Seventy-three Happy Sick Leave

Li Wei originally thought she would have to take Li Lin or Wu Feng's car home that night, but unexpectedly, after everyone else had left after practice, Luo Da returned when Li Wei and Wu Feng were locking the door.

Li Wei asked curiously, "Huh? Luo Jianhua, didn't you leave?"

Luo Da's expression remained as uninteresting as ever: "My schoolbag is inside." After saying that, he went inside, took out his schoolbag from the last row of desks, and carried it out.

Li Wei and Wu Feng exchanged glances and asked almost simultaneously, "Where did you go just now?" They were dressed neatly, not like they were going to fight, but their heads and faces were covered in sweat, so they didn't seem to be idle.

Luo Da: "Nothing...Are you coming or not?" He turned around and asked Li Wei, who was dawdling, with a hint of impatience.

Li Wei almost instinctively blurted out, "Whether I leave or not is none of your business... Ah, I'm leaving, I'm leaving now, wait for me a moment, this door is a bit rusty today, it's not easy to lock, it'll be fine soon!" Damn, it seems Luo Da is being kind by offering to give her a ride home, she can't be ungrateful.

Li Wei and Wu Feng tried to fasten the lock, but they couldn't. Just as they were getting impatient, Luo Da came over, grabbed the lock, pinched both ends with two fingers, aligned them with the keyhole, and locked it with a click.

Li Wei is no good at physical work, and if she can't even keep up with her mouth, then she's not fit for the job: "Luo Jianhua, you're really amazing! Wu Feng and I have been fiddling with this for ages, and you just did it with two fingers. You're really something!"

"What a ridiculous situation!" Luo Da was speechless. He felt no joy at being praised. He glanced around and, seeing that there was no one else around besides them, felt relieved; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so embarrassed.

As usual, Li Wei rode in Luo Da's car, while Wu Feng rode her own bike beside her, talking to Li Wei. Li Wei felt that the car was bumping around so much that it was giving her a headache, so she patted Luo Da on the back and said, "Luo Jianhua, ride properly. Why is it so bumpy? It's giving me a headache."

Luo Da glanced at the ground; there weren't any extra pebbles or anything. It was the same as usual. However, Li Wei wasn't usually that delicate, although he did think she was, so he slowed down the car.

Li Wei felt a little better. But even a slight bump in the ride caused her head to throb. Li Wei had a bad feeling. Could she be catching a cold? She took a closer look. Her throat also seemed a bit sore. She had thought it was from talking too much at school, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

Li Wei remembered that yesterday when she was eating at the restaurant with her aunt, her aunt asked the waiter to make a small pot of ginger soup for her and Luo San'er. She also remembered that Luo Da seemed to have drunk a few sips. Looking at Luo Da now, he seemed perfectly fine. Of course, it was also possible that Luo Da only had a slightly wet trouser leg. She wondered how Luo San'er was doing. She asked Luo Da, "Luo Jianhua, is San'er alright? Did he catch a cold or anything last night?"

Luo Da's muffled voice came from behind: "He's fine. He's lively and energetic."

That's good. Don't go out even once. Don't make the child sick. That night, Li Wei endured her headache and finished her homework. She quickly took a paracetamol tablet. This medicine has become a panacea. Adults and children alike, if they have a headache or fever, it usually works immediately.

Li Wei felt unwell all over. She took some pills and crawled into bed to sleep. She didn't even get up when Li Lin called her to eat dinner. Finally, her mother came up and touched her head. She was covered in sweat, but wasn't so hot anymore; her face was still flushed. So, her mother used Li Wei's kitchen to cook some porridge and then forced Li Wei to get up. After she ate a bowl, she was finally allowed to go back to sleep.

The next morning, Li Wei struggled to get up. She felt completely weak. She hadn't slept well the night before; her dreams were all jumbled and disorganized. She didn't want to go to school, but then she remembered she had dance practice in the afternoon. It wouldn't be good if she missed the performance. She forced herself to get up, wash, and eat something.

Cheng Min felt sorry for her daughter: "If you're really not feeling well, just take a day off." After all, the child has taken days off before. It won't interfere with her studies.

Li Lin also said, "Sister, do you need me to ask for a day off for you? If you're practicing dancing tonight... how about... you practice at our place? Anyway, you have a big full-length mirror in your kitchen, which you can use. Besides, Zhou Xiaoyan and the others can see that you're teaching them while you're sick, so don't act like it's your duty, hmph!"

Li Wei was starting to look at Li Lin with new respect. This girl had really grown up! She was already cunning before, but now she was even more so. And most importantly, before, those schemes were only used against her, but now she could actually use them effectively, turning them against a common enemy! She'd made progress!

