delicacy filling is all the rage!"

"That's alright, it needs some meat to taste good."

Beside the stove, Lu Chen secretly slipped the crispy skin of the beggar's chicken to Xiao Sizi.

The little girl chewed with her cheeks puffed out, then suddenly raised her greasy little toy gun: "Pop pop! Muddy eggs smell good!"

The "Imperial Beggar's Chicken" that had just been presented to Emperor Qianlong instantly lost its appeal: "—Take it away! Replace it with that mud-covered kind from the skylight!"