After Yan Jiecheng finished speaking, he rubbed his hands together and sat directly on a chair nearby. Li Anquan, however, acted as if he didn't even see him.
This made Yan Jiecheng rather awkward. Li Anquan had expected Yan Jiecheng to back down, but he had underestimated the irresistible aroma of the catfish stewed with eggplant.
"Anquan, the food you've made smells truly delicious! Do you have any extra chopsticks? Let me have a taste of your cooking, too!"
Li Anquan rolled his eyes. "Doesn't your own home have food? Go home and eat there. Your father goes fishing every day and sells the catch; he never gives you any to eat, and he's certainly never given me any. How do you have the nerve to come here and scrounge for a meal?"
"Besides, your mother was just here asking me for fish. Yan Jiecheng, you aren't a child anymore. Your father is the one who loves fishing most in your family—has he ever given my family even one fish?"
"If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to stay here. Think about it yourself."
Yan Jiecheng’s face turned bright red from Li Anquan’s dressing-down, but he couldn't refute it because what Li Anquan said was true.
However, the scent before him was just too tempting, and his own family was too stingy to eat their own fish.
He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out two mao. "Anquan, you’re right. I’ll pay two mao—can you give me a piece of fish? I’m just so hungry for it!"
Li Anquan didn't care about the two mao on the table, but Yan Jiecheng’s actions were, after all, much better than those of Yan Fugui or Third Aunt.
"Take your money back! It’s too hot for me to handle."
Yan Jiecheng had thought that paying money would guarantee him some fish. Seeing Li Anquan push the two mao back, he grabbed the money and, just as he was about to leave, he reached his hand into the piping-hot fish, snatched a chunk, and dashed out of Li Anquan's house as fast as he could.
This maneuver thoroughly disgusted Li Anquan.
How could the people from the Yan family be like the stench of a latrine pit? So foul!
Li Anquan decided he absolutely had to retract his previous thought: Yan Jiecheng’s behavior was even more revolting than Yan Fugui’s.
Li Dujuan, on the other hand, didn't mind at all. She even reached out with her chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish for her brother. Seeing him look a bit upset, she tilted her little head and took the initiative to speak to Li Anquan.
"Brother, don't be angry. I heard that Yan Jiecheng is going to a matchmaking meeting soon. When are you going to one? Once you have a meeting, will I have a sister-in-law?"
Looking at his sprite-like sister, Li Anquan was just about to put the "thief" Yan Jiecheng out of his mind and plan his revenge for later, but when he heard that Yan Jiecheng was going to a matchmaking meeting, his eyes lit up.
Yan Jiecheng was not yet married, and the person he was meeting was surely Yu Li. If he calculated the time, that sounded about right!
He had just been wondering how to deal with Yan Jiecheng, since he wasn't strong enough to take him on in a fight. Now that he heard this news, if he didn't ruin that marriage, he might as well write his name backward!
Li Anquan reached out and flicked his sister’s little nose. "I’m still so young; there’s no rush for that. Besides, you’ll always be my sister, and I’ll take good care of you. Don't think so much about it. Hurry up and eat!"
Yan Jiecheng had no idea that Li Anquan was plotting against him. After running out the door, he stuffed the piece of fish directly into his mouth and chewed heartily. The savory flavor filled his taste buds, making him feel as if he were in heaven.
It wasn't that Li Anquan was a master chef, but rather that he was generous with the seasonings!
Yan Jiecheng didn't dare bring it home to eat, so it was better to eat that one piece himself. He savored the aftertaste for a long time before returning home, looking dejected.
Third Aunt and Third Aunt, who were waiting anxiously at the dining table, saw that Yan Jiecheng had returned empty-handed and said nothing. They simply held their rice bowls, sniffing the air as if they could catch the lingering scent. They closed their eyes and sipped their coarse grain porridge, pretending they were eating fish.
Li Anquan’s lunch was quite frustrating. Not long after Yan Jiecheng left, and while he and his sister were still eating, two children appeared at the door!
Bang Geng led Xiaodang straight into the room. He walked up to the dining table, stretched his neck out, and barked an order at Li Anquan: "Li Anquan, give me a bowl of fish! I’m taking it home!"
How could Li Anquan possibly give such people a pleasant look? "Get lost! Go play somewhere else!"
*Like father, like son,* or rather, *the son of a rat knows how to dig holes.*
Bang Geng was no good, either. Relying on the spoiling of Qin Huairu and Mrs. Jia, he ran wild in the Courtyard.
Seeing Li Anquan refuse, Bang Geng put his hands on his hips and held his head high. "If you dare not give it to me, I'll have my Uncle Shazhu beat you up!"
He was incredibly defiant, acting as if he weren't begging for something, but rather that the other person was obligated to hand it over.
Yan Jiecheng had run off quickly, and Li Anquan had already decided to ruin his matchmaking. He hadn't cooled down yet, and now Bang Geng had walked right into his crosshairs!
Seeing Bang Geng reach out his grubby little hand to grab at the pot of fish again, Li Anquan stood up and kicked him.
Bang Geng hadn't been paying attention and was knocked to the ground. Xiaodang was startled; she shrank back, looking at her brother, and questioned: "Li Anquan, why are you hitting people? I'm going to report you to the police and have you thrown in jail!"
The police had come yesterday, and the children had been deeply impressed; in their eyes, those people were the most powerful ones around!
Bang Geng realized what had happened and began to wail, tears streaming down his face. "You dare hit me? Just you wait! I’m going to tell my grandma right now and have her come beat you!"
Seeing Li Anquan walking toward him again as if he were about to strike, Bang Geng stopped caring about Xiaodang, scrambled to his feet, and ran for his life.
As he ran, he kept screaming for Mrs. Jia and Qin Huairu. "Mom! Grandma! Li Anquan hit me! Come help me, I want to kill him!"
Seeing her brother flee in a panic, Xiaodang’s little eyes turned red and she began to cry. However, since Li Anquan didn't seem to be coming after her, she followed Bang Geng out, whimpering and wailing.
Li Anquan sighed, but Li Dujuan continued eating happily. She hated Bang Geng, as he often stole her things.
Their mother, Ma Xiaojuan, was a widow who didn't dare to cross anyone, so she was always subservient, which only made the others more unscrupulous.
But Li Anquan, having transmigrated, wasn't about to be a pushover!
He returned to his seat and smiled at Li Dujuan. "Dujuan, you keep eating. If they dare come back, Brother will teach them a lesson!"
Outside the room, Mrs. Jia heard Bang Geng’s wailing and walked out, just as she was about to call the children for dinner.
Qin Huairu was also home, not having taken over Jia Dongxu’s job at the factory. Hearing the children’s cries, she rushed outside and saw Bang Geng wailing, shouting at her: "Mom, Li Anquan hit me! I asked him for fish and he wouldn't give me any. Hurry up and call Uncle Shazhu back—I want him to beat him!"
Though Qin Huairu was a "white lotus," she loved her three children more than anything.
When Mrs. Jia heard that her grandson had been hit, she was outraged! She immediately scolded Qin Huairu: "What are you standing there for? Your son has been hit—why don't you go and 'educate' Li Anquan!"
She didn't move herself, as she hadn't gotten the better of Li Anquan in their earlier conflict, and she had already been looking for trouble with him.
Watching Qin Huairu head toward the front yard, Mrs. Jia called out a reminder: "Make sure you make Li Anquan pay! If he won't pay money, make him give us the fish as compensation. The children want to eat."
But as Mrs. Jia spoke, she couldn't help but lick her own lips.