Chapter 358: The Dream is Shattered and the Account is Settled
Chapter 358: The Dream is Shattered and the Account is Settled
Thinking of this, Li Kailang walked in, pretending not to see them, and "casually" sat down in the empty seat next to them.
"Hey, it's you!" Suddenly, a girl exclaimed in surprise.
"Who is it?" the girls around asked in confusion, turning their heads to look around.
"Look, it's the nice guy who gave us roast chicken during the camping trip last year."
Several girls looked at Li Kailang and were very surprised. They didn't expect to see Li Kailang here.
Lou Xiao'e was also surprised that they met here by chance. They hadn't seen each other for several months since the last time they met.
"Hey, comrade!" A girl waved her hand.
Li Kailang pretended to notice them and walked up to them. "It's you. Long time no see."
"Long time no see. Are you here to eat too? Sit together. There are still empty seats here."
Li Kailang waved his hands: "This is not good. You are a group of girls, and I am the only man. Men and women should not touch each other. I'd better sit next to you."
Hearing this, the girls thought about it and felt that what Li Kailang said made sense. After all, sitting next to each other was no different from sitting together.
A girl nodded and said generously: "Okay, then sit closer, I have something to ask you."
"Oh, what's the matter?" Li Kailang was a little confused. They had just met and he actually had questions to ask.
"Remember when we first met, you gave us roast chicken?"
"Remember." Li Kailang nodded.
"How do you make your roast chicken so delicious? After eating it from you, I have eaten a lot of roast chickens, but none of them are as delicious as yours. Do you have any secret recipe?"
The girl next to him agreed, "Yes, yes, that's what I really want to ask. No matter what my chef at home cooks, it's not as delicious as yours. You're a chef from Fengze Garden."
Hearing this, Li Kailang laughed, "So you guys were thinking about the roast chicken I made. I thought you were thinking about me, but I am being narcissistic."
Seeing Li Kailang's hearty smile, several people couldn't help but blush. Only then did they notice Li Kailang's handsome face and they lowered their heads with red eyes.
Lou Xiao'e watched from the side, feeling a little jealous, but she held it back. After all, she and Li Kailang were not that familiar with each other.
Li Kailang did not dwell on this topic for long, and explained: "The chicken is still an ordinary chicken, there is no difference."
"It's mainly because the environment was different at the time. You gave the roasted chicken a different meaning, which is why you can't taste the special flavor. In fact, the chicken is still the same."
"Really?" The girls didn't quite understand, but they also felt that what Li Kailang said made sense.
"So that's how it is. No wonder my chef couldn't make it. It turns out it's my problem." The generous girl admitted.
Seeing that Li Kailang was sitting farther away, he said, "You should sit closer. You don't have to sit so far away. It makes us look like we are unfamiliar with each other. After all, we have eaten your chicken before."
When Li Kailang heard this, he almost came up with a different meaning in his mind, and quickly put it out.
However, her words gave Li Kailang a reason to help Lou Xiao'e.
"Look at what you're saying. We've only met twice, including this time, and yet you and I are so familiar with each other. If your suitor sees us, I'll be in big trouble."
Hearing this, the girls smiled, covered their mouths with their hands, and laughed.
Lou Xiao'e smiled and said, "We don't have any suitors. We are still studying and it is the time to focus on studying. How can we have a romantic relationship?"
"Besides, we are still young and not yet adults. We can't have a romantic relationship. It's not time yet."
Li Kailang said, "What do you mean by young? You are not young anymore. Other girls at your age are already talking about marriage."
"How is this possible? We are not even adults yet. Besides, you have to be 22 to get a marriage certificate. How can we get married without one?"
Li Kailang: "Who says you have to reach the age to get a marriage certificate? Isn't it OK to just get married without getting a marriage certificate?"
After hearing this, it was as if a new world had been opened for them. They had forgotten that there was such a solution.
In their eyes, everything must be done according to the rules, but of course there are also things that are not done according to the rules.
I just didn't expect to use this method to get around the rules, so I wasn't surprised at all when I found out.
Li Kailang continued, "Now you know, I think you will be almost adults in two years, and someone will definitely talk to you about marriage by then."
"Who knows, some of you may have already been spotted by someone."
"Ah? How could this be? Why didn't I know about this?" a girl asked.
