CHAPTER 205: BUNS
Li Man stood on the side and watched him carefully wiping the door panel when she suddenly laughed, “I don’t know if anyone would still want this door plank, but what if someone come and ask you to return it?”
Li Mo let out a deep laugh two times but chose to not say anything. After the door panel was rubbed until it was clean, he looked around to find a suitable place to put it down.
“Big Brother, what are you gonna do with this broken thing?” Li Shu said as he walked out of the kitchen while wiping some crumbs from the corner of his mouth.
Li Mo couldn’t care less about him because he couldn’t find anywhere to put the panel in the courtyard when finally, he decided on Li Man’s room as the most suitable place, “Man Er, let’s put this inside your room.”
“Ah?” Li Man couldn’t think of any good place in her room to put the panel down.
However, Li Mo already brought the panel to the West Room. When he’s inside, he looked around then finally decided to place it upward in the corner of the kang bed.
“You can’t do that.” Li Man objected for the first time, I have to look at it every day if he put it this way, right?
Li Mo smiled slightly, “There’s no other place, this one is the most suitable.”
Li Man glared at him, “Why don’t you just put it inside your room then?”
“My room is fully packed with people.” Li Mo casually answered.
Li Man carefully squinted at him, “Are you sure you don’t have any other meaning?” Isn’t he just using this plank to prompt out another point?
Li Mo’s eyes dodged her scrutinizing sight but he didn’t deny it. He looked at Li Shu busying himself with something in the courtyard, then he turned and whispered to Li Man, “You know that there are still Second Brother and others in the family, and they will soon, with you… I…”
“Don’t you dare say anymore.” Li Man suddenly felt a little discouraged and seemed to be somewhat angry, “You’re more anxious than they are, is it that you can’t wait for me to round the room with all of them?”
“No.” Li Mo was feeling vexed that he had to mention this topic again, “Man Er, don’t be angry anymore, I, I just can’t bear it. I really fear that you will forget about me when the time comes.”
“Then you should tell them that I’m yours alone,” Li Man unconsciously let out this sentence that made even her surprised. But she didn’t regret it, she can’t bear so much problem alone, not just physically, but her heart also felt so much pressure.
Isn’t in ancient times the ‘one husband three wives and four concubines’ the norm thing?
“Man Er.” Li Mo was speechless. He couldn’t even think about Li Man being his alone. Before his mother passed away, she made the five brothers to swear that they would only marry one wife. That’s why, not only him, but his younger brothers all have had such a mind since childhood and never thought about dividing their family apart.
Seeing the look in his face, Li Man’s heart was filled with a sense of loss. She always thought that true love should be selfish, selfishly want that love to be theirs only, but he still thought of giving her to the other brothers.
“I understand, I don’t want to make it difficult for you, just wait until I get better and I will round the room with Second, Third and Fourth Brother. Ah, is Little Five counted too? He’s still that young.”
“Man Er, are you angry at me?” Li Mo saw her clearly wanted to cry, so she deliberately said such an irritating word. He couldn’t help feeling hurt, he stretched out his hand wanting to pat her and console her for a bit, but his hand was forcefully shaken off by her instead.
“I don’t need you to care.” When her voice fell, her tears also followed and dripped down her face. She thought about how Li Yan bullied her this noon, and now Li Mo also acted like this, she felt really wronged.
“Man Er, wife…” Li Mo paced up and down in a state of agitation. He had never closely saw her tears falling down like this, he also couldn’t coax a girl, so he panickily caught her hands in his and hoisted her up in an embrace, “How about, you just hit me? I’m wrong, I should be beaten.”
“You really should be hit.” Li Man really beat his chest a few times in her anger, but when she wanted to stop, Li Mo’s big palm held her small ones and glued them on his chest, “Man Er, I know that we brothers always make you feel difficult, but I dare to pledge that we all will be good to you, give you the best that we can, for all our lives. Please don’t be afraid.”
He said this kind of word, but it looked like that he was the one who’s afraid himself. However, how can he not be afraid?
