155. Home-style dishes
Leisurely days always pass quickly, and the next day Li Wei and her two siblings had to pack up and head back to the city.
Because it had snowed all day the day before, the roads were covered with a thick layer of snow. Shops and houses along the roadside started shoveling snow early in the morning. Li Wei and her two siblings were also woken up by their father, Li Zhaoxing, to help shovel snow in front of the building. They piled the snow into heaps until it melted.
On the opposite side of the road, the snow was compacted as it fell, making the road surface smooth and slippery due to the constant traffic.
So after lunch, Cheng Min didn't let her husband drive Li Wei and her two siblings back to the city; instead, she had them take a bus from their doorstep back to the city.
Generally speaking, buses and minibuses that travel at a slow speed and stop frequently are actually safer.
Upon arriving at the city bus station, the three siblings took a taxi directly back to their home. They had already called Aunt Gao the day before to say they would be back that afternoon, and that the house should have everything they needed, and be bright, clean, and warm.
After resting enough at home for the past two days, Li Wei went straight to bed and started looking through her new books for the next semester. She had organized them all the afternoon after the exams, making them easy to find by category.
There was a martial arts class in the evening, so the three siblings ate dinner early and packed their clothes and other belongings. As usual, Li Lianhui carried a large bag, which contained two smaller bags for Li Wei and Li Lin. Li Lianhui carried three bags.
When the three siblings arrived at the martial arts gym, they were more than twenty minutes early, and there weren't many people there yet. Li Wei and Li Lin wandered around. Besides Luo Da, who was sparring with his sixth senior brother, there were also two of Li Lin's male classmates stretching their legs in the boys' training room, which was quite unexpected. There were practically no people left.
Li Wei and Li Lin looked at each other and decided to stretch their legs and bend their backs first.
The two women almost simultaneously thought of Cousin Zhong. That girl seemed determined not to let it go, and who knows when she might catch either of the two sisters off guard while Xiao Li Hai was acting out of character, and get her revenge.
Li Lin is doing better. That girl has a pretty good self-image now. She's even eager to get revenge on her cousin Zhong. Li Wei, on the other hand, is a different story. If it weren't for that person trying to really hurt her last time—pulling out all her hair, kicking her in the back, or something—Li Wei would definitely be rolling on the ground.
Therefore, Li Wei is currently feeling quite threatened. Preparing to avoid challenges is one thing; truly lacking the ability is another. Being able to run away quickly if she can't win is also a good thing.
So even when Li Wei was preparing, she did it with unprecedented seriousness and effort. Since she was already there, she figured she might as well give it her all.
The two women were exercising and slightly sweating. Cousin Zhong, having changed her clothes, came in. She paused for a moment upon seeing Li Wei and her sister, then acted as if she hadn't seen them and continued her own exercises from a distance.
Li Wei and Li Lin were almost used to Zhong Xin's indifferent attitude towards everyone. They exchanged a glance and continued to press their shoulders together.
After Sister Zhong came in, the students gradually entered.
Song Xuejiao and Cai Lianhua arrived one after the other. Cai Lianhua, who had always been on good terms with Li Wei, sat down next to the two sisters and waited for class to begin.
On the contrary, Song Xuejiao acted like a timid young wife. She said a few words to Li Wei and then sat down to the side, appearing to be a quiet and well-bred lady.
Seeing her like that, Li Wei had no idea what she was up to and didn't take it to heart.
Actually, Song Xuejiao's father, Li Wei, later heard from Luo Er that he was also from a village near their Yangliu Town. He had hung out with Luo Sanjiu for a few years. Later, Luo Sanjiu went to the city first, and with the help of relatives, he quickly became successful.
When a person becomes successful, they change their ways, unlike Uncle Luo, whose mother and wife remain the same. After Song Xuejiao's father became successful, since he no longer had a mother, it's hard to tell whether he was filial or not. However, he did change his wife and had a new child, a boy.
Actually, saying "replaced" isn't quite accurate. It's more accurate to say that he added a concubine. His original wife lives not far away, and he still goes to stay with her every few days. Apart from the legal relationship being dissolved, everything else remains the same.
Song Xuejiao's mother is her father's ex-wife, and she has a younger sister who is in elementary school. Although her parents don't live together, they treat their children well, as evidenced by sending Song Xuejiao to high school. Song Xuejiao's daily life is also much better than that of her classmates; at least she hasn't suffered any financial hardship.
Li Wei usually saw Song Xuejiao as a gentle and kind girl, with good looks and a pampered, sheltered air about her. It was hard to believe she came from such a family.
Soon it was time for the lesson, and junior coach Li Hai arrived. There were no sparring matches today; it was a routine training session with slight adjustments to the content. The physical demands were higher, and the amount of physical training was increased.
Aside from feeling sweatier, Li Wei was fine; in the dead of winter, sweating actually felt quite good. After a quick shower and changing clothes, she felt refreshed and full of energy again.
Luo Da went in earlier than Li Wei and the others, and came out later than them. When Li Wei and her two siblings were having snacks and a late-night treat in a nearby house, Luo Da also came over.
As soon as she entered, she took off her hooded down jacket, leaving only her sweater underneath. Her short hair seemed a little damp, as if she had just taken a shower.
