Lotus mother entered the room, and after a while came out with a handkerchief tightly clasped in her hand. She handed the handkerchief over reluctantly, her hands were shaking, showing how heartbroken she was.
Zhang Tieshan pulled the handkerchief over and opened it. There were a few pieces of silver inside. After counting, there were about twelve or thirteen taels, not fifteen taels.
Lotus mother took the initiative to explain: "We really don't have that much money at home. This is all the money we have. Tieshan, for the sake of our relationship, let's end this matter here."
Zhang Tieshan didn't say anything. After putting the money in his arms, he said, "Okay, I don't want the insufficient money. Let's use these furniture as collateral. Qingshan, Xiaoer, smash them!"
After receiving the order, Zhang Qingshan and Luo Er immediately grabbed the hoe in the corner and started smashing everything they saw. The crackling sound filled the entire house, attracting many villagers to come and watch.
"Zhang Tieshan, what are you doing! Stop it! Didn't you say let it go?" Hehua Niang screamed in unbearable pain.
Li Changfu's wife followed up with a scream: "Ah - stop it - you guys stop it -"
Seeing that the two were still smashing things, Li Changfu's eyes turned red with anger, "You are really going too far!" As he said that, he was about to go forward to hit Zhang Qingshan who was smashing things. Li Changshou, who was following behind him, also went up to stop Luo Er.
Seeing this, Zhang Tieshan's eyes became fierce, and he kicked with his long legs. With the sound of wind, he kicked Li Changfu and Li Changshou, who were about to hit him, to the ground. They were in so much pain that they couldn't get up, and Hehua Niang and Li Changfu's wife were so scared that they screamed.
Seeing her things being smashed and her son being beaten, Mother He started to cry and sat on the ground, crying and pounding the ground, "I am so miserable. The Zhang family has gone too far. They divorced my daughter and now they come to rob her of her money. After stealing the money, they want to smash my house. Please give me some advice. Is there any justice in this world? Woo woo..."
Li Changfu's wife also imitated Hehua Niang's behavior and beat the ground and cried, asking the villagers to judge for them. Unfortunately, everyone knew the character of the Li family, and no one came out to stand up for them.
While the two women from the Li family were crying, most of the things in the house had been smashed. Zhang Tieshan raised his hand to signal them to stop and said, "This is the price you pay for bullying my family when I'm not at home. Come find me if you're not satisfied." After that, he took Zhang Qingshan and Luo Er out of the Li family's gate.
The villagers who were watching the excitement at the door automatically made way and watched the group of three people leave the village.
On the way home, Zhang Qingshan was overjoyed. "Brother, I am so relieved today. Look at how cowardly the Li family is! They were so arrogant before."
Zhang Tieshan didn't say anything and there was no expression on his face.
Zhang Qingshan was still talking happily to himself, "That's good now. The money will be returned. Our family will have extra money. We can buy things that we don't have at home. Brother, I want to eat meat, I want to eat braised pork. The last time that woman made it was really delicious--"
After saying this, Zhang Qingshan suddenly realized what he had said. He touched his head awkwardly and subconsciously looked at Zhang Tieshan's face. Seeing that his brother was not angry because he mentioned that woman, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Brother, did you hear what the Li family said just now? That woman went back to her parents' home but was kicked out. It's really a case of evil deeds being punished. Now even her family members are unwilling to take her in. Let's see what she will do!"
Zhang Tieshan's eyes moved and his lips tightened slightly.
..................................................
Li Hehua had no idea what had happened in the Li family. At that time, she was sitting with Cao Simei's family and having lunch.
Today's dishes were cooked by Li Hehua. Cao Simei's family was very happy. Looking at the fragrant dishes on the table, everyone's eyes were shining. Although farmers rarely eat meat, they are not so greedy when seeing meat. The reason why their eyes are shining is because
The dishes on the table at noon are so different from what we usually eat. The smell is overwhelmed.
Fourth sister Cao held Li Hehua's hand and thanked her: "Big sister, thank you so much, I know this meal is delicious without even having to eat it."
Li Hehua quickly waved her hands, "Why are you thanking me, sister? I should be the one thanking you. If your family hadn't let me stay here, I would have nowhere to live."
Cao Simei smiled and patted her hands. "Alright, alright, no need to say thank you. Let's eat quickly. We're all hungry."
Everyone was very excited to hear that they could eat. Several children immediately picked up their chopsticks and couldn't wait to eat. Even Cao Simei's husband He Da was as eager to pick up his chopsticks as the children.
Cao Simei's eldest son was the first to swallow the meat in his mouth and gave Li Hehua a thumbs up, "Aunt Li, the food is delicious, your cooking skills are amazing! I have never eaten such delicious food."
Cao Simei's eldest daughter also looked at Li Hehua with bright eyes, "Aunt Li, no wonder you can prepare banquets, your dishes are really delicious. My brother used to go to the river to catch fish and eat them, but the fish cooked by mother had a fishy smell, and no one liked to eat it."
