FID – Chapter 609

Chapter 609: Porridge and pickled vegetables

Every time, Xianrou and Nannan would tease her when she was in a daze.

Flustered, Liu Muqiu reached out to pinch Shi Xianrou, but she caught her hand with a smile. “Don’t pinch me, don’t pinch me. My skin’s thick, don’t hurt your hand.”

Then she gently held Liu Muqiu’s delicate fingers, blew on them as if to cool them, and carefully placed them back.

This playful act made everyone in the kitchen burst into laughter.

In the end, even Liu Muqiu couldn’t help but laugh, covering her mouth as a secret sparkle appeared in her eyes.

She really liked it here.

Everything around her was always warm, and it made her feel warm inside as well.

When Liu Zhiqiu and the others entered the room, the porridge had already been set on the table for them.

Qian Wanjin and Xue Qinglian quickly sat down at their spots, leaving the last empty seat right next to Liu Muqiu.

The young girl had her head bowed low, seemingly focused on her porridge. As they walked past, they could see her ears turning bright red, contrasting against her fair skin. It made one want to pinch them, wondering how hot they must be to turn that red.

Once seated, Liu Zhiqiu took a sip of porridge, then bit into a big piece of steamed bun, and the drowsiness immediately faded away. He felt alive again. “Oh my, Grandma, how can your porridge taste so good? Just this skill alone could make me fall in love with you!”

“Just drink it, you smooth-talker. Can’t even have a proper breakfast without making a fuss,” the granny teased.

“Mother, let him compliment you. If he doesn’t praise you first thing in the morning, he can’t get to work properly. It’s just his habit,” Liu Erlin complained.

As soon as the words were spoken, the new girl in their household quickly drank a bowl of porridge, then turned around to fill another one, obediently sitting on the stool before looking up and saying, “It’s really delicious.”

“…”

“Hahahahaha!”

The entire kitchen erupted in laughter.

Even the elders laughed so hard that tears came to their eyes.

To describe the little girl with a word often used by their own Nannan?

Cute.

Even Liu Zhiqiu couldn’t help but laugh, clutching his stomach, his eyes sparkling with delight as he looked at the girl.

Seeing her blushing face, Liu Zhiqiu took the half-eaten bun from her, broke off a piece, and put it into his own mouth. The remaining small portion he offered to the girl, saying, “Drinking too much porridge can make your stomach bloated, so eat less of the bun to avoid feeling uncomfortable later.”

Slowly taking the small piece of bun that Liu Zhiqiu had nibbled on, Liu Muqiu lowered her head even further, the smile on her lips impossible to suppress.

The elders of the Liu family exchanged a knowing glance, a hint of understanding flashing in their eyes.

They all knew that the little girl, Muqiu, liked their Zhiqiu.

But Zhiqiu’s attitude had always been unclear, acting carefree as if he hadn’t figured it out yet. Now, seeing this, it seemed like there might be some progress.

However, matters of the heart were not something they would interfere with.

Love, like drinking water, was something only the person involved truly understands.

Whether one was happy or not was up to them to figure out.

In the guest room of the front courtyard, when Wang-shi and Chen Xiuying got up, the noise in the kitchen had already settled down.

Those going up the mountain went, those going to the fields went, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

This was how they always operated, not specifically towards the Chen family. Even if the guests were of high status, everyone would continue their work instead of abandoning it just to entertain the guests.

However, in the eyes of Wang-shi and Chen Xiuying, it didn’t seem that way. They felt that the Liu family was looking down on them and purposely giving them the cold shoulder.

Therefore, while having breakfast in the kitchen, Wang-shi and Chen Xiuying both wore cold expressions.

Although the Yang sisters didn’t show it on the surface, they also felt slighted and harbored some resentment. They couldn’t help but complain about Chen Xiuying, who had always said how high her sister’s status was in the Liu family and how close their sisterly bond was. But after coming here, it was clear that while the status was high, the Liu family completely ignored them.

Where was the so-called sisterly affection?

It was all just adding false glory to their face.

It was a shame that their family had been treating her like a goddess during this time.

Just look at what the Liu family had prepared for them at the dining table!

Plain porridge and pickled vegetables! These were things that poor families ate.

With the Liu family’s current standing, did they really need to eat such food?

It was clear that they intentionally served these items to make them feel uncomfortable, unwilling to treat them with better food.

Wang-shi thought the same way.

After drinking a few sips of the bland porridge, Wang-shi looked toward Grandma Liu, who was washing dishes with hot water at the kitchen door, and smiled without warmth, “In-law, do you always have such a simple breakfast at your house? Just like our family. When you’re poor, you can’t afford big fish and meat, so you make plain porridge and a small dish of pickled vegetables for the whole family to eat.”

The grandma smiled and replied, “Don’t look down on simple porridge and vegetables. Our Nannan says that a light breakfast is good for health. If you always eat big fish and meat, you’re prone to… what do you call it… high blood pressure, high cholesterol… Well, basically, you get sick easily. It’s what people call ‘wealth diseases.’ Besides, our kids like the porridge I make, so I make it for them. You should eat more to fill your stomach, then by noon, you’ll be ready for a real meal.”

The table of people didn’t take her words seriously.

Who ever heard of getting sick from eating too much fish and meat? That’s just being stingy and cheap.

Look at other wealthy families. Don’t they all eat fish, meat, and delicacies every day? Has anyone ever gotten sick from it?

In the end, it was just the same old small-town mentality—they had money but were still miserly and looked down on poor relatives.

“Grandma, let me help you with the dishes.” Liu Muqiu came back from her room after changing into a plain cloth outfit, rolling up her sleeves as she walked over.

“No, no, go back to your room and rest. There’s no need to help with the dishes here. It’s only a few bowls. It’ll be done in no time. Don’t dirty your hands. Go on, play with Nannan and Xianrou instead.”

“They’re talking about something, and I don’t understand it. I can’t be of any help. It’s better for me to help you. Grandma, let me try, I know how to wash them.”

“You don’t need to wash them, no need to make your hands rough.”

Unable to persuade the grandma, Liu Muqiu handed her some hot water but didn’t leave. She squatted by her side, keeping her company while she worked.

“You child, you even stay here watching while washing dishes. If Nannan sees this, she’ll start getting jealous again.”

Liu Muqiu chuckled.

She remembered the first time she helped the old lady. When Nannan saw them, the little girl immediately pouted, acting like she had lost her soul, repeatedly claiming she had been neglected and that someone was stealing her grandparents away from her.

At that time, Liu Muqiu was so upset, thinking that Nannan really minded it. It was just like when the sisters used to fight for attention back at the Li family, not allowing her to get close to the elders.

As a result, the little girl turned around and started laughing, putting her arm around Liu Muqiu’s shoulder and saying, “Well, now we have someone to bear the nagging with me. You have no idea how much Grandpa and Grandma can nag…”

She went on to complain a lot.

After the joke, she quietly confided in her, saying that she felt the most guilty for not having enough time to be with her grandparents since she was always out. She wished she could spend more time with them, making them laugh when she was at home.

“Grandma, Nannan wouldn’t get jealous of me.” Nannan wasn’t that kind of person at all.