Chapter 61 Saving the exploited sister in modern drama
Li Huairou was half-relieved after Wang Zhao said this.
Her sister was so good, and the government must have arranged for the people around her. As for why these people hadn’t stopped her, Li Huairou could only attribute it to the fact that the plot was not strict enough, the writing was too immature, and the three views were impressive enough.
[San guan (三观) literally means “three views”. They contain one’s view of the world, the view of one’s life, and the view of the way one values things]
Papa Li drove Li Huairou to go to work. Before leaving, she did not forget to say hello to Mama Li: “Mom, remember to pick me up at noon! Save me from taking a taxi.”
Mama Li was a little helpless. “Don’t you have a driver’s license? I’ll buy you a car tomorrow. Other girls can drive by themselves, so you’d be better off rather than hitching a ride every day.”
“Hee hee. What’s so good about buying a car? I won’t use it often, and it’s easy to get stuck in traffic, I think. It’s good to take the subway.” Li Huairou said with a smile, “Mom, I’ll be going now, bye.”
At noon, Mama Li took a taxi to the company, picked Li Huairou up, and then they went to meet Qin Fang together.
When Qin Fang saw Mama Li and Li Huairou, she was a little surprised. “Shu Lan, this is your youngest daughter? Was it Huairou? She looks beautiful.”
Then she sent a blank WeChat message to Zuo Zheng.
Zuo Zheng was a little frustrated when he received the WeChat message. The blank WeChat message meant that Li Huaiyu hadn’t come, so he didn’t have to show up.
Zuo Zheng drove away.
“Hello, Auntie, I’m Li Huairou. I’m sorry for yesterday. I went out to watch a movie with my sister, so I wasn’t at home.” Li Huairou greeted Qin Fang with a smile.
“Shu Lan, you are so lucky. Your eldest daughter is so good, and your youngest daughter is so beautiful. You really are lucky. You’re not like me, only having a son. I truly envy you!” Qin Fang was thinking about how to bring the topic around to Li Huaiyu.
Li Huairou spoke. “Auntie really is good at joking. My mother said that your son, Zuo Zheng, is also very good! According to my mother, you came back this time to develop in China, right? What does your company mainly do? Real estate?”
Qin Fang smiled awkwardly.
Mama Li patted Li Huairou lightly. “This child, what are you talking about? Children should not meddle in adult business.” Then she looked at Qin Fang. “Don’t worry about it. Huairou has been like this since she was a child, talking a lot. I often say that if she and her sister can balance each other out, then it’d be good.”
Qin Fang smiled. “What would you like to drink?”
“Auntie, let me order. I’m familiar with this store.” Li Huairou took the menu and turned her head down to read it.
Qin Fang said, “Shu Lan, it seems that you like your younger daughter more.”
“I would like to take Huaiyu out for afternoon tea and shopping, but she’s someone who sees nothing but scientific research. Even at home, she just stays indoors and reads. Only Huairou can pull her out of the pile of books,” Mama Li said with a smile.
Li Huairou had already ordered and handed the menu to the waiter. Then she picked up the phone and sent a WeChat message to Li Huaiyu, asking her if she’d had lunch.
No reply.
Li Huairou sent another WeChat message to Wang Zhao, but she still didn’t get a reply.
Li Huairou thought for a while and planned to buy some snacks and go to the laboratory to have a look.
Because of Li Huairou’s presence, Qin Fang couldn’t say what she wanted to say. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to say it, but every time she opened her mouth, Li Huairou would immediately interrupt and ask something that wasn’t easy for Qin Fang to answer. For example, Zuo Zheng was not so young, so he must be married, right? Another example was that she’d been well in the United States, so why did they suddenly want to return to China to develop? The domestic economy had not been booming in recent years! And other things.
It made Qin Fang so embarrassed!
Mama Li and Li Huairou stood on the side of the road and watched Qin Fang drive away. Mama Li glanced at Li Huairou helplessly. “You!”
