Chapter 33: Stir-Fried Tomato and Egg

Li Xiangbei followed Su Yue into the courtyard. After closing the door and latching it from the inside, he said, “The old man and lady already warned me—the Liang family is nothing but trouble. They told me to be tough when dealing with them, because that family only bullies the weak and fears the strong.”

“Don’t worry, wife. I’ve got ways to deal with them.”

Su Yue smiled and nodded. “Okay. The dough has rested enough—I’ll roll out the noodles. You dice the tomatoes.”

Li Xiangbei agreed and followed her into the kitchen.

Su Yue wiped the countertop clean and placed the big, white, soft dough ball on it. She sprinkled some flour evenly and began kneading the dough with practiced strength, making it turn smoothly under her palms.

Li Xiangbei looked at her with admiration. “Wife, you’re amazing.”

Su Yue playfully rolled her eyes at him, then picked up the rolling pin. With fluid pushes and pulls, the thick dough gradually turned into a large, thin sheet.

Li Xiangbei diced the tomatoes, their red juice splashing on the board and releasing a fresh fragrance. He scooped them into an empty bowl.

With a small smile, Su Yue folded the dough sheet and sliced it into evenly thick noodles.

Li Xiangbei praised again, “Your knife skills are impressive.”

Su Yue laughed as she approached him slowly.

Li Xiangbei’s heart raced like a drum. He nervously swallowed and shut his eyes.

Su Yue couldn’t help but chuckle. Li Xiangbei opened his eyes at the sound, just in time to see her crack a raw egg with a single hand—crack!—and drop the contents into a bowl. In a flash, three eggs were cracked.

She handed the bowl of egg mixture to Li Xiangbei and said playfully, “Stir this evenly!”

Li Xiangbei licked his lips and obediently stirred. Su Yue, in a great mood, poured oil into the pan. “Are the eggs ready?” she asked.

He quickly leaned in and asked with a grin, “Wife, is this okay?”

Su Yue took the bowl, smiled, and poured the egg mixture into the hot oil. The eggs quickly set, and she gently broke them apart with a spoon.

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“Wife, it smells amazing.”
…
“Wife, this is so delicious.”

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After dinner, Li Xiangbei escorted Su Yue back to the steel factory.

Riding his bicycle through the alleys, the evening breeze carried a hint of coolness, but couldn’t sweep away the sweetness in his heart. When he returned to the Li family courtyard, the gate was half-closed. He opened it, and the wheels clicked softly over the stone path.

Zhang Cuihua, his mother, was by the water basin doing laundry. She looked up and was surprised to see her youngest son pushing a bicycle home.

“Xiangbei, why are you riding Daliang’s bike?”

With a proud smile, Li Xiangbei replied, “Mom, this isn’t Daliang’s bike—it’s mine! My wife bought it for me!” As he spoke, he neatly parked and locked the bike by the wall.

“Your wife?” Zhang Cuihua’s eyes lit up. The clothes slipped from her hands and splashed water everywhere. Delighted, she asked, “You two got your marriage certificate?!”

Li Xiangbei grinned and pulled a handful of milk candies from his satchel. “Mom, wedding sweets!”

“Oh, good, good!” Zhang Cuihua wiped her hands on her clothes and took the candies, beaming with joy.

Her youngest son had really made something of himself—got a wife, a bike, and even a house.

Humming a cheerful tune, Li Xiangbei walked toward his room.

Passing by the window, he noticed the curtain—which usually hid the windowsill—was now hanging naturally. His brow furrowed. He unlocked the door and flipped on the light.

As the room lit up, he spotted two clear footprints in the white powder he had scattered beneath the window.

He quickly locked the door again and shouted, “Mom! Someone broke into my room! Dad, please go get the police! Everyone, check your rooms too, see if anything’s missing!”

“Broke in? Oh no—my money!” Zhang Cuihua’s expression changed instantly. She dropped the laundry and rushed to her room, muttering, “How could someone break in?!”

Li Jianguo, his father, came out quickly. “Xiangbei, was it really a thief?”

Li Xiangbei nodded. “Dad, don’t step inside—we don’t want to disturb the evidence. Look, these footprints are clear, probably from cloth shoes.”

Li Jianguo peeked inside and frowned. “You’re right! I’ll go call the police right now.”

Just then, Liu Lanxiang burst out of her room and said anxiously, “Dad, it’s so late, don’t bother the police. Besides, nothing was stolen from Xiangbei’s room!”

Li Xiangbei sneered. “Big sis-in-law, how do you know I didn’t lose anything?”

Liu Lanxiang’s eyes flickered. “You’re always out eating and drinking—you don’t have anything worth stealing!”

Li Xiangbei retorted, “Not true! I just got paid 28 yuan yesterday—it’s all gone now! Dad, report this to the police. Thieves must be punished!”

“You’re lying! You didn’t even have money in your room!” Liu Lanxiang blurted, then immediately turned pale, realizing she had exposed herself.

Everyone in the Li family now knew who had entered his room.

Swallowing hard, Liu Lanxiang avoided eye contact and made up a story: “There was a stray cat in Xiangbei’s room. I just went in to chase it out!”

Li Xiangbei laughed coldly. “Then how come there are only human footprints, and no cat prints on the wall? Did the cat fly?”

Lanxiang’s face turned red. Her mind spun, and she quickly countered, “Why was there white powder on the wall in the first place? Who were you trying to catch?”

“I was guarding against thieves—even household thieves count. Dad, please report this. If not, I’ll yell loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.”

Lanxiang tugged on Li Xiangdong’s sleeve, pleading with her eyes.

Li Xiangdong didn’t want to apologize, especially not to his younger brother.

But Lanxiang was his wife. If she got arrested, he’d be dragged down too—she knew too much about his shady dealings. What if she talked?

“Xiangbei, since nothing was lost, and we’re all family, why not let it go?”

“You’re wrong, big brother—you may be family with her, but I’m not. And I did lose something. Right there on the table—28 yuan.”

Li Xiangdong’s face darkened. Furious, he glared at Lanxiang, then stormed off and came back with 28 yuan. He slapped it on the table. “There. Happy now?”

Li Xiangbei chuckled and swept his gaze across everyone. “Mom, second brother, second sister-in-law—make sure you keep your money safe. Wouldn’t want it stolen.”

Then he turned and went straight into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

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