181 Pretending to be Serious
The four of them chatted and laughed all the way home and soon arrived.
Although Li Wei appeared normal on the surface, she was actually quite uneasy inside. To put it bluntly, her affair with Luo Da was a bit illegal and disorderly, and it seemed that Li Lin and Li Lianhui were both aware of it. Even if neither of them told their families, they probably wouldn't, since their brother Hua was there to keep things under control.
However, although she didn't know what the differences were between people in relationships, and probably wouldn't have any labels attached to them, she still knew there were some differences. What if her parents or grandparents noticed?
I didn't think too much about it when I first got on the bus, but the closer I got to home, the more worried I became. My smile faded unconsciously, I spoke less, and my mood became increasingly depressed.
Li Wei now deeply regrets letting Luo Da deliver it.
Luo Da quickly noticed that something was wrong with Li Wei. After thinking for a while, he figured out the general idea and said, "When we get to town, I'll take you home first, and then I'll go see Brother Gang. It's been a long time since I've seen him, and it's not right not to see him. Please tell Uncle Li and Grandpa for me that I'll be there in a little while."
Luo Da felt that it was impossible for him and Li Wei not to give themselves away when they stood in front of the parents at the same time. Xiao Er had already told him that he was smiling in a very lewd way, especially when he saw Li Xiaoming, his smile was disgusting. He thought it best not to disgust Uncle Li and Aunt Li, especially the old man. If he figured out what was going on, he would slap him to death.
Others might be better off; they might not even bother hitting him. But that old man had such a straightforward temper. Without saying a word, he'd get a few slaps first, and there was no escaping it. He wouldn't dare dodge even if he had a hundred lives; the beating would be pointless anyway. Luo Da secretly figured that he was bound to get slapped sooner or later.
So Luo Da decided to go to Li Wei's house at a different time, so that he could act more normally.
Li Wei was quite happy. She got out of the car with Li Lin and Li Lianhui in front of their house and said goodbye to Luo Dabai with a smile.
When the three siblings returned home, they still couldn't find their parents. Instead, they saw workers busily pushing food boxes back and forth, loading them onto trucks or directly into the warehouse. The warehouse keeper was shouting instructions to manage the storage, moving finished products and raw materials in and out. It was a lively scene of labor, with people and vehicles coming and going.
The three siblings took the bag upstairs. Li Lianhui lay still on the bed. He was getting quite a bit of exercise these days; besides training with Little Black Hand and the others, Smiling Tiger would often poke him with something unexpectedly, without warning. At the martial arts gym, if he wasn't constantly on guard, he could really get a poisoned needle.
So, ever since the Li Wei tree-climbing incident, Li Lianhui has been spending less time playing video games and more time going to the martial arts gym. He's also been sleeping more, though he's still keeping up with his studies. So Li Wei hasn't interfered. He can't function without tinkering with something; expecting him to focus entirely on studying is a pipe dream. In Li Lin's words, anyone who only knows how to study is a fool—
So Li Lianhui isn't stupid, and Hua Ge is even more shrewd; she herself goes without saying, so...
Li Wei was furious: "Who are you calling stupid?"
Li Lin glanced at her sister's face and whispered, "You can earn money to buy things, right? You're not stupid..." If you're not stupid, then there are no stupid people.
In any case, Li Lianhui is now a person with new pursuits, no longer the Xiao Hui who only knew how to play games.
Li Lin ran to the kitchen to find something to eat, while Li Wei went to the back workshop to see her mother and grandfather. Her father always had to go out to run errands, so it was not easy to see him during the day.
In the end, he only saw his grandfather. The old man was watching several people work in the additive workshop, and he was also busy making a white powder. He was very happy to see Li Wei come back, but he didn't say more than a few words before he was interrupted by the people next to him to ask him something.
Li Wei couldn't bear to watch, so she went out. She found Accountant Zhao and asked her mother, who said that Zhao had gone out to town on business and would probably be back around noon.
Li Wei checked the time, thought for a moment, and decided to cook dinner so that her mother and grandfather could eat comfortably and avoid having to eat in the cafeteria with everyone else at noon. She thought it would be her way of showing her care.
There was no need to worry about food at home; there was always a variety of side dishes available, since there was a canteen. Li Wei picked out a few kinds of green vegetables, found fish, meat, and eggs in the refrigerator, thawed what needed to be thawed, and washed what needed to be washed. Everything was ready in no time. Before she could cook, Luo Da came back.
Li Wei glanced at him and poured him a glass of water: "Pretty fast, huh? You saw Brother Gang? Is that arcade still as chaotic and smoky as it used to be?"
Luo Dala sat down in a chair by the kitchen doorway, took a sip of water, and then said, "Actually, I didn't go. I was afraid you'd feel guilty if you came in with me. If I had gone, I might not have been able to come back by noon. Didn't you say you'd go back after lunch? Where's your mother?"
"I went out to run some errands. Oh right, let's go see my grandma first. The fish and meat are almost thawed by now, so we can cook them. Let's go." Actually, Li Wei's favorite place to go when she goes home is her grandma's old house. That's where she truly feels at home, surrounded by everyday stories, flowers, and trees. It makes her feel at peace.
