Chapter 35: Borrowing Grain

Inside the house.

Clothes were neatly arranged in the cabinet; smelly socks and dirty underwear were placed in an enamel basin.

Qin Huairu was bent over, tidying up the bedding.

She was wearing a blue floral print shirt today.

As she bent over to work, the hem of her shirt shifted up and down with her movements, revealing a patch of white skin at her waist.

Even more miraculously, no matter what she was busy with, her rounded buttocks were perfectly aligned with the doorway, allowing anyone outside to see everything clearly.

Li Aiguo somewhat suspected she had eyes in the back of her head.

However, this routine was truly old.

In this era of conservative social mores, a young woman showing a bit of skin was enough to make a young man's bones go soft and his heart race.

Unfortunately.

Li Aiguo's predecessor had been a luxury yacht pilot who had attended many "Sea and Sky Banquets"; he had already reached a state of being unimpressed by what was visible and unbothered by what was hidden.

How could he be easily seduced?

Hearing footsteps, Qin Huairu felt a surge of excitement. She stood up, brushed back her hair, and looked at Li Aiguo with a coquettish expression. "Living alone is so difficult without a woman in the house. Look at this room, it's a mess; there's nowhere even to step."

Li Aiguo stood at the doorway with his arms crossed. "Qin Huairu, there is no relationship between us anymore. Please leave now."

Qin Huairu shuddered at his words, her eyes instantly turning red. "I know about what happened before. I was wrong to you. As the saying goes, 'a day as husband and wife means a hundred days of kindness.' Can't you be a bit more magnanimous?"

Li Aiguo's expression remained calm. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I'm caring for you. Is it not okay for me to tidy up your room?" Qin Huairu said resentfully.

"Enough. You've already tidied the room. I thank you for your enthusiastic contribution as a neighbor. Now, you can leave."

This flat statement made Qin Huairu tremble.

If even this didn't work, was his heart made of stone?

In the past, every time she tidied his room, Li Aiguo would become impatient.

Like a rabbit entering and exiting a burrow, he would constantly rub against her from behind.

What was going on now?

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Huairu bit her lip and spoke up, "Li Aiguo, I heard you got several dozen catties of high-quality flour. Could you lend some to my family?"

Lend?

She actually had the face to ask for things?

Besides, when the Jia family borrowed things, they never returned them.

Everyone in the courtyard knew this; only a sucker like Shazhu would fall for it repeatedly.

Seeing Li Aiguo's stern face, Qin Huairu hurriedly explained, "I just gave birth to Banggeng, and my milk supply is a bit low. Banggeng is crying from hunger. I was thinking of getting some fine white flour to make some thin porridge to feed him."

Li Aiguo was stunned.

He wasn't Banggeng's father.

What did Banggeng's life or death have to do with him?

Cuckoldry is despicable; the pure-hearted warrior is invincible!

"I'm sorry, Banggeng's surname is Jia, not Li. If you want high-quality flour, go find Jia Dongxu!"

As he spoke, Li Aiguo stepped aside and pointed toward the exit.

Seeing that Li Aiguo resolutely refused to lend anything, Qin Huairu could only leave in frustration.

She did want to find Jia Dongxu.

The problem was that Jia Dongxu was a first-class fitter; how could he possibly get his hands on high-quality flour?

Qin Huairu felt a hint of regret in her heart.

Jia Zhangshi was standing by the door waiting.

Seeing Qin Huairu return with a look of disappointment, her face immediately slumped, and her triangular eyes glared at her with contempt. "You can't even handle a small matter. Did you not put in any effort? Are you trying to watch this old woman starve?"

Qin Huairu felt like crying but had no tears.

She had just acted as a little maid for Li Aiguo, and since he wouldn't accept, what else could she do?

At that moment, Jia Dongxu returned from work and heard the whole story.

"Mother, you missed the mark. Our family and the Li family are arch-enemies. How could Li Aiguo possibly lend us grain!"

"Then what do you suggest? You can't buy fine white flour at the grain station or the pigeon market. Do you want to starve your old mother to death?"

