Zhang Ben's face became hot, and he hurriedly blocked the way, "Don't."
There is a difference between men and women, Li Xiangcao forgot about it in a hurry just now, now she is also embarrassed to be stopped by him, and hurriedly said, "Then sit down for a while, I will ask An Zi to ask the doctor to take a look at it for you."
"No need." In a hurry, Zhang Ben stretched out his hand to grab her wrist, and Li Xiangcao immediately froze.
Zhang Ben let go of her hand in a panic, Li Xiangcao turned around and ran out.
Thinking that she was looking for a doctor, Zhang Ben hurriedly got up, but he felt pain in his leg, he groaned again, fell to sit down, and yelled a knife.
Sure enough, Li Xiangcao stopped at the door, looked back at him leaning on the big table with a painful expression, angry and anxious, "Why are you getting up again?"
"Don't go." Zhang Ben resisted the pain from his leg and said suddenly.
Li Xiangcao frowned, "But doesn't your leg hurt?"
"It's not a problem. I just fell down and it won't hurt in a while." These days, I lived and boarded at Li's house, and the money for asking the doctor to buy medicine was also paid by Li's family. Zhang Ben was very grateful and also felt very grateful. There is pressure, and I don't want to trouble others because of a little pain.
Seeing that he persisted, Li Xiangcao asked worriedly, "Are you really all right?"
"En." Zhang Ben nodded, smiled, and looked at her silly.
Li Xiangcao turned her face away and didn't look at him, "The food is ready, you can eat by yourself, I, go to my eldest sister's."
"Don't go." Zhang Ben wanted to get up again, but Li Xiangcao stood still helplessly, "Don't move around." Afterwards, thinking that it was not easy for him to get up and serve the food by himself, she kindly helped him bring the food to the table.
During the Chinese New Year, the food at home is very good, basically there is meat in every meal. Last night, there was only one piece of freshly cooked fish left. At noon, Li Xiangcao heated up, fried a bowl of vegetarian dishes, and cooked a small pot of rice. She knew that Zhang Ben had a big appetite, so these should be enough.
After the food was set, Li Xiangcao said, "Eat first, put the bowls and chopsticks here after eating." She still wanted to leave, there was no one at home, the two of them were alone, she always felt weird, but she hadn't taken a step yet , and suddenly thought, he has to move after eating, maybe he has to go back to his room to rest, can his leg still walk
She hesitated.
After such a hesitant moment, Zhang Ben stretched out his hand to her, but he only dared to tug on her sleeve lightly, and said in a low voice, "You can eat with me too." He wanted to let her eat with him, but this I didn't dare to say it, so I had to change it in this euphemistic way.
Li Xiangcao glanced at him, her eyes slowly fell on his hand that was pulling her sleeve, and she frowned slightly.
When Zhang Ben noticed it, he withdrew his hand, "Little... vanilla."
Little vanilla? Li Xiangcao's cheeks turned red, and she glared at him, "Don't yell." It's fine to call her sister-in-law, but now she is still calling her by her first name, with small characters in front of her, what should I do if people can hear her
Turning around and walking to the pot, she filled a bowl of rice for herself, sat across from Zhang Ben, and began to eat slowly.
For her action, Zhang Ben was in a daze, and then he was elated. She stayed and didn't leave him to run away. It's great.
"Come, eat fish." He took the initiative to put a piece of fish belly meat into her bowl.
Li Xiangcao looked at the fish in the bowl, her eyebrows frowned even tighter, and then returned the fish to his bowl, "I don't like to eat the meat on my stomach."
"Why? This meat is delicious, and it hasn't been stabbed yet," Zhang Ben said.
"I just don't like it." Li Xiangcao didn't even raise her head, she just let out a muffled snort, and then picked some meat from the back of the fish with chopsticks.
Zhang Ben saw it, and immediately said courteously, "I'll come."
He moved so fast that he quickly picked up the piece of fish that Li Xiangcao originally wanted, put it into his own bowl, and thoughtfully removed the fishbone before giving it to Li Xiangcao.
But Li Xiangcao picked up the bowl and turned away, "Eat it yourself, I can make it myself if I want to eat it."
"Well, this one is ready, without thorns." Zhang Ben didn't seem to notice the refusal in her words, he only thought that she was being polite, straightened his upper body a little, stretched his arms, and took the boned fish in a daze. Put it into her bowl, and then look at her froze expression, showing an innocent smile.
"Eat it, it will be cold in a while."
After finishing speaking, he lowered his head and slammed the rice, burying all his emotions at the bottom of the bowl.
