Luo Yingshu walked over and took Li Chuchu's hand, acting very affectionate. "Come on over and join us for dinner! Our Xiaocheng brought back a few packs of local specialties this time when he went to teach in another place. You've never been out of Ningcheng, so you must have never tasted them. Come and have a try quickly."
Her husband was teaching in another place and had brought back local specialties from there.
The superiority in her tone was almost overflowing. She was eagerly looking forward to seeing Li Chuchu's envious and jealous look.
However, Li Chuchu just glanced at the table and politely pushed her hand away. "No, thanks. I've already had lunch outside."
There were two plates of pitch - black plain stinky tofu without any seasonings. It didn't look appetizing at all.
Luo Yingshu stopped in her tracks, and an indescribable expression flashed across her face.
It seemed a mix of disdain and jealousy.
Which daughter - in - law didn't cook at home? Why did Li Chuchu get to eat out every day? Eating out on an ordinary day, she must be a spendthrift on a daily basis!
Marrying such a lazy daughter - in - law was really bad luck.
Her words immediately turned sour, and her tone was full of discontent. "Oh, we invited you to dinner yesterday, but you didn't take it seriously. You made us wait for you for a long time. You've really changed since you've made some money. You can afford to eat out in restaurants now."
Li Chuchu was a bit amused. She didn't understand why having a meal outside had made Luo Yingshu so resentful. She was just about to retort when Aunt Wang, sensing the awkward atmosphere, quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Since you're already here, come and sit down. You don't have to eat. Let's just sit and chat."
Uncle Li had been looking around just now, wondering why Chuchu hadn't come.
Unexpectedly, he spotted her just then.
Delighted, he greeted her. "Chuchu's back? Do you want to come and have something to eat with us?"
Sister Ge also smiled when she saw Li Chuchu. "You're the only one missing. Even if you've eaten, come and chat with us. Let's liven things up."
Luo Yingshu was a terrible person, but these neighbors were all nice. Li Chuchu had to swallow back the words she wanted to retort with.
She had already eaten, so she didn't need to take advantage of Luo Yingshu. Moreover, she was holding two dishes in her hands. These dishes would go bad if she left them at home and couldn't finish them. It would be better to let everyone have a taste.
Li Chuchu readily agreed. "Sure. I just brought back two dishes from the state - run restaurant. Let's all have a taste."
Hearing this, the others at the table couldn't help but glance in Li Chuchu's direction.
What kind of dishes were they?
Judging from the way they were tightly wrapped in lotus leaves, they must be some fancy dishes, right?
As the lotus leaves were peeled off layer by layer,
Uncle Li burst out laughing and slapped his thigh when he saw what was inside. "Hahaha, I was just thinking about the braised pork you made last time while I was drinking. I didn't expect to have it now."
Aunt Li glared at Uncle Li. This old fool only knew how to eat! He looked like he had never eaten before in someone else's house.
He must have been a starving ghost in his previous life. He had never suffered from a lack of food in this life!
She turned to Li Chuchu and said, "Oh, these things aren't cheap, are they? You should take them back and wait for Shen Yanshan to come back and eat. We're all full. We don't need these."
Seeing Li Chuchu take out the meat, Sister Ge also felt a bit embarrassed. It seemed as if they had invited Li Chuchu just for the meat in her hands.
"Yeah, Chuchu. We've almost finished eating. You should take it back."
Li Chuchu knew exactly what the neighbors meant. Although life was a bit more stable now, everyone still lacked some fatty foods in their diet.
Of course they wanted to eat!
She said generously,
"Come on, I can't finish all this meat today. It'll definitely go bad if I leave it until tomorrow at this temperature. It's better for us to share it. Don't be polite."
Li Chuchu directly unwrapped the two lotus - leaf packages. The aroma of the roast duck and osmanthus - flavored braised pork instantly filled the air and made everyone at the table drool.
The two kids stared longingly at the roast duck.
They were at the age when they craved meat. They couldn't take their eyes off it.
Li Chuchu didn't hold back at all. She directly broke off two duck legs, one for Xiaojun and one for Xiaohu.
"Here, eat up. Don't be shy."
Sister Ge felt a bit embarrassed and said to Xiaojun, "Xiaojun, Mom has taught you. What do you say when someone gives you something nice?"
Xiaojun politely said "Thank you" to Li Chuchu.
Xiaohu couldn't wait to take a big bite. His mouth was full of oil.
He didn't even notice that his mom was glaring at him so hard that her eyes were about to pop out.
After hearing Xiaojun say thank you, Xiaohu stopped for a moment. He quickly swallowed the duck leg in his mouth, then looked up and politely said "Thank you" to Li Chuchu.
This whole act almost drove his mom crazy.
She slaved away every day to cook for him, but he never thought to say thank you to her!
Luo Yingshu saw Li Chuchu dressed in a bright and beautiful way, while she herself was wearing a dirty apron, bustling around, sweating all over and looking a complete mess.
A sudden sense of meaninglessness welled up in her heart.
This feeling made her even more anxious and irritable.
Li Chuchu was surprised that Xiaohu had become so polite. She thought that Luo Yingshu definitely couldn't have taught him this. Maybe it was Liu Xiaocheng who had taught him.
This kid was teachable.
Only good kids got duck legs.
Li Chuchu noticed a teenage girl at the table. She hadn't seen her much before. The girl was wearing an old, patched linen dress. Her head was bowed, and she didn't dare to look at anyone. She seemed very introverted.
Li Chuchu casually broke off two duck wings for her. "Little girl, eat more."
Fang Ting looked up at Li Chuchu, feeling extremely flattered.
Was there a share for her too?
The two duck wings looked even bigger than the duck legs. Shouldn't these be left for her younger brother?
She said very softly, "Thank you, sister. But you should leave these for my younger brother. I don't need to eat." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"No need. They have drumsticks. These are for you."
Li Chuchu thought it was strange. Why was this girl so modest?
Sister Ge explained, "This girl lives next door to me. She's very sensible. She helps take care of her younger brother at home every day. Her parents and younger brother went out today. I saw her alone at home, so I invited her to come and have dinner with us."
Was it that the child was sensible, or that the adults were too "unreasonable"? There was no need to say more. It would make the child feel embarrassed if said in front of her.
But just from this, one could tell how deeply ingrained this family's idea of favoring sons over daughters was.
Sister Ge had always been kind to this little girl. Now she gently persuaded her, "Xiaofang, eat. This was specially left for you by sister."
Fang Ting's eyes lit up slightly. Listening to Aunt Ge's words, she lowered her head and took small bites.
She looked extremely satisfied.
After the kids had their share, the adults didn't hold back either.
Uncle Li couldn't wait to pick up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks.
As soon as the meat entered his mouth, his eyes closed in enjoyment.
The meat smelled so good!