When you meet someone who you truly love, it’s a good fortune and happiness. But when you meet five of them, the ending will be uncertain.
Don’t talk about anything else, but just thinking from the woman’s point of view, she already can’t cope with Li Mo alone yesterday, and he still wasn’t satisfied after eating her twice in a row, what if it was added with some few more men? Won’t she be tortured to death?
Although this question was really embarrassing to talk about, but it was still the most concrete and pressing problem at the moment.
She didn’t know if Li Yan indeed wanted to round the room with her at noon or not, but this matter already enough to make her stifled.
“Don’t be afraid, we brothers know exactly how things stand, your body and health is the most important thing.” Li Mo gently pinched her palm in an attempt to comfort her.
“What’s wrong? Is wife sick?” Li Shu only heard the last part of the sentence and thought that there’s something wrong with Li Man, so he quickly came inside the room.
“Nothing.” Li Mo answered, “Third Brother, have you moved the wild garlic inside?”
“Already moved.” Li Shu looked at Li Man with suspicion, “Wife, are you really not feeling sick? How come your eyes a bit red? Did you not sleep well?”
“Nothing.” although she already rubbed the tears away, but her voice still carried a bit of nasal sound.
Li Shu immediately heard that her voice wasn’t right, so he pushed Li Mo away and carefully took a look at Li Man, “Wife, did you cry? Who bullied you?”
His sight instinctively fell on Li Mo, because Li Man was still alright when he just came back, and then she became like this after staying with Li Mo for a while.
Li Mo’s face revealed a look of shame, because he truly felt that he owed Li Man a lot.
“Big Brother, how can you make wife cry?” Li Shu’s face fell. He thought that his wife is really too cute, whoever bullies her should just go die, but this was his big brother, so he felt irritated.
Looking at Li Shu’s expression like he really wanted to beat Li Mo, Li Man hurriedly pulled him, “No, its not like that. It was because the dust flew into my eyes.”
“Still lying.” Li Shu can’t help but pamper her, “Every time you cry, you always say that its because of the dust, is it because the dust like your eyes too much that they always run to your eyes whenever you see them?”
Li Man felt a little bit embarrassed by what he said, “It isn’t like that. The dust flew when Big Brother put down that plank.”
This explanation convinced Li Shu, and he twisted his face while saying to Li Mo, “Big Brother, you see, you brought such a useless and broken thing and even irritated wife’s eyes. Wife, come here and let me see your eyes, some licking would surely cure them.”
As he said this, he reached out and held Li Man’s shoulder. He then bowed his head down and stretched out his soft tongue, wanting to lick her eyes.
Li Man screamed in shock, she pushed him and ran away.
Li Shu sat on the floor with his arms holding his waist and laughing loudly until his face went red.
Li Man ran until she reached the door, then she turned her head and glared furiously at Li Shu. The men in this house—hateful!
Li Mo was also helpless looking at them like this, but he still wanted to give Li Man some assurance, “Third Brother, don’t mess around.”
“I’m only teasing her for fun.” Li Shu still couldn’t hold his laughter while looking at Li Man, “Wife, you have this kind of (small) courage, but Second Brother still said that its big.”
Li Man also understood that she was too nervous, and unconsciously let out a laugh too. Actually, Li Shu really didn’t have any bad intention, he’s just like a big kid who loved to tease people.
“Wife, are you still unhappy?” Looking at her finally laughing, Li Shu strode to her leisurely with his long legs.
Li Man was puzzled, “I’m not unhappy.”
“Tsk.” Li Shu looked at her with a contemptuous look, “Don’t lie to me, you think that I’m like Big Brother that I still can’t see anything.” Saying this, he bent down to lean near her as he whispered, “Tell me honestly what the hell’s going on. Did Big Brother really bully you? Just look at your face, it looks like a bitter gourd right now, and you still dare lied to me and said that it was because of dust?”
Li Man looked at him suspiciously while feeling amused looking at his attentive look like it was looking for a new hot gossip, “No way, its not like that. Big Brother wanted to put the panel there and I wasn’t happy about it. Furthermore, the dust also flew into my eyes, so… like this.”
