Chapter 43
◎ It was the first time that Bei Bitang showed her temper, and Miao Xiuxiu was so anxious that she wanted to chase her into the inner room◎
It was the first time that Bei Bitang showed her temper, and Miao Xiuxiu was so anxious that she wanted to chase her into the inner room.
But then he heard Lin Bilan ask, "Dashan, what's going on? How did you know my little sister was rich? And how did you know she had at least a thousand yuan?"
Miao Xiuxiu stopped and wanted to listen first to understand the reason.
Bei Bitang left, and Huang Dashan acted as if nothing had happened. He said leisurely, "You should ask this question to my dear little sister. You said you had no boyfriend in the northwest, but not only did you find one, you even gave him a thousand yuan. Now he's getting married, and his fiancée is so angry, and since they're still in debt, she took a thousand yuan to the small vegetable market and gave it to me."
Zeng Linlin's initial outburst was a shocking one, but fortunately, those who witnessed it were the last to leave the market. They had misunderstood Bei Bitang, so after returning home, the rumor wasn't too far-fetched. Otherwise, Bei Bitang would have been a hated slut.
One thousand yuan is a lot even if it is all used for great unity.
Lin Bilan couldn't help but look at Miao Xiuxiu and asked silently.
Miao Xiuxiu shook her head and said, "I didn't see it."
She did not lie to Lin Bilan. Bei Bitang did come back empty-handed, without even a rotten vegetable leaf.
Lin Bilan moved her lips and wanted to say something to Miao Xiuxiu, but Miao Xiuxiu ignored her and went into the inner room.
Miao Xiuxiu thought Bei Bitang was crying secretly in the inner room, but she lifted the curtain and walked into the inner room to take a look.
Bei Bitang's eyes were clear without a trace of redness, and she was reading a high school Chinese textbook.
Miao Xiuxiu went up and snatched the book from her hand, saying unhappily, "You still have the time to read?! Look at you, you've made such a mess at home."
Bei Bitang looked up at her and said calmly, "Mom, is this all my fault?"
Miao Xiuxiu took a book and sat down next to Bei Bitang. She said earnestly, "You've had this stubborn temper since you were little. Will you continue to be so stubborn with your mother-in-law and husband in the future? You need to change."
Bei Bitang said coldly, "I'm not wrong. Why should I change it? Why shouldn't Huang Dashan and Lin Bilan change it? I've been tolerant enough."
Well, I don’t even call her Big Sister anymore.
Miao Xiuxiu slowed down and adopted a gentler tone. She said, "My son-in-law is also angry that you gave him a thousand yuan for nothing."
Bei Bitang said, "I can spend my money however I want. He's a brother-in-law, and he's even interfering with his sister-in-law? I usually buy things for the family, and he never says anything falsely polite. 'Little sister, don't spend so much money. Keep it for yourself.'"
Miao Xiuxiu was silent for a long time, her face lost in thought, and she murmured, "Everyone has their own difficulties in life. You are too young and impulsive, and you take things too seriously."
Bei Bitang didn't agree with this. How could she be so young and impulsive as to take things too seriously? If she really did, her family would have been in turmoil. The news that Xu Zeli was dating two people at the same time would have spread throughout East China Normal University long ago.
And Zeng Linlin, if she comes to cause trouble, I have to fight with her. You scratch my face, I pull your hair, you shave my face, I kick your legs.
Bei Bitang asked, "What about this TV? Mom said I should listen to Huang Dashan and buy it?"
Miao Xiuxiu sighed and said vaguely: "Four hundred yuan is not a lot, and the TV that my son-in-law wants to buy is not the most expensive."
Bei Bitang stared at Miao Xiuxiu's dirty eyes and asked bluntly, "Mom, do you mean to buy it?"
Miao Xiuxiu said helplessly: "Just consider it as your filial piety to me this time. I won't ask for anything from you in the future."
Bei Bitang sneered and said, "Don't I usually obey you enough? I'm afraid you'll get tired, so I take over all the work myself. Even when I went to the northwest, I sent you things from time to time. If I remember correctly, Mom, I sent you fifty yuan every Spring Festival."
Bei Bitang is bold and timid at the same time.
While in the Corps, she had worked with a few close, tight-lipped female educated youth to secretly trade the grain and non-staple food allocated to her, earning a small fortune. She hadn't even told Xu Zeli about this.
She remitted this unexpected income back to Shanghai in installments.
Miao Xiuxiu said with an embarrassed look on her face: "A harmonious family brings prosperity."