Li Wei was always fair in her rewards and punishments, and immediately gave Li Lin a big smile: "Good, you really are my dear sister. Come to my room when you're free tonight, and I'll give you one of the things in that big wooden box. You can choose whichever one you like."

Li Lin was overjoyed, her smile widening immediately: "Really, sis, (*^^*) hehe... You have to keep your word. Mom, did you hear that? You're my witness!" She had been eyeing that bracelet inlaid with colorful gemstones and twisted gold wire for a long time, and today she finally had the chance. It seemed she would have to flatter her sister more in the future.

Cheng Min looked at her two daughters, both of whom were so concerned about their appearance, shook her head, and said to Li Wei, "How are you feeling? Should I ask your dad to take you to the clinic to get a shot or something so you can recover faster?"

Li Wei quickly shook her head: "No need, no need, I just caught a bit of a cold. I'll take another pill in a bit and get a good night's sleep. I was feeling groggy and didn't sleep well last night." Going to the clinic for such a minor illness is less effective than getting some sleep at home.

Li Zhaoxing glanced at the children and said, "Don't always think about playing. Focus more on your studies. Things are so good now, so overcome any small difficulties. Don't be so spoiled." He clearly disapproved of Li Wei and Li Lin's petty tricks.

Li Wei and Li Lin exchanged a glance and fell silent. Their father wanted them to be like Li Lianhui, getting up right after a shot and immediately going back to play or go to school – that was what it meant to be carefree, something they couldn't do. Besides, Li Lianhui was as strong as an ox; he rarely got sick.

In the end, Li Wei didn't go to school, and Li Lin assured her that everything would be taken care of.

To Li Wei's surprise, just as she lay down and was about to fall asleep, Luo Da came to find her. She then remembered that she and Luo Da had agreed to walk together every day, but she wasn't allowed to go too early. Since the adults had all gone to work in the backyard, and the two helpers in the front yard didn't know Li Wei's situation, only that she was the boss's child's classmate, they didn't stop him. Luo Da went straight upstairs.

When Li Wei heard the knocking, she thought it was her mother and didn't get up. Not knowing why her mother was being so polite, she weakly called out, "Come in, son."

It turned out to be Luo Da. Without even getting up, he simply told Luo Da, "I'm not going today. I probably have a cold. I've already asked Li Lin to give me a day off. You go by yourself."

Luo Da thought for a moment: "Should we go see Doctor Lin or something?"

Li Wei thought for a while before remembering who Doctor Lin was. Wasn't he that old man who could be both human and beast? Just thinking about it made her uncomfortable, so she turned her back to Luo Da and said, "I'm not going."

I don't know when Luo Da left. Anyway, Li Wei fell asleep quickly.

I woke up feeling refreshed, having slept until noon. I opened my eyes and glanced at the small alarm clock on my bedside table. It was past twelve. I got up and moved around a bit; thankfully, I felt much lighter, though I still felt a little weak, and I was a bit hungry.

Too lazy to go downstairs, I checked my little kitchen and found a thermos on the dining table. Opening it, I saw several small steamed buns on top, each with a bright red top. Just looking at these adorable buns, I knew Grandpa had made them especially for me; the ones sold outside aren't this delicate. A warm feeling washed over me.

Lifting the top layer, the fragrant aroma of chicken soup immediately wafted out, with button mushrooms and red mushrooms floating in the broth—Li Wei's two favorite types of mushrooms. Seeing the mushrooms, and especially the red ones, Li Wei immediately knew that the chicken soup was made by her grandmother.

The mushrooms were bought by Li Wei from the market last winter. She had been eyeing her grandmother's dozen or so old hens and had repeatedly urged her to kill a chicken and stew it with mushrooms, but her grandmother hadn't been willing. She never expected to end up stewing them for herself today. If she had known this would happen, she should have pretended to be sick when she was craving them and used the opportunity to ask for some chicken soup.

Since Li Wei's family moved to a new house, they no longer have any poultry or livestock. Their old yellow dog, which lived in the same place, was also left with her maternal grandmother and has gotten quite old.

Eating steamed buns, drinking chicken soup, munching on mushrooms, and gnawing on chicken legs. Hmm. Li Wei discovered that being sick also had its happy aspects.

Now that he's feeling better, he's started showing off again.

After eating and drinking my fill, I felt a bit stronger, but also quite sweaty and sticky. I took a shower and changed my clothes, feeling much refreshed. Looking at the time, it was still a while before Li Lin and the others got out of school. With nothing to do and no desire to study, I decided to take a stroll around the workshop where my grandfather led the workers. I'd overheard my mother and father talking the other day about how they'd bought two more houses right next to theirs, apparently for an expansion project.

