Chapter 54
◎Bei Bitang returned home from work as if nothing had happened.
Miao Xiuxiu is the only one at home◎
Bei Bitang returned home from work as if nothing had happened.
Miao Xiuxiu was the only one at home. Under the dim light, she sat on a high chair, threading a needle.
The clothes in her hand were exactly Bei Bitang's. Hearing the noise, she raised her head, glanced at Bei Bitang, then lowered her head again and said softly, "I left you a bowl of your favorite sesame paste noodles, remember to eat it."
A bowl of sesame cold noodles was left for her on the table, topped with a layer of fresh and juicy cucumber shreds, cut into thin strips, and a small spoonful of glossy sesame paste.
Bei Bitang's eyes became hot, and she went to the bathhouse to take a bath. Then she picked up the bowl, stood in front of the window, enjoying the night breeze and eating her dinner.
It was rare for her to eat in such a voracious manner.
After finishing the sesame noodles, Bei Bitang washed the dishes, brushed her teeth, and went into the room to make the bed to sleep, but was stopped by Miao Xiuxiu.
Miao Xiuxiu said, "I think you've been working for a long time, it's time to think about your personal affairs."
Bei Bitang broke free from her hand and said patiently, "Mom, I'm so sleepy, let me go to sleep."
After saying that, without further ado, Bei Bitang went into the inner room and took the bedding off the camphorwood box.
She heard footsteps behind her and knew that it was Miao Xiuxiu who followed her in. She didn't want to pay any attention to her and just focused on making her bed.
Miao Xiuxiu pressed down hard on the quilt, preventing Bei Bitang from moving. She laughed and said unhappily, "Bei Bitang, just give me a straight answer. What do you mean by finding a partner and getting married? Don't act like a scoundrel to Mom."
Bei Bitang let go of the quilt, feeling a little tired, not just physically. She sat on a corner of the quilt, eyes downcast, and said, "Mom, how long have I been working? I haven't saved any money yet? You want me to get married?"
Miao Xiuxiu quickly responded, "Where's your thousand yuan?"
Bei Bitang replied calmly, "It hasn't been returned to me yet."
Miao Xiuxiu couldn't help but show an exasperated look on her face. Her little daughter's ex-boyfriend was really unreliable. Not only did he refuse to pay back the money, but he also talked about the couple's intimate affairs. As a man, he didn't care.
Miao Xiuxiu held back her anger. She took a deep breath and said, "Then you have to look after me first! I'll prepare wedding quilts, washbasins, and other things for you to keep at home."
As a mother, she couldn't leave her daughter with nothing after she got married. She was angry when she said that last time.
Bei Bitang said impatiently, "Mom, I really don't want to get married. What's so good about getting married?"
It’s over. Could it be that my little daughter was so hurt that she wants to be an old maid for the rest of her life?
There was no shyness on Bei Bitang's face, only serious calmness.
Miao Xiuxiu was anxious. She said angrily, "You can't not want to get married! You want to stay at home all your life."
Miao Xiuxiu even pulled Bei Bitang's hand and said, "You have to get married! Why are you meeting young men? Speak!"
Bei Bitang was annoyed and said perfunctorily, "Didn't we agree to talk about it after we turn 20?"
Miao Xiuxiu snorted, exhaled through her nose, and said, "Marriage is something that happens after you turn 20, but you have to get to know the person first."
Bei Bitang looked up at Miao Xiuxiu and asked, "Mom, can't you wait even for a year?"
Miao Xiuxiu shook off Bei Bitang's hand and said, "Drag it on, drag it on, how long are you going to drag it on? Dating, dating, getting engaged and getting married, you always have a reason to drag it on, I don't even know you."
She had no intention of marrying off her youngest daughter this year. She had to treat her three daughters in different ways.
The eldest daughter was straightforward and brusque, issuing orders with a stern face. The second daughter needed to be broken down and explained in detail. The youngest daughter, seemingly the least cunning, was actually the most slippery and needed to be slowly worked over.
