How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 104: Greeting_1

Li Qiao’s expression suddenly relaxed, having to climb the wall to get into his own house, speechless!

The door creaked open, and Qin Jin’s gaze lingered on her pale feet, "Why are you washing your feet again? I’ve washed them for you." He hadn’t missed a spot between her toes.

Li Qiao blushed, "Who let you wash them? Hurry up and go buy me some birth control pills."

Qin Jin cleared his throat, "Don’t worry, I’ve taken precautions." He had specifically prepared for this last week.

Li Qiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Not too dumb, fortunately.

Qin Jin plonked down next to her, "Let me wash with you, and we’ll go another round later." The latter part he whispered very softly.

Li Qiao was startled, again?

"Where did this watch come from?" Qin Jin noticed the wristwatch placed on the bedside.

Li Qiao smiled, "A gift from the educated youth, didn’t you see it?"

"I don’t have the habit of rummaging through other people’s stuff," Qin Jin said.

Li Qiao looked at him more highly once again, not expecting that he, so carefree, would understand respecting others’ privacy.

....

The next day.

Li Qiao cut off two chunks of ham and chopped two large bags of ribs, ordering Qin Jin to deliver them to her two sisters’ houses.

She and Old Mrs. Qin were busy chopping stuffing for wontons.

The continuous thudding went on without pause.

The neighbor Yu Feng couldn’t sit still anymore and walked over to the Qin family’s doorway to ask the worker, "Why are they chopping meat all day? Who are they inviting for a meal?"

"Old Madam says it’s for Jin’s friends."

"Lord have mercy, won’t it be chaotic at that time?" Yu Feng said with a headache, "Living next to his house is just bad luck."

"Qiaoqiao got accepted into Beijing University, the Qin family is now a fengshui treasure land; so many people wish to be their neighbors and can’t. Auntie, I advise you to get along with them; you might need their help in the future. Having a falling out won’t do you any good."

Yu Feng grumbled in response, "Her help? Forget it! I was talking with Old Cai’s wife last night; she said Li Qiao loves to boast. Last year when there were no exams, she told her she could get into this and that university, but in the end, zilch....."

Cough, cough...

An auntie coughed and gave Yu Feng a meaningful look from behind her.

Yu Feng turned around.

Li Qiao, with one hand carrying three pieces of pork of similar length and size, greeted with a cheerful voice, "Hello ladies, you’ve been working hard here, my grandma and I have decided to offer some pork for you to try."

"Oh! Thank you so much."

The aunties, beaming with the meat they received:

"Qiaoqiao is so generous."

"Qiaoqiao is really open-handed, such a big piece of meat, I weighed it, it must be about two pounds."

"This piece of meat is great, the streaky part, probably can braise out a lot of oil."

"...."

Everyone got their share of the meat and began to compare.

Yu Feng felt like throwing up; she had also worked for many days, why didn’t she get any meat? It was infuriating! "You must have earned quite a bit from everyone, right?"

"Of course, our family is so heartless, ripping off a few aunties will soon have us building a brick mansion. Since you’re a neighbor, it would be rude to profit from you, so we aren’t taking your money."

The crowd burst into laughter.

Yu Feng’s face turned from red to white with anger and she stomped away.

Li Qiao subtly curled her lip and turned to wave at everyone before heading back into the yard.

Just as she wrapped a couple of wontons, two uninvited guests arrived.

It was Li Shengcai and Dong Lamei.

Joining them was a group of neighbors drawn by the commotion.

"Qiaoqiao, I heard you got into Beijing University? In the future, your dad and I will be blessed because of you. Oh, you’ve prepared so much meat at home?" Dong Lamei was visibly envious; Jinhua had informed them the previous evening.

Li Qiao had already been admitted to Beijing University in advance.

The school rewarded her with half a pig.

She waited all afternoon but no one came to deliver the meat.

Unable to hold out, she came over to check.

She didn’t believe that after raising her for over a decade, they could truly become estranged.

Li Qiao looked around, "My dad? Where is he?"

Li Shengcai spat out a mouthful of blood, "You wretched girl! Are you trying to kill me with anger?"

"You’re not really my father, and you’re not my mother, either. You two have no right to benefit from my good fortune," Li Qiao retorted. Yesterday, drunk, she dreamt of her childhood with her parents: no matter how busy they were with work, they’d always help her with her homework when they got home.

