Chapter 6: Finding a way for this unwanted woman~

"How can you not cook?" Li Jianye was a little angry: "We all need to eat! Why are you running to the town for no reason?"

Yesterday, she said she was sick and wouldn't cook, but today she dressed up nicely and went out, so it's obvious she's not sick. And if she's not sick, why isn't she cooking? What's she thinking? What woman doesn't cook?

"I'm not cooking? I'm not cooking? It's you who's not getting up to eat. Don't you see what time it is?" Shi Meilan turned around and looked at Li Jianye, saying, "Why should I go to town? Am I going to play? Your mother's birthday is coming up tomorrow, and I'm going to town to hire a cook. If I don't go, will you?"

Li Jianye slapped his head and remembered this matter.

His mother is turning 56 soon. Logically, it's not a big birthday, so she shouldn't make a big deal about it. But Mrs. Li loves ostentation, and every year she has to hold a big party for her birthday and collect a lot of gifts.

Men would not interfere with matters like banquets, only women were allowed to come, so it was always arranged by Li's second daughter-in-law Shi Meilan and Li's eldest daughter-in-law Zhao Erjie.

When Zhao Erjie was mentioned, Li Jianye knew that Shi Meilan must be in a bad mood today.

During the first two years after Shi Meilan got married, the Li family had not yet split up and they all lived together. Zhao Erjie always relied on herself as the eldest sister-in-law to secretly bully Shi Meilan. Shi Meilan had just arrived and suffered a lot of secret bullying - Li Jianye had no choice. As a man, he could not interfere in women's affairs.

At that time, Zhao Erjie had given birth to a little son named Li Tianbao. He was the first grandson of the Li family. The whole family loved him very much. Li Tianbao was always getting into trouble. One year, he burned down someone's firewood pile and a house. Not only did the family come to demand compensation, but he also caused the land that Shi Meilan had been farming for a year to be burned down.

Shi Meilan was so angry that she demanded compensation from Zhao Erjie. Zhao Erjie said, "We're all family, so why should we pay?" So she refused to pay. Shi Meilan and Zhao Erjie had a big fight. Although they lived in the same family, they treated each other like enemies when they met.

The two daughters-in-law were in such a quarrel that the two sons felt awkward when they met each other and had to be careful with every word they spoke. So they could no longer stay in this house, and Old Mrs. Li and Old Man Li had to separate.

When the family split up, the two daughters-in-law had another big fight. In addition to the family’s land and property, the issue of supporting the two elderly people was also involved.

After the family splits up, the elderly have to find a home to live with. At the same time, most of the elderly’s inheritance has to be given to this family. Whoever provides for their old age will get the money.

These two old people are not ordinary old people. As the old saying goes, an old person in the family is like a treasure. Of course, this treasure is not referring to Mrs. Li, but to Old Man Li.

Old Man Li was the village chief of Lijia at that time.

Don't underestimate the position of the village chief. A village like this is located in the mountains, far away from towns, and has an imperfect law system. All major and minor events in the village are decided by the village chief, and all good things belong to the village chief's family. Old man Li was very useful at that time and could earn a lot of money for the family. On the contrary, the two young men, Li Lao Da and Li Lao Er, are inferior to their father in every way.

The father is older than his sons, so now the two sons want to divide the family property. It’s not a matter of which of the two sons is willing to raise the child, but who the father chooses.

Old man Li chose between his two sons and finally chose his eldest son's home.

At that time, Shi Meilan had not given birth to a child yet, but her eldest son's family already had a grandson. Old Man Li loved his grandson very much and was reluctant to leave his child, so he went to his eldest son's house, which made Zhao Erjie very happy. From then on, her father-in-law's money would be her son's money. How could she not be happy?

Later, the two families lived in separate houses. Shi Meilan built a high wall, and one household became two households. Shi Meilan spent a lot of money when building the house, all of which was borrowed from Old Man Li. Zhao Erjie quarreled with Shi Meilan, saying that Shi Meilan would definitely not pay it back because her son did not give Shi Meilan the money for the arson. Judging from herself, she thought Shi Meilan would be the same.

But Shi Meilan was tough and wrote an IOU on the spot. She had to pay back the money every year thereafter, so their family had no money to save at all. All the money Li Jianye had was used to support their lives, and the rest of the expenses and subsidies for raising children were earned by Shi Meilan herself from farming. On the surface, Shi Meilan seemed to be living a good life, but in fact, she had also come this far step by step.

However, these are all old calendars from more than ten years ago.

About five or six years ago, Old Man Li injured his leg in a fight between two villages and retired from the position of village chief. Since he could not do farm work due to his injured leg, he suddenly became a useless old man, and Zhao Erjie was not very happy about it.