The children at home nodded in agreement, and even He Da showed his approval, which made Cao Simei so angry that she glared at him and pretended to be angry, "Well, you have no conscience, I cook for you every day and you dare to complain that my food is not delicious!"
Everyone at the table laughed.
Cao Simei's youngest son was only eight years old. He was very lively and was not afraid of his mother. He retorted, "Mom, your cooking is really much worse than Aunt Li's. Aunt Li's fish is so delicious. You should learn from Aunt Li. Next time my brother and I go fishing, we can eat such delicious fish every day."
Fourth Sister Cao nodded her youngest son's head and said unhappily, "Do you think you can learn it just by watching? Cooking requires talent, otherwise anyone can be a chef."
The younger son pouted in disappointment.
Li Hehua said with a smile: "Sister, you saw me cooking fish. Just imitate me and cook it a few times and it will be delicious. It's not difficult. If you have any questions, just ask me."
Hearing what Li Hehua said, Cao Simei was very happy, "Then sister, thank you in advance. If I don't know how to do it, please guide me." She also wanted to cook delicious dishes.
At the end of the meal, every plate was empty, and even the soup was eaten by the children with their meals. After the meal, everyone held their stomachs and sighed with satisfaction. Cao Simei's youngest son even asked Li Hehua expectantly if he could make it again tomorrow, and got Cao Simei's fried chestnuts.
Li Hehua was amused and laughed.
The next day was the day when Old Man Wang’s family was going to hold a wedding banquet, so Li Hehua went directly from Cao Simei’s house to Old Man Wang’s house.
The Wang family was very polite to Li Hehua. After all, the pickled fish Li Hehua made last time was so delicious that the Wang family almost bit their tongues off. Since then, they have been thinking about it and want to eat it again.
When Li Hehua came this time, the first thing Old Man Wang said to Li Hehua was, "Can you make pickled fish for today's dinner? It's the same dish you made last time you came to my house. We bought ten fish today and the pickled vegetables are ready."
Since the host said so, there was no reason for Li Hehua to disagree. He agreed immediately and planned to make all the fish today into sauerkraut fish.
After the fish was arranged, Li Hehua looked at the other ingredients. There were chicken, duck, pork belly, spare ribs, and beef. Li Hehua thought about it and decided to make a big plate of chicken, a stir-fried duck, a sweet and sour pork, a braised spare ribs, a stewed beef, and a stewed old hen today. The meat dishes were already rich enough. As for vegetarian dishes, he would make tofu soup, a vegetarian dish of three cubes, a dish of mushrooms and vegetables, a dry-pot cauliflower, a dish of shredded pork with fish flavor, and a dish of mapo tofu, for a total of twelve dishes.
Li Hehua reported the menu in his mind to the Wang family one by one, intending to ask for their opinions. As a result, the Wang family's eyes were wide open. Why? Because they had never heard of many of the dishes before. This was the first time they heard of them, just like the sauerkraut fish that day, which was amazing.
The ingredients that farmers use for banquets are nothing more than chicken, duck, fish and meat. Everyone cooks them in the same way, that is, braised chicken, stewed chicken, braised fish, braised pork and so on. They have never seen the various dishes that Li Hehua mentioned. Although they have never seen or heard of them, it does not prevent them from hearing from the names that these dishes are very delicious.
Old Man Wang waved his hand and said, "Just do what you want. We trust you. You don't need to ask us what we think."
After receiving authorization, Li Hehua put everything outside behind him and immediately went into the kitchen to start cooking.
This time, two large pots were still being fried at the same time. Li Hehua held two spatulas in his hands and worked with both hands. He cooked the big plate chicken with the left hand and the braised pork ribs with the right hand. He put salt in his left hand and soy sauce in his right hand. He took care of two dishes at the same time without any mistakes. The Wang family members were so shocked that their jaws dropped. The kitchen helpers even forgot their tasks several times when they saw Li Hehua's actions. They only came to their senses after Li Hehua reminded them.
The Wang family's kitchen helpers today were simply full of admiration for Li Hehua.
There is a drawback to the villagers' banquets, that is, the speed is slow. Because there is only one chef, usually the first dish is almost finished before the next one is served. Some families even only have one dish, and the guests are eagerly waiting for the next dish, which is very embarrassing.
As it turned out, this problem was not a problem at all for Li Hehua. She cooked much faster than the guests ate. Before the guests had eaten much of the previous dish, the next dish was served. In a blink of an eye, the whole table was covered with dishes. When all the dishes were served, there was not an empty plate on the table and each dish was still hot.
The guests who came to the Wang family today were very knowledgeable. Not only did they eat many dishes they had never seen before, but they had also never seen a banquet where the dishes were served so quickly. They were all very surprised and asked Old Man Wang, "How many chefs did you hire? The dishes were served too quickly, and the dishes were so delicious. I'm afraid you didn't hire Zhou Laogen?"
"Yes, yes, Zhou Laogen's cooking doesn't taste like this, and we have never seen these dishes before, they are very novel."
