Just as the three of them were chatting in the kitchen, Li Yong's voice came from outside.
"Is the food ready? Both of you brothers are starving. Bring the dishes over first, and we can chat while we drink."
Chen Jing was surprised to see her husband chatting and laughing with Wang Qiang.
They believed that this matter was sure to succeed, and that Li Man and Wang Qiang's marriage would definitely be settled.
I couldn't help but feel happy, and I became more efficient at my work.
Qin Huairu, standing behind, wore an unhappy expression. She was worried that if Wang Qiang and Li Man's marriage went through, what would she do then?
The situation seemed much worse than expected. At that moment, Wang Qiang and Li Yong came out of the house, both with smiles on their faces.
Li Yong smiled and said, "Xiao Wang really helped us a lot today. And he promised to find a good family for our daughter when we get back."
Chen Jing hesitated for a moment, but still brought the dishes into the room.
She quietly pulled Li Yong's arm aside and whispered something.
"Old Li, you're confused. Li Man and Wang Qiang are a couple. Why would you look for someone else? Are you crazy?"
Li Yong chuckled. "I've spoken to Wang Qiang, and it seems he's not really keen on marrying Li Man. I can't force him to do it when he doesn't want to."
"Besides, Wang Qiang also said he would find a good family for his daughter. She wouldn't have to worry about food or clothing, and she wouldn't have to do anything."
Li Man moved a chair and sat down next to Wang Qiang, even secretly winking at him.
Wang Qiang recalled a smile, everything was understood without words.
He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Why isn't Sister Qin here yet? I'll go to the kitchen to help her!"
Chen Jing pulled Li Yong's arm and came over. Seeing Li Man sitting next to Wang Qiang, Chen Jing smiled with satisfaction.
She pulled up a chair and sat in the seat of honor above Wang Qiang.
He said earnestly, "Xiao Wang, I think you and Li Man should settle things!"
Wang Qiang's lips twitched involuntarily. In this era, getting married is not difficult, but his current situation is special.
He smiled and said, "I do have my difficulties, which I cannot say outright, but since you've brought it up, I'll make my stance clear!"
"No matter what the outcome is, I will definitely treat Li Man well, you can rest assured about that!"
Chen Jing felt very comfortable hearing this. This kid knew how to talk. Although he didn't agree, he made this promise, so she believed that Li Man would not suffer in the future.
A short while later, He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu brought out several dishes: mutton soup, stuffed pork belly, and a gourd head, plus a few cold dishes, making about seven or eight dishes in total.
Li Yong quickly said, "If it weren't for you coming, we wouldn't be able to eat such dishes. Xiao Wang, we really have to thank you!"
Wang Qiang laughed and said, "The dishes look and smell delicious. I have to say, the mutton here is cheap, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to buy so much mutton."
He Yuzhu pulled out a chair for Qin Huairu. When Qin Huairu saw that Wang Qiang had Chen Jing sitting at the head of the table and Li Man sitting at the foot of the table, her expression changed instantly.
He sat down in a huff, and He Yuzhu was pleased. He immediately moved a chair over and sat down next to Qin Huairu.
When Wang Qiang saw Qin Huai acting like a little woman, he chuckled to himself, thinking, "She really thinks she's something special."
He then ignored her, stood up, and raised his glass: "We've caused you a lot of trouble. This drink is my apology."
Li Yong nodded and picked up his wine glass: "Xiao Wang, that's an exaggeration. You're guests here, and I'd love for you to come every year, every day!"
Wang Qiang: "Brother Li, don't worry, if something like this happens again, you'll be the first person I think of!"
Qin Huairu, who was listening nearby, felt uncomfortable, while Li Man was very happy.
As time went by, the atmosphere at the table became more and more harmonious.
Li Man kept putting food on Wang Qiang's plate. Qin Huairu saw this and got angry, so she deliberately put food on He Yuzhu's plate instead.
However, she noticed that after she served He Yuzhu food twice, Wang Qiang stopped looking at her altogether, so she lost interest.
He Yuzhu was flattered and shamelessly served food to Qin Huairu, saying, "Sister Qin, this piece of mutton is the most tender, you should try it."
As he spoke, He Yuzhu placed a piece of mutton into Qin Huairu's bowl.
Qin Huairu refused impatiently: "I don't eat mutton, the smell is too strong!"
Li Yong and Chen Jing exchanged a glance and both gave a wry smile. It seemed that Qin Huairu was indeed interested in Wang Qiang, but she was a widow, how could she compare to their daughter?
Li Yong asked Wang Qiang, "Xiao Wang, are you going to Qiantou Township tomorrow? If not, I'll talk to our bureau chief and ask him to find another place for us!"
Wang Qiang: "It's alright, Brother Li, we'll go as planned. We'll set off early tomorrow morning and I think we'll be back around the afternoon."
"If all goes well, we'll leave tonight and get back as soon as possible!"
Li Yong was pleased that Wang Qiang could continue working in Qiantou Township, saving him the trouble of going to the bureau chief.
However, he was still uneasy when he heard that Wang Qiang was going to leave that very night. At that time, the road transportation was very poor, and in many places there were only dirt roads.
But since Wang Qiang has already made this decision, let him be.
Chen Jing, who was standing next to her, rolled her eyes and said, "Perfect timing! I don't have anything to do at home. I'll go with you, partly to keep Li Man company, and partly to see my sister!"
Wang Qiang said with a smile, "Brother Li, it's probably not good for you to be home alone!"
Chen Jing rolled her eyes, while Li Man secretly chuckled beside her.
Qin Huai stared at the two, her eyes darting back and forth between them.
As time went by, only Wang Qiang, Li Yong, and He Yuzhu remained at the table to drink.
Qin Huairu excused himself that he was tired and went back to his room to lie down. Chen Jing pulled Li Man into the inner room to whisper to each other.
The three of them had already drunk their third bottle of wine, and Li Yong and He Yuzhu were flushed from the alcohol.
He looks a bit tipsy, but he seems very relaxed.
As the saying goes, "A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend," it's not easy to find someone to drink with.
Li Yong seized the opportunity and said, "Xiao Wang, not only does your sister-in-law want to go, but I actually want to go too. Do you think you can transfer my job to Beijing?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang and He Yuzhu nearly spat out the wine in their mouths.
He Yuzhu: "Why is that? You're a minor official here, but if you go to Beijing, good heavens, the waters are shallow and turtles abound. How can you possibly stand out then!"
Wang Qiang: "Brother Li, what Zhu Zi said may be rough, but it makes sense. It's really great here, far from the reach of the emperor."
Upon hearing this, Li Yong poured wine for the two of them: "You don't know, here I am also all alone and powerless. I have reached the limit of what I can do to get to this position today."
"It's basically hopeless to go any higher. Why? Because there's no one above us!"
“Things will be different once I go to Beijing. Even a lowly official can be a minor official in front of the prime minister. If I come back, who will dare to look down on me?”
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