Chapter 36: Both Cheap and Loving
"Erlang, where is your elder brother?" Qin Yao asked doubtfully.
Erlang had already washed his hands and was scooping water for Sanlang and Si Niang to wash. Hearing this, he replied, "Still catching fish in the river."
Qin Yao asked curiously, "Did they catch any fish today?"
Si Niang rushed to say: "Big brother didn't catch him, but uncle and brother Jinbao did!"
Qin Yao raised her eyebrows. So Dalang didn't plan to go home for dinner until he caught some fish?
Just when she was about to go to the river to call the child back, he came back by himself.
In his hand, he still held the branch that Qin Yao had made for him, but his hand was empty, without any sign of the fish.
"Dad, Auntie." Dalang called people listlessly, placed the branch carefully under the eaves, washed his hands dejectedly, and then went into the house to eat.
Liu Ji poked Dalang's arm with his chopsticks in a gloating manner, "What's the matter? Didn't you catch any fish?"
"Si Niang said that Liu Fei and Jin Bao were both caught. Aren't you two together? Since you didn't catch any, why didn't they give you one? Are you just going to come back empty-handed?"
Dalang was already unhappy because he didn't catch any fish. After hearing what his father said, he became even more silent.
Liu Ji wanted to say more, but Qin Yao's gloomy eyes swept over him, and he shut up and picked up some food to eat.
Qin Yao said to Da Lang, "If you can't catch him today, try again tomorrow. You will catch him eventually. Don't worry."
Dalang raised his head from the bowl, looked at her with his black and white eyes, and nodded.
There was no meat tonight. I don't know where Liu Ji went to buy eggs, but he fried a plate of eggs and cooked a bowl of vegetables.
Not to mention the appearance, Qin Yao was already thankful that the food was just the right amount of saltiness.
Judging from the meals Liu Ji prepared these two days, this guy can't cook at all!
But people can learn even if they don't know how.
So, after the meal, Qin Yao made some suggestions and requirements on Liu Ji's cooking skills over the past two days, hoping that he could continue to improve.
She spoke in a pleasant manner, but in her hand she was wiping a short knife that had not been used for several days and was a little dusty.
How could Liu Ji dare to say no?
I could only say repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, my lady, you are right!"
After Dalang and his two sisters finished washing and went back to sleep, Qin Yao came to the stove and said to Liu Ji who was applying medicine on his face:
"Come with me to Xiahe Village tomorrow and buy some tiles."
There was no light outside the house, and the night in the countryside was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of you. A person suddenly appeared behind him, and Liu Ji was so scared that he almost stuck the medicine in his hand into his nostrils.
He turned around suddenly and saw that it was Qin Yao. He breathed a sigh of relief and said flatteringly, "My lady, you are so silent that you scare people to death."
Qin Yao left after she finished speaking, not even bothering to glance at him.
Liu Ji snorted at the departing figure, but immediately became worried about tomorrow's lunch.
Now that they are all gone, who will prepare lunch for the helpers?
Qin Yao had arranged this matter long ago. When she went to the village to buy wood in the afternoon, she stopped by the old house and asked her sister-in-law He to prepare lunch.
Although He had not dealt with Qin Yao much, she never suffered any loss every time she dealt with Qin Yao, so she gladly agreed.
The next morning.
After eating the tasteless noodle dumpling soup prepared by Liu Ji for breakfast, Qin Yao separately served the food for lunch and placed it on the stove. She instructed Dalang and Erlang, locked the door of the main house, and took a short knife for self-defense and headed for Xiahe Village.
Liu Ji has always been a person who can't sit still. He's been feeling suffocated staying in the village these days.
I can go out today, and even if I have to follow that evil woman Qin Yao, I can't help but feel excited.
Maybe because Qin Yao saw how bad his cooking was these past two days, she didn't do anything to him.
Liu Ji became bolder and talked a lot along the way.
"Madam, why do you always carry this broken knife?"
"My lady, you are naturally beautiful. This knife is simply not worthy of your temperament."
