"Maybe Wanwan left so Aunt Qian was feeling sad. She told me that she was uncomfortable and already went back to her room." Li Qinghe didn't intend to help Mrs. Qian hide it at all. Even though Li Fu and Mrs. Qian might disagree after saying these things, she was not Zhao Wanwan.
Except when there was a lot of fielding work to be done, Zhao Wanwan usually stayed at home to do housework. Housework was indeed cumbersome, but she had no other choice but to perform it. Li Qinghe was different. Each day, she has to set up sheds in the wasteland. When the weather gets better, she will have to buy fish and chickens to raise. When she has little time, she has to wash the clothes or sew clothes. Additionally, she was now sewing Zhou Chengkang's clothes. She was extremely busy all day and had no time to do all the household chores.
Li Fu was surprised when he heard those words. He thought that Mrs. Qian had left to do something. He didn't expect that she would run to lay down. As he entered the room, his face sank.
Yu Yan was holding a broomstick to help. Seeing the situation, she lowered her voice, "I'll go back first, and I'll...I'll come back later."
"I don't need you, it's just sweeping the floor. It may look tedious, but in fact, it won't take too long," said Li Qinghe, sending her off with a smile.
As she turned around, she noticed Mrs. Qian picking up the broom and beginning to sweep the floor angrily after having already changed her clothes. "What are you looking at?" Mrs. Qian sneered when she saw Li Qinghe looking at her.
"I think you are fine." Li Qinghe didn't rush, "Aren't you having trouble breathing?" She was so breathless
Mrs. Qian's breathing became even faster and she became even angrier.
By this point, the guests had all left, and only family members were left. Li Fu also emerged from the house. During the day someone will ask him to drink with them, and today was a wedding day, so it was not good to refuse, thus at this point his face is a little red, and he also swept the floor with the broom.
Despite being angry, Mrs. Qian worked quickly. She quickly swept halfway through the yard. As Li Qinghe cleaned the tables and chairs, Li Fu went to the backyard. Almost all of the house had been cleaned after an hour.
For dinner, they eat the leftover dishes from the banquet. They simply heated the dishes and started eating. "Tomorrow I'll go and pick up Wanwan. Don't forget to cook," Li Fu told Mrs. Qian during dinner.
Mrs. Qian ignored him. Needless to say, she was angry with him.
Putting down his chopsticks, Li Fu said, "Wanwan is also your daughter. If you make her faceless, will you still be happy? If the girl married someone, she would be a guest when she returned to her mother's house. She will come back more often if you make her happy. If you don't give her face then she won't come back, then you will regret it when it's too late."
"It's ok if she doesn't return!" Mrs. Qian angrily declared, "My life has always been bitter, and I raised a useless daughter. I might as well die now!" Her tears flowed by the end of her speech.
Li Qinghe couldn't stand looking at her anymore, got up, and went outside with a bowl in hand.
From behind her, she heard Li Fu's unhappy voice, "Don't cry next time you eat, it will make your appetite worse!"
Immediately after speaking, he rose and left. Seeing Li Qinghe in the yard, he calmed down his tone and said, "There's still food in the kitchen. Go heat it yourself, and don't stay hungry."
In two mouthfuls, Li Qinghe finished the bowl of food and said, "I'm full." Then she went into the kitchen.
When she came out again, Li Fu had already left the yard to stroll on the road outside. She could hear Mrs. Qian sobbing as she stood in the yard.
"My dad left." Li Qinghe shouted.
The cry from the house suddenly turned low and then it turned quiet. Mrs. Qian appeared holding bowls and chopsticks and asked, "What are you waiting for, are you not going to clean up the dishes?"
Li Qinghe replied calmly, "I am ready to fight with you, but do you have the bravery to face it publicly."
Despite being so angry that she stomped her foot, Mrs. Qian did not make a show of it, as Li Qinghe said.
Li Qinghe went back to the room and took out her clothes to wash them. After being busy for two days, there were many clothes to wash. When she finished washing on such a cold day, it was already dark.
Zhao Wanwan had to be picked up either by her father or brother the next day when she returned to her natal house. Therefore, Li Fu went out in the morning, and Mrs. Qian too got up and went into the kitchen.
Li Qinghe also helped in the kitchen. It was easy to prepare since the meat and vegetables from yesterday were still there, but there was nothing to say between them, the atmosphere was stagnant.
Li Fu returned home with Zhao Wanwan at dawn.
In the morning, they were eating breakfast as a family. Even though it was the same as before, something was different.
As Hu Yanxi arrived in the afternoon, he wanted to take Zhao Wanwan back after lunch, and the marriage rituals were over. Zhao Wanwan will come back again afterward, except for holidays and festivals, depending on her mood.
Last night, Li Fu said the right thing. It was likely that the daughter would want to return if the home was comfortable.
Mrs. Qian was very pleased with her son-in-law, helped him pick up vegetables several times, and asked him with a smile, "When will you leave for the county exams in March?"
"As soon as possible." Hu Yanxi smiled and thanked her again. He continued, "My classmates and I have decided to live together, so we'll save a lot of money."
As Li Fu heard this, he frowned slightly, "Wanwan's uncle too?"
Hu Yanxi smiled, "In the past, my uncle and I were classmates, but now we are relatives, so we should look out for each other."
Mrs. Qian smiled even wider after hearing these words, and put a piece of meat in his bowl, saying, "Eat more."
Li Fu was dissatisfied when he heard his answer. His gaze landed on Zhao Wanwan, who looked shy with her head lowered, and he said, "If you can, I recommend living separately..."
In response, Mrs. Qian replied, "What kind of nonsense are you spreading?" She glared at him, questioning, "Isn't it better to have a close person nearby than someone from the outside?" She then asked, "Wanwan, what do you think?"
