Ch 10: The Scumbag’s Daily Wife-Doting Life [QT]

After much careful thought, Xie Li did something rather foolish.

While selling vegetables in the county, he asked the black market middleman, Uncle Luo, to help him obtain two industrial vouchers. Then he went to the department store and bought two Hero fountain pens, one worth two hundred yuan and the other over one hundred. Afterward, he deliberately aged the gift boxes to make them look old before bringing them back to the village and heading to the production team office to find Li Jianguo.

“Father-in-law, I have a small favor to ask.”

Li Jianguo frowned unwillingly.

“What is it now?”

Xie Li placed the two gift boxes before him.

“It’s like this. I have a couple of things I’d like to sell, but I don’t have any connections. Could you help me find a buyer?”

“What are these?”

Li Jianguo looked baffled. He picked up the boxes, which looked rather old and worn, opened them, and froze.

“Where did you get these?”

Xie Li maintained a perfectly calm and innocent expression.

“I brought them from home when I first came here. I never had a suitable occasion to use them, so they stayed in pretty good condition. But now that I need to build a house, I don’t have enough money, so I thought I’d sell them.”

Li Jianguo paused, looking as though he wanted to say something but held back. He gave Xie Li a complicated look.

“…Leave them here. I’ll ask around for you.”

Xie Li immediately understood that his future father-in-law had accepted the task. Satisfied, he nodded and turned to leave.

In this era, privately trading valuable goods was a very discreet matter. As long as nobody reported it, officials generally ignored it. That was exactly why Xie Li chose to let Li Jianguo handle the sale.

First, involving Li Jianguo would subtly pull him onto the same side and strengthen the feeling that they were family.

Second, it gave Xie Li a legitimate explanation for where his future money came from.

After all, the original host had lived frugally in Xiaoxipo for two years. Everyone knew he was poor. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. If he suddenly produced a large sum of money, he needed some believable explanation, even if it was a rather clumsy one.

A few days later, Li Jianguo sent someone to summon Xie Li to the production team office and handed him fifty ten-yuan bills.

“My friend couldn’t get industrial vouchers, so I asked for extra money instead. See if this is enough. If it isn’t, I can talk to him again.”

After thinking briefly, Xie Li asked:

“Father-in-law, do you think this is enough to build a house?”

“For a house? Definitely enough.” Li Jianguo replied. “I know someone at the brick factory. I’ll approve a note for you later. Two or three hundred yuan should be enough altogether.”

Xie Li smiled.

“Then it’s enough. Thank you for the trouble, Father-in-law.”

Li Jianguo’s brows immediately knitted together again. He shot Xie Li an irritated glance and grumbled unwillingly:

“How many times have I said it? Tiantian hasn’t married you yet. Stop calling me Father-in-law!”

Xie Li pretended not to hear him at all. Instead, he mentally calculated whether the remaining money, after deducting house construction costs and bride price expenses, would still be enough to buy the “Three Great Items” for marriage.

Those things were a woman’s pride and status.

Technically, they were not necessary. But buying them brought face and honor.

Li Tiantian was marrying a poor educated youth with nothing to his name. Even if the villagers smiled politely on the surface, who knew what they said behind her back?

Xie Li wanted her to marry beautifully and proudly, to live a life everyone envied.

Which meant…

He still needed to make another trip to Uncle Luo.

…

Because he had been so busy earning money, many times when Xie Li visited Li Tiantian, he merely dropped off gifts and left without even having time to properly talk to her.

This particular day, however, the weather was wonderfully clear, and the production team had no work scheduled. So Xie Li invited Li Tiantian out for a walk.

The moment they met, he noticed she was wearing the new dress he had bought her earlier, and he could not help staring a few extra times.

Li Tiantian’s cheeks flushed shyly. Gathering her courage, she asked softly:

“Do you think it looks good?”

Xie Li nodded immediately.

“It looks beautiful.”

He truly meant it.

