"Oh my son! Bai Fendou, you heartless dog, you've lost all conscience! If you want revenge, come at me instead! What kind of man are you to bully my son?" The tragic crying echoed throughout the courtyard.
Jiang Lu rushed forward to hit Bai Fendou, crying and cursing, "You bastard, you're despicable and shameless!"
As a physically weak woman, Jiang Lu's hits didn't hurt much, and Bai Fendou couldn't fight back. He dodged left and right, explaining, "It wasn't intentional, I was just joking. I meant to joke with little Zhuang."
Zhou Qun couldn't accept this explanation. He said, "You're lying! Zhuang Zhixi and I were talking the whole way. If you wanted to joke around, you would've known I was there too. You clearly wanted revenge on me."
Bai Fendou felt he couldn't explain himself anymore. After all, they had some grievances from a few days ago, and now everything was too muddled to explain clearly.
As soon as Zhou Qun finished speaking, Jiang Lu cried even harder and raised her hand to scratch Bai Fendou. He blocked her hand and pushed her away. Though he wouldn't hit women, he couldn't let them slap his face either - a man's dignity was extremely important.
Jiang Lu nearly fell when pushed away, which angered the Zhou family even more. Madam Zhou Li cursed, "You useless thing!"
She stepped forward and immediately slapped Bai Fendou across the face, leaving a clear handprint. The onlookers silently clicked their tongues, impressed by Madam Zhou Li's fierce strike.
Of course, with such a commotion, how could the neighbors not hear?
Plus, when Zhuang Zhixi ran over earlier to call people, he had shouted quite loudly.
"Brother Fendou kicked Zhou into the toilet!"
With this earth-shattering announcement, people from every household came out. Some teenage boys ran like the wind toward the public toilet, eager to see if Zhou Qun had really fallen in.
When everyone gathered around, they saw Bai Fendou had already helped Zhou Qun out. Countless eyes examined them carefully up and down, but saw no signs of sewage - apparently being kicked into the toilet was different from being kicked into the septic tank.
One could say that Zhou Qun not falling into the septic tank had deprived everyone of quite a bit of gossip material and entertainment.
Still, a spectacle was a spectacle. Bai Fendou kicking Zhou Qun for no good reason - shouldn't they discuss this properly?
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's attacks had ignited some anger in Bai Fendou, who shouted in explanation, "I really didn't mean to kick Zhou Qun!"
Zhuang Zhixi raised his hand: "That's right, Brother Fendou kept saying he wanted to kick me. I don't know why - I hadn't even interacted with him since paying New Year's respects..." He looked puzzled, but then added, "But since Brother Fendou said he wanted to kick me, he must have meant to kick me, not deliberately seek revenge on Brother Zhou or make up an excuse to avoid being labeled as petty..."
His words only made everyone more convinced that this was exactly what had happened.
Bai Fendou wanted revenge on Zhou Qun for the five yuan from two days ago but didn't want to be seen as petty, so he tried to pin it on Zhuang Zhixi.
Yes, that must be it.
Bai Fendou grew anxious: "Little Zhuang, please stop talking!"
Zhuang Zhixi looked even more innocent, saying, "I'm just trying to explain things for you! Otherwise, Aunt Zhou and Sister-in-law Zhou will misunderstand you."
"There's no misunderstanding!" Madam Zhou Li lunged forward throwing slaps, "You did it on purpose! You heartless bachelor, you're just jealous of our Zhou Qun! You wanted revenge on him! How did we end up with such a vicious neighbor? Everyone, judge for yourselves - is Bai Fendou even human anymore?"
"No!" someone shouted loudly, clearly enjoying the drama.
Wang Xiangxiu quickly spoke up: "I think Fendou isn't that kind of person. He likes to joke around and can be a bit reckless, but he's not a bad person, and he doesn't have a black heart. You're really misunderstanding him."
Aunt Zhou spat: "Bah! What misunderstanding? You two have something going on, I won't even bother talking about it. How dare you lecture me? What kind of person are you to speak here?"
