Green Lotus Peasant Girl

25

Chapter 25: The Hu Family

Soon, the three of them arrived at the Li family’s house. When Li Fu reached the entrance door, he said to Mrs. Qian, “Prepare dinner.”

“Didn’t you just eat it earlier?” asked Mrs. Qian, coming out of the house.

As Zhou Chengkang was watching them, Li Fu did not like being refuted and immediately reprimanded Mrs. Qian, “If I say it, you should just do it.”

Mrs. Qian saw Zhou Chengkang standing next to Li Fu and realized the dinner was for him.

With a smile, she said to Zhou Chengkang “Fourth child, thank you for your help. Did you eat your dinner? You don’t have to be polite, come inside the house, Aunt will specially cook dinner for you.”

A smile appeared on the face of Zhou Chengkang when he glanced at Li Qinghe.

He declined the invitation, saying, “No, my sister prepared dinner for me earlier. When I arrive home, she will set the table for me.”

After he finished speaking, he turned and left. Li Fu called out his name twice, but Zhou Changkang had already gone far so he couldn’t hear Li Fu’s call behind him.

As Li Fu turned around, he met Mrs. Qian’s gaze. His expression showed his disappointment in her. Without saying a word, he walked to the well and fetched a bucket of water, and went to the bathroom.

Mrs. Qian tried to talk to him several times, but Li Fu ignored her. After a few failed attempts, Mrs. Qian also stopped talking.

Li Qinghe raised her eyebrows and went to boil water in the kitchen.

Zhao Wanwan was still washing dishes inside the kitchen. She smiled when she saw Li Qinghe entering the door and greeted her, “Did brother Chengkang come?”

Li Qinghe nodded, “Yes, he helped us carry two bundles of wheat stalks.”

Then the kitchen became quiet. The sisters were bonding well a few days ago, but now their relationship seems to have cooled off due to the marriage matter.

From the outside, they could hear Mrs. Qian’s aggrieved voice, saying, “I just made a casual comment, but before I could say what I meant, he had already left. How can you blame me? I’ll go make dinner for him and ask Qinghe to invite him now.”

Mrs. Qian entered the kitchen and shook Li Qinghe's hand hard, “Go and ask him over for dinner. Otherwise, your father will talk about it endlessly. He will never be denied a meal by the Li family, and I will prepare it for him.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke, showing that she had been wronged.

Li Qinghe stood up and carried a hot water basin and walked to the bathroom. Outside, she saw Li Fu standing with a sullen expression.

Mrs. Qian didn’t let the matter slide and said loudly from the kitchen, “ Qinghe, go and invite the fourth child to eat!”

Li Qinghe scoffed, “He doesn’t lack food. Since you said you’d prepare a special dinner just for him, how can he have the heart to stay here and eat?”

Zhou Chengkang had not intended to dine at their house and Li Fu must have just asked him out of politeness, but Mrs. Qian said the word ‘specially’ meaning that our family had already eaten dinner and now she’ll cook a meal again for him. The tone of her words sounded overly polite and deliberate.

After Li Qinghe finished speaking, she ignored the two of them and walked to the bathroom.

Li Fu’s sulky voice could be heard outside. “Tomorrow you’ll come with me to the farm.”