Because controlling the heat was important, Luo Wangshu and Mo Fang were both chased off to the side to wait.
One square table, four bowls, and three people sat there staring eagerly at Mo Li by the stove.
Luo Wangshu was purely looking forward to the fish.
It had been a very long time since he’d eaten fish. Even pork was rare for him nowadays.
The last wild boar meat had been made into cured meat, while the bones were actually thrown away. The innards were also discarded.
He nearly coughed up blood from anger, alright?
Who wasted ingredients like that?!
“Miaomiao, have you eaten food your uncle cooked before? Is it edible?”
As long as it was edible, he dared to eat it. After all, no matter how bad someone’s cooking was, it couldn’t possibly reach his own disastrous level.
Li Miaomiao looked shocked.
“Auntie, Uncle’s cooking is the best food Miaomiao has ever eaten!”
Really?
Luo Wangshu still found it hard to believe, but considering how readily the restaurant owner had agreed to hire Mo Li again, maybe it wasn’t that unbelievable after all.
Resting his chin in his hands while watching Mo Li’s skillful movements, Luo Wangshu thought that there probably wasn’t anything Mo Li couldn’t do.
Mo Fang snorted and glanced at Luo Wangshu.
“Other than waiting to eat, what else can you do?”
Luo Wangshu immediately fired back without backing down.
“Aren’t you also just sitting here waiting to eat?”
Mo Fang: “…You brat! Do you even know what respecting the elderly means?”
Dodging the pipe in Mo Fang’s hand, Luo Wangshu made a face at him.
“Then why don’t you love the young?”
Li Miaomiao lay quietly on the table waiting to be fed.
Let Auntie and Great-Grandpa keep arguing. Once the fish was served, she’d eat first.
Hehe~
Mo Li focused on cooking.
Thin curls of smoke drifted upward while the aroma of food gradually spread through the air.
A passerby carrying a hoe stopped at the doorway and poked his head inside.
“A’Li, what delicious thing are you making?”
“Nothing much. Just cooking some fish,” Mo Li casually replied.
The man praised him a few more times, but seeing no one invite him in, he left awkwardly.
Only after smelling the fragrance did Luo Wangshu truly believe Li Miaomiao’s words.
It really smelled amazing.
The greedy little beast in his stomach was practically impossible to suppress.
One fish was braised in soy sauce, one was cooked with chopped chili peppers, and several small fish were boiled into a rich soup. The milky white broth looked incredibly appetizing.
Along with a plate of bitter cooling greens, dinner was complete.
Eating fragrant rice and tasting the fish, Luo Wangshu felt happier than ever before.
Back then, he never would’ve believed a single meal could make him feel this happy.
Now, he seemed to become satisfied more and more easily.
He didn’t know whether that was fortunate or unfortunate.
Since he’d eaten too much at dinner, Luo Wangshu followed Mo Li to take Li Miaomiao home so he could walk off the meal.
The early winter night sky no longer sparkled with countless stars, and even the fireflies were few and far between.
Only the occasional chirping of frogs and insects by the fields could be heard.
The road wasn’t far. After turning a few corners, they arrived at Li Hu’s house.
Mo Li knocked on the door.
No one answered.
Luo Wangshu and Mo Li exchanged glances.
At this hour, Li Hu still wasn’t back?
That shouldn’t be possible.
“Let’s go ask at Li An’s house,” Mo Li said gravely after a moment of silence.
“Mm.”
At night, people didn’t want to waste lamp oil, so usually after dinner they’d wash up and go to sleep.
During the scorching summer, people would bring small stools outside to enjoy the cool air.
But in the early winter evenings, after a long exhausting day, everyone naturally slept early.
Mo Li knocked on the door while Luo Wangshu stood nearby holding the sleeping Li Miaomiao.
“Who is it?” Li An opened the door with a yawn.
Mo Li replied calmly, “Sorry to bother you. I wanted to ask about Brother Li Hu. Do you know why he hasn’t come back today?”