Bei Bitang's tone also became angry. She said, "What should I do, Mom? I can just find someone to marry on the street. My eldest sister and second sister didn't get married until they were in their twenties. Mom, why can't you tolerate me?"
Miao Xiuxiu sighed softly and said slowly, "The situation is different now. We have your uncle and the little brat. There are only two places to sleep at home, and the little brat is a boy, so he can't always sleep with me. You are also an unmarried girl, and your uncle has to avoid suspicion with you. How awkward it is to live like this. It's better for you to get married and be the master of your own house."
As she spoke, Miao Xiuxiu's tone hardened. But she forgot that she was talking about the ideal marriage situation, where the first person to enter the marriage could become the hostess and have her own independent living space.
How many people have wealthier families than Miao Xiuxiu's, but the per capita housing area is far less than hers? Two sleeping places are nothing, some even have to sleep on three-story bunk beds.
Bei Bitang avoided Miao Xiuxiu's eyes and said softly, "I don't feel very comfortable living together as a family. It's too early for the little brat to grow up and sleep in a separate bed."
Miao Xiuxiu observed Bei Bitang's expression carefully while she said solemnly, "You, an unmarried girl, don't understand. Mommy will explain things to you clearly. You stay at home all the time. How Bilan and her husband and wife live together is a matter of course. You can't make a scene and have your little sister-in-law listen to their affairs."
Bei Bitang looked calm at first, but her ears inevitably turned red at the back.
Miao Xiuxiu frowned. Her little daughter's reaction was perfectly normal. Could there be something fishy? She had never had sex with Xu Zeli.
Bei Bitang blushed and said softly, "I'm tired from work and I sleep soundly at night."
Miao Xiuxiu retorted, "No matter how soundly you sleep, you still don't know how to use it. Bilan and son-in-law are always worried, so how can the quality be good? Can you enjoy it? Men can't stand being scared. If they are scared too much, that thing will break down. As the saying goes, a couple fights at the head of the bed and makes up at the foot of the bed. If the night life is not nourishing, the relationship between the couple will fade, and problems will arise. Do you want your eldest sister to divorce? The little brat has lost his father?"
Finally, what Miao Xiuxiu said was a bit too harsh.
Bei Bitang doesn't want to take the blame for this, and she can't afford to take it.
She quickly said, "We don't need my eldest brother-in-law to make money at home, and we don't need to take care of the little brat. We have you, Mom, and my eldest sister to take care of him, and he can even order me around. Huang Dashan must have fallen into the river, and his brain is full of water, so he wants to divorce my eldest sister. Where will he go after the divorce? Go back to the countryside?!"
Huang Dashan's parents were both deceased. He did have brothers and sisters, but they had all started their own families. They lived in different places, were just ordinary people struggling to make ends meet, and their relationship wasn't particularly close. When Huang Dashan returned to his hometown in the countryside, his brothers still considered him a burden.
Miao Xiuxiu said angrily: "Look at your temper, you can't let your son-in-law hear this."
Bei Bitang nodded and said, "I understand."
It's just a trivial matter, so agree to it quickly. Otherwise, if you refuse Mom too harshly, her telepathic skills will increase again.
Miao Xiuxiu wanted to say more, she said: "When a big family lives together, the longer the time, the more friction there is. You are stubborn and can't stand being offended. Because of you, Bilan and the uncle can't help but quarrel. The little brat can grow up happily by seeing his parents quarreling. Don't you feel sorry for the little brat?"
Bei Bitang lowered her head and remained silent.
Seeing that Bei Bitang couldn't be persuaded, Miao Xiuxiu felt that tonight's work was enough.
She said kindly, "Mom won't say anything more about you. Anyway, you should pay attention to the important things in your life now. And be more vigilant. Some men look good on the outside, but they are actually bad at heart. Don't be fooled by their sweet words. Sweet words are the cheapest. Look at the scammers out there. They all use money to lure people in. Who can fool people with just sweet words?"
