Chapter 6: Dealing with Auntie Wang

Li Luo shouted loudly toward the door twice. Wang Xiumei turned around nervously, looking around in all directions.

Only after confirming that no one was there did she realize the woman in front of her was playing her.

Li Luo looked helpless. "Auntie Wang, actually, I quite admire you. Calculating the time, Da Mao and Xiao Mao should be finishing school soon. Since your cooking isn't great, don't bother working yourself; just go home if you need to go home."

Wang Xiumei grit her teeth, but she found herself unable to refute Li Luo's words. Looking at the way Li Luo was picking through things, she didn't seem like someone who knew how to cook.

She was leaving right now!

When Xiao Ling came back tonight and couldn't find food, she would come to her and complain bitterly that she had been driven away. If they wanted her to come back to work, they would have to give her a raise.

After all, the thirty yuan a month they had agreed upon originally was for looking after the children; now that there was an extra person, it wouldn't be unreasonable to demand a raise.

With this thought, Wang Xiumei's frown smoothed out. "Fine, since you're driving me away, I have nothing to say. This new mistress is certainly something—she won't rest until she's driven everyone out!"

Li Luo smiled and waved at her.

Seeing this smile only made Wang Xiumei angrier. She left the Ling house in a huff, sulking all the way. That was their family's food supply for an entire week!

How much effort had she spent saving it, only for this wild girl to find out!

If Ling Zhuoqun didn't give her a raise this time, she absolutely would not go back.

As she walked, she ran into Da Mao and Xiao Mao coming home from school and intercepted them.

The two children's eyes were filled with vigilance. In broad daylight, was Wang Xiumei actually going to hit them?

Seeing the brothers' guardedness toward her, Wang Xiumei slapped her thigh and said anxiously, "Oh dear! Da Mao, Xiao Mao, Grandma Wang is only doing this for your own good. I've snuck out to give you a warning."

"Your father has found you another stepmother. Right now, in your house, they are searching everywhere for things and even bullying an old woman like me. They've kicked me out of the house, and your sister is still in there. You two should hurry home and see for yourselves."

Wang Xiumei acted pitiful, even letting out a sob.

Da Mao immediately pulled Xiao Mao back a step. "Grandma Wang, you should go home first. I'll take my brother home to check."

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Wang Xiumei stopped acting and hurriedly urged the brothers to hurry back. If they happened to catch Li Luo in her "greedy" state, she wouldn't even have to dirty her own hands to drive her out.

Da Mao was worried about his sister and ran as fast as he could.

He was uneasy all along the way. It hadn't been that long, and his father had already brought another woman home. Was the previous lesson not enough?

All these women were only after their family's money; they didn't truly care for them. He had seen through it long ago.

Although Grandma Wang wasn't a good person either, she at least knew how to put on an act when Father was around and wouldn't harm their lives, unlike that woman...

Xiao Mao struggled behind him, his crossbody bag swinging wildly, nearly tripping him up.

"Brother, why are you walking so fast? Wait for me!"

Da Mao's brow was furrowed, and his long legs ran even faster. "Didn't you hear what Grandma Wang just said? Dad found us another stepmother. Right now, only the stepmother and Yaya are at home. What if the stepmother hurts Yaya at a time like this? Just follow slowly; I'm going home first."

Xiao Mao also realized the gravity of the situation, but his legs were too short. By the time he managed to run home, his older brother was already standing in the house, confronting the stepmother.

Li Luo was completely bewildered. She was busy chopping meat filling and occasionally teasing Yaya, when suddenly a child burst in shouting, "Let go of my sister!"

But seeing Li Luo wearing an apron with a knife in her hand while Yaya was still smiling, Da Mao was instantly stunned.

"What... what do you want to do? Put the knife down first."

Da Mao hurriedly pulled Yaya behind him, fearing that Li Luo would grab her to use as a hostage.

Not understanding what was happening, Li Luo put the knife down and even untied her apron, greeting Da Mao with a smile. "Are you Da Mao or Xiao Mao? Are you out of school? I was just chopping meat, getting ready to cook for you all."

"Bad woman! Don't act all hypocritical here!"

Da Mao's eyes were full of suspicion. The woman in front of him looked kind and approachable, but who knew what she was thinking in her heart?

Grandma Wang had once said that the prettier a woman is, the more vicious her heart. He couldn't be fooled by her appearance.

Looking at the hostility Da Mao showed her, Li Luo was speechless. Did she look that terrifying?

No wonder TV dramas always portrayed how difficult stepmothers were; seeing this scene, Li Luo finally understood why.

Yaya struggled out and spoke in a milky voice, "Brother, the big sister is good!"

"You don't need to speak well of her. Don't be afraid, Brother is here," Da Mao said, but then he thought of something. "I ran into Grandma Wang on the road just now. Why did you drive her away? Tell me!"

Li Luo couldn't help but laugh out loud. So Wang Xiumei would go around spreading rumors behind her back!

However, this little brat certainly had a big temper.

He would definitely be someone to watch in the future.

"I asked her to go back. How can you call it driving her away?"

