He was surprised, but the direction was different from what he expected.
"So he is Madam Qin's useless husband?"
The woman who had just been full of admiration felt her heart die.
The others also showed expressions of disbelief. Liu Ji looked very elegant and did not look like the unruly gangster that Liu Dafu described.
The mute was in mixed feelings. He and his daughter regarded Qin Yao as their benefactor. When they learned that their benefactor had married a husband with a bad reputation, they felt very unfair for her.
But now he is standing in front of me. Although he seems a little overconfident, he has such a handsome face and seems to have the capital to be confident.
Liu Ji was nervous. Why was this reaction different from what he expected?
Also, who said he was useless? Who on earth was spreading rumors about him?
The atmosphere between the two sides was a bit awkward. Liu Ji wanted to say something, but these people immediately smiled at him awkwardly, which instantly dampened his enthusiasm. He simply shut up and quickened his pace.
After walking a few steps, Liu Ji found that the road into the village had become wider and easier to walk on.
Walking further, I found that the workers who were going home from the stationery factory were all carrying half a melon or two or three slices of red bitter melon in their hands.
The sweet fragrance wafted into his nose, and Liu Ji couldn't help swallowing hard.
The autumn harvest holiday was still a few days away, but he really couldn't stand Liu Li coming up to him every day with a piece of sweet melon to show off.
"I heard that the melons in your field are ripe. Didn't Madam Qin have someone send them to you?"
"Don't be discouraged, Third Brother. You may be busy these days, but you will have melons to eat in two days."
Then, two days later, the whole county town was filled with the cries of vendors selling bitter melons, and the business was extremely popular.
Liu Ji rushed out happily and wanted to buy one to try. When he asked the price, he found out that it was fifty coins per catty, and half a tael of silver per piece. He immediately took a big step back. He was so scared. Is there gold in this melon?
As soon as Liu Ji saw that the melon seller was the old fox Bai Shan, he knew that these melons were all picked from his own fields.
He realized later that he might have been left out by someone. How could Liu Ji bear this injustice?
I decided to take a leave and come back early today, I just had to eat this bitter melon!
But as he walked along, he found that almost every worker had a piece of cake, and Liu Jixin became worried.
There are only two acres of melon fields at home. Bai Shan took three large carts to sell them, so there must not be much left at home.
If you sell this to the worker, will he still get a share when he goes home?
Liu Ji was extremely anxious, so he left the mute and others behind and quickly walked all the way to Liujia Village and rushed into his house.
The half-closed courtyard door was pushed open heavily, making a loud "bang!"
The four brothers and sisters who were kneeling on the mats in the yard, doing their homework and eating slices of watermelon with their forks, all raised their heads in unison.
Qin Yao, who was holding the account book in front of the main room door, raised her eyes slightly, as if even the collapse of the sky could not alarm her at all.
Awang in front of the vegetable jar turned around quickly, holding the hoe tightly in his hand, as if he had discovered danger and was about to hit the other person on the forehead with the hoe.
But when he saw the familiar face outside the door, the murderous look in his eyes instantly faded away, and clear stupidity once again filled these ordinary, neither big nor small eyes.
"The master is back." Awang expressed his welcome seriously.
Seeing this pleasant and peaceful scene, Liu Ji's anxious mood suddenly calmed down and he smiled, "My wife, I am afraid that you will be tired, so I will ask for leave from the teacher in advance to go home and see if I can help you in any way."
"Guess I believe it?" Qin Yao asked with a smile.
Liu Ji didn't care whether she believed it or not. He strode into the courtyard, threw the bag to Awang, and sat down cross-legged on the mat.
"Da Lang, Er Lang, San Lang, Si Niang, I haven't seen you for more than half a month. You must miss your father!"
Liu Ji reached out and rubbed the heads of the four children one by one, causing the children to complain with joy and disgust. Then he let go, picked up the whole plate of watermelon, and took one bite after another.
Qin Yao suddenly remembered that she seemed to have forgotten to give a watermelon to this starving man.
But what does it matter? He will come back when he wants to eat.
"You suddenly came back early, wouldn't it be just for this piece of watermelon?" Qin Yao lowered her head and rechecked her account book with a firm tone.
Liu Ji didn't refute or admit it. He ate the whole plate of watermelon and still felt it was not enough, so he asked:
"Awang, do you have any more watermelons? Give me half a piece!"
He heard from Qin Yao that on a summer evening, after a busy day, if he could sit in front of the door with half a watermelon in his arms and eat it while enjoying the breeze, he would feel as happy as a god.
Awang put away his bag first, washed his hands and went into the kitchen to cut the melon.
Liu Ji glanced at the small but clean and warm courtyard, and then at the four children kneeling on mats doing their homework. He thought of his own stuffy little dormitory and the days when he had to get up before the rooster crowed to recite his lessons every day, and he almost shed tears of envy.
Awang brought the watermelon over and considerately put a long-handled wooden spoon on it.
While eating, Liu Ji sighed: "I didn't know you guys ate so well when I wasn't at home."
Qin Yao raised the corners of her mouth and smiled silently.
Liu Ji was stunned for a moment, mumbling something unconsciously. It seemed as if his thoughts were carried away by the smile, and he didn't know where to go.
Si Niang, who was doing her homework, angrily dropped her brush and glared at her father, "Dad, you are disturbing me while I am doing my homework!"
Liu Ji finally came back to his senses. He tapped his daughter's nose unhappily and whispered, "Little girl, why are you as fierce as your mother? You're not cute anymore!"
However, seeing Si Niang's cheeks puffed up with anger, she immediately left the mat and walked towards the kitchen.
As he walked, he glanced at the people at the door of the main hall and said, "My dear, it's been a while since I cooked for you. I will cook tonight and let you taste my cooking skills."
Qin Yao didn't care. Dalang and Erlang were so focused on their homework that they didn't hear it clearly. Fortunately, the twins looked at him with surprise and expectation, otherwise Liu Ji's smile would not have lasted.
He walked into the kitchen and waved to Awang who was standing in front of the chopping board, "Go light the fire. Today I will let you have a taste of my exquisite cooking skills."
Awang immediately put down the kitchen knife, gave up his seat, and felt relieved.
Liu Ji put the unfinished watermelon aside, shook his hands, put on an apron, picked up a kitchen knife, and started cooking in an orderly manner.
During the meal, he deliberately played with a knife twice, and asked Qin Yao several times what flavor she wanted to eat, light or heavy.
Seeing that he had successfully attracted her attention, he worked harder and even flipped the pot.
The raging flames suddenly jumped out of the fire pit and almost caught his long gown. He pretended to be calm and stepped back.
A "pu" laugh came from the door of the main room. Liu Ji did not feel ashamed. Instead, he smiled with a smile on his face, immersed in this attention that belonged only to him.
The food was served on the table, there were four dishes and one soup, both meat and vegetarian, and the presentation was beautifully done.
The eyes of the mother and her five children lit up and they stretched out their chopsticks expectantly.
Then, he put down the chopsticks he had picked up.
Qin Yao frowned, "It doesn't taste good."
Liu Ji: It’s for nothing! (End of this chapter)
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