Advertisement

The Green Lotus Peasant Girl

Chapters List

Chapter 27: The Zhou Family

Seeing the man walk away without hurrying, Qing Yao asked in a low voice, "Qinghe, who is that?"

Li Qinghe shook her head, "I've never seen him before."

Then she heard Qing Yao's mother's voice coming from behind,"I know him. He is Wanwan's father."

After hearing the words 'Wanwan's father', Li Qinghe immediately thought of Li Fu, but then remembered that this is Zhao Wanwan's biological father.

Zhao Tianfu?

Did Mrs. Qian actually still have contact with him? Does Li Fu know that?

Qing Yao was puzzled, but she stopped asking when she heard her mother's words.

There are hundreds of households in the village, and everyone has a different surname. It is normal if she doesn't know him.

Li Qinghe bid goodbye to Qing Yao and walked with a piece of mixed grain pancake stuffed by Qing Yao's mother. She didn't have to wait long to see Mrs. Qian.

As soon as Mrs. Qian turned her head and saw her. She moved her feet, panicking as if she wanted to hide, but she held back and stood still, waiting for her to approach, "Qinghe, where have you been so early?"

Li Qinghe took a bite of the cake and calmly said, "To return the shoe samples."

Mrs. Qian also knew that Li Qinghe had borrowed the shoe samples to make shoes for Zhou Chengkang.

Looking at her with a calm expression, Mrs. Qian asked Li Qinghe, "When you were returning, did you meet somebody on the way?"

"Yes." Li Qinghe replied. She saw Mrs. Qian's face paled instantly and she continued, "The third aunt from the next door who was going to town to buy coarse grains."

Mrs. Qian sighed in relief, "Hurry up. When we go back, help with the cleaning of the house. The Hu family will come in some time."

Li Qinghe didn't reply to her. She wanted to scare Mrs. Qian and asked her, "Where did Aunt Qian go so early in the morning?"

When Mrs. Qian heard her question, she was startled. She smiled reluctantly and hurried her steps unnaturally, "I washed clothes yesterday, and when I got back, I found one piece of cloth missing. So I went to the river bank to find it."

Li Qinghe asked in a curious tone,"Have you found it?"

"Several people came and went there yesterday. This must have been taken by someone. How could I possibly find it?" Mrs. Qian replied, shaking her head.

As they approached the house, Mrs. Qian became calmer and calmer.

After entering the courtyard, they saw Li Fu had already gotten up and washed. When he saw them enter the door, he asked, "Where did you both go?"

Although it was just a casual sentence, Li Qinghe saw Mrs. Qian squeezed her hand in an instant from the corner of her eye.

"I went to return the shoe samples." Li Qinghe approached near the water tank and fetched water to wash.

"Clean up the yard. Are you waiting for the Hu family to arrive and see our dirty yard?" Li Fu asked without further ado.

When the in-laws come to visit, one is certainly more polite to them than to ordinary guests. As there are many people in the family, it wasn't Li Qinghe's turn to clean, and also they didn't have many brooms.

The sun gradually rose, but no one appeared at the door. Zhao Wanwan initially sat in the house with restraint, peered out the window periodically, then she gradually ran to the yard to look at the road outside a few times, and eventually stood at the door.

Ms. Qian was also pleased in the beginning, but gradually became suspicious. The expression on Li Fu's face was also not very good. "The Hu family said they would come today?"

"Yes," Mrs. Qian said in a determined tone, "Wanwan and Qinghe should have heard it too, right?"

Zhao Wanwan lowered her head and nodded haphazardly.

There is no doubt that Li Qinghe was the least affected. After eating breakfast, as usual, she decided that if the Hu family did not come, she would go feed the fish first, then she would avoid coming home.

I can't go to the pond in this scorching hot sun, can I?

Gradually the sun was less scorching and sitting under the eaves, Li Qinghe was getting impatient, stood up and walked out to the yard.

Li Fu was pacing in circles in the yard. When he saw that she was going out, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to feed the fish." Li Qinghe said casually.

Li Fu followed her out, "I'll accompany you."

Mrs. Qian was anxious and said, "What if someone comes in a while..."

In response, Li Fu waved his hand and said, "It's just feeding the fish. I won't get dirty, and we'll be back soon. Don't be too nervous."

The father and daughter opened the yard's gate and were about to leave when they saw a group of people coming from the village entrance, and Li Fu's frowning eyebrows instantly relaxed, "They're here."

Mrs. Qian heard him and came over hurriedly in a few steps, "Really? Where are they?"

With a smile on her face, Zhao Wanwan opened the curtain and went into the room.

At the door, Li Qinghe awaited the arrival of Mrs. Hu and greeted her warmly, then went to the pond with the excuse of feeding the fish.

After she finished feeding the fish, she passed by the Zhou family's house on her way home. She saw Zhou Chengkang beating wheat there. She didn't see him when she was going to the fish pond earlier.