Seeing Jia Dongxu taking Qin Huairu's side, Jia Zhangshi flew into a rage. "Jia Dongxu, I raised you with blood, sweat, and tears. Was it easy for me? Is this how you treat me?"

"Old Jia, open your eyes and look..."

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi was about to call for Old Jia, Jia Dongxu hurried forward to stop her. "Mother, listen to me first."

Under Jia Zhangshi's suspicious gaze, Jia Dongxu said triumphantly, "We can trade grain with Li Aiguo. According to the grain station's ratio, two catties of cornmeal can be exchanged for one catty of high-quality flour."

"Everyone knows that at the pigeon market, you need fifteen catties of cornmeal to trade for one catty of high-quality flour. That kid Li Aiguo isn't a fool."

Jia Zhangshi thought Jia Dongxu had a good idea, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but pout.

"Mother, don't worry, I have a backup plan!"

Jia Dongxu leaned into Jia Zhangshi's ear and whispered a few words.

Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened bit by bit, her mouth hanging open.

She couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. "Dongxu, you've made progress. You're almost as good as your mother now."

"Of course, we call it 'each generation getting stronger.'" Having received praise, Jia Dongxu happily picked up Banggeng and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"In the future, my son will definitely be even more capable than me."

Jia Zhangshi calculated it over and decided Jia Dongxu's plan was feasible.

"I'm going to find Old Yi now. This kind of matter requires Old Yi to step in."

After driving Qin Huairu away, Li Aiguo began making lunch.

With high-quality flour and sanitary oil, he naturally had to indulge a bit.

Pan-fried flatbreads!

High-quality flour is high-gluten, making it perfect for flatbreads.

He poured the flour into a bowl, added water, and stirred it into a lumpy consistency.

Then he began to knead and knead.

He kneaded until the flour became a soft dough.

He let it sit for a moment to allow the dough to rise.

He picked up the rolling pin.

He rolled and rolled.

Until the dough was rolled out into a flat sheet.

He sprinkled a little salt on it.

He rolled it again.

Once the dough was rolled into a circle, Li Aiguo finally placed the flatbread into the black iron pan.

As the pale blue flames licked the bottom of the pan, the flatbread gradually turned golden yellow, and a faint, fragrant aroma waited in the room.

He scooped it onto a plate and took a bite while it was hot. The savory flour danced in his mouth, and Li Aiguo closed his eyes in comfort.

While he was eating happily, the door was pushed open from the outside.

"Aiyo, Aiguo, you're eating already!"

Xu Damao walked in hunched over, a sycophantic smile on his face, looking clearly ill-intentioned.

"Brother Damao, come, want a taste?" Li Aiguo handed him a pair of chopsticks.

Looking at the golden flatbread, Xu Damao couldn't help but swallow hard, but he still waved his hand in refusal.

"No, I'm here on serious business."

While eating, Li Aiguo asked, "Is Shazhu coming out?"

"Not quite, probably another two days." Xu Damao smiled sheepishly. "I heard you got several dozen catties of high-quality flour. Could you spare eight or ten catties for your buddy?"

His expression turned serious. "Don't worry, I'm not asking for it for free. We'll trade at the pigeon market price."

Look at that—that is what it means to know how to deal with people; Xu Damao was the embodiment of it.

In the original story, although Xu Damao was a sinister man, he never took advantage of his neighbors.

Every time he brought back mountain goods from the countryside, he would set aside a portion to distribute to the neighbors.

"Eight or ten catties is too much. You know how scarce this stuff is..."

"Three catties. I only want three catties."

Xu Damao's face was full of pleading. "I really have a big use for this. It concerns my happiness for the rest of my life. Please, help me out."

It seemed Damao wanted to use the high-quality flour to curry favor with his father-in-law.

"Fine, three catties it is. Since we're neighbors, I'll help when I can."

Seeing Li Aiguo agree, Xu Damao's mouth hung open in excitement.

Tan Liya loved eating dumplings most of all.

To make dumplings, one must use high-gluten flour, and high-quality flour was the best.

With three catties of high-quality flour and two catties of mutton, he could make mutton dumplings and deliver them to the Lou family.

The marriage might just go through!

(End of Chapter)