Chapter 86 - 86: If you don't welcome me, why should I stay?
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: If you don’t welcome me, why should I stay?
After over an hour of fuss, it was finally time to eat.
Qi Tianyu, starving, crazily scooped up his curry rice into his mouth.
While eating, he didn’t forget to evaluate himself.
“Damn, this curry is so good, yet those people only gave me five points.”
“You should be content,” Shu Yan said. “Keep talking, and both Young Master Jiang and Jiaojiao’s glares could bore holes through you.”
Qi Tianyu looked up and sure enough, he saw two resentful and indignant stares coming from not far away.
Qi Tianyu: “….”
He silently turned around with his bowl.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li left the dining table and went into the kitchen.
Just as everyone was wondering, they saw her carrying out a full basin of rice.
“You all have been working hard all morning, make sure to refuel with some carbs.”
Qi Tianyu was on the verge of tears, “Sister Li, how did you know I didn’t have enough rice? You even cooked so much in advance, that’s so thoughtful.”
[I’m dying of laughter, look at Qi getting all emotional over a basin of rice.]
[Wait, could the king that Jiang Li is supposed to protect be Qi? She seems really nice to him all day!]
Jiang Yan also laughed and went straight up with his empty bowl.
“I knew you wouldn’t let your own brother go hungry. Come on, fill it up.”
Jiang Li smiled with narrowed eyes, “Just eating white rice won’t do. I’ve got lots of fried tomato and eggs and some pickles too, want to pair it with those?”
Jiang Yan nodded like pounding garlic, “What are you waiting for then, hurry and bring it out.”
“Okay, keep helping me in the afternoon and I’ll keep you fed.”
Jiang Yan’s hand froze, “Damn, even now you want to take advantage of me?”
Jiang Li’s gaze shifted to his bowl full of rice, “Aren’t you taking advantage of me? Aunt Li gave me the rice, I cooked it, and I made the dishes. What, you want to eat for free?”
Jiang Yan: “I….”
Qi Tianyu, from the side, snickered gleefully.
Good thing he wasn’t Jiang Li’s real brother.
His treatment was even worse than a stranger’s.
Looking at his own empty, protesting stomach for hours, Jiang Yan caved.
“I’ll help you with the work.”
After all, they had already cleared the grass from the field.
He didn’t believe there could be any grueling farm work left in the afternoon.
Exchanging a bit of labor for food was worth it.
So, they all sat around the small table and started happily enjoying the satisfying meal.
He Yun also filled his bowl with rice, and then moved half the fish from his own plate to Jiang Li’s.
“I can’t finish this fish by myself, let me share half with you as a thank you for teaching me how to cook.”
Qi Tianyu’s eyes widened, “Damn, Brother He, you are so generous.”
He then felt he couldn’t be outdone and served some of his untouched curry beef to Jiang Li.
“Brother He did this, so if I don’t show some gratitude, it’d be wrong.”
“Exactly,” Shu Yan also shared some Zhajiang noodles, “If it weren’t for Xiao Li’s sweet potato flower, I doubt I could have scored as much.”
Soon, Jiang Li’s plate gathered various colorful foods.
[Wow, these people are so heartwarming, it makes me feel all warm inside.]
[I thought this show would be a battleground of celebrities with scandals, who knew it would turn into a harmonious rural variety show?]
[The Movie Emperor is too good, giving Jiang Li the part of the fish with the least bones and the most meat, could the rumored couple not actually be a thing?]
But the seemingly harmonious scene had its exceptions.
Such as Wen Jiaojiao.
Watching everyone chatting and laughing, a hint of unintended loss crossed her face.
But then her expression became resolute and arrogant.
All these mediocre dishes being passed around, she couldn’t care less!
Thinking this, she turned and was about to leave.
“Aren’t you going to stay and eat something?”
A clear female voice rang out behind her.
Wen Jiaojiao was all too familiar with this voice, so she was quite surprised upon hearing it.
However, when she turned around, she saw Jiang Li still sitting on the stool eating gracefully, not even shifting her gaze, as if she were only asking an ordinary person an ordinary question.
Wen Jiaojiao felt inexplicably annoyed.
She bit her lip and muttered softly, “Stay? You don’t even welcome me, why should I stay?”
“Hey.” Jiang Yan pointed at her with a finger, “You can eat recklessly but not speak recklessly, don’t carelessly accuse us of bullying the weak, the camera is still here.”
Wen Jiaojiao rolled her eyes, “Since when do you care so much about your image?”
Despite speaking disdainfully, she gradually retracted her steps to leave.
Jiang Li noticed this small movement and a smile crossed her eyes, then she spoke, “I’ll say it again, there’s no free lunch in this world. You can eat, but you have to bring all your seafood here.”
Qi Tianyu was startled, frantically making facial gestures at Jiang Li.
“Sister Li, are you serious? Her seafood… can it really be eaten?”
He felt uncomfortable just watching the villagers’ expressions as they ate.
Even putting that stuff on the table without eating it was enough to ruin the appetite.
Wen Jiaojiao was also surprised, “You mean… you want to eat the seafood I cooked?”
Really?
She didn’t even dare to eat it herself.
Jiang Li nodded slightly, “You just don’t know how to prepare it. I checked; much of the seafood isn’t cooked, and there are no seasonings. A quick stir-fry might salvage it a bit.”
Qi was thoroughly impressed by Jiang Li’s culinary skills.
Hearing this, his eyes lit up.
Great, does this mean they will have seafood?!
Immediately, he stood up and moved another stool over.
“Ah, come on, it’s just adding another pair of chopsticks. I made too much curry anyway, here, have some, come and eat.”
[Ha ha ha ha ha ha, Qi, you almost stamped ‘wanting seafood’ on your forehead!]
[It feels like Qi is loosening up a lot, even better than his state on “King of Roast”.]
[Although Jiang Li made demands, it feels like she’s giving Wen Jiaojiao a way out, such a proud person as Wen Jiaojiao definitely wouldn’t accept Jiang Li’s invitation directly.]
Hearing this, Jiang Yan instantly scowled.
“Move the stool over there; I don’t want to sit next to this Princess Disease.”
Wen Jiaojiao was directly provoked into laughter.
“Who are you calling Princess Disease? You’re the one with Young Master Syndrome, aren’t you?”
Having said that, she plopped down onto the stool.
“Today, I’m sitting right here and not leaving. You better feel so upset that you can’t eat.”
“Heh, joking, I might as well let you eat it all.”
The two continued arguing while frantically hoarding dishes from the table into their own bowls.
Having tasted the tomato and eggs again, Wen Jiaojiao sighed in relief, but immediately returned to her indifferent demeanor and snorted lightly, “It’s barely passable.”