Fortunate Wife CHAPTER 204: SETTLING THE ACCOUN
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Li Man panicked without a reason as her heart jumped and screamed silently. She fidgeted and hesitatingly wanted to just run and go inside her room.
At this moment of hesitation, a deep footstep finally fell behind her. Her body turned stiff and she finally decided to just bolt out and run away, when Li Yan's voice sounded in her ears, "Is your butt hurting?"
"What?" his words didn't connect to Li Man's brain for a long time as she stared blankly, not understanding what he meant.
But in a blink of an eye, Li Yan had already walked over to her. His gaze slowly went down from her awkward face, until he suspiciously staring at her hips.
"Is it? Looking at you sitting weirdly like this."
"Your butt's hurting!" Li Yan suddenly understood, and in her anger and embarrassment, she hurriedly jumped up, giving him a death glare, while suppressing the flush that crept out her face without words.
"Oh, how do you know?" Li Yan's lips slyly smirked. He tilted his head slightly while approaching her ear and asked slowly in a deep voice, "Did you take a peek?"
"You..." Li Man trembled in anger. She suddenly pushed him away while gnashing her teeth, "Get away, you rogue!" she screamed as she turned back and ran to the West Room. She slammed the door and firmly closed it.
Li Yan twitched as he looked at the trembling thin door panel, unconsciously furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, "The door will be broken sooner or later."
"Second Brother?" Little Five couldn't help but frowned after seeing this scene.
Li Yan lowered his head and looked at him, "Go and study your writing."
"Second Brother, you shouldn't be like this. Sister would only think that you're bullying her." Little Five earnestly admonished his brother.
Li Yan instead laughed, "So you already understand this kind of thing?"
Little Five looked at him with a stunned expression, "Of course. Otherwise, Second Brother, who do you think is sister's favorite in this house?"
"It's not me?" Li Yan stroked his chin and acted like he's earnestly pondering.
This smelly brother, Little Five gave him an annoyed glare, "If you haven't noticed, sister has always been the most comfortable when she's with me. And you? Second Brother, you always bully her every day so she's always trying to hide herself from you, how can she like you?"
"I know, Little Five is the best, the most attractive one here." Li Yan reached out his hand, smacked Little Five's head twice and smiled, "Writing for all noon will make you tired. When I on my way home just now, I saw HuZi and the others are playing near the village's entrance gate."
"Really?" Little Five's pair of eyes suddenly got bright, "Why haven't they come and call me out?"
"They let me tell you to go over there. Go and play, you can continue studying in the afternoon." Li Yan took the sand plate from his hand and put it on the small tool nearby.
"Hehe, Second Brother, then I'll go and play a bit. I'll come home later." After hastily saying a few words, he bolted out of the house.
Li Yan bent his lips and smiled amusedly. He looked at the four lines of words written on the sand plate, a total of 20 characters were written, but he couldn't recognize around 10 of them, and another 2 that he couldn't be sure of. His eyebrows unconsciously formed a crease, Little Five really want to be better than him?
His line of sight moved to the West Room. The doors and windows were all closed tightly, but he knew that girl was sitting at the kang bed, staring dazedly while being angry.
Li Yan took a deep breath and went to the well, taking a bit of water to wash his hands. He turned and reached the front of West Room's door, and like a gentleman, he knocked twice.
Li Man was sitting on the kang bed while hugging her legs inside the room when she heard the knocking sounds. She ferociously gave a glare towards the door, because at this time, there wouldn't be anyone else except for Li Yan.
However, the knocking only sounded for that two times and ceased to exist, she sighed in relief, thinking that he was only being his usual self, teasing her to death.
Who knew that at the next second, the window panel was pushed wide open, raising a lot of dust.
"What are you doing?" Li Man yelled as she hurriedly jumped over to block his entrance, but it was all too late as Li Yan had already used one hand to pushed the window panel while his entire body hoped inside the room. Then he closed the window tightly, making his presence looming over Li Man.
"Li Yan, what do you want to do?" Is it because I berated him and called him a rogue, so he chases me here to settle some accounts?
Li Yan looked at her strained angry face, although she didn't know that her expression was quite funny and cute in his eyes, "What are you afraid of? Do you think that I'll eat you in this bright daytime?"
Could it be that whenever he opens his mouth, he would only let out this kind of words? Li Man's heart firmly despised him, but her lips was pursed tightly, didn't dare to speak a word. This man's really easy to bear grudges, whatever I say will have no meaning.
Li Yan felt annoyed looking at her guarding herself away from him in this way, and he then just stared at her with anger for a moment when suddenly his long arm was stretched out as he grabbed her wrist forcefully.
Like a frightened rabbit, Li Man jumped up and struggled, while her other hand kept on beating him, "Let go, let me go!"
"Li Man." Li Yan was so angry that his face turned blue, and with a slight force from him, he pushed her whole body on the bed and firmly pressed her down.