The pale cyan cotton dress perfectly outlined the girl’s youthful and lovely figure. The delicate floral patterns stood out brightly and uniquely, making Li Tiantian’s already fair skin seem even lighter. With her palm-sized face and delicate features, she looked obedient, pretty, and impossibly charming.

Honestly, it suited her perfectly.

Xie Li stroked his chin thoughtfully, deciding that next time he visited the department store, he absolutely had to buy Li Tiantian more new clothes.

His eyes remained fixed on her without blinking.

Li Tiantian’s face turned even redder. In a tiny voice, she murmured:

“As long as you think it looks good.”

The two of them walked along the river embankment of Xiaoxipo toward the small grove upstream, avoiding the women washing clothes by the riverbank before finally finding a quiet place to talk.

“Which Three Great Items do you prefer?” Xie Li asked. “A watch, bicycle, and sewing machine? Or a television, bicycle, and sewing machine?”

“You don’t need to spend so much…”

Before Li Tiantian could finish speaking, she suddenly stopped, lowering her head deeply as her ears turned bright red.

Xie Li glanced at her before turning toward the deeper part of the grove.

A few indistinct sounds drifted over with the wind. One of the female voices sounded vaguely familiar…

“Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Xie Li cautiously suggested it. Gently patting Li Tiantian’s arm, he led her away from the grove.

After they walked far away from the grove, Li Tiantian finally lifted her head and cursed indignantly:

“So shameless! In broad daylight too…”

She could not continue.

“Did you recognize who it was?” Xie Li asked with amusement, folding his arms as he looked at her.

Li Tiantian looked blank and shook her head.

“I couldn’t tell. Why? Were they people we know?”

Xie Li tapped her nose lightly.

“To me, it sounded like the one from your cousin’s family.”

“Jia Xiaotao?” Li Tiantian’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How is that possible? She’s already married!”

So what if she was married?

Xie Li kept that thought to himself. He did not want to ruin the pure and upright image he had in Li Tiantian’s heart, so he changed the subject instead.

“Forget about it. How about I borrow a bicycle and we go buy some things in town?”

Life in this era was simply too barren. There was practically no entertainment at all, so Xie Li honestly could not think of any particularly good date ideas.

Fortunately, for people in love, even going out shopping together was enough. Even if they sat facing each other without saying a single word, the air itself would still feel sweet.

Li Tiantian stopped dwelling on Jia Xiaotao’s affair and nodded happily.

…

On the way back from town, Xie Li bought three jin of pork.

When he escorted Li Tiantian home, Wang Cuihua invited him to stay for dinner. He accepted without ceremony.

“I knew Auntie would ask me to stay, so I specially bought some meat. Where’s the kitchen? I’ll cook it and we can add it to dinner.”

“You bought meat?” Wang Cuihua looked pleasantly surprised. “It’s already been several days since we finished the wild boar meat from last time. I’ve really been craving this.”

Then she reached out her hand.

“Give it to me. I’ll cook.”

Xie Li stepped back a few paces and refused with a smile.

“No, Auntie. I specifically wanted to show off my cooking skills for you. If you cook it instead, then there’s no point.”

Wang Cuihua burst into laughter and pointed him toward the kitchen.

“Fine then. Go ahead. We’ll wait and see your craftsmanship.”

Xie Li carried the meat into the kitchen, and Li Tiantian immediately said:

“I’ll help too.”

Then she hurried after him.

Wang Cuihua shook her head helplessly and began setting out bowls and chopsticks.

A while later, an irresistible aroma drifted from the kitchen.

She froze slightly and muttered under her breath:

“So he really does have some skill.”

Just then Li Jianguo came home from work, and she quickly told him about it.

Li Jianguo glanced toward the kitchen and snorted.

“At least the brat knows what he’s doing.”

What Xie Li made was braised pork.

When it was served, the meat gleamed golden-brown and smelled so delicious it was almost intoxicating. Li Jianguo had already prepared white liquor in advance. He picked up a piece of meat, and his expression immediately turned complicated.