Yes, he was nervous, his hands holding the chopsticks were trembling nervously, his heart seemed to have a little rabbit in his chest, and it was about to pop out of his chest.
what to do? She won't be angry, will she? Are you going to ignore him again
But after waiting for a while, there was no movement, Zhang Ben quietly pressed down the bowl, peeked at the opposite side, and saw that Li Xiangcao was eating slowly, there was no fish in the bowl, I don't know if she threw it away or have eaten
However, seeing her calm face, he was a little surprised and pleasantly surprised.
When I'm in a good mood, my appetite gets better. I didn't eat a bite of food, but I ate up a bowl of rice.
Seeing that the bottom of his bowl was empty, Li Xiangcao stretched out her hand.
"What?" Zhang Ben was taken aback.
Li Xiangcao didn't look at him, just took his bowl, filled another bowl for him, put it in front of him, then sat down and continued to eat her own meal.
But even so, it was enough for Zhang Ben. There was only the two of them at a dining table. She ate very slowly, but she looked so pretty.
Finally unable to stand his silly gaze, Li Xiangcao put the whole fish head, which she dared not eat, into his bowl, "Eat!"
"Oh, good." She picked up food for herself, and it was such a big piece of delicious fish head, which is great. tangp>
Zhang Ben couldn't close his mouth with a smile. Li Xiangcao looked puzzled, speeded up, tried hard to eat a bowl of rice, then put down the bowl and chopsticks, "Eat quickly, call me when you're done."
After speaking, she got up to leave.
"Where are you going?" Zhang Ben also put down the bowl and chopsticks.
Li Xiangcao frowned, "I'm done eating, go back to the room first, you can eat slowly."
After finishing speaking, regardless of the eyes he wanted to keep, she strode out. The atmosphere in the kitchen was too suffocating. She had never felt that it was so difficult to eat a meal.
Back in the room, Li Xiangcao lay down on the quilt, wrapped her face in the warm quilt, and felt the heat spread from her cheeks all the way to her whole body.
She is someone who has experienced it, and she is very clear about Zhang Ben's thoughts on her.
But how is this possible? She has married someone once, and he is so much younger than herself—
Well, she can't think about anything, even if she is not small.
Li Xiangcao shook her head violently a few times, and decided to treat him like an elder. After a while, she calmed down before she opened the door and went out.
In the kitchen, without Li Xiangcao, Zhang Benshi didn't know the taste, and when Li Xiangcao came back, he didn't seem to move a few chopsticks in the bowl.
"Full?" Li Xiangcao asked suspiciously.
Zhang Ben turned around and saw Li Xiangcao standing beside him, surprised, "Vanilla?"
"Let's call her Xiaogu." After getting used to this address, Vanilla is really awkward.
Zhang Ben smiled, "It's not my real sister-in-law, I have taken advantage of it for so long, I can't."
"Then don't call me by my name." Li Xiangcao said.
"What's the name?" Zhang Ben asked.
Li Xiangcao, "... let's eat first."
"Oh." She couldn't figure it out, so he continued to call Vanilla.
She watched from the side, and the food he ate was much more delicious. After a while, a bowl of rice was ready again.
"anything else?"
Zhang Ben's food is almost ready, but as soon as he says it's finished, will she leave
"More." So, he resolutely passed the bowl out again.
Li Xiangcao had no doubts about this. It is normal for the man in the family, even Xiao Wu, to have three bowls of rice, so she took the bowl and filled another bowl full for him.
Zhang Ben's hair was full of black lines, he looked at the rice crust on the bowl, thinking that she must have given him all the contents in the bowl, if she finished eating, she would have to leave again
"Is it cold? Why don't you eat it?" Seeing him staring blankly at the rice, Li Xiangcao asked suspiciously.
"No." Zhang Ben raised his head and gave her a flattering smile, then took a big mouthful of rice.
Li Xiangcao suddenly felt that his appearance was quite funny, and the corners of her mouth raised unconsciously, pointing to the dishes on the table, "Just eat up the two bowls of dishes like this, don't leave any left over."
"Oh." Zhang should have said, but he ate slowly.
Li Xiangcao looked at it and gradually frowned again, "What's wrong? It's not delicious?" Seeing him chopping up the rice like that before, it seemed like he had been hungry for a few days.
"It's delicious." Zhang Ben said, and took the food slowly, chewing and swallowing slowly.
"Then you? Eat so slowly." Li Xiangcao was a little dissatisfied. Could it be that she was allowed to eat with him all the time
Looking at his complexion again, he seemed to have improved a lot, she asked tentatively, "Does your leg still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Afraid that she would be worried, he said hastily, while lifting the injured leg and moving it a few times to prove his words.
Li Xiangcao believed a little bit, and also smiled, "Then can I go?"
"Well, no problem." Zhang Ben said.