Qin Yao ignored it.
"Madam, I heard from Dalang and the others that you hunted a black bear in the mountains last time. You sold the bear for a lot of silver, right? About a hundred taels?"
"But it's all my fault. If you hadn't paid off my debt, you wouldn't have to take the risk of going into the mountains..."
Qin Yao still ignored it.
It was not until Liu Ji had been talking for an hour and had no intention of stopping that Qin Yao glanced at him irritably and asked, "Can't you just shut up?"
Liu Ji immediately pursed his lips.
The wound on his face healed quickly, and now only a little blue mark remained.
His hair was tied up on top of his head with a burning branch, and the ends of his hair that couldn't be tied up were scattered randomly to the side. He looked sloppy and nonchalant, and his demeanor made him look a bit ruffian.
However, this kind of ruffian is not ruthless and careless, but rather inexperienced and timid.
It's obvious at first glance that he has a unclear understanding of himself and thinks he has superior temperament and unparalleled handsomeness.
"Let me ask you, do they all say that you are good-looking?" Qin Yao asked.
Liu Ji immediately laughed and asked in surprise, "Madam, how did you know?"
Did they finally realize how good-looking he was and decided to treat him well?
Qin Yao sneered and said with certainty, "They are flattering you to death."
Liu Ji: "."
"Hurry up!" Qin Yao urged coldly.
Liu Ji hurriedly followed with resentment.
She was definitely jealous, jealous of his beauty!
Qin Yao suddenly remembered something and pointed at his face, "Why did Lin Erbao only hit you in the face? What did you do during the days you were taken away?"
Mother-in-law Zhang said that Lin Erbao didn't care about his life and only sent people to work in the mine to pay off his debts. Logically speaking, there was no reason for Liu Ji to be beaten into a pig's head.
Unexpectedly, she would suddenly ask this question. Liu Ji's expression froze and he said perfunctorily,
"They are jealous of my handsome appearance."
Because this face was so attractive to women, the young girls and wives in the mine would send him delicious food from time to time, and the supervisor's wife would even ask the supervisor to assign him some easy work to do.
Don't you think these men must be mad?
They were worried that their wives' spirits would be taken away, so they drove him down from the mine.
Poor thing, he did nothing but talk to the women and make the girls and young wives giggle, but these men couldn't tolerate him.
Sure enough, when men get jealous, they are much crazier than women!
Thinking of this, Liu Ji spat at the bushes beside him, as if he was spitting at the faces of those ugly men in the mine.
Qin Yao glanced at the angry Liu Ji suspiciously, "Are you sure you didn't do anything?"
Liu Ji's face is indeed very good-looking, but his temperament is too poor and he is completely unable to arouse jealousy.
Liu Ji puffed out his chest confidently, "Of course!"
Qin Yao twitched her lips, and she believed it reluctantly.
As they were talking, they arrived at Xiahe Village.
Liu Ji was very attentive. He took the initiative to talk to the villagers, asked for the specific direction of the tile kiln, and enthusiastically led Qin Yao there.
There must be something wrong when something is abnormal. Qin Yao has never seen him so active when cooking.
Sure enough, as soon as she arrived at the tile kiln and saw the charming proprietress, Qin Yao understood.
As soon as he saw the proprietress, Liu Ji started saying nice things to her as if they were free, calling her "little sister-in-law" all the time.
The proprietress felt offended at first, but when she looked up and saw how good-looking he was, she, who was always a bit aggressive, couldn't help but feel a little shy.
Seeing Liu Ji reaching out his claws to touch other people's hands, Qin Yao's slap came quickly and fiercely!
"Pa!" There was a crisp sound, and just hearing the force, everyone around couldn't help but tremble.
Liu Ji held the back of his hand which was rapidly becoming red and swollen, and gritted his teeth to hold back the tears that were brewing in his eyes due to the pain.
He quietly retreated behind Qin Yao.
Look up at the sky and take a deep breath.
(End of this chapter)