TSWPF -Chapter 125 Jealousy

Liu Zhimou smiled as he glanced at her and suddenly spoke, “Xiaoling, you’re fourteen now.”
When will you marry me?

He didn’t ask that last sentence out loud, but his expression made his meaning clear.

Li Qingling pretended not to understand him. With an innocent look, she nodded. “Mm, and? What about it?”

Watching Liu Zhimou put on a calm front, she laughed inwardly. This little man had grown taller and looked more like an adult now, yet his skin was still just as thin as ever.

Every time she teased him, his face would turn red uncontrollably.

And the more he was like this, the more she wanted to tease him.

After being with Li Qingling for so long, how could he not see through her little tricks?
He coughed lightly, suppressing the embarrassment in his heart, and looked at her. “Then… when should we get married?” As soon as he said it, he let out a long breath, as if he’d just completed a major task.

Once the words were out, the rest felt much easier to say.

“You’re fourteen, I’m sixteen—we can get married now.” Over the past three years, Li Qingling had only grown more and more beautiful, and a sense of crisis had taken root in his heart.

Especially after meeting the owner of Fuman Restaurant, his mood had changed.

As a man himself, he could tell that that man also liked Li Qingling.

It was just that Li Qingling was rather slow when it came to such things and hadn’t sensed it at all.

In this regard, he really should be grateful for her dullness.

Although he trusted that Li Qingling wouldn’t change her feelings, he didn’t trust the men who coveted his fiancée.

If it weren’t for their business dealings, he wouldn’t even have allowed that man to step through his door.

So he longed to marry Li Qingling as soon as possible.

Now that she had finally turned fourteen, he couldn’t help asking.

Seeing the seriousness in his eyes, Li Qingling raised her brows and smiled. “Since when did you become so anxious? Afraid someone will snatch me away? Hmm?”

She had meant it as a joke, but to her surprise, he nodded seriously and admitted that he was indeed afraid someone would take her from him.

His answer stunned her for a moment.

Recovering, she burst out laughing. “What nonsense are you thinking? Other than you, who would ever fancy a village girl like me? You’re overthinking it.”

Though she said that, her heart felt sweet.

That he cared so much about her made her incredibly happy.

Naturally, Liu Zhimou wouldn’t be foolish enough to tell her exactly who had taken a liking to her.

If she hadn’t noticed before, bringing it up would only make her notice—and that wouldn’t be good.

“I just want to marry you sooner,” he said righteously. If not for his ears secretly turning pink, his words would’ve been much more convincing.

Li Qingling pressed her lips together and smiled, her face tinged with shyness.

She didn’t know what had stimulated this little man, making him so eager to marry her.

Honestly, given their current situation, they were only one wedding ceremony away from being husband and wife.

“You really want to marry me that badly?”

“Don’t you want to marry me?”

Liu Zhimou stared fixedly at Li Qingling, trying to read her thoughts from her expression.

Li Qingling rolled her eyes at him and shrugged. “I didn’t say that—you did.”

Seeing that she refused to give him a clear answer, he grew a little relentless. “Then what exactly do you mean? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Didn’t she see how nervous he was?

After looking at Liu Zhimou for a long moment, Li Qingling curved her lips into a smile. “Nothing much. If you’re really that impatient, fine—I’ll go along with you. But I’m still young. If you want to consummate the marriage, you’ll have to wait until I’m at least fifteen.”

Originally, she had planned to marry him at eighteen, when she’d be fully grown and mature.

But if he was really in such a hurry, she could accommodate him.

She knew very well what he had felt for her all these years, and she couldn’t bear to let this matter hurt him.

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Zhimou’s face flushed bright red. He… he really couldn’t be as thick-skinned as her, casually saying words like “consummate the marriage.”

Still, his heart was pounding wildly.

Even the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.

“Th-then… then it’s settled. I’ll have the matchmaker come tomorrow.”

After stammering that out, he turned and ran off.

“…” Li Qingling turned her head to watch his retreating back, blinking in surprise. She had thought they could just get married directly—was it really necessary to invite a matchmaker?

Perhaps because they had lived together for so long, she didn’t feel much about whether they formally married or not.

But he looked so happy.

Mm, as long as he was happy, that was fine.

Li Qingling smiled again and turned back to continue cooking.

Just as she finished preparing dinner and was about to carry the dishes to the main hall, she saw Zhao Yichen walk in with a smile.

“I came at just the right time. Miss Xiaoling has already prepared the meal. You don’t mind adding one more set of bowls and chopsticks, do you?”

