"Noodles are fine too, Auntie."
Xu Ruantang smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll cook for Xiaobao separately later, you don't need to worry about it."
Li Shuhe quickly chimed in, "Yes, I'll make Xiaobao's meal for Ruan Tang later. Mom, you can just make what the adults eat."
Mother Shen nodded, her expression somewhat unnatural.
Shen Qingwen washed his hands and followed his mother into the kitchen.
Li Shuhe sat with Xu Ruantang in the main room. She glanced at her younger brother, sister-in-law and children beside her, then leaned close to Xu Ruantang's ear and whispered, "His mother is used to living a frugal life and can't stand waste, so usually when I buy things, I bring them back secretly."
Xu Ruantang gave her a look that was hard to describe.
Li Shuhe pulled her arm, "Come on, let me take you and Xiaobao to my room for a while."
The door to Li Shuhe and Shen Qingwen's room was still decorated with a large red "double happiness" character.
Once the door opened, there was a bed and a small wardrobe inside, which almost filled the entire space.
Compared to Li Shuhe's bedroom at home, this place is incredibly small.
Moreover, her wardrobe at home alone is two or three times the size it is now.
"It's quite heartwarming."
Xu Ruantang held Xiaobao's hand, and the three of them entered the room. Li Shuhe then closed the door.
As soon as the door closed, she sat down on the bed and started complaining: "Where is the cozy feeling? I originally planned to hang a photo of Qingwen and me by the bed, but his mother insisted on putting up a New Year's picture of a doll, saying it would attract boys."
Xu Ruantang turned her head, and there was a big-eyed doll stuck to the headboard.
"Wait a minute, I remember there were two little children here."
Xu Ruantang also saw them in later generations; they were two children, a boy and a girl, both with big eyes.
The one by Li Shuhe's bedside is only for boys.
"Who can argue with that? Qingwen's mother won't allow it. She insists on having a boy first before discussing whether or not to hang a girl."
Xu Ruantang pursed her lips, not knowing what to say or how to respond.
Xiao Bao squatted on the ground, curiously poking at the ground with his finger, and then scratching and scratching.
The two talked in the room for a while, and then Li Shuhe took out the clothes she had bought at the mall and tried them on.
"how?"
Seeing that cautious yet excited look filled Xu Ruantang with mixed feelings.
She nodded. "Yes, it looks good."
"Really? Then I'll wear it when I go to the cultural troupe tomorrow."
Li Shuhe didn't think too much about it and happily touched the clothes she was wearing.
"Shuhe, time to eat..."
The door to Li Shuhe's room was unlocked, and Shen's mother pushed it open and came in.
Upon seeing the clothes Li Shuhe was wearing, her face turned ashen, as if by magic.
"Mom, why didn't you knock again?"
Upon seeing Chen's mother, Li Shuhe reflexively took off her coat and stuffed it into Xu Ruantang's hands.
She forced a smile and said, "Ruan Tang, your clothes are quite nice."
Xu Ruantang immediately understood, took the clothes and started packing them into a bag, saying, "They're alright, I bought them but I don't really like them. How about you wear them?"
"That won't do, these are your newly bought clothes."
Li Shuhe smiled shyly, her face flushed, and tugged at Xu Ruantang's sleeve, "Come on, come on, let's eat."
Shen's mother did not say a word throughout the entire process.
When they returned to the dining table, Shen Qingwen also came out with dumplings. "Comrade Xu, please sit down."
Shen Qingwen's attitude was fairly enthusiastic.
Xu Ruantang settled Xiaobao next to her, while Li Shuhe sat on her other side.
"etc."
Xu Ruantang was still tidying Xiaobao's clothes when Chen's mother spoke up, "Qingwen, go see why your father and brother haven't come back yet?"
Shen Qingwen pushed the plate towards Li Shuhe and said nonchalantly, "Mom, let's eat first. Dad and my brother will be here in a while. We can reheat it when they get back."
Shen Qingwen addressed the matter directly.
When there are many people at home on weekends, Shen Qingwen's younger brother and father find it troublesome, so they go downstairs to play chess or simply take a walk in the nearby park.
They don't always come back during mealtimes.
Shen's mother clearly knew, but for some reason today, Shen Qingwen thought she had forgotten.
After saying that, he invited Xu Ruantang to eat dumplings.
"Comrade Xu, please eat."
Xu Ruantang smiled and said, "Okay, thank you."
Li Shuhe smiled and picked up her chopsticks, "Ruan Tang, try this..."
With a "smack," the dumpling that Li Shuhe had just picked up fell back onto the plate.
She shuddered as well.
Everyone looked at the culprit, Shen's mother, with puzzled expressions. Only Shen Qingwen's younger siblings seemed not to hear, and kept stuffing dumplings into their bowls one by one.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Shen Qingwen was also puzzled and asked his mother.
With a long face, Mother Shen spoke in a harsh tone, "Qingwen, it wasn't easy for your father to raise you. Your current achievements are all thanks to your father's excellent upbringing. I've said these things more than once, haven't you remembered?"
Shen Qingwen, being a married man, felt somewhat embarrassed to be scolded by his mother in front of guests.
After a long pause, he adjusted his glasses and said good-naturedly, "Mom, didn't I tell you? Dad will be back soon. When he gets back, I'll heat up his food for him, okay?"
Shen's mother persisted, "Can dumplings that've been reheated compare to freshly made ones? Your father just loves freshly made ones!"
While the two were talking, Xu Ruantang and Li Shuhe remained silent, and even Xiao Bao blinked his big eyes, watching the spectacle in silence.
"Okay, I'll go get it."
Shen Qingwen stood up and was about to leave, his face looking very unpleasant.
Li Shuhe, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "Don't go! Come back and sit down!"
She always spoke kindly and gently in the Shen family, and she completely suppressed her temper, which was typical of a young lady before her marriage.
Because Li Shuhe felt that since she liked Shen Qingwen and married him, she should treat his family well.
But Li Shuhe knew perfectly well what was wrong with Shen's mother's outburst today.
"Mom, are you getting angry because I bought so many things and spent money?"
Li Shuhe put down her chopsticks and looked at Chen's mother with a cold expression.
Mother Shen paused for a second, probably not expecting Li Shuhe to have a temper.
But she quickly retorted confidently, "I didn't say that, I just asked Qingwen to call..."
“When has Dad ever called you to eat lunch on time? Don’t you know perfectly well that if you called him, he would yell at you?”
Li Shuhe showed no intention of letting things go and continued coldly, "You're acting like this today because you feel that I spent your son's money on clothes and other things, which is why you're making a scene. Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me in front of my friends and show off your status in the family?"
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