Su Jianguo ignored him, slowly and methodically finishing the last sip of soup, even deliberately making a satisfied "ha-" sound.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and handed the empty bowl to Wang Xiulan, who was staring in disbelief.
"See that?"
Su Jianguo pointed to the empty bowl and said to his wife and eldest daughter.
"That's a sign that you're not hungry. Someone who's truly hungry would have opened the door long ago just from that smell."
Su Yufen held Er Mao, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
"Father, my little sister..."
"No need to say anything."
Su Jianguo waved his hand, his voice suddenly becoming stern.
"Like I said, if she dares to step out of this house, I'll break her legs! I mean it!"
Then another kicking sound came from inside the door, followed by suppressed sobs.
Su Jianguo turned and walked towards the master bedroom. Having eaten and drunk his fill, he needed a good night's sleep.
Wang Xiulan caught up and wanted to say something, but he stopped her with a look.
"Don't spoil her."
Su Jianguo shouted loudly.
"Do you want your daughter to marry a scoundrel?"
Wang Xiulan felt somewhat wronged.
"I'm just afraid she might really get sick from hunger..."
"Going hungry for two meals won't kill you."
Su Jianguo pushed open the bedroom door.
"Back when there was famine, I ate only a piece of tree bark every three days, and I'm still alive today, aren't I?"
He collapsed heavily onto the bed without even taking off his shoes.
Wang Xiulan tiptoed in, helped him take off his shoes, and wrung out a damp towel to wipe his face.
Just as Su Jianguo was sleeping.
Meanwhile, a scheme targeting Su Jianguo was unfolding at Su Mingqiang's home.
With the help and planning of the Li family, Li Jinhua also had a plan.
Li Jinhua's parents and her older brother returned to the village first, and were gone for almost half a month. The family was worried about them and wanted to give Li Jinhua and her husband some space to be alone.
Li Jinhua stood at the door of her house, watching her parents and older brother's figures gradually disappear into the alleyway, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
She turned and went back inside, looking around, her brows furrowing unconsciously.
This house really needs a good cleaning.
Since his parents and older brother moved in, the house has been a complete mess, especially with Su Mingqiang's antics these past few days.
Dirty clothes were piled up in the corner, wine bottles were scattered haphazardly on the floor, a thick layer of ash had accumulated on the coffee table, and cigarette butts from the ashtray had spilled all over the floor.
The air was filled with an unpleasant odor, a mixture of alcohol, sweat, and mold.
Li Jinhua rolled up her sleeves, took the yellowed apron from behind the door, and tied it around her waist.
She first picked up the scattered bottles one by one and put them into a sack.
"Hmph, I must have owed you something in my past life."
Li Jinhua muttered curses under her breath as she tidied up.
She quickly sorted the dirty clothes, separating dark and light colors, and then stuffed them all into the laundry tub.
Then, he took the clothes out and started washing them outside the door.
"Jinhua, what's wrong with you?"
Aunt Wang from next door peeked in and looked at Li Jinhua with surprise at her unusual behavior.
"Did the sun rise in the west?"
Su Mingqiang usually washes all of her family's clothes.
Li Jinhua raised her head, forcing a smile onto her face.
"Aunt Wang, the house is too messy, please tidy it up."
"Oh dear, this should have been done a long time ago."
Grandma Wang shook her head.
"You two, you're such a good couple, why don't you just have a peaceful life instead of constantly causing trouble..."
Li Jinhua didn't reply, but just kept washing the clothes with her head down.
After tidying up the clothes, Li Jinhua started mopping the floor.
She knelt on the ground and wiped the floor inch by inch with a rag.
When the last stain was cleaned up, Li Jinhua slumped to the ground, looked around her newly renovated home, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Next, we should go buy groceries."
Li Jinhua muttered to herself, took off her apron, and patted the dust off her clothes.
The market was bustling with noise, and various vendors' calls rose and fell.
Li Jinhua, carrying a vegetable basket, weaved through the crowd.
She stopped in front of the meat stall and pointed to the piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat on the cutting board.
"Boss, give me one and a half pounds, this piece."
"Okay!"
The butcher deftly cut off a piece of meat, tied it with straw rope, and handed it to her.
"Why did you buy so much meat today? Did you have guests over?"
Li Jinhua smiled.
"No, it's just... I wanted to cook something nice for my husband."
The butcher raised an eyebrow in surprise. These days, it's not common for a family to buy so much meat just for themselves.
After buying the meat, Li Jinhua went to the fish stall and picked out a lively carp.
The fishmonger skillfully stunned the fish, scaled and gutted it, then wrapped it in a lotus leaf and handed it to her.
"Give me some more tofu, the soft kind."
Li Jinhua pointed to the white and tender tofu next to her and said.
Carrying a heavy basket of vegetables, Li Jinhua went to the wine shop again.
She hesitated for a moment in front of the counter before finally pointing to the most expensive bottle of Erguotou.
"Give me a bottle of this."
On her way home, Li Jinhua ran into several of her former colleagues from school, who all looked at the wine and food in her hands with surprise.
"Jin Hua, what a special day it is today?"
A female teacher asked curiously.
Li Jinhua just smiled.
"Nothing much, I just wanted to cook a nice meal."
Back home, Li Jinhua immediately went into the kitchen and started working.
She cut the pork belly into even cubes and blanched them in a pot of water.
After the water boiled, a layer of blood foam floated on top. She skimmed it off little by little with a spoon until the soup became clear.
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