Chapter 12: It’s a Done Deal

Li Xiangdong took off his shoes and got on the heated brick bed. He sat cross-legged and pulled his daughter in front of him.

Seeing his daughter sitting obediently, with the ice cream stick in her mouth, staring at him with her big eyes, his heart melted.

“Xiaoqi, come on, call me ‘daddy’.”

“Daddy…”

“Xiaoqi is so good. Give Daddy the ice cream stick, and we’ll play ride the big horse, okay?”

As soon as Li Xiaozhu heard about playing ride the big horse, her hand loosened, and the ice cream stick fell onto the bed. She used her hands and feet to climb onto Li Xiangdong.

“Play…”

Li Xiangdong lay on his stomach and let his daughter climb onto his back. He supported himself with one hand on the bed and held his daughter with the other. He slowly got up and carried his daughter on his back to play with her.

“Giggle…”

Li Xiaozhu was excited, lying on his back and hugging his neck tightly.

Seeing his daughter’s attention diverted, Li Xiangdong shouted outside, “Xiaohai, Li Xiaohai!”

“I’m coming, Dad.”

When Li Xiangdong saw his eldest son enter the room, he thought a big rat had come in!

His son was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of open-crotch pants, and was filthy from head to toe.

“What the hell, did you go digging for coal? Where are your clothes?”

“Dad, it’s too hot outside, so I took off my clothes.”

“Didn’t you want the ice cream stick? Take it and have your sister help you wipe it clean.”

Li Xiaohai’s eyes lit up when he heard “ice cream stick.” He took it and ran out of the room.

After his son left, Li Xiangdong played with his daughter for a while. The earthen bed was too hard, and after a while, his knees started to hurt from the friction.

He couldn’t hold on any longer. He leaned against the wall and lay down, placing his daughter on his stomach.

Li Xiaozhu was also tired from playing, covered in sweat, and lay obediently in his arms.

Zhou Yuqin, who had finished helping Mother Li with the cooking, pushed the door open and entered the room. Seeing the father and daughter quietly on the bed, she was in a daze for a moment.

After coming to her senses, she picked up her daughter from Li Xiangdong and said, “The noodles are in the pot. Mom wants us to go over and eat first.”

“Alright, let’s go over then.”

Li Xiangdong quickly got up and followed his wife and child to the living room to eat.

He entered the room and saw his grandparents sitting at the table, sipping from their enamel mugs. “Is the sugar water from the melted cream popsicles good?”

Grandma Li smiled, “Mmm, it’s not only sweet, but it also has a milky fragrance.”

Old Man Li chimed in, “Dongzi really knows how to be considerate.”

Li Xiangdong said, “If you like it, we’ll buy more in the future.”

He could still manage this. How much could his grandparents, at their age, eat?

As long as these inexpensive snacks could make them happy every day, it was worth it.

“It’s so hot, and you still went out to play leaf cards. It would have been so much better to rest at home.”

Grandma Li said, “We didn’t play cards. Your Auntie Liu’s mother-in-law next door hasn’t been in good spirits these past two days, so she asked your grandpa and me to go over and chat with her.”

Li Xiangdong gave a thumbs-up and said, “Auntie Liu is a good daughter-in-law. No wonder you and Grandpa are willing to interact with her family.”

Grandma Li nodded, “Of course. Your Auntie Liu is one of the best daughters-in-law in our alley.”

Old Man Li was sharp-eyed. Seeing Mother Li eavesdropping from the side of the stove outside, he nudged his wife’s leg and gave her a look. Grandma Li understood and stopped talking.

Old Man Li continued, “What your grandma said isn’t entirely right. Your mother is also a famously filial daughter-in-law in our area. Speaking of which, it’s all thanks to your grandma’s good judgment. She found a good wife for your dad back then. Look how harmonious our family is.”

How clever Li Xiangdong was. He quickly chimed in with a few words of praise for his mother.

In fact, his mother was a filial daughter-in-law. She took good care of her parents-in-law. The only thing to blame was her sharp tongue, which was often blunt and unpleasant.

This topic couldn’t be discussed any further. Li Xiangdong saw his two nieces setting the table and his nephews running around restlessly in the room.

“Li Xiaojiang, take your three little followers and go peel some garlic for your third uncle.”

Eating noodles without garlic loses half the flavor. His family’s garlic was tied into strings, and there were several strings in the gatehouse.

“Yes, sir. Little ones, follow me.”

With Li Xiaojiang’s command, his three younger brothers followed suit, running out together.

By the time the garlic was peeled, the noodles were on the table. Li Xiangdong filled a large bowl.

Although the toppings were vegetarian and the noodles looked a bit yellow, they were irresistibly delicious. A bite was full of the fragrance of wheat.

Mixed with the sesame paste, a mouthful of noodles and a clove of garlic, it was just two words: authentic!

Not only did he find it delicious, but the children in the family, especially Li Xiaojiang and Li Xiaotao, ate like pigs.

Li Xiangdong had just finished one bowl and was about to get a second when he heard the door open. His father and brothers were back.

He didn’t know if Father Li was bringing good news or bad news, and he lost the mood to continue eating.

It wasn’t until he saw Father Li walk into the room with a happy expression that he couldn’t help but ask, “Dad, how did the inquiry go?”

Father Li didn’t keep him in suspense. “It’s a done deal. They even helped us get the letter of introduction.”

Hearing Father Li’s words, everyone in the room, except for the somewhat clueless children, was very happy. This was a job in the railway system, with a high value. Their third son had really lucked out!

Seeing everyone in the room staring at him, Father Li patted his pocket. “Don’t worry, the letter of introduction is safe in my pocket. But you have to let me have a few bites first. I’ve been so busy this morning.”

Old Man Li said, “Then hurry up and have a few bites. After you’ve eaten, you can tell us all about it.”