Li Man was just like a hooked fish, struggling for dear life.
On the other hand, Li Yan only pressed her body down, while looking with a cold and rigid expression on her face, "Li Man, what are you afraid of?"
"Eh?" when Li Man looked at his stern and incomparably deep eyes, she was shocked and blankly said, "I..."
"Are you afraid because you're guilty of something?" She couldn't move after hearing the gentleness and hurt inside his voice.
"I—" Li Man felt heavy in her heart and closed her eyes in a panic. That's right, it wasn't because she's afraid of what Li Yan would do to her, but it was because she really did something intimate with Li Mo, and thus she daren't look at Li Yan's eyes.
Li Yan pulled her up, wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her in a tight embrace. His chin rested on her shoulder, "I already know, don't be afraid anymore."
"What do you know?" she felt that the pit of her stomach was sinking and asked in a flurry.
Li Yan's mouth hooked in a sneer, but Li Man couldn't see his expression and only heard his low voice said, "You and Big Brother. You both came back like that yesterday, do you think that I'm a fool who can't see anything clearly?"
He already knew? Li Man suddenly felt a cold sweat dripping from her face, she didn't know what to respond him with. He also didn't open his mouth anymore, only embracing her tightly.
The atmosphere all of a sudden stopped rigidly.
"Li Yan..." She wanted to say something as a reply, but her dried up tongue couldn't find even a word.
Unexpectedly, Li Yan was the first to ask her gloomily, "Is it still hurting?"
"En?" Li Man's face became red in a realization as she bit into her lips, "Li Yan, this thing, I..."
"This." Li Yan suddenly let go of her and interrupted her words. He took out a small box from his bosom, "I took this from the Old Doctor's place this morning. He said that it can reduce swelling and pain, do you want to try it out?"
"Ah?" Li Man was shocked and paused, looking at the opened box in front of her, revealing a milky white cream and a whiff of herbal fragrance.
It's just, reducing swelling and pain? That's to be applied externally, while mine is... inside...
"No need, I'm not hurting and swelling that much." Li Man dryly laughed and kept insisting not to use it. Surely, he didn't mean anything else.
However, Li Yan brazenly set his line of sight on one part underneath her waist, "Nothing's wrong? Then take off your clothes and let me see."
Li Man drew back and took a deep cold air, Good, really good, this hooligan just really said that. For a moment, she felt anger and shame that she fiercely turned her head away and ignored him, only saying with a cold expression, "Li Yan, don't cross the line."
"Come again." Li Yan deliberately sat down, tilting his body and glance towards her, "This dead girl, what kind of brain do you have? You already did all the deed with Big Brother, why can't I look? Aren't you my wife?"
Li Man was choked with anger and chose to remain silent. What kind of rubbish reasoning does he spout?
"If you're not taking it off, then I'll come to you myself."
Li Yan disliked her dawdling appearance, so he put down the ointment and reached his hand out towards the waist of her trousers.
Li Man was shocked and screamed, she tried to shrink herself and hide inside the corner of the wall, "Li Yan, you're crazy! Little Five is still inside the house!"
"He went outside to play." After taking her trouser off, he then climbed the kang bed, blocking her way out.
Little Five isn't at home? An alarm bell was ringing out inside Li Man's mind as her body kept shrinking to the corner but she still couldn't find any way out, so she pretended to be calm and talk to him, "Li Yan, I'm fine, I don't need the medicine."
"Really?" Li Yan's hands were already firmly placed on both sides of her legs, fixing his sight on her with suspicion, while her pair of eyes glimmered with peculiar radiance, "So it means that we can round the room already?"
"..." Li Man was so startled until all the colors on her face was completely gone, is he doing this intentionally?
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle to you." Li Yan faced her rigid body sitting in the corner. His slender fingers started to unbuckle the sash on his own pants leisurely.
Li Man's eyes were opened wide, he's really shameless! Deceiving Little Five to leave the house, trapping her inside the room, all of that just for doing this to her?
"What are you dazing blankly for? Are you still not taking off your clothes?" Li Yan took off his shirt very quickly, showing off his strong upper body. Although his muscles weren't as sturdy as Li Mo's mountain-like muscles, but one look at his body would reveal those blood vessels spurting out in a grand display.
And in a blink of an eye, his fingers already pulling on the straps of his pants while his eyes gave a teasing look at Li Man, "Are you waiting for me to help you take it off?"
"D-don't take off anymore." Seeing him in the midst of taking his pants off, Li Man was completely dumbfounded. She abruptly covered her eyes and reaching her hand out to stop what he's doing. This shameless man already broke her bottom line!
"Hah." Li Yan immediately took advantage and grabbed her reaching out hand, pulling her towards his bosom, while both of her big palms accurately rubbed and kneaded her two soft bunnies. A pair of burning hot lips glued themselves with her red-blood earlobe dyed with shyness, and then with a low husky voice he whispered, "Then, let me help you take them off, alright?"
