Green Lotus Peasant Girl

87

When Li Qinghe went into the kitchen to put the buns, she saw that the kitchen was very clean. It was even cleaner than when they were all at home and took care of it before. Even the firewood for the stove was piled neatly in front of it.

The woman was standing still in her place and didn't move. Li Qinghe went around the house to the backyard. Li Fu was digging in the backyard. When he saw her, he put aside his shovel and said, "I want to see my grandchild!."

He bent over a bit to reach the same level of the baby’s height and began teasing him playfully. Li Qinghe often brought him along to visit her father, and since they frequently met and interacted with each other, they both became closer and familiar to each other. Seeing the familiar warm face, the little boy giggled, which made Li Fu overjoyed, "You recognize me! Do you want me to carry you?"

It really was just a rhetorical question. Though he really wanted to carry his grandson, he was covered in dirt. He was satisfied by the fact that he recognized him as a close person. Li Qinghe looked at his smiling face and asked, "Father, who is that person outside?"

"You saw her?" He sighed and continued, "Her surname is Liu and she is from Liu Village. She is your eldest aunt's aunt. She also had a hard life. Her husband passed away and she lived with her daughter. When your eldest aunt went to visit her, she found that they were on the verge of being homeless. When she returned she had a talk with your grandparents, who then visited here to talk to me. They said if someone lived with me, they would feel reassured."

"I have made so many decisions that I have regretted so far in my life. I've been unfilial to my parents, unfaithful to my wife, and unkind to my children... I just wish to be worthy of someone. So I just asked her to come and have a look. So today, she came for the first time, and insisted on working for me. We were not familiar with each other, and I felt a bit awkward, so I hid in the backyard to plant."

Then again, she didn't expect that this woman was someone Li Kui found for his son as a partner. Looking at her cleaning skills in the yard and kitchen, and the washing of clothes, she was indeed a very diligent person. It was very likely that she would take good care of Li Fu.

When she came back to the front yard again, Mrs. Liu rubbed her hands together with great restraint and smiled at her hesitantly.

Li Qinghe smiled back, then went to her home with the baby.

Later in the afternoon, her grandmother and Mrs. Liu visited her house.

Since she was Li Kui's grandchild, he treated her well, and every time she asked for their help, they were happy to help her. Especially Li Kui, who would refuse to accept the wage and would only settle by eating the meals. He basically worked for her for free.

Therefore, Li Qinghe also respected her grandmother. Occasionally, when she fished to sell, she would ask Zhou Chengkang to send one to them. When the sweet potatoes were harvested, she requested Li Xingwang to bring some back to their family.

Her grandmother was also from Liu Village. Lui Village was close to the town and was small, so there were quite a lot of girls from Lui Village who married the families in Wang Village.

Mrs. Quan was a strong woman. Though she occasionally quarreled with the eldest aunt Li, in general, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law used to get along pretty well. After entering the courtyard and scanning it, she was quite satisfied, "I like how neatly this house is tidied up."

After taking a seat, Mrs. Quan said, "I'm here today because of your father. On New Year's Day, I asked your brother to invite him, but your father won't come, and when I came to visit him myself......" She wiped the nonexistent tears off of her face, "There were only two dishes on the table, the house looked cold and deserted. He was drinking alone and the food ran cold. Qinghe, you are also a mother, if your son were to like this..." She patted her chest and said, "I'm heartbroken! That Mrs. Qian is very vicious. She's a demon. If she really wished to live a good life with your father, I wouldn’t have said anything, but she is a lousy character. I could see it even before their marriage. Whether it was going up to the mountains to chop firewood or mow the grass, it was always your father who did all the work in the name of helping her. It was at that time, I foresaw that this marriage would not be a success. If it did, your father would have to take care of her for the rest of his life!"