Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44: Zhou Lian Delivers a Meal
Li Xiu had no idea what Sun Ershan and his wife were saying behind his back when he got home. Even if he had known, he would’ve just laughed it off. ’Who doesn’t talk about others behind their back, and who isn’t talked about in turn?’ He’d just let them say what they would.
He gently woke Zhou Lian and helped her wash up. After the couple finished their meal, he washed some fruit for her and had her sit aside to watch. Then, he started preparing the half-roasted suckling pig, scoring the skin, sprinkling on more seasoning, and letting it continue to roast slowly over a low flame.
"Bao’er, during the wheat harvest, I can just take some dry rations to the fields. You make sure to eat well at home," Li Xiu said, not pausing in his work.
"Oh, don’t you worry about me. The harvest work is so heavy. If you don’t eat properly on top of that, your body won’t be able to take it. I’m fine, and my morning sickness isn’t severe. It’s just a matter of one lunch. I’ll bring it to you at the edge of the field. Besides," Zhou Lian retorted, nibbling on a sour apricot, "I need to get out and move around a bit. Otherwise, once this busy season is over, a whole bunch of aunties will come over to see how I’m doing."
’Everyone in the village knew how things worked. If she didn’t show her face, people would be too busy to bother her during the harvest. But once it was over, she’d have nothing to do but stay home all day entertaining visitors who wanted to check on her. Most of the women in the village would probably show up. Not to mention, all the grandmas and aunts in the family would come to watch over her every day. It was better to just go with the flow and avoid being treated as an exception.’
Li Xiu paused. He’d forgotten about that. ’The old women in the village are not an easy bunch to deal with. It’s not that my wife can’t get along with them, it’s just so exhausting and troublesome.’ "Bao’er, I’ll listen to you. We’ll do whatever you say!"
Seeing his eager-to-please expression, Zhou Lian smiled. "Alright, I’ll make you something delicious."
"No, Bao’er! The cooking fumes might make you sick. I’ll get up early, make the food, and leave it in the pot. The weather’s hot now, so it won’t get cold. You can just bring it to the edge of the field," Li Xiu quickly refused. ’Are you kidding me?’ he thought. ’Her morning sickness isn’t bad right now, but what if the cooking fumes trigger it? I’d be kicking myself, and it’d be too late for regrets!’
"I’m not that fragile. It’s fine, so don’t you worry about it. If you keep nagging, I’m going to get angry!" Zhou Lian said, glaring at him. ’The harvest is exhausting enough. If he has to get up even earlier, he’ll never make it to noon. Every year, people collapse from exhaustion in the fields!’
Seeing his wife glaring, Li Xiu didn’t dare to object. ’I’ll deal with it when the time comes. No point in making her angry now.’ "Alright, whatever Bao’er says!"
Around noon, the suckling pig was finally roasted. The aroma made Zhou Lian’s mouth water. Li Xiu smiled and tore off a leg for her to gnaw on. While it was still warm, he chopped the rest of the piglet into small pieces. Once they cooled, he wrapped them in oil paper to save as snacks for his wife.
The days of the wheat harvest were scorching hot. Zhou Lian would make mung bean soup, cool it down in the well water, then add rock sugar and pour it into a flask for Li Xiu to take to the fields. She prepared a feast for him: steamed buns filled with pork and green onions, smashed cucumber salad with chili oil, a broth made from pork leg bones with baby bok choy, pickled bamboo shoots, wild pickled peppers, and a few pickled wild eggs.
When Zhou Lian delivered the meal to the edge of the field, the others working nearby were overcome with envy. After all, no one was particularly well-off, especially in the countryside where everyone scrimped and saved on food and clothing.
Hearing the ceaseless murmurs, the people from the old family home stared at each other in consternation. ’That’s some incredible food! And meat is so hard to come by these days, yet he’s making meat-filled buns with white flour!’ Li Hua and his brothers lowered their heads to hide the resentment on their faces. ’He’s eating meat but doesn’t even think of his family. He sends some to Grandma, but not to his own home. Our eldest brother is such an ungrateful wretch, and that sister-in-law of ours is no good either!’
Li Xiu’s heart swelled with warmth as he ate the meal his wife had brought. ’She dotes on me so much, and she made all my favorite dishes.’ But he also knew that this display had drawn the wrong kind of attention. He knew better than anyone what his younger brothers were like. They didn’t dare confront him directly, but they were certainly bold enough to cause trouble for his wife behind his back.
’Those brainless fools would even dare to lay a hand on my wife when I’m not around. It happened in my past life. I caught them in the act and gave them a thorough beating. They didn’t dare try anything after that. But now, they haven’t been taught that lesson yet. They’re still capable of doing something that stupid!’