“A wicked person will be harassed by another of the like. Next time she finds you, mom, remember to call me,” Li Huairou said with a smile.
“Are you going to find Huaiyu?” Mama Li asked, looking at the cake and coffee that Li Huairou was carrying.
“Well, I just sent a WeChat message asking her if she had eaten, but I didn’t get a reply. I guess she must have been busy and forgot. I’m worried, so I’ll go and have a look,” Li Huairou said. Although it was time to go to work, the company was run by her own family. No one would care if she arrived late and left early.
“Let’s go together. There’s nothing to do in the afternoon, anyways,” said Mama Li.
“Okay! The car is coming, mom. Hurry up,” Li Huairou said.
Arriving at the research laboratory, they could get in after being registered and approved. But they couldn’t enter the lab, so they could only wait in the reception room.
It was said that the experiment was going on to a critical point and could not be disturbed.
An hour later, Li Huaiyu and Wang Zhao came out of the laboratory.
When she saw Li Huairou, Li Huaiyu was a little surprised. “Why are you here?”
“I know you haven’t eaten, so I brought you some warmth. But the coffee is already cold,” Li Huairou said with a smile.
Wang Zhao patted his head. “Oh, I forgot. I’ll order food now.” Then he hurried out with his phone.
“Eat the cake first!” Li Huairou pulled Li Huaiyu aside and sat down, placing the cake in front of her.
Li Huaiyu immediately took the spoon and ate one bite after another. Mama Li was very distressed when she saw her. “The experiment is important, but so is your body. No matter how busy you are, you have to eat. Otherwise, mother will cook and have Huairou bring it to you.”
“No. Isn’t Huairou going to work?” Li Huaiyu said without raising her head.
Mama Li glanced at Li Huairou. “Do you think she really seems to be working seriously? What time do you think it is?”
“Hee hee, it’s enough for our family to have my elder sister as a social pillar,” Li Huairou said.
“I really don’t need to be. I just have a problem that has been bothering me before, so I shall be very busy for the next period of time. Huairou came here, but she will only wait for nothing. After this busy period, I’ll go home and have a good rest,” Li Huaiyu said seriously.
Wang Zhao also came over and said, “Right, Auntie. Our experiment has made a breakthrough. I’ve already reported it to the higher-ups. In the future, our laboratory will potentially be fully enclosed, so even if you come, you may not be able to get in. I was negligent this time, and next time I must remember to remind Huaiyu to eat on time.”
Li Huaiyu looked at Wang Zhao blankly. A breakthrough? Was there one?
Wang Zhao nodded calmly—that was right.
These things had always been handled by Wang Zhao, and Li Huaiyu never cared about them, so she believed them.
Wang Zhao and Li Huairou exchanged glances at this time, and Li Huairou understood immediately. She instantly began to help. “It’s okay, Mom, it was often like this before! Wang-ge, can I bring something over every few days? Like my mother’s stewed soup or something.”
Wang Zhao nodded and replied, “Yes, but not too often. Just bring it once a week and give it to Xiao Liu.”
“Okay!”
Hearing that something could be delivered, Mama Li immediately began to figure out what kind of tonic soup to cook.
After the two came out, they stood on the side of the road. When the wind blew, Mama Li’s eyes were suddenly opened. “I say, you’re not the one who’s been trying to make this happen, are you? In order to prevent your sister and Zuo Zheng from getting in touch?”
Li Huairou immediately cried injustice. “Mom! Do I have that ability? You must be thinking too highly of me, aren’t you?”
Mama Li was dubious. She thought about it carefully—yes, Huairou really didn’t have such great ability.
“Okay, okay, it’s all my fault. What do you want to eat tonight? Mother will cook it for you,” Mama Li coaxed.
“I want to eat sweet and sour pork loin and also hairy crab,” Li Huairou said after thinking about it.
