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Chapter 747: Chapter 737: Time for Dad to Settle Down
Xue Daniao’s home was located in Taoshu Village, which is why it didn’t take Li Xianghe much time to get there after running out of the old house.
Seeing that the gate was bolted from the inside, she went up to it and started banging forcefully.
"You shameless old whore, open the door, open the door."
Xue Daniao was cooking inside the house when she heard the cursing at the door. She frowned but didn’t go to open it, continuing to prepare her meal undisturbed.
Li Xianghe cursed outside the courtyard for a while, but nobody paid any attention to her. She didn’t give up and kept on pounding at the door.
Old Man Li, carrying a shoulder pole from a distance, saw someone at Suqin’s gate. As he approached, he realized it was his own little girl making a ruckus.
"Li Xianghe, what are you doing? Why come here and make a scene?" Old Man Li was quite angry.
Li Xianghe turned to look at her father, who was carrying two buckets of water on his shoulder pole and immediately understood that he was fetching water for that shameless old woman.
"Dad, are you mistaken? You’re supposed to spend money to have others serve you, not the other way around." Li Xianghe couldn’t contain her indignation as she cried out.
This questioning caused Old Man Li’s face to go red with anger. It was one thing for this to be the case, but another to say it out loud and lose that cover of modesty. "You’re talking nonsense, child. Your Xue Daniao has a hard time on her own with her kids. If I can lend a hand, I just do it," he said.
"What hardship? She’s got more sons and daughters than you do. Does she really need you fussing over her? Dad, let me tell you, don’t let your mind wander; my mom will be back in a few months." Li Xianghe definitely didn’t want her dad to start playing father to someone else. In the rural villages, the tales of having a stepmom turn into having a stepdad were all too common.
Old Man Li’s expression stiffened upon hearing Qiu Shuping’s name. He set down the shoulder pole, wiped the sweat from his face, and asked, "Don’t talk about that; it’s not what you think. I’m just helping out because they’re on their own. Alright, you came looking for me, what’s the matter?"
Only then did Li Xianghe remember her main purpose, and her face instantly beamed with joy, "Dad, Chengbin sent a letter, he’s been transferred to the Z Province Military Region. He’s asked me to join him as a military spouse."
"What? Chengbin has gone to the Z Province Military Region, too? Isn’t that where your second brother is stationed?" Old Man Li was a bit surprised.
Li Xianghe didn’t realize until Old Man Li mentioned that her husband and her second brother were now in the same military region. She had no memory of which regional division her second brother was in.
"Ah, the same place as my second brother, huh? That’s good, too. It’s just that my second sister-in-law, she’s so irritating. She’s stingy and unreasonable. Hmph, I won’t even let her set foot in my house when the time comes," Li Xianghe spoke with a proud sneer.
Old Man Li looked at his little girl without saying a word.
"Oh right, Dad, I came looking for you because there’s something we need to talk about. Hurry up, let’s go home." At this moment, Li Xianghe also remembered that she came looking for her father not just for the good news but also to discuss several other matters with him.
"Wait a moment, I have to finish carrying water for your Xue Daniao," Old Man Li insisted on finishing what he was doing before dealing with his daughter.
Li Xianghe was naturally displeased. How could that old woman compare to herself? But although she complained for a while, Old Man Li still insisted on finishing. Considering she still needed her father’s help with something, she just flung her sleeves and went back home to wait.
For her own interests, at that moment, Li Xianghe didn’t think of her mother at all.
"Suqin, open the door, I’ve brought the water back." Old Man Li knocked on the door and called out quietly, fearful of scaring the person inside.
As expected, it wasn’t long before the courtyard door creaked open from the inside.
"Big Brother Li, you’re back." Xue Daniao opened the door for him and quietly followed him into the kitchen.
"I just heard Xianghe knocking on the door outside, and I was a little scared so I didn’t open it for her," Mrs. Xue said coldly.
"Mm, you did the right thing. That girl is always talking nonsense, never peaceful," Old Li said as he poured water from the bucket into the large tank.
Mrs. Xue watched as he emptied both buckets and then, as he picked up the carrying pole to fetch more water, she reached out and held his hand.
"Big Brother Li, you should stop it; this isn’t good," she said.
"What’s wrong with it? You’re at home with a child, unable to bear the weight or lend a hand; it’s no big deal for me to carry a few buckets of water for you. Besides, you cook and do laundry for me every day," Old Li said, looking down somewhat embarrassedly.
"I’m not worried about myself, I’m just a widow, no matter how good I am they will talk, I just don’t want to get you involved. If it’s really not working, you should find someone else to take care of you," Mrs. Xue said, tears swirling in her eyes but not quite falling, eliciting pity.
Indeed, Old Li immediately became flustered, "Oh, Suqin, don’t cry. It’s not a big deal; I don’t care what people say, why are you talking about this? Aren’t we doing just fine living together?"
In the end, Old Li still filled up Mrs. Xue’s water tank, had lunch, and then wobbled back to his own home.
Li Xianghe had been sitting in the room, extremely anxious because there was no food to eat. The woman and her daughter from the house opposite had finished cooking and brought their food inside to eat without even calling her.
"Dad, how come you took so long to come back? I’m starving," Li Xianghe complained.
"If you’re hungry, why don’t you cook for yourself?" Old Li said irritably, thinking his daughter was incredibly lazy.
"I was thinking of waiting for you to come back so we could eat together. Besides, you’re already paying someone to cook for you, why should I bother doing it myself?" Li Xianghe’s thinking was simple; since the money was already spent and there was someone to cook, why should she work?
Old Li ignored her and sat on the edge of the kang to smoke.
Li Xianghe looked back and asked unhappily, "Dad, why didn’t that woman follow you back to cook?"
"It’s inconvenient with your brother’s mother-in-law living right across from us, so I’ve taken the food to Mrs. Xue’s place. I’ll eat there from now on," Old Li explained.
"What, you gave the food to someone else?" Li Xianghe was shocked. She had not expected her father to do such a thing. "Dad, if you give the food to someone else, what will my mom eat when she comes back?"
Old Li looked at her, "When your mom comes back, I’ll just bring the food back."
Li Xianghe wanted to object, but she had a lot of her own issues to deal with, so she remained silent, figuring that with her mom’s temperament, she wouldn’t lose out on anything once she returned.
"Dad, Chengbin wrote me a letter asking me to join him in the army, but my in-laws won’t let me go. You have to decide for me," she said.
"Why won’t your in-laws let you go?" Old Li asked.
"What else could it be? If I go to the army, I’ll definitely handle my husband’s salary, and they’re afraid I won’t give them money," Li Xianghe thought privately.
"Then just explain to them clearly, even if you go, you’ll still send them money every month as a sign of respect," Old Li said nonchalantly.
"Dad, are you really my father? How can you tell me to give the money to someone else?" Li Xianghe was displeased. "Also, Dad, I don’t have any money on me; give me some money to buy a train ticket."
