Chapter 73: What’s Wrong with Country People?

After Mi Xia finished cooking, her third aunt, Qian Ailing, and Wang Fen each prepared a few of their signature dishes.

Laughter occasionally erupted from the kitchen and living room.

Soon, the women set the table, with the men at one table and the women at another.

The old man looked at the dishes on the table; the aroma filled his nostrils. He didn’t even want to drink alcohol, and he didn’t bother to talk to his children and grandchildren. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

The women’s table was the same. They had already sampled Mi Xia’s cooking in the kitchen and now wanted to see how these exquisitely presented dishes tasted.

Once they started eating, they couldn’t stop. The only sound in the room was the sound of chewing.

Finally, all the dishes Mi Xia made were eaten, leaving only those made by Wang Fen and the others, but they weren’t angry.

Instead, they sincerely admired Mi Xia.

“Xiao Xia, you must teach me how to cook. After eating your food, I don’t even want to eat my own cooking anymore,” said Aunt Liu, stroking her full belly. She wondered who this girl learned her skills from; she was so young and already such a skilled cook.

“Okay, Third Aunt, if you want to learn, just come find me. I’ll teach you everything I know,” Mi Xia said generously.

She would simply teach her third aunt how she usually cooked. As for the spiritual spring water, that was something she couldn’t share.

After dinner, Mi Xia took Liu Wanyu back to their room to sleep. The old man’s house was large, so everyone stayed.

The whole family could stay up together to see the New Year in; this was only possible during the New Year, as they were usually too busy otherwise.

After Mi Xia put her daughter to bed, she didn’t come out. Once she had put the little girl to sleep, she entered her space to prepare for opening a small jewelry store and supermarket after the New Year.

That evening, everyone stayed up in the living room, chatting about the year’s events. Finally, the old man, being elderly, couldn’t stay up any longer and went to bed first.

Mi Xia also took Liu Wanyu to bed early.

The next morning, the little girl went around to pay New Year’s greetings to her elders, receiving a lot of lucky money. The old man teased her, “Wanyu, can you use your lucky money to buy your great-grandfather some wine?”

Without thinking, Liu Wanyu said, “Great-grandfather, I’ll give it all to you.”

The old man was overjoyed by the little girl’s response, hugging her tightly. Uncle Liu looked at Liu Liang, implying that he should quickly give him a granddaughter.

Liu Liang was embarrassed by Uncle Liu’s gaze. He also wanted a daughter, but he couldn’t control the gender of his children.

That day, many people visited the old man. The table was filled with peanuts, melon seeds, candy, and tea, but no one came to eat.

Only Liu Baoguo and Uncle Liu remained in the living room. Wang Fen and Aunt Liu took their daughters and daughters-in-law out shopping. Every year, countless visitors came to pay their respects.

Wang Fen and Aunt Liu were used to it. Their sister-in-law relationship was excellent, mainly because they were wealthy and the wives of officials.

Even if there were conflicts, they wouldn’t act like shrewish women and quarrel in the streets.

Wang Fen and Aunt Liu took their group to Xidan Mall. That winter in Beijing had heavy snowfall, and the children were all dressed in thick clothes.

Mi Xia wore a simple down jacket, which she had given to Liu Baoguo and her third aunt’s family.

Mi Xia and Liu Wanyu wore thermal underwear underneath, which they didn’t give away.

Just the simple down jacket attracted many people on the road.

“This jacket is so beautiful. I wonder where it was bought. I want to buy one too,” said a stylish young girl to her companion.

“Yes, I want one too. I’ll ask my mother to buy me one when we get home.”

Mi Xia felt that the supermarket needed to speed up, but things had to be done one by one; she couldn’t expand her business too quickly.

“Auntie.”

Mi Xia turned to look at the girl who called her. She was a 16 or 17-year-old girl with fair, delicate skin and a pretty face.

Wang Fen was about to introduce her to Mi Xia when the girl pointed to Liu Wanyu, whom she was holding, and asked, “Who is she?”

“She’s my granddaughter,” Wang Fen said with a smile.

“Oh, so she’s the child born to my cousin’s wife from the countryside?” Li Guifang blurted out.

Mi Xia’s face instantly turned cold. “What’s wrong with country people?”

Li Guifang said arrogantly, “My mother said that country people are dirty and smelly, and told me to stay away from them.”

She took a step back and deliberately fanned her nose with her hand.

Mi Xia smiled faintly. “Country people are dirty and smelly, then why do you eat the food they grow? The house you live in was built by farmers, and the cotton in the clothes you wear was also grown in the countryside.”

“If you’re so capable, don’t eat food or wear clothes!”

If it weren’t for the inappropriate setting, Wang Fen would have applauded Mi Xia.

Li Guifang hated Mi Xia at that moment; she wished she could strangle her.

She didn’t realize that if she hadn’t started the trouble, Mi Xia wouldn’t have spoken to her like that.

“Auntie, look at your daughter-in-law, she’s so fierce. I just said something casually, she… she…” Li Guifang said coquettishly to Wang Fen.

“Is that how your mother taught you? I’ll go back and have a good talk with the old man about how his good daughter teaches her daughter,” Wang Fen said coldly.

Li Guifang was most afraid of her grandfather. Every time she went to her grandfather’s house, she would hide if she could; if she couldn’t, she would minimize her presence.

Li Guifang’s mother was the old man’s youngest daughter, named Liu Shumin. Her name was quite refined, but it had nothing to do with her personality.

At the age of 18, she insisted on marrying Li Guifang’s father, Li Yimin. His father was an employee of a slaughterhouse who supported his entire family.

Therefore, their living conditions were not good, but Li Yimin’s appearance would have been considered a pretty boy in any era. People in the 70s also appreciated good looks.

Li Yimin was also a smooth talker, and Liu Shumin was completely charmed by him, insisting on marrying him and even visiting his home.

The old man only learned about Li Yimin at this time, so he began investigating his family background.

The investigation revealed that he had a brother who was already married and a sister who had gone to the countryside in response to the national call.

Essentially, he had grandparents above him and nephews and nieces below him, all living in a 70-square-meter house.

He used his good looks and some unknown channels to get to know Liu Shumin, leading to these events.

His father was abusive, and his mother instigated his older brother to beat his wife.

Their home was always chaotic and filled with petty quarrels. The old man was afraid that his daughter would suffer after marrying into such a family, so he strongly opposed the marriage.

The old man tried countless methods to dissuade Liu Shumin, but reasoning didn’t work. When he locked her up, she refused to eat or drink.

In the end, the old man couldn’t let Liu Shumin starve to death, so he released her.

He told her that if she suffered after marriage, she couldn’t return home and shouldn’t expect help from anyone in the family.

Liu Shumin didn’t care about that. She believed that Li Yimin would treat her well.

So, after the old man agreed, she happily went to find Li Yimin. Initially, Liu Shumin did enjoy a good life, but it didn’t last.