Zhao Wanwan smiled without saying anything.
Mrs. Qian felt embarrassed and annoyed. As she looked helplessly at Li Qinghe, she asked, "Qinghe, what do you think?"
Since Li Qinghe started eating, she has only kept her head buried to eat without saying a word. She was not suited to speak a lot in such situations. Upon hearing Mrs. Qian's question, she smiled and replied, "Brother-in-law reads a lot, in his heart, he should know the answer."
Mrs. Qian gave her an appreciative glance before looking at Li Fu and saying, "Qinghe agrees with me."
Li Qinghe was speechless. Her gaze fell on Hu Yanxi, who was eating slowly. He didn't look silly at all. Indeed, he was someone who had his thoughts and calculations. The fact that he was willing to live together or not was not something that Mrs. Qian could arrange.
Just now, it appeared that he had answered Mrs. Qian's words, but he did not give a precise answer. As an example, when asked when he would depart for the county, he responded that as soon as possible. He said he had made arrangements to live together with a few people. When Mrs. Qian asked him if he needed to bring more money, he said that family should take care of one another, but he did not say that those who live together must have money with them.
Therefore, what she said was true; he knew what he had to do in his heart.
Mrs. Qian was extremely satisfied, so she asked, "Have you prepared travel expenses?"
"No." Hu Yanxi's smile ceased a little, and his eyebrows slightly raised, appearing infinitely embarrassed, he said, "However, there will always be a way."
It was during this period that the family quarreled for money several times. After Mrs. Qian mentioned it again, the atmosphere became serious. Li Fu stood up and went in to get the wine, causing Mrs. Qian to choke in her throat when she was about to speak.
They sent the couple off after eating.
Zhao Wanwan was well taken care of by Hu Yanxi, and the two appeared very close between their gestures. Mrs. Qian's eyes were filled with satisfaction as she looked at them with a smile.
As the two walked away, the smile on Mrs. Qian's face disappeared immediately, and she asked with a serious face, "Can't you help him, Wanwan's father? When he passes the exam, this will benefit Wanwan and us both."
Turning around, Li Qinghe walked inside, intending to change clothes and go to the field to do some work. There were still several hours left in the day and she could complete her work.
As soon as she came out, she heard Li Fu's slightly angry words, "I just gave five taels of silver for the dowry, so how can I still have silver to lend?"
Li Fu was angry, but Mrs. Qian was not willing to show weakness, "The other half of the five taels was given to Qinghe. So why are you being so territorial about it? Since the date of her marriage isn't set, we can wait for the fall and sell the grain completely before the wedding....."
As Li Qinghe appeared, Li Fu showed her a hand and interrupted her.
Turning her head to see her going out, Mrs. Qian snorted coldly, raised her foot, and stepped in.
"She has a terrible temper," Li Qinghe said, realizing that it was indeed true love.
"Are you going to the field again?" Li Fu calmed down, "Do you want me to help you too?"
Li Qinghe waved her hand and said sincerely, "No, there is so much work in the field, father must also be busy with his own."
Listening to her words, Li Fu was a little sad. He then thought of the angry woman in the house and suddenly felt dissatisfied.
After the New Year, the family was busy with spring planting, and Mrs. Qian was still angry every day. He immediately got up and went in, "Change your clothes and come to the field with me. Weren't you afraid of sunburn, it just so happened that there is no sun now."
Li Qinghe went out to work in the fields. She was very busy. By the end of the first month, the shack and coop were almost completed. She went to town with Zhou Chengkang again and wanted to buy chickens.
Nowadays, some people sell chickens, but the too-small ones were easy to die, and there weren't a lot of them. Chickens must be bought slowly, but fish can be purchased now.
When she put the fish into the water, it was already February, and when she went back to town, she heard about the scholars who were going to the county town to take part in the test. They were expected to leave in a few days. Moreover, some rich families also brought a bookboy and a maid to serve them.
She had already fished out several large fish before putting the new fish in the pond. There were four or five catties in total. To be honest, it wasn't very good to sell. It was difficult for most people to eat such a large fish. She remembered her time working in the restaurant. At that time, such a big fish was sometimes deliberately ordered, and the restaurant owner was obliged to make an appointment with the fish vendor in advance, so she also wanted to ask them.
She basically knew all the helpers in the restaurant. After walking through the back door, she walked around the kitchen. She was about to greet someone when she saw Zhao Wanwan squatting near the stove and burning firewood.
"Sister, what are you doing?" Zhao Wanwan stuffed a few firewoods, got up, and came out, "I just happen to have something to discuss with you. Let's go outside and talk."
Li Qinghe raised her eyebrows, "I'm not here to see you, I have something else to do."
At this point, it was still early. She entered the chef's lounge, who was preparing the dishes. The chef at the restaurant had the last name Chen and he was kind to others. He smiled and said, "You can deliver it over, and I will talk to the shopkeeper at that time."
When things were settled, Li Qinghe smiled and thanked him.
When Zhao Wanwan saw her coming out, she followed Li Qinghe. "Sister, I have something to discuss with you."
"What's wrong?" Li Qinghe asked, wondering if she wanted to borrow money as Hu Yanxi was about to leave. Though she had some silver on hand and had some plans in mind. She was afraid that the money wouldn't be enough for her plans, and she couldn't lend.
"In a few days, my husband will be heading to the county," Zhao Wanwan said. "Many people have brought bookboys and maids. Our family can't afford people, can you..."
Li Qinghe just waited for her to ask about borrowing money and was about to refuse when she heard Zhao Wanwan say, "....can you help me by working for two months?"