Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 130 Will you help me build a thatched hut?

The old man assumed that Li Ruru's family was spending so much money because he had saved them last time.

But he couldn't let people cook such a feast to thank him, only to have to tighten their belts and live frugally from then on.

The old man couldn't bear it and chose to make amends with money.

Li Ruru felt that he looked down on them, and the two of them remained silent with cold faces.

Pepe smoothed things over, saying, "Sir, you saved our lives. It's only right that we treat you to a meal. How could we possibly accept your money?"

Chu Xiu chimed in, "Yes, you should put it away quickly."

"Alright then." The old man put the money in his pocket, but didn't pick up his chopsticks to eat.

Li Ruru squinted and asked, "But the dishes we made don't suit your taste?"

If it were because this person saved them, she would have kicked him out long ago.

He didn't even bother to go to Chenjia Village to find out which family could afford such a large bowl of white rice, accompanied by so much meat.

She was confident that she had treated him with the utmost sincerity, and if he still didn't appreciate it, then he would be ungrateful.

Chu Xiu chuckled awkwardly, "Old sir, you're clearly a worldly person, so it's normal that you look down on our simple country food. But when you're traveling, being well-fed is the most important thing."

Let's eat our fill first, then talk about food!

Such delicious food, yet this person doesn't appreciate it. I wonder what kind of delicacies he used to eat.

Xiao Wu opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. He had eaten all kinds of delicacies with the young master, but he was captivated by the food his godmother cooked.

Could this old scholar have been a royal before?

He didn't know what kind of food the royals ate, and always felt that they were from a different world.

Everyone looked at the old man, who stroked his beard and chuckled awkwardly, "You've all misunderstood. I... I'm just a little... um, I'm used to eating separately."

"Oh~" Li Ruru exclaimed in realization, "It's just my OCD."

"Um... this word will do too." The old man was a little embarrassed, not knowing what to do.

He shouldn't have been so fussy when someone kindly invited him to dinner.

But he just couldn't bring himself to eat a dish with so many people.

That's why he rarely eats at other people's homes.

If this old lady hadn't dragged us here today, things wouldn't have gotten so awkward.

"Here you go!" Li Ruru said nothing, went to the kitchen, took out a new set of tableware, and handed it to him.

The old scholar glanced at the exquisite dark blue plate, happily took it, and asked, "Aren't you...aren't you angry?"

"Why are you angry? This isn't something you can control," Li Ruru said calmly.

People with OCD don't want to live such a stressful life, but there's always a tension in their minds that they can't help.

"Li... Li family, right? My surname is Fang, and my given name is Xingye. You can call me Master Fang."

He's a man of few words, and he rarely tells others his name because he's a humble person.

"Fang Xingzhi, a good name." Li Ruru glanced at him again. Sure enough, he lived up to his name, doing things as he pleased and never compromising himself.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have made an excuse to leave or forced themselves to eat something.

Only he openly and honestly expressed his personal needs.

“Your beard…” Li Ruru felt that his beard was not as thick as it was last time.

Remembering how she had pulled so many of his beards last time, she felt a little guilty and tightened her grip on Fang Xingzhi's rice bowl.

The large blue plate was filled with meat and vegetables.

"Master Fang, eat more." Li Ruru gave him a bright and gentle smile.

After everyone had finished eating, Li Ruru solemnly said to Fang Xingzhi, "Thank you so much for your help last time, Master Fang! I have no way to repay your great kindness. If you ever need any help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

"That's all?" Fang Xingzhi was somewhat disappointed when he saw her start clearing away the dishes after she finished speaking.

"Huh? What else?" Li Ruru asked.

"Uh, it's nothing, it's fine." Fang Xingzhi wiped his mouth. Why was her way of thanking people so simple? The people he had helped before would go to great lengths to give him all sorts of things, and some even offered themselves in return.

But Li Ruru only said a few words of thanks.

That's quite a big difference.

After clearing the table, Li Ruru brought over a large glass of lemonade and said, "I know what you're thinking, but I mean it. Please feel free to ask if we can help."

She didn't know what others were like, but she was a person of her word and never made empty promises.

I will always strive to fulfill any promise I make.

Although Fang Xingzhi saved them, she couldn't possibly repay his kindness by offering herself to him.

Putting aside their age difference, even if she were willing, the other party might not agree.

Don't repay a debt of gratitude only to end up as an enemy you'll never see again.

The rain outside was getting heavier, and Fang Xingzhi said, "Could you help me build a thatched hut?"

He paused, then added, "Consider this your way of repaying a debt of gratitude."

“Okay.” Li Ruru agreed without thinking, then turned to Chu Xiu and said, “When the rain stops, go find some men to come over.”

Chu Xiu was about to agree when Xiao Yishan interrupted, "No need to ask anyone else, I can do it myself. Just have Brother Xiao and Xiao Wu help me."

-

Yingtian Academy.

Manager Qian, Manager Yu, and a group of other bosses were chatting idly.

Shopkeeper Yu: "Do you all know why the headmaster has summoned us?"

Shopkeeper Qian held a blade of grass in his hand, occasionally tapping it against his hand.

Seeing that no one spoke, Manager Yu asked curiously, "Old Qian, what are you doing?"

Why are you getting so worked up over a blade of grass?

Shopkeeper Qian tucked the dog's tail into his sleeve and said casually, "It's nothing. Doctor Nie said it's good for your health."

He looked at the mole on his hand that had faded and was quite satisfied.

The doctor Mr. Qian mentioned was Nie Tianlei, the resident doctor at the Nie Family Clinic in the county town, who was highly skilled in medicine.

Just as Manager Yu was about to say something, Chu Yu strode into the room.

He naturally walked to the head seat, and with a flourish of his long robe, he sat down.

Everyone immediately quieted down and bowed respectfully.

Shopkeeper Yu asked, "Young Master Chu, when is your father coming?"

Chu Yu raised his eyes and said, "He's very busy. I'm the one who's looking for you today."

"Why are you looking for us? What do you want?" Manager Yu was a little displeased. Last time, he asked them to buy konjac tofu from Li's, and they had already bought it.

Although customers love konjac tofu, he still doesn't like being bossed around by a young upstart.

What is Chu Yu planning to do now? Is he going to pull some kind of trick again?
If it weren't for his father being a mountain chief and his wealthy stepfather being Master Bai, they wouldn't have taken a young punk like him seriously.

Chu Yu gave a wicked smile and clapped his hands.

Soon, the servants filed in, and the huge table was covered with konjac tofu.

Red, pink, dark green, and light green—they lined up in a row.

The sauce has been prepared, served on an elegant plate, and decorated beautifully, making it look and smell delicious.

Manager Qian frowned and asked, "Young Master Chu, are you... inviting us to eat konjac tofu?"

Everyone at Chunfenglou loves konjac tofu, but he'd never tried it before.

In his eyes, it was always a country dish that couldn't be served at a formal event.

(End of this chapter)