The stepsister of a peasant family in a book is spoiled by the big brothers

Chapter 135 Envy

Gong Qi came out of the bathhouse and saw Tang Luwu standing not far away with clean clothes in her hands.

"This is my eldest brother's clothes, please change the dirty clothes first!"

Gong Qi felt a little embarrassed: "Isn't this bad? Will your brother be angry?"

"My elder brother isn't that stingy." Tang Luwu stuffed the clothes into his arms. "I'm just borrowing it. I'm not going to return it to him."

"Where's your eldest brother? Oh, I see. Is he working on the dam? But your family should be able to afford the two taels of silver, so there's no need to send him off to build a dam!"

"My eldest brother is studying at the academy and will be taking the imperial examination soon. He rarely comes home. Our family spent money to buy a place, so no one is going to repair the dam."

"Thank you. I will definitely wash it clean before I leave." Gong Qi said with a smile.

"Your clothes won't be dry tomorrow, right?" Tang Luwu said, "You can wear them first. There's no need to rush."

"Just wait and dry it. Your brother's clothes are so good. It would be terrible if a waiter like me were to wear them back and they got damaged or stained with oil that can't be washed out."

"Then tomorrow you can just hang my brother's clothes on the clothesline and I will wash them. You can leave early tomorrow and don't have to work so hard." Tang Luwu said as she went into the kitchen.

Gong Qi looked at the silver-white robe and found the material to be quite comfortable to the touch.

"Scholars are different. Nine out of ten scholars like white. I really don't understand what's so good about white. It doesn't get dirty and it doesn't look festive."

Tang Yi smiled and came out after washing up, and it was Gong Qi's turn to wash up. Gong Qi personally went to the kitchen to get some hot water, then mixed it with warm water and brought it to the bathroom.

The simple bathing shed was set up by Qin Huiyin and others for the convenience of bathing. A tattered cloth was hung outside, and two empty baskets were hung on the wall inside, one for clean clothes and the other for dirty clothes. There was also a small wooden box containing soap nuts for bathing.

When Gong Qi came out of the shower, the aroma from the kitchen had already penetrated his nose. He sniffed the air and his stomach began to rumble.

Tang Yi walked over with a smile and took the dirty clothes from his hand: "I'll wash them for you."

"No, no." Gong Qi quickly snatched it back.

"You are the guest and I am the host. I should take care of you."

"No, I can do it myself." Gong Qi said awkwardly, "Ever since I lost my parents when I was ten, I've been doing my own washing and sewing. I wouldn't feel comfortable having others do it for me."

Tang Yi smiled and his eyes turned sympathetic as he looked at Gong Qi.

Gong Qi: "...Don't look at me like that. My parents were killed by bandits. It's a man-made disaster that no one can prevent. Fortunately, I have my aunt and uncle, and they are very kind to me."

"As long as there are relatives around, they are children blessed by God. There are so many orphans in the world who have lost their parents. They have no relatives to take care of them and eventually become street children."

"Are you comforting me?" Gong Qi laughed. "Okay, I am comforted. Thank you, Brother Xiao. But I have a question that I want to ask you. I hope I won't be too abrupt."

"What's the problem?" Tang Yi responded to Gong Qi with a smile while walking to the well to fetch water.

Seeing this, Gong Qi put the dirty clothes into the wooden basin and took over the job of fetching water.

"Your family looks different. Look, your mother and your second sister are fair and tender, but you and your eldest sister don't have such fair skin. Also, your mother and your second sister speak with a soft and sweet accent, while you, your second sister, and your father speak with the accent of the locals."

"This is not a secret. You can find out by asking anyone you go out. My mother and my second sister are biological mother and daughter. My mother brought my second sister to marry into our family only half a year ago."

"I see that you have a very good relationship, just like a family, without any conflicts at all..."

"We are family. My second sister said that family doesn't have to be blood relatives. As long as we care about each other, pay attention to each other, and think about each other, we are also family."

"That's great, your family is very lucky."

He followed his uncle in business and had seen all kinds of people. It was common for a man to have a stepfather after marrying a stepmother, but it was rare to have real relatives like them.

"It's time to eat!" Qin Huiyin called out. "Little brother, your favorite grilled fish and pickled fish are ready."

"Luckily, the new table is big enough, otherwise it wouldn't be able to hold all the food this greedy little cat loves." Li Taohua said, "Put the table and chairs in place, and put out the dishes and chopsticks."

"I'm coming." Tang Yi responded with a smile, and then said to Gong Qi, "Eat first and then wash! My second sister's cooking skills are unparalleled. If she opened a shop, it would definitely be packed with customers."

Gong Qi had never doubted Qin Huiyin's cooking skills. The fact that she could make so many delicious sauces proved that her cooking skills would not disappoint. However, after eating the grilled fish, the taste was still beyond his expectations.

Gong Qi looked at Qin Huiyin with burning passion, which scared Li Taohua. She thought that there was another person who was targeting her daughter. But what he said made her realize that she was worrying for nothing.

"Young Boss, can you sell me the grilled fish recipe? The price is fifty taels of silver."

Several people nearby were stunned.

Such a dish can be sold for fifty taels of silver?

Everyone looked at Qin Huiyin, waiting for her final decision.

Qin Huiyin said, "I can sell you the grilled fish recipe. If you buy it together with the pickled fish recipe, I'll give you a discount. The two dishes together will cost seventy taels."

Gong Qi tasted the pickled fish and immediately agreed.

Everyone's eyes changed when they looked at Gong Qi.

Just now, Tang Yixiao was still sympathizing with Gong Qi's situation, and looked at him as if he were looking at a small bitter melon. Now, when he looked at him again, he saw a golden God of Wealth.

"Brother Qi, please eat more." Tang Yi smiled and enthusiastically picked up some food for him.

Gong Qi smiled and said, "Thank you, you can eat too."

"Can you make the decision?" Li Taohua was skeptical. "This is seventy taels, not seventy wen."

"My aunt and uncle don't have a son, only a daughter. My cousin and I were betrothed to each other since childhood. From now on, I will be my aunt and uncle's son-in-law, so I can still make the decision."

Everyone: "..."

Who were they sympathizing with before?

He said he was a waiter, and he said the shop belonged to his uncle. He said he was just a nephew and couldn't decide who was the boss, but it turned out that he was the designated heir!

After dinner, they went to the courtyard to digest the food. As for the mess on the table, they would clean it up after they had digested the food.

Speaking of the recipe, Gong Qi said that next time he goes to their store, he will teach this skill to their chef and pay the money then.

Qin Huiyin thought there was nothing wrong with it and made an appointment with him to discuss the menu after setting up the stall next time.

Gong Qi washed his clothes and hung them in front of the charcoal brazier where grilled fish had been cooked, waiting for them to dry.

Qin Huiyin thought it was troublesome, so she asked him to take the clothes and pick them up next time.

Gong Qi smiled and said, "No, this brazier is quite hot. I'm sure it will be done if I roast it for a while."