TSWPF -Chapter 284 Delicious

“Rou Rou…” Li Qingling put down her chopsticks and gently hugged Liu Zhirou, soothing her softly. “This is your father’s home, and now it’s practically our home too. I hope you can get used to it, okay?”

Actually, it wasn’t just Liu Zhirou who was having trouble adjusting—Li Qingling herself wasn’t entirely comfortable either. But under the circumstances, she could only endure it.

Liu Zhirou looked at Li Qingling and asked how long they would be staying here.

If it was for a short time, she could accept it. But if it was for too long, she would have a hard time.

“Sister-in-law doesn’t know either. It depends on your eldest brother. Once his work is settled, we’ll be able to move out.”

“All right then!” Liu Zhirou nodded helplessly. She prayed that her brother’s work would be finalized soon so they could move out. “Sister-in-law, you better eat quickly. Let’s go find Ning Ning and Third Brother.”

Li Qingling smiled and nodded in agreement.

She and Liu Zhimou hurried to finish their meal. Afterward, they took Liu Zhirou and Liu Zhiyan and prepared to return to the Xue family residence.

Just as they stepped into the courtyard, they ran into Old Master Liu, who asked where they were going. They told him honestly.

Upon hearing this, Old Master Liu decided to accompany them.

He knew the children had just returned to the Liu family and would naturally feel uncomfortable. He wasn’t cruel enough to stop them from going to the Xue residence.

“Grandfather, where are you going?” They walked to the screen wall and ran into Liu Zhixin. “I was thinking of going to play with sister!”

When Liu Zhirou mentioned she was going to play, Liu Zhixin immediately joined in, holding Liu Zhirou’s hand. She wanted to go too.

Since she couldn’t make the decision herself, she looked at Liu Zhimou for help.

“Xinxin, if you want to go, just tell your mother so she won’t worry, okay?”

Knowing she could go along, Liu Zhixin happily jumped and sent her maid back to inform her mother, letting her know not to worry.

Thus, Liu Zhimou’s little group gained another member.

When they arrived at the Xue residence, Li Qingfeng and Li Qingning heard from the servants that their elder siblings had returned. Overjoyed, they ran out immediately.

“Grandfather Liu, brother-in-law, sister, second brother, Rou Rou…” Li Qingning shouted as she ran, “I’ve missed you so much!” She scooped up Liu Zhirou. Without Rou Rou, she had struggled to sleep last night.

Liu Zhirou patted Li Qingning’s head and said she missed her too. They had grown up together, and suddenly being separated like this felt really hard and uncomfortable.

“Sixth sister, who is she?” Liu Zhixin curiously asked, looking at Li Qingning.

Hearing the question, Li Qingning turned and met Liu Zhixin’s curious gaze. “You’re Rou Rou’s cousin. I saw you yesterday.”

“Why didn’t I see you?”

Liu Zhirou held one of their hands and laughed as she introduced them.

Li Qingning proudly patted her chest and said, “I’ll look out for you from now on.”

Liu Zhixin was happy to have someone younger than her. She squinted her eyes in delight and said, “I’m older, so you should call me Sister Xin.”

“…,” Li Qingning was a little speechless but smiled and changed the topic. “Do you like grilled meat? How about we eat grilled meat today?” She didn’t want to be the youngest; she wanted to feel like the elder sister too.

Liu Zhixin was a little foodie. The moment she heard there was food, all thoughts of seniority flew out the window. She nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes!”

Her uncle had treated them once before, and she remembered it fondly. Her mother didn’t allow her to eat too much, saying it was unhealthy.

The more her mother forbade it, the more she wanted it.

“Sister, don’t tell my mother when we go home, okay? If she finds out I ate grilled meat again, she’ll scold me!” Liu Zhixin whispered to Liu Zhirou, thinking it better to team up with her sister to keep it secret.

Liu Zhirou smiled at her and agreed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Liu Zhixin hugged Liu Zhirou and acted coquettishly. “Sister, you’re the best!”

“Of course I’ll keep your secret. If I didn’t, wouldn’t that be bad?”

“No, no, no. You’re always very good, very good.” Sweet words made people happy to hear.

Liu Zhirou tapped her forehead, held one hand with hers, and the other with Li Qingning, and walked into the Xue residence.

Liu Zhixin didn’t stay long before getting along very well with Li Qingning. She listened enviously to Li Qingning recounting all the fun she had in the countryside and wanted to experience it herself.