Now, the first floor of Li Wei's house is basically used by a food factory. It's mainly used as a packaging workshop and office for high-end products. Ordinary bread, biscuits, and pastries are all in the large workshop at the back, which is connected to the raw material warehouse and the finished product warehouse. It's a messy place, and the area is more than twice as big as when they first moved in.

Now, Li Zhaoxing is considered a well-known and influential boss in Yangliu Town. Among the newly rich and powerful, his wealth is significantly higher. Last year, the village asked him to be a representative of the town's People's Congress, but he declined.

Li Zhaoxing's underlying message was that his meager wealth was nothing; it would only make him a laughingstock. He would work hard for a few more years...

In any case, everyone with a bit of influence in Yangliu Town knows Li Zhaoxing, and they are all secretly speculating about how much wealth he has.

Li Zhaoxing was also cunning. Although he had an account at the Agricultural Bank of China in town, he deposited most of his income in a bank in the city. Some people knew this, making the exact amount of money in the Li family increasingly mysterious. Anyway, it seemed like they wouldn't be short of money.

Besides his thriving business, Li Zhaoxing was very low-key in his personal life. Apart from his three children and three new bicycles, his only other possession was a small scooter. His clothing and appearance were not particularly outstanding. Apart from the large size of his house and land, his two daughters were quite remarkable, wearing and using high-end clothes and belongings. This was quite normal; after all, what family doesn't spoil their children a little, especially a wealthy family like the Lis?

Therefore, although Li Zhaoxing of Yangliu Town was quite wealthy, he had a good reputation far and wide. He was neither bullying the weak nor afraid of the strong. Whether rich or poor, whether in official or civilian positions, no one could say anything bad about him.

Many people naturally envied them.

Li Wei walked around and picked up a bag of sponge cakes and other various nicer snacks, thinking that Li Lin and the others would need to replenish their energy when they returned later.

They may say they're going to scold me, but they're still guests.

Li Wei had just put away the fruit and snacks and was looking for some old glass cups in the cupboard when Li Lin and Wu Feng arrived with their classmates.

Li Wei couldn't help but ask, "Why so early today? Isn't there still more than an hour until school ends?"

Li Lin said happily, "It's okay. My class teacher and your class teacher let us leave early so we could practice properly. They knew you were choreographing the dance for everyone while you were sick, so they didn't let us come out so late."

Li Wei saw that there were more than ten people. Although there was enough space in the kitchen to move around, there weren't enough chairs to sit on. Too lazy to ask Li Lin and the others to go down and get some, she simply told Li Lin to go to the small living room and bring all the small cushions from the sofa, put them on the floor, and let them sit wherever they wanted.

Because of her somewhat sordid relationship with Li Wei, Zhou Xiaoyan felt a little awkward when she came in. Seeing Li Lin go to get something, she hurriedly went to help. Actually, she wasn't completely clueless about social interactions; the key was that she had to be mindful of the occasion.

While washing cups at the sink with Wu Feng, Li Wei urged everyone to eat. Several girls who had never been here before looked around curiously, some even squatting down to play with the turtles and fish. It was the first time they had ever seen someone keep fish indoors like this, and they all found it very novel.

Led by Zhou Ying, the group was more interested in the bottles and jars on Li Wei's counter. After obtaining Li Wei's permission, they hurriedly picked up the various bottles to examine them closely, and then started discussing them. They didn't recognize most of the contents and asked Li Wei questions out of curiosity, which Li Wei answered one by one.

What amazed the group of girls was that so many things could be used to cook porridge or soup; not to mention tea, with all sorts of flowers, herbs, balls, and eggs—they wondered what the tea would taste like; and there were also many snacks…

Seeing that everyone was indeed quite curious, Li Wei simply opened the bottles one by one so that everyone could see and smell them. There were candies and dried fruits that could be eaten immediately, and everyone could try them. In fact, many of the candies and snacks, apart from the more practical ones, were mostly for their pretty appearance. They were decorated in colorful bottles and were collected from various places, as they were not actually sold in town.

For Li Wei, who is financially independent and focuses on making herself more comfortable, as long as she spends her money wisely, having a lifestyle that is more than ten years ahead of what it is now is really a piece of cake.

But in the eyes of these young girls who had hardly ever been to the city, just looking at this beautiful kitchen, which belonged to Li Wei all by herself, made them look at Li Wei with a different kind of gaze than usual.

Zhou Xiaoyan, in particular, who brought back cushions, always thought her home was very high-class and that many of her classmates envied her when they visited. Now, looking at Li Wei's kitchen, which seemed to be even more beautiful than her own living room, she felt even worse.

She felt a bit like, "Why did Yan have to be born if Wei is already here?" Although it was somewhat naive, it was a true reflection of her current mood.