"Comrade Song, you said you were here to take Xiaomei into the city? But you didn't take the child with you when you divorced seven years ago, which was equivalent to giving up on her. Now you want to take her away, but the Communists don't agree, so you can't take her away. Our brigade won't issue a permit." Brigade leader Chen Changlin came online.
He is the captain of the team and will try his best to be fair and show some partiality.
"We don't agree!" Xie Xiaofeng shouted immediately.
"Old lady, aren't you dissatisfied with her? If I take her with me, you can save some food..."
"Whether you dislike her or not, she's also from my Wang family. Speaking of saving food, I laugh at you, a bitch, for being so calculating. You only care about her when she opens her mouth to eat, but now that she can do some work, you should take her away and save food for us..."
The old lady, who had been stiffening her neck and sneering, suddenly stopped and sneered at Song Lingmin. "Haha, I get it. Could it be that you came here just because she's ten years old now and can do some work, so you want her to work like a slave in your house and serve you?"
“……!”
Song Lingmin straightened her back. "Humph! I brought her to the city to enjoy a good life. There's good food and clothes in the city, and I'll even support her education..."
"Feed her, clothe her, send her to school, and then let her serve as a maid to your entire family?" The old lady felt she had grasped the root of the problem. "Hmph! If you insist on taking her to the city, fine! Just write a document. Once she's in the city, she won't have to do laundry or cooking, and won't have to work. Just eat, drink, have fun... and study!"
Song Lingmin laughed. "That's funny. Can she have enough to eat if she stays here? Can she not have to do laundry, cooking, or work?"
Hearing this, the old lady also laughed.
Her eldest daughter-in-law said, "Comrade Song, let me tell you that Xiaomei doesn't usually eat well at home, but she definitely gets enough to eat."
"That's right!" The second eldest brother's wife responded, "Also, whether it's washing clothes, cooking, or any other chores, she does it all on her own. No one will force her to do it."
Song Lingmin: “……!”
"I don't believe it!"
Song Lingmin subconsciously looked at Wang Xiaomei, and heard Xie Xiaofeng snort and laugh, "Let Xiaomei speak. You will wonder if she is used to being beaten and scolded by us, and is afraid to tell the truth. Then you can ask anyone you want."
“…”
Song Lingmin looked at Wang Xiaomei and suddenly avoided her sight.
Wang Xiaomei was not as pale and skinny as she had imagined, nor was she sloppy. Only now did she realize that when she had excitedly hugged Wang Xiaomei and cried, Wang Xiaomei had a cold expression on her face.
Wang Zhaozhao saw Song Lingmin's expression and shook Wang Xiaomei's hand again.
"Aunt Song, you only said you'd take Xiaomei to the city to live a good life, but you didn't mention how successful you are in the city now. Are you a senior cadre in the factory? Let me ask again, Auntie, have you organized a new home in the city? Have you given Xiaomei a brother or sister? Oh, does Xiaomei have stepbrothers or stepsisters?"
Wang Zhaozhao paused and smiled weakly, "Auntie, don't get me wrong. My dad married a stepmother and brought his stepsister with him, so I live in the same room with her now... Ah, the houses in the city are definitely bigger than ours in the mountains, so we don't have to worry about housing."
"Yes, yes, Comrade Song, you haven't told me about your situation in the city. You only said that you wanted to take Xiaomei to the city to live a good life, but you didn't tell me why you would give her a good life."
"Zhao girl, you're wrong. The city has some nice things, but the houses aren't as big as ours in the countryside. My cousin's daughter married into the county town and often comes home to complain about how they live like a cage. A family of ten or so people squeeze into three rooms, and they have to cook in the hallway outside. When they start cooking, the hallway is like burning manure, full of smoke and choking."
"Of course I'm getting married. No matter how good my parents are, my sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law have to be good too. It's been more than seven years, how can I not get married?"
"Oh my! You know what? Xiaomei's grandmother Xu was right. Comrade Song is probably planning to make Xiaomei a maidservant, right?"
“…”
The village women took the opportunity to show off their skills.
Faced with the saliva of the village women, Song Lingmin frowned.
Wang Zhaozhao looked at her frowning face and couldn't help but sigh. She was indeed the most beautiful educated youth in Hebian Village back then. Even though she was dressed like the women's director of the township, she still had some elegance when she frowned.
Song Lingmin's tone rose in irritation. "As the saying goes, it's better to be a dog in the city than to eat dirt in the countryside. I can help her move to the city, help her get a city hukou, and send her to school. Even if she takes a step back, she might have a chance to marry a city person in the future and completely escape the life of working in the dirt."
Before coming here, she was full of confidence, but things did not develop in the direction she imagined at all. "No matter what you say, it's useless. Why not ask her herself: does she want this opportunity to change her life? Or not?!"
She growled out the last few words through gritted teeth.
Don't country folk envy city dwellers and yearn to move to the city? Also, why didn't the Wang family mistreat the daughter of a woman who had brought shame upon them in the village?
"I don't want it." Wang Xiaomei's voice was not loud. Compared with Song Lingmin's angry look, she seemed extremely calm.
“…”
Song Lingmin's face looked very interesting.
Wang Zhaozhao looked and found that Song Lingmin overlapped with the Chen Meiru in her memory when she first called her aunt five years ago.
"I don't want to go into the city with you." Wang Xiaomei said again word by word.
Song Lingmin narrowed her eyes and stared at her, "Do you know what you are talking about?"
Wang Xiaomei met Song Lingmin's gaze and said, "I know you've made this long journey, but I don't want the chance to change your life that you mentioned."
"Don't you want to go to the city? Don't you want to be a city dweller?" Song Lingmin didn't give up and asked in a shrill voice.
Wang Zhaozhao knew it was inappropriate for her to say that, but she still had to say, "Aunt Song, since you came back, have you ever inquired about Xiaomei's life? Are her father and her family treating her well? Let me tell you, they are all very good to Xiaomei. Moreover, Uncle Gonglai decided to send Xiaomei to school more than a month ago. Xiaomei will change her fate through her own efforts and go to the city through her own efforts."
What?
Not only Song Lingmin, but the people in Hebian Village were also shocked.
Wang Gonglai wanted to send Wang Xiaomei to school? Did Wang Dashan and Xie Xiaofeng agree? Would the other families agree?
Wang Zhaozhao quietly took a step back. She was playing tricks, but Wang Xiaomei hated Song Lingmin and didn't want to go into the city with her. Song Lingmin obviously didn't come to pick her up simply because she missed her daughter. She said this to attack Song Lingmin and to help Wang Xiaomei ensure her studies.
"Mother, is what Miss Zhao said true? Do you really want to send Miss Xiaomei to school?" Someone couldn't help but ask Wang Xiaomei's grandmother.
"The third brother mentioned it before." But I didn't agree.
The old lady did not answer the question directly. She glanced at Wang Zhaozhao and then at Wang Xiaomei, feeling all kinds of uncomfortable.
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