Then, the eldest brother went out to work and didn't come home for more than ten months or half a month. Zhao Erjie took care of the two old people. In addition, her son grew up and couldn't get married, which made her even more upset. She was displeased with the two old people every day and wanted to find fault every day to get some money from Shi Meilan to support the elderly.

Therefore, Shi Meilan and Zhao Erjie had a bad relationship and they would quarrel whenever they met.

But now, the elderly at home are holding a banquet, and the two of them have to go together to take care of it.

This broken place in the village is like this. Everyone guards a piece of land, works hard day and night to water it, and gives birth to the big tree of the clan. When a person is born or marries into the family, he or she will become a part of the tree. They will more or less absorb the nutrients of the tree, so they must do something to give back to the tree. Even if they are almost disgusted to death by each other, they have to hold their noses and continue to work together.

So Shi Meilan must be angry, and once Shi Meilan is angry, she will jump up and curse people. Her mouth is as fierce as a hoe, and she can dig up people's ancestral graves with just a few words.

As expected, Shi Meilan hit the nail on the head with one sentence.

"Why did you sleep so late? What did you do last night?" Shi Meilan's round face showed a hint of unconcealable disdain and criticism. "You can't get up, and you blame me? Should I bring a bowl to your bedside and beg you to eat a bite?"

Li Jianye felt guilty and was scolded so hard that he couldn't raise his head. He was depressed and silent. When he looked up again, Shi Meilan had already pushed Li's bicycle out of the Li family's door.

The bicycle wheels creaked and the people outside had already walked away.

After Shi Meilan left, Li Jianye dared to kick the bricks under his feet and cursed her as a "tiger".

He was annoyed by Shi Meilan like this! What was the point of a woman being so loud every day? She just wanted to cause trouble for others every day. As the old saying goes, the husband is the leader of the wife, so she should serve him honestly!

She is really not as good as his Yu Lian.

Good, good, good! Last night she was as gentle and well-behaved as a little lamb. Yulian would never talk to him like that! Why had he been so bewildered in the first place and married Shi Meilan?

Li Jianye didn't know what he was thinking about, and subconsciously glanced at the yard of Widow Wang next door.

As soon as this man starts having sex, bugs will grow in his pants/crotch, crawl along his bones to his brain, and start releasing viruses, making him think only about the things in his pants/crotch every day.

The wall was too high and you couldn't see anything unless you walked over it. But it was early in the morning and everyone was busy, so Li Jianye didn't dare to climb over the wall.

He swallowed, took the Jiefang bag in his hand, turned around and left - he would find another opportunity to go there tonight.

——

Outside the Li family's door, Hu Honghua was waiting there early.

Today she wore a wide white skirt with a blue bottom and small leather boots. They looked cheap, but they didn't look good on her; they made her look even darker. She must have had some cream on her face to make her look younger, but she was so dark and thin that she looked like a mouse stealing lamp oil.

After doing all sorts of bad things last night, Hu Honghua now looks extremely listless, with her head drooping, looking more like a little mouse.

"Aunt." Hu Honghua yawned when she saw Shi Meilan coming out.

She still remembered that her aunt was going to take her to town.

Shi Meilan glanced her up and down, thinking that she would take her out to buy two suitable clothes later. Then she mounted her 28-inch bicycle and said, "Get on, I'll take you away."

While the two of them were talking, Zhao Erjie from the neighboring Li family came out from the yard.

If Zhao Erjie wanted to go to the town, she had to borrow someone else's car - she had asked others yesterday and found out that Qian Erniu, the barefoot doctor in the village, was going to deliver a cart of medicinal materials he had collected to a Chinese medicine store, so she could borrow a car and go all the way there.

As soon as she came out, she saw Shi Meilan and Hu Honghua sitting in a car, and she immediately curled her lips.

Shi Meilan didn't want to go to town with her, and she didn't want to go to town with Shi Meilan either. They both disliked each other. Whenever she saw Shi Meilan, she would sneer, "Hey, you're taking your daughter-in-law out? Tsk tsk, you're being so affectionate before you even enter the house?"

Shi Meilan also sneered: "It's better than you not having a daughter-in-law. Can your Tianbao get married? But it's not your Tianbao's fault. It's your family's fault that they don't even have a bicycle."

Zhao Erjie was so angry that she jumped up and down, yelling, "Is your family rich? If you have money, why would Li Jianye come to borrow money from me? Your family is not as rich as mine!"

Shi Meilan put one foot on her bicycle and said unyieldingly, "Your family is rich, how much will you contribute to this banquet?"

Regarding the support of the elderly, it has always been a 70:30 split. The Li family has to pay 70% because the two elderly people were raised by the Li family. When the family was divided, the Li family also got the most land.