Looking at the handsome man entering, Li Qingling greeted him with a smile. “Didn’t the shopkeeper say Young Master Zhao had gone on a long trip? When did you return?”

The man before her was Zhao Yichen, the true owner behind Fuman Restaurant. They had first met two years ago at Fuman Restaurant.

Later, after he came to her home for a meal once, he began dropping by from time to time to freeload meals.

From initial surprise to complete familiarity, she had long since grown used to it.

“I came back today.” His eyes drifted to the dishes in Li Qingling’s hands, and he swallowed. He truly felt that her cooking was even better than that of his own household chefs.

Even when his chefs followed the recipes she provided, they could never replicate her flavor.

That was exactly why he came to her place to eat every time he returned.

Li Qingling hummed in acknowledgment and carried the dishes inside.

Following behind Zhao Yichen, Liu Zhimou cast him a calm glance, then turned on his heel and went into the kitchen to fetch the bowls and chopsticks.

When he brought them in, he saw the two little ones circling around Zhao Yichen.

Grinding his teeth slightly, he set the bowls on the table and said lightly, “No snacks before dinner.”

Every time Zhao Yichen came, he brought little trinkets and snacks to coax the two kids, spinning them around so thoroughly that even if he sold them off, they’d probably help him count the money.

The two little ones quickly swallowed the snacks in their mouths and obediently returned to their seats.

Don’t be fooled by how easygoing their big brother usually seemed—once he got strict, he was terrifying.

In this household, the person they feared most was their big brother.

“Don’t be so stern, Young Master Liu. You’re scaring the little sisters,” Zhao Yichen said with a smile.

Liu Zhimou glanced at him calmly. “I hope Young Master Zhao remembers next time as well—don’t give them snacks before meals. They’re still young. If they eat snacks first, they won’t have room for proper food, which isn’t good for their health.”

It was always this Young Master Zhao who came to disrupt the household rules, much to his annoyance.

Zhao Yichen nodded agreeably, saying he’d remember next time. Then he secretly winked at the two little ones, making them giggle.

Sitting beside him, Liu Zhimou lifted his gaze toward them.

The two little ones immediately straightened up and dared not laugh again.

Seeing this, Liu Zhimou felt even more vexed. It would be one thing if Li Qingning was captivated by Zhao Yichen, but even Liu Zhirou had been won over—how could he not feel irritated?

Li Qingling was already used to such scenes. Every time Zhao Yichen came over for a meal, this would happen.

She calmly served the rice and sat down. “Let’s eat.”

As soon as she spoke, Zhao Yichen was the first to pick up his chopsticks. After taking a bite of braised fish, he narrowed his eyes and sighed in praise. “Miss Xiaoling’s cooking is truly excellent. Even my family’s chefs can’t make flavors like this.”

Not just his household chefs—even the imperial kitchen couldn’t match it.

“You flatter me, Young Master Zhao. It’s just simple home cooking,” she replied. She only added a little spirit water while cooking and didn’t think it made much difference. “It’s just that you’re used to delicacies, so our country fare tastes especially good.”

Zhao Yichen ate nonstop. Though he ate quickly, his manners were elegant—one glance was enough to tell he came from a distinguished family.

“No, no, I’m not flattering you at all. I truly mean it.”

If her food didn’t genuinely suit his taste, he wouldn’t come freeloading every time he was here.

“I think Sister’s cooking is the best—the very, very best!” Li Qingning chimed in with her face nearly buried in her bowl.

Li Qingling reached out and patted her head. “Slow down, don’t choke.”

Knowing they loved her cooking made her happy too.

Li Qingning mumbled a couple of acknowledgments, but didn’t slow down at all. If she did, all the good dishes would be eaten up by Brother Zhao.

Though Brother Zhao always brought her tasty food and fun toys, she definitely wasn’t going to yield this time.

After all, her sister’s cooking was just too delicious!

Seeing that Li Qingning was still the same as ever, Li Qingling could only shake her head helplessly and let her be.

She picked some greens for Liu Zhirou. “Eat more vegetables—then you’ll grow taller.” She also placed some greens into Li Qingning’s bowl.

Like Li Qingning, Liu Zhirou didn’t like vegetables much.

The two exchanged a glance and frowned as they ate.

Seeing this, Li Qingling laughed.

Liu Zhimou picked up a piece of meat for Li Qingling, then smiled faintly at Zhao Yichen. “I wonder how long Young Master Zhao plans to stay here? If you’re here for a while, you could attend Ling’er’s and my wedding.”

At that, Zhao Yichen’s chopsticks paused midair. Then he calmly continued, placing the food into his mouth.

Only now, the delicious food no longer tasted quite as good.