"If you weren't coming back, you could have at least let me know, and I wouldn't have made so much food. Oh well, that's how it is.
Just make sure you don't let Huanhuan starve."
Ding Yun pondered for a moment and realized her daughter probably intended to use the child as a threat. She likely figured Ding Yun would be too soft-hearted to refuse her grandson. However, perhaps feeling a bit of shame, she wasn't being too direct and was instead taking a roundabout approach to first reduce the frequency of her son's meetings with her mother. This way, in order to see her grandson, Ding Yun might be willing to let her father come home for recuperation.
Of course, this was just Ding Yun's speculation, so she didn't immediately lose her temper. Knowing her grandson was with her mother, she hung up the phone without further thought and went to eat dinner herself. After dinner, she cleaned up the dishes and then washed up before returning to her room to study.
She was starting from scratch, from the very basics, beginning with the Compendium of Magic and Sorcery. While fairy attire looked more beautiful, Ding Yun had briefly glanced at it and discovered that fairy magic was far inferior to magic when it came to housework. Therefore, she decided to learn magic first, to free herself from household chores.
However, she didn't study for too long. As soon as ten o'clock at night arrived, she promptly canceled her transformation and went to bed, as she was still a normal person when not transformed. She needed to ensure her daily sleep.
The next morning, Ding Yun immediately transformed and used a few spells she had just learned to cast a full-body cleansing spell on herself. This way, she didn't need to brush her teeth or wash her face. The cleansing effect of the full-body spell was far superior to brushing and washing. No wonder medieval witches didn't bathe. With such magic, why would they need to?
Next, she cast a full-house cleansing spell, followed by a grain-creation spell on the flour, transforming it into bread. As for why it couldn't turn into steamed buns, it was probably because the magic was Western in origin, and the spell writer didn't eat steamed buns back then. Regardless, it was very convenient.
After eating the bread as breakfast, Ding Yun quickly resumed her study of new magic. Her door remained locked, and the curtains were all drawn while she studied. There was no other way. Not only was the attire strange during the learning process, but various peculiar things would also happen when experimenting with spells, all of which were not suitable for others to see. Since she couldn't move to the mountains, she had to rely on curtains for concealment. Fortunately, no strange lights appeared when casting spells. Otherwise, if her door was locked and curtains drawn, and colorful lights were emanating from inside, people might think she was dancing alone at home.
However, not long after Ding Yun began studying, a knock sounded at her door: "Knock, knock, knock, Huijuan, are you home? You didn't come out to dance yesterday evening, and you didn't come out this morning. Are you sick? Are you home? Open the door!"
The original host had a habit of square dancing, both in the morning and evening. Ding Yun hadn't gone yesterday evening, nor this morning. A single missed day might be understandable; perhaps something came up. But missing an entire evening and morning made her dance partners a bit worried about her health, fearing she might be sick. Therefore, Zhu Chunhong and Xia Furong, who were closest to the original host, came to check on her as soon as they finished their dance, afraid something might have happened to her.
It was only when Ding Yun heard the knocking that she remembered the original host's habit of square dancing. To avoid them thinking something had happened and breaking down the door, she naturally had to quickly cancel her transformation and open the door for them.
"Coming, coming, I'm fine! I'm fine!"
As she spoke, Ding Yun opened the door. Zhu Chunhong and Xia Furong looked her up and down:
"You don't look sick at all. Your complexion is rosy and radiant. Why did you suddenly stop dancing with us? And why did you draw the curtains during the day? It looks so strange. Doesn't it feel dark without sunlight at home? And your lights are on?"
"What are you up to behind our backs? It seems a bit clandestine."
"Uh... It's nothing, just sulking at home. You two, come in and sit. I've been a bit busy lately, and Liu Lan has been giving me a lot of grief, so I forgot about the square dancing. Come in, please, come in!"
Ding Yun found it a little difficult to explain why she had drawn the curtains, so she quickly ushered them in, changing the subject. She even went ahead and opened the curtains herself and turned off the lights. Zhu Chunhong and Xia Furong were indeed swayed by Ding Yun's words and immediately asked curiously:
"What did your daughter do to upset you again? Honestly, you should have persuaded her to remarry earlier. It's hard for a young woman with a child. Especially since your daughter hasn't been working. She's a widow with a child, living a difficult life. She's even burdening you. If she found someone to rely on, wouldn't you have less to worry about?"
"Yes, if you didn't persuade her to have an abortion or remarry quickly, you should have been more firm and forced her to find a job. To put it bluntly, how long can we live? Who can guarantee there won't be any accidents? She's living entirely on your pension now. If you accidentally pass away before her one day, what will they have to eat? I think your daughter is completely ruined. Even if your grandson grows up, he'll probably be dragged down by your daughter. It'll be hard for him to find a wife then!"
They were all old friends and had gone through similar experiences. Besides, Liu Lan wasn't home, so they spoke without reservation, saying whatever came to mind.
By this time, Ding Yun had closed the curtains and returned to the living room with a kettle to pour them both a cup of hot water:
"It's not that easy for her to find someone to rely on. We're all at the age of grandmothers. You tell me, if you had another son, would he want to marry my daughter?"
"Uh... Well, my family can't afford that!" Zhu Chunhong shook her head quickly after a moment's hesitation. It was a joke. If her daughter-in-law like this were to marry into someone else's family and find someone to rely on, she would only be happy for her good friend. But if she were to marry into her own family, she would absolutely refuse and would never accept it. Who wouldn't want a diligent and virtuous daughter-in-law?
"Isn't that it!"
"Sigh, enough about that. Tell us, what did your daughter do to upset you so much that you didn't even go square dancing? I'm telling you, Old Man Zhang was asking about you today."
The related topic was clearly no longer suitable for discussion, so Xia Furong quickly changed the subject. She also casually mentioned Old Man Zhang. Old Zhang was an old man who practiced Tai Chi in the nearby square. It was hard to say if he had taken a liking to the original host, but it did feel like there was something different.