Li Yan wanted to cry but was without tears, her fingernails ruthlessly pinched the back of his hand. She shouted with a stern voice, "Li Yan, stop your hands."
Unexpectedly, Li Yan was really obedient this time. He stopped what he's doing, and took off his hand away from her body.
This obedient him shocked Li Man with bewilderment.
"Hah, you really loathe me this much." Li Yan hung his head down, the messy hair in front of his head obstructed his face from her. She couldn't see his expression, but she could hear his dejected and lonely voice,
Li Man grabbed her opened clothes tightly and watched him with precaution, who knows what tricks he's playing now?
"But what should I do then? Man Er, you're my wife, I can only marry you in this life time. You can't not let me touch you forever ah." Li Yan suddenly looked up, his deep eyes were full with seriousness and sincerity, and also a bit of misery.
The corner of Li Man's mouth was pulled downwards. This... this situation wasn't caused by me, I'm also a victim here...
Li Yan dejectedly sighed, "Actually, I have been fawning on you all the time, even going as far as bullying you. All of what I've done was just to make your sight linger on me a bit, staying even for just a while longer."
Is that so? Li Man was still a bit confused. She never heard of a man bullying a woman because he loves her, they're not children anymore.
"I don't have Big Brother's dignity, I don't have Fourth Brother's outstanding learning, I don't even have Little Five's joyfulness. And, as a Second, I can't behave unscrupulously like Third Brother. How can you take notice on this kind of me?"
He can speak this pitifully? Li Man felt suspicious.
"Man Er." His deep eyes were lathered with hurt, she couldn't help softening a bit towards him, "Li Yan, I don't actually really hate you, as long as you don't..."
Li Yan bitterly laughed, "You don't understand. It was really difficult for me when I saw you inside Big Brother's embrace yesterday. I clearly love you; I also want you, but, he's Big Brother—"
Li Man felt embarrassed because she was actually willing to do that with Li Mo.
"Do you know how hurt I felt when I see you walking like that this morning?" He suddenly grabbed her hands, looking at her with absolute tenderness.
Li Man's ears were both red like its dripping blood. Li Mo was too intense and fierce yesterday; she also didn't expect that she could be that useless.
"Be good, let's apply the medicine, let me take a look at you first." Li Yan leaned towards her body as he said this.
Li Man was startled, she suddenly understood his pitiful act just now, she immediately pushed him away, "Li Yan, you're really...hateful."
"Stupid, if I'm really that detestable, I would've done what I want with you a long time ago." Li Yan stared at her helplessly.
Li Man really didn't know which one is true and which one is fake, she's only afraid that he will come near her so she made a compromise, "Leave he medicine there, I'll put it myself."
"I already washed my hands clean." Li Yan suddenly reached his hands out while feeling wronged.
Li Man choked and her face flushed red, "Go out."
Li Yan's face abruptly changed. He gloomily grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his arms, but then he turned her over with her face facing downwards. His big palms suddenly gave a few slaps, pa pa pa, towards the plump buttocks sticking out of her.
"No matter what I do or say, you just have to act like this, do you still not understand anything?"
He was really mad this time, thus he let out a big force slapping her buttocks. The slapping sounded very crisp and clear, Li Man felt her rear bottoms ache so much, and it was really embarrassing too. It's only after a long time that the stinging pain started to fade, she twisted her body on top of his and yelled, "Li Yan, you're a madman, you're abnormal, you hit me..."
"If I don't hit you, do I have to leave you?" Li Yan angrily gave her two more slaps on the bottom, but this time he clearly used less force.
"We're all your husbands, but why when you have already done everything with Big Brother and I can't even touch you a little bit? How can you bully people this way?"
"Who's bullying who in the end? You madman... ouch, Li Yan, you scoundrel. A! You, I don't want you anymore... a..." In the end, Li Man didn't say anything more, because when she said one word, he would give her two slaps, his strength wasn't weak either so he was sure her soft bottom would hurt a lot.
Li Man swore and cursed for a while, although her mouth felt happy, but her buttocks felt really hurt. That hooligan was really hateful, his palm was so big, one slap from him would already make her buttocks red.
At the end, she didn't swear anymore, but the tears inside her glimmering eyes started to swirl, and finally, drop by drop fell on the kang bed.
"Why aren't you swearing anymore?" Li Yan slightly hung his head down, wanting to see her expression, but seeing at her stubbornly biting her lips with drops of tears falling down her flushed face, his heart suddenly went soft and blamed himself for being so ruthless. But her attitude towards him really made him exasperated.
He couldn't be clearer about his Big Brother's personality. If this girl isn't willing, he would surely couldn't force her. Therefore, she would rather give herself to Big Brother, but on the other hand, she wouldn't bother to give him even a slight smile and good words.
She really wants to anger me to death, right?