After he finished eating and rested for a bit, he packed everything back into the basket and handed it to Zhou Lian. "Honey, it’s too hot. You should head back now."
Zhou Lian nodded. "Alright. The flask is full of mung bean soup, and there’s another big pot of it cooling at home for you. Don’t be afraid to drink it all!" Only after seeing Li Xiu smile and agree did she pick up the basket and head for home.
After watching Zhou Lian leave, Li Xiu turned and found Li Guo. He murmured a few words to him before heading back to work. ’It would be best if what happened in my past life doesn’t repeat itself. Otherwise, I’ll make Li Hua and his brothers understand exactly where my limits are.’
For the next few days of the harvest, Li Xiu’s meals were the talk of the village. Zhou Lian became the paragon of a good wife; after all, what other woman doted on her husband enough to come up with a different, delicious menu for him every single day?
Grandma Li was gratified when she heard the news. ’My eldest grandson’s hard times are finally over,’ she thought. ’With a wife who knows how to care for him like that, he’ll live a very good life.’
When the wheat harvest ended, the confrontation Li Xiu had been expecting hadn’t occurred. But he remained vigilant. ’Those idiots aren’t the type to think about consequences. They’re bound to cause trouble sooner or later.’
While the rest of the village was buzzing with excitement over the bumper harvest, a somber silence had fallen over Eldest Li’s house due to a piece of news they’d received. Their daughter Li Hua’s prospective sister-in-law’s son had passed away. ’If we agree to the wedding date they proposed, how incredibly awkward would that be!’ It wasn’t that they lacked sympathy for the child’s family, but this was supposed to be the most important day of Li Hua’s life. Starting her new life at her in-laws’ home under such circumstances would be terribly uncomfortable.
After a long silence, Grandma Li finally spoke. "Alright. In a couple of days, have her eldest cousin go with her to visit her future in-laws."
Aunt Li snapped out of her daze and picked up where her mother-in-law left off. "Okay. We’ll have to trouble her eldest cousin to make the trip. Thank goodness for him. I was about to agree to the date, since they’ve already been engaged for two years."
"We’re all family, it’s no trouble at all. He’s just looking out for his younger cousin. You know what he’s like," Grandma Li said dismissively. ’My eldest grandson is the most loyal person I know. It’s not just that he and his cousin have always been close; even if they weren’t, he would never stand by and do nothing when it comes to family.’
"Mother," Eldest Li said, tapping his pipe on the sole of his shoe, "you and my wife should go have a word with Second Brother’s family in the next day or two. Li Guo, Li He, and Li Miao have been watching their boys for over a week now. Li Xiu must have told them to. I’m sure those kids are planning some kind of trouble. My nephew doesn’t do things for no reason."
"What is it? Is Second Brother’s wife causing trouble again?!" Aunt Li yelled angrily. ’Why can’t that woman ever learn? Li Xiu’s life is just starting to get better, and she has to stir things up. If she weren’t his own mother, Li Xiu would make her life a living hell.’
Eldest Li smiled at his wife’s agitation and shook his head. "It’s not Second Brother’s wife, it’s those four boys of his. Third Brother’s son and two daughters have been keeping an eye on them for over a week now. Their eldest cousin must have asked them to, I just don’t know why."
Grandma Li smiled. "Everyone, stay out of this. I’ve noticed it too. Their eldest cousin definitely has a plan. Let the brothers resolve it amongst themselves. He knows what he’s doing. Let him vent his anger. If he’s forced to bottle it up, he’s liable to cause a scene that will be difficult to clean up. Just watch and don’t interfere. Third Brother and his wife must have known about this for a while. See? They haven’t come to us about it, have they?"
That morning, Li Xiu brought Zhou Lian to Eldest Li’s house. He was getting ready to accompany his cousin, Li Hua, on a trip to her future in-laws’ home. Everyone in the village knew he was going, which meant his brother, Li Hua, and the others certainly knew as well. It was the perfect opportunity. However, he didn’t plan to let things escalate today. He was afraid that if he miscalculated and his wife got hurt, he would regret it for the rest of his life. But alas, the best-laid plans often go awry, and things rarely go exactly as one wishes.
Not long after Li Xiu and his cousin Li Hua had left, Li Xin arrived at Eldest Li’s house. She found Zhou Lian and told her there was a family matter, asking her to come to the old family home for a moment.
Zhou Lian looked at the floor-gazing Li Xin and gave a cryptic smile. "It’s no use asking me, whatever it is. Your older brother makes all the decisions in our house. My opinion doesn’t count."
Li Xin snapped her head up and glared. "So what if you can’t make decisions? Can’t you at least go see Mom and Dad? You don’t even visit your own parents-in-law! What kind of a daughter-in-law are you?!"