Li Kailang: "How could you possibly know? Your parents must be the only ones who know about this. How could they tell you?"
"Ah? I don't want to get married yet. I'm still studying. I don't want to get married so early."
"I'm still taking the college entrance exam. If I marry so early, I won't be able to go to college. I won't marry."
"By the way, how can you tell that my parents arranged a marriage for me?"
Li Kailang: "What's so difficult about this? Just look at who is whispering in your parents' ears, who is saying good things to others, or who is saying bad things to others."
"Whenever someone says something good or bad, you should be careful. Someone is definitely trying to take advantage of you. You should be on your guard."
When Li Kailang said this, several girls lowered their heads and thought, recalling who had said good or bad things during this period.
Lou Xiao'e was also thinking about who had said this. After thinking for a long time, she finally thought of Xu Ma.
"I heard from other aunts that she seemed to have said something bad about someone. Go back and ask Dad."
Several girls lowered their heads in thought, their brows furrowed and their eyes worried. It was obvious that they were thinking of a lot of people, and one or two of them were in a bad mood.
Li Kailang paid special attention to Lou Xiaoe. Seeing that she was in a bad mood, he felt relieved. It seemed that the matter was settled.
I just don’t know how, I have to add more fuel to the fire.
"I don't know what your family background is like, but seeing as you guys can come to Lao Mo for dinner, I think your family background is not bad either. You should pay special attention."
"I believe you have all heard that for the sake of the family's honor, you will be married to someone you don't like, just like the princesses of the previous dynasty."
Hearing this, several people frowned tightly, as they all knew what a hard life the princesses of the previous dynasty had lived.
They don't want to marry someone they don't like at an older age, and have to stay at home all day, unable to go out when they want to, which is like being in prison.
Suddenly, one or two of their eyes revealed murderous intent, and they hated those who had spoken to them even more, because they were gamblers with their future happiness.
"I have something to do, so I'll go back first. You guys enjoy your meal, I'll treat you next time." A girl suddenly stood up and said.
Obviously, after hearing what Li Kailang said, she became anxious and was afraid that she would get married off.
After saying that, the girl left without caring about other people's reactions.
"I have something to do too, so I'll leave first. I'll treat you guys next time." Another girl left.
They left one after another, and the other girls became anxious and left one after another.
Lou Xiao'e was no exception. She said hello and hurried home. She told Lou Zhenhua about this. She didn't want to get married and she still wanted to go to college.
"It looks like it's done!" Li Kailang smiled slightly.
At this time, the waiter came over with the food and saw that there was no one at the table. He was stunned.
"Hello, comrade, where are the guests at this table?" the waiter asked in broken Chinese.
"Oh, they left because of something."
"Left? The guests ordered a lot of dishes?"
"Are these the meals they ordered? Just give them to me. I'll eat them for them. I just chatted with them and we got to know each other very well."
"Okay." The waiter nodded. Since they had already paid, it was none of his business if they left, and he didn't need to deduct any money from them.
If Li Kailang doesn't eat, then the waiters will eat it.
"Hey, that's great, I can have a free meal." Li Kailang enjoyed the meal very much and didn't ask for a penny.
Lou family.
"Dad!" Lou Xiao'e shouted for her father.
"Daughter, what's wrong?" Lou Zhenhua poked his head out over the railing on the second floor.
"Dad!" Lou Xiao'e hurried upstairs to find Lou Zhenhua.
"Dad, have you found a partner for me? Are you going to marry me off?"
"Marry you off? Why did you think of that?" Lou Zhenhua asked in surprise, "You are the apple of my father's eye. I love you so much that I can't wait to marry you off."
Seeing that Lou Zhenhua was not pretending, Lou Xiao'e breathed a sigh of relief.
"Really? That's good. I don't want to get married."
Lou Zhenhua was curious about why Lou Xiao'e said that. "Xiao'e, who told you this? Tell me."
"Dad, this is what happened. I met Li Kailang at Lao Mo. He said so."
Lou Xiao'e quickly told Lou Zhenhua what had happened, and Lou Zhenhua then understood the reason.
"Li Kailang, I'm quite optimistic about this kid. He wouldn't say that without any reason. There must be something wrong."
Rather than saying that Lou Zhenhua was optimistic about Li Kailang, it would be more accurate to say that he himself had his doubts and was just using Li Kailang's words to make his point.