But even in anger, when he saw Li Man's trying to suppress her sobs and cried in silence stubbornly, he would rather drop the subject. Li Yan's temper eventually ceased, and with a weak and soft voice he coaxed her, "What are you crying for? I didn't even really hit you that hard."
But Li Man not only didn't appreciate his coaxing, her tears even turned worse and fell like a broken dam, although she still stubbornly kept sobbing in silence, but her body softly trembled like a new-born fawn.
"Is it really hurting? I'll help you rub it, don't cry anymore, okay?" Li Yan's heart was in a mess, his panicked hands gently rubbed her delicate buttocks.
Li Man suddenly looked like a rabbit that was stabbed with a needle, she abruptly turned her body using her foot as she stepped on him forcefully.
"Aa." Li Yan groaned in pain while rubbing his stomach, struggling to see Li Man leaning against the corner of the wall, eyes brimming with tears full of pity and indignance, he then forcefully let out a laugh, "Alright, I hit you and you also kicked me, we're fair now, so don't cry again, okay?"
With such beautiful eyes, if you cry again, when Big Brother and Third Brother return, they would surely skin me alive.
"Alright, alright, it's my fault, I shouldn't have hit you, but your kick this time isn't light either, ugh, it's painful." Li Yan used some strength to rubbed under his stomach for a while.
Li Man stared at him coldly, looking at the sweat forming on his forehead. She thought, she really did kick him hard. But he deserved it.
"Don't glare at me like that, wipe your tears away, wouldn't Little Five misunderstand and think that I did something to you?" Li Yan went down the kang bed with difficulty, giving the ointment to her, "You're my wife. If you're hurt, I wouldn't feel happy either."
After saying this, he stooped his waist over and shifting step by step towards the door. His appearance was really pitiful.
Looking at him struggling out, even exerting strength to pull the door open, Li Man unexpectedly couldn't suppress popping out a laugh.
Actually, this hateful guy was both annoying and ridiculous. Why did he do that abominable thing when afterwards he would endure her kick and still offer an apology?
Thinking about it, she took the ointment and thought about the words he said before he left; he said that he was hurt by her words and attitude towards him, and now her heart was filled with complex feelings.
However, this ointment, although she's too embarrassed to use it, but because she didn't want to hurt his feelings anymore, she decided to just shove it under the pillow.
—
Li Yan cooked a plain lunch consisting of white rice and a plate of stir-fried vegetables, then he went out without even touching the food he cooked.
Li Man didn't understand if he has a stomach problem or not. She thought that the strength of his steps was quite heavy, but he still could prepare lunch so his wounds most probably wasn't really serious, right?
In the afternoon, Li Mo and Li Shu finally came back from the market, but even one catty of the wild garlic wasn't sold out.
"Wife." When they just came home, Li Shu immediately went to the West Room and complained with grievance, "We already stood for half a day, but the passersby all asked about you and not even one buy anything."
"Ah?" Li Man was shocked, "Asked about me?" she looked at his back but found no one, "How about your Big Brother?"
"Big Brother, ah, at the middle of the way, he insisted on going to a dilapidated shack and told other villagers to carry a broken door plank back home, he's now rubbing the ash outside." Li Shu couldn't approve of what he's doing.
"Ah." When Li Man heard this, her face couldn't help flushed red and her heart jumped wildly, how could he bring that thing back home?
"Wife." Li Shu then said again, "how about I go with you tomorrow? When fourth brother stood there in the past, there were a lot of big and small ladies that came over. This time, Fourth Brother isn't there so you should go instead, Big Brother said that people all went to you to buy wild garlic yesterday."
"Oh." Li Man just muddled a reply with a hum and walked towards the outside. She already developed a special feeling towards Li Mo after that incident, so after not seeing him for half a day she really missed and wanted to see him. Seeing his warm eyes and that steady and honest face of his made her feel at ease.
She found him under the peach tree when she just strode outside the door, holding a bunch of dried straw and strongly rubbing the dust on the door plank. She didn't know how red her face was, but she still hesitatingly walked over.
"Big Brother." She softly called him from behind.
Li Mo paused and turned his head to see her. His face suddenly painted with joy, but quickly turned to one of awkwardness, "This..."
"What is this?" Li Mo glanced at the door plank and intentionally feigned ignorance.
Li Mo's handsome face showed a happy but embarrassed smile. After seeing Li Shu going inside the kitchen, he hung his head and replied in a low whisper, "There's wife's most precious thing on this plank, I want to keep it safe."
"My most precious thing?" Li Man was a bit dumbfounded. She looked at the place where Li Mo's finger pointed to and found a really faint dark-red mark and an understanding suddenly dawned on her.
Facing Li Mo's fiery red face, Li Man's heart felt shy and sweet. She hung down her head and smiled with a closed lip, "If you want to do it, then just do as you please." Li Mo found her smile looked just like a blooming flower and the part on his lower abdomen suddenly became tight, he anxiously turned around and continued with what he's doing.