Unlike at home, my parents are always busy. They are always in a hurry when they eat and talk. It seems that only work is the most important thing. Everything else can be done casually and it doesn't matter.
Balancing family and career is always a difficult dilemma.
Li Wei went upstairs and called Li Lin, who was fiddling with her little odds and ends and the treasures she had collected from Li Wei. The three of them went to the old house together.
The old lady was moving the flowers and plants that had just survived the winter and were about to revive outdoors. When Luo Da saw this, he took the initiative to help without being told and moved out the plants that the old lady had originally planned to move when the old man came back.
Today, Luo Da wore a dark blue hooded pullover sweatshirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. Generally, Luo Da's clothing consists mainly of full sportswear sets; jeans are considered one of his more formal outfits.
Luo Da's clothing always prioritizes ease of movement. Underneath his jackets, he usually wears only short-sleeved T-shirts, so he can easily take off his jacket and have a go at Smiling Tiger without much fuss or restriction.
Although the clothes were mostly sporty and were largely bought by Luo's aunt, they weren't cheap. It wasn't that Luo's aunt liked buying designer brands; their boys were always raised rather casually and weren't particular about food or clothing. Rather, the cheaper clothes couldn't withstand Luo's rough handling and wore out quickly.
Therefore, the clothes that have survived on Luo Da for so long are all from reputable brands that have stood the test of time. Their quality goes without saying, and their prices are even higher. The styles are also impeccable.
This kind of thing can even correct body flaws if worn by someone with a less-than-ideal figure. Besides, Luo Da is over 1.75 meters tall with a strong, well-proportioned, and athletic physique. From behind, he's a handsome young man, but looking at his face from the front… this handsome young man is a bit too sharp; his eyes seem to pierce through people's hearts. He looks like someone not to be trifled with. And that's exactly what happened.
Only Li Xiaoming could consistently pull off tricks against Luo Da. No one else could gain any advantage. That's why his friends were generally older, with a straightforward and honest personality. The truly despicable ones were genuinely despicable, like the photo studio owner, Mr. Xu.
So, any of Luo Da's friends, no matter who they are, can simply give him a call if they need anything, and he will do his best to help without any compromises or conditions.
Otherwise, remotely directing luxury cars and beautiful women wouldn't be so easy.
Li Wei and the other two chatted with the old lady at the old house for a while. In the end, the old lady couldn't resist Li Lin and Li Wei's affection and went to have lunch with them. Anyway, she didn't have anything to do at home, and she didn't know if the old man remembered to drink that tonic at noon, so she went over to check.
Li Wei was cooking, and Li Lin, unusually, helped out. Luo Da, even more unusually, kept the old lady company and made her very happy.
Just as Li Wei and her sister finished preparing the meal, their mother Cheng Min and father also returned, arriving at the perfect time.
The couple was overjoyed to see their children return, and the whole family, including Luo Da, enjoyed a lively lunch together.
Li Wei secretly observed that no one seemed to suspect that Luo Da was doing anything wrong. Her father and grandfather continued to serve Luo Da food and let him drink some beer. Her mother was still smiling and asking about Luo Da's third aunt and grandmother. Her grandmother smiled and patted Li Lianhui while serving him fish and meat, afraid that he wouldn't eat enough.
Everyone else is acting normally, and she should be too, so she shouldn't keep glancing at Luo Da. Just pretend she didn't see him.
Otherwise, my mom has a very discerning eye.
The meal lasted for more than an hour, mainly consisting of two small groups chatting as they ate. One group was Grandpa Li Zhaoxing and Luo Da, and the other was Grandma Li, Li Wei, and Li Lin. Grandma Li couldn't get enough of looking at Li Lianhui's adorable face and completely forgot to look at anyone else. Li Wei was used to it, while Li Lin would occasionally mutter something about Grandma being biased.
When Li Wei, Luo Da, and the other three left in the afternoon, they first took the old lady home before leaving.
Leaving the old house and passing the small building next to Li Wei's home, Li Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This whole experience felt like being a thief. It was exhausting. She definitely couldn't come back with Luo Da next time; having her family treat her like a thief was inhuman.
Li Wei felt quite good about herself, little did she know that after Li Zhaoxing and his wife went to bed that night, Cheng Min had been holding back for a long time. She nudged her husband and said, "Hey, Dad, do you think Xiaoming was acting a little strange today? I felt like he wasn't paying much attention to Luo Da. He wouldn't even look at him properly. Luo Da is always so nice to me, always smiling. Did the kids have some kind of fight?"
Li Zhaoxing was feeling sleepy, and said with his eyes half-closed, "Stop worrying. Do you know what it means to try to cover something up? Everyone else seems normal, except for your timid daughter. She's guilty! But don't worry, being timid has its advantages. Nothing bad will happen. You haven't worried about them much all these years, so don't worry about them now. They're in puberty, and if you don't manage them properly, something bad might happen. Go to sleep."
Cheng Min lay awake, her eyes wide open. She believed Li Wei was timid, but when that girl got going, she was anything but. Back then, she was only a few years old and could butcher a chicken with a swift stroke. Her younger sister, Cheng Fei, was so much older, yet she didn't even dare to butcher a fish. No wonder she was working for Xiao Ming.
However, Cheng Min felt that something was off; Xiao Ming was being a bit too serious today.
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