"Aunt Zhou, how can you talk like that! My Xiangxiu was just trying to help. Why else would she get involved in this mess? We've all been neighbors for so long - don't you know what kind of person Bai Fendou is? My Xiangxiu is right. You can say he's a bit unruly, but how could he be a bad person?"
"Well, that's not entirely..."
People are like weeds swaying in the wind, believing one thing one moment and another the next.
Ming Mei came to Zhuang Zhixi's side with rolled-up sleeves, asking softly, "Are you okay?"
Though these aunties had strong fighting spirits, Ming Mei was more concerned about Zhuang Zhixi - he was her husband after all.
Zhuang Zhixi chuckled quietly and said, "What could happen to me? This has nothing to do with me. Let them sort it out themselves."
A flash of mockery crossed his eyes, but he quickly said, "Are you cold? If you're cold, let's go back."
Ming Mei's eyes widened as she firmly shook her head: "I want to watch!"
Though her mother-in-law's house didn't have a radio, here was a live show that couldn't be missed. Such entertainment was rare - you wouldn't find this anywhere else. The young couple stood close together, watching as Aunt Zhou wailed and cursed, crying bitter tears and repeatedly insulting Bai Fendou's ancestors going back eighteen generations.
Meanwhile, she deployed martial arts moves worthy of a kung fu novel, seemingly intent on turning Bai Fendou into a panda or shredding him like potato strips. As the scene devolved into chaos, Aunt Wang could only massage her temples in distress - her job as mediator wasn't easy.
"Alright, are you two families going to keep this up forever? Are you putting on a movie show for us on New Year's Day? Aren't you ashamed of yourselves at your age? Bai Fendou, watch yourself - keep acting wild like this and you'll never find a wife."
Today's incident couldn't be solved by blaming both sides equally - it was Bai Fendou's fault.
Bai Fendou protested: "Aunt Wang, why are you cursing me like that?"
Aunt Wang replied: "Then stop doing such foolish things! Aunt Zhou, how about this - your Zhou Qun was wronged, and that's Bai Fendou's fault. Let him compensate you with some money and let's end it here? We're all neighbors - if this gets bigger, how will we face each other in the future? It won't look good."
"Well then... ten yuan!" Aunt Zhou demanded exorbitantly.
Aunt Wang: "Fine, ten yuan it is. Bai Fendou, pay up."
Ten yuan was truly a lot, but Aunt Wang had grown tired of dealing with Bai Fendou's affairs these past few days. She wanted to punish him a bit, make him understand that he couldn't just act on impulse. Such a grown man, yet his actions were so childish.
Bai Fendou: "That's too much."
"You won't pay? Then this isn't over!" Aunt Zhou yelled.
Aunt Wang: "Bai Fendou, do you want them to report this to the street committee? Won't you face criticism at your factory then?"
Though Bai Fendou was extremely unwilling, with Aunt Wang's intervention and her combination of soft and hard tactics, he finally apologized and paid the ten yuan compensation, which finally settled the matter.
Ming Mei sincerely sighed: "Aunt Zhou earned that money too easily. In just three days, she's made fifteen yuan. That's worth half a month's salary for most people."
Though her voice was low, others heard and nodded in agreement.
It must be said that this drama between the two families gave everyone plenty to talk about before bed. If it had happened earlier, it could have served as entertainment during dinner. Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei returned home together. As soon as they entered, Ming Mei said, "He didn't look like he was lying - he really meant to hurt you, didn't he?"
Though Ming Mei was innocent, she wasn't stupid.
Zhuang Zhixi nodded. His first action upon entering was to stoke the stove - an unchanging routine.
After all, how could he let his little wife get cold?
He said, "Who knows what kind of madness got into Bai Fendou that he wanted to harm me. Probably jealous that I found such a good wife."
He sneered, "He deserved to lose that money."
Ming Mei's big dark eyes were watery as she said, "You used to say he wasn't a bad person."
