Chapter 77: Of Course You Can!

She wanted to do it. Maybe her parents and brothers hadn’t treated her very well, but she still wanted to burn some paper money for her mother.

Mama…

When she was lucid, sometimes she was kind, and sometimes she hated her.

Juanjuan didn’t know why, but she could feel the inner conflict in her mother.

If Mama wanted to share it with Papa and the brothers, then let her.

If she didn’t, then forget it—Papa’s a bad guy anyway. He shouldn’t spend Mama’s money. He can go earn his own!

“Alright, Juanjuan, don’t be sad anymore. That little cat knows you remember it—it must be really happy.”

Jiang Dai looked at the droopy little girl, gently patting her head to comfort her.

“Next time we go to town, Mama will buy some paper money for you. We’ll burn it together for the little cat, okay?”

Jiang Dai’s voice was soft as she asked Little Juanjuan.

As a modern young woman, Jiang Dai didn’t see anything wrong with a child wanting to burn paper money for a cat.

In fact, it showed something very important.

【Our Juanjuan is just too adorable. Some kids really are born kind. Even if the little cat can’t actually spend the paper money, in a child’s world, it absolutely can.】

Juanjuan hadn’t expected her mother to actually believe something like that. And more than that…

The tone in her voice was filled with warmth and affection!

Even Da chui’s mom probably wouldn’t have agreed to something like this for Da chui.

In the countryside, burning paper money for a dead cat—spending actual coins on that—people would say you were crazy.

Some families didn’t even have money for meat in the winter. They’d go steal a dog, skin it, and cook it for food.

So when Juanjuan came up with this excuse, she’d been nervous, afraid her mother would say no.

But now…

Juanjuan wrapped her little arms around her mother’s neck, resting her head on her shoulder in a clingy, trusting way. Her voice was soft, touched, and a little aggrieved. “Thank you, Mama…”

Hearing that sweet, dependent little voice made Jiang Dai’s heart bloom with joy.

“Come here! Let Mama give you a big kiss!!!”

Jiang Dai had no idea just how deeply moved her little girl was in that moment.

She just thought her daughter was unbearably cute!!!

She gave Juanjuan two kisses, but that wasn’t enough. She scooped her up and started spinning her around, letting her feel the thrill of flying.

Jiang Dai: 【Being a mom without the pain—Juanjuan is too cute! Such a soft little girl, I’m in love!!!】

Juanjuan: Σ(っ°Д°；)っ Wait—how did this turn into flying?!

All those sensitive, complicated feelings she’d just had were instantly wiped away.

“Mama…”

The child started to feel dizzy and tried to stop her.

“Hey!”

Hearing her daughter call her, Jiang Dai got even more excited and spun faster!

Juanjuan: “Dizzy…”

Jiang Dai came to an abrupt stop—slightly embarrassed.

“Oh, oh, I’m sorry…”

She apologized and gently set Little Juanjuan down.

And then…

The tiny girl, freshly spun and dizzy, couldn’t stand properly. Her little body wobbled, and she staggered like a drunk.

She looked exactly like a short-legged penguin.

Jiang Dai, standing right beside her: lips pressed tight, trying not to laugh.

Bai Tian, watching from the side: 【Oh my god! A little penguin!】

Bai Yunqi, just back from stacking firewood: 【Did Juanjuan… drink fake liquor or something?】

Bai Yunxing, returning from foraging wild greens at the gate, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Bai Yun’an, on the other hand, looked conflicted: 【This little rascal… why is it so hard to raise my affection score with her?】

Right then, the dizzy child was about to trip over her own feet and face-plant into the dirt.

“Oh my god!”

“Crap!”

Jiang Dai and Bai Tian, who had still been laughing, were suddenly startled and rushed to catch her.

The two of them grabbed the back of Juanjuan’s shirt at the same time.

And just like that, the little girl was airborne again, dangling by the back of her shirt like a puppy being picked up.

Juanjuan: (??)

She looked down at her little hands and stubby legs swinging in midair.

She gave a little wiggle and thought…

This actually feels kind of nice.

Chunlai and Dongqu, just arriving: …

This family was definitely something else—oddly chaotic, but strangely harmonious.

After settling Chunlai and Dongqu in and introducing them to the children at home, Jiang Dai pulled out the pork she had bought on her way back.

“Ta-da! Pork was a bit cheaper today—thirty wen per jin. I got two jin. Let’s eat more while it’s fresh!”

As someone from the modern world, Jiang Dai had no intention of suffering when it came to food.

Besides, with so many growing children in the house, just eating vegetables and rice wasn’t going to cut it nutritionally.

“Mom, give it to me! I’ll cook.”

Bai Yunxing glanced at the sky, then stood up, reaching for the pork to start preparing the meal.

Jiang Dai held onto the meat, looking at her second son who had volunteered to cook, then glanced at Chunlai and Dongqu, the two extra adults now in the house. She hesitated, then suggested, “How about you teach your dad and me how to cook today?”

【We got the silver notes today too. There’s over sixty taels of silver at home now, so even if we mess up the food, it’s not like we can’t afford it.】

【These past few days, I’ve been helping the kids—cutting meat, chopping vegetables, kneading dough—so I’ve pretty much picked it up!】

【Who would’ve thought, back in the modern world I hardly ever cooked, and now I’m learning how to cook here!!!】

Bai Yunxing hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.”

Juanjuan, however, remembered the time the black smoke had swallowed the little kitchen.

“Dad’s not going to…”

She looked uncertainly at Bai Tian.

Bai Tian: …

“Relax! That was just because I didn’t know how to start a fire back then!!!!”

And so, in the small kitchen—

Juanjuan guided Jiang Dai on how to stick the flatbreads to the side of the stove, while Bai Yunxing instructed Bai Tian on stir-frying.

Jiang Dai: 【I’m just saying, I used to complain about air fryers, ovens, and electric griddles, but now this giant iron wok over a wood fire is a nightmare to use!!!】

Bai Tian: 【I miss gas stoves and microwaves. At least with adjustable heat, you could follow a recipe and make something edible. But this… everything’s by instinct!!!】

Jiang Dai and Bai Tian: 【Who can understand how hard it is for a beginner when the recipe says “add a suitable amount,” “watch the heat,” or “just a little”…?!】

“Mom, the flatbread’s about to burn.”

Juanjuan reminded her.

“Dad, you added too little coarse salt… no, now it’s too much…”

Bai Yunxing corrected him.

Outside the kitchen, Chunlai and Dongqu stood listening: …

“Have your parents never known how to cook? What did they used to eat?”

Dongqu finally couldn’t hold back and asked the eldest son of the Bai family.

Bai Yunqi thought for a moment, then looked over at his father. “My mom used to be kind of clueless and rarely cooked. As for whether my dad cooked or not… I don’t remember.”

Bai Yunqi wasn’t lying. From the original host’s memories, only the past two or three years were clear.

Anything before that was a blur—he had been too young to remember.

Bai Yun’an yawned. “Our family’s situation is a bit… unique.”

【After all, both our parents have swapped souls. People from different eras—of course they’re different.】