Chapter 71 – Hardworking
Seeing that Li Man’s wasn’t showing any reaction, the other three men went back to resentfully looking at Li Shu. Why was it him? No one would have expected that the first person that their wife would like would be their third brother, ah.
Li Shu was elated. He had noticed that his wife had been frequently sneaking glances of him during the past few days. And today, she had even given him her cornmeal pancake. She was clearly indicating that she liked him.
Awesome!
Seeing that Li Shu looked smug enough that if he had a tail, it would be raised high up in the sky, Li Mo admonished in a heavy tone, “Eat your breakfast properly. Once you’re done, we’re going to the fields today.”
“Ah?” Li Shu swallowed the piece of cornmeal pancake in his mouth and discontentedly said, “Wouldn’t it be enough if second brother and fourth brother went with you? I’m going to help wife feed the animals and tidy up the courtyard after breakfast.”
“Your second brother will naturally come along too, but fourth brother still has studying to do, so don’t think involving him. Come on, eat faster.” Li Mo was the first one to finish breakfast. After he put down his bowl and left the kitchen, he went to the eastern hut and took out hoes and other tools. He used a whetstone to sharpen them up again while he was waiting.
Li Shu looked a bit miserable. He secretly grumbled to himself that oldest brother was doing this because he felt jealous and didn’t want him to spend more time with their wife.
After Li Yan finished eating, he stood up and patted Li Shu’s shoulder. Smiling, he said, “Third brother, eat faster. We’ll need to plow both of the fields today.”
“Oh.” Although Li Shu was feeling reluctant, he still ate faster. He understood that in his family, only him and oldest brother were capable of real manual labor. Second brother could help out in numbers. As for his fourth brother, he had been a quiet kid. He was good at studying, but as for manual labor… Anyways, he had three older brothers, so doing manual labor didn’t need to fall on his shoulders.
After everyone finished breakfast, Li Mo and two of his younger brothers left to go work in the fields.
Li Man mixed the leaves from the wild plants and wheat bran together to make slop and fed the two piglets. She also combined the leftover scraps of the wild plants into the leftover congee and had Little Five feeds the chicks with it. Then, she went back into the kitchen to tidy up the bowls and chopsticks.
“Let me help you.”
Li Man was startled by Li Hua’s voice. She hadn’t noticed that he had come back into the kitchen.
Li Hua quickly gathered up the bowls and chopsticks on the table and placed them inside a large pot. After scooping out some clean water, he picked up a dishrag and start washing the dishes.
Li Man was startled by the sight and stood the side. “Eh? Shouldn’t you be studying?”
“It’s fine if I take a break from it.” Li Hua turned his head and lightly smiled at her before continuing to meticulously wash the dishes. Once everything was washed, he scooped out more water from the large water jar and rinsed everything. Then, he neatly put everything away into a cabinet.
After scrubbing the pot clean, Li Hua wrung the dishwashing rag to remove excess water and used it to wipe the table and stove clean.
Watching from the side, Li Man thought that Li Hua was even more meticulous with cleaning than herself. She also thought that with him here, her presence was superfluous, so she wanted to go back to her hut and take out yesterday’s clothes to wash.
Seeing that she had turned around and was walking out, Li Hua dropped the dishwashing rag and chased after her, “Don’t leave.”
“Huh?” Li Man stopped at the doorway and turned her head back to look at him.
Perhaps, it was because he was feeling eager, so Li Hua’s face was slightly red. “I… I have something that I want to say to you.”
“Ah?” Li Man suddenly felt a bad premonition. A teenager that was experiencing love for the first time was affectionately looking at her, and his face was flushed in embarrassment. As for what he wanted to say to her, even her toes would be able to guess the correct answer.
“What happened that afternoon, I-”
The image of that kiss flashed through her mind again. Feeling anything but reassured, she quickly interrupted him, “Oh, right. Do you guys have any clothes that you want washed? Bring them all out. I’ll wash all of it together.”
After saying this, she hastily exited the kitchen and disappeared in a flash to hide in her hut.