Zhou Chengkang also noticed her and dropped the wheat stalks in his hand, walking to the yard's gate, "Qinghe, did you go to feed the fish? Would you like to come in and sit down?"

From inside the door, Ms. Zhou poked her head out and said, "Qinghe, come in and sit."

Li Qinghe smiled as she entered the house. In her past life, Zhou Chengkang built a wooden house in front of her grave and rarely left the house. She only knew of that Zhou family house.

Mother Zhou hurriedly greeted, "Qinghe, sit here." She shouted again, "Little girl, hurry up and bring tea. Your sister Qinghe is here."

It appears that no one else is in the house except these three. The Zhou family's younger sister has a shy personality. When she poured Li Qinghe her tea, she warmly greeted her and stopped talking. When she saw Li Qinghe and Mrs. Zhou talking to each other, she smiled slightly.

In addition, Mrs. Zhou took out some melon seeds and offered them to her, "I heard that the Hu family will be coming today?"

Li Qinghe thanked her and replied, "Yes, they arrived before I left."

Mrs. Zhou smiled. "That's good."

The house is tidy, but the things are outdated. Li Qinghe glanced around the house as she entered it just now, and she immediately recognized Zhou's house layout was the same as her own.

There are two main rooms and a small room in the house. This is not a small layout, it would be enough for the Li family, but not for the Zhou family...

Afterward, Mrs. Zhou told her, "I plan to sell the grain after it is dried, then build two rooms first."

It didn't matter to Li Qinghe. She has some silver left over, so she can just choose a place near the pond and build herself a house. She has never considered relying on others. However, It is difficult to answer Mrs. Zhou. After all, she is just a daughter-in-law who hasn't married yet.

After sitting for a while, Li Qinghe planned to get up and leave. By now, the Hu family should also have left. In fact, she came in mainly to observe the atmosphere in Zhou's family. She was relieved to see that the environment was so clean. It doesn't matter if they are poor, she just fears them being lazy.

A person rushed in as she was about to say goodbye. The door curtain near the entrance was opened, "Mother, give me some silver, Hai Yao is very fond of the bracelet. I want to buy it for her."

He then noticed that there was another person in the house. "Li Qinghe?" he asked after looking up and down.    

Since they are unfamiliar with each other, Li Qinghe just nodded in response.

Mrs. Zhou frowned, "I don't have any silver left."  

Zhou Chengcai was very excited, and said immediately, "Mother, Hai Yao likes this bracelet very much. She said that if you buy‌ ‌this‌ ‌bracelet,‌ ‌it‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌considered‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌betrothal‌ ‌gift."

Mrs. Zhou's first thought was that it was improper to discuss this matter in front of Li Qinghe. "We'll talk about the betrothal gift later, why the rush? Qinghe is still here, so what's the use in being so presumptuous?" she said

Li Qinghe got up just in time, "Auntie, I should go back now."

Mrs. Zhou's expression changed slightly, and she tried to keep Li Qinghe for lunch, but Li Qinghe had already left. It was not appropriate for her to listen to a family's private affairs.

 "I will send her back," Zhou Chengkang told his mother. 

Mrs. Zhou glared at Zhou Chengcai bitterly and said in a low voice, "Please explain to her and don't let her be angry."  

Zhou Chengkang smiled, "Don't worry, Qinghe isn't stingy." 

Li Qinghe walked quickly out of the door, not hearing Zhou Chengkang's words behind her. Zhou Chengkang rushed out and caught up to her after walking for a while, "Qinghe, I'll see you off"

"I only have to walk a few steps, so what's the point of sending?" Li Qinghe waved her hand, "You're so busy right now, hurry up and go back."

Zhou Chengkang did not turn around and continued to walk with her. "That won't work. My mother asked me to send you home and also explain to you that my third brother's fiancée is really spoiled."

Raising her eyebrow, Li Qinghe asked, "I assume your family doesn't think we should give in to her just because she's spoiled?"

It isn't a good type of thinking, and she won't give in to anyone.

"Of course not!" Zhou Chengkang said righteously. "You are the only person in this world who can make me retreat."

Li Qinghe chuckled, "Don't be poor, go back and work."

Upon returning home, she found that the Hu family hadn't left yet. In the living room, the atmosphere is not right. It's a little silent, and there's no celebratory ambiance.

 Li Qinghe didn't go in and went straight back to her room. Following that, she finished sewing the little work left to do on Zhou Chengkang's clothes.

She heard Li Fu speaking in a calm voice, "Qinghe is my daughter, and Wanwan is also my daughter. I will give as much dowry as the betrothal gift. If you want me to add more dowry for Wanwan, I'll add it to Qinghe too. In my family, I work alone and barely make ends meet. These dowries... are hard for me to afford. I can't marry both my daughters at the same time, how will my family afford this?"

Still talking about the dowry.

Previous Next