"Ah? Oh, alright, alright." Mrs. Chen's heart pounded in her chest as she ladled a few spoonfuls of chicken soup into a bowl, adding a chicken leg as well.
The family felt as if they were in a dream as they picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.
After a couple of bites, Gu Qing couldn't hold back any longer. He looked at Gu Fei and asked, "What's the deal with this chicken?"
Gu Fei took a sip of the delicious chicken soup, her eyes closing in bliss. "It's nothing. Just an eye-blocking technique I learned from an old Daoist. The pot of chicken was here the whole time; you just couldn't see it."
The whole family nodded. "I see."
When they'd gone to temple fairs in the past, they had seen magicians make things suddenly disappear and then reappear. They figured it must be the same principle.
Only Gu Zhang was staring at the pot in the middle of the table.
He had seen it with his own eyes. The pot's position had clearly shifted a little, and the chicken soup was still gently rippling. 'This is definitely not an eye-blocking technique!'
When Gu Fei saw Gu Zhang still staring blankly, she knew he might have noticed something.
She wasn't too worried, though. After all, she knew she could trust her family's character.
She smiled at Gu Zhang. "Dad, don't just stare. Let's eat."
"Oh, oh, right." Gu Zhang finally picked up his chopsticks and his bowl.
As they ate, Mrs. Chen began to chatter, "Eldest, you still have to make a trip into town this afternoon to buy grain. We don't have anything left for dinner tonight."
"I'll go with you," Gu Zhang said in a low voice. He wanted to see if he could take care of the household registration. The sooner it was done, the sooner a great weight would be lifted from his mind.
The mention of going into town made Gu Fei think of the Second Miss. 'I wonder if she's still in prison.'
'I'll have to ask my brother to see what he can find out.'
Gu Fei had just finished her chicken leg when—PLOP—another one landed in her bowl. Gu Zhang watched her with concern. "Eat more. It'll help your injury heal faster."
As Gu Fei was about to take a bite, she saw Little Cao in Li Chunhua's arms, chewing on her fingers and staring longingly at the chicken leg in her bowl.
The little girl's big eyes were filled with a desperate craving for meat.
Gu Fei's heart softened. She picked up the chicken leg and placed it in Li Chunhua's bowl. "Let Little Cao have it."
Li Chunhua quickly moved the chicken leg back to Gu Fei's bowl. "I can't let you do that. Sister-in-law, you're the one who's injured; you should be eating well. Little Cao is still young, she won't be able to digest it."
Gu Fei looked helplessly at the chicken leg in her bowl. 'This family is just too sincere for their own good.'
She placed the chicken leg in Li Chunhua's bowl once more. "Let's not pass it back and forth. Give it to Little Cao. I'm too full to eat it."
Li Chunhua glanced at her parents-in-law. When she saw they weren't objecting, she carefully tore off a piece of meat and put it in Little Cao's mouth. "This is a chicken leg from your aunt. Little Cao, remember to thank your aunt."
While chewing the chicken, Little Cao mumbled to Gu Fei, "Thank you, aunt."
Gu Zhang watched Gu Fei with a sense of relief. Even after eight years in the Marquis Mansion, his daughter hadn't changed a bit. She was still the same thoughtful, dutiful child.
After the meal, Gu Fei went to lie on her stomach on the bed again.
Before long, she heard people speaking in low voices outside.
"Dad, I'm out of silver. What are we going to use to buy grain?" It was Gu Qing's voice.
Gu Zhang sighed. "Don't worry about the grain for now. I've sent Er Lang and Sanlang up the mountain to see if they can scrounge up something to eat. The silver I have is for the government office, to handle your sister's household registration transfer. Even two taels of silver might not be enough."
"Alright. In that case, Dad, let's get going."
Hearing this, Gu Fei grew anxious. 'I definitely have food in my space! Back when I was moving supplies from that supermarket warehouse, I didn't look too closely and just swept the entire warehouse's contents into my space.'
'The warehouse wasn't huge, but it wouldn't be short on basics like rice, flour, and oil.'
'The problem is, I can't just make the grain appear out of thin air.'
'I'll still have to make it look like we bought it.'
Afraid that Gu Qing and Gu Zhang had already left, Gu Fei raised her voice and called out, "Brother, come in for a second! I need to talk to you."