"That's good." Li Xiangcao suppressed her smile and got up, "Go back to the house and rest by yourself after eating. I'll go to the old house to have a look. Just leave the dishes and chopsticks there, and I'll wash them when I come back."
"Ah?" Zhang Ben turned his face, and just wanted to say that his legs seemed to be hurting again, but Li Xiangcao had already stepped out of the door, hearing the cries behind him as if he hadn't heard, and quickly left the yard.
—
In the old house, Tian Ningying happened to be cooking lunch in the newly renovated kitchen.
After the thirty-first day of the new year, on the first day of the new year, under the orders of Li Xiangyu, the two men of Tian's family began to repair the collapsed kitchen. After spending two days, they finally cleaned it up and repaired the pot and stove. Barely able to cook.
Li Xiangyu was determined not to eat at the new house, so Li Mo brought over the daily rice noodles, and the Tian family temporarily settled down at the old house.
"Auntie, are you here?" Tian Ningying came out of the kitchen with cooked noodles, just in time to see Li Xiangcao entering the yard.
Li Xiangcao nodded and asked with a smile, "What delicious food did Yingzi cook? You can smell it from afar."
Tian Ningying smiled heartily, "I rolled the noodles myself, auntie, I'll serve you a bowl to try later, this is for my mother."
"I've eaten it." Li Xiangcao came over and took the bowl from her hand, "You go and eat it, I'll send it to the elder sister."
At this time, in the kitchen, two men from Tian's family also came out, greeted Li Xiangcao, brought their own rice bowls, and squatted in the yard to eat noodles.
Li Xiangyu now lives in the bedroom that Li Man used to live in, and the layout of the room is the same as before, simple but clean.
"Sister, come, let's eat noodles." As soon as he entered the room, he saw Li Xiangyu leaning on the kang with a sullen expression on his face. Li Xiangcao said with a loud voice on purpose, "This is made by Yingzi himself. Try it quickly, it's delicious." Very much."
It is said that
It was made by her daughter herself. Li Xiangyu's face was slightly moved. She took the bowl and asked, "Have you eaten?"
"Yeah." Li Xiangcao nodded, "Sister, are you feeling better? After dinner, I'll accompany you down the kang for a walk, it's not good to always lie down like this."
She could tell that there was nothing serious about Li Xiangyu's body, but she was afraid that something was wrong with her heart.
Li Xiangyu just ate the noodles silently and didn't reply.
Li Xiangcao looked at her distressedly, and persuaded, "Don't be sad, things have already happened, what can we do? After the first month is over, let Anzi go to the Yamen to ask, then the Zhao family can't do anything except the county Wherever you go, you will definitely be able to catch it back."
Li Xiangyu still didn't say a word, and Li Xiangcao didn't speak either.
After waiting for Li Xiangyu to finish eating, Li Xiangcao took the empty bowl, "I'll fill another bowl for you."
"I'm full." Li Xiangyu wiped her mouth with her hand and said, "Put down the bowl, I have something to ask you."
"What?" Li Xiangcao complied.
"Our family lives here, so she has nothing to say?" Li Xiangyu asked.
Li Xiangcao was taken aback, "What?" But she quickly understood what she meant, and was speechless, "Sister, what do you want me to say about you? Man'er is not such a stingy person."
Li Xiangyu pursed her lips and snorted softly, "I'm not you, she is generous to you, but to me, she hates me."
"Why do you hate you?" Li Xiangcao asked bluntly, wanting to hear her answer.
Li Xiangyu gave her a white look, "I have a natural problem with her."
"It's because you have a prejudice against her and want to bully her everywhere, so people don't want to see you." Seeing her vague answer, Li Xiangcao answered her sharply.
Li Xiangyu curled her lips, "I was also angry at that time, you said, none of the brothers mentioned such a big event as getting a wife to us."
"Just because of this, you took all your anger on Man'er?" Li Xiangcao asked dissatisfied.
"I didn't do anything to her, I just couldn't get used to her. When I saw her, I would think of..." Li Xiangyu couldn't continue, her voice choked.
But Li Xiangcao understood, "Sister, how many years have passed since my sister-in-law's incident. Now, Man'er and his family are doing well. You can just watch them from the sidelines. Why worry so much? It takes a lot of effort." Unpleasant things, are you interested?"
Li Xiangyu gritted her teeth, unwilling, but found that her sister's words were completely correct, and she had no way to refute, so she fell silent.
"Sister, to be honest, it's Man'er. If it were someone else, it might not be able to do this." Seeing her moved, Li Xiangcao persuaded her softly, "Think about it, how many times have you humiliated her? Bring the family surnamed Zhao. Sister, tell me the truth, then Zhao Yuner, do you want her to enter the Li family's door?"