Zhuang Zhixi thought for a moment and said, "You can't say he's a bad person, but he's definitely a bit odd. He used to be fine, but in recent years, as he's gotten older, instead of finding a wife, he spends all day following Wang Xiangxiu around, helping her take care of kids. Watching those little troublemakers all day, over time, he's been influenced by them and his behavior has become childish."
Ming Mei: "What nonsense."
She was quite upset. Although watching today's drama had been entertaining, it was true that this person had bullied their Zhuang Zhixi, and Ming Mei wasn't happy about it. She said, "Should we teach him a lesson?"
She started rolling up her sleeves.
Zhuang Zhixi smiled and shook his head, leaning down to kiss her cheek, saying, "No need. Actually fighting would be stooping too low; we're better than that. Besides, after today, he and Zhou Qun will definitely be at each other's throats even more. Zhou Qun isn't any better himself."
Zhuang Zhixi immediately started chattering to Ming Mei, "See? Isn't Zhou Qun annoying too? He really thinks he's somebody important."
Ming Mei was speechless: "What's wrong with these people?"
"They're just mentally ill," Zhuang Zhixi said dismissively, then added, "Let's not talk about them. You know, I've never really lost out to them since we were kids."
Ming Mei raised an eyebrow: "So when did you lose out?"
Zhuang Zhixi immediately put on a pained expression and said, "I lost out today, didn't I? We encountered robbers, and my heart is still pounding from the shock. Want to come over and listen? See if my heart is beating especially fast?"
Ming Mei: "..."
She blushed and remained silent, staring at Zhuang Zhixi.
Zhuang Zhixi: "Darling, you don't even feel sorry for me. Look, my chest hurts, and you won't even come rub it better."
Ming Mei's cheeks reddened: "You're impossible! Saying such improper things."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled: "What's improper? I'm being completely honest. Darling, could it be that you're thinking something naughty?"
Ming Mei: "You, you, you!"
When it came to being thick-skinned about such matters, Ming Mei couldn't compete.
She let out a heavy snort, and Zhuang Zhixi gave her a mischievous grin.
Ming Mei's face grew even redder. She took a deep breath and said, "Your chest hurts?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "Mm-hmm."
He made an exaggerated grimace and said, "It hurts, it really hurts."
Ming Mei: "Take off your clothes."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Huh?"
This time it was his turn to be stunned.
Ming Mei said with a straight face: "My family has a folk remedy. When your chest hurts, you should stand in a horse stance in the courtyard with your upper body bare. The colder the weather, the better. Stand for an hour and you'll be cured." She was making it up with complete seriousness.
Zhuang Zhixi: "What? What!"
He looked shocked: "Darling, how can you be so cruel?"
Ming Mei poked him and said, "That's what you get for teasing me."
Zhuang Zhixi burst out laughing and said, "If I were to tease someone else, wouldn't that be wrong? You're my wife."
As he spoke, he suddenly scooped Ming Mei up and tossed her onto the bed. Ming Mei: "Ah!"
Zhuang Zhixi quickly covered her mouth, saying, "My dear lady, keep your voice down. It wouldn't be good if people heard."
He wasn't afraid of people hearing, but he didn't want people gossiping about his wife.
Ming Mei blinked her long eyelashes and said coyly, "You threw me..."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Now I'll throw myself..."
He pounced on her, and Ming Mei couldn't help but let out another "Ah!"
Zhuang Zhixi covered Ming Mei's mouth, and soon the bed began creaking...
This bed was certainly able to withstand quite a test!
Quite capable indeed!
Zhuang Zhixi reached out and turned off the light. Click! The room went dark.
The young couple didn't know that not far from their door, someone was standing there. Wang Xiangxiu had just exchanged a few words with Bai Fendou at the door. She really couldn't understand why Bai Fendou could be so foolish, why he had to do such things for no reason.
Although Bai Fendou said he was just playing around with Zhuang Zhixi.
But Wang Xiangxiu felt that whether it was Zhou Qun or Zhuang Zhixi, this Bai Fendou was incredibly stupid. No matter who it was, attacking someone like that would never be forgotten; wasn't he just asking to pay compensation?
If this wasn't stupid, what was?