Li Man’s heart settled down when she felt that she was cared by him.
“Big Brother, why did you put that broken thing in my wife’s room? What if she knocked on it when she gets up in the middle of the night? I’ll throw it away.” Saying this, he rubbed his palm, preparing to throw the plank out.
Li Man busily held him down, “Forget it, let it go, putting it there won’t block anything.”
“Really?” Li Shu squinted; his eyes full of amusement.
Li Man glanced at Li Mo unconsciously and nodded shyly, “Really, so let’s just put it there.”
Li Shu raised the edges of his lips and smiled while putting one hand on Li Man’s shoulder, saying with enthusiasm, “Wife, I met Little Five at the Village’s Gate. He said that he already can recite poems, you should teach me too, I want to read and write with you.”
“You want to learn too?” Did she really became the female husband of this family? However, its always good to be willing to learn so Li Man didn’t think much of it and nodded happily, “Well, as long as you have time.”
When Li Mo walked out and saw the atmosphere between Third Brother and their wife was good, he can’t help but feel sour at one side while happy on the other side.
Li Shu talked with Li Man enthusiastically, “That’s right, the meat that you and Big Brother bought yesterday had already been washed and hung on the pole, Big Brother said that you want to make some buns with it. Wife, I didn’t buy any food at the market today because I’m waiting for your buns ah.”
“Then what did you guys eat for lunch?” The food that could be said fulfilling while being cheap at the same time in the market was only buns.
“Second Brother made some flat cakes for breakfast in the morning, so I and Big Brother brought some of them with us.” Li Shu answered, “Its already quite late, wife, we should go and make the buns now.”
Those few flat cakes wouldn’t be enough to make them full, they should be hungry right then, so Li Man quickly agreed, “Alright.”
Li Shu went together with her to the kitchen while Li Mo was staring with a dumbfounded expression at the side. He then walked out to the courtyard to clean up the straws he used to scrub the plank.
Since Li Man liked being neat and tidy, the courtyard and rooms were cleaned up nicely every day. This gradually changed the habits of the brothers, and any garbage would be immediately disposed off.
After tidying them up, he was left with nothing to do, and so he decided to go inside the kitchen.
Li Shu took the meat and chopped it according to Li Man’s instructions when he saw Li Mo coming in, he asked curiously, “Big Brother, what are you doing here?”
“Me?” Li Mo didn’t answer Li Shu, and instead looked at Li Man, “Man Er, I’ll help you make the buns.”
“You can do it?” Li Man took out some pickled cabbage from a small earthen jar, while having some doubts hearing him saying it.
Sure enough, Li Mo’s face was slightly awkward but he still insisted, “I’ll help you wash the vegetables.”
Li Man paused for a bit, looking at his two big palms and thought, isn’t he afraid that he would rub the vegetables to oblivion?
Li Shu chopped the meat with a ridiculing smile on his face, “Big Brother, you better just wait to eat dinner. If you wash the vegetables, I won’t dare eat it. Can you even wash the vegetables right?”
Li Mo felt really embarrassed. He only ever did little to nothing over kitchen’s matter, even the fragrance of the rice he cooked can’t be compared to Little Five.
Li Man saw Li Shu teasing Li Mo and her heart couldn’t bear it, so she took a small basket and gave it to him, “Go to the backyard and pick some vegetables then. We’ll have lots of kinds of buns tonight, some meat and some vegetables.”
“En.” Li Mo nodded and cheerfully grabbed the basket to pick vegetables at the backyard.
Li Shu was stunned while squatting, murmuring as if saying to himself, “Wife, Big Brother seems a bit strange.”
“What?” Li Man paused and asked instinctively.
Li Shu looked at Li Man and smiled, “Big Brother rarely come inside the kitchen. He was most afraid of picking and washing vegetables before.”
“Oh.” Li Man’s face flushed red, the edges of her lips secretly lifted in a smile. She asked Li Shu while closing the lid of the pickle jar, “Is it enough with this many pickles?”