Li Lianhui poured Hua Ge a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table before continuing to watch TV.
Luo Da didn't stand on ceremony, as he never had. He picked up the water and took a couple of sips, then picked up some snacks from the coffee table and ate a few to fill his stomach.
Li Wei sensed something was off. This guy usually didn't eat much snacks, and today he seemed to have nothing in his stomach. So she asked, "Didn't you have dinner? Why did you suddenly want to eat this?"
Luo Da rubbed his stomach. He had eaten lunch late and arrived at the martial arts gym early, so he hadn't felt like eating anything by dinnertime. But he was indeed hungry that night. After a physically demanding workout, he was quite starving by the time he got to Li Wei's house. That's when he ate these sweet little snacks.
Luo Da glanced towards the kitchen and asked, "Is there anything else to eat? I haven't had dinner."
Li Wei nestled on the sofa. Feeling tired, she didn't want to move much. She nudged Li Lin beside her: "Go. Get your Hua-ge something to eat. Don't just call him 'Hua-ge' all day long; it's not enough. He needs to do something practical."
Is Li Lin so easily manipulated? When it comes to being cunning and sly, she's far more shameless than Li Wei, especially in front of acquaintances.
She immediately turned away from her sister, saying, "That's your job, what does it have to do with me, right, Brother Hua? Hehe..."
Luo laughed and said, "Why don't I do it myself? I can just heat up whatever's readily available." He talked the talk but didn't walk the walk.
Li Wei straightened up from the sofa, stretched her feet out onto the floor and kicked on her slippers: "Forget it, I'll do it. Don't make me look so pathetic, eating leftovers."
Li Wei went to the kitchen and opened the cupboard. The leftovers from dinner were obviously unusable. She took out noodles and two eggs, along with a cabbage heart and half a carrot. Making a noodle soup would be quick and easy. There was also some bone broth that Aunt Gao had made earlier that day in the small refrigerator. Perfect! It seemed there was still quite a bit of meat on the bones; she could trim some off. Mmm! Li Wei's mouth watered just thinking about it. She asked the twins if they wanted some, but the answer was vague: "It's fine whether you eat it or not."
Li Wei decided to take more ingredients and make two more bowls, so she could eat some herself. Even if the two little ones didn't eat, Luo Da's belly was probably big enough to fit all those noodles in any corner.
As expected, Li Wei's noodles were fragrant as soon as they were cooked. She cooked them briefly, served a large bowl and three small bowls on the table, and without calling anyone's name, she simply said "Dinner's ready," and everyone came over.
Li Lin, who always loved to slack off, would always huddle at the back when it came to physical labor, but would always be at the forefront when it came to eating.
Li Wei only called out once, and Li Lin cheered and was the first to run to the dining table. She was quite self-aware and sat directly in front of a small bowl. She didn't rush to start eating, but smelled it and praised without reservation: "Sister, your cooking is still the best. It smells so good!"
Li Wei immediately felt much better. Although Li Lin was a bit lazy, she was still quite cute.
After everyone was seated, they began to eat. The fist-sized bowls were quickly devoured by Li Lianhui, and Li Lin followed suit. The two of them then looked at Luo Da's large bowl, which was originally used as a soup bowl, and their eyes lit up with greedy expressions.
Li Wei put down her chopsticks: "Didn't you two already have dinner? Eat less now, you're going to bed soon, why are you eating so much!" Why are you acting like you haven't eaten at all? It's so embarrassing.
Luo Da hurriedly put down his large bowl: "How about... we give you both some?" It was indeed delicious, and he was actually reluctant to part with it.
Li Wei said, "No need, there's still some soup in the pot. It'll be just right for them to drink it, so they don't gain weight. Actually, they're not that different. I bet it'll just be a bite. They'll feel full after eating, and they won't feel like they're missing anything if they don't eat. A little soup will be enough." Li Wei herself felt that this was like starving them, since they were already full from drinking soup.
Li Wei got up to fetch the soup pot and make some fragrant bone broth for the two little ones.
Luo Da looked at Li Lianhui and the other man and said, "I have enough to eat. Are you two really not going to have some?" He still needed to be polite.
Li Lianhui and Li Lin shook their heads at the same time. Their sister had already told them not to eat anymore. If they ate any more, she would scold them for being ignorant and unruly, and so on and so forth, once the door was closed...
They should just save their breath. They've already eaten dinner, so they're not hungry, just a little craving. They can just have her sister cook for them tomorrow morning.
Luo Da finished eating with lingering satisfaction. Li Wei tidied up, washed the dishes, and put them away. She checked the time and realized it was time to go to sleep; she had school the next day and didn't know how her final grades would go.
There were three monthly exams this semester, and even the midterm exam was replaced by the second monthly exam. Li Wei got first place in the class for the first two exams, and Hong Wei got first place for the third one.
Li Wei always felt that being in the top ten was already very good. Based on her high school grades, getting into university wouldn't be a problem. She didn't have the ambition to get into Peking University or Tsinghua University, so being first, second, or even third didn't make much difference to her.
But she only thought these things to herself; she certainly wouldn't say them to others, lest she come across as arrogant, which would be counterproductive.
Lying on her comfortable bed, Li Wei sighed dramatically, "Alas, sometimes being low-key is a sin."
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