Lou Zhenhua looked at Lou Xiao'e, "Xiao'e, you said that because you want to know who said good or bad things about you."
"Yeah." Lou Xiao'e nodded heavily, looked around, and made sure that Xu Ma was not there, then she pulled Lou Zhenhua to her room.
"Dad, I think Aunt Xu is the most suspicious. I heard from other uncles and aunts that Aunt Xu seemed to have said bad things about Li Kailang." "Aunt Xu." Lou Zhenhua thought about it and realized that Aunt Xu did say bad things about Li Kailang.
Originally he thought Li Kailang was like what Xu Ma said, but the actual contact was not as bad as Xu Ma said, on the contrary, he was very good.
"Any more?"
Lou Xiaoe shook her head. "No more."
"Okay, I get it. Don't worry about it. I'll handle it. I'll have the servants investigate Madam Xu's family affairs."
"Yeah, but I want to see it. I want to know why Xu Ma hurt me."
"Okay, I'll call you when it's done. You can take a rest in your room."
Lou Xiao'e nodded and rested in the room. After Lou Zhenhua left the room, he asked someone to investigate Xu's mother's family affairs.
Xu's mother worked in the Lou family, and Xu's father also worked in the Lou family at first, but later went back to work in another factory independently. Lou Zhenhua knew both of them inside and out.
Before long, the servants had investigated the Xu family thoroughly.
Lou Zhenhua looked at the information about the Xu family, especially Xu Damao.
"The age is right, she's a projectionist, and she lives in the same courtyard as Li Kailang. The mother and son met yesterday."
"Haha, you are targeting my daughter. Do you really think that a poor peasant like me is worthy of my daughter? Do you really think my family is so popular?"
Lou Zhenhua sneered, as if this was very funny. Even if his family was a capitalist, that was not something an ordinary worker would look down upon.
Especially people like Xu Damao who have no future are just tools in his eyes.
If there was enough time, Lou Zhenhua would have been able to find out even the fact that Xu Damao rolled on the grass.
"Go, call Aunt Xu."
"Yes!" The servant nodded and bowed slightly, then turned to go to Xu Ma.
Lou Zhenhua took the file to find Lou Xiaoe.
Upon hearing this, Lou Xiao'e's face turned red and she became furious.
"Ah? It's really this Xu Ma. She is so mean. She actually wants me to marry her son. It's just a daydream."
"Dad, you can't let this Xu Ma go!"
Lou Xiao'e looked at Lou Zhenhua expectantly, and he touched Lou Xiao'e's head.
"Don't worry, Dad will definitely give you an explanation."
"Master, Aunt Xu is here." Suddenly, a sound came from downstairs.
"Let's go and settle accounts with Xu Ma."
"Ah."
Lou Zhenhua took Lou Xiaoe'e's hand and went downstairs to question her.
Before she knew about Xu Ma's situation, Lou Xiao'e liked Xu Ma very much, but now, looking at her, she felt sick and wanted to vomit.
Such a beast in human form actually wanted to control her fate and marry a loser.
"Master." Xu Ma shouted anxiously. He called her here suddenly, so there must be something wrong.
In the past, when questioned, Lou Zhenhua would always be polite and polite before getting to the point, but this time he didn't want to do that.
Lou Xiao'e was the apple of his eye, his only daughter. He loved her so much that he wanted to keep her by his side as long as possible.
Now someone is eyeing his daughter, who will be married off in a few years. How can he be in the mood for that?
"Mother Xu, do I remember you have a son?"
"Yes, sir."
"If I remember correctly, there is a man named Li Kailang in your son's yard, right?"
"Yes, sir." Mrs. Xu still nodded, feeling a little surprised. Why did she mention Li Kailang for no reason?
"If I remember correctly, you told me last time that Li Kailang is not good and has a lot of problems."
When Xu Ma heard what Li Kailang said, she naturally responded repeatedly, "Yes, Master."
Lou Zhenhua then changed the subject, "But I don't think so. I've met Li Kailang before, and he's not as bad as you say."
"Oh no!" Xu Ma thought to herself. She thought Lou Zhenhua was saying bad things about Li Kailang, but she didn't expect him to be saying good things about him.
But it would be the most unwise choice to deny it now, it would be better to just accept it.
"Really? I don't know about that, Master. I haven't been back to the yard for several years. I thought he was still the same."