Li Shu also didn’t really understand about kitchen’s matter so he casually said, “I think its enough already? We can leave some for tomorrow.”
“En.” Li Man nodded, holding the pickles and went outside to the well to wash them. When she just washed it once, Li Mo put down the basket beside her, “Is this enough?”
Li Man was a little dumbfounded, “Did you just pick all the vegetables there?”
A full basket of vegetables, how much buns does he plan to make?
Li Mo felt a bit embarrassed, “Is it too much? I saw the vegetables there are getting too old if we don’t quickly eat them”
But it doesn’t mean that we should eat them all ah, Li Man grabbed the basket and took out two big handful of vegetables, then she gave the basket to Li Mo, “Just save the rest, we can eat them later.”
“Okay.” While Li Mo agreed he didn’t seem to want to leave, he instead squatted down, reaching out his hand inside the water and helped Li Man washed the pickles.
Li Man hurriedly said, “Your hands have mud, I already washed the pickles once already.”
“…” Li Mo’s face showed a tangled look, so he really couldn’t help with anything?
Looking at his innocent expression, Li Man couldn’t help but smile, “Why don’t you go and wash your hands first?”
Li Mo’s straight lips were slightly raised. He then took some water and rubbed his hands clean, then spread them for Li Man to see.
Li Man nodded her head with an ‘En’ sound, giving him the pickles to be washed.
The two people squatted at one place, washing the vegetables with tacit understanding. After washing the pickles several times, Li Mo then continued with pulling up more water to wash the fresh vegetables he just picked.
Li Shu waited for a long time but he still didn’t see Li Man coming back so he felt a bit restless. He put down the cleaver on the chopping block and went out only to see his Big Brother and wife squatting together while washing vegetables, his heart couldn’t help but feel sour all of a sudden. Leaning his hand on the door frame, he called out, “Wife, come here.”
“What is it?” Li Man turned her head and asked.
Li Shu raised one of his eyebrow and said, “Come here and look, has the meat been chopped nicely?”
“Oh, wait a minute, I’ll wash the vegetables first.” Li Man answered as she continued washing the vegetables.
Li Mo was a bit stunned by a hint of confrontation in Third Brother’s words, “Man Er, why don’t you go and take a look?”
“The veggies will be washed clean in just a minute.” When Li Man’s voice just fell, she was suddenly shocked by a blood-curdling scream from Li Shu, “AAA!” and then he screamed to her, “Wife, I cut my hand!”
Ha, how can it be? Li Man didn’t dare dilly-dallied and hurriedly ran to the kitchen while asking worriedly, “How can you cut your own hand? Let me take a look…”
Li Shu immediately came over and presented his left hand for Li Man to see.
Li Man blinked her eyes as she carefully looked at his hand. There was no blood, and there even no damaged skin at all so she can’t help but asked, “Where did you cut your hand?” her line of sight unconsciously fell on his wrist.
Li Shu extended his middle finger and showed her the rim of his nail, “See that? My nail got cut off, I almost cut my hand like this.”
Li Man paused and was suddenly covered in black lines, she asked with repressed anger, “Where’s the missing nail? It would spoil the meat if its mixed in.”
Li Shu busily answered, “I threw it out the window.”
Li Man squinted at him furiously, then she looked at the chopped meat, “It still need more chopping, I’m going to wash the vegetables.”
“Wife.” Li Shu hurriedly pulled her arm and begged, “Can you please accompany me for a bit longer? My hand won’t have any strength if you’re not here, I can’t even grab the cleaver.”
He still dares to act spoiled? Li Man looked in front and realized that her height could only measured up to his neck. She said coldly, “If you have no strength, I’ll let Big Brother come.”
Li Shu busily said, “Big Brother is doing a good job washing the veggies, why do you still want to call him over?” He pulled Li Man to sit on the stool, “Wife, why don’t you sit here and look at me chopping the meat? Alright?”