Bei Bitang said sarcastically, "Just like what Mom said, our family used to be harmonious, but we haven't seen any prosperity."
Bei Bitang refused to give in. In the past, she always made concessions unilaterally, but now she refused to do so, and the situation became deadlocked.
Miao Xiuxiu came up with a compromise. "If a TV isn't an option, what about some small items? Why not buy a ladies' bicycle? You can use it for work. We're one of the few families in Shikumen who don't have a bicycle. Even a Phoenix brand one would only be a little over 150 yuan, a full 250 yuan cheaper than the TV your son-in-law wants you to buy."
Was it for her or Lin Bilan? With that thick-skinned Huang Dashan, he might trade it with someone else for a 28-inch bicycle.
Bei Bitang had no expression on her face and remained silent.
Miao Xiuxiu glanced at her expression and continued to probe, "What about the radio? The wall clock?"
Bei Bitang still didn't say anything. Miao Xiuxiu patted her arm and said with a sad face, "Just think of it as giving Mom a favor. If you give way to your uncle, your eldest sister and Mom will have a better life in the future."
Bei Bitang shook her head and said firmly, "No. I'm not buying anything. Huang Dashan asked for a TV today, and tomorrow he wants a refrigerator! I can't afford it even if he buys it. Besides, the money hasn't been paid back yet, so where would I get the thousand yuan? Huang Dashan is being unreasonable!"
Miao Xiuxiu's face flushed with anger. She glared and said, "The money hasn't been paid back yet? Why didn't you say so earlier? You wouldn't have said that to your son-in-law just now, but you had to confront him!"
Bei Bitang twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Even if I pay it back, I won't buy anything big for my family. I have a use for this money."
Miao Xiuxiu said unhappily, "Don't you have a job? Your current job is pretty good. From time to time, you can even bring back some small fish and shrimp for free to supplement your diet."
Bei Bitang glanced at her and said naturally, "This thousand yuan is the dowry I prepared for myself."
Miao Xiuxiu was choked. Although she often urged Bei Bitang to find a partner, she really hadn't prepared her dowry. When her second daughter got married, her dowry was prepared with the betrothal gift given by Chen Jinlong.
Miao Xiuxiu said unhappily, "Then you should quickly find someone to marry, and this home will be peaceful."
Bei Bitang was calm in her heart. She smiled coldly and said, "I'll wait and see. When only Lin Bilan and her family of three are left at home, how will Huang Dashan treat Mom?"
Miao Xiuxiu said angrily: "My uncle is a good man, but you don't expect my mother to be well."
Bei Bitang raised her eyebrows and said cheerfully, "Mom, why are you so anxious? Good things won't get worse, and bad things won't get better. Mom, hurry up and get the coffin book out and prepare it for Huang Dashan. Wait for him to become successful and honor you, his mother-in-law."
Miao Xiuxiu slapped Bei Bitang hard on the arm, but Bei Bitang remained expressionless and endured the pain.
Miao Xiuxiu half stood up, tapped Bei Bitang on the forehead, and said, "You're getting more and more eloquent. But you only know how to bully people at home. You only gave a thousand yuan to men outside. It's a big loss. Fortunately, his fiancée didn't refuse to pay."
Miao Xiuxiu assumed that Bei Bitang, having gone to the countryside, was looking for someone who was similar in every way to her, and didn't even consider Xu Zeli's background as a university student. Huang Dashan and Lin Bilan hadn't considered this possibility either, otherwise they would have advised Bei Bitang to hold on to Xu Zeli.
Bei Bitang turned away and said nothing.
Miao Xiuxiu frowned and asked, "A thousand yuan? You, a woman, can earn that, but he can't? You were both sent-down youth in the same place. Did you get scammed? Or did he commit some serious crime?"
Bei Bitang said calmly, "His father is sick and doesn't have enough money."
Miao Xiuxiu glared and said, "What kind of vision do you have? You found a partner like this, with no money and a father who is a burden. Fortunately, you broke up."
Outside, with Bei Bitang and Miao Xiuxiu away, Lin Bilan became the one who stood up for justice. She remembered that she was closer to Bei Bitang and Miao Xiuxiu in terms of blood relationship.
Lin Bilan said weakly, "Dashan, you're going too far. You're trying to pry into my wallet so hard, and you're asking for a TV that's more expensive than the four big appliances."
Huang Dashan threw the pickled peanuts in his hand into the air, glanced at her, and said, "Don't you want the TV?"
Lin Bilan glanced into the inner room, swallowed, lowered her voice, and said, "I want it, but..."
