Chapter 90:
Luo Zhi’er and Miaomiao ran until the afternoon, around two or three o’clock, when Miaomiao’s shoe sole broke again, and the shoe upper also broke.
She used vines to tie it up for her, but it wouldn’t hold for long; after walking not far, it broke again.
After tying it several times in a row, there was really no way, so seeing that the bamboo basket they picked was okay, they went home early.
There seemed to be guests at home!
Old Li Tou and the others had also returned, and there was a noisy commotion at the door, with some people sitting and chatting.
Luo Zhi’er was puzzled; who would come to visit the Old Li Family at this time?
Why had Old Li Tou and the others come back so early?
Her feet unconsciously quickened their pace. Li Sanmao’s expectant gaze looked toward the surrounding mountain, not knowing in which direction his wife and Miaomiao had gone.
He was planning from where to go up to search for them.
From far away, he saw his wife and daughter coming down from the back mountain, just reaching the small bag on that conspicuous slope to the side.
About a hundred or so meters! He hurriedly trotted and climbed up, taking the bamboo basket from her back.
“San Mao, who came to the house?”
“Oh, it’s the matchmaker who came to arrange marriage for Zhenzhu! Matchmaker Wan from the town!”
Someone came to arrange marriage for Zhenzhu? And from the town?
It was a bit unbelievable…
“From the town, is it to arrange marriage for some family in the town?”
Li Sanmao said flatly, “Yeah!”
He didn’t care; it seemed like some master or other!
Luo Zhi’er found it strange; how would people from the town know about Zhenzhu?
But wouldn’t this be just what Zhou Shi wanted??? Conditions in the town were naturally better than in the countryside; no wonder they were entertaining at home, and she could hear people chatting along.
Li Zheng Sen and Zhao Xiaomei had also come!
“That’s right!”
“Oh, that’s good. By the way, San Mao, why did you all come back so early today?”
“We were called back by Zhenzhu in the afternoon; it was Mother who had her call us!”
“She said guests had come to the house and that Dad needed to come back to take charge, and Dad had us come back to advise, and also called Second Uncle over, so we came back early!”
“Oh, like that…”
The little family of three arrived home, and Xiao Zhou Shi had also returned!
Muqing Yunliang and Liuliu were in the yard…
Zhou Shi came out from the kitchen and was pulling green onions in the garden plot. Seeing Luo Zhi’er return, she frowned deeply, her eyes slanted with hateful eyeballs, as if oil would ooze out from the hate.
In her heart, she cursed: “Usually nowhere to be seen, one by one like reincarnated hungry ghosts, just as if they knew there was good food at home, all rushing back chattering to covet that bite of food!”
Her mouth complained:
“Coming back so early, not knowing to carry a bundle of firewood back, just thinking about how to eat, eat, eat!”
She was deeply afraid that Luo Zhi’er and Miaomiao would eat dumplings. She had been hungry for a night, and Zhenzhu had been hungry for several days too; if they didn’t come back, she and her daughter could eat a few more!
But she cursed anyway, deeply afraid of affecting her daughter’s future prospects; for Zhenzhu’s sake, she endured it!
Luo Zhi’er glanced around briefly: a flashy-dressed middle-aged woman around forty, with a big black mole on the right side of her chin, her expression slightly contemptuous, sitting shrilly at the stone table under the big tree chatting with Zhao Xiaomei!
Beside the cover edge sat two unfamiliar big men, resting!
She went back, running down from the slope; those two were still curiously sizing her up, seemingly puzzled by her figure…
Old Li Tou and Li Zheng Sen were listening on the side, smiling along………
Li Zhenzhu had a somewhat shy, proud, and unwilling expression while adding tea and pouring water on the side, acting very virtuous…
On the stone table under the big tree in the yard for cooling off, there were unexpectedly sunflower seeds, candy, and tea!
Li Zhenzhu occasionally handed plates of candy and sunflower seeds to Zhao Xiaomei and Matchmaker Wan to entertain the guests.
No one knew how long Zhou Shi had been saving these; roughly bought during last year’s New Year. Yunliang reached out to grab some, but Li Zhenzhu slapped his hand away!
Today, when Old Li Tou returned, he even had Zhou Shi take silver to the village butcher Zhao’s house to get two liang of pork belly.
He took the wheat from home to the big grinding mill to grind some wheat flour and came back to make dumplings!
This was something hard to eat even during the big New Year; it showed how much they valued this Matchmaker Wan!
Back home kneading dough and making them in the kitchen; Xiao Zhou Shi had also returned early.
She said the sun was too harsh, and Yunliang with a few little kids was a bit heatstruck, so they couldn’t pick acorns and came back!
Now she was also in the kitchen, helping out!
No matter how she hinted openly or covertly that since he was heatstruck, he should go lie down in the house, she was virtuously rolling up her sleeves and insisting on helping!
Zhou Shi didn’t want her help at all; she would rather she hadn’t come back!
But… she had come back, so she could only curse inwardly and endure!
Old Li Tou saw Zhou Shi’s old face turning black in and out, deeply feeling she was ignorant and not presentable!
Not as sensible as Second Sister-in-Law Zhao Xiaomei; though there were some unpleasantness usually, on major matters, she still knew her place!
This was the meaning of a big family twisting into one rope: on major issues of right and wrong, they still had to be united against the outside!
