Eating

  As soon as he came to, he saw a room full of people and was stunned for a moment. He thought about getting up, but was pressed down by Mrs. Li with a loud and piercing voice, "My son, you must rest well, the doctor said that if something goes wrong, this illness will leave a lasting impact on your body."

  "Hey, Third Brother, didn't you hurt your brain? If you did, you won't be able to pass the imperial exam and our family will be in trouble. We're all counting on you to live a good life." The speaker was that little fatty, Lian Nai, younger brother of Lian Qing, born to Lian's father's second wife, Li Shi, when he was old. This year, he was only eleven years old, and with his mother doting on him, Lian Ye treated him like a precious gem, spoiling him rotten, making him fearless and reckless, running wild in the village, causing trouble wherever he went. But if it were one of Lian Qing's brothers, would they be able to get away with this?

  He must have given his old man a stern look and then started beating him up.

  "Mother, fourth brother, I'm fine——" Lian Qing sat up, feeling a dull ache on his forehead, and wanted to touch it with his hand. However, his hand was stopped by Fu Qiu Lian's hand. "You can't touch it, your wound has just been medicated, the doctor instructed that you can't touch it or get it wet, otherwise bacteria will multiply, causing inflammation and leading to a high fever. So, if you feel itchy, you must endure."

  "Is this what the doctor ordered?"

  "Yes." Fu Qiulian nodded affirmatively, she was also a doctor, wasn't she?

  Next to him, the sound of dismantling the stage rose, "How come I didn't hear it, I said you this woman, you deceived my third brother again." Xiaogui Lian looked suspiciously at Fu Qiu Lian, staring at her with wide eyes and pouting, "Third brother, don't listen to this woman, she's deceiving you. Don't believe me? Ask Mother, Mother didn't hear Liu Daifu say that either, right?"

  Before Li could speak, Lian Qing's helpless voice sounded, "Fourth brother, you're being rude again. She is your third sister-in-law, your elder, and you can't be so rude to her. The sage said that an older sister-in-law is like a mother, although your third sister-in-law isn't the oldest, she still occupies the position of an older sister-in-law, therefore——" Lian Qing went on and on for two whole minutes without batting an eyelid. In the end, only one person was left in the room, Fu Qiu Lian, who was also on the verge of collapse.

  Who can listen to others' nagging about holy sayings for half an hour without repeating words, whoever can bear it is a saint!

  "Hubby, it's getting late, where are we going to have dinner?" Fú Qiūlián patted her belly, and her hand paused slightly on her abdomen. This child, a few doubts arose in her mind, should she or shouldn't she? She shook her head again, ah, don't think about these things for now, need to find something to eat, fill up the stomach, then sleep comfortably and talk about other things later.

  "What's wrong, wife? We were eating in the main house." Lian Qing lifted up the quilt and got off the kang, feeling a bit dizzy. The next moment, she was supported by someone, "Husband, are you alright? Do you want to do something, are you thirsty and want water or need something, just tell me and I'll help you."

  "No need, we should go to your parents' place for dinner." Lian Qing almost hastily moved his body away, and after keeping a few steps away from her, he carefully looked at Fu Qiu Lian and thought for a moment before saying, "If you don't want to go, I can help bring the food back for you? Of course, the brought-back food won't be as fresh, just in case you can't eat well." In fact, what Lian Qing really wanted to say was, if you're too lazy to go and eat, let me bring it back for you, but don't complain about the food not being good again.

  Wasn't it because of this that they quarreled after dinner every time before?

  Lian Qing felt that Fu Qiulian was difficult to serve, and as her husband, he had already lost face by helping her with household chores. When he returned home, she would still complain and find fault with him, not even giving him a good look. He thought to himself, "How could I be happy in this situation?" As he carefully glanced at Fu Qiulian, he wondered in his heart, "Why hasn't she blown up yet today?"

  In the past, hearing someone say something like this would have made people jump with anger.

  I recalled her concern when I was injured earlier, and previously when several people came over, it was rare that I didn't hear Fú Qiūlián scolding anyone. Could it be that Heaven pitied him and changed Fú Qiūlián's temperament? Just as I was thinking about this, a clear voice rang in my ear, "Master, you're joking! The distance between Father and Mother's house is just a few steps away, we're all one family eating together, where's the logic in me being the only one missing? Master, don't you think so?"

  "Ah, yes, but..." Under Fú Qiūlián's gentle smile, Lián Qīng only saw her smile and was almost dazed, where were his thoughts? When he came back to himself, he had already been pulled out of the house by Fú Qiūlián. A gust of cold wind blew over, and the chill hit him in the face. He shivered and came back to himself, just in time to see Fú Qiūlián's foot slip on the snow, almost falling down. Alarmed, he quickly supported her, "You, you're so careless! If something happens to you again, how can I explain it to your father and older brother?"

  "Is Sir only worried about not being able to get along with my father and brother, but not at all concerned about our mother-son relationship?"

  "I..." Lian Qing's mouth opened and closed, with a hint of embarrassment in her bright and clear eyes, she almost lowered her head.

  He actually never thought about this problem!

  Until the whole family sat down at the dinner table, Lian Qing was a bit afraid to look at Fu Qiu Lian. He was a man who read sacred books, but when his wife scolded him, he didn't worry at all. What kind of face did he have to call himself a scholar? Scholars value benevolence and righteousness, even if outsiders are scolded, they should be worried too. The more Lian Qing thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He muttered a greeting to his father and Li Shi, then called out to his elder brother and sister-in-law, before sitting down in his seat without making another sound.

  "Oh no, what's wrong with you, San?" Mrs. Li's gaze swept across everyone and stopped at Fu Qiu Lian for a moment before coldly laughing twice and turning to Lian Qing, "Look at you, such a big person now... if you had fallen somewhere else it would be fine, but you just had to fall on your head... heaven have mercy! No one takes care of you, even though you're not my biological child, I've raised you for so many years and was looking forward to seeing you become a respected scholar. If something were to happen to you now, how could I go on living?"

  Lao Ye was still smoking his water pipe, with a face full of vicissitudes, and his eyes had sunk. He looked like he was in his sixties or seventies, even though he was only in his fifties. This pre-dinner smoke was something he had insisted on for many years, but today's cigarette had just been lit when he heard Li Shi's words. His hand shook, the pipe wasn't held steady, and with a slight tremble, it fell to the ground. After a faint cracking sound, the pipe broke into two pieces, lying lonely on the ground. Lao Ye seemed not to have noticed that his treasured pipe had been broken, but instead looked at Lian Qing with a dark face, his voice rough and filled with anger, "What your mother said earlier, was it all true? Have you gone crazy?"

  Digression

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