Chapter 176 Unique Technique
Dinner was naturally another large and sumptuous meal.
In addition to braised pork ribs with noodles, there are also hot and sour shredded potatoes, braised pork with potatoes, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, and French fries.
The table was full of Meng Qingyin's favorite foods.
Even Li the blacksmith catered to Zai Zai's tastes, making several dishes that were both sour and spicy.
Li Tieniu feigned jealousy: "Anyone who didn't know better would think Xiao Meng is your biological daughter and I picked her up from outside."
Li the blacksmith sneered, "I dream of having a sweet daughter like Xiao Meng, unlike you who annoys me all the time!"
Seeing that the flames of war were about to spread to him again, Li Tieniu quickly lowered his head and ate his rice, remaining silent.
Li the blacksmith glared at him fiercely.
Meng Qingyin lightened the mood: "Uncle Li, your braised pork with potatoes is so delicious! The potatoes are soft, tender, and very fragrant."
Li the blacksmith's expression changed like a shadow; one moment his face was full of gloom, the next it was all sunshine and clouds. "Eat as much as you like. Look how thin you've become."
Meng Qingyin chuckled, "I'm not thin either."
Li the blacksmith placed the braised pork and potatoes directly in front of her, saying, "Eat more even if you're not thin, the more you eat, the more energy you'll have!"
Meng Qingyin smiled and agreed.
Li Tieniu watched helplessly as the pot of braised pork and potatoes left him.
His father was furious, and he dared not provoke him.
Seeing his angry but speechless expression, Meng Qingyin casually asked, "Brother Tie Niu, is the construction team busy lately?"
After saying that, she naturally pushed the braised pork and potatoes towards him.
"No rush, no rush." Li Tieniu picked up a large piece of meat and winked at her.
Li the blacksmith scoffed, "He's practically unemployed, of course he's not busy."
Li Tieniu was unhappy. "How am I unemployed? It's just a long vacation. If you don't like me, I'll move out."
Li the blacksmith flew into a rage and slammed his fist on the table: "I told you to come and learn forging from me, but you wouldn't go. You insisted on going to build some bridge! Now look what's happened, you've been kicked out, haven't you? A vacation? It's just an excuse to get rid of you, and you actually believed it?"
Li Tieniu seemed to have his secret exposed, and immediately fell silent, then turned and left.
Li the blacksmith was panting heavily, cursing under his breath, "You unfilial son."
Meng Qingyin quickly poured him a glass of warm water and gently patted his back to help him catch his breath. "Uncle Li, have some water first."
Li the blacksmith took the water and drank a sip, his anger subsiding slightly: "I'm sorry, Xiao Meng, I made you laugh at me."
Meng Qingyin: "Uncle, you're being so polite with me."
Li the blacksmith sighed heavily, his tone somewhat melancholy, "My Li family's forging tradition has been passed down for 23 generations. Is it going to end in my hands?"
He didn't care whether Meng Qingyin responded or not, and continued talking to himself, "Why do you think he wouldn't want to learn forging from me? He insisted on building bridges, and now he's been betrayed by his partner in the construction team and kicked out... Is this the result he wanted?"
From Li the blacksmith's words, Meng Qingyin roughly pieced together the reason for the conflict between the father and son.
It was simply that Li Tieniu was unwilling to follow in his father's footsteps, while Li the blacksmith was puzzled by his son's idea and felt helpless about the forging craft that was about to be lost.
She didn't try to persuade Li the blacksmith easily, but said softly, "Brother Tie Niu has been betrayed by his partner, and now is the time when he needs comfort the most."
Li the blacksmith paused for a moment.
Meng Qingyin: "Brother Tie Niu is still young and has the opportunity to try and fail. Even if he gets hurt, he will have the courage to make a comeback. What he needs most right now is your approval."
Put yourself in her shoes. If she were betrayed by a trusted business partner, and her father not only didn't understand but also mocked her with disdain, she wouldn't know who to be disappointed in.
Li the blacksmith didn't speak, but you could tell from his expression that he was reflecting.
Meng Qingyin left him alone and went to the courtyard.
Li Tieniu was squatting silently under the courtyard wall, his head down and looking listless.
Meng Qingyin walked over.
Li Tieniu sniffed, but didn't look up: "I'm sorry to have given you a good laugh tonight."
Meng Qingyin couldn't help but say, "You and Uncle Li say the same things."
Li Tieniu fell silent.
Meng Qingyin: "Uncle Li forged a heavy sword for me. The craftsmanship of the heavy sword is exquisite and it is a great test of the blacksmith's skill."
Li Tieniu looked up at her. Under the moonlight, his eyes were red, but his tone was inexplicably proud: "His forging skills even surpassed my grandfather's. Every person who asked him to forge weapons was satisfied with the finished product."
Meng Qingyin: "Such a fine craft is about to be lost. How must Uncle Li feel?"
Li Tieniu was taken aback.
What was his father's feeling?
It seems he never considered it.
From a young age, his father constantly urged him to learn the craft of forging, but he had no interest in it whatsoever.
He is interested in bridges.
Later, ignoring his father's anger, he partnered with a friend to start a bridge construction team and rarely returned.
Because he knew that every time he came back, the father and son would have an argument.
He was always focused on pursuing his own dreams, but forgot to consider his father's feelings.
Seeing that he had come to his senses, Meng Qingyin stood up and patted him on the shoulder, "Go and have a good talk with Uncle Li. I believe he is not an unreasonable person."
Li Tieniu nodded, got up, and went inside.
Meng Qingyin returned to the car.
The little one misunderstood that she was leaving: "Master, aren't we supposed to stay here tonight?"
At the dinner table, Li the blacksmith suggested that Meng Qingyin stay the night, and she couldn't refuse, so she agreed.
Meng Qingyin: "No rush, give them some time."
This wait lasted for more than an hour.
Li Tieniu hurriedly ran out of the yard and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was still in the car: "I thought you had left. Come on, let's go back."
Meng Qingyin jumped out of the car and asked with a smile, "Looks like the problem is solved?"
Li Tieniu grinned and said, "Well, we've talked it out."
Meng Qingyin nodded and followed him back into the house.
Li the blacksmith chuckled, "Little Meng, would you like to learn forging from me?"
Meng Qingyin was stunned.
Li the blacksmith quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not forcing you to learn from me. I just think you're a good kid, and you're patient enough to endure loneliness. Maybe you can achieve something in forging. Of course, if you're not unwilling, then that's fine too."
Meng Qingyin hesitated, "But isn't forging a secret technique unique to the Li family? Would it be inappropriate to pass it on to me?"
Li the blacksmith waved his hand, "What's important is that our unique skills can be passed down."
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