After buying the pot, I went to the counter next door and bought bowls, chopsticks, and a small jar for storing oil.

My wallet is thinner again; making money is really urgent.

Next, I went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought 5 jin each of coarse rice (18 cents a jin) and dark flour (16 cents a jin), spending a total of 1.7 yuan.

With food, I have the motivation to work. Now it's true that if I'm full, the whole family won't go hungry. This 10 jin of grain is enough for me to eat for a month.

I bought some pickled vegetable shreds for five cents and potatoes that keep well for one cent per pound, so I bought four pounds. Cabbage was expensive at five cents per pound, so I bought a big head for three cents. Radishes were one cent per pound, so I bought five pounds.

I wanted to buy a piece of pork fat to render lard, but when I found the place, the door was closed. I asked around and found out that the butcher stalls here only have meat available on Saturdays, and you have to queue.

She could only use her last half-jin oil coupon, spending 2.46 yuan to buy 2.5 jin of soybean oil, which made her very distressed.

At the same time, I am very fortunate that my usual lifestyle saved me. I use last month's tickets this month and save this month's tickets for next month when they are issued. By doing this, I have accumulated a few tickets.

After buying these items, I picked up my bike at the bike shop and pushed it back home, just in case I dropped anything while riding. This way, I could be safer.

Taking a shortcut back, I saw Song Yaozu walking with five older children as soon as I turned the corner. He was holding a cigarette, took a puff, and then exhaled the smoke.

The person's movements were so practiced that it was definitely not their first time smoking.

Several adults walked past them, some of whom shook their heads and sighed after seeing them.

Seeing that my ten-year-old son was smoking, I realized that for a while, his clothes smelled strongly of smoke.

When Song Yaozu saw his mother, he was taken aback at first, turned around and wanted to leave, but then he thought about what he was afraid of.

Now that I have followers, teaching my mother a lesson is a piece of cake.

So he said to the tall guy next to him, "Qiangzi, go teach that woman in front of you a lesson, pin her to the ground, and I'll treat you to pig's trotters later!"

"Really? You're not lying to us?" Qiangzi was skeptical. The reason they were willing to coax this little kid was because they had found out his background and knew he was rich.

First, they would trick him out of money, and then when he refused to give them any more, they would rob him. This wasn't the first time they had done this.

The children who were extorted by them dared not speak out, and a few beatings would make them behave.

They called this money "protection money." Looking at the woman in the distance, she appeared to be in her early twenties, very thin. She had delicate features and bright eyes, and was pushing a cart towards them.

There were quite a few things on that car, which looked worth about 10 yuan. If we could steal those things and sell them, we could have enough for a few days' worth of cigarettes.

So he threw the cigarette butt in his hand on the ground and stomped it out, then waved to the people next to him, signaling them to come forward and stop the person.

The children immediately rushed over.

Seeing her ungrateful son calling for someone to teach her a lesson, Lu Zhixia parked her bicycle and waited for the kids to rush over. Then, she grabbed the nearest boy in black and did a backflip, tripping him to the ground.

The boy in blue next to her tried to help but was kicked to the ground, letting out a howl and then rolling around in pain, clutching his legs!

Qiangzi rushed over and kicked the woman, trying to knock her to the ground.

Lu Zhixia dodged and then kicked him in the backside, knocking him to the ground again.

Four of the five people have now fallen, and the remaining boy, seeing that things were not going well, turned and ran away.

When Song Yaozu saw his mother's fierce appearance, he was so frightened that his legs trembled and he felt an urge to urinate, so he wet his pants.

Seeing her son's state, Lu Zhixia was filled with disappointment and frustration. She pushed her stroller and strode over, reaching her son in just a few steps.

"Song Yaozu! Haven't I ever taught you not to hang out with thugs?!"

"You're so young, and you've already learned to smoke! You're really something!"

Song Yaozu was so frightened that he took a few steps back, realized something was wrong, and turned to run away. But his collar was grabbed and he fell backward.

Lu Zhixia wanted to spank him, but his pants were soaked, so she could only throw him on the ground, cross her arms, and stare at him.

Song Yaozu was so frightened that he kept backing away, still vivid in his memory of the beating he had received earlier. "You're not my mother, why are you hitting me like this! Lu Zhixia! You're a bad woman!"

Why are you saying that? If I'm not your mother, then who am I?

“You’re not my mom, that’s what my dad said.”

Lu Zhixia was stunned. She looked at Song Yaozu's panicked expression and realized that he didn't seem to be lying.

"Aren't you my mother? What right do you have to hit me?" These words echoed in her ears.

Qiangzi got up from the ground, picked up a brick from the side, and slowly walked over.

He was going to crack this woman's skull open and show her who the real tough guy was.

The street sweeper behind them saw this and immediately shouted, "Watch out behind you!"

Lu Zhixia snapped out of her daze, turned around, and saw the boy standing right in front of her. She immediately pointed at him.

"Throw away the bricks!"

The woman's imposing manner was too intimidating, so Qiangzi had no choice but to throw the brick away.

Besides the sanitation worker sweeping the floor, several more adults walked over.

These guys are just street thugs, they don't go to school and don't learn anything good, they spend their days stealing chickens and dogs, and we've long since grown to despise them.

Now they dare to hit people with bricks. Even if it's not them, who can guarantee that it won't be their turn one day?

Song Yaozu got up from the ground and ran after the other teenagers.

Lu Zhixia gazed in the direction they had fled, her mind drifting into deep thought.

If I weren't Song Yaozu's mother, would that explain why the child I raised isn't close to me?

That's because he knew from a young age that she wasn't his biological mother!

Where did your own child go?

When did Song Weidong switch the children?

These questions almost drove her crazy!

"Comrade, are you alright?" the cleaning lady asked.

"It's nothing," Lu Zhixia replied, shaking her head.

The old lady was still worried and continued nagging, "These kids are going astray. Sooner or later someone will take care of them. You should stay away from them in the future. If I hadn't shouted just now, that brick would have hit you on the head. They don't know their own strength. Even if you ended up in the hospital, it probably wouldn't have saved your life!"

"Hospital! That's right, I need to go to the hospital." Lu Zhixia was fully awake at this moment, pushed the cart, and turned to leave.

Instead of worrying about it yourself, you might as well go to the hospital and ask.

The old lady looked at the girl's back and felt something was wrong; the girl's condition was clearly not right.

But as a stranger, it wasn't appropriate for her to meddle. So she continued sweeping; she wasn't a permanent employee, and if she didn't do a good job, someone else would replace her.

In the past two years, more and more educated youth have returned from the countryside. With so many young people, there are clearly not enough job positions.

Lu Zhixia pushed her bicycle and rushed to the hospital courtyard. She was sweating profusely and panting heavily as she looked at the people coming and going at the hospital entrance.

My mind involuntarily drifted back to memories!