Chu Lian, on his way back, grew increasingly angry. That arrogant woman had actually said he was inferior to Li Fugui, and had even tricked him out of a silver tael. He was provoked and now wanted to see just where he was lacking compared to that Li Fugui.
After hastily packing some clothes to change into, he headed straight to Yang Family Village the next day. However, to his surprise, it was nearly noon and Yang Ming still hadn’t gotten up—he could guess why without even asking.
He felt somewhat awkward as he exchanged a few words with Yang Ming and then went straight to Li Fugui’s place.
Li Fugui hadn’t expected Chu Lian to come again, let alone to start moving his belongings into his room in big and small bundles.
He asked with some confusion, "Brother Chu, what are you..."
"Brother Li, I hope you don’t mind if I disturb you for a few days?" Chu Lian frankly stated his purpose.
Li Fugui felt somewhat uncomfortable at this request. Their relationship hadn’t reached the point where they could live together. "Brother Chu, my place is quite humble; I’m afraid it’s not suitable for you to stay. There’s an extra room at Yang Ming’s—why don’t you stay there instead?"
"..." Stay at Yang Ming’s place and then watch those two being affectionate?
Besides, his main purpose was to prove to that arrogant woman that he was better than Li Fugui, so of course, he wanted to stay close and observe Li Fugui’s every move. "Brother Li, don’t worry. The conditions here are fine; I can stay."
If he were the type to be picky, he wouldn’t have stayed with Yang Ming in the Academy, where the conditions weren’t very good.
Li Fugui was still somewhat reluctant. "But there’s only room for two people here. Yang Dong and I are already staying here; we really don’t have a spare place for Brother Chu."
"Brother Li, rest assured. I’ve already arranged for Yang Dong to go back," Chu Lian said.
Having had this conversation, Li Fugui could no longer refuse, and so he reluctantly agreed. However, he couldn’t fathom the reason for Chu Lian’s visit.
"Then, Brother Chu, please make yourself comfortable here. I have things to attend to outside."
After Li Fugui left, Chu Lian arranged for his own coachman to return home. Then, after swiftly tidying up the parcel he brought, he stepped outside to familiarize himself with the courtyard he was about to call home.
After looking around, he ended up in the kitchen. Did Li Fugui really want to be a cook? He was even there preparing food. However, he had to admit, the food he cooked the last two times was quite delicious.
When Li Fugui saw Chu Lian enter the kitchen again, he felt a bit awkward, as if he was being laughed at. So, he suggested, "Brother Chu, it’s a bit of a mess in here. Perhaps you should step outside."
Chu Lian frowned at these words, feeling displeased. Clearly, when that arrogant woman was around, he hadn’t been chased away. Why, when she was not there, was he being ushered out?
The more Li Fugui acted , the less Chu Lian wanted to leave. "Oh, it’s fine. Didn’t I help you with the fire last time?"
With that, he walked over to the stove. "You go on with your work; I’ll help you with the fire again."
Li Fugui was speechless. Not mentioning starting the fire would have been fine, but as soon as it came up, he remembered that because of their tending to the fire, the dishes that could have been better were a bit overcooked last time.
But seeing Chu Lian so insistent, he couldn’t refuse and started preparing other dishes with resignation.
Chu Lian stood by the stove, watching Li Fugui’s every move. Just what made Li Fugui better than him? He was known for having no real talent or learning; was it because he now focused on cooking that he was better?
Unwilling to accept this, Chu Lian thought to himself that he hadn’t even tried. If he were to take it seriously...
As he pondered, a sudden idea came to him. "Brother Li, could I perhaps do the cooking for today’s meal?"