Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 148 - 144 Probe for 630 extra - s with a monthly ticket

Chapter 148: 144 Probe for 630 extra Chapters with a monthly ticket

Li Xianglu and the others at their table had leftover meat and vegetables, which Li Xianglu had the waiter pack up. Since the grandpas had been drinking and hadn’t touched the dishes, she planned to take them home to reheat and make some rice porridge.

Xu Xi stood outside the door, looking at the courtyard. There was a well and a stone mill within it, a very old three-section residence. He couldn’t help but marvel at the Li family’s grandpa and grandson’s taste once again.

Mr. Li was helped inside to lie down, and Qin Xi hurried to settle her younger brother into bed as well.

Now, the only three sober people left were Qin Zhen, Li Xianglu, and Xu Xi.

But the two who had lain down were restless, clamoring now for water, now because it was too hot.

Qin Xi asked Li Xianglu to keep Xu Xi company with a chat, while she herself ran back and forth tending to the two.

Li Xianglu took out the Longjing tea that grandpa had gotten from somewhere the day before and brewed some for Xu Xi to offer him.

Xu Xi hadn’t expected to be served tea, especially not in a lidded bowl. He smiled as he took it, stirred it, and took a sip. Not bad—the tea was a clear green color. Although the tea leaves were ordinary, the temperature of the water used for brewing was well-controlled, probably over eighty degrees Celsius. Longjing is delicate, if the water temperature is slightly higher the leaves are scalded, the color of the tea turns yellow, and the taste is somewhat off.

After sipping the tea twice, Xu Xi turned to Li Xianglu, who had just finished tidying up, and said, "I heard you were over-adopted to Mr. Li from within the clan?"

Li Xianglu nodded and didn’t hide it, "Yes, I came from another branch, and I used to call grandpa ’Uncle Grandpa.’"

Seeing this, Xu Xi appeared very interested and asked, "Why were you over-adopted at that time? Were your parents willing?"

Li Xianglu briefly recounted the events of that time, her tone as if she were talking about someone else. Xu Xi nodded along, becoming somewhat curious about Mr. Li’s granddaughter.

Chinese people value family bloodlines very much, so the topic of over-adoption is a sensitive one, not usually considered a good thing.

This young lady seemed quite interesting; she never appeared to feel that being over-adopted or abandoned by her parents was something embarrassing.

His initial forthright question wasn’t out of ignorance regarding the matter; on his trip to Mr. Li’s ancestral home, he had thoroughly investigated the relationship between Mr. Li and his granddaughter regarding the over-adoption. His abrupt inquiry was a probe; he wanted to see her attitude.

It seems Miss Su is quite an astute woman, to have guessed that Mr. Li’s granddaughter is someone out of the ordinary.

Li Xianglu smiled lightly, refilled the water, and though she wasn’t a fool, she understood that Xu Xi simply wanted to see if she would get angry over this matter. She wasn’t the real Li Xianglu; for her, Li Erfu’s family no longer held much sentiment. Initially, she felt that since she had taken over this body, she should try to help this family, to fulfill filial duties on behalf of the original person. However, after being repeatedly harmed by Ge Sanmei or Li Erfu’s family, she let go. Not taking revenge on Ge Sanmei was already a concession. As for the future, if no one offends me, I do not offend; but if I am offended, I will ensure to crush them, never giving them a chance to turn things around.

"When do you plan to take my grandpa to Hong Kong?" Li Xianglu asked in English, quite indifferently.

Xu Xi smiled, raised an interested eyebrow, and replied in English, "This matter is not yet ripe for action."

Li Xianglu’s expression remained indifferent, "Then I hope that grandpa can happily go and happily return!"

Xu Xi’s smile grew, and he nodded like a gentleman, saying, "Actually, there are some matters that Ms. Li shouldn’t inquire into."

Li Xianglu replied in English, "Mr. Xu might be overestimating the situation in China. An American Chinese is not omnipotent; the label of colluding with spies is hard to shake off."

Xu Xi’s eyes widened, then he suddenly laughed, "Ms. Li is threatening me, it seems."

Li Xianglu gave a cold laugh and gracefully stood up: "As one in a certain position, one must seek to fulfill their duties. Don’t let emotions dictate your actions, for misinterpreting the emperor’s will could lead to trouble."

Li Xianglu slightly bowed: "Excuse me, I need to leave for a moment."

Saying this, she departed like a proud peacock.

Xu Xi touched his nose which was covered in a cold sweat and shook his head. Why did he feel like he was facing Miss Su? Are all the local ladies here so moody? A disagreement and they’re ready to kill you?

Not long after, Xu Xi also took his leave, making it clear he would visit again in a few days. Qin Xi personally escorted the guest out, while Li Xianglu returned to her room to sort out the gifts.

When Qin Xi returned, he saw Li Xianglu gazing blankly at a pile of presents.

He walked over with a smile, sat on the chair beside the bed, stretched out a big hand, and gently draped it over her shoulder, asking, "What’s wrong?"

Li Xianglu looked at Qin Xi, seeing that he sat on the chair instead of the bed, she knew that he, like herself, would not sit on the bed with pants worn outside. Without a word, she first took out trousers and a fleece from the cabinet under the bed and said, "You should change into these first. They’re more comfortable for wearing at home."

Qin Xi took them, and his eyes deepened. He liked that she said "home" and that she referred to them as a family.

He changed next door, then returned, placing his clothes next to Li Xianglu’s cabinet, and like her, took off his shoes to sit cross-legged on the bed to look at the gifts.

Li Xianglu began to report.

"These are from Grandpa Pang’s family—two pieces of woolen fabric, one black and one blue. Each piece is over two meters four. I plan to use the blue to make trousers for our dad and Qin Zhen, what do you think?" Li Xianglu’s deer-like eyes lifted, holding a piece of blue woolen fabric, she asked for his opinion.

Qin Xi’s eyes fixated on her without blinking. Seeing her confusedly arching an eyebrow, his hand reached out, leaning his upper body forward, cupping her cheeks with both hands, he ’pop’ kissed her plump little lips: "Good, I’ll listen to my wife!"

Li Xianglu’s face reddened, she pouted her small mouth and muttered, "I’m discussing serious matters here."

Qin Xi indulgently responded: "Alright, keep talking, I’m all ears."

Li Xianglu was displeased: "What do you mean? You haven’t even heard what I said yet!"

Qin Xi, somewhat helpless, lifted his long legs slightly to crawl next to her, squeezed in beside her and wrapped his arm around her petite shoulders, saying: "Then speak, I’m listening."

Li Xianglu felt a bit uncomfortable, shifting her shoulders, but Qin Xi’s hand seemed fixed there, impossible to shake off. Resigning herself, she then found a comfortable position to lean into Qin Xi’s shoulder and softly began to speak about what was received today and her plan to return gifts to each family, otherwise it would be too extravagant.

Qin Xi slightly lowered his head to watch the little girl in his arms, babbling away, and with his face close to her head, he chuckled and said, "For returning gifts, Foreign Exchange Vouchers should suffice. Our family has a lot of them, right? They expire within a year, and apart from buying some major items, we can’t use them all up. I’m also planning to sell some. How about we give 200 yuan worth of Foreign Exchange Vouchers to each family as a return gift?"

Li Xianglu hadn’t thought of that and, blinking her eyes, smiled: "That would save quite a bit of money!"

Well, she is still money-obsessed!

ps: I originally planned to publish this before midnight, but checking for typos delayed me by two minutes. There’s one more Chapter, everyone go to sleep, and read it in the morning.