On Monday, Wang Yu and Xiao Bao had to go to school, so Xia Minmin had to take out the books she had brought back and sit under the eaves to read.

She's starting to regret leaving those two thick English books at home; the books she brought back aren't enough for her to read in the next few days.

She prefers reading original English texts to pass the time; she never enjoys reading translated versions of original English texts because everyone's understanding of language is different. Translated texts are influenced by the translator.

"Xiaomin, you're so hardworking! You're reading so early in the morning."

Xia Damei parked her bicycle under the eaves.

Xia Minmin put down her book. "Auntie, have you had breakfast? There's rice noodles in the kitchen. My auntie made minced meat rice noodles this morning."

Xia Damei patted Xia Minmin's head, "I know, I'll go in and take a look. You continue reading!"

Xia Jianguo and his group went to the cemetery very early, and after paying their respects, they broke ground right on time.

Before long, the housewives who had finished their meals and were strolling around gathered together again to gossip.

As the saying goes, three women make a drama. Five or six women were sitting in the courtyard to the right of the Xia family's old house, talking about Xia Jianguo's family. They were speaking quite loudly, and Xia Minmin, sitting in her own courtyard, could hear them clearly.

A woman dressed in red was cracking sunflower seeds and spitting out the shells. The ground where she stood was covered with sunflower seed shells. "Xia Jianguo is really rich now. I've never seen a cemetery use so many red bricks and cement."

"That's right, we add soil to the cemeteries here every year."

“You don’t understand. If it’s built with cement and bricks, you don’t have to add soil every year or clear weeds every year.”

“It’s good to be rich! There are still many people in our village who live in mud-brick houses, but their cemeteries are made of red bricks and cement.”

"It's true that comparisons are the thief of joy; the living don't even live as comfortably as the dead."

"Who can blame them for being rich?"

“Jianguo’s family is really rich. My husband told me that they own a large supermarket in Shenzhen, which is usually managed by his younger sister and her husband. There are twenty or thirty large factories in the surrounding area.”

“I know that too. I heard from them that other people also opened supermarkets there, but none of them did as well as them. Some of them went out of business after a year or two.”

"The things my friend brought us were bought from their supermarket. They're not only cheap but also of good quality."

"With so many workers buying things, how much money must they make?"

"It costs at least 100,000 a year."

"How could it be only this much? It should be at least several hundred thousand!"

"So much money!!"

“I heard this from my husband. He said his boss told him.”

"No wonder he spent so much money to repair his parents' graves and erect a tombstone."

"He really trusts his younger sister and her husband to manage such a big supermarket? They're so careless. Who knows, they might end up with nothing."

"I think you're just a sour grapes."

“Look at his daughter, her whole demeanor is completely different now.”

When Xia Minmin noticed the women looking over, she quickly propped the book up to avoid being caught eavesdropping.

"Indeed, he is quite different from the seven-year-old children in the village; he looks much more mature."

“Yesterday I heard Chen Chunhua say that her niece is in sixth grade.”

"Isn't she not even 8 years old yet?"

"Yes, about the same age as my nephew, seven and a half."

"So smart? He's definitely no ordinary child."

"Li Chunmei and Xia Jianguo should have more children! They're so rich! Their first child is smart, and the second one might be even smarter!"

"Do you think everyone is like you, so sexist?"

"That's true. Daughters are like water spilled out of a bowl, they're outsiders. But sons are different. The older generation always says that raising sons is for old age security!"

“Li Chunmei said this is called eugenics. They both have pensions, and besides, they have so much money, why would they worry about no one taking care of them in their old age? I think you should worry more about yourself!”

“What do I have to worry about? I have a son! If they leave all their wealth to a little girl, wouldn’t it all be going to outsiders in the future?”

"They're willing to do it."

"Hey, do you think I should send my son to their house and make him a live-in son-in-law?"

"You're obsessed with money. With your son's character, do you really think Xia Jianguo and Li Chunmei would be interested in him?"

"How could it not be? This is my son, this is my precious child." The woman who said this had a pointed face and looked like she was difficult to get along with.

"You love your son so much, but don't you even look at what he looks like?"

"Xia Jianguo and Li Chunmei's family is so rich, they could have easily chosen someone good-looking. Why did they choose someone so ugly and not even smart enough!"

"How much better is your son than my son!"

"At least our family won't have any crazy thoughts... crazy thoughts."

The woman standing to her right added, "Wishful thinking."

"Yes, wishful thinking. One should be more honest and not covet things that don't belong to oneself."

"Alright, you two! Can't we have a proper conversation?"

"Hey, are you guys planning to go out and work?"

"We don't know yet. The couple next door have both gone out to work. They earn a good salary every month and can build a new house next year."

“So many? Let me discuss it with my husband. He didn’t want me to go before and insisted that I stay home to take care of the child. You all know how much my in-laws spoil the child. My husband is worried that if we both go, he will go to heaven.”

"That's quite possible. I've never encountered a son with a personality like yours in all my years. He's just like Sun Wukong."

"Right? I don't know which ancestor we offended to give birth to such a thing."

“I plan to go out and earn more money while I’m still young. My child is still young, so I need to plan for the future.”

As soon as Li Chunmei reached the eaves, she saw Xia Minmin holding a book but not reading it; her eyes kept glancing at the group of people chatting to her right.

Li Chunmei quietly crouched down next to Xia Minmin's ear and said, "Xiaomin, what are you listening to? You can share it with Mom."

Xia Minmin was startled by Li Chunmei's sudden voice, her heart pounding wildly. "Mom, do you know that scaring someone can kill them!"

Li Chunmei looked at Xia Minmin, who was pouting, and said, "Who told you not to study properly and instead listen to gossip? You deserve it."

Xia Minmin made a face at Li Chunmei and then pretended to continue reading her book.

Seeing her like this, Li Chunmei knew she wasn't going to continue reading. "You have to come with me to deliver water to your father and the others."

Xia Minmin glanced at Li Chunmei, "Since you've invited me so strongly, I'll reluctantly agree."

Li Chunmei said irritably, "Fine! Thank you, you're very generous."

After Xia Minmin walked out of the courtyard, she looked at the group of women gossiping. She didn't know when they had dispersed.