My brother-in-law's house is on the first floor, with a small yard. As soon as we entered, the two little ones ran over and happily took the treats from Li Chu's hands.
Wang Jiayuan, that little girl, has the sweetest tongue. Even when receiving something, she didn't forget to greet people, calling out in a clear, crisp voice, "Hello, Uncle!"
That brat Wang Jiadong is hopeless; he grabbed the things and ran off without even telling his uncle. He needs to be taught a lesson.
Hearing the commotion, the eldest sister, Li Qin, came to the door. Upon seeing that Li Chu had brought so many things, she immediately complained, "I told you not to bring anything, not to bring anything. We don't need anything. Come in quickly."
As soon as he entered the house, he saw his brother-in-law sitting there looking up at him. Li Chu said, "Brother-in-law, I'm here."
"Okay, okay, come sit here." Wang Ziwen smiled and nodded, pointing to the chair next to her.
"It smells so good, sis, what delicious food did you make?" Li Chu sniffed and sat down in the chair.
After everyone sat down, Wang Ziwen took out a tea set and brewed a pot of tea. After chatting with her for a while, the eldest sister got up and went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
Little glutton Wang Jiayuan also happily scurried into the kitchen, intending to sneak in some treats beforehand, since she had seen her father buy a lot of delicious food.
For a moment, only three men remained in the room, all leaning back in their chairs like old men, some drinking tea, some smoking, and some eating snacks.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Li Chu stood up, took a small bottle from her green handbag on the table by the door, walked over to Wang Ziwen, and handed it to him: "Brother-in-law, this is the medicine I told you about last time. Take one pill a day for the first month, and then one pill every three days. This is a three-month supply. After finishing it, you'll be almost done." Then she leaned close to her brother-in-law's ear and whispered, "Remember, don't have sex for the first seven days after you start taking it, but it doesn't matter after that."
Wang Ziwen picked up the medicine bottle, opened it, looked at it, and said with a smile, "Wow, that's been a long time! I almost forgot about this. Is the medicine okay?"
Li Chu pursed his lips and said, "If you're not comfortable with this, just give it back to me. If it weren't for my sister and your future happiness, I wouldn't bother with this stuff. Seven days. You'll know if it works in seven days." He then chuckled.
Without a word, Wang Ziwen flipped the medicine bottle into his pants pocket. "Then I'll try it first. You're using me as a guinea pig, aren't you?"
Li Chu waved his hand: "No, brother-in-law, would I let you use this medicine if I wasn't sure? This prescription was left by my master. Years ago, this medicine was used for that person in the palace."
Then he added, "Brother-in-law, you must take the medicine the way I told you. Don't take too much. Every medicine has some toxicity, and taking too much won't do your health any good."
Wang Ziwen nodded: "Okay, I understand."
The two chatted about other things for a while, and soon it was time for dinner.
The meal was plentiful, with large steamed buns made from white flour as the staple food. There were four dishes: braised pork ribs, stir-fried liver tips, boiled mutton, and a salad of shredded cabbage and radish with glass noodles.
In those famine-stricken times, this meal was considered high-standard even for entertaining top leaders.
After the family sat down, Wang Ziwen opened a bottle of Five Star Moutai, and the two of them drank it with great relish.
After eating and chatting for a while, the two little ones, with their round bellies, got off the table and ran happily into the house to share the candy and snacks that Li Chu had brought.
Looking at Li Chu with concern, her older sister asked, "Little Chu, how's it going? Are you dating anyone yet?"
Li Chu took a bite of mutton and mumbled, "Sister, don't worry, we're looking, we're looking."
Looking at her younger brother's cheeky and irresponsible manner, Li Qin said with exasperation, "You, I think you shouldn't look for someone on your own. There are some nice young ladies at your brother-in-law's workplace. Ask your brother-in-law to introduce you to one. You're already 25. When are you going to stop? You're the only male in our Li family. How am I supposed to face our deceased parents if you don't date or get married?"
Li Chu was overwhelmed by his sister's machine-gun-like chatter. He put down his chopsticks, raised his hands in surrender, and said, "Sister, sister, don't worry, this year, this year, I guarantee I'll find you a sister-in-law."
Li Qin stared at him with wide eyes: "Find it for me? Is that what you mean by finding it for me?" As she spoke, her hand reached across the table towards Li Chu's ear.
Li Chu quickly shrank back and said with a grin, "Sister, I was wrong. I meant to find it for myself. Please don't be angry."
Li Qin put her hand down: "How could I have a younger brother like you? You said you had to find someone this year. If you can't, I'll personally force you to go on blind dates."
"I promise, I'll definitely find one."
"Alright, give him a little more time. If it really doesn't work out, I'll introduce him to someone else." Wang Ziwen said, taking a sip of her drink. Pointing to the food on the table, she added, "Xiao Chu, if you want to eat anything in the future, just tell your sister and come over to our house. Don't make anything too fancy in your compound."
“Exactly, there are too many people and too much gossip in your compound, it’s not a good thing,” Li Qin continued Wang Ziwen’s words.
“Okay, I got it. I basically don’t cook at home either; I usually eat at the hospital cafeteria. If I’m craving something, I just go to a restaurant near the hospital.” Li Chu nodded.
"You rascal, how much do you earn in a month? You go out to eat every day. Is your meager salary enough for you to live on? We invite you to eat at our house, but you won't come. Is our house too small for you to sit in?" Li Qin got angry just looking at her brother.
Li Chu shook his head and said, "That's impossible. It's just an occasional meal at a restaurant. How can I eat out every day? Besides, it's too much trouble to go back and forth after get off work. It's inconvenient."
Wang Ziwen looked at Li Chu and said, "Then how about this, I'll get you a bicycle, it'll be more convenient for you to ride."
“Brother-in-law, please don’t! There isn’t a single bicycle in our yard right now. Oh, if I ride one back here, people will start talking about it like crazy! Besides, I have enough money and tickets to buy a bicycle.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “Do you have any radio tickets? If so, give me one. Sometimes I get so bored at night, having a radio would make things a little better.”
“I still have radio tickets here.” After thinking for a moment, he said to Li Qin, “How about this, Xiao Qin, you can give our radio to Xiao Chu later, and we’ll buy another one later.”
He turned to Li Chu and said, "Xiao Chu, don't mind that it's old."
"No way, brother-in-law, it just saves me money."
Li Qin nodded: "Okay, Xiao Chu, I'll take it to you before I leave."
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