Miao Xiuxiu's tone and expression were perfectly normal. Bei Bitang didn't realize there was any deeper meaning in her words. Even though she had been deceived by Xu Zeli, Bei Bitang didn't think much about it and nodded casually.
Someone downstairs called out, "Miao Xiuxiu, come out and play poker."
Miao Xiuxiu stood up and was about to leave.
Bei Bitang said hesitantly, "Mom, I don't want to work at the small vegetable market anymore."
Miao Xiuxiu looked back at Bei Bitang, frowning and saying, "How can you not do a good job? You've only been working for a few days. If it gets out, you'll be seen as someone who avoids hard work. How nice is that? If you don't work, what else can you do? You stay indoors all the time? I'm afraid your son-in-law will ask you to do something again."
Bei Bitang said nothing and lowered her eyes. After a few seconds, she slowly raised her head, smiled, and said, "Mom, I'm just tired from work and I'm complaining. Don't worry, I'll continue to stay at the small vegetable market."
As Miao Xiuxiu walked out, she muttered to herself that her little daughter was really hard-hearted. She usually loved the little brat very much, but when she encountered her own problems, she took out the little brat and tried to persuade her with reason and emotion, but she couldn't be persuaded. She immediately went to meet the young man and go on a blind date.
Lin Bilan walked into the room excitedly. Miao Xiuxiu was sitting on a stool, drinking tea.
Lin Bilan went up, snatched the teacup from her hand, and shouted, "Mom!"
The movement was too big and the tea in the cup spilled out, soaking Miao Xiuxiu's collar.
Miao Xiuxiu stood up suddenly and shook off the water stains on her collar.
She said angrily, "What are you yelling about? You're making a lot of noise."
She believed that she would not be at peace even after her death. After her death, her eldest daughter would stand in front of her tombstone, press one hand on the tombstone, and sing in a long and emphatic tone: "Mommy~"
Lin Bilan ignored Miao Xiuxiu's cold face. Her mind was very active now. She said excitedly, "Mom, do you still remember Aunt Fei?"
Miao Xiuxiu couldn't think of anything right away. She frowned in shock, thought for a moment, and then said, "I remember, we were old neighbors. That's all in the past. Why are you bringing it up?"
Fei Linjun was an old neighbor of her first husband; they lived on the same street, not far from each other. After the Lin family fell into decline, their old house was mortgaged to pay off debts, and she rarely returned.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, she even avoided people from that area. Not only did she avoid her old acquaintances, she even avoided returning to the house where she lived when she got married for the second time. For the sake of her own and her three daughters' well-being, she wanted to hide her identity.
Lin Bilan sat down and said, "Today I went to see a coworker's newborn baby. I passed by Fuxing Middle Road and went down to buy some snacks. I ran into her. Aunt Fei recognized me at once and said I looked like my mother."
Miao Xiuxiu's expression was indifferent. She said, "And then?"
Lin Bilan blinked at Miao Xiuxiu and said mysteriously, "Mom, guess how Aunt Fei is doing now?"
Miao Xiuxiu said speechlessly: "I don't guess, she remarried."
Compared to Fei Linjun's heartless husband, her three husbands were all pretty good. Fei Linjun's husband not only divorced her, but also rejected their son. He also sent his father-in-law and his family to prison and seized the Fei family's house and property.
Zhongshan Wolf is simply not a human being!
At that time, she advised Fei Linjun to throw the child back and not raise the son for that heartless man in vain, and to find a good man to marry.
Fei Linjun didn't listen to her. He worked hard to pay off his debts while raising his son alone.
Lin Bilan shook her head and said, "I don't know whether Aunt Fei has a husband now. But she's made a fortune! Doesn't Aunt Fei have overseas connections? Her sister's family immigrated to the United States. As soon as they were able to communicate back home, they contacted Aunt Fei and sent her a lot of US dollars! The Fei family's house was also taken back, and Aunt Fei now lives in a foreign-style house."