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Fortunate Wife Chapter 205
Chapter 205: Buns
Li Man stood on the side and watched him carefully wiping the door panel when she suddenly laughed, "I don't know if anyone would still want this door plank, but what if someone come and ask you to return it?"
Li Mo let out a deep laugh two times but chose to not say anything. After the door panel was rubbed until it was clean, he looked around to find a suitable place to put it down.
"Big Brother, what are you gonna do with this broken thing?" Li Shu said as he walked out of the kitchen while wiping some crumbs from the corner of his mouth.
Li Mo couldn't care less about him because he couldn't find anywhere to put the panel in the courtyard when finally, he decided on Li Man's room as the most suitable place, "Man Er, let's put this inside your room."
"Ah?" Li Man couldn't think of any good place in her room to put the panel down.
However, Li Mo already brought the panel to the West Room. When he's inside, he looked around then finally decided to place it upward in the corner of the kang bed.
"You can't do that." Li Man objected for the first time, I have to look at it every day if he put it this way, right?
Li Mo smiled slightly, "There's no other place, this one is the most suitable."
Li Man glared at him, "Why don't you just put it inside your room then?"
"My room is fully packed with people." Li Mo casually answered.
Li Man carefully squinted at him, "Are you sure you don't have any other meaning?" Isn't he just using this plank to prompt out another point?
Li Mo's eyes dodged her scrutinizing sight but he didn't deny it. He looked at Li Shu busying himself with something in the courtyard, then he turned and whispered to Li Man, "You know that there are still Second Brother and others in the family, and they will soon, with you... I..."
"Don't you dare say anymore." Li Man suddenly felt a little discouraged and seemed to be somewhat angry, "You're more anxious than they are, is it that you can't wait for me to round the room with all of them?"
"No." Li Mo was feeling vexed that he had to mention this topic again, "Man Er, don't be angry anymore, I, I just can't bear it. I really fear that you will forget about me when the time comes."
"Then you should tell them that I'm yours alone," Li Man unconsciously let out this sentence that made even her surprised. But she didn't regret it, she can't bear so much problem alone, not just physically, but her heart also felt so much pressure.
Isn't in ancient times the 'one husband three wives and four concubines' the norm thing?
"Man Er." Li Mo was speechless. He couldn't even think about Li Man being his alone. Before his mother passed away, she made the five brothers to swear that they would only marry one wife. That's why, not only him, but his younger brothers all have had such a mind since childhood and never thought about dividing their family apart.
Seeing the look in his face, Li Man's heart was filled with a sense of loss. She always thought that true love should be selfish, selfishly want that love to be theirs only, but he still thought of giving her to the other brothers.
"I understand, I don't want to make it difficult for you, just wait until I get better and I will round the room with Second, Third and Fourth Brother. Ah, is Little Five counted too? He's still that young."
"Man Er, are you angry at me?" Li Mo saw her clearly wanted to cry, so she deliberately said such an irritating word. He couldn't help feeling hurt, he stretched out his hand wanting to pat her and console her for a bit, but his hand was forcefully shaken off by her instead.
"I don't need you to care." When her voice fell, her tears also followed and dripped down her face. She thought about how Li Yan bullied her this noon, and now Li Mo also acted like this, she felt really wronged.
"Man Er, wife..." Li Mo paced up and down in a state of agitation. He had never closely saw her tears falling down like this, he also couldn't coax a girl, so he panickily caught her hands in his and hoisted her up in an embrace, "How about, you just hit me? I'm wrong, I should be beaten."
"You really should be hit." Li Man really beat his chest a few times in her anger, but when she wanted to stop, Li Mo's big palm held her small ones and glued them on his chest, "Man Er, I know that we brothers always make you feel difficult, but I dare to pledge that we all will be good to you, give you the best that we can, for all our lives. Please don't be afraid."
He said this kind of word, but it looked like that he was the one who's afraid himself. However, how can he not be afraid?
When you meet someone who you truly love, it's a good fortune and happiness. But when you meet five of them, the ending will be uncertain.
Don't talk about anything else, but just thinking from the woman's point of view, she already can't cope with Li Mo alone yesterday, and he still wasn't satisfied after eating her twice in a row, what if it was added with some few more men? Won't she be tortured to death?
Although this question was really embarrassing to talk about, but it was still the most concrete and pressing problem at the moment.
She didn't know if Li Yan indeed wanted to round the room with her at noon or not, but this matter already enough to make her stifled.
"Don't be afraid, we brothers know exactly how things stand, your body and health is the most important thing." Li Mo gently pinched her palm in an attempt to comfort her.
"What's wrong? Is wife sick?" Li Shu only heard the last part of the sentence and thought that there's something wrong with Li Man, so he quickly came inside the room.
"Nothing." Li Mo answered, "Third Brother, have you moved the wild garlic inside?"
"Already moved." Li Shu looked at Li Man with suspicion, "Wife, are you really not feeling sick? How come your eyes a bit red? Did you not sleep well?"
