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Judging by the old man’s momentum, this wasn’t going to be a simple matter. With over ten dishes already ordered, even one hundred yuan wouldn’t be enough for this meal.
The old man still seemed somewhat unsatisfied, but he could only stop himself. He didn’t want to anger the couple; he’d be sent away after the meal, and he still wanted to try the roasted meat.
Soon, the sour cabbage seafood hot pot base arrived. Their specialty was the copper pot. Copper pots have high heat transfer, even heat distribution, and retain heat well, making them perfect for hot pot.
Traditional copper hot pots use charcoal, resulting in tender and juicy meat and refreshingly crisp vegetables. Soon, all the dishes arrived.
The old man and old woman were beaming. One plate of beef brisket, three plates of mutton, three plates of beef, a plate of blanched tripe, a plate of prawns, a plate of luncheon meat, and four servings of sesame sauce.
There wasn’t a single leaf of the vegetables or vermicelli Wang Yue had imagined. The old man didn’t like vegetables; they had plenty at home, no need to eat them here.
Besides, those vegetables and tofu were ridiculously expensive, not worth it. Eating meat was more worthy.
The eldest son, Li Xingguo, and his wife, Wang Yue, looked unhappy, but the old man and old woman pretended not to see. As soon as the pot boiled, they immediately started to cook the meat. Who cares about their long faces when there was delicious food?
The meat in this restaurant was quite generous; although a plate was a bit expensive, there was at least seven ounces of meat, solid meat with no ice at the bottom.
The old man put the beef brisket in first, using the fatty parts to season the pot, adding some oil to the broth to enhance the flavor.
The fatty beef brisket wasn’t greasy at all, with a nice chewiness, incredibly fragrant in the mouth. While eating, the old man didn’t forget his wife. She was small, with short arms, making it harder for her to reach the food. He used his chopsticks to pick up half a plate of meat and put it all into his wife’s bowl.
He said. “You young people can eat later! Your grandma and I rarely get to eat a good meal!” Wang Yue was furious. They barely got to eat a good meal once in a blue moon, what did he mean by “eat later”?
Li Xingguo didn’t bother arguing with the elders and kept putting meat into Wang Yue’s bowl. If she didn’t eat more, she would be at a loss.
The old woman was eating with gusto. The mutton was tender and juicy, with a milky fragrance. Dipped in sesame sauce, it was incredibly delicious!
This was the first time in her life she had eaten such delicious meat. Meanwhile, the old man ate without lifting his head, it was too delicious!
Li Xingguo was busy putting meat in Wang Yue’s bowl, he himself hadn’t eaten much. The elders ate eight out of the ten plus plates of meat! They still seemed unsatisfied.
Wang Yue’s face was ashen, even the delicious meat couldn’t improve her mood. When the bills came, her face went from pale to dark.
The meal cost over eighty yuan, more than two months of her salary! She felt like she had been shot through the heart and wanted to strangle the two old couple!
“Li Xingguo, we have to clear things up tomorrow. I can’t live like this for another day!” Wang Yue clutched her head, painfully calling out to Li Xingguo.
Li Xingguo quickly covered his wife’s mouth. Now that the money had been spent, he didn’t want to upset the elders any further. “I’ll go to my father’s workplace tomorrow, and we’ll talk about this tomorrow night!” Li Xingguo quickly calmed his wife who was on the verge of a breakdown.
“If your father still doesn’t come tomorrow night, we’ll send the two old couple over right away!” Wang Yue couldn’t take it anymore.
“Okay! Okay! We’ll definitely get this done tomorrow. Just think, if our parents take out the money from their account, this is nothing!” Li Xingguo was quick with his words, finally calming Wang Yue down.
The old couple seemed oblivious to the quarrel between the younger couple, eating to their heart’s content, while Li Xing’an was having a much less enjoyable time. He didn’t return to the courtyard until it was dark, trying to avoid people.
On the way home, he didn’t see anyone; in the freezing winter, who would be outside in the dark, drinking the cold wind? But once he got home, his heart felt as cold as water in a freezing river.
A large package was left at his doorstep, the door was locked tight, secured with wooden planks, and the windows were boarded up! Had he been kicked out? Li Xing’an couldn’t handle the continuous blows.
He cried out in despair, “Mom! Dad!” Li Mancang rushed out from inside. “I told you last night! Get lost quickly!”
The second son, Li Xingye’s family had also come over in the afternoon, and now they had just finished eating. Chun Ni was tidying up the table while Li Xingye prepared to take the food to their mother and Manman at the hospital.
“Dad! Where am I supposed to go? I have nowhere to go!” Li Xing’an cried out.
“You’re already twenty and have been living off of us for years! You can take care of yourself from now on!” Li Mancang was determined to throw Li Xing’an out.
“Dad, I have nowhere to stay; how can I live on my own? I’m not married yet; you can’t just abandon me!” Li Xing’an cried, snot and tears streaming down his face.
“I started working when I was fifteen, without a single relative around, yet I’ve made it to today! Can’t you have a bit of ambition?” Li Mancang was hard-hearted.
“Dad, I was wrong; I really knew I was wrong! Forgive me just this once; I beg you! I won’t dare do it again!” Li Xing’an knelt down, begging for forgiveness, crying pitifully.
Several neighbors in the back courtyard peeked out their windows, curious about the commotion at the Li household.
“Do you think old Li is really going to throw Li Xing’an out?” Big Horn asked the man beside him.
“I think old Li is genuinely hurt by this son. What kind of child dares to only think about money?” The man replied beside him.
“Ah! Every family has its own troubles!” Big Horn, for once, didn’t mock the Li family.
Zeng Laixi sighed and asked. “Did you manage to gather enough money for the eldest?”
Big horn replied. “Two thousand? Where would I get that? We could borrow ten or eight yuan from the courtyard, Just like the Li family, they wouldn’t lend you anything, just letting you borrowing is already hard!”.
Big Horn’s eldest son wanted to buy a truck for transportation, having heard that it was profitable to run south. But a truck wasn’t cheap; even a second-hand one would cost seven or eight thousand yuan. Their eldest son had gathered some money from friends but still needed two thousand and was asking the family for help. The couple had been worried sick these past few days; Big Horn had lost his sense of humor!
Other families were also watching the Li household, discussing how heartless Li Xing’an was and how he should be taught a lesson. Li Xingye stood awkwardly between his father and Li Xing’an with a lunch box in hand, unsure of what to do. Had he known it would come to this, he would have stayed at his father-in-law’s for a couple of days.
“Second Brother, please talk to Dad for me. I really know I was wrong; I won’t bother Big Sister about money again! I won’t think about the family’s money either! I promise!” Li Xingye looked at Li Mancang, feeling conflicted.
To be honest, he looked down on Li Xing’an’s behavior. Not to mention asking his older sister, Li Fenglan, for money. But now Li Xing’an was begging him, and he didn’t want to turn a blind eye.
“Dad, why not give third brother another chance? He must know he was wrong; he will definitely change!” Li Xingye tried to convince their father.
“I’ll change! I really know I was wrong!” Li Xing’an cried, tears and snot flowing freely as he seized upon Li Xingye’s words to apologize.
After all, he had raised this son for over twenty years, and Li Mancang’s heart softened a bit. However, he couldn’t just forgive him unconditionally.