When it came to paying, Zhao Erjie suddenly fell silent and just went to Doctor Qian's hospital.

Shi Meilan snorted and rode her bike to catch up.

Hu Honghua sat in the back seat, listening to the two aunts quarreling. She couldn't follow a word and just held on to her skirt, listening without saying a word.

Doctor Qian's courtyard was at the head of the village, not far away. It was just a matter of walking a few steps and they were there in a blink of an eye. When they arrived, it happened that Doctor Qian was about to go out on his tricycle. Zhao Erjie hurried over and said she wanted to take a ride to the town together.

But there was already someone sitting in the back of Dr. Qian's tricycle.

When the other person heard the noise, he slowly raised his head, revealing a fair oval face.

It turned out to be Wang Yulian.

Seeing that it was Wang Yulian, Hu Honghua, who was sitting behind the car seat, subconsciously grabbed Shi Meilan's lower back.

Yesterday, Hu Honghua was secretly watching Wang Yulian and Li Jianye making love without knowing what morality and ethics were. Today, she saw Wang Yulian dressed neatly and properly sitting on a tricycle, which made Hu Honghua feel uncomfortable.

She had a very strange feeling, that is, those bad things were not done by her, but when she saw them, she would feel embarrassed and panic, and she was afraid of this kind of badness.

So whenever she encountered this kind of evil in human nature, she would always flee at a loss. When she didn't know anything, she could call out "Aunt Wang", but when she knew, she just felt her whole body tense.

She gripped the soft flesh on Shi Meilan's waist, gripping it tighter and tighter.

The meat feels good, soft and elastic, and firm when pinched.

Shi Meilan has a lot of meat on her body. She loves to cook delicious food and never treats herself badly. The four members of her family all eat well and are tall and strong with oily mouths. They are also plump, with full breasts and round bellies, exuding the flavor of a mature woman.

When Shi Meilan was pinched by Hu Honghua, she glanced down. When she saw Hu Honghua's worried eyes, her pretty round face became more gentle. As if coaxing a child, she whispered, "It's okay. Auntie knows. It's okay."

Hu Honghua pressed tightly against Shi Meilan, smelling the faint scent of soapberries on Shi Meilan's body, and her fearful heart suddenly calmed down.

She moved closer and rubbed her dry face against Shi Meilan's back.

The back was also soft, like a piece of egg custard. It felt so comfortable when touching it. It was not just physical comfort, but also a kind of relaxation that came from it. It was as if it was a dark night and there were ghosts outside, but she hid in the safe bed and sunk into the warm quilt. She didn't have to be afraid of anything, she just had to curl up in it.

She found it difficult to describe the feeling. After thinking hard for a moment, she felt that this must be her mother.

——

Shi Meilan didn't care at all what the little mouse behind her was playing with. Her eyes fell on Wang Yulian again.

She guessed what Wang Yulian was going to do.

After getting the money, of course I have to use my connections to find a job.

Wang Yulian obviously didn't expect to run into Shi Meilan here. She dodged uncomfortably, shrinking her body and saying, "I've already taken the seat."

She didn't want to go to the town with Zhao Erjie, Shi Meilan and the others.

Zhao Erjie's face suddenly twisted.

"Oh, just squeeze in a little. We can sit down if we squeeze in." Doctor Qian said quickly, "Just go together."

The two sisters-in-law of Old Li's family are more difficult to deal with than the other, and Doctor Qian dare not refuse Zhao Erjie's request.

After Doctor Qian said this, Wang Yulian did not refute it.

Zhao Erjie glanced at Wang Yulian, muttered in a loud voice, "Widows have a lot of troubles," and then sat down at the other end.

Wang Yulian pinched the hem of her skirt tightly and said nothing.

Doctor Qian quickly started pedaling. In addition to the medicinal herbs, his tricycle was also loaded with two women, so it was very heavy to pedal.

On the contrary, Shi Meilan's wheels are lighter, after all, Hu Honghua is very light.

Wang Yulian didn't say anything, but Zhao Erjie couldn't stay idle. After she sat down, she chatted with Wang Yulian and asked her, "What are you doing in the city? Are you writing to your husband again? When will he come back to pick you up?"

Zhao Erjie didn't usually speak so harshly. She only spoke in such a sarcastic tone after being stabbed by Wang Yulian once.

Wang Yulian was obviously unable to withstand all this. Her face turned pale and blue, and she held the backpack in her hand without saying a word.

She didn't say anything, so Zhao Erjie continued, sighing and saying, "Oh, what should I do? Your husband doesn't want you anymore, how are you going to live in the future?"