"Nothing." although she already rubbed the tears away, but her voice still carried a bit of nasal sound.
Li Shu immediately heard that her voice wasn't right, so he pushed Li Mo away and carefully took a look at Li Man, "Wife, did you cry? Who bullied you?"
His sight instinctively fell on Li Mo, because Li Man was still alright when he just came back, and then she became like this after staying with Li Mo for a while.
Li Mo's face revealed a look of shame, because he truly felt that he owed Li Man a lot.
"Big Brother, how can you make wife cry?" Li Shu's face fell. He thought that his wife is really too cute, whoever bullies her should just go die, but this was his big brother, so he felt irritated.
Looking at Li Shu's expression like he really wanted to beat Li Mo, Li Man hurriedly pulled him, "No, its not like that. It was because the dust flew into my eyes."
"Still lying." Li Shu can't help but pamper her, "Every time you cry, you always say that its because of the dust, is it because the dust like your eyes too much that they always run to your eyes whenever you see them?"
Li Man felt a little bit embarrassed by what he said, "It isn't like that. The dust flew when Big Brother put down that plank."
This explanation convinced Li Shu, and he twisted his face while saying to Li Mo, "Big Brother, you see, you brought such a useless and broken thing and even irritated wife's eyes. Wife, come here and let me see your eyes, some licking would surely cure them."
As he said this, he reached out and held Li Man's shoulder. He then bowed his head down and stretched out his soft tongue, wanting to lick her eyes.
Li Man screamed in shock, she pushed him and ran away.
Li Shu sat on the floor with his arms holding his waist and laughing loudly until his face went red.
Li Man ran until she reached the door, then she turned her head and glared furiously at Li Shu. The men in this house—hateful!
Li Mo was also helpless looking at them like this, but he still wanted to give Li Man some assurance, "Third Brother, don't mess around."
"I'm only teasing her for fun." Li Shu still couldn't hold his laughter while looking at Li Man, "Wife, you have this kind of (small) courage, but Second Brother still said that its big."
Li Man also understood that she was too nervous, and unconsciously let out a laugh too. Actually, Li Shu really didn't have any bad intention, he's just like a big kid who loved to tease people.
"Wife, are you still unhappy?" Looking at her finally laughing, Li Shu strode to her leisurely with his long legs.
Li Man was puzzled, "I'm not unhappy."
"Tsk." Li Shu looked at her with a contemptuous look, "Don't lie to me, you think that I'm like Big Brother that I still can't see anything." Saying this, he bent down to lean near her as he whispered, "Tell me honestly what the hell's going on. Did Big Brother really bully you? Just look at your face, it looks like a bitter gourd right now, and you still dare lied to me and said that it was because of dust?"
Li Man looked at him suspiciously while feeling amused looking at his attentive look like it was looking for a new hot gossip, "No way, its not like that. Big Brother wanted to put the panel there and I wasn't happy about it. Furthermore, the dust also flew into my eyes, so... like this."
Li Man's heart settled down when she felt that she was cared by him.
"Big Brother, why did you put that broken thing in my wife's room? What if she knocked on it when she gets up in the middle of the night? I'll throw it away." Saying this, he rubbed his palm, preparing to throw the plank out.
Li Man busily held him down, "Forget it, let it go, putting it there won't block anything."
"Really?" Li Shu squinted; his eyes full of amusement.
Li Man glanced at Li Mo unconsciously and nodded shyly, "Really, so let's just put it there."
Li Shu raised the edges of his lips and smiled while putting one hand on Li Man's shoulder, saying with enthusiasm, "Wife, I met Little Five at the Village's Gate. He said that he already can recite poems, you should teach me too, I want to read and write with you."
"You want to learn too?" Did she really became the female husband of this family? However, its always good to be willing to learn so Li Man didn't think much of it and nodded happily, "Well, as long as you have time."
When Li Mo walked out and saw the atmosphere between Third Brother and their wife was good, he can't help but feel sour at one side while happy on the other side.
Li Shu talked with Li Man enthusiastically, "That's right, the meat that you and Big Brother bought yesterday had already been washed and hung on the pole, Big Brother said that you want to make some buns with it. Wife, I didn't buy any food at the market today because I'm waiting for your buns ah."
"Then what did you guys eat for lunch?" The food that could be said fulfilling while being cheap at the same time in the market was only buns.
"Second Brother made some flat cakes for breakfast in the morning, so I and Big Brother brought some of them with us." Li Shu answered, "Its already quite late, wife, we should go and make the buns now."
Those few flat cakes wouldn't be enough to make them full, they should be hungry right then, so Li Man quickly agreed, "Alright."
Li Shu went together with her to the kitchen while Li Mo was staring with a dumbfounded expression at the side. He then walked out to the courtyard to clean up the straws he used to scrub the plank.