Not alright, Li Man’s heart said, but she’s afraid that he would play another wicked trick again so she could only stayed. As she can’t be idle, she then used a plate to scooped out some water, put it on the table, and started to knead the dough.”
Li Shu smiled looking at his wife while chopping the meat again. The cleaver moved quickly like it has wings, his movement became bigger.
Soon, Li Mo was done washing the vegetables and then he took them into the kitchen. Li Man was worried, so she secretly examined them, but it seemed that her worry wasn’t needed as he really washed them clean. He gave them to Li Shu to be chopped into tiny pieces.
When the stuffing was chopped nicely, the dough had also became soft. She then took a clean gauze, spread it on the table and wrapped it carefully.
The first to be stuffed was the meat, because other than her, the rest of the family all loved to eat meat, and it would be better if it was more fatty, so Li Man tightly wrapped their buns.
Li Mo and Li Shu didn’t have anything else to do, so they also sat down, wanting to help wrapping the buns, but after wrapping two buns, Li Man saw them crumbled and spilling out stuffing, it just couldn’t be eaten at all. But the two men insisted to do something with her, whatever she said was of no use, so she could only used the rolling pin to chase them away.
Without the two annoying bugs, Li Man wrapped up the buns skillfully and quickly.Fifteen meat buns, ten vegetable buns and another ten pickled vegetable buns was wrapped nicely in less than half an hour.
There were only a few of dough left, but there were still a lot of pickled and fresh vegetables leftover, so Li Man put them on clean bowls and left the bowls of vegetables inside the cupboard, so they could use them for tomorrow morning’s breakfast.
She couldn’t lit up the fire, so after she put the buns in the steamer, she called Li Mo to help her. The one who ran inside first was Li Shu, followed by Li Mo.
One look was all Li Man took to know that Li Mo fought with his little brother, but Li Mo didn’t want to give up. Because of his hesitation, he was left behind Li Shu.
Looking at Li Shu squatting under the stove with a radiant face while Li Mo blankly stood at the side with regret on his face, Li Man’s heart suddenly welled up with a strange feeling.
Perhaps, this kind of days isn’t bad at all. The men who love me could get into a fight in the future, but isn’t it still a fun-filled life?
Li Man thought, and the inside of her mind suddenly appeared some kind of enlightenment. She grabbed the dirty plates and filled Li Mo’s hands with them, “If you don’t have anything to do, then why don’t you go and wash these?”
“Yes.” Li Mo’s answer was really natural
The moment when he turned around, Li Man felt that they were like an old-couple, the edges of her mouth unconsciously lifted up into a gentle smile.
Li Shu waited until the fire burned vigorously, then he came over to look at his wife, “Wife, we should go to the market together tomorrow. Those wild vegetables will surely be spoiled if we just leave them inside like that.”
“En. Alright.” Li Man didn’t think too much and agreed. After all, if she go with Li Mo through that road again, she would be embarrassed to death.
Towards evening, Li Yan and Little Five came back home together.
Little Five played until all of his body dripping with sweat, so he immediately washed his face, and hurriedly came face to face with his brothers to bring back the sand plate. Today he played too much, he’s afraid that his brothers would blame him.
“Alright, what are you still pretending for at this time? Wash yourself up nicely and go eat some buns.” Li Shu looked at his appearance, and he hit Little Five on the head while laughing with amusement.
Little Five then looked at Big Brother and Second Brother.
Big Brother nodded, but Second Brother… his face was painted with a smile that wasn’t a smile, making him shivered and flustered.
Li Shu saw Li Yan standing under the eaves without moving, so he urged him, “Second Brother, you should also quickly wash your hands. Otherwise, wife won’t allow you to take any buns.”
Washing hands before eating also became a rule after Li Man came to this house.
“Really? If I wash then she would allow me to take?” Li Yan shrugged and asked without rhyme or reason. Without waiting for Li Shu’s answer, he walked to the well and washed his hands.
Li Man listened to him from the kitchen and couldn’t help but wrinkled her nose. This bad guy is really vengeful, he still remember what happened at noon. Alright, let’s see if he still want to eat dinner or not.