flstandardbreds Chapter 135 My Own Little 99
Chapter 135 My Own Little 99
Lu Tao awkwardly lowered her arm and picked up the teacup.
She paused slightly when she saw the plain water in the teacup.
Even the poorest families would buy some tea for household chores.
The tea can be of lower quality, but it cannot be without...
Tian Tian didn't care at all, calmly drinking her plain water...
In the kitchen...
“That Lu Tao is really stingy.” Madam Luo Dou was tending the fire. “I even dragged Wang’er, Neng’er and Hua’er in front of her, but she didn’t give me a single penny.”
"They run such a big shop, yet they're so stingy."
Lu Jiangshi scooped a spoonful of water and poured it into the pot, saying, "This child wasn't like this before."
"But it doesn't matter. Once we make Tianya into Wang'er's wife, the shop will still belong to the Lu family."
They chatted so freely that they didn't even notice a hairy monkey peeking out from the kitchen doorway.
The monkey ran through the crowd... and came up to Tian Tian.
It gesticulated wildly and vividly recounted the conversation between Lady Luo Dou and Lady Lu Jiang.
But all Lu Tao heard was its squeaking.
"Sweetie, how did it get here?" Lu Tao knew that the monkey was kept by Tian Tian in the shop.
Tian Tian listened to the monkey's retelling and her expression turned serious.
So that's what Lady Lu Jiang and Lady Luo Dou were planning...
Marry her off to Lu Wang? Then she would become a member of the Lu family, and so... Baishi Teahouse would become a Lu family business.
Hmm, what a clever roundabout way to achieve one's goals!
The two elderly people in the Lu family actually have such brains!
Tian Tian looked at Lu Tao. The old woman was so smart, how come... Lu Tao seemed so naive? She was easily fooled with just a few kind words?!
Luckily, she noticed the problem, otherwise she would have really suffered a loss.
"What is it saying?" Lu Tao was completely confused.
All that could be seen was that the monkey was extremely excited...
Tian Tian looked at the monkey, which was so excited that it... was swearing!
"Those two old hags, how could they plot against you like this?!"
"Those two old hags, I wish I could scratch their faces raw!!"
Tian Tian's lips twitched slightly, and she waved her hand, "Go outside and stay there."
The monkey automatically interpreted it as... "Go out and keep an eye on things."
"I'll go out and keep an eye on things right away."
Lu Wang looked greedy, while Lu Neng was extremely envious.
Unfortunately, Lu Neng is only fifteen years old this year, one year younger than Tian Tian.
Lu Neng is already twenty after the New Year, so he's more suitable for Tian Tian.
"Brother, I really envy you!" Lu Neng said with a jealous expression.
Lu Wang proudly raised his chin, "What's there to envy? I'm going to marry that Tian Tian."
Lu Neng pursed his lips, "Tian Tian is alright looking."
Before, when Tian Tian was seven or eight years old, she looked like a little black monkey.
It looks much better now than it did a few years ago.
The key is, they have money.
"What's the use of being decent-looking?"
Lu Wang looked disgusted. "She's a jinx, a jinx."
"Even though I have money, I don't know if I'll live to spend it."
Lu Neng scoffed softly, thinking, "He's getting the benefit but still acting innocent."
What's the situation with the family Tian Tian married into? Her grandparents and parents have already inquired about it.
The doctor had said long ago that the man wouldn't live much longer, and Tian Tian would die whether she married him or not.
“If elder brother is unwilling, younger brother is willing to do it,” Lu Neng said.
Lu Wang glanced at him disdainfully and snorted coldly, "Then there's no need for you to trouble yourself, Second Brother."
"Don't worry, second brother, your elder brother will not treat you unfairly."
"I'll eat the meat, and you can drink the soup; that's fine."
Lu Neng snorted and turned to leave.
He also had his own ulterior motives...
That shop... was jointly owned by Madam Lu and Madam Liu.
If my older brother can marry Tian Tian, then... he can marry that Qin Youyou.
He's fifteen this year, and Qin Youyou is thirteen; the two-year age difference is just right.
Since his grandparents wouldn't consider his feelings, he had to start considering his own.
At lunchtime, Lu Tao's face grew increasingly pale.
Just now, Lady Lu Jiang said she had prepared a lot of dishes...
There were definitely a lot of vegetables, all kinds of wild vegetables!!
There wasn't a single trace of meat! Not even a drop of oil!
Lady Lu, holding chopsticks, urged, "Eat quickly, there are so many dishes, try them."
She picked up a piece of early spring shepherd's purse with her chopsticks and put it in Lu Tao's bowl. "Tao'er, you used to love the dishes your mother cooked. You haven't had them in so many years. Try them."
Lu Tao took a bite of shepherd's purse, her eyes welling up with tears.
She liked her mother's cooking, but...
My mother used to add a little lard when she cooked, but now... there's no lard at all.
Lu Tao didn't want to think too much or speculate, but in her heart... she couldn't help but guess.
In the hearts of her parents and her brother and sister-in-law, was she... not even worthy of eating meat?
Lu Tao glanced at Luo Tongyun, whose bowl of vegetables glistened with oil and had been stir-fried separately.
Tian Tian thoroughly enjoyed the meal. These wild vegetables were very expensive in her time; you might not be able to buy them for ten or twenty yuan per kilogram.
After the meal, Lu Tao and Liu San Niang were both called to Luo Tongyun's room to keep her company and play with the children.
The child had a silver lock and silver pieces hanging around his neck, and Luo Tongyun picked up the silver lock and praised it profusely...
But as she praised him, her eyes kept glancing away.
Liu San Niang was the first to notice her unusual behavior, and she quietly began to pay attention to the movements outside.
The sound of several children talking can be heard outside...
"Ah..." It was Lu Hua's exclamation.
"I'm sorry, cousin..." followed by her apology, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Tian Tian's clothes were soaked from her waist to her feet, and water was still dripping down...
"Cousin, let me take you to change your clothes." Lu Hua was very friendly and immediately pulled Tian Tian along.
Tian Tian withdrew her hand, casually shaking her clothes, "It's okay, only the outside is wet..."
She was wearing a cotton coat, and only the outside was wet, so it didn't have a big impact.
"No!" Lu Hua grabbed Tian Tian's hand again. "It's only wet on the outside now, it will slowly soak in inside."
"Let's change it."
Tian Tian hesitated...
Without waiting for a reply, Lu Hua pulled her along, saying, "Cousin, just listen to me."
Tian Tian was led to a room. "Is this your room?"
Lu Hua looked a little guilty. "Yes."
In reality, how could a girl like her possibly have her own room in the Lu family?
Lu Hua took a piece of clothing out of a closet. "Cousin, why don't you change into this?"
Tian Tian reached out and took it. This dress was brand new; they really went all out.
"Cousin, you change, I'll go out and wait for you." Lu Hua left.
Tian Tian squinted as she watched her leave...
The next second, the monkey broke through the window and ducked under the bed...
Tian Tian tossed her new cotton coat aside, stood quietly, and looked toward the door.