Wang Yulian was educated, so she couldn't throw a tantrum like a country woman like Zhao Erjie. Faced with this sharp tone hidden beneath her concern, she could only smile softly and whisper, "Don't worry, Sister-in-law Li. My husband mails me money every month, and I'm going to collect it this time. He's still trying to find a job for my daughter in town."

Of course Wang Yulian knew what Zhao Erjie wanted to hear. Zhao Erjie wanted to hear her say that she was not living a good life, but she refused to say it.

The smile on Zhao Erjie's face that was filled with concern but also with malice faded away, and the superficial smile sank, while the malice in it remained frozen on her face in a half-awkward manner.

When she heard that others were doing well, she didn't bother to ask any more questions. She felt upset the more she thought about it. Why were other people's husbands better than hers? Even a widow had money to spend, but she had to live a tight life.

She stopped talking and just sat there sulking.

The village was not close to the town, and after riding slowly for more than an hour, they finally arrived at the town.

The town is called Chunfeng Town. It is not very big and you can ride around it in an hour. There is no train here, so if you want to take a train, you have to go from one town to another.

But this town has a good geographical location and a large population. The best chef in the town is here. Every time we want to prepare a banquet, we have to invite him here and book the banquet in advance. There are also special shopping malls and many restaurants in the town. There are even two cement roads in the town!

After arriving in the town, Wang Yulian separated from them and went somewhere unknown, while Shi Meilan and Zhao Erjie went to find a chef. After ordering the banquet, the two women each paid for it from their own family and then went back to find Doctor Qian.

But Shi Meilan did not go back. Instead, they separated after the decision was made. She said she would take Hu Honghua to the town's farmers' market to pick out some clothes - the clothes that Hu Chengjun picked out for Hu Honghua from the market were really ugly!

Zhao Erjie said sourly, "Why do you ask me for money when you are so rich?", then turned around and left without looking back - she could talk about the fact that Li Jianye came to her to borrow money by mistake for more than ten years.

Shi Meilan said, "You are rich, the richest in the village. Go buy a bicycle quickly. Doctor Qian can't carry you anymore." Zhao Erjie was so angry that she saw stars. Then she turned around and carried Hu Honghua to the farmers' market.

——

In the 1980s, large farmers' markets were just emerging. Before that, people had to exchange tickets for them. Later, a few private stores opened, and then farmers' markets came into being. They were simple and noisy. People set up stalls and started selling everything. There were people selling vegetables and meat in the front, and shoes and clothes in the back. Shi Meilan pulled Hu Honghua away, and Hu Honghua was dazzled by the sight.

Where had she seen so many good things? In the past, the most lively thing was when the whole village celebrated the end of the year together, but there weren’t so many people at the end of the year!

Shi Meilan walked around the big market, picked a shop, bought a few sets of clothes for Hu Honghua and a few sets of clothes for herself.

Shi Meilan is good at picking clothes. She picked bright colors for herself, red, green, and bright blue. She had fair skin and was tall, so she could carry off the colors. She looked very good at first glance. She picked a set of jeans for Hu Honghua, and a white long-sleeved shirt with black circular spots on the upper body. The middle part of the shirt was tied at the waist in a bow, and a small part of the waist was faintly visible inside - this is how the girls in Hong Kong movies dress.

Aunt Shi let her pigtailed hair down, bought a black and white hairpin, put on some lipstick, and looked unexpectedly beautiful.

She looks incredibly fashionable.

Although Hu Honghua is thin and short, she has a good body proportion. She used to always keep her head down, looking cowardly, but now when she raises her head, her eyes are shining brightly. When she stands in front of the mirror, she almost doesn't recognize herself.

While Hu Honghua was looking in the mirror, Shi Meilan was chatting with the boss lady next to her and asked some questions about the garment factory. During the conversation, the boss lady kept praising Hu Honghua.

"You're such a pretty girl! These are all clothes from Hong Kong, and they look best on you!"

Hu Honghua felt as if she was floating, as if she was walking on clouds.

It seems that she is no longer an ugly little mouse. Aunt Shi dressed her up as a beautiful little red flower!

Today is the happiest day in Hu Honghua’s life - she is living such a wonderful life!

Shi Meilan on the side looked at her with satisfaction, and then happily bought the deal.

All these cost a total of twenty-three yuan, which was Li Jianye's monthly salary, and Hu Honghua's face turned pale.

"It's a lot of money." Hu Honghua said timidly behind Shi Meilan: "Aunt Shi——"

"Spend." Shi Meilan sneered: "If we don't spend it, it will all go to the slut."

After the two of them bought new clothes, Shi Meilan took Hu Honghua and went straight to the most important place of the day - Chunfeng Garment Factory.

When the two of them arrived, they saw from afar a group of people waiting for jobs at the door. They were all girls, applying for the position of tailor at the garment factory. Wang Yulian was among them.