Since Li Man liked being neat and tidy, the courtyard and rooms were cleaned up nicely every day. This gradually changed the habits of the brothers, and any garbage would be immediately disposed off.
After tidying them up, he was left with nothing to do, and so he decided to go inside the kitchen.
Li Shu took the meat and chopped it according to Li Man's instructions when he saw Li Mo coming in, he asked curiously, "Big Brother, what are you doing here?"
"Me?" Li Mo didn't answer Li Shu, and instead looked at Li Man, "Man Er, I'll help you make the buns."
"You can do it?" Li Man took out some pickled cabbage from a small earthen jar, while having some doubts hearing him saying it.
Sure enough, Li Mo's face was slightly awkward but he still insisted, "I'll help you wash the vegetables."
Li Man paused for a bit, looking at his two big palms and thought, isn't he afraid that he would rub the vegetables to oblivion?
Li Shu chopped the meat with a ridiculing smile on his face, "Big Brother, you better just wait to eat dinner. If you wash the vegetables, I won't dare eat it. Can you even wash the vegetables right?"
Li Mo felt really embarrassed. He only ever did little to nothing over kitchen's matter, even the fragrance of the rice he cooked can't be compared to Little Five.
Li Man saw Li Shu teasing Li Mo and her heart couldn't bear it, so she took a small basket and gave it to him, "Go to the backyard and pick some vegetables then. We'll have lots of kinds of buns tonight, some meat and some vegetables."
"En." Li Mo nodded and cheerfully grabbed the basket to pick vegetables at the backyard.
Li Shu was stunned while squatting, murmuring as if saying to himself, "Wife, Big Brother seems a bit strange."
"What?" Li Man paused and asked instinctively.
Li Shu looked at Li Man and smiled, "Big Brother rarely come inside the kitchen. He was most afraid of picking and washing vegetables before."
"Oh." Li Man's face flushed red, the edges of her lips secretly lifted in a smile. She asked Li Shu while closing the lid of the pickle jar, "Is it enough with this many pickles?"
Li Shu also didn't really understand about kitchen's matter so he casually said, "I think its enough already? We can leave some for tomorrow."
"En." Li Man nodded, holding the pickles and went outside to the well to wash them. When she just washed it once, Li Mo put down the basket beside her, "Is this enough?"
Li Man was a little dumbfounded, "Did you just pick all the vegetables there?"
A full basket of vegetables, how much buns does he plan to make?
Li Mo felt a bit embarrassed, "Is it too much? I saw the vegetables there are getting too old if we don't quickly eat them"
But it doesn't mean that we should eat them all ah, Li Man grabbed the basket and took out two big handful of vegetables, then she gave the basket to Li Mo, "Just save the rest, we can eat them later."
"Okay." While Li Mo agreed he didn't seem to want to leave, he instead squatted down, reaching out his hand inside the water and helped Li Man washed the pickles.
Li Man hurriedly said, "Your hands have mud, I already washed the pickles once already."
"..." Li Mo's face showed a tangled look, so he really couldn't help with anything?
Looking at his innocent expression, Li Man couldn't help but smile, "Why don't you go and wash your hands first?"
Li Mo's straight lips were slightly raised. He then took some water and rubbed his hands clean, then spread them for Li Man to see.
Li Man nodded her head with an 'En' sound, giving him the pickles to be washed.
The two people squatted at one place, washing the vegetables with tacit understanding. After washing the pickles several times, Li Mo then continued with pulling up more water to wash the fresh vegetables he just picked.
Li Shu waited for a long time but he still didn't see Li Man coming back so he felt a bit restless. He put down the cleaver on the chopping block and went out only to see his Big Brother and wife squatting together while washing vegetables, his heart couldn't help but feel sour all of a sudden. Leaning his hand on the door frame, he called out, "Wife, come here."
"What is it?" Li Man turned her head and asked.
Li Shu raised one of his eyebrow and said, "Come here and look, has the meat been chopped nicely?"
"Oh, wait a minute, I'll wash the vegetables first." Li Man answered as she continued washing the vegetables.
Li Mo was a bit stunned by a hint of confrontation in Third Brother's words, "Man Er, why don't you go and take a look?"
"The veggies will be washed clean in just a minute." When Li Man's voice just fell, she was suddenly shocked by a blood-curdling scream from Li Shu, "AAA!" and then he screamed to her, "Wife, I cut my hand!"
Ha, how can it be? Li Man didn't dare dilly-dallied and hurriedly ran to the kitchen while asking worriedly, "How can you cut your own hand? Let me take a look..."
Li Shu immediately came over and presented his left hand for Li Man to see.
Li Man blinked her eyes as she carefully looked at his hand. There was no blood, and there even no damaged skin at all so she can't help but asked, "Where did you cut your hand?" her line of sight unconsciously fell on his wrist.
Li Shu extended his middle finger and showed her the rim of his nail, "See that? My nail got cut off, I almost cut my hand like this."