If he truly wanted revenge, that would be one thing, but he didn't. Bai Fendou just couldn't stand seeing others doing well and wanted to cause trouble. Wang Xiangxiu truly felt that even after fifty years, this man would never be worthy of her.
Compared to her late husband, they were worlds apart.
He couldn't even compare to her husband's little toe.
He was genuinely stupid, but she had to keep this fool under control now. If she didn't, with just her salary alone - those twenty-something yuan - how could she possibly support five people?
The three boys were all big eaters.
Though she was very dissatisfied with Bai Fendou as a person, she still spoke to him gently and comforted him. After a long while, Bai Fendou went home, and only then did she walk toward her own home. But just as she reached the door, she heard sounds coming from Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei's room.
She heard Ming Mei's sharp cry, and although she didn't know exactly what the married couple was doing in their room, as a previously married woman herself, she understood. Her heart suddenly became active. She stood there, listening carefully to the sounds from that direction, but apart from another cry, there were no other sounds, though the light went out.
That was quite telling.
Wang Xiangxiu hesitated about whether to go eavesdrop under their window. She bit her lip, conflicted.
At this hour, not everyone was asleep yet. If someone saw her, it would be embarrassing, but she was terribly curious.
After hesitating for a long time, Wang Xiangxiu finally decided not to risk it. She returned home with a dejected face. Aunt Su was mending clothes at the time. The three boys were good kids, but they were also mischievous - their perfectly good clothes would get torn every few days, requiring constant mending.
Aunt Su didn't look up, asking softly, "Did you calm him down?"
Wang Xiangxiu nodded, and not wanting the children to hear, she lowered her voice: "Mom, isn't he just an idiot? In just these few days, he's lost fifteen yuan. That money could have been used for something better instead of being paid to the Zhou family."
The last time could be said to have had a reason, but this time it was purely because he had rocks in his head.
Wang Xiangxiu was furious: "Two times, fifteen yuan already! That's fifteen yuan - enough to buy cotton shoes for all three children."
Aunt Su's needle had become a bit dull. She lifted it and rubbed it in her hair to sharpen it, then continued sewing, saying, "That's true, but he's already done it, so what can we do? In my opinion, you should keep a closer eye on him in the future. Men are like children, simple-minded. Be flexible but firm with him, control him, guide him more. Then these things will happen less often."
Wang Xiangxiu sighed and nodded.
Aunt Su: "If you ask me, that Zhuang kid isn't any good either. He seems to be explaining things to Bai Fendou, but he's actually stirring up trouble everywhere."
When Wang Xiangxiu heard Zhuang Zhixi's name, her face reddened slightly.
Aunt Su looked up casually, startled, and said, "Getting romantic thoughts?"
Wang Xiangxiu was embarrassed: "No, no, I just happened to hear some noise from their room when I came back."
Aunt Su: "You need to pay attention to his side too. He has more money than he can spend, and we should help him spend some of it. But from what I've seen, this young man is clever, not easy to approach. He's not as straightforward as his brother."
Wang Xiangxiu sighed: "Zhuang Zhiyuan does earn a lot, and he's not so calculating, but he's rarely home. I can't work my way in."
In this courtyard, Zhou Qun earned the most, but Zhou Qun was hard to manipulate - though he had money, he wouldn't act without good reason. Next was Zhuang Zhiyuan, who had a respectable job and good salary, but as a long-distance train attendant, he was away from home for half the month, so she couldn't get close to him.
If she had to say who she liked best, it would definitely be Zhuang Zhixi. He was good-looking, clean, pure, and handsome - no one in the courtyard could match his looks. But before he had no money, and now... she wasn't sure if he controlled the money. Among all the men in the courtyard, Wang Xiangxiu had them all figured out.
She thought for a moment and said, "Mom, when work starts, I'll go to the factory clinic to see the gynecologist."
Aunt Su: "Hmm?"
Wang Xiangxiu said, "Get closer to Zhuang Zhixi."