"Master, you know, I have been working here for more than ten years, and I rarely go back. I don't know if this person has changed."
Xu Ma complained appropriately to divert her attention from her mistakes.
"Okay, stop hiding your little thoughts. Do you want to wait for my daughter to grow up and marry her to your son?"
"You're saying bad things about Li Kailang so hard because you're afraid that he'll ruin your plans, right?"
"Master, I am innocent!" Mother Xu was so scared that she immediately knelt on the ground.
"The eldest lady is so noble, and my son is just a poor peasant. Even if you give me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare to think like that, sir!"
Perhaps thinking of this pale and powerless thing, Xu's mother immediately slandered Li Kailang.
"Master, did Li Kailang say something to you? He is slandering me and my son."
Lou Zhenhua laughed, "This matter has nothing to do with Li Kailang. On the contrary, why did you say that Li Kailang was an unfamiliar comrade when you met him last time?"
"You've clearly seen him before, and you live in the same courtyard with him. But you deliberately didn't say who he was. This makes me very suspicious. How do you explain this?"
"Master, I...I really didn't mean that!"
Xu Ma's face turned pale as paper in an instant. She never expected that her plan would be exposed so quickly.
Lou Xiao'e watched coldly from the side, unable to contain her anger.
She never thought that her marriage would become a pawn in the hands of others.
"Humph, you have nothing to say, right? I think you've been targeting me since I met Li Kailang."
"If someone hadn't reminded me today, I would have been in trouble. You'd have let me marry your son for my lifelong happiness. Forget it!"
"Miss, I really don't think so. Miss, I am wronged!" Xu Ma pleaded.
"That's enough!" Lou Zhenhua shouted, "I've already seen through your little tricks. It doesn't matter whether you admit it or not."
"In consideration of your years of hard work, I will give you three months' wages as compensation, but from now on, we will have nothing to do with each other. Let's part ways amicably."
"Master, I am innocent!" Xu Ma still wanted to argue.
Lou Zhenhua waved his hand and the driver beside him dragged Xu Ma away.
"Xiao'e, I have driven those people out. You don't have to worry about them from now on." Lou Zhenhua turned around and comforted Lou Xiao'e.
Lou Xiao'e: "Humph, I didn't expect Xu Ma to be such a beast in human form. After working for me for so long, she actually wants me to marry her son. What kind of person is she?"
"Dad, you have to be more careful when you hire people. You can't just hire anyone."
"Yes, yes, Xiao'e is right." Lou Zhenhua could only nod in agreement and continue to comfort the sulking Lou Xiao'e.
No matter how unwilling Xu Ma was, she was kicked out of the Lou family after receiving her wages and taking her underwear.
She had worked in the Lou family for more than ten years, and her life there was very comfortable, much better than outside. Now she was kicked out, and she didn't know what to do in the future.
"Xu Damao! You bastard, I told you yesterday that you were kicked out today. It must be your fault!"
"I should have kept my mouth shut. I've lost my good job and my future daughter-in-law. How am I going to live the rest of my life?"
Mother Xu cursed her son in her heart, and in a rage she decided to go find Xu Damao to get things done.
"I'm so pissed off!" Mother Xu roared angrily, her resentment towards her son erupting like a volcano.
According to her expectations, Xu Damao would marry Lou Xiao'e in a few years, and then she would turn her life around and enjoy unprecedented wealth and glory.
She used to serve Lou Zhenhua and Tan's mother. After marrying Lou Xiao'e, she could finally be served by Lou Xiao'e.
This huge sense of gap made him excited and thrilled just thinking about it.
Now it’s all gone, not only the future, but also the Lou family’s assets, that pile of money.
In the original drama, after Xu Damao married Lou Xiao'e, he often used her gold jewelry to honor his parents.
Lou Xiao'e knew all this, but she was too lazy to care because she had too many things, and it didn't matter if she took some from home from time to time.
What was just a small amount for Lou Xiao'e was indeed a lot for Xu Ma. She had lived for decades and had never owned so many jewelries.
"No, I'm so pissed off. I'm going to go find Xu Damao to settle the score. I'm so pissed off!"
At this moment, family affection is not important, not as important as Xu's mother's bright future.
But this bright and bright future was destroyed by Xu Damao alone!
How could Xu's mother not be furious!
(End of this chapter)