Before the group could discuss anything of value, the old grandma returned from the back door carrying a white woven basket.
The basket was filled to the brim, the contents somewhat jumbled, clearly placed inside casually just moments ago.
"Here, here, don't be polite," the old grandma carried the basket over, walked up to them, and pulled out several large blocky objects from the basket, stuffing them into everyone's hands.
"Uh... Thank you," Kiana looked awkwardly at the large block in her hand, almost as big as her head.
The surface was damp, likely just washed. Kiana could even see some dirt clinging to tricky spots.
The white skin matched the surroundings quite well.
Kiana brought it to her nose and sniffed, then looked up. "Seems like sweet potato... just white..."
"Sweet potato?" The one in Mei's hand was even larger than Kiana's. Among the four, the piece in Mei's hand was the biggest.
Shu also glanced at it. Excluding the strange white skin, the object in his hand indeed resembled a sweet potato... Wasn't sweet potato also called white potato sometimes?
After distributing the "white potatoes," the old grandma stood blankly for about a second, then suddenly jolted.
"Aiyo, haven't even started the fire, my brain, oh my brain..." Saying this, the old grandma hurriedly placed the basket on the table, then trotted off again.
The group looked at each other for a moment. Kiana looked at the "white potato" in her hand and asked with some difficulty, "Shu, does that old grandma want us to roast sweet potatoes?"
"Probably... right?" There didn't seem to be any other possibility now...
"So, are we eating them?" Kiana asked again.
"Are you hungry?" Shu asked back.
Kiana's face flushed, and she immediately straightened up, arguing, "Of course not!"
But before the words were out, everyone heard Kiana's stomach voicing a different opinion.
She didn't eat breakfast, aaaaah, I'm gonna die...
Shu turned the "white potato" in his hand over, looked at it, then gave his own to Kiana. "Eat it, there's nothing wrong with it."
Kiana held a large "white potato" in each hand, nodding with red ears.
Shu tilted his head and glanced at the basket the old grandma had put down. Besides a few smaller "white potatoes," there were also quite a few hard candies with faded wrappers.
The cheap kind wrapped simply in cellophane, the kind you get a big handful of for a few bucks.
They were colorfully assorted, mixed with a few Big White Rabbit... "Big Homu Milk Candies"?!
Shu blinked, looked again carefully, and confirmed it was indeed "Big Homu Milk Candy"...
Homu really did save the world!
These hard candies were somewhat melted, fused into the folds of the wrappers. If opened, Shu estimated they would even pull strings.
Besides these, the most conspicuous item was a glass jar... gray... no, the red lid was covered in dust.
Inside the jar were yellow peaches, somewhat disintegrated from soaking in syrup for who knows how long...
Looking at these items, it seemed only the "white potatoes" in their hands looked somewhat presentable... Could the other things really still be eaten?
That basket was probably the most colorful thing Shu had seen here. Besides the white potatoes, the remaining candies and canned goods were brightly colored.
This made Shu take a couple of extra glances.
The old grandma quickly returned holding a wooden stick with one end glowing red. She poked the red end into the ash-filled brazier, surprisingly unearthing a few dark red coals.
Instantly, the group felt a wave of heat wash over them.
The three who were still damp immediately relaxed, instinctively extending their hands towards the brazier.
They had almost forgotten they were still wet.
Shu paused for a moment, then reached out and patted Mei and Bronya on the shoulders, causing the moisture on their bodies to quickly evaporate.
Kiana, sitting directly opposite with a large white potato in each hand, looked eagerly at Shu. Shu helplessly leaned over and patted Kiana's shoulder too.
"Phew... Finally comfortable..." Kiana sighed in relief, watching the old grandma relight the brazier. She then found a spot and placed the two white potatoes in her hands on the edge of the brazier.
Bronya and Mei also found places to put their white potatoes. The four large potatoes almost filled the brazier.
The old grandma smiled and nodded, leaving the wooden stick inside as kindling. Then she turned back to the basket, grabbed a large handful, and started distributing again.
"All candies, saved them," the old grandma said with a smile, stuffing a handful of the melted candies into everyone's hands.
Sure enough, as soon as the candies were in hand, the melted sugar that had leaked out started sticking to their fingers.
Shu's eye twitched. He smiled at the old grandma and said, "Enough, enough, we still have to eat... white potatoes... later..."
These things probably really aren't edible anymore!
Mei, currently being stuffed with a second handful of candy, quickly nodded. "Really enough, Grandma, really enough..."
"Enough already..." The old grandma still had quite a few candies in her hand. Hearing their refusals, she suddenly looked somewhat crestfallen, holding the candies, unsure what to do.
...Did I say the wrong thing?
This thought immediately occurred to Shu and Mei.
"Grandma, I want more," Just as the two were about to say something, Bronya suddenly extended her hand towards the old grandma.
The old grandma looked instantly relieved, dumping all the candies in her hand into Bronya's, while also reminding her, "Can't eat too many, okay? Your teeth will hurt, you'll get cavities."
"Understood," Bronya nodded obediently, retracting her hands now piled high with candy.
With her hands free, the old grandma seemed unsure what to do again, standing blankly for a long time before finally approaching Shu and asking softly.
"Child... how long are you staying this time?"
The old grandma asked very cautiously, almost humbly.
Her eyes looked at Shu as if afraid he would disappear before her very eyes the next second.
"Probably... will stay for a while..." Shu answered tentatively.
A brilliant smile instantly bloomed on the old grandma's face. Wiping her hands, she stood up. "Staying for a while... Then I'll go make the beds for you, okay?"
"The guest room hasn't been tidied up in a long time, might have to squeeze a bit, four people in two beds..." The old grandma muttered to herself as she walked away, leaving the bewildered group staring at each other.
"So... we're sleeping here tonight?"