Yu Nong merely glanced at An Zhizhi, nodded coldly, and gave a soft hum, a perfunctory acknowledgement.
Yu Nong reported to his mother and turned to leave.
"Nong'er, sit down," Madam Yu suddenly said coldly.
Yu Nong's steps faltered slightly. After a moment, he returned and sat opposite Madam Yu and An Zhizhi. But he only sat; he had no intention of speaking further and remained silent.
The atmosphere seemed harmonious, yet subtly strained. However, Madam Yu and An Zhizhi appeared accustomed to such silences. Yu Nong's quiet demeanor and expressionless face drew no further comment from them.
An Zhizhi, graceful and composed, naturally initiated conversation with Madam Yu.
Lu Wanqing, having prepared dinner, instructed the housekeeping robot to serve the dishes to the dining room. Passing the living room, she saw An Zhizhi again.
Aunt Zhang, seeing the meal ready, turned to call Madam Yu for dinner.
Everyone gathered at the dining table, including An Zhizhi. Lu Wanqing, noticing her daughter's mood souring again, began to serve her child food.
Regardless of anything else, one had to eat enough to maintain one's health.
Little Yu Shu had only been momentarily lost in thought. When she looked back, she found her bowl piled high with dishes her mother had served her – her favorites, prepared by Mommy herself!
Little Yu Shu's spirits lifted immediately. She looked up at her mother with a happy smile.
Lu Wanqing received her child's cheerful gaze and urged, "Eat quickly, it will be cold and not taste as good."
Little Yu Shu hastily picked up her chopsticks and transferred food from the serving dishes to Lu Wanqing's bowl, beaming. "Mommy, eat too!"
"Mmm," Lu Wanqing nodded with a smile, delighted. Her own little one was indeed the most thoughtful.
A single scoop of food wasn't enough. Little Yu Shu, holding her chopsticks, continued to serve her mother, her second and third scoops adding to the pile.
Seeing her child about to continue, Lu Wanqing quickly stopped her. "Alright, Shushu, Mommy has enough. You eat your own food now."
Little Yu Shu was still reluctant to stop. Mommy had given her so much food, and she had only given Mommy four scoops. It was too little!
Madam Yu watched them, her expression clearly darkening, and she glared at them coldly.
Little Yu Shu finally noticed her grandmother's gaze. Her hand holding the chopsticks froze, and she dared not move.
Throughout the meal, Lu Wanqing remained silent, and Little Yu Shu was still. They ate in silence until dinner concluded. Lu Wanqing quickly took her child upstairs, feeling agitated.
What was wrong with Madam Yu's poison?
Honeysuckle...
Lu Wanqing mused, and a thought suddenly struck her: if she studied diligently, could she cultivate ancient Earth honeysuckle?
To cultivate extinct plants sounded incredibly difficult, almost impossible in the 21st century. But in the interstellar era, it didn't seem entirely out of reach.
The Academy of Sciences had apparently already cultivated numerous ancient Earth plants. Didn't they already have an ancient Earth plant cultivation base?
Perhaps this era already possessed experience in cultivating ancient Earth plants. If she could obtain the relevant data and study it seriously, coupled with her own familiarity with honeysuckle from her time on ancient Earth, perhaps she could achieve twice the result with half the effort and cultivate the honeysuckle?
If she could cultivate honeysuckle and resolve the poison in Madam Yu's system, perhaps Madam Yu would not be like this in the future? And perhaps Shushu could even have a loving grandmother.
Downstairs, Madam Yu, An Zhizhi, and Yu Nong returned to the living room.
Yu Nong turned to head upstairs again.
Madam Yu suddenly spoke, "Nong'er, Zhizhi is a good child. You are both of age. It's time to get married, don't keep delaying."
Yu Nong paused. He turned to look at his mother and An Zhizhi, but his gaze swept over An Zhizhi briefly before settling on his mother. He refused, "Mom, I will not marry her!"
Since his mother's poisoning, Yu Nong had rarely contradicted her. Every time he didn't comply, his mother would fly into a rage, causing great unrest in the household and, more importantly, worsening her condition. He was frustrated, but his aversion to marrying An Zhizhi had existed from long ago. He didn't even know why, but he simply had a gut feeling that he couldn't marry An Zhizhi. He disliked An Zhizhi!
"Yu Nong!!!" Madam Yu's expression changed drastically.
She pointed at Yu Nong, trembling with anger. "What's wrong with Zhizhi? You grew up together, childhood sweethearts. For so many years, Zhizhi has been waiting for you, and you..."
As she spoke, Madam Yu seemed to struggle for breath, her face paling slightly.
"Madam, please don't get angry, you mustn't get angry!!!" Aunt Zhang was alarmed and hurried to comfort her.
Madam Yu's voice was so loud that it could be heard on the second floor.
In their room, Lu Wanqing and Little Yu Shu were reading books related to plants. Lu Wanqing felt an inexplicable urge to learn more about botany. However, they had barely read a page when Madam Yu's enraged roar echoed from downstairs, startling them both.
Little Yu Shu became even more anxious, her eyes unable to focus on the book in her hands.
Lu Wanqing was also stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality. She looked down at her child, noticing her unusual demeanor, and couldn't help but stroke her head.
"Shushu, do you like Aunt Zhizhi?" Lu Wanqing asked after a moment of silence.
From the sounds downstairs, it seemed Madam Yu wanted Yu Nong to marry An Zhizhi.
If Yu Nong were to marry An Zhizhi, wouldn't An Zhizhi become Shushu's stepmother? Would An Zhizhi take care of Shushu? No, the question was, did Shushu like An Zhizhi?
"Daddy won't marry her," Little Yu Shu suddenly said, her tone firm despite a hint of sadness.
Lu Wanqing was surprised, then asked doubtfully, "Why?"
From the commotion downstairs, it was clear Yu Nong did not wish to marry An Zhizhi. But with Madam Yu poisoned, Yu Nong had been yielding to her in all matters. Wouldn't he marry An Zhizhi just to appease his mother?
Little Yu Shu hesitated, then walked to the door and closed it before returning to sit in front of Lu Wanqing. She hesitated again, then said earnestly, "Mommy, Grandma asked Daddy to marry Aunt Zhizhi a long time ago."
"Daddy didn't like Aunt Zhizhi, so he applied for a gene from the Academy of Sciences and used it to cultivate me," Little Yu Shu looked at her mother and said earnestly.
Lu Wanqing was bewildered, lost. This actually related to Little Yu Shu's origins?
"What exactly happened? Why did your father not want to marry An Zhizhi and then... then apply for a gene and cultivate you?" Lu Wanqing asked after a moment of hesitation.
Lu Wanqing felt it would be better to ask Yu Nong directly, but since Little Yu Shu had brought it up herself, and given Shushu's demeanor, it seemed the Yu family hadn't kept these matters from the child. The child had likely accepted them long ago, so Lu Wanqing couldn't resist pressing for details.