Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Mrs. Lu ignored the mother and daughter duo. Instead, she turned toward Jiang Yao and pulled her affectionately to have another look at her. Then, she scolded her a little. "Why did you lose so much weight? Did you study too hard and forget to take good care of yourself? Look at how much weight you've lost!"

Mrs. Lu's attitude toward Jiang Yao did not change because of the rumors in town. She even noticed that Jiang Yao had lost a lot of weight. Furthermore, her complexion was not too good; it was as if she had just recovered from a serious illness even though she had always looked a little frail.

"She did lose some weight," Mr. Lu chimed in. "Didn't Xingzhi say that Yaoyao is going to stay at home for a while? That's great. She can stay at home, and we can take care of her."

"Yes, Mom. I will have to trouble you to care for my wife." Lu Xingzhi's tone became much softer when he turned around to talk to his family, especially when he spoke to Jiang Yao. His eyes were filled with tenderness.

Mrs. Li looked at the loving family and knew that she would not get the answer she wanted that day. She thought for a moment and felt that it was probably because her sister-in-law was anxious to know about Jiang Yao. She probably did not have the mood to pay attention to her, so she tactfully left with her daughter.

The mother and daughter rode the two rusted bicycles at the door. One was borrowed, and the other was their own.

The two bicycles were more than 20 years old. When the Li brothers bought the two bicycles, their names were popular in the entire county.

At that time, the Li family's conditions were not bad, but that had changed. The Li family's bicycles had been in the family for more than 20 years. Then, the neighbors who used to be envious of them had newer ones, and it was the Li family's turn to be jealous.

Li Qing got on the bicycle and looked at it. She was not happy. "Mom, our family has had this bicycle for more than 20 years. No matter how well we keep it, it is almost broken. I would have thrown it away a long time ago. The chain keeps dropping from time to time. It is always embarrassing to stop to repair the bicycle!"

It was as if her words had come true; the bike's chain loosened just as she mentioned it. Li Qing almost fell to the ground.

Mrs. Li rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Why did you say that? Why would you say that that bike could break down?"

"Do you think it won't happen just because I didn't mention it?" Li Qing was so angry that she glared at her mother and stomped her feet. She immediately pushed the bike onto the ground. "I'm not riding this broken bike anymore. Give me back my salary. I want to buy a new one myself!"

"Stupid child! Who told you to smash the bicycle like that?" Mrs. Li's heart ached when she saw that. She hurriedly repaired it. "It's still fine. I will keep your salary for you and give it to you when you get married."

"Forget it! Do you think I'm stupid? You think I don't know that you've given my salary to my brother?" Li Qing was in a bad mood. She could not control her temper and spoke the words she had hidden in her heart. "When I get married, I want to see how much of my salary you've kept for me!"

Li Qing had known that her parents valued sons over daughters, so she never reported how much salary she received each month. Every month, she would give her mother only half of her salary. Sometimes, she only gave her one-third of that. For example, she would complain about how her salary had been deducted because her customers had complained about her. Or she had been late, which was why her salary was deducted. She also had to spend some on currying favors with other people.