Tummy Rumbles

"The shadows of the poplar trees are stretched out, like my endless longing for you."

The melodious singing echoed through the living room, the top-tier sound system perfectly releasing every trace of emotion in the singer's voice.

The lazy afternoon sunlight spilled in, filling the entire space with a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

On the sofa, Xie Yuling sat cross-legged, sinking into the soft cushions, while Jiang Yunlu and Chu Miaomiao sat side by side in quiet, gentle postures.

As for the guys, one was sitting on the floor, and another was sitting in front of the computer.

Amidst this cozy atmosphere, Lin Mo stood up and headed straight for the kitchen. He placed a few zongzi into a pot, added water, and began to steam them.

Xie Yuling had eaten quite a bit just a moment ago, but Jiang Yunlu and Chu Miaomiao had barely eaten anything.

"Damn, Old Mo, you are starting to cook already? What time is it, I am not even hungry yet."

Fang Jun had sneaked up to the kitchen door at some point, peeking his head in.

Lin Mo did not even turn his head. He just focused on the pot, his tone as flat as if he were stating a simple fact.

"You are not hungry, but others are. As for your share, just take them home yourself."

Lin Mo said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, is that so? That works too. Once I eat your zongzi, Old Mo, I will be your man."

Lin Mo grabbed the pot lid, acting as if he was going to throw it at him.

Fang Jun shrank his neck and immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I will scram and play my games. Playing games is fine, right!"

"Fang Jun, do you know that you are acting a lot like Jin Baoshan right now?"

Hearing this, Fang Jun immediately winked and made a goofy face.

"Then you are my Brother Dong, muah."

"Has it been too long since you last suffered internal injuries!" Lin Mo pretended to clench his fist.

Fang Jun instantly scampered back to the computer, muttering things under his breath like "stingy" and "forgetting the old love for the new."

The girls in the living room heard it all and could not help but laugh.

Jiang Yunlu looked at An Yuexin curiously. "What are they talking about? Why can I not understand?"

An Yuexin waved his hand. "It is nothing, they are talking about a Taiwanese TV drama called Ultimate Class Eight."

Hearing this, the three girls on the sofa tilted their heads. It seemed they had never watched this TV drama.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo was using his spiritual sense to observe the changes inside the zongzi.

If these zongzi had been frozen, they would probably need to be steamed for twenty to thirty minutes before they could be eaten.

However, these had just been boiled last night. He had originally planned to give them a few, so he just kept them in the fridge.

Heating them up completely would be very fast.

If that was not enough, Lin Mo could also use his spiritual energy to help heat them up quickly.

After a while.

The rich aroma of zongzi wafted from the kitchen.

"Grrr~"

A very faint and untimely sound abruptly rang out from the sofa area.

The fatal part was that the song on the sound system happened to switch at that exact second, leaving a dead silence.

With this, the sound became as incredibly clear as someone singing the Hakimi meme song in a quiet library.

Jiang Yunlu's face instantly turned completely red, the flush spreading from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her ears. She wished she could dig a hole in the sofa and bury herself inside.

"I... I just smelled the aroma, and suddenly..." Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito, carrying a hint of a sob.

Beside her, Chu Miaomiao also had her head lowered, her shoulders twitching slightly as if she was trying hard to hold back her laughter. She was a bit hungry too, but she did not expect Jiang Yunlu's stomach to literally rumble like thunder.

Xie Yuling was stunned at first, and when she realized what happened, she actually felt a bit embarrassed.

After all, she was the one who dragged them to the ancestral hall to eat, but in the end, neither of them ate much, while she herself ate to her heart's content.

Just as the atmosphere became a little awkward, Lin Mo walked out holding two plates.

The bamboo leaves had been carefully peeled away, revealing the crystal-clear, plump sticky rice inside. Steaming hot, with grease and meat juices slightly seeping out, it made one's mouth water just looking at it.

"One for Yunlu, and one for Miaomiao."

Lin Mo placed the plates and chopsticks in front of the two girls respectively.

Jiang Yunlu's embarrassment was instantly washed away by pleasant surprise. She raised her head, her bright eyes seemingly sparkling with stars. She took the chopsticks and nodded heavily.

"Thank you, it smells so good."

Chu Miaomiao also softly thanked him, picked up her chopsticks, carefully grabbed a small piece, and put it into her mouth, her eyes narrowing in pure happiness.

Xie Yuling, who had been feeling a bit embarrassed a moment ago, pouted unhappily. "Why do I not get one?"

Lin Mo raised his hand and patted Xie Yuling on the head. "You ate quite a lot for lunch, right? Half a plate of shrimp definitely ended up in your stomach. If you eat more, are you not afraid of getting an upset stomach?"

Xie Yuling grumbled a couple of times but did not make a fuss anymore. After all, her stomach was indeed full; she was just craving it because it smelled so good.

Besides, her family actually had quite a few of these zongzi.

Moreover, she was the very first person to taste them last night.

So, she did not say anything more.

Afterwards, Lin Mo brought out another peeled zongzi from the kitchen.

However, this plate was for himself.

After all, he had only tasted a bit last night and had not eaten a whole one.

"By the way, did you guys go redeem that gift box yet?"

Watching them eat the zongzi made An Yuexin crave some, and he suddenly remembered the redemption cards handed out yesterday.

"Not yet, we can go exchange them tomorrow. Everyone is free, right?"

Fang Jun said distractedly while still playing his game.

Jiang Yunlu thought for a moment and nodded. "No problem, I am fine with anything."

Chu Miaomiao, on the other hand, looked at Lin Mo.

Xie Yuling also looked at Lin Mo.

"Then let us go. But I have two cards here. One of them was slipped to me by the homeroom teacher, it should be Huang Haoyang's."

Hearing this, Fang Jun immediately started cursing, "It should be given to you! That bastard Huang Haoyang, what right does he have to eat the gift that you and Chu Miaomiao worked so hard for? He does not have a single ounce of gratitude. Unlike me, who only feels sorry for my gege."

"Then after redeeming them tomorrow, we will bring them back and open a box to taste right away."

Lin Mo made the final decision decisively.

"I think it probably will not be as delicious as this." Chu Miaomiao, who was currently savoring the zongzi, was the first to speak.

Chu Miaomiao had made zongzi herself, and had also eaten the ones Chu Lintian bought. No matter how good or expensive they were, they might not be as delicious as the zongzi right in front of her.

Let alone the mass-produced zongzi gift boxes.

After she said this, Jiang Yunlu quickly nodded in agreement.

"This zongzi is indeed very delicious. The pork belly is so fragrant, and the umami flavor inside is very rich. It is even more savory than the ones my dad had people make."

Lin Mo pursed his lips toward Xie Yuling.

"The ingredients were all prepared by Yuling's mother. The marinating of the meat and the boiling of the zongzi were all done by Aunt Zheng. I was only responsible for wrapping them."

"Yeah, Auntie's cooking is really delicious," Chu Miaomiao added.

Thinking about how well Lin Mo got along with Xie Yuling's mother, Jiang Yunlu felt a bit frustrated and disappointed. Why was her own dad so awkward and stubborn?

If Jiang Chengshan knew his daughter's thoughts, he would probably only be able to curse out loud about the natural order being turned upside down.