Aunt Su gave Wang Xiangxiu a deep look and said, "Find out who manages the money in his family - him or his wife. If it's his wife who manages it, don't waste your energy."
Wang Xiangxiu replied, "I understand."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat cross-legged, analyzing all the men in the courtyard, young and old, mapping out their strategy before finally allowing themselves to sleep.
The night was deep, and almost every household was sound asleep when Ming Mei and Zhuang Zhixi finally finished their "happy time." Zhuang Zhixi got up to fetch water for Ming Mei to wash up. After they cleaned up, Ming Mei lay languidly on the bed, as if boneless.
Zhuang Zhixi moved closer, brushed aside her long hair, and lay down beside her, asking, "Tired?"
Ming Mei nodded, saying softly, "It's already midnight, how could I not be tired?"
Zhuang Zhixi chuckled quietly and began gently massaging her shoulders, asking, "Does this feel better?"
Ming Mei complained coyly, "It's not my shoulders that are tired."
Zhuang Zhixi laughed deeply and said, "Then let me massage your waist."
Ming Mei nodded, "Do you know how?"
Zhuang Zhixi replied, "What's there not to know? Just relax."
He sat on the bed, focused on massaging his wife, and asked, "Is this okay?"
Ming Mei nodded, "It's quite good."
Zhuang Zhixi said, "Although I don't know much about medicine, I've picked up a thing or two from hanging around the clinic all day."
Ming Mei burst into laughter and murmured, "We're going to bed so late, we definitely won't be able to get up early tomorrow."
Zhuang Zhixi didn't seem concerned and said, "What young person doesn't sleep in? You can't call yourself young if you don't sleep in! Everyone works so hard during the week, it's perfectly normal to catch up on sleep during holidays."
Ming Mei made a sound of agreement and said softly, "If mother-in-law gets unhappy, you'll have to stand up for me."
Zhuang Zhixi laughed and said, "Did you even need to say that? What kind of man would I be if I couldn't do that much? Did you really think I was just a pretty face who needed your protection for everything?"
Ming Mei let out a soft hum and said, "Who knows?"
Despite her words, her voice was particularly soft, making Zhuang Zhixi feel weak in his bones.
He bent down to kiss her gently, and Ming Mei responded with, "Mmm..."
She panted, "I'm really tired, I need to sleep..."
She couldn't muster any more energy.
Seeing her looking all vulnerable, Zhuang Zhixi pulled her close and said, "I won't do anything more. If you're tired, go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, let's go ice skating at Houhai."
Ming Mei's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "Okay."
While the young couple was always thinking about spending time together dating, the elderly had different thoughts.
Old Comrade Zhao Guihua believed in early to bed, early to rise for good health. Unlike the young couple who spent half the night in pleasure, she had gone to bed early. As soon as dawn broke, she was up. She wasn't even the earliest - there were already people chattering in the courtyard.
Zhao Guihua made breakfast, but not too much.
She had some understanding of her younger son and daughter-in-law's habits. Though she didn't know they had stayed up until midnight, she had experience from her previous life. So she didn't include their portions in breakfast.
After the family finished breakfast, Zhao Guihua took some money and went out. She wasn't an idle old lady. She had her own affairs to attend to, and she headed straight for the store. She had made up her mind early on to buy herself a fishing rod.
Previously, she had learned to fish with nets from watching videos on Douyin, but that method only worked well in winter when there were plenty of fish. It wasn't very suitable for other situations. Besides, after catching so many fish from the pond before the New Year, it might not work as well now.
Moreover, she couldn't keep borrowing Aunt Wang's fishing net. Once was fine, but doing it repeatedly wasn't appropriate.
So before the New Year, Zhao Guihua had decided to buy herself a fishing rod and practice fishing. Although there were various regulations these days, nobody really minded if you went fishing with a rod.
As long as you didn't catch anything too conspicuous, like dozens of jin of fish, it was considered just getting a bite to eat, and no one would interfere.
There were several spots in the city that were already claimed by fishing enthusiasts.
After all, who doesn't want to improve their living conditions?
That's what everyone thinks!