Miao Xiuxiu's mind shuddered, and she said with a hint of jealousy, "What's the point of taking the mansion back? It's been changed beyond recognition. The eight rooms have been divided into thirty-six small cages. The Western-style windows and colorful windows are gone. They're hung with dried salted fish and dried radishes, and the garden terrace has become a pavilion."
Lin Bilan glanced at Miao Xiuxiu and said sarcastically, "Mom, having thirty-six houses isn't good enough. It would save you the trouble and money to renovate them. Wouldn't it be great if you could rent out thirty houses? You could get at least five yuan a month for each room, which would be one hundred and fifty yuan a month. You can collect rent without having to do anything. Even college graduates can't make that much money. It's like living in heaven."
Miao Xiuxiu was touched in a sore spot, but it was a pity that she didn't have a capable sister.
Lin Bilan leaned over and continued, "Hey, Aunt Fei is actually asking about my younger sister. How did she know that Mommy gave birth to three daughters? She also asked if my younger sister is married and where she works. I remember Aunt Fei has a fat son. I asked, and her son hasn't married yet. He said he was afraid of dragging down a good girl."
Lin Bilan's eyes rolled around.
As soon as Miao Xiuxiu heard it, she knew what she was planning.
After her youngest daughter was born, she had a cold war with her daughter's father. She missed the old days and secretly went back there.
She met Fei Linjun, a street sweeper. His life was much worse than hers. He was pale and thin, and wore only a thin coat in the middle of winter.
She couldn't bear it, so she bought some hot steamed buns and stuffed them into her mouth.
She also learned that Fei Linjun's son was sick and had no money to buy medicine or see a doctor. In a fit of rage, she gave all the three dollars she had on her to Fei Linjun. In the end, she walked home on one leg.
She and Fei Linjun talked about their recent situations, and she told her about her third marriage and the birth of a daughter.
Miao Xiuxiu's heart moved. Fei Linjun's son was a good candidate. She and Fei Linjun were old acquaintances. She trusted her character and believed that the son she educated would not be too bad.
Miao Xiuxiu looked up and asked, "Fei Linjun's son, I remember his name was Fei Litong, what's the situation now?"
Lin Bilan said, "Aunt Fei told me that she wanted her son to go to college, but he really didn't have the ability. So she asked someone to use their connections to get him into a primary school near their home, where he works as a mail clerk."
Miao Xiuxiu nodded and said with satisfaction: "That's not bad. The work is leisurely and he can take care of the family. The family doesn't need his salary."
Lin Bilan's eyes widened, she couldn't agree more. She raised her chin and said, "Isn't that right? Mom. You have to hurry up. Aunt Fei remembers you. She spoke to me so affectionately and even invited our family to visit her home. Mom, please contact her."
Seeing Lin Bilan's anxious look, Miao Xiuxiu deliberately asked, "What about the He family? A good woman doesn't argue with two families. Have you explained it clearly to the He family?"
Lin Bilan choked, curled her lips, and said uncomfortably, "What do you want to explain? My family didn't agree to it. Just return the food. After sending crabs last time, there has been no movement since then. Do you still want us to rush in?"
After a pause, Lin Bilan lowered her voice and said, "Also, I don't know if their family has heard about what happened between my younger sister and Xu Zeli. At the factory, I greeted Feng Jiaqing, He Zhiguo, and He Dafei, but they all pretended not to see me."
Lin Bilan's chest heaved as she snorted, "A man like He Dafei dares to look down on me! Even if I were to marry ten times and choose him the eleventh time, he should be grateful for the reward."
Miao Xiuxiu scolded, "Shut up! How could you curse Bitang like that? You want her to have ten husbands die!"
Lin Bilan made two "Pooh" sounds and pretended to slap herself on the mouth to admit her mistake.
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