Lin's mother returned

"It's terrible, sister-in-law! It's terrible, sister-in-law! Li Jiaoniang's family is causing trouble for my brother at the factory!" Li Xiangxi ran across the threshold, covered in sweat.

Li Guorong slammed the knife on the cutting board. "What? You think my Shaocheng is taking advantage of his family? You said that on the way here."

Only then did Li Guorong realize that after that day, Cui Dalou, living up to his reputation as a loudspeaker, spread the word far and wide, and Li Jiaoniang's name was completely ruined. Li Jiaoniang hadn't come to work for a long time, and the factory leaders only discovered this when they went to her home to check the accounts. She had been missing for a long time. Her family thought she was disobedient and didn't come home because she was going to work, while the factory workers thought she was too embarrassed to come to the factory and stayed at home.

Today, the Li family came to the factory for two reasons: first, to process their youngest son's onboarding, and second, to demand that Lin Shaocheng compensate their daughter. Li Guorong, sitting on the back of the bicycle, was furious. His own daughter had done such a shameless thing, and even had the nerve to cause trouble at the factory. Wasn't this just extortion?

The open space where the factory usually parks its trucks was now densely packed with several layers of people. Even from the outside, you could hear a middle-aged woman screaming shrilly, "My daughter! My poor daughter, why did you have to do this?"

Lin Shaocheng was protected by the factory's security guards, while a few people made sarcastic remarks, saying things like, "Men shouldn't be too handsome, or they'll attract unwanted romantic attention."

Li Guorong struggled through the crowd and squeezed in, grabbing his mother and slapping her twice across the face, shocking everyone around. Li's son tried to hit Li Guorong but was stopped by the people around him, so he could only shout, "Who are you? How dare you hit my mother?"

Li Guorong cursed, "So what if I hit her? Is your mother the Queen Mother of the West and I can't be hit? She raised a daughter who wants to be a mistress, so she deserves to be hit."

The people around them told the Li family mother and son that this was Lin Shaocheng's wife. The two women felt guilty for a moment, but then became defiant. "You are that disrespectful vixen who seduced your husband and made him abandon his parents. You caused my daughter to go missing. Pay up!"

Li Guorong pointed at the two men and cursed, "There's not a single good person in this family. Did Li Jiaoniang run off with another man? It's not like this is the first time she's done something like this."

Li's mother blushed deeply. How could such a thing be brought up? This country bumpkin was shameless. Li's son was also blushing. How was he going to work in the factory and find a partner after this?

"The leader is here! The leader is here!"

The crowd parted to make way, and the factory leader, with his beer belly sticking out, made his decision: "Generally, work cannot be handed over if the person's death cannot be confirmed. I've also heard about Li Jiaoniang's situation. Your family should stop making trouble. Let's complete the work handover today."

When Li's mother heard that her son had found a job, she stopped crying and complaining. "That woman even slapped me twice."

The factory leader frowned, his thick eyebrows startling Li's mother into silence, and Li's son also became quiet.

Li Guorong's eyes lit up. Being a factory manager was really prestigious. She wished she could be a factory manager too. She quickly thanked him, "Thank you, leader, for clearing my Shaocheng's name."

The secretary standing nearby glanced at the crowd and said, "Let's all leave."

Li Guorong jogged over to Lin Shaocheng and looked him up and down carefully. "Are you alright?"

Lin Shaocheng shook his head, and Li Xiangxi chimed in, "How can it be nothing? My brother was a pretty boy to begin with, and now this incident has become the subject of gossip. There's also the fact that he's studying for the college entrance exam, and everyone is talking about him. Luckily, he'll be able to go back to work in a week and won't be at the factory anymore."

Lin Shaocheng's eyes hardened. "Stop talking."

Li Guorong pulled Lin Shaocheng home. It wasn't Lin Shaocheng's turn to be on duty today, and he was being gossiped about at the venue.

Li Guorong served Lin Shaocheng a cup of milk tea, saying, "Why don't you sell your job?"

Li Guorong wasn't sure if Lin Shaocheng's job and the factory could withstand the wave of layoffs. First, Lin Shaocheng had promised her that she could choose a university in the south, but if she didn't get in, would she still be working in the factory? The plan to go south would be put on hold.

Secondly, Lin Shaocheng only has a few months until his exam, and he also has to drive. If he brings in some trendy items for the car, he won't have time to study. So all his hard work in the past few months will have been for nothing.

Thirdly, what if you lose your job? It's better to sell your job early and make some money.

Lin Shaocheng said, "It's possible, but the truck is attached to the factory. It might be difficult to get approval if we sell the factory."

Li Guorong held Lin Shaocheng's hand and said, "Rent the car to your brother who wants to open a factory. I'll take care of the household expenses. The most important thing for you is to study hard and accumulate strength for our future career."

Lin Shaocheng lowered his head, a hint of unease in his eyes. "What if I don't pass the exam?"

Li Guorong chuckled and said, "If you don't pass the exam in one year, you can try again in two years, and in ten years. If you work so hard and still can't pass, then no one else can. I'll take care of things at home, so you can focus on your studies."

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Shaocheng's heart. In just over twenty years, he had only received his parents' wholehearted care when he was very young.

When he went to his maternal grandparents' house, his grandparents were old and he had to take care of them at such a young age. Back at his own home, his family was lazy and didn't work. He promised to give his family all his wages so that he could have a chance to make a name for himself.

Time flies. Lin Shaocheng sold his job and got 800 yuan. He now drives his car westward with another coworker. The three-person study group has also moved to their home, and Zhao Wanyin has become a frequent visitor.