So it wasn't strange for Zhao Guihua to buy a fishing rod. She had looked at them once before the New Year, but only expensive ones were left, so she hadn't bought one. They said new stock would arrive on the second day of the New Year. That's why Zhao Guihua had come rushing over now. Although she didn't know how to fish, there was always room to learn.
She could learn!
Even if others discovered her mountain pond and it wasn't exclusively hers anymore, she could try other places. Any catch would be good. Zhao Guihua headed to the store and went to the fishing equipment section, saying, "Hello, comrade, serve the people. I want a fishing rod."
"Let's work hard together for progress, comrade. Which type would you like?"
She pointed and said, "There are ones for six yuan, nine yuan, and twelve yuan, and even more expensive ones."
Zhao Guihua decisively chose the six-yuan rod. As a beginner, why use an expensive one?
Not worth it!
She bought the fishing rod and a spool of fishing line before paying and leaving.
Since coming back in time, Zhao Guihua hadn't really thought about how to proceed, as she had been constantly pushed forward by one thing after another. Isn't that just how life is? Actually, even though they were poor now and the food wasn't good, Zhao Guihua was quite content.
Firstly, getting to start over and return to youth would make anyone happy.
Secondly, people were easily satisfied these days. Zhao Guihua herself was like this.
People were generally poor now, everyone was in the same boat, and the wealth gap was small. Everyone lived modestly, carefully planning just to eat well enough. When you think about it, what was so complicated? Especially for urban residents like them who had jobs - the factory assigned housing, and would take care of them from birth to death, so there wasn't much pressure.
In contrast, decades later, despite earning decent money, the large wealth gap created immense pressure, making life less enjoyable and more prone to depression. As Zhao Guihua walked home, she pondered the changes over the fifty years before and after her time travel.
But urban development was really fast.
This street would be completely different in ten or twenty years.
Zhao Guihua didn't take the bus, not because she was unwilling to spend money, but because she had time to spare and enjoyed walking around to look at things. She had been here for over half a month after her time travel but hadn't really had a chance to look around, since she arrived at the end of the year.
Then she had to think about making money.
Zhao Guihua felt she was truly a tough old lady.
However, she still needed to go to the black market. Even if not to sell things, she needed to buy some items - how could they survive on just their ration of fine grain? As for her family... they definitely wouldn't want her to go.
But Zhao Guihua had her own plans!
Once these people went to work, how could they control her?
As Zhao Guihua made her way home carrying the fishing rod, she immediately attracted attention from people in the courtyard. Madam Zhou Li, sitting at her doorway, stood up in surprise when she saw it: "Where did you get that?"
Zhao Guihua gave her a sideways glance and said, "Where do you think? Did you think I found it? Can't you see it's new? I just bought it from the store."
"You bought it? Do you even know how to fish? Don't waste your money if you can't catch anything," Madam Zhou Li thought Zhao Guihua was being unrealistic.
Zhao Guihua replied, "If I buy it, I'll learn gradually. If I never buy one, I'll never learn. Hey, could it be that you're jealous because you saw me buy a fishing rod and you're envious of the big fish I'll catch?"
Madam Zhou Li scoffed, "Hmph, who's jealous? I don't believe you can do it."
If she couldn't do it, how could Zhao Guihua?
Zhao Guihua: "Well, just watch me. I'll definitely succeed."
"Ugh, ugh ugh..."
Suddenly, retching sounds came from inside the house. Zhao Guihua froze, and so did Madam Zhou Li, but she quickly let out a cry and rushed inside: "Jiang Lu, are you feeling nauseous? Are you pregnant?"
After ten years of marriage without children, Madam Zhou Li had become extremely sensitive to such signs.
Zhao Guihua glanced into the house and suddenly noticed a bottle by the stove, with just a little bit of a dark red residue at the bottom. She immediately recognized it as the dog blood bottle Jiang Lu had brought that night.
She felt nauseous: "Ugh!"
She almost vomited and didn't stick around to watch, heading straight home. She couldn't take it.
She knew that Jiang Lu wasn't pregnant.
