Chapter 17: The Secret Sorrow of Mo Xiu
In his previous life, Wu Ming was an orphan who grew up in a welfare institution. Although he had always been in poor health, he was very independent and found a part-time job as a graphic designer, even moving out to live on his own.
His optimistic and open-minded attitude towards life makes it easy for him to indulge in the pleasures of life, and cooking is another one of his hobbies apart from reading.
Unfortunately, no matter how delicious the food he made was, there was no family member to share the joy of tasting the delicacy with him.
People are like this, lacking something, often yearning for it.
In Wu Ming's heart, he had always yearned for a small family of his own, with a gentle and virtuous wife, and clever and lovely children.
It was just then that he knew he would meet Death at any moment, so these could only be unattainable fantasies.
But now, everything has come full circle, and he is fortunate enough to enter this incredible world of books.
He has now replaced Yang Guo, not only changing the fate of Granny Sun and acknowledging her as his mother, but also allowing Little Dragon Girl to accept him as a disciple, thoroughly accepting him into this isolated ancient tomb life.
In Wu Ming's heart, Sun Baobao and Little Dragon Girl are his closest relatives now. Being able to cook for them is a very happy and meaningful thing, so he almost blurted out that he wanted to replace Sun Baobao in cooking.
"Wow, you're so young and can already cook?" Grandma Sun was surprised, even Little Dragon Girl showed a slightly moved expression.
"Mom, it's nothing," Wu Ming said with a faint smile. "I've been an orphan since I was a child and have been living on my own since I was very young. If I didn't know how to cook, wouldn't I have starved to death?"
"My poor child, it's been really tough on you all these years. From now on, Mom and your sister Long will take good care of you." Granny Sun's heart ached as she couldn't help but hug Wu Ming tightly in her arms, with an increasing amount of unspoken pity and love in her eyes.
"Grandma, I'll go practice my skills first." Little Dragon Girl's heart had also been stirred up, but she was always calm and collected, quickly gathering her thoughts and restoring her usual indifference. After lightly saying a sentence, she floated away, like an immortal who didn't bother with worldly affairs.
Looking at the figure of Little Dragon Girl leaving calmly, Wu Ming, who was nestled in Sun Bao's arms enjoying maternal warmth, couldn't help but let out a soft sigh: "Alas, this Little Dragon Girl is really too indifferent, I don't know when she'll be able to undergo a thorough change."
"Child, don't blame your Dragon Sister for being cold, she's actually a pitiful person." Old Lady Sun worried that Wu Ming would misunderstand Little Dragon Girl, so she stroked his hair and softly explained.
"Mom, I don't know how." Wu Ming hastily shook his head and said.
"You're such a good kid. Alright, since you want to cook, Mom will take you there and we'll make dinner together."
"Mom, your injury isn't serious, is it?"
"Don't worry, it's all right now. This elixir truly lives up to its name of 'Nine Revivals and Return to Life'."
"The child was relieved then."
"Alright, let's go. I'll take you to the kitchen." said Grandma Sun, holding Wu Ming's hand and walking towards the ancient tomb's kitchen.
The kitchen was simple, with only one earthen stove, on which an iron pot was placed, and below which firewood could be burned.
Wu Ming had only seen such a simple stove on TV and felt somewhat curious about it.
"Mom, what ingredients do we have for dinner?"
"Kid, it's actually quite laughable. Your dragon sister and I have been living in this ancient tomb for a while now. We only go out to buy things every few months, so we're left with just some dried goods and cured meats like wild game. Oh, and mom also planted some vegetables next to the tomb, I'll go pick some and bring them back."
"Mom, it's already so late, these should be enough, you don't have to go out."
"Alright then, you can be in charge of cooking, Mom will help with lighting the fire."
"Thank you, mom, let's get started then." Wu Ming felt especially happy in his heart, feeling the trust and doting from Grandma Sun.
Due to the difference in kitchen utensils, Wu Ming from modern times was initially at a loss, fortunately, there was Sun Bao's help by his side, and Wu Ming gradually adapted.
An old man and a young boy, two people with no blood relation, not only experienced the warmth of mother-son affection during the cooking process but also gradually cultivated tacit understanding and trust between them.
"Kid, you're really something! Your sister Long never touches this stuff, but that Mo Xiu girl used to sneak into the kitchen all the time and ask me to teach her how to cook."
As for Li Mochou, Wu Ming's impression of her was that she was a deeply emotional, pitiful yet hateful woman.
Now Wu Ming was even more interested as he listened to Old Lady Sun's secret story.
"Mom, why did Li Moyu learn cooking skills before?"
"Previously, your mother didn't understand either, but later found out that Mo Xiu was moved by worldly desires and wanted to get married, unfortunately, she was discovered by your master and was expelled from the Gu Mu Pai. Otherwise, you would have two more sisters now."
"Mother, as the saying goes, 'a man should get married when he comes of age, a woman should get married when she grows up.' Li Muqiu wants to get married, isn't this very normal? Why does Master want to expel her from our school?"
"Child, it's only natural for men to marry and women to wed. However, your ancestral grandmother left behind a will that states any woman who enters the Ancient Tomb Sect must be chaste and pure of heart, cutting off all worldly desires and emotions, and is forbidden from marrying for life."
"Mother, this... the rules set by our ancestors are too cruel." Wu Ming shook his head and sighed in his heart. Lin Chao Ying was a remarkable woman of her generation, but she had also made a fatal mistake - she should not have imposed her own suffering on future generations.
"What can be done about it, so your master had to drive her out of the sect in order to fulfill Mo Xiang's wish. Alas, after all these years have passed, I don't know how she is doing or if she has achieved her lifelong desire and married a good family."
It can be heard that Sun's wife is still very concerned about Li Moxiu, and Wu Ming hesitates whether to tell her about Li Moxiu's affairs.
However, thinking that Li Mochou would come to snatch the Jade Maiden's Heart Scripture at any time in the future, he realized that he couldn't be soft-hearted towards women and had to inform Granny Sun in advance, lest he fell into Li Mochou's trap.
Then Wu Ming let out a light sigh and said: "Mom, last night when I was introducing myself to you, I forgot to mention one thing."
"What's wrong, child?" asked Grandma Sun with some surprise.
Wu Ming said: "Before I met Guo Bo, I accidentally got poisoned. It is said that this is the Bingpo poison needle of Chiyan Fairy Li Mochou. I don't know if this Chiyan Fairy Li Mochou is my yet-to-be-met sister Mochou."
"Frostbite poison needle? Then this Li Mochou should be your senior sister, how did you get poisoned by this kind of toxin? And then how did you detoxify?"
Since Old Mrs. Sun asked, Wu Ming briefly recounted Yang Guo's past experiences in the Divine Eagle, then curiously asked: "Mom, the world is so big, and there are many people with the same name and surname. How did you determine that this was my sister Mu Nian based on the Ice Poison Needle?"
"Child, to be honest with you, the secret recipe for this Ice Poison was actually taken by Mo Xiu from me before she was expelled from our school. At that time, I didn't want to give it to her, but considering how treacherous the world can be, I thought it would be good for a woman like her to have an extra skill for self-defense. Who would have thought that she would use this poison to harm people?"