Li Tiantian thought perhaps it tasted bad and looked puzzled.

“But it smells amazing…”

Xie Li picked up a piece and placed it into her bowl.

“Try it.”

“It’s delicious!”

Li Tiantian bit into it skeptically, only to cry out in astonishment.

Xie Li curled his lips proudly.

“Of course it’s good. I made it.”

While cooking, Xie Li had secretly added a few drops of spirit spring water. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The spring water greatly reduced the gamey odor of pork, making the meat soft, delicate, and melt-in-the-mouth tender with an especially rich aroma.

He had discovered this effect when preparing wild boar meat last time.

Back then, after the educated youths received their share of pork, they had tried to save it carefully, cooking three jin of meat together with vegetables and stretching it over three meals.

The first attempt had been tough and unbearably gamey. Even though everyone had not eaten meat in months, they still could barely force themselves to swallow it.

The second time, they followed the villagers’ advice and added ginger and garlic. Most of the earthy smell disappeared, but it was still unpleasant.

The third time, Xie Li took over and experimentally added a spoonful of spirit spring water.

When the dish came out of the pot, the educated youths nearly started fighting over the food.

And now here he was, impatiently showing off at the Li household.

Sure enough, this display of skill finally softened Li Jianguo’s perpetually hostile attitude toward him.

“Your cooking’s not bad. Keep it up next time.”

Xie Li smiled modestly.

“I’ll follow Father-in-law’s instructions and continue working hard.”

Li Jianguo ignored the title entirely and happily enjoyed his liquor and meat one bite at a time.

The more he ate, the happier he became, even urging Xie Li to eat and drink with him.

Xie Li accepted graciously, winked at Li Tiantian with his left eye, and took the wine bowl.

…

While the Li household enjoyed a warm and cheerful dinner, over in western Xiaoxipo at Li Erniu’s house…

Jia Xiaotao lazily cooked coarse bran rice while leaning on her waist when the little fatty suddenly ran into the house.

“Mom! They’re cooking meat again over there! I smelled it when I walked past!”

Jia Xiaotao froze and looked at the pot of rough bran rice before suddenly feeling tempted to go freeload another meal.

But remembering Li Jianguo’s warning after the argument in the fields not long ago, she hesitated before saying:

“Forget it this time. Let them enjoy one meal. We’ll go over next time.”

“I want meat! I want meat!”

The little fatty immediately threw himself onto the ground and rolled around refusing to get up.

Jia Xiaotao exploded in anger.

“Li Tiansheng! You think clothes wash themselves, huh? You still dare roll around on the ground? Looks like you’re asking for a beating!”

The little fatty was not afraid of her at all. Lying flat on the floor with his limbs flailing upward like an overturned turtle, he screamed wildly:

“I want meat! I want meat!”

Jia Xiaotao was so angry she wanted to hit someone.

Did she not want meat too?

Wasn’t it because her useless husband could not even afford to let his wife and child eat meat? She had married such a worthless coward. Was her life easy?

Right then Li Erniu returned home.

She immediately shot him a cold glare.

“Where did you go?”

“Aren’t we almost out of grain at home?” Li Erniu replied cheerfully, completely unable to read the room. He stepped forward proudly showing off. “Look, I just borrowed twenty jin of broken rice from one of my brothers. It tastes way better than bran rice and doesn’t scratch your throat.”

Seeing his son sprawled on the floor, he immediately fussed over him.

“Why are you lying there? Hurry and get up. Don’t lie on the ground for no reason. It ruins your clothes. This fabric was hard enough to get even as defective goods.”

He rambled endlessly like a stingy old miser, talking from cloth fabric to broken rice without stopping.

Jia Xiaotao finally lost her temper completely and exploded:

“Li Erniu, besides talking about this nonsense like some old woman, what else can you even do? You worthless coward! Marrying you must have been the terrible karma from my last life. I must’ve been blind in this one!”

╰───♡───╯

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