It was probably the leftover black dog blood that made her feel sick.
Thinking about it made her want to vomit too.
Zhao Guihua quickly went home. Once upon a time, she had become the most delicate one in the family. Zhao Guihua entered the house with a fishing rod, and Old Man Zhuang wasn't surprised, as they had discussed this beforehand. If they caught a few fish, they could eat them at home or sell them. Old Man Zhuang wasn't worried about that.
Old Man Zhuang smiled and said, "Shall we go to the Back Sea to practice our fishing?"
Zhao Guihua: "Sure."
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "I'll go with you too."
"Me too, me too!"
Hutou jumped up and down, eager to join. Kids didn't have much entertainment, so hearing about fishing made him excited.
Zhao Guihua was a bit worried, but Zhuang Zhiyuan said, "Let's take them. I'll watch over them."
As a father who often wasn't home, he was quite willing to spend time with his children.
Zhao Guihua: "Alright, let's go."
Zhuang Zhiyuan was going, so naturally, Liang Meifen would go too. The whole family headed out together. Before they even left the courtyard, Zhao Guihua suddenly remembered something: "Where are the third couple?"
This question made things a bit awkward.
Liang Meifen quickly reported, "They're still asleep. You're back, and they're still sleeping. They sure can sleep."
Zhao Guihua nodded and said, "Alright, let's go then. Don't worry about them."
Liang Meifen: "..."
Why didn't she scold them or wake them up? As a mother-in-law, why was she so biased? Liang Meifen's mood suddenly soured. She followed Zhao Guihua with a bitter expression, but Zhao Guihua didn't notice her looks.
If this had been her previous life, Zhao Guihua would have definitely disapproved of her youngest son and daughter-in-law being so lazy.
Not just her daughter-in-law, but her son as well.
She wasn't lazy herself, so she couldn't stand those who were.
But after a second chance at life, Zhao Guihua had become more indifferent. After fifty years, they still couldn't change, so what was the point of her nagging about it now? Besides, she had also seen the vastness of the world. Arguing with her son over trivial matters like sleeping in was just a waste of time.
So Zhao Guihua didn't take it to heart. The family walked to the Back Sea, not too close, not too far. It was a bit tiring, but doable. As long as they had a catch, taking the bus back would be a bonus.
Zhao Guihua didn't plan to go to the mountain to fish directly. They might not catch anything, and it wasn't worth the trip.
Zhuang Zhiyuan joked, "Mom, if you catch fish today, my wife won't need to buy anything when she visits her parents tomorrow. You have to save some money for your son."
He was joking, but Liang Meifen was shocked.
She couldn't believe it. Did he not want to buy anything anymore? If they only brought a fish, how could they compete with her older sister and younger sister? What face would she have at her parents' house? Liang Meifen prided herself on giving the most to her parents, making her the favorite daughter.
If she couldn't... her face changed.
Zhuang Zhiyuan was just joking, but seeing Liang Meifen's expression, he also frowned, unhappy.
Liang Meifen's eyes reddened with grievance. That was her parents' house, how could he do this?
But now, she didn't know how to speak up with her in-laws around.
Her heart was filled with bitterness, but Zhao Guihua didn't even glance at her son and daughter-in-law. She stared at a woman in the distance, lost in thought.
"Old lady, what's wrong?" Old Man Zhuang noticed Zhao Guihua's strange behavior. Looking over, he saw an unfamiliar young woman carrying a strange-looking handbag.
"What's the matter?"
Zhao Guihua slapped her thigh in excitement: "So it was her!"
Old Man Zhuang: "???"
He asked, "Do you know this person?"
Zhao Guihua shook her head: "I don't know her, but I thought of something else."
She suddenly remembered who the old lady who gave Jiang Lu the dog blood was. She had felt a bit familiar but hadn't thought about it until now. Seeing the woman's handbag, she finally remembered.
She had thought she had seen that old lady somewhere before.
That old lady was a remarkable person, truly capable. She was a widow living alone, which was never easy for an elderly woman.
So to make a living, the old lady had dabbled in various trades.