They would take her to the park on weekends to fly kites.

They would go camping and set up a tent.

At night, through the tent top, she would gaze at the starry sky.

Her dad would point to the heavens and show her The Big Dipper.

In the blink of an eye, she had grown up, and through her middle and high school boarding, her mother often worried that she wasn’t eating well, delivering food to her through the iron fence every few days.

In university, the food was better, but they started worrying she would fall in love, fearing she would be deceived by men.

What about Li Shengcai and his new wife? Exploiting her, telling her she owes them and had to repay them by sharing her blessings, as if they came to collect a debt!

Dong Lamei couldn’t control her rage and, pointing at Li Qiao’s nose, cursed: "You ungrateful wretch! I raised you for over a decade. We came to see you with good intentions, and this is how you treat us? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?"

"I am not raised by you."

To others, this sentence meant she was not born of Dong Lamei.

To Old Mrs. Qin, it clearly stated she was not their child.

Li Shengcai, furious, lifted his stick to strike someone.

Li Qiao, unruffled, glanced at her watch, "It’s two thirty. Jin said he would return around this time. You can wait for him to discuss who’s going to get retribution first, me or you from his fists."

As soon as Qin Jin was mentioned, Li Shengcai and Dong Lamei both deflated.

The latter, feeling a chill around her neck and scared stiff—what wouldn’t that hoodlum dare to do? He could strangle her. "I’ll come back to talk to you later." She was the first to leave.

Li Shengcai wasn’t keen on staying longer either. He threw down the stick and left some parting words: "Unfilial daughter, I won’t beat you; I’ll let your sister sort you out." He slunk away.

Both of them might be described as fleeing in panic. Just as they reached the village entrance, they bumped straight into Qin Jin, riding a new bicycle, leading a group of rowdy teenagers into the village like a thorn among them.

He even heard someone call him ’eldest son.’

Bandit!

He cursed silently.

Qin Jin’s bicycle skidded to a stop in front of him, and the youngsters, imitating him, surrounded the two with their bikes.

Li Shengcai’s legs went soft.

Dong Lamei’s calves shook, and she braced for a beating, covering her head.

Qin Jin’s eyes were deep and dark as he greeted them coolly, "Father-in-law, mother-in-law, how do you do! Did you visit my house? You didn’t hit my wife, did you?"

"No, no, not at all," Li Shengcai nervously asserted.

When the crowd realized who Qin Jin’s in-laws were, they moved aside their bikes, "Father-in-law, mother-in-law, our apologies."

Li Shengcai: "...."

Dong Lamei: "..." These uncouth hooligans!

Qin Jin’s face turned stern, "What are you blathering about? And you!" He pointed at Dong Lamei, "Do you dare to come here? What’s the matter? Did you catch news of my wife winning half a pig and come to claim a share?" He knew that once the news spread, they wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from showing up.

"How could we?" Dong Lamei hurriedly replied, "I heard from Jinhua that she got into Beijing University, just came over to offer my congratulations."

"Oh, offering congratulations, eh? No problem then, safe travels!" Qin Jin pedaled his bicycle and beckoned his brothers, "Come on, let’s go have some meat!"

Amassed in a crowd of about fifteen or sixteen, they filled the courtyard.

Upon entering, they called out ’Grandma’ or ’Sister-in-law.’

The bolder ones even complimented Li Qiao on her beauty, earning a flying kick from Qin Jin. "Dare to look at my wife, think you’ve lived too long, do you?"

"I’m just admiring a beautiful woman."

"Go home and admire your own wife!"

The group engaged in playful banter and laughter, their voices reaching far and wide.

The educated youths arrived but dared not set foot inside the courtyard.

Li Qiao briefly introduced a few people to Qin Jin’s brothers amidst the noise.

The courtyard was noisy and clamorous; Old Mrs. Qin’s temples throbbed with irritation. Birds of a feather flock together—they say, and it couldn’t be truer.

The friends her granddaughter-in-law made were all honest, entering the house and getting straight to work without saying much.

Her grandson and his friends playfully climbed high and jumped low, lacking decorum whether sitting or standing, making one want to smack them. If only her grandson could be as steady as his wife.

After nearly an hour of bustle, the wontons were ready to serve.

Lacking sufficient tables and stools, everyone squatted to eat.

They entertained each other with tales of amusing village antics, bringing lively noise into the home before it finally settled.