Li Man paused and was suddenly covered in black lines, she asked with repressed anger, "Where's the missing nail? It would spoil the meat if its mixed in."
Li Shu busily answered, "I threw it out the window."
Li Man squinted at him furiously, then she looked at the chopped meat, "It still need more chopping, I'm going to wash the vegetables."
"Wife." Li Shu hurriedly pulled her arm and begged, "Can you please accompany me for a bit longer? My hand won't have any strength if you're not here, I can't even grab the cleaver."
He still dares to act spoiled? Li Man looked in front and realized that her height could only measured up to his neck. She said coldly, "If you have no strength, I'll let Big Brother come."
Li Shu busily said, "Big Brother is doing a good job washing the veggies, why do you still want to call him over?" He pulled Li Man to sit on the stool, "Wife, why don't you sit here and look at me chopping the meat? Alright?"
Not alright, Li Man's heart said, but she's afraid that he would play another wicked trick again so she could only stayed. As she can't be idle, she then used a plate to scooped out some water, put it on the table, and started to knead the dough."
Li Shu smiled looking at his wife while chopping the meat again. The cleaver moved quickly like it has wings, his movement became bigger.
Soon, Li Mo was done washing the vegetables and then he took them into the kitchen. Li Man was worried, so she secretly examined them, but it seemed that her worry wasn't needed as he really washed them clean. He gave them to Li Shu to be chopped into tiny pieces.
When the stuffing was chopped nicely, the dough had also became soft. She then took a clean gauze, spread it on the table and wrapped it carefully.
The first to be stuffed was the meat, because other than her, the rest of the family all loved to eat meat, and it would be better if it was more fatty, so Li Man tightly wrapped their buns.
Li Mo and Li Shu didn't have anything else to do, so they also sat down, wanting to help wrapping the buns, but after wrapping two buns, Li Man saw them crumbled and spilling out stuffing, it just couldn't be eaten at all. But the two men insisted to do something with her, whatever she said was of no use, so she could only used the rolling pin to chase them away.
Without the two annoying bugs, Li Man wrapped up the buns skillfully and quickly.Fifteen meat buns, ten vegetable buns and another ten pickled vegetable buns was wrapped nicely in less than half an hour.
There were only a few of dough left, but there were still a lot of pickled and fresh vegetables leftover, so Li Man put them on clean bowls and left the bowls of vegetables inside the cupboard, so they could use them for tomorrow morning's breakfast.
She couldn't lit up the fire, so after she put the buns in the steamer, she called Li Mo to help her. The one who ran inside first was Li Shu, followed by Li Mo.
One look was all Li Man took to know that Li Mo fought with his little brother, but Li Mo didn't want to give up. Because of his hesitation, he was left behind Li Shu.
Looking at Li Shu squatting under the stove with a radiant face while Li Mo blankly stood at the side with regret on his face, Li Man's heart suddenly welled up with a strange feeling.
Perhaps, this kind of days isn't bad at all. The men who love me could get into a fight in the future, but isn't it still a fun-filled life?
Li Man thought, and the inside of her mind suddenly appeared some kind of enlightenment. She grabbed the dirty plates and filled Li Mo's hands with them, "If you don't have anything to do, then why don't you go and wash these?"
"Yes." Li Mo's answer was really natural
The moment when he turned around, Li Man felt that they were like an old-couple, the edges of her mouth unconsciously lifted up into a gentle smile.
Li Shu waited until the fire burned vigorously, then he came over to look at his wife, "Wife, we should go to the market together tomorrow. Those wild vegetables will surely be spoiled if we just leave them inside like that."
"En. Alright." Li Man didn't think too much and agreed. After all, if she go with Li Mo through that road again, she would be embarrassed to death.
Towards evening, Li Yan and Little Five came back home together.
Little Five played until all of his body dripping with sweat, so he immediately washed his face, and hurriedly came face to face with his brothers to bring back the sand plate. Today he played too much, he's afraid that his brothers would blame him.
"Alright, what are you still pretending for at this time? Wash yourself up nicely and go eat some buns." Li Shu looked at his appearance, and he hit Little Five on the head while laughing with amusement.
Little Five then looked at Big Brother and Second Brother.
Big Brother nodded, but Second Brother... his face was painted with a smile that wasn't a smile, making him shivered and flustered.
Li Shu saw Li Yan standing under the eaves without moving, so he urged him, "Second Brother, you should also quickly wash your hands. Otherwise, wife won't allow you to take any buns."
Washing hands before eating also became a rule after Li Man came to this house.
"Really? If I wash then she would allow me to take?" Li Yan shrugged and asked without rhyme or reason. Without waiting for Li Shu's answer, he walked to the well and washed his hands.
Li Man listened to him from the kitchen and couldn't help but wrinkled her nose. This bad guy is really vengeful, he still remember what happened at noon. Alright, let's see if he still want to eat dinner or not.
TL NOTE
I'm still busy, but here you go. Enjoy reading!