Seeing that it was Mo Li, Li An’s sleepiness disappeared by more than half.
Hearing the question about Li Hu, he sighed.
“The foreman said he secretly hid some goods. The owner wanted to interrogate him, so they took him away this morning.”
“Hiding goods?”
Mo Li’s brows immediately knitted together.
Given Li Hu’s personality, that was completely impossible.
Li An shook his head.
“With so many goods around, who knows? Those wealthy families… how could people like us understand what they’re thinking? You might accidentally offend them without even realizing it.”
“Oh? May I ask who the owner is?”
Li An thought for a moment before replying, “The Mu family. Their master was a retired Minister a few years ago. Who would dare offend them? Brother Hu’s really unlucky this time. He apparently offended their Third Young Master.”
“The Mu family…”
Mo Li’s frown deepened.
“Mm. Understood. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Ah, but let me advise you not to meddle in this matter either. They’re not people we can afford to offend.”
After warning him a few more times, Li An closed the door and went back inside.
Luo Wangshu gently patted Li Miaomiao’s back.
“The Mu family? That young master from earlier today?”
Mo Li nodded.
“Let’s go back first. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
Mo Li took the sleeping Li Miaomiao from Luo Wangshu’s arms, and the two silently walked home.
Meanwhile, over at the Mu residence, Li Hu sat before a table full of dishes with absolutely no appetite.
His mood was terrible.
But he didn’t dare smash anything.
That Third Young Master had just said that if he broke one thing, he’d have to pay for it.
Thinking about his savings, Li Hu obediently calmed down.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Mu Bai walked in while lazily fanning himself with his peach blossom fan.
Seeing that none of the dishes on the table had been touched, he frowned slightly.
Li Hu replied darkly, “I’m just a rough laborer. I can’t stomach such expensive food. Thank you for Third Young Master’s kindness.”
Mu Bai sneered.
“If you don’t want to eat, then don’t eat. Let’s see how long you can hold out.”
“Third Young Master went through the trouble of falsely accusing me of theft just to bring me here. Was it really only to feed me?”
Li Hu had thought about it for a long time but still couldn’t figure out what this young master wanted.
Mu Bai impatiently waved his fan.
“If I tell you to eat, then eat. Why so much nonsense?”
“If Third Young Master doesn’t explain things clearly, then I won’t eat this meal.”
The two remained deadlocked.
Mu Bai snorted.
“I heard you’re from Li Family Village?”
“Mm.”
“Then do you know Mo Li and that wife he bought?”
At the second half of the sentence, Li Hu frowned and his tone turned colder.
“If Third Young Master has something to say, then say it directly.”
Mu Bai curled his lips and rolled his eyes before finally revealing his intentions along with what he considered very tempting conditions.
“If you can think of a way to bring his wife over to have a meal with this young master, then I’ll forget everything that happened. I’ll even give you twenty taels of silver. How about it?”
Li Hu’s expression twisted strangely.
After a long moment, he finally said:
“Third Young Master… are you possessed?”
Mu Bai immediately exploded in anger and slapped him across the face.
A red handprint quickly appeared on Li Hu’s rugged face.
“You’re the one whose brain is sick!”
Even after being slapped, Li Hu didn’t get angry.
His dark eyes looked directly at Mu Bai.
“I’m powerless to help with this matter. Third Young Master should choose someone else. I still have a young daughter at home, so please release me.”
Mu Bai rubbed his slightly numb hand.
That slap had left his entire palm red.
Still, Li Hu’s calm attitude left him somewhat at a loss.
Hearing that Li Hu had a young daughter at home, Mu Bai waved his hand dismissively.
“Doesn’t your wife still exist? Relax. As long as you help this young master do things, I won’t mistreat you.”
Li Hu pressed his lips together tightly.
After a moment of silence, he said, “There is only my young daughter at home. The weather is getting colder. Wolves may appear at night.”
Mu Bai frowned unhappily after hearing that.
Li Hu, however, nearly laughed.
