Chapter 224: Fuming With Rage
Luo Zhi’er’s family of three was eating when Old Li Tou came back.
With a “thud,” he put down the hoe, entered the main hall, and came out shortly after, his old face dark as he sat under the big tree sulking…
Luo Zhi’er gave Li Sanmao a look, “What’s wrong with Dad, why is he fuming?”
“Wife, you eat first, I’ll go check, okay?”
Li Sanmao was a bit worried his wife wouldn’t like him caring about Old Li Tou.
“Go ahead, why even tell me? Right, on the way ask Dad if Mom’s food is ready. If not, come over here to eat.”
“Okay!”
Old Li Tou came back and first ran to the kitchen to look—cold stove and empty pots.
The food was made, but it was just dark corn paste.
Some pickled shredded radish with a bit of salt, he had no appetite at all.
He looked around and saw that the mother and daughter had already eaten.
He hadn’t even reached the doorway of the inner room when Zhou Shi was still humming and lying on the bed.
As he got closer, her moaning got louder and louder…
Fifth Brother had the doors and windows tightly closed and hadn’t gotten up.
It was from seeing two empty bowls on the cutting board, with scraps at the bottom still greasy…
Humph! This old woman was really too much. It looked like the mother and daughter had secretly fried and eaten eggs behind his back again.
Treating him, the laborer head of the house, like that.
The old one pretending to be sick, the young one pretending to be dejected, but they hadn’t skipped a single bite of food!
And they still wanted to eat good stuff.
He glared across—the doors of Eldest Son’s Family and Second Son’s Family were tightly shut. It was mealtime now, probably they were eating too.
Li Sanmao’s family of three was getting along harmoniously, picking food for each other.
Sitting there, he didn’t know what they were eating, swallowed some saliva.
“Dad, are you okay?”
Old Li Tou was clutching his stomach, fuming in his mind, when Li Sanmao came over, his burly figure blocking the light above his head.
“Humph! What’s wrong with me? Nothing.”
His face ashen, he even resented Li Sanmao too.
Old Li Tou opened his mouth, clearly missing a front tooth, which Li Sanmao saw clearly and was stunned!
“Dad, did you fall? How come your tooth…”
Got knocked out?
“I’m old and useless. Who knew eating a radish would knock out my tooth too!”
Old Li Tou said grumpily.
He raised his hand to touch it, a bit unaccustomed, whistling wind!
So that’s how it was—no fall, good. Li Sanmao didn’t know how to comfort him. People get old, teeth falling out is natural law.
“Oh, Dad, why didn’t Mom come out this morning?”
“Weren’t you home? Your mom has back pain, and you didn’t even ask.”
Old Li Tou’s words carried a complaint, though he knew the old woman was faking illness.
But he still hoped Li Sanmao could care more about us two elders—this was good for them, no harm.
“It’s son’s fault. Was too busy in the morning. Is your food ready?”
Li Sanmao knew Zhou Shi’s back pain was a chronic issue for years, nothing serious. He paused and asked again—after all, it was Dad.
“Food is ready, but… Dad… nothing tastes good in my mouth, don’t want to eat seeing anything.”
Li Sanmao understood—probably Mom made that old kind of corn paste congee again.
Not to mention Dad—now his stomach was spoiled by his wife, no appetite even after work.
Mom too—his wife had bought so much rice flour and oil, and meat, all taken by her, and she didn’t say to use it to cook for Dad.
“Like that, huh. Dad, Miaomiao’s mother made congee with soy milk this morning. You’ve been busy all morning, drinking some is good for the stomach!”
Old Li Tou glanced toward Luo Zhi’er, wanting to see her attitude.
They’d already divided the family, and on just the second day, going to his house to eat—wasn’t that giving people something to gossip about?
He even took a jug of wine from them yesterday.
“Is there Dad’s share?”
“Dad, look at you saying that.”
Luo Zhi’er understood and immediately called loudly to Old Li Tou, “Yes, Dad, come sit, I’ll go serve you food right now.”
“Hey!”
Old Li Tou’s expression softened a bit, he got up, and walked over with Li Sanmao one behind the other, and sat down.
Miaomiao also greeted Old Li Tou, and after greeting, she lowered her head and obediently ate.
Miaomiao this girl was fair and clean, polite and well-mannered—Luo Zhi’er taught her well.
Sigh, lived to this age, for son for daughter, only Li Sanmao, the child he had wronged, truly cared about him when things happened.
And his wife—though the past few days gave him a bad experience, his old face was a bit embarrassed, he even let Li Sanmao beat her!
Zhou Shi perked up her ears listening to the movement outside, seemed to hear Li Sanmao’s voice, quickly got up and climbed to the window to look.
Thinking of yesterday Third Family went to town, didn’t know what good things they bought…
Humph! This old thing! Surely ditched her again to eat the good stuff and drink the spicy!
Mad half to death!
Thinking, she immediately got up, rolled out, grabbed a wooden stick in the kitchen, hunched over and went out the main hall door.
“Ouch, ouch!”
Wailed for a while, looked up and saw those few people not even looking her way…
Immediately shrilled her voice and started cursing,
“Old man, you heartless thing, you’re eating the good stuff and drinking the spicy, leaving my old bones unattended!”
Old Li Tou had just taken a sip of sweet soy milk congee, extremely satisfied.
Then saw the old woman with a face full of cheek fat come out, jumping and questioning him.
Face ashen, anger bursting out.
“What good stuff and spicy? Just a mouthful of congee. Don’t you know what things you gave to Third Family?”
Of course she knew—when they came back from the prison cell, everything at home was scraped up by her.
But that didn’t guarantee they didn’t buy something yesterday and hide it.
“You tell me, you two mother and daughter behind my back, weren’t you eating good stuff and drinking spicy?”
Zhou Shi’s old face reddened, “No such thing?”
“Humph! Whether or not, you know in your heart. Too lazy to argue with you.”
“Old man, my back hurts, you don’t even get me something to nourish…”
“You bounce around all day, sun’s up high and still sleeping—how not back pain? Since back hurts, lie back on your bed. Get up when you’ve slept enough. Don’t eat this food anymore, out of sight out of mind.”
“You!”
Zhou Shi really didn’t expect this old thing to give her no face at all in front of the juniors.
Before he even cooperated with her, now he picked at her nose and eyes!
“Want to eat, then act normal. Get your precious son Li Gui up for me, go till the field this afternoon! Do what you should do. Day by day, no work then drink northwest wind?”
Zhou Shi felt aggrieved, leaning on the stick went back to the room.
In the afternoon, Old Li Tou still went up the slope alone, Li Gui whined about leg pain.
“Scared by Third Sister-in-law or something!” Zhou Shi wailed a bit but couldn’t get him up, Old Li Tou was extremely depressed.
Listening to Zhou Shi’s wailing curses, even more irritated in his heart.
Really regretted to death—Fifth Brother was just a useless Ah Dou!
After eating, Luo Zhi’er started making tofu. Li Sanmao went to their own paddy field—that ruined acre of summer beans still needed repairing.
The paddy field allotted to his family was the worst, most barren edge of home’s farmland.
The fertile ones were basically still under Old Li Tou and Fifth Brother.
Wife did it this way to successfully divide the family. Speaking of it, with just this bit of farmland, he still had to go implement remedial measures.
