Chapter 114: What a Spendthrift Child!

“Come in quickly and wash your hands. I’ve made some sugar pancakes!” Du Yun said with a bright smile. She adored her younger siblings dearly, and of course, she had brought some freshly made sugar pancakes for them.

Watching the children rush in one by one, gathering around the pot and drooling, Du Yun hurriedly called out to them. She then casually picked up a small basin nearby, filled with golden-brown sugar pancakes.

“Be careful, they’re hot just out of the pan. There’s syrup inside, so don’t burn yourselves,” Du Yun warned with a gentle smile as she handed each child a sugar pancake. Amid the lively sounds of their joyful jumping and chatter, she kept turning the pancakes in the pan.

“Sis, these are really delicious!” Du Yin mumbled with slightly unclear speech, her mouth still burning from the heat of the pancake. Yet the sweet aroma was so tempting she didn’t want to stop eating.

“That’s good to hear. I made quite a few, so don’t worry—everyone gets two,” Du Yun said, smiling as she watched the children’s happy faces. Thanks to her own efforts, letting her siblings enjoy something tasty filled her with pride.

Though the sugar pancakes were small, they were made with both sugar and flour, making them quite filling. Du Yun worried they might eat too many, so she limited each child to two. The children obeyed, even Du Tong—the greediest of them all—didn’t argue but instead cherished each bite, nibbling carefully like a little mouse.

Du Yun quickly finished cooking two batches of sugar pancakes, using up all the dough she had prepared earlier. She glanced at her siblings, who nibbled their pancakes like adorable hamsters, and softened enough to decide to make more.

“Let’s make two more batches. The adults should be coming home soon; they should try some fresh ones too,” Du Yun thought, then turned toward the storage room. Officially, she went to scoop more flour, but in truth, she was retrieving supplies from the storage compartment.

Since she planned to make extra for the adults, Du Yun dared not use only white flour this time. Instead, she mixed half white flour with half cornmeal. After all, Grandma’s nagging was formidable. Although Du Yun hadn’t heard it for over ten days, she had no desire to miss it now.

Du Yun resumed kneading the dough and cooking pancakes. Two of her older younger sisters, having finished their pancakes, came over to help, and with Du Zhi bringing in firewood from outside, the second batch was made even faster.

By the time the rest of the Du family returned home, the second batch of pancakes was nearly done. Besides the sugar pancakes, a large pot of mixed stew simmered on the stove. Though it contained no meat, Du Zhi had fried it in animal fat, making the dish fragrant and appetizing.

“Oh my, what’s that wonderful smell?” Aunt San, who was fond of being lazy, was the first to walk in from outside. She sniffed the air, looking around, and in an instant, spotted the basket filled with sugar pancakes.

“Oh! Pancakes?” Aunt San’s eyes brightened immediately upon seeing the sugar pancakes. Her previous sluggish demeanor vanished, and she dashed forward as if afraid she’d miss out and the pancakes would all be gone.

“Slow down, Aunt San!” Du Yun quickly reached out and grabbed the basket, her movements swift and practiced from surviving in a zombie world, outpacing even the sprightly Aunt San, who ended up reaching for empty air.

“Oh, Du Yun, what delicious thing have you made this time?” Aunt San was shameless but practical. Not feeling embarrassed after being stopped, her eyes locked onto the basket of pancakes. She even tried to reach out for one, but Du Yun nimbly dodged her hand.

“Aunt San, wash your hands. We’re about to eat,” Du Yun said firmly. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to share a few pancakes, but she didn’t want to encourage Aunt San’s habit of always taking more than her fair share, lest her younger siblings pick up the same spoiled attitude.

“What? You made something tasty again?” At that moment, the familiar voice of Grandma came from outside. Hearing that Du Yun had made something delicious, Grandma’s tone rose sharply, though exactly how much joy was behind it was uncertain.

Du Yun shrank her neck in response, as if that might lower the volume of Grandma’s impending scolding.

Sure enough, when Grandma parted the doorway curtain and saw the basket brimming with golden sugar pancakes in Du Yun’s hands, her voice immediately rose. “Du Yun, you extravagant child! How could you spend so much money again?”

As if fate had heard her wishes, Du Yun’s momentary craving had led her to bake the sugar pancakes with countless supplies stashed in her pockets, without thinking about Grandma’s tolerance.

Now, caught red-handed with so many sugar pancakes, and unable to claim she was a little rich lady, Du Yun braced herself for a fierce lecture. She hunched her shoulders, preparing for the storm.

“You wasteful girl! Don’t you know the family’s situation? You earn a little money and blow it all. Your eldest brother works hard, and you just fritter it away. What will we eat and drink at Zhi’s wedding?” Grandma’s anger softened a bit seeing Du Yun’s submissive posture—half scared, half unwilling to retort—but her scolding continued.

“You stubborn girl! If you can’t manage money, then save it! What if you never get married?” Though Grandma’s fury subsided slightly, she was still far from pleased. She figured if she didn’t reprimand Du Yun, the girl would keep wasting money recklessly, so she pressed on with the admonishments.

“Grandma, half the flour I used is cornmeal,” Du Yun couldn’t help but protest softly.

“Cornmeal? Cornmeal isn’t even real flour! Do you know how much porridge the flour you used could make for the whole family over three days? And sugar pancakes, no less! You spoiled girl, you’re utterly indulged!”

Grandma had only intended to chastise her lightly but grew increasingly angry upon discovering the sugar pancakes contained a generous amount of oil. She looked as if she wished to knock some sense into Du Yun with her pipe lighter, wanting to see what was in that head of hers.

“Grandma, I’m just experimenting with desserts,” Du Yun hurried forward to calm the flames of Grandma’s anger. “I took an order in town—someone wanted a new kind of dessert.”

Buddha bless me, please let me get through this scolding first!

“Then why make so many? A few would have been enough,” Grandma said, looking at the basket of pancakes with a mix of worry and affection. She wondered if she could save some for the Mid-Autumn Festival as mooncakes, but feared they would spoil and waste food.

“Grandma, I just wanted you all to have a taste of something fresh,” Du Yun said with a forced smile. Seeing Grandma soften, her own anxiety eased.

The others nearby chimed in to help soothe Grandma’s temper, and finally, the matter was settled. The whole family gathered around the table, ready to savor the sugar pancakes Du Yun had made.