Li Xiangyu's face turned pale, "I... I thought that child was fine at first."
"Okay, can I send it to Li's family? Don't you know that Li and his brothers have Li Man? Have you thought about Man'er's feelings when you do this?" Li Xiangcao still felt nervous when she thought of this. very.
"Didn't you go in?" Li Xiangyu also regretted it, never thought that Zhao Yun'er would be such a person.
"But if you have such an idea, it will hurt Man'er, sister, you are also a woman, how can you do this kind of thing, in front of her, trying to push other women to her husbands." Li Xiangcao Speaking of this, I feel empathy, my eyes are red, and I am extremely wronged.
"I, I... I'm not doing it for the boss and the others? They are just such a daughter-in-law. I'm afraid that I won't serve you well, I'm afraid..."
"Anyway, this is your fault, it's... so immoral," Li Xiangcao was very serious about this kind of thing, seeing that the eldest sister was still arguing, she scolded directly, "Eldest sister, that is, you are my eldest sister, I just put up with you this time, otherwise, I don’t even want to recognize you. What’s more, what about Man’er and the others? What is she thinking, but since they have kept you, you have to know the favor, even if you don't pay it back, but you can't be like the Zhao family, ungrateful and repay the favor, right?"
After saying these words, Li Xiangyu's face turned blue and white, "You, how can you say that? Your eldest sister, why did I become such a person?"
"Nothing is the best. In the future, if you dare to hurt Man'er even a little bit, I will be the first to deny you. Li Mo and the others will definitely not recognize you again. Think about it yourself." Li Xiangcao wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, Airway on one side.
Knowing that her sister was really angry, Li Xiangyu felt uncomfortable, but she also softened, "You girl, look at me sick and have no strength, what are you talking about?"
"Eldest sister, be well in the future." Li Xiangcao held her hand and said almost pleadingly.
Although the matter of brother and sister-in-law has passed for many years, she doesn't want to see such a tragedy again. Besides, how good the Li family is now, needless to say, seeing Li Mo and his husband and wife are in harmony, it is very happy.
She is a woman who has lost her happiness, but she is also willing to watch others be happy. In that way, she will still feel that even if there is harm, life can still be so beautiful, and she has the hope and courage to continue living.
Li Xiangyu stared at her fixedly, with mixed feelings in her heart, and finally turned into a long sigh, "I heard from Yingzi, you have been helping that child make quilts and clothes recently, how are you getting ready?"
When Li Xiangcao heard this, she felt relieved. My sister was softening in disguise, so she smiled and said, "I'm poor in craftsmanship. Besides, you know that I don't have children, and I don't know what to do with the children's clothes. I made some casually, I'll bring them over later, and you can help me take a look."
"Yeah." Li Xiangyu nodded, thinking of the two children in Li Man's belly, her heart softened. No matter what, the Li family has a queen, and the brothers and sisters-in-law under the nine springs should also rest in peace.
—
On the Li family's side, the sisters finally untied the knot in their hearts.
On Zhang's side, in the back garden, a wonderful classic play of Wu Song fighting the tiger was being performed on the stage. The eyes of several men stared at it, and they all said it was beautiful.
Li Man was very clear about the plot of the whole story, so she lost some interest and only talked with Mrs. Zhang.
As the weather got warmer, Mrs. Zhang's body and bones seemed to be stronger than before, and her speech was full of air.
Li Man was thinking about whether the old lady had any secret recipes for recuperating her body, but she finally understood the reason for her spirit after what old lady Zhang said.
This is the so-called refreshing spirit on happy occasions.
It turned out that Zhang Jing, the only grandson of the old lady, finally found a good match for life, and it was decided after the two parties exchanged notes and chose a good day.
"Whose family's daughter?" Even though she didn't recognize her, Li Man couldn't help but gossip, wondering if it was one of the girls she saw in the garden before
The old lady smiled and said, "She is the second daughter of the Wang family in the capital."
"The Wang family in the capital?" How many people surnamed Wang are there in the capital
"Oh, they also do silk and satin business. Of course, they also do other things. The business is very good, and they are well-known in the capital." The old lady explained simply.
Li Man nodded. The merchant's family is a good match with the Zhang family, but I don't know what kind of girl a dude like Zhang Jing likes.
Just as she was thinking about it, old lady Zhang suddenly came close to her ear and murmured, "However, I see that girl looks a bit like you."
"Ah?" Li Man was taken aback, looking at Mrs. Zhang, it must be a joke.
The old lady Zhang smiled helplessly, "I was also shocked when I first saw that girl, but when I get down to the details, well, apart from her appearance somewhat similar to yours, her temperament is completely different."