“Is there really so much food to eat up on the mountain? I’ve never eaten it! When will you go back? Can you take me with you?” She had never experienced such a life and longed to try it.

Li Qingning nodded earnestly. “That’s just a small part of it. There’s much more to eat up on the mountain. When we have the chance, we’ll take you there to catch wild chickens and rabbits to roast. It’s really delicious.” She felt tempted thinking about it. Back in Niutou Village, Ah Huang and Ah Bai often caught a few wild chickens and rabbits for them, but in the capital, it wasn’t possible. “I miss my Ah Huang and Ah Bai. I don’t know when I can go back to see them.”

Liu Zhixin sucked in a breath as her mouth watered. She hadn’t eaten yet, and just hearing it made her salivate.

“Who are Ah Huang and Ah Bai? Why didn’t you bring them?”

“They’re two huge, huge tigers. But don’t worry—they won’t bite people. They’re very smart.”

Hearing this, Liu Zhixin gasped. Big… big tigers? How could tigers not bite people? She had heard tigers were fierce; biting someone was a matter of seconds.

“How… how can you be so brave to keep tigers? They’ll eat people!”

“No…” Li Qingning explained quickly, not wanting her friends to be misunderstood. “We’ve raised them since they were small. They’re very close to us. If we could, we would have brought them here long ago.”

Liu Zhixin still looked skeptical.

“Really, your tigers won’t bite people? I heard tigers eat humans.”

“They won’t bite unless you’re a bad person. Our Ah Bai and Ah Huang are very clever. But to avoid scaring others, we don’t let them roam the village.”

“Okay, I want to see them too, to see how amazing they are.”

“Sure…” Li Qingning nodded energetically. “You’ll love them once you see them.” Ah Huang and Ah Bai were very lovable; anyone brave enough to meet them would be charmed.

Liu Zhixin followed Li Qingning into the ravine, eager to meet Ah Huang and Ah Bai.

If Liu Zhirou and the others returned to their hometown, she definitely wanted to go too, to see and experience more.

But most importantly, she needed her mother’s permission. Without it, she couldn’t go.

Before hearing Li Qingning’s story, she had imagined a poor place with little food. She hadn’t expected it to be so different.

When she had the chance, she was determined to go see and play, so she could boast to her friends and make them jealous.

“Sister, are you hungry?” Liu Zhixin realized all this and rubbed her stomach, pouting. “Did you hear it? My stomach keeps saying, ‘Eat grilled meat, eat grilled meat…’”

Liu Zhirou and Li Qingning couldn’t help but laugh. They agreed Liu Zhixin was adorable and pure, and they could continue playing with her.

Li Qingning tapped Liu Zhixin’s stomach and laughed. “I think it’s not your stomach wanting meat—it’s your mouth.”

Liu Zhixin was still a child, plump and cute.

If she stayed chubby when she grew up, she might face discrimination, but for now, it was fine.

“No, no! It’s my stomach saying it’s hungry, it wants grilled meat. My mouth isn’t thinking that.” Liu Zhixin playfully protested, shaking Li Qingning’s hand. “Ning Ning, quickly ask someone to prepare the food. I can’t wait to eat!”

A rare grilled meat feast—she was going to eat to her heart’s content.

Li Qingning couldn’t resist her coquettishness and quickly handed her over to Liu Zhirou. She let Liu Zhirou handle her.

Liu Zhirou held her hand, soothing her. “Okay, okay. We’ll go eat grilled meat now, and this time you can eat until you’re full.”

If it weren’t for the little girl being fair-skinned and plump, Liu Zhirou might have thought she’d be spoiled by Second Aunt. The moment she heard about meat, her eyes sparkled.

Her little antics reminded Liu Zhirou of Grandfather Liu, who also lit up at the sight of delicious food. Truly a foodie, unwilling to miss any treats.

The three of them went to the lotus pond pavilion, where they saw Li Qingling and the others preparing.

Li Qingning cheered and ran over. “Sister, I’ll help you!” She was thrilled—another chance for delicious grilled meat. Usually, her sister wouldn’t have agreed so easily. “Xinxin, if you come often, you’ll get to enjoy many big meals.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll come as soon as I have time to play with you.” Here, she could play with Li Qingning and get all sorts of news. A win-win situation.

Li Qingling watched the three little girls and had them help with small tasks so they wouldn’t just stand idle.