Behind her came Mrs. Qian's cold laugh, "What's strange about a girl getting married when she's old enough? You want to stay at home all the time. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
Li Qinghe stopped in her tracks and turned around to say, "My father has only one daughter, don't tell me that he wants me to recruit a son-in-law*?"
(TN: as in the son in law will live in his in-laws family.)
If Li Qinghe is allowed to stay at home to recruit, she will not do it. If the two of them are really in love with each other, then they will be leaving and making their own loving family.
Mrs. Qian opened her mouth, but she choked on the words and looked at her back suspiciously until she disappeared.
At dinner time, Li Fu held a bowl, coughed, and asked, "Qinghe, do you want to stay at home and recruit?"
Li Qinghe gave a hmm and buried her head in the meal.
Mrs. Qian didn't even raise her eyes, as if the words had nothing to do with her. But the only two people who know about this matter are Li Qinghe and Mrs. Qian, although Zhao Wanwan might have heard it, she is not a talkative person. It’s not her, then it can only be Mrs. Qian.
Li Fu used chopsticks to pick up green vegetables and said, "A girl should marry a talent. What kind of a good man can you get by recruiting? The good men who know how to get ahead will not agree to join the family. The idler that can be recruited, is he to take care of you or you to take care of him?"
"For the time being, I don't want to mention marriage." Li Qinghe put down her chopsticks, "Father, do you want to keep me that much? Looking at your attitude, you want me to marry tomorrow."
Li Fu frowned, "What kind of attitude is that? I heard that you want to recruit, so I'm discussing it with you, but in the end, it's for your own good. Who said I want to rush marrying you?"
Li Qinghe looked at Mrs. Qian and asked with a sneer, "Who did father hear from about me wanting to get married? And, today, she had someone come to the house to see me. Isn't she urging me to marry?"
She looked at Mrs. Qian, "I've worked early and returned late for two years. Now that the work is gone, there's no place for me in the family, is there?"
Li Fu frowned and tapped the table with chopsticks, "Don't look at your Aunt Qian, she is also doing it for your own good."
Li Qinghe didn't show any weakness and didn't soften her tone and attitude because Li Fu was her father, "She only has an eye out for you, where is my place? Please don't do it for my sake. I'm afraid I'll marry into the Qian family and work like a horse to support those two scholars!"
"What are you talking about!" Li Fu was furious, "What's wrong with that Laiman? I think you don't know what's good for you!"
Li Qinghe quickly answered, "He is good at everything, but he has a brother and an uncle who studies. Whoever marries him is unlucky! I won't marry him anyway, so whoever accepts the Qian family's bride price will marry them themselves!"
This last sentence is a warning to Mrs. Qian.
She is capable of stealing the bride price secretly. In particular, she is especially good at doing superficial work, when Li Fu is around, she is always gentle, virtuous, and submissive.
Mrs. Qian patted Li Fu's arm, "Stop making noise when eating, the child should be too angry to eat."
"I won't be unable to eat, I'm full, you can eat slowly." Li Qinghe's face is indifferent.
Mrs. Qian choked and her eyes got red again. Li Fu was busy comforting again, and Li Qinghe took the opportunity to go out, followed by Zhao Wanwan.
"Do you want to go out for a walk?" It was not yet dark, Li Qinghe wanted to go to the field to take a look when measuring today, she did not observe much.
Zhao Wanwan shook her head, "I have to clean up the dishes later."
Li Qinghe was silent. Zhao Wanwan has done almost all the chores at home and outside the house except cooking. If she didn't go to town to help out, she wouldn't see anyone at all during the day and basically doesn't eat at home, maybe the neighbors around should gossip about the Li family mistreating the Zhao girls.
"Sister, you go by yourself." Zhao Wanwan saw her silence and whispered in a low voice.
If it wasn't quiet around, Li Qinghe couldn't even hear her words clearly, "I won't go either, I’ll help you wash the dishes." As for the ground, going to see it during the day was the same.
She could not stay at home all day without doing anything.
The next morning, the sky was bright outside, and there were voices outside. Li Qinghe got up and went out, and saw Zhao Wanwan's uncle, Mrs. Qian's younger brother, standing at the gate.
For this person, Li Qinghe only heard from the surrounding population that he was not a good person, saying that he was studying, but, eating, drinking, prostitution, and gambling took up everything, spending a lot of money every month.
Mrs. Qian's helpless voice came from the gate, "That's all I have."
A young man's greasy voice came next with dissatisfaction, "What is this money enough for? It's not enough to eat a few buns, I thought Li Qinghe got twelve taels of silver, just give me two taels!"
Mrs. Qian's a little anxious, "I didn’t get that silver ...... you hurry up and go, do not let your brother-in-law see you here."
Not caring at all about Qian's anxiety, the greasy voice lazily said "You are her mother, even if it is a stepmother, you also brought her up, she should be filial to you, but if she doesn’t give all to you, you should have half of it?" Gradually the tone took on a ruthless intent, "Don't lie to me, hurry up and bring it."
"There is no such thing!" Mrs. Qian seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"Sure enough, it’s rubbish, a woman is soft-hearted. She is a little girl, so what can she do if you collect it all for her?" Qian Laiwen viciously said.
Li Qinghe stood under the eaves, from the beginning to the end. She did not expect that Qian Laiwen is such a reckless person. Looking at the hostility between his eyebrows, it can be seen that he is not mouth fierce, he really thinks so.
"There is your brother-in-law in, where can I make a move on her?" Mrs. Qian's aggrieved, not to mention do something, even quarreling with Li Qinghe also did not get an inch. Looking at her attitude, there’s not a trace of respect for her as a stepmother, she can not count on her. Her daughter is soft and gentle nature, and also can not count on her. Their future only hopes that Li Fu dies later, and then ...... the only one she can count on, is this brother. Ten years younger than her, young enough to treat him well, sincerity for sincerity, hoping he will return her sincerity and money later in the future.
Thinking of this, Qian pulled out again, once again pulled out a silver, stuffed into his arms, "Really no more, go."
Qian Laiwen was pushed away. Li Qinghe came out from the shadows and saw Zhao Wanwan at a glance standing at the kitchen door frame, she didn’t know how long she looked, Wanwan’s face was a little sad and resentful, complicated and unspeakable.