Huang Dashan didn't want to listen to Lin Bilan's hesitation, so he interrupted her and said, "Just want it."
Lin Bilan glared at him and whispered, "Can you do that? You're just making me angry for nothing."
He threw chicken bones on the table while chewing pickled peanuts and sneered, "Your little sister's temper is getting worse and worse. If you don't teach her a lesson, she won't even take me, her brother-in-law, seriously. I'll be her family from now on, so I have to support her and give her courage."
Lin Bilan rolled her eyes and asked in confusion, "How are you going to deal with her? Can you deal with her? You ask her to spend money to buy a TV, and she refuses. Are you going to put a knife to her neck?"
Huang Dashan pointed to the empty bowl in front of him, signaling Lin Bilan to pour him some wine. He chuckled and said proudly, "There's no such thing as a TV ticket. I lied to her."
Lin Bilan froze while pouring the wine, her eyes widened as she said in surprise, "You..."
Huang Dashan raised his eyebrows, curled up the corners of his mouth, and said, "Wife, am I smart?"
In reality, Huang Dashan couldn't get a TV ticket at all. He was surrounded by people who couldn't afford industrial coupons. Besides, although televisions were expensive, they were in short supply. With a TV ticket, he could at least make eight Great Unity tickets by flipping it between his two hands.
Lin Bilan glared at him and said unhappily, "You're teasing someone. You'll need me and Mom to coax them later! Little sister, you know how many times I've told you that she's always been prone to throwing tantrums. Why are you provoking her? You'll be giving your brother-in-law the cold shoulder in the future. It won't please you at all."
Huang Dashan snorted, his eyes widening as he said, "Aren't you angry? My little sister doesn't treat us as her own family and is on guard against us."
Lin Bilan raised her chin as she walked into the room and said, "Didn't my younger sister say that she wanted to save her own dowry? I understand."
Huang Dashan said, "Save it then! When she gets married in the future, don't expect me, her brother-in-law, to give her a penny!"
Huang Dashan's eyes flashed with greed as he added, "A thousand yuan dowry?! Is she going to marry into some wealthy family in the upper reaches of the country? What if she marries the wrong person? Giving the money to the mother for safekeeping is the most prudent and safest option."
Lin Bilan didn't notice Huang Dashan's expression. She pricked up her ears and tried to eavesdrop on the movements in the inner room.
After Huang Dashan finished speaking, she said with a hint of advice: "Dashan, don't say that to my younger sister. Maybe one day my younger sister will be able to use you, and you should ask her for help."
Huang Dashan said disdainfully: "Huh, her? A temporary worker at the small vegetable market."
Lin Bilan said gently, "Dashan, you're not a woman, so you don't understand. Women can be reborn a second time, and sometimes getting married is like changing your destiny."
Huang Dashan curled his lips and said, "Didn't she get abandoned once? No matter how beautiful she was, her boyfriend never married her. Now he wants to marry another woman."
Lin Bilan couldn't help feeling anxious when she saw that Huang Dashan didn't care at all and seemed to want to speak his mind and offend Bei Bitang to death.
She opened her mouth and wanted to tell Huang Dashan something.
At this moment, Miao Xiuxiu came out from the inner room. She looked at Lin Bilan deeply, and Lin Bilan closed her mouth helplessly.
Miao Xiuxiu smiled and said, "Have you finished eating, son-in-law? If you have, I will clear the table."
Huang Dashan shook the bottle, but didn't hear any sound. He staggered to his feet and said, "I'll go get some more beer. I'll drink until I'm tired outside and then come back. It's really boring at home."
Lin Bilan complained a little, "You want to buy wine and go to a small restaurant to order some braised food, right? How much money do you have left?"
Miao Xiuxiu quickly said with a smile: "Sir, please walk slowly and be careful of cars and people."
Huang Dashan was rejected by Miao Xiuxiu and immediately became discouraged. He walked out with a drunken streak and unsteady steps.
Miao Xiuxiu lowered her head while clearing the dishes while talking to Lin Bilan. She said, "You too, I told you to be gentle, gentle, and soften men like water. Men are like children who never grow up. You can't go against your will and need to coax them all the time."
Lin Bilan lowered her eyebrows and said docilely, "I know, Mom, I'll repeat it in my heart several times, gentle."
Lin Bilan might not listen to Miao Xiuxiu in other matters, but when it came to treating men, she followed her advice carefully. Miao Xiuxiu was able to marry three times, and each of her husbands was a first-time bride, with a job and a house. Lin Bilan believed her words without a doubt.
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