Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 450: An unexpected surprise, saving the suffering of riding a carriage in winter

When Boss Li heard Li mention that Master Lu was very close to him, he was very surprised and said, "Little sister, from your tone, it seems that the county magistrate's son is very familiar with your family."

Li was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved her hand and said, "This Mr. Lu is a nice guy with a good heart. He likes the food in our restaurant, so he has been visiting us more often."

"Brother, don't think too much. My family runs a snack shop, and Mr. Lu is the son of the county magistrate. We can't afford him."

"He's just an old customer. We've been friends for a while now."

Boss Li was very happy to see that his little sister had become much more stable and cautious after only half a year of not seeing her. When he saw that she answered clearly, he stopped asking questions.

Shen Yu didn't pay any attention to this, she had already started thinking about other things.

Seeing that the two had come to an end, Shen Yu hurriedly asked: "Uncle, when you came, did anyone in the village know where you were going?"

"Does anyone know that you are going to bring Doctor Sun to the county town to see us?"

Boss Li laughed proudly: "Silly girl, you underestimate your uncle too much. Of course you can't tell others where we are going."

"I just said I wanted to send Doctor Sun back home, and then I went to the surrounding area with Yuan Qing to buy some New Year's goods. I didn't say anything else."

"Doctor Sun and I were afraid that the family would come to the county town to cause trouble, so no one in the village knew about our visit to the county town except your second uncle."

"We got up very early yesterday when we came from home. We didn't meet anyone along the way, so you can rest assured."

When Shen Yu heard Boss Li's answer, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she was determined to keep Doctor Sun to recuperate, she still wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Li started thinking about going home to pay respects to the ancestors.

Now that this incident with Doctor Sun has happened, she can't just leave Doctor Sun in the county town and go back to Dongxi Village with her family.

Although Jiang and Zheng Sanniang are here, they are not family members after all, and I always feel a little sorry for Doctor Sun.

For a moment, I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Boss Li seemed to have guessed what was on his sister's mind, and he took the initiative to bring up the topic: "Little sister, I want to ask you, what are your plans for returning to the village to pay respects to the deceased."

"It's freezing cold, are you planning to go home for the New Year?"

Li told him that Shen Yu would stay in Anping County during the New Year, waiting for the governor to come, and that he would be summoned to the county government to cook. She also said that she planned to go back after paying homage to the ancestors and come back quickly.

Boss Li waved his hand and made the decision for Li: "Since we can't celebrate the New Year at home, then don't bring the children on this trip."

When Li heard her elder brother say this, she became anxious: "How can that be possible? We have been away for half a year and have not even returned for the Zhongyuan Festival."

"It's almost the New Year now, so I have to go to my husband's grave to pay respects and tell him about our current life so that he can rest assured."

"Besides, the old house has been empty for half a year, so I have to go back and take a look."

But Boss Li said, "What's so good about this old house? It's just a pile of shabby stuff. Even if you don't lock the door, no one will steal it."

"Besides, your second brother and I go over to check every month. We also checked on it during the rain and snow. Don't worry."

"You don't have to worry about my brother-in-law. During every festival, I ask your sister-in-law to prepare some extra things for the sacrifice and visit my brother-in-law. Everything is fine."

"This New Year, I'll go and sweep the graves for you and tell my brother-in-law about it."

"As long as you are doing well, your brother-in-law will be at ease and won't care whether you go to see him or not."

"I think, after the New Year, during the Qingming Festival, if you have time, you can go back again."

"The weather will be warm by then, which is much better than going through this freezing cold weather."

Yuan Qing, who had been sitting silently after being scolded by his father, also chimed in: "Yes, aunt, don't you feel it when you are in this warm room all day long?"

"It was so cold on the way there and back. Look at my hands. They were all red and swollen from holding the whip while driving the car."

"My cousin is still young and weak, you should wait until the weather warms up before going back to see him."

Li wanted to refute a lot of things that the father and son had said before.

But when Yuan Qing mentioned that the three children would suffer from the cold on the way back and forth, and then stretched out his hands with several chilblains in front of Li, Li was immediately shaken.

These children have finally turned from pale and thin to rosy-cheeked and have gained some weight in the past six months. It is better not to bother them. If they catch a cold, they will be asking for trouble.

When she heard her elder brother say that her husband's grave was well taken care of, she nodded and said, "Then I'll listen to you, elder brother."

"During the Chinese New Year, I will burn a few more incense sticks for my husband's tablet and buy more offerings."

"I think my husband will feel sorry for the children and won't let them get cold in such a cold weather."

When Shen Yu heard this, it was a pleasant surprise.

Now we don’t have to sit in a carriage and suffer the cold and bumpy ride in the middle of winter.

She and Yutao exchanged glances, and Yutao also smiled secretly with her lips pursed.

Shen Yu looked at her cousin Yuan Qing, and the two sisters smiled and secretly bowed to him to thank him, which made the honest Yuan Qing blush. He touched his head embarrassedly and smiled.

Since Boss Li had arrived, the Li family naturally gave him a warm reception.

At noon, Li specially set up a table next to the kitchen, and various dishes from the restaurant were served in a continuous stream.

She and her sister Shen Yu accompanied Li Lao Da and his son and had a great meal, which made Li Lao Da praise Shen Yu's cooking skills and envy Li for having a good daughter.

Shen Yu asked Jiang to prepare some easily digestible porridge and soup and light side dishes for Doctor Sun, and placed a small table in the kitchen for Doctor Sun to eat slowly while leaning on a cushioned chair.

He also asked Zhou Dalang to go to the market to buy a few old hens and prepare some chicken soup for Doctor Sun so that he could get better soon and be in better spirits to deal with the lawsuit.

After lunch, Yutao took Yuanqing out for a walk nearby, while Li and the others sat in the kitchen and chatted.

Since she was not going back to celebrate the New Year and had cancelled the plan to go back to pay respects to the ancestors, Li planned to keep her eldest brother and nephew here for a few more days, to take them around Anping County, and for the two siblings to have a good time together for a few days.

Seeing that the Li family was financially well-off and had plenty of housing, Boss Li readily agreed as he thought it wouldn't be a big deal to stay for a few days.

He said with some regret: "Originally, I was planning to come with your second brother to pick you up and take you back to celebrate the New Year."

"Unfortunately, I was worried that the family would come and cause trouble again, so I had to leave your second brother at home to look after him."

"Otherwise, we three brothers and sisters would be so happy sitting together and chatting and laughing."