"I'm sure it wasn't Zhou Laogen. Old Wang, who did you invite? Tell us. We can invite this person to the banquet next time."
Old man Wang received so many compliments for this feast today that he was almost floating. Hearing this, he said with a smile, "My family only hired one cook, but this cook is very good. Not only is he fast, but the food is better than the best restaurant in town."
Although this statement sounds a bit boastful, it is understandable and is indeed true. Everyone is even more curious about the person who prepared the banquet.
Old man Wang had kept everyone in suspense for long enough, so he told everyone Li Hehua's information, causing many guests present to secretly remember her in their hearts.
After Li Hehua finished his work, he had lunch with the kitchen helpers in the back kitchen and then said goodbye to the Wang family. In addition to giving them money for the meal, Aunt Wang also gave Li Hehua a lot of dishes, melon seeds and candies. Li Hehua did not refuse and took them all back to Cao Simei's home. He gave most of the things to them, but kept half of the melon seeds and candies because she wanted to leave them for the little guy.
Although she had no relationship with the Zhang family at all, she inexplicably couldn't let go of that poor little guy in her heart. For some reason, ever since she knew that the little guy was her biological son in this body, Li Hehua's feelings became different. In addition to pity, there was an indescribable feeling in her heart that made her miss the little guy very much. He would always be the first person she thought of when there was something delicious. She especially wanted the little guy to be healthy and happy.
Well, let’s just consider it as compensation to the original owner for this poor little guy.
Li Hehua planned to secretly go back to see the little guy after selling all the cakes tomorrow. She knew that Zhang Tieshan and Zhang Qingshan would go to the fields or the mountains to hunt every day, and Zhang Linshi did not stay at home all the time. She would go out from time to time to wash clothes or chat with neighbors. At this time, the little guy would be the only one at home, and she could sneak in to give him something to eat without anyone noticing.
However, before that, her most important thing was to find a place to stay. She couldn't always stay at Cao Simei's house. Although Cao Simei's family was very enthusiastic and asked her to stay, she was embarrassed to stay in their house all the time.
That afternoon, Li Hehua borrowed the kitchen of Cao Simei's house to make pastries again. This time he made a lot more for Cao Simei's family to taste. He also wrapped a separate portion in oil paper and put it in a basket. This was for the little one.
The next morning, Li Hehua came to the town again to sell cakes.
He hadn't been here for several days, and many old customers came to ask Li Hehua why he hadn't come in recent days. Li Hehua smiled and explained that there was something going on at home, and then he started busy selling cakes. In less than an hour, he sold out all the two baskets of cakes, leaving only the one bag in the basket unsold.
After buying the raw materials, Li Hehua walked back with the basket. He did not go directly to Cao Simei's house, but went back to Zhang's house. He hid not far away for a long time. After seeing Zhang Linshi leave the house and confirming that there was no one in the Zhang family, he slipped in.
Li Hehua ran straight to the kitchen and saw the little guy behind the stove.
She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt that the little guy seemed thinner than before she left. There was not a trace of flesh on his face, as if there was only a thin layer of skin covering the bones. His two little paws were thinner than chicken paws, and his arms broke if he exerted any force. It made people feel extremely uncomfortable.
In modern times, every child is plump and chubby. How could she have ever seen such a skinny child? If this were her child, she would definitely -
Li Hehua's thoughts suddenly stopped, because strictly speaking, this little guy is now her child.
Li Hehua was in mixed feelings. He slowly walked to the little guy, squatted down, opened the basket, took out the cakes and candies inside, and handed them to the little guy. He said softly, "Baby, look what delicious food I brought you? Remember, these are cakes and red bean cakes that you have eaten before."
Li Hehua opened the paper bag that contained the candy and showed it to the little guy, "Look, baby, there are candies inside, sweet candies, very delicious, you can keep them and eat them slowly, but remember not to eat too much in one day, and not before going to bed, otherwise the bugs will bite your teeth, understand?"
After Li Hehua finished speaking, seeing that the little guy didn't move, he simply held the paper bag in his hand and handed it to the little guy for him to look at. Surprisingly, the little guy's eyes moved, and he actually cast his gaze on the paper bag. After a while, he slowly stretched out his little hand, picked up a piece of cake and put it into his mouth.
Li Hehua almost laughed out loud with joy.
After watching the little guy eat some cakes, it was getting late. Li Hehua was afraid of running into Zhang Lin, so he reluctantly put down the food and explained to the little guy, "Baby, I have to go. I don't want to run into your grandma and dad. Otherwise, it will be hard to explain and they might think I want to hurt you."
Li Hehua looked at the little guy lovingly for the last time, "Baby, I'll come to see you next time. You have to eat well, okay? You can't lose any more weight, okay?"
After giving the instructions, Li Hehua stood up, observed at the kitchen door, and confirmed that there was no one there. Then he quickly slipped out and left the Zhang family.
Li Hehua had no idea that all her actions were seen by others.
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