Green Lotus Peasant Girl

73

They didn't talk about it any further and soon got busy again. They quickly took the prepared gifts and went back to Li's house. On the first day of the first lunar month, it was a custom for the married daughter to go back to her parent's house for lunch. When they arrived, Zhao Wanwan and Mrs. Qian were cooking in the kitchen.

Zhou Chengkang went to talk to Li Fu. After the New Year, when the weather turned better, it was time for spring plowing. The father-in-law and sons-in-law were talking among themselves.

In fact, Li Fu was more fond of Zhou Chengkang, the son-in-law from a farmer's family, than the son-in-law who would be a scholar in the future. The Zhou couple had sincere feelings for him. Throughout the year, Li Qinghe and Zhou Chengkang brought him a lot of meat and vegetables, helped him with his work, and took him to live with them. There was no shortage of gifts for the New Year and festivals from them. The shirt he was wearing today was also from the fabric they sent him. It was said if the daughter was still filial after marriage, it was because they found a good son-in-law, who was also filial.

As for Hu Yanxi, he lived with Li Fu for half a year last year, and no matter what festival it was, he never gifted Li Fu anything. He only started to work during the autumn harvest after Li Fu forced him to do it. The little work he did, was not something Li Fu appreciated. In fact, after getting along for a long time, scholars were just like ordinary people; nothing special. Especially today, on the first day of the new year, the two of them went back yesterday morning to Hu's, and they came back this morning empty-handed.

Although Li Fu didn't want their gifts, it would still be disappointing if he didn't receive anything.

Secondly, no matter how Li Fu treated Zhao Wanwan as his biological daughter, in terms of blood relationships, there was some difference. There was also the fact that he and Zhou Chengkang shared a great deal in common, so they had something in common to discuss. Whatever the subject was, they could talk together about it, whether it was about the crops in the fields, feeding pigs and chickens, or climbing mountains to chop wood. While with Hu Yanxi, he usually had cold conversations. Even after living together for nearly a year, the amount of time they talked was less when even compared to occasional talks with Zhou Chengkang.

Li Qinghe went to the kitchen and helped with the cooking. Mrs. Qian had changed a lot recently; her hands were much rougher, and her face was darker. Seeing her come in, she smiled and said, "The meal will be ready soon."

The mother and daughter were talking happily, but as soon as Li Qinghe entered, the atmosphere was obviously colder, "Sister, I heard Sister Yu is going to build a house behind yours and will be your neighbor?"

Li Qinghe nodded, "That's true."

"Before, I used to think Yu Yan was cheap and what kind of a person would she want to marry into her family, but I didn't expect her to actually… " Looking very displeased, Mrs. Qian shook her head and said, "What's wrong with Laixing? Okay? Why does she think he isn't good for her? She shouldn't bully poor young people, else will regret it in the future."

Li Qinghe doesn't like to hear this. It was true that studying was the best way out to have a better future, but the investment was too big. He must go to the county to study, and moving there will take him a full day and night. At least the county wasn't so far from their village. Unlike the capital, going there for an examination would have taken at least a month to get back and forth, and would be extremely expensive.

And traveling on the road was not necessarily safe. If they wanted to live in a safe and quiet environment, it was best to live in the village.

Yu Yan's origin was a mystery. At first glance, one could tell that she was from a county and her embroidery skills weren't something girls from ordinary families could learn. How could she marry a man who was not even a scholar? Not to mention that this man's heart was not insincere to her, so it was even more impossible.