"We don't believe you! And don't even think about bullying my sister! If you have a problem, come at me!" Ling Xiaoguang mustered his courage and moved cautiously. That woman had a knife in her hand; he had to be careful.

Seeing how wary Ling Xiaoguang was of her, Li Luo realized she was still holding the knife. To show she had no ill intent, she placed the knife on the cutting board.

Taking advantage of this gap, Ling Xiaoguang grabbed his sister and tried to run outside.

Being pulled by Ling Xiaoguang, Yaya's small arm turned red instantly, and she began to cry even harder.

For a moment, Ling Xiaoguang was at a loss. He hadn't expected that while the woman hadn't made his sister cry, he had ended up making her cry even louder.

As if performing a magic trick, Li Luo produced a piece of candy from her hand and popped it into Yaya's mouth. Once her attention was diverted, Yaya stopped crying immediately.

It was actually... a milk candy?

These things were something neither Father Ling nor Grandma Wang would ever buy for them. Was this woman actually kind enough to give Yaya candy? It must be to win her over temporarily.

After all, Yaya was only two years old, an age where one could easily be coaxed away with a piece of candy. But he was not; he was already seven! He was in first grade; he couldn't be easily manipulated.

At this thought, Ling Xiaoguang's heart filled with anger. Anyone who dared to use Yaya was no good!

Ling Xiaoguang shielded Yaya behind him and threw the milk candy hard at Li Luo. "Bad woman! You're just like those other bad women, coming here to break up our family!"

Li Luo was bewildered. Why did this child come in with such a high level of hostility?

That's right—she had transmigrated into a book, and she had just met both the female lead and the villain.

Lin Ge was the female lead of this era, while Ling Xiaoguang was the villain of this era, a boy who hated all women in the world, though the reason was left vague.

However, seeing such a young child filled with hatred was not a good omen.

Ultimately, Li Luo couldn't argue with such a small child. She leaned down, placed her hand on Ling Xiaoguang's shoulder, and explained to him with a sincere gaze, "Whether you believe me or not, I am not what you imagine me to be."

"Liar! The prettier the woman, the more she disguises herself!" Ling Xiaoguang took a wary step back, his gaze still fierce.

"Pfft..." Was that a roundabout way of complimenting her beauty? She accepted it, but where did Auntie Wang learn lines from Jin Yong's novels?

Is being beautiful a crime? But now wasn't the time to argue with a child.

"Since you're back, help me watch your sister. I'll cook first, and we'll eat once everyone is here."

With that, she turned and walked back toward the kitchen.

The wheat flour in the Ling house was finely processed, and since there was pork and cabbage in the house, making pork and cabbage dumplings would be quite good.

She got straight to work! Li Luo rolled up her sleeves and kneaded the dough in a few quick motions. The flour was gone, the bowl was empty, and her hands were clean. She covered it with a damp cloth to let the dough rest.

Next, she continued chopping the pork and cabbage. The pork was three parts fat and seven parts lean, chopped into mince. The cabbage was blanched and then the water was squeezed out completely. She mixed them together with salt, thirteen-spice powder, and added a bit of toasted sesame oil.

Once the sesame oil was added, the entire kitchen was filled with a fragrant aroma.

"Big Brother! Where is that bad woman?" Ling Xiaolei finally ran back home panting. As soon as he entered, he saw his older brother shielding Yaya, his gaze directed toward the kitchen, appearing somewhat distracted.

"It smells so good! What did Grandma Wang make today? There was never this kind of smell before." After a moment of daze, Ling Xiaolei's attention was captured by the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

"It wasn't Auntie Wang, it was that woman." Ling Xiaoguang sat on the sofa holding Yaya's hand, his back still tense.

"Yaya, did that woman bully you while we weren't home?"

Yaya looked at Ling Xiaoguang blankly. Ling Xiaoguang sighed and pointed toward the kitchen. "Did that woman hit you?"

Yaya shook her head, then pointed to the milk candy on the table and smiled at Ling Xiaoguang.

Then she pointed to the stir-fried vegetables and rice porridge on the dining table, babbling incoherently.

Ling Xiaolei ran to the dining table and leaned in to sniff the food, looking quite unfazed. "I knew it! This is Grandma Wang's cooking style. One sniff of this smell and you know it's right!"

"Brother... I'm a little scared. That woman won't put poison in our food again, will she?" Remembering what had happened before, Ling Xiaolei was still shaken.

He didn't dare trust any woman who tried to get close to them, but the food in this kitchen seemed to smell really good... he was so hungry, his appetite was being teased.

Ling Xiaolei stealthily crept toward the kitchen door and poked his head in. He just happened to catch Li Luo placing the dough on the cutting board. Li Luo grabbed a handful of flour and sprinkled it onto the board to prevent the dough from sticking.

"Ah!" Just as Ling Xiaolei was about to cry out, he suddenly remembered his brother's warning and immediately covered his mouth.

But Li Luo still heard the noise and turned her head to look at Ling Xiaolei.

This little boy was slightly smaller than the one before, so this must be... Er Mao?