A sly glint flashed through his eyes.
Sure enough, just as he expected, after thinking for a long while, Mu Bai finally scratched his head irritably and ordered someone to untie Li Hu.
He even tossed him a silver ingot before saying arrogantly:
“Useless trash. Get lost!”
“Thank you, Third Young Master.”
Li Hu calmly pocketed the silver and walked out of the Mu residence openly and confidently.
Mu Bai angrily kicked over a small stool.
Seeing this, the servant boy hurried over to comfort him.
“Third Young Master, don’t be angry. In my opinion, you shouldn’t have let him go just now—”
Mu Bai impatiently brushed the servant aside.
“But we can’t just let his daughter get carried off by wolves, can we?”
“Ah, but who knows if what he said was true or false? If Young Master acts like this, then tomorrow’s bet is definitely lost.”
Mu Bai snorted.
“I doubt he’d dare lie to this young master. At worst, I’ll visit Li Family Village next time. I have to go collect rent there anyway.”
“As for tomorrow’s bet…”
After thinking for a moment, he casually flicked his sleeve.
“If I lose, then I lose. Am I the kind of person who can’t accept defeat?”
The servant didn’t dare say anything more.
His eyes, however, kept darting around thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Luo Wangshu and Mo Li were discussing how to go to the Mu residence tomorrow to demand Li Hu’s release.
Li Miaomiao slept soundly on the bed.
If she woke up tomorrow and couldn’t find Li Hu, she definitely wouldn’t quietly accept it.
Knock knock!
The sound of knocking suddenly echoed through the quiet night.
Luo Wangshu gave Mo Li a look.
Mo Li stood and went to open the door.
Standing outside was actually Li Hu.
“A’Li.”
Li Hu smiled apologetically.
“Sorry for knocking so late. I—”
The tension in Mo Li’s body immediately relaxed.
“Don’t say anything yet. Come inside first.”
“Alright.”
When Luo Wangshu saw Li Hu in the main hall, he was also shocked.
He absolutely didn’t believe that the pampered Third Young Master Mu would let someone go so easily.
Li Hu recounted the entire situation.
“A’Li, how exactly did you two offend Third Young Master Mu?”
Mo Li looked equally helpless.
“I don’t know either.”
From the way Mu Bai acted, Luo Wangshu didn’t think the man was interested in him romantically.
He was completely different from those people in TV dramas who kidnapped others for lust.
Still, Luo Wangshu had no idea why the man insisted on bothering them.
“In any case, be careful. In a few days, he’ll come collect rent again. When that time comes, let Uncle Mo hand over the rent. You two should hide for a while.”
After reminding them a few times, Li Hu carried the sleeping Li Miaomiao home.
Luo Wangshu sighed emotionally.
“Actually, that Third Young Master Mu isn’t really bad. He even gave Brother Hu silver. If he comes again, we’ll just pretend to be pitiful. We’ll tell him the saddest story possible. He probably won’t have the heart to keep making things difficult.”
Mo Li felt a headache coming on from Luo Wangshu’s nonstop muttering, so he directly leaned over and kissed him.
It was undeniably effective.
The endlessly chattering person instantly quieted down.
“It’s late. I still have to go early to the restaurant tomorrow. Honorable Wife, can we sleep now?”
Blushing bright red, Luo Wangshu shrank into the blanket and quickly shut his eyes.
“Sleep! Sleep!”
Mo Li couldn’t help laughing softly as he hugged him tighter.
Just a little longer…
They slept peacefully through the night.
The next morning, worried that something might happen to Luo Wangshu if he stayed home alone, Mo Li repeatedly reminded and warned him before finally leaving.
Li Miaomiao was once again brought over by Li Hu.
A brand new day began.
Behind Mo Fang’s back, Luo Wangshu dug out the vegetable seeds.
Once Mo Fang left, he brought Li Miaomiao into the space to start farming.
Reclaiming wasteland took time, but the tools were already there.
All he needed to do was eat until he was full before going in.