Feeling embarrassed about the previous argument, Li Guorong promised to make chili oil for Zhao Wanyin free of charge for life.

July was scorching hot. In Beijing in 1986, it was already very hot. Lin Shaocheng was wearing a tank top, and there was a fried dough stick and two eggs on the table.

Li Guorong was even more nervous than him. "You must finish eating. If you finish eating, you can get a perfect score on the test. I'll bring you lunch. Food outside isn't clean, so don't eat anything with your brother."

They began a fourth check with both hands to make sure Lin Shaocheng had brought everything, and only breathed a long sigh of relief when they were sure everything was in order.

Lin Shaocheng put on his shirt. Li Guolan had already gone out to prepare the food. Seeing that no one was around, she put her arms around Li Guorong and said, "Why are you more nervous than me?"

Li Guorong turned around and said, "You're still making a fuss. How can I not be nervous? You study from dawn till dusk, which is even harder than my street vending. If you don't pass the exam, I really can't imagine you having to try again for another year."

Li Guorong stood on tiptoe and kissed Lin Shaocheng on the forehead, "A kiss of victory, hurry up and go, don't be late."

A huge crowd of people poured into the examination hall, filled with anticipation and hope for the future.

There was a knock at the door. Lin's mother pushed the door open and shouted at the door, "It was you who instigated my son to buy you a house and sell your job!"

Several families nearby peeked out.

At the door, Lin Yicheng helped his mother up, just like an eunuch helping the Empress Dowager. In the past, Lin Shaocheng's salary was always kept by his mother, and the family was not short of money, so Li Guorong never asked Lin Shaocheng to take it back. Unexpectedly, after the job was sold, Lin's mother came to the door.

Li Guolan returned on her tricycle. "Who are you?"

Li Guolan hasn't found a partner in Beijing, and now the stall relies heavily on her. Her sister gives her half of the profits, which has made her much more confident. She's not always thinking about finding a partner anymore, and she's much braver when facing challenges.

Lin's mother raised her chin and said, "Who am I? I'm her mother-in-law."

Li Guolan stretched out her arms to welcome the two people inside. Lin's mother always lost fights, so she dared not enter the den of these two tigresses. The way Li Guolan easily carried a bucket of oil just now was no joke. Lin's mother was not stupid; she would not go in.

Lin Yicheng had already found out that his older brother wasn't here today, so he stood up straight and said, "Take the money my brother earns from his job and transfer this house to me."

Li Guorong was truly astonished; she had never seen such a shameless mother and son. She spat at Lin's mother's feet, causing Lin's mother to take a step back in shock.

Lin's mother blushed, "You really have no sense of hygiene."

Li Guorong stood at the door with his hands on his hips and cursed: "You say I'm unhygienic? You're hygienic, but you're mentally filthy. Did you instigate Li Jiaoniang? She really went all out. That perfume is ridiculously expensive, and you gave it to someone else. You spendthrift old woman."

Lin's mother never expected that Li Guorong would find out about this. How could such a perfect plan fail? Aren't all men the same? They all like to be surrounded by beautiful women. Her eldest son is such a fool, not as good as her youngest son. She continued to hold her head high, "What nonsense are you talking about? I don't know anything about perfume."

Li Guorong shouted, "This is truly rare! Introducing a mistress to your own son? Do you really think you're Empress Dowager Cixi? I'm warning you, get out of here right now, or I'll beat you up."

Lin's mother looked left and right, and with so many people around, she didn't believe Li Guorong would dare to hit her in front of so many people.

Li Guorong narrowed his eyes. He wanted to cook something delicious for Lin Shaocheng today. Lin Shaocheng would be back for lunch and take a nap, and he couldn't let these two scoundrels disturb his rest.

Li Guorong picked up the manure scoop used for watering and fertilizing the land, and dug out a mixture of green and yellow liquid and solid from the compost. Li Guorong pinched her nose, held the scoop in her other hand, and walked towards Lin's mother. A wave of stench wafted from the scoop in her hand into Lin's mother's nose.

Lin's mother was terrified, and Lin Yicheng immediately hid behind her. Lin's mother said tremblingly, "What do you want to do?"

Li Guorong grinned mischievously, "Shall I give you a bath?" He pretended to splash her.

Lin's mother screamed in fright and ran away like a rabbit. Lin Yicheng didn't dare to ask for anything more and ran back after her, almost tripping in the process.

Li Guorong snorted coldly. With her around, he still wanted to take advantage of Lin Shaocheng? Dream on.

Lin Shaocheng was lucky enough to be assigned to the same place for the exam as Li Xiangxi. The two walked out arm in arm, and Li Guorong saw her man's handsome face that stood out from the crowd.

Li Guorong waved, "Here, here."

The two hurried over and said, "Get in the car."

Li Xiangxi touched his nose sheepishly, "Sister-in-law, it's not very appropriate for you to be carrying two grown men like me on your tricycle."

Li Guorong replied, "I'm tired after a long morning, and I have an exam this afternoon. Hurry up and come up, have a good meal, and get some sleep."

Li Xiangxi and Lin Shaocheng then got into the car. As soon as Li Xiangxi got in, he asked, "Brother, how did you feel about the exam?"

Li Guorong quickly said, "If you've passed the exam, you've passed. Don't ask anymore."

Li Xiangxi repeatedly said yes, "Sister-in-law, Li Jiaoniang is back, did you know?"

Li Guorong was itching to do something, but the exam was the most important thing right now. "Tell me after you finish the exam, so it doesn't affect your studies."

Li Xiangxi chuckled, "You can read the newspaper; it says part of it. I'll tell you the details after the exam."