The Liu family's daughter - in - law watched Shen Yanshan walk into the house as if he hadn't heard a thing. She snorted, looking skyward: "What a good - for - nothing man. If it were in my family, when faced with such an unchaste woman, I'd surely grab Li Chuchu and give her a good beating."
The words annoyed Li Chuchu. She retorted without hesitation, "When people talk, you interrupt like a dog. When others fart, you show your teeth. It's not even food for your family. Why are you so worked up?"
The Liu family's daughter - in - law was taken aback by the retort.
Her face turned first green, then white.
Aunt Wang beside them laughed so hard that she almost fell over. Usually, this daughter - in - law of the Shen family was so meek. How come she suddenly spoke up today?
Li Chuchu quickly slipped into the house.
The house wasn't very big and was divided into two rooms. The inner one was Shen Yanshan's bedroom.
He suffered from neurasthenia and couldn't stand the slightest sound when sleeping. Sometimes he even had to wear earplugs.
The wooden door was slightly ajar and was blown open a bit by the wind.
By chance, Li Chuchu peeked through the narrow gap and saw Shen Yanshan changing clothes inside.
The light in the room was dim. She couldn't see Shen Yanshan's back clearly, but the more than a hundred watches lying conspicuously on the bed were shining brightly in the dark room.
The craftsmanship of the watches in this era was surprisingly delicate. The watch faces were so shiny that when laid on the bed, they looked like a bed full of glittering gems.
Wow! So many watches?
Li Chuchu's eyes popped out.
She guessed that any one of these watches would cost several hundred yuan in the department store. Didn't that mean it was like having tens of thousands of yuan on the move?
It was like having a small courtyard house on the move!
The old, dilapidated door was blown a bit more by the wind and made a "creak" sound.
Hearing the sound behind him, Shen Yanshan quickly put on his clothes. He turned around and stared at Li Chuchu with a somewhat fierce look in his eyes.
Li Chuchu was startled and quickly averted her gaze, pretending she hadn't seen anything.
But her palms were already sweating nervously.
She had planned to cling to the villain's thigh, but unexpectedly, she accidentally discovered the big shot's secret. Wouldn't she be killed to keep her quiet on the first day of her time - travel just because she knew too much?
She didn't want to be buried alive!
The early - summer evening breeze carried a chill. The old banyan tree in the courtyard rustled in the wind. The tiles on the roof were moved by a wild cat, making a hoarse sound.
There were faint sounds of people having dinner next door and across the way, but their room was eerily quiet.
Li Chuchu felt extremely uncomfortable, her heart in turmoil.
Shen Yanshan came out of the room with a gloomy face. The danger in his eyes was palpable.
Previously, Li Chuchu had hated him to the core and wished to treat him as if he didn't exist. He never expected that Li Chuchu would peek into his room today, let alone that the shabby door would be blown open by the wind.
It was really strange.
Shen Yanshan felt irritated.
The goods were due for delivery in a couple of days. This woman mustn't cause any trouble for him.
He said coldly, "Don't enter my room. Don't touch things you shouldn't."
Shen Yanshan was extremely tall. When he stood at the door of the room, the whole house seemed to become much more cramped. He looked down at her with an expression that was a mix of threat and sarcasm.
In Li Chuchu's eyes, it was probably both.
"I know. I didn't see anything,"
she quickly stood up and raised her finger to show her loyalty.
Her beautiful eyes widened slightly, showing a pure and innocent look. She seemed so naive, like someone who hadn't been beaten by society. The oil lamp in the room wasn't very bright, but in the dim light, she was incredibly beautiful.
But Shen Yanshan already knew the true nature of the woman in front of him. She was both self - abased and sensitive, suspicious and cowardly. There was no way she could have such an expression on her face.
Shen Yanshan said nothing. His cold gaze was like a sharp ice blade, scrutinizing her.
He still remembered two days before he left for the south.
He had no money at that time and couldn't give her any living expenses. She went crazy at home, shouting and making a big scene. The hatred in her eyes was palpable.
She always resented him for holding her back.
What did this expression mean today?
...
"Erm... Are you hungry now?"
Li Chuchu touched her nose and gave an embarrassed but flattering smile.
She held the stainless - steel lunch box and said sincerely, "I'll heat up the lunch from today. We can make do with it for dinner."
Shen Yanshan knew it was the food she had made for that man. Before, he didn't even get a whiff of it, let alone eat it. She always cooked it secretly, avoiding him.
What? For the sake of those watches, was she really going to go to such lengths?
A sneer appeared on Shen Yanshan's lips. "I'm not worthy of such a treat. You can eat it yourself."
With that, he turned around and went into the room.
...
He really put on an intimidating show.
Li Chuchu embarrassedly touched her nose. Well, if he wasn't worthy, then she'd enjoy it herself.
The lunch box was a carefully - prepared love lunch for the male lead. There were also a few pieces of braised pork with a tempting color, seven parts fat and three parts cooked. In the past, the original Li Chuchu might have thought it was too greasy and wouldn't even bother to pick up her chopsticks.
But the original owner's body was malnourished. Just looking at it made her drool.
However, the original owner's cooking skills were mediocre. She just cooked the meat. The color of the meat hadn't even changed. It was really a waste of such good ingredients.
Li Chuchu found some scallions, ginger, and a few small pieces of rock sugar in the cabinet at home.
She threw the rock sugar into the pot and caramelized it. Then she poured the streaky pork from the small box into the pot, coating it with the syrup until it turned an amber color.
The fragrance drifted into the neighbor's house through their wide - open door.
The neighbor's child smelled the sweet aroma and started crying and making a fuss, wanting to eat the meat. So the parents grabbed the child by the ear and scolded him, "All you think about is eating! If you want to eat meat, go and ask for it! See if they won't beat you! Beat you to death, you glutton!"
"I'll teach you not to be so greedy!"
"I'll teach you a lesson, you glutton! Good - for - nothing!"
The child cried loudly, and the scolding was equally loud, as if it was specifically meant for people outside to hear.
There were all kinds of things happening in the big courtyard every day. Li Chuchu pretended not to hear anything.
The tin box didn't look very big, but it could hold quite a lot.
Besides more than half a box of braised pork, there were also some Chinese cabbages and a fried egg.
After heating the food, Li Chuchu scooped up a ladle of water from the wooden bucket beside her, washed the pot and spatula clean, tidied up the stove, and then carried the food back home.
The door was still tightly closed.
The original owner had caused so much trouble that even ghosts would be afraid of her. The bad relationship between her and the villain wasn't something that had developed overnight.
Rome wasn't built in a day. Li Chuchu wasn't in a hurry.
Being too eager would only make people suspect her motives.
Li Chuchu sat at the table and picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.
The meat was as soft as jelly, and the caramelized flavor was sweet. Li Chuchu chewed the braised pork with her cheeks puffed out. She started to think about how to survive in this place.
Shen Yanshan would be wealthy in the future, but that money wasn't hers after all. What would happen later was still unclear.