Li Qinghe sneered and turned to enter the door.
Hearing her disdainful voice, Mrs. Qian's complexion became stiff, and she became more and more disappointed and said to her husband, "I really just want you to help her keep it safe. You said that a small yard can be built with a dozen silver. What if she loses it?" Her tone was anxious and uneasy.
Even if Li Qinghe had entered the door, she was paying special attention to the movements of the two people outside. Hearing what was said, "I used my life in exchange for it. So even if I was the one who lost it, I will be happy!"
(TN: Li Qinghe almost lost her life to get the money, so she’ll be happy even if she loses it because she is the one who earned and lost it.)
"What is with your attitude?" Li Fu scolded, "Even if you don't recognize her as your mother, she is your elder anyway."
"I didn't say that she was not." Li Qinghe opened the door and leaned against the door frame, "I didn't disrespect her, but you can't beat me to get my money."
Li Fu was dissatisfied, "We don't ask you for money, it's your aunt Qian's generosity. During the time you were injured, who served you and asked the doctor to decoct medicinal herbs for your medicine?"
“In that case, the meat and bones I got back in the past two years, I haven’t eaten them. Are those missing?" Li Qinghe looked straight at Mrs. Qian, "I haven't seen those things at all."
Earlier, Li Qinghe had worked in the restaurant. The workers didn't eat at home. They ran into the restaurant to work and got to eat. They were also fuller than at home.
Mrs. Qian's eyes started to show her emotion, "That.. I didn't want to eat it, so I gave it to your father."
Li Fu agreed, "You brought something back, so isn’t it pretty good to share with family? No matter how you say it, your Aunt Qian didn't treat you badly."
Li Qinghe didn't refute this. Mrs. Qian was still good to her before this matter of silver came up. The management outside the house and the sincere treatment of Li Fu was really hard.
If Mrs. Qian doesn't have ideas about her money, the two can definitely get along.
Li Qinghe nodded, remembering something, and said, "Forgot to tell you that the shopkeeper at the restaurant made me quit."
"Ah!" Mrs. Qian was surprised but she was too worried to get angry and asked hurriedly, "Why?"
Li Qinghe sighed. “There is no reason, just said that I am injured so that I can take time to recover."
"That won't work, you did a good job. So why should the shopkeeper make you quit?" Mrs. Qian was too anxious to beat around the bush, "Have you tried to find your boss?"
"No, I haven’t." It was useless to do so anyway.
"How can you not find the boss? Tomorrow you will go to the boss. The boss must not know that the shopkeeper has fired you. How can you lose this job?" Qian said, "You are too much, how can you just come back home like this? There are also the benefits of bringing home the leftovers after work. It’s okay to bring the bones back to your father. It’s been half a month since your father has seen meat or fish, and he has lost weight.”
Li Qinghe laughed outrageously. As if if she didn’t bring meat back, there wouldn’t be meat at home to be eaten? "I'm not going."
Mrs. Qian didn't understand this. She turned around and patted her head. "Your mother helped find this job for you. So will you ask her where to work next?"
Li Qinghe refused. “No. It just happens that I don't want to do it anymore."
In fact, she went to the boss in her previous life, but between her and the shopkeeper, the boss chose the shopkeeper and fired her. Originally, she thought that it was herself who was lacking. Being a restaurant shopkeeper who did the accounting would naturally be more trusted by her boss. How could the boss be partial toward a helper like her?
"I don't want to do it!"
Mrs. Qian's voice was raised, " You say that you don't want to do it but there is no work for you at home. You can't just sit around and play right?"
When the words fell out of her mouth she realized that she was overly emotional, so she eased her tone and discussed it with Li Fu. "Why don't we ask Qinghe to find another job? We don't want her money but she needs to save for her dowry right?"
These sincere words Li Fu agreed with and ordered, “Tomorrow you go to the town again to find a job.”
Based on what he said, it was possible to get a job right away within a single day. If nothing else, it is only during the village farming time, who does not want to find a day labor to earn some money, but those who really earn some money are all hard laborers.
(TN: Laborer on short-term basis/temporary worker refers to the short-term and medium-term domestic helpers employed in rural areas, which is different from long-term workers.)
"I can't find it on my own." Li Qinghe looked at Li Fu, "Anyway, my last job was found by my mother’s help. So this time it should be Dad's turn, right?"
Li Fu swallowed the words of letting her go to Mrs. Xǔ again.
She didn't want to talk to them anymore and said, "My wound hurts and I need to rest." After speaking she closed the door.
Li Qinghe didn't even come out for dinner and only took out the two buns that she had brought back and ate them with regret. In her memory, Mrs. Qian was indifferent to her, but none of her actions were overly targeted. She didn't expect that human nature could not stand the test. If she had known this, she would not have bought this bun with her in mind.
Li Qinghe would not go out anymore, and stayed at home idle. She would help with some work at home. The bad thing was that every time she ate, Li Fu would inevitably try to persuade her to find work in the town. Mrs. Qian also helped him. The only one who was quiet was Zhao Wanwan, who had her head down every time she ate, without saying a word.
Two days later, Li Qinghe got up early in the morning and wondered if she should go to the village chief to ask if she could get the title deed earlier. As soon as she went out, she ran into Zhao Wanwan, and she seemed to be about to knock on her door.
Zhao Wanwan reluctantly laughed, "Sister, my mother asked me to tell you to wear something nice today."
Peasant girls usually don't say whether they were good or not, unless they look at each other.
Li Qinghe had a bad feeling, "Why?"
"My mother won't let me say." Zhao Wanwan looked embarrassed.
Hearing that, Li Qinghe just wanted to curse. She moved closer and asked in a low voice, "Is it a blind date?"
Zhao Wanwan looked at the kitchen and nodded slightly.
"What kind of person?" Li Qinghe asked again.
"From our village, you know him." Zhao Wanwan's voice was low and inaudible as she glanced at the kitchen again, "It's my cousin."
Xǔ family had long been with no contact with the Li family. So Zhao Wanwan's cousin can only be from the Qian family.
The old couple of the Qian family had only Mrs. Qian and her inadequate younger brother, but before they had their youngest son, they had adopted a nephew who was two years younger than Mrs. Qian. They had raised him for seven or eight years before giving birth to their younger son. They had then sent him back.
Although he was an adopted child, he had a good relationship with the Qian family, and also had a good relationship with the Qian family’s younger brother. Now that the old couple of the Qian family were both old and unable to support their son’s education expenses, This adopted child had given a lot of money to his younger brother. Not only that, he also often gave some cloth and food to the two elders of the Qian family.
Right now, many people envied that the Qian family's kindness had been rewarded. The cousin Zhao Wanwan said should belong to this family.
For a while, Li Qinghe had all kinds of feelings in her heart and even thought that no wonder Mrs. Qian didn't want her wages. It was planned from before that it would belong to the Qian family.
Of course, it could also be her own paranoia. In any case, she didn't want to follow Mrs. Qian's wishes. After washing up casually, she went in, took her previous savings and went out.
Mrs. Qian even chased after her, "Qinghe, it’s time to eat breakfast. Where are you going?"
"You don't have to wait for me to eat. I'm going to look for work." Li Qinghe opened her mouth and said. If she didn’t answer, it was even possible that Mrs. Qian would come to town looking for her in a moment.
The reasons she could give to outsiders were readily available. The girl was unwilling to do blind date and ran out angrily while worrying underneath.
It has always been normal for an unmarried girl around her age to go on blind dates and so in this way everyone would say that it was wrong of Qinghe to run out.
The author has something to say:
See you tomorrow.
*
The translator has something to say:
See you next week.(E/N: Haha!)