Hearing this, Qin Hongying widened her eyes and clapped her hands, silently complaining about Xu Qingqing's flaws.
Lu Chuanbai put the shelled shrimp into Xu Qingqing's bowl. When he looked up, he noticed that Qin Hongying was no longer hovering behind them.
He leaned over to Xu Qingqing. His voice was like well - aged red wine, filled with charm and a captivating softness.
"Say it one more time for your husband to hear."
Hearing this, Xu Qingqing choked on the rice grains in her mouth and coughed violently.
This startled Lu Chuanbai. He quickly patted Xu Qingqing on the back until she coughed out the rice grain in her throat.
Xu Qingqing's cheeks were pink from choking, and even tears welled up. Her eyes were red, looking as delicate as a flower in the rain, extremely endearing.
Those captivating peach - blossom eyes of hers held Lu Chuanbai's gaze. He couldn't help but curve his lips and let out a soft laugh. He reached out his finger and poked Xu Qingqing's soft cheek.
If one ignored the oil - stained gloves on Lu Chuanbai's hands and the oil stain on Xu Qingqing's cheek, this would have been an extremely romantic scene.
Xu Qingqing glared at him angrily with her peach - blossom eyes, her cheeks puffed out like an angry pufferfish.
This detestable Lu Chuanbai!
He had whispered nonsense in her ear, making her cough violently, and then he had smeared the oil from his gloves on her face. He was so hateful!
Xu Qingqing stomped hard on Lu Chuanbai's foot with her transparent strappy sandals and huffed angrily.
"Lu Chuanbai! Are you trying to make me mad?"
Looking at the oil stain on Xu Qingqing's face, Lu Chuanbai thought she looked like an angry kitten with its fur all fluffed up. He laughed heartily in a good mood.
He picked up the tissue on the table and wiped the oil stain off Xu Qingqing's face.
"Come on, don't be angry. I didn't do it on purpose."
"You did it on purpose."
Xu Qingqing snorted and stuffed all the shrimp in her bowl into her mouth. She chewed on the shrimp angrily to vent her frustration. Her chubby cheeks stuffed with food made her look even more like a pufferfish.
Lu Chuanbai occasionally rubbed Xu Qingqing's cheek with the back of his clean hand, which made Xu Qingqing glare at him frequently.
Sitting across from them, Xu Yiyi and Xu An'an ate their food quietly. They were already immune to the show of affection between Lu Chuanbai and Xu Qingqing, where Lu Chuanbai would provoke Xu Qingqing and Xu Qingqing would pretend to be angry.
Meanwhile, Qin Hongying, who was hiding in the kitchen, was very angry when she saw the young couple's bickering. She shook her head in pain and regret, then crouched and walked over to Aunt Zhou.
Qin Hongying continued to silently complain to Aunt Zhou, who was stirring the soup in the casserole with a spoon.
"This woman is so unladylike. She's even led the once calm and composed Lu Chuanbai astray!"
"I really don't know what Lu Chuanbai sees in her. Chuanbai's father still doesn't care about Lu Chuanbai at all, letting him marry such a crazy woman."
"No, I must set some rules for her!"
Aunt Zhou, who was putting the lid on the casserole, didn't say anything, but she thought that Qin Hongying was being too nosy in her heart.
The young couple could do whatever they wanted, but she insisted on playing the role of the evil mother - in - law.
Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai finished their meal while teasing each other. They threw away the take - out boxes and planned to call Zhu Lulu, who had gone for lunch, to continue their afternoon itinerary.
Qin Hongying, who was having a bland and healthy meal in the kitchen, interrupted the family's plan again. She knocked the porcelain spoon against the casserole, making a clanging sound.
"You guys don't even think about going out to play this afternoon. You have to go to the temple with me to pay respects to the Buddha and offer incense."
Qin Hongying still didn't trust Xu Qingqing. She thought there was still something unclean about Xu Qingqing and that she needed to go to the temple to worship the Buddha for a few days to completely get rid of it.
Hearing this, Xu Qingqing's eyebrows, which had been raised in joy, instantly drooped. She slumped weakly on the sofa.
She knew that her life could never be smooth sailing. Even if there was no evil mother - in - law in her married life, there would still be other obstacles.
Lu Chuanbai reached out his hand regretfully and stroked her forehead. He leaned over to Xu Qingqing's ear and said, "I'm sorry. You've really had a hard time on this trip."
Xu Qingqing hugged Lu Chuanbai's waist and sat up, shrinking into his arms. She had lost interest in the rest of the island life and looked completely listless.
"Chuanbai, when can we leave?"
This was the first time Xu Qingqing had ever wanted to escape a trip so badly.
The two children each hugged one of Lu Chuanbai's legs. They were like wilted sunflowers, blinking their absent - minded big eyes at Lu Chuanbai.
Xu Yiyi covered her small mouth with her hand and whispered, "Dad, this grandma isn't as fun as grandpa and grandma. I don't want to stay with her anymore."
Children are the most sensitive to adults' emotions. Qin Hongying had been speaking ill of Xu Qingqing all the time.
Xu Yiyi was a smart child. She had always maintained surface politeness, but in her heart, she didn't like Qin Hongying.
Xu An'an also nodded in agreement, pouting unhappily.
This old witch had been speaking ill of mom. She hated her!
Whoever spoke ill of mom, she would hate!
"The day after tomorrow. If auntie keeps acting like this, we'll leave the day after tomorrow."
Lu Chuanbai knew what Xu Qingqing and the two children were thinking. He lovingly played with Xu Qingqing's hair, twirling it around his finger.
Even if the originally seven - day island vacation was forcibly shortened, he couldn't let Xu Qingqing suffer any more grievances.
Hearing this, Xu Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief and sat up a little straighter, her body losing its strength.
If it was only for two days, she could barely accept it.
After smelling the fragrant spicy crayfish, Qin Hongying found her healthy black chicken soup tasteless.
Normally, she could drink one and a half bowls, but today she only drank half a bowl and couldn't eat anymore. She told Aunt Zhou to take the dishes away.
"Go to the vegetable market and buy more dishes this afternoon. You don't know how to be flexible when there are guests."
Qin Hongying gave a disdainful look at the take - out garbage in the kitchen, scolded Aunt Zhou, and then walked out of the dining room. She tried to calm her expression.
"Come on, let's go to the Leihai Temple on the island to pay respects to the Buddha."
"Okay."
Xu Qingqing and the other three stood up listlessly and followed behind Qin Hongying.
The midday sun was scorching.
Walking in the sun, Xu Qingqing felt like a crab in a steamer, suffocating from the heat.
Even when she fanned herself with her hand, she couldn't feel the slightest bit of coolness.
Lu Chuanbai held a black sunshade and stood beside Xu Qingqing and the two children to protect them from the sun.
Lu Chuanbai remembered that it was a full kilometer from the villa to the Leihai Temple. He felt sorry for his wife and children being so hot in the sun, so he took the initiative to suggest.
"Auntie, how about we rent a sightseeing car and drive to the Leihai Temple? It'll be cooler that way."
But Qin Hongying firmly disagreed. She said reasonably, "That won't do. Since we're going to pay respects to the Buddha, we should walk there so that the Buddha can see our sincerity."
"If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, then what kind of Buddha - worshiping is it!"
Seeing Lu Chuanbai holding the big black sunshade to protect Xu Qingqing tightly, Qin Hongying felt unhappy again.