Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

Mo Ye's eyelids twitched: "What's going on now?"

Tongtong declared confidently, "The chocolate smells delicious!"

She broke off a small piece and stuffed it into the zongzi.

After adding the filling, she ran to the stairwell, climbed to the second floor, and quickly ran back down, carrying a bottle of AD calcium milk.

He Wanqing finally couldn't hold back any longer: "What are you trying to do now?"

Tongtong blinked innocently, "AD calcium milk is sweet, it will definitely taste better if you put it in."

She poked a few holes with a straw and carefully poured a little into the rice dumpling.

He Wanqing: "..."

Mo Ye: "..."

Jiang Hui: "..."

The three of them stared at the zongzi that had turned into a "culinary disaster," and four words simultaneously flashed through their minds...

Spicy skewers set meal.

Mo Ye thought of those bizarre things online,

"Mouse Bread"

"Cockroach Cake"

At the time, I thought it was outrageous.

Now he realizes what that was all about.

His daughter's actions are truly outrageous!

Tongtong was very satisfied with her "work". She carefully wrapped it in bamboo leaves and then tied it with a string.

Mo Ye silently walked over, picked up another rope, and added another rope to the rice dumpling.

Absolutely no mistakes allowed.

He figured that Tongtong would most likely spit it out after taking one bite.

But it's okay, we have plenty of chickens at home, we can just feed them.

Their family never wastes food.

Looking at the tightly bound rice dumpling, He Wanqing was still a little worried: "Um... is it really safe to eat?"

Mo Ye calmly said:

"Let her try it herself and she'll know. You can't explain this a hundred times; she'll understand once she tastes it. Don't worry, we have chickens at home; nothing will go to waste."

He Wanqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She remembered that she was like that when she was a child.

I want to buy anything new and interesting that I see, but after playing with it once, I leave it in a corner to collect dust.

Some truths can only be understood through personal experience.

Jiang Hui looked at the wrapped zongzi and estimated that there were enough for the first batch.

"Let's cook this pot first, for the worship." She stood up. "We can wrap the rest later and have Brother Shan cook them at home."

She had just picked up the basin when Tongtong ran over.

Upon hearing this, Tongtong immediately ran over and tugged at Jiang Hui's sleeve: "Grandma! Tongtong's zongzi needs to be cooked too!"

She pointed to the rice dumpling in the basin that was tightly bound and stuffed with cookies, chocolates, and AD calcium milk, her little face full of anticipation.

Jiang Hui looked down at the rice dumpling and fell silent.

She really didn't want to use this thing to worship the gods.

But looking into her granddaughter's bright, expectant eyes, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

"Okay, okay, let's cook it together." She put the rice dumpling into the bowl as well and carried it into the kitchen.

Zhang Xiuying had already prepared the chicken and was putting it into the pot.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the water in the large pot began to steam.

Several people worked together, boiling what needed to be boiled and steaming what needed to be steamed.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the first batch of zongzi was finally cooked.

Jiang Hui lifted the lid of the pot, and a rich aroma of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) wafted out.

The aroma of glutinous rice and bamboo leaves, mixed with the savory fragrance of meat and the oily aroma of egg yolks, filled the entire house.

She picked up a strainer and scooped them out one by one.

As she reached the end, her movements stopped.

A zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) lay quietly at the bottom of the pot.

The rice dumpling was tightly bound with two ropes, making it bulging and oddly shaped, unlike any other rice dumplings.

Jiang Hui fell into deep thought.

Are we really going to use this to worship the gods?

Tongtong appeared out of nowhere, tugged at her sleeve, and looked up at her with her little face, asking, "Grandma, where's Tongtong's zongzi?"

Jiang Hui looked down at her.

That look in his eyes, that expression, that expectant little face...

She took a deep breath, silently scooped out the "specially made zongzi" (a type of rice dumpling), and put it into the offering bowl.

Gods probably wouldn't hold a grudge against a child, right?

Jiang Hui carefully arranged the offerings for the worship ceremony, including a whole cooked chicken, freshly cooked zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and a small bottle of wine, all neatly arranged in a bamboo basket.

Tongtong spun around her legs like a little top, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Grandma, can Tongtong go? Can Tongtong go?"

Jiang Hui looked down at her granddaughter's eager little face and nodded with a smile: "She can go, she can go. Tongtong will go with Grandma."

Tongtong immediately cheered and grabbed Jiang Hui's clothes, refusing to let go.

Mo Ye, holding He Wanqing's hand, followed them.

The village temple is not far away; it only takes a few minutes to walk there.

But today was clearly not an ordinary day; before we even got close, we could hear a bustling crowd coming from the other side.

When we got there, we found it was already packed with people.

There was a queue at the entrance, people were standing in the courtyard, and people were packed tightly together in the main hall.

The air was filled with the smoke of incense and the flickering of candlelight. Everywhere, villagers were praying devoutly with their hands clasped together.

Mo Ye led He Wanqing through the crowd and helped them put the candles and incense on.

The group waited for quite a while until the people in front of them finished their prayers and left, and finally it was their turn.

Jiang Hui pulled Tongtong to kneel down in front of the straw mat.

She clasped her hands together, bowed slightly, and said to Tongtong:

"Tongtong, put your hands together like Grandma does. Then say whatever you want to say to the gods. After you finish speaking, kowtow to the gods, and the gods will bless you."

Upon hearing the words "bless," Tongtong's face immediately turned serious.

She imitated her grandmother, putting her chubby little hands together in front of her chest, closing her eyes, and muttering something:

"Oh my god, Tongtong wants an endless supply of bear-shaped cookies and endless money!"

After she finished reading, she began to kowtow repeatedly.

One, two, three—their little heads slammed into the ground without hesitation.

When she looked up, she felt dizzy, her eyes were unfocused, and she swayed, almost unable to sit up straight.

Mo Ye reacted quickly and helped her up.

He Wanqing watched from the side, feeling both sorry for him and amused.

Jiang Hui was overjoyed, patting Tongtong's little head and saying, "Our Tongtong is sincere; the gods must have heard her."

She clasped her hands together and silently prayed for her family's health, safety, and well-being.

After she finished reading, she respectfully bowed three times.

Mo Ye and He Wanqing also knelt down.

The two put their hands together, closed their eyes, and silently recited their wishes in their hearts.

Mo Ye thought to himself: He hoped that his family would always be peaceful and harmonious, and that he and He Wanqing could live a shameless life together.

He glanced at He Wanqing and saw that she had her eyes closed and was focused, as if she were whispering something to a deity.

He Wanqing was thinking: I hope... well, I can't say it, or it won't work.

After the group finished their prayers, Mo Ye got up and lit a string of firecrackers.

A series of crackling sounds erupted in front of the temple, red paper scraps flew everywhere, and the smell of fireworks mixed with sandalwood incense filled the air.

The ceremony is complete.

The four people walked back along the way they came.

Mo Ye leaned close to He Wanqing's ear and whispered, "What did you wish for just now?"

...