She engaged in superstitious activities and black market dealings, worked on the streets assembling cardboard boxes and sewing buttons, a true jack of all trades.
Zhao Guihua knew about her because the old lady had been caught engaging in black market activities. But the old lady was resourceful; she would run if she could, or just collapse on the spot and foam at the mouth. What could you do? She was old and a widow, and the amounts involved were usually small, so she was usually just given a few days of criticism and then released.
Over time, they even worried she might die in custody, which would be another problem to deal with.
So it was tricky.
Zhao Guihua recognized the old lady because the handbag the woman was carrying was one the old lady sold. It was said she had connections in the garment factory and could get some fabric scraps. The old lady used these scraps to sew handbags, earning a modest income but managing to live better than most.
It wasn't surprising, though. She also engaged in superstitious activities.
This wasn't without its risks; some had reported her, but without catching her in the act, there wasn't much they could do.
Zhao Guihua: "So it was her."
Old Man Zhuang: "What are you talking about?"
He was genuinely puzzled, but Zhao Guihua cackled with a crafty look.
Liang Meifen shrank behind Zhuang Zhiyuan in fear. Liang Meifen was quite contradictory; she was clearly afraid of her mother-in-law Zhao Guihua but still dared to secretly give up her job. It was quite curious.
Liang Meifen was good at overthinking and immediately thought that the mention of visiting her parents must have driven her mother-in-law to madness. That laugh was clearly not well-intentioned. Her heart was in turmoil, and she whispered, "Actually, I don't have to go back to my parents' tomorrow. There's not much to do anyway."
Her words didn't get a response from Zhao Guihua, who instead pulled the two kids and said, "Your mom still has money with me. I'll make each of you a new outfit."
The two kids immediately jumped up in joy: "Yay!"
Liang Meifen was even more worried. What was her mother-in-law planning?
What was Zhao Guihua planning?
Zhao Guihua didn't care about Liang Meifen. She was just worried about not having enough fabric coupons to save up. Wasn't this a golden opportunity falling from the sky? She knew the old lady also introduced others to buy fabric scraps. If she bought some and made clothes for the kids, wouldn't that be the same?
Although she didn't know the old lady, what did that matter? A living person couldn't be stopped by a little problem, right? She could take the initiative to get to know her! What was there to be afraid of? In modern terms, Zhao Guihua was a social butterfly!
She didn't understand what social anxiety was about.
Zhao Guihua chuckled with satisfaction: "Let's go fishing! Today's trip was worth it!"
Old Man Zhuang was still confused: "So, what's the deal?"
Zhao Guihua: "It's hard to explain in a few words, but you just know, it's a good thing."
This didn't bring joy but made Old Man Zhuang and Zhuang Zhiyuan frown, looking at the old lady with concern. Zhuang Zhiyuan tentatively asked, "Mom, you're not thinking of going to the black market again, are you? Or selling something? We can't do that. Our life isn't bad, really. We shouldn't go to those places. If we get caught, it's over."
Old Man Zhuang nodded.
This was indeed the common thinking.
Zhao Guihua glared: "Am I that unreliable?"
Zhuang Zhiyuan wanted to say yes, but he firmly said, "Mom, you're not!"
Zhao Guihua: "Well, that's settled then. I'm not stupid, I wouldn't do anything reckless."
Several members of their family had stable jobs, so she wouldn't easily take the risk of selling things, as it could bring trouble and not be worth it. However, the black market was more lenient towards buyers. Besides, besides, besides, what she was thinking about now wasn't the black market at all.
What she was thinking about was the cloth strips.
If she bought the cloth strips, she could sew a pair of shorts for each of the two children, which wasn't a bad idea at all!
"New for three years, old for three more, patched up and worn for another three."
Old clothes still needed mending, so what was the problem with sewing new clothes together?
Zhao Guihua thought more and more proudly, feeling very clever, and she put her hands on her hips: "Hahaha~"
Old Man Zhuang and Zhuang Zhiyuan looked at each other: Utterly worried!
Just worried!