“Sweet and sour pork loin is easy to handle. For hairy crab, wait a few days; the hairy crabs bought at the supermarket aren’t authentic. I’ll ask Uncle Yang to deliver them,” said Mama Li.
But that night, looking at Zuo Zheng at the door and the hairy crabs in his hands, Mama Li was stunned.
“Auntie, these are the hairy crabs my mother asked me to send,” Zuo Zheng said with a smile.
“Your mother is too polite. Come and chat first,” Mama Li quickly greeted with a smile. “How is your mother?”
“Oh, my mother is on a business trip and will not be back until tomorrow. Hairy crab will not be fresh after a long time—I alone can’t eat much, and your family has more members, so my mother asked me to bring them,” Zuo Zheng said with a smile.
“You’re alone, so let’s have dinner at Auntie’s house! Lao Li, Zuo Zheng is here! Come out and say hello.” Mama Li raised her voice.
Papa Li came out of the bathroom with the newspaper. “Zuo Zheng is here? Sit down!”
Zuo Zheng sat down on the sofa. “Are only Uncle and Auntie at home? There are quite a few hairy crabs, and we probably won’t be able to eat all of them.”
Papa Li smiled. He was also a businessman; although his company was not big, he knew all the twists and turns. “Huaiyu is busy, and Huairou is upstairs doing skincare! She has many skincare routines, and it takes an hour before she comes down.”
Zuo Zheng heard that Li Huaiyu was not home, and he was a little disappointed, “Is Huaiyu-meimei not here? That’s a pity. These hairy crabs are of good quality, and they’re all female crabs too.”
“Huaiyu has never liked to eat this. She thinks it’s too troublesome. Huairou loves to eat this. I just called Lao Yang and asked him to send me ten hairy crabs. As a result, you send it. Such a coincidence!” Papa Li smiled. Although the family was not short of money, they saved as much as they could every day. Huairou was so lazy, so they had to save more money for her retirement!
As they were talking, Li Huairou heard the voice and came downstairs. “Who’s here?” Then she sat down beside Papa Li.
“What are you doing? Why did you put stockings on your face?” Papa Li put down the newspaper and looked at her carefully.
“This is a mask—Givenchy’s mask. What do you mean, ‘stockings’?” Li Huairou said, putting her face in front of Papa Li.
“Okay, it’s your father who is ignorant, sorry, okay? Don’t scare your father. Your father’s heart is not good.” Papa Li quickly pushed her away.
Then he introduced to Li Huairou, “This is the son of your mother’s good friend, Auntie Qin Fang—Zuo Zheng. This is my youngest daughter, Huairou.”
“Oh, you’re Zuo Zheng! According to Auntie Qin Fang, you plan to go back to China to start a company? You’re staying in the United States well, so why are you returning to China? Otherwise, you’re not too young, so why not get married? I was only in my early twenties when my mother began to urge me to get married. You’re older than me—eight years older? Isn’t Auntie pushing it on you?”
Zuo Zheng’s smile was a little embarrassed.
Mama Li stuck out half of her head from the kitchen. “Huairou, don’t talk nonsense.” Then she smiled at Zuo Zheng. “Zuo Zheng, Huairou is talking too much, so don’t take offense.”
Zuo Zheng smiled. “It’s fine, Huairou-meimei is just very lively. Yes, lively.” He just wrote down Li Huairou in his heart. Just as annoying as his mother had said.
Li Huairou didn’t stay too long, and she went upstairs to continue her skincare.
The hairy crabs were steamed and the food was put on the table, but Li Huairou hadn’t come down. Papa Li and Mama Li didn’t rush, setting the table and chopsticks while talking to Zuo Zheng.
After waiting for a while, Li Huairou arrived late.
“Wash your hands and eat,” Mama Li greeted.
Zuo Zheng frowned slightly when he saw this; he’d found a good breakthrough point. As long as he was allowed to see Li Huaiyu, he was absolutely confident that he would take Li Huaiyu down within a week.
