Chapter 181 Daily Life

Li Banxia stared at him intently for a couple of seconds and said, "Then it's settled. Remember what you said."

“I always keep my word,” Zheng Huaixin said.

Li Banxia turned around and rode her bicycle back to the medicinal herb warehouse, while Zheng Huaixin drove away.

When I got home, I saw the eldest son and his wife by the hand pump, one washing clothes and the other talking to him.

"Mom, you're back." The eldest daughter-in-law stroked her swollen belly and smiled at Li Banxia.

Li Banxia nodded and glanced at the kitchen. The eldest daughter-in-law smiled and whispered, "When we came back, the two of them were already busy inside, not letting us help. I think Erniu is quite efficient at cooking, better than me."

"I'll go take a look," Li Banxia said with a smile.

In the kitchen, Su Laosan was tending the fire, and Fang Erniu was sticking cornbread into the pan. When she saw her come in, she smiled and said, "Auntie, you're off work? I'll stick the cornbread in, and we'll be able to eat it in a little while."

Su Laosan called out "Mom".

After finishing the last pancake, Fang Erniu put the lid on the pot and quickly smashed cucumbers and garlic, preparing to make garlic cucumber.

While talking to Li Banxia, ​​she said, "Auntie, these chicks were brought by my mom. She said that nowadays, no matter how many chickens a family raises, almost everyone raises a few. There are chickens, ducks, and geese running around on the roads in the village. These things aren't just for soup, right? Chicks are tender. They can be coated in batter and fried until crispy, then stir-fried with chili peppers. That's delicious too. You can also stew them with potatoes, winter melon, wood ear mushrooms, mushrooms, and other things. It's quick, tender, and delicious..."

She rattled off a whole bunch of things, but Li Banxia didn't quite understand what she meant, so she looked at Su Laosan.

Su Laosan said "Oh," and added, "Erniu's mother wants me to help her sell the chickens in their village to get some money..."

“Yes, the chicks are all free-range and delicious. You should try them later, Auntie.” Fang Erniu strongly recommended.

Li Banxia smiled and said, "You can discuss this with Lao San. This business will belong to both of you from now on, and I won't interfere."

"ah……"

Fang Erniu paused, frowned, and shook her head. "We have to take care of it. We haven't even read many pages of books, we don't understand big principles, so we'll have to rely on you, Auntie, to help us..."

She frowned, racking her brains for a long time but still couldn't remember the word she wanted to say. She said dejectedly, "My older brother just told me this afternoon, but I forgot it in the blink of an eye. Su Laosan, do you remember?"

Su Laosan shook his head.

Fang Erniu put her hands on her hips, and Su Laosan didn't dare to move his head. His eyes rolled around, and he blinked before saying, "It seems to be related to the boat."

"Taking the helm?" Li Banxia guessed.

Fang Erniu's eyes lit up immediately. She slapped her flour-covered hand, and with a "plop," flour splattered all over her face.

She coughed lightly and gave an embarrassed, silly laugh.

"Yes, Auntie is indeed educated; she understood immediately. We need Auntie to steer the ship for us, right, Su Laosan?"

When Su Laosan saw her smile, he smiled too.

Looking at the two smiling faces, Li Banxia felt a throbbing sensation on her forehead. She pinched the bridge of her nose, said, "You guys are busy, I'm going out to make a phone call," and then disappeared.

She didn't tell her two sons about Zheng Huaixin's visit, but she called Xiao Zhanyou to let him know.

“…Be careful, don’t associate with that guy surnamed Zheng anymore. He’s too shrewd, he knows everything, he’s a smiling tiger. Don’t let him affect your normal life.”

Xiao Zhanyou agreed and asked Li Banxia, ​​"Should we tell your older brother to meet with that guy surnamed Zheng, so he doesn't think we have no one backing us?"

“He knows.”

Li Banxia said, "A local official is more powerful than a distant one. They are in different systems, so let's not make things difficult for our elder brother. Besides, the matter is almost resolved. With Zheng keeping an eye on Lin Jiefang, he won't cause any trouble in the short term. In the future... with a criminal record, the waves Lin Jiefang can make should be limited. It's better to be careful."

That being said, there's always a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to bite you at any moment. This feeling of not being able to completely relax is truly awful.

Li Banxia frowned, somewhat annoyed.

The two talked about other things for a while, and then Li Banxia hung up the phone and went home. Su Laosan was putting stewed chicken and potatoes on the dining table in the yard. There were also a lot of dried green beans in it, which had soaked up the rich broth. It was Li Banxia's favorite dish.

The cornbreads were placed separately in the bread basket.

The eldest brother, Su, helped his wife to the toilet, but they haven't returned yet.

Her belly was so big that she couldn't squat down easily.

Taking advantage of the moment, Li Banxia asked Su Laosan about the marriage proposal. Su Laosan said, "I discussed it with Erniu's family. We'll save up for another month, and no matter how much we save, we'll find a matchmaker to propose marriage. Mom, Erniu said she wants to marry into the family as soon as possible. She said that her sister-in-law is about to give birth, and if she marries into the family, she can take care of her during her postpartum period."

Li Banxia, ​​"..."

She frowned and looked up at Su Laosan. "Did Erniu say that?"

"Ah, yes."

Su Laosan casually picked up a piece of meat and put it in Fang Erniu's bowl. "Erniu said that the postpartum period is when a woman needs help the most and it's the best time to build relationships. She took care of my sister-in-law during her postpartum period, so my sister-in-law must like her. You love my sister-in-law so much, so you'll definitely like her because you like my sister-in-law..."

Li Banxia watched his actions and said, "I love the house because of the crows."

Su Laosan turned to look at her, "Mom, what did you say?"

Li Banxia shook her head.

He said, "You don't need Erniu to take care of your sister-in-law during her postpartum period. I'll lend a hand whenever I have time..."

Her idea was to find a professional postpartum care specialist for her eldest son's wife so she could recover properly. Childbirth is very taxing on one's health, and she didn't want her eldest son's wife to suffer the same fate as in her previous life, where the physical strain of childbirth damaged her constitution and resulted in poor health.

"Then I'll lend a hand too," Fang Erniu said hurriedly.

Li Banxia glanced at her, then looked in the direction of the restroom. After thinking for a moment, she agreed, "We'll see how things go. If we're really too busy, you can lend a hand."

"Hey!" Fang Erniu was visibly much happier.

During the meal, the eldest daughter-in-law kept praising Fang Erniu's cooking skills, which made the little girl blush with joy. She said, "If you like it, sister-in-law, I'll bring you a chick to eat in a couple of days."

“…That’s not what I meant,” the eldest son’s wife quickly waved her hand.

Fang Erniu laughed, "I know what you mean, sister-in-law. I like you, sister-in-law, and I want to give you the best food."

Her saying that pleased the eldest son's wife.

"My cooking is so-so, but I'm really good at studying. Do you want to learn English with me? I'll teach you."

Fang Erniu, “…cough cough.”

She almost choked on a piece of potato, waving her hands and shaking her head repeatedly, her face changing color. "No, no, no, what am I? I'm not worthy. No, I mean I'm too stupid to learn."

"It's alright, I'll teach you slowly. One a day, that's 365 in a year, 600 in two years... 730 in three years..."

Fang Erniu felt a chill run down her spine and looked at Su Laosan for help. Su Laosan blinked and said, "You learn it. Once you learn it, we'll sell chickens to foreigners."

Fang Erniu glared at him, "Do I look like someone who can learn this?"