What pissed Lame Ma off even more was that the bedside cabinet at home had been opened. The blankets inside had been taken out and placed on the stove bed to warm the two youths' bodies. There was also a tiny aluminum basin on the table. In it were oranges, apples, and other fruits. But from the looks of it, they were also his!
Lame Ma pricked up his brows as he immediately felt infuriated.
In the northeastern countryside, under normal circumstances, one wouldn't lock their doors if they went out for a short period of time. It was especially so in One Finger Village. The village's ethos was pretty good. Although there were ruffians like Dog Song, there were basically no incidents of people climbing over walls to steal money. Therefore, no one had the habit of locking their doors.
If someone went to the house and realized that it was empty, they would consciously leave. Even if they were visiting relatives, they wouldn't randomly rummage through other people's houses. The wardrobe, kitchen, refrigerator, and the separate storeroom in the basement were all private places. Anyone with the slightest bit of courtesy wouldn't touch them.
As for those who entered the house without any greeting and took the host's things to eat, that was even more unheard of!
Lame Ma was infuriated when he saw this. He had a fiery temper to begin with, so he asked with a cold expression, "These apples and whatnot belong to me, right?"
The moment that was said, the house instantly fell silent. The young couple didn't say a word. Their faces were a little red as though they were embarrassed. The man at the end of the stove bed frowned and looked at Ma Jiangping.
Ma Jiangping didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, she said with a smile, "Isn't that so? But we are siblings. We came in a hurry and didn't have the time to buy anything. The moment we entered, you weren't home … Aiyah, tell me, why is your house so messy? So I helped you tidy up the house and washed some fruits to place outside. There's no need to thank me. We are siblings, so it's only right. "
Lame Ma frowned. They had come to his house to visit relatives, but they didn't even take anything. Instead, they were eating and using his things. Then, he had to thank them!
Lame Ma's anger flared up as he waved his hand. "Jiangping, it wasn't easy for you to come all the way here. Don't tell me you are just here for a visit?" In Lame Ma's eyes, the villagers of One Finger Village were his relatives. However, they were ultimately related by blood. It wouldn't be good to chase away the Jiujiang people. Therefore, Lame Ma decided to get rid of this relative as soon as possible and send him away.
When Ma Jiangping heard this, she immediately pulled a long face and said, "Second Brother Ma, look at what you're saying. You make it sound like we're here to take advantage of you. Don't think that I'm a casual person. I'm only being casual because I treat you as a relative. If it was someone else, I wouldn't go even if they invited me. If you think we're here to take advantage of you, fine! Let's go now! Dezi, Xueyu, get off the kang bed! Let's go! "
The more Ma Jiangping spoke, the angrier she became. She directly asked her son and daughter-in-law to get off the kang bed, and then she packed her things and was about to leave.
When Lame Ma saw this, his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, Did I really think wrong?
Lame Ma wasn't good at socializing to begin with. His EQ was almost zero, at most. He was also aware of this, so at this moment, he felt that he might have wronged Ma Jiangping.
Therefore, Lame Ma hurriedly said, "Alright, alright. Why are you leaving? She had come all the way here in the cold weather. Wasn't she afraid that the child would freeze if she went out? Take a seat … "
The moment that was said, Meng Dezi and Peng Xueyu looked at Ma Jiangping.
Ma Jiangping's face remained livid as she remained silent.
Ma Jiangping's husband coughed dryly and said, "Jiangping, alright. Second Brother has already spoken. Why are you still pulling a long face? Go cook! "
Ma Jiangping glared at her husband, Meng Changming, and said, "Alright, since Second Brother has spoken, I'll listen to him."
With that said, Ma Jiangping took the streaky pork that Lame Ma had brought back and went to the kitchen. She rummaged through the cabinets and found quite a number of new year goods that Lame Ma had prepared. She then prepared to cook. Lame Ma looked at Ma Jiangping's family with his brows furrowed. Upon seeing Ma Jiangping's reaction, he felt even more pissed …
He didn't feel the pinch for these things. Now that his family was wealthy, he didn't lack these new year goods. To put it bluntly, with his culinary skills, he could attend meals every day if he didn't wish to eat at home. However, he still felt a little pissed that his family's goods had been taken out without his permission.
However, Ma Jiangping had already said that she was such a person. Since Lame Ma had forgiven her, it wasn't right to pursue the matter.
Therefore, Lame Ma gestured for Ma Jiangping's husband, Meng Changming, to sit down as the two chatted. Meng Changming seemed to have something on his mind as he hemmed and hawed. He didn't seem happy at all. For a straightforward person like Lame Ma to chat with such a person was naturally extremely depressed. Before long, the dishes were served.
The Chinese were particular about chatting at the table. After three rounds of wine, Meng Changming finally hemmed and hawed. "Second Brother, we really have something to ask of you this time."
Lame Ma's alcohol tolerance wasn't bad. Although his face was flushed red, his mind was as clear as a mirror. He nodded slightly and said, "Speak."
Meng Changming said, "This child of mine is in his twenties. He returned midway through school. Up to now, he hasn't had a proper job. He can't bear the hardships of going out to work. After much thought, I still wish for him to learn this trade. As the saying goes, one can eat everything in one dish. With this trade, he won't starve to death. Therefore, I had a chat with Jiang Ping. I wish for him to learn carpentry and engraving from you. "
With that said, Meng Changming, Ma Jiangping, and Meng Dezi looked at Lame Ma with anticipation. Even Peng Xueyu, who was feeding the two children on the ground, looked over.
Lame Ma didn't say a word. He ate a mouthful of food and took a sip of wine before saying, "Learning a trade? Sure."
The moment that was said, Meng Changming and Ma Jiangping exchanged looks and saw the joy in each other's eyes. Following that, the two of them hurriedly toasted Lame Ma.
Lame Ma's thoughts were simple. One Finger Village was recruiting disciples to begin with. It didn't matter if Meng Dezi was around or not. Besides, they were related by blood. There was no need to bring the displeasure of the older generation to the child's generation. Therefore, he agreed.
However, Lame Ma never expected that this was only the beginning!
After a few more rounds of drinking, Lame Ma began to sway a little. He became more talkative as he rambled on about One Finger Village's direction of development.
Upon hearing that One Finger Village was going to build a school, Ma Jiangping and Meng Changming exchanged looks. At that instant, their eyes lit up like light bulbs! Looking at each other across space, it was as though sparks were exploding!
Hence, Meng Changming asked, "Second Brother Ma, a school is a good place. Why don't you let Dezi learn from you for a few days so that he can be a teacher? "
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