The next day, when Li Qiuxiang got off work, she found that it was still boiled cabbage and cornbread. She was so angry that she smashed the kitchen.
He smashed the food while cursing, "You old bastard, are you deaf? I told you not to do something, but you did it anyway! Damn it, I'll let you eat and do whatever you want!"
"Qiuxiang, what are you doing? Grandma is working so hard at home..."
"Go to hell! What's the point of having claws if you can't even cook? Chop them up..."
Wang Dong hugged Qi's mother and huddled to one side. After Li Qiuxiang had finished smashing things, she saw that Qi's mother's eyes were red. She pulled Qi's mother out and pushed her into the yard, shouting loudly, "Everyone in the neighborhood, come out and see! This heartless, shameless woman is trying to scheme against us all and is going to remarry with the house!" People came out to see what was happening.
The older woman got even more excited: "Wang Dong and I are both on the production line. We're exhausted after a long day, so shouldn't this newlywed couple put in some effort at night? We work day and night, and she feeds me boiled cabbage every day. Which old man are you saving the money for? You're working us to death so you can remarry with the house, aren't you?"
Wang Dong stepped forward, his face flushed and his neck bulging, and said, "Qiu Xiang, what are you doing? Can't you talk things out? Come back!"
Li Qiuxiang turned around and roared, "Go back and say what? Did I say it yesterday? Did she change her mind?"
Wang Dong said in a humble voice, "Grandma has been used to plain soup all her life, you..."
Li Qiuxiang pointed at her nose and cursed, "Go to hell! We live so close by, do you think I don't know what kind of person she is? How could someone who can't even be a decent person raise her daughter to have slept with so many women? Back then, your family was famous for its private tutoring, so what? Do you think I'm that good-for-nothing Qi Zhijun found before? Let me tell you, I'm not someone to be bullied!"
Qi's mother wiped away her tears and said, "We have no money left at home, so I'll give you five hundred yuan as a bride price..."
"Pah..." A mouthful of spit was spat on Qi's mother's face. "Are you fucking sick? I've calculated the money Wang Dong paid for the lease termination and the money you made from selling girls for you. If you knew how to manage your money, you would definitely have some left over! Now you're complaining to me about being poor? Do you think I'm stupid? You'd better tell me honestly which wild man you've been supporting with the money? I'll go and get it back for you!"
She looked around the crowd and said, "You all go back and find out who took the money from this idiot who keeps a mistress in my house. Spit it all back to me, or I'll kill him!"
"Enough! What else are you going to do? You've been here for three days and you've been arguing every single day. If you don't want to live here, get out! This is my house!" Qi's mother roared. Yes, the property deed was in her name, and she was using her trump card to kick people out!
Li Qiuxiang slapped Qi's mother to the ground. Wang Dong was stunned. Li Qiuxiang pointed at Qi's mother on the ground and shouted angrily, "Do you think I'm begging you? Do you want to live with a bunch of vixens like you? Trying to manipulate me with this? You're dreaming!"
Is this your house? How did you get here? Tell me. You sneaked in back then, completely naked, without even a single piece of clothing. If it weren't for your ability to sleep with men and have children, you might have starved to death somewhere, you bastard.
Have you forgotten your place after just two good meals? Here's your house back—that's your old Qi's parents' house, the Qi family's old residence, a proper three-and-a-half-room house. Why can't you live there anymore? Do I have to remind you? How dare you say that! You're shameless!
Qi's mother was so angry that her vision blurred, and her throat felt metallic and itchy. Wang Dong forced himself to step forward and said, "Qiu Xiang, don't be like this, say less!"
Li Qiuxiang slapped Wang Dong across the face. "Shut the hell up, you useless coward! You lost the house your own father left you to two old women. And you're still trying to befriend them?"
Qi's mother roared angrily, "You're talking nonsense! You're spouting lies!"
Li Qiuxiang scoffed, "Where did Wang Dong's dad's house go? Who lives there? Don't you know why? You dare to play dumb with me? Everyone in the neighborhood knows! I'm not even bothering with you about the house, and you still dare to bring it up? Fine, let's talk about it today. You've tricked Qi Zhijun into having no descendants, so the house is useless to him. Consider this compensation to our Wang Dong. Go and change the name back right now!"
"You shrew, spouting nonsense, spouting nonsense..." Qi's mother spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted. Afterwards, Wang Dong was so frightened that his legs went weak. "Grandma! If anything happens to my grandma, Li Qiuxiang, I'll never forgive you!"
Li Qiuxiang scoffed, grabbed a basin of tap water, and splashed it over Qi's mother's head. "Ah!"
Wang Dong glared at Li Qiuxiang, who said sarcastically, "You're awake now, aren't you? What are you looking at? Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out! You old hag, you better behave yourself from now on, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
Seeing Wang Dong squatting on the ground, half-embracing Qi's mother, he was furious. "Why the hell aren't you going inside to lie down like a corpse? What are you trying to do?"
Wang Dong helped Qi's mother up and led her to the side room, swallowing his anger. Li Qiuxiang loudly sang, "Yang Bailao... heartless...seizing land, robbing old houses..." Then she stopped and shouted, "You damned bastard! Stealing other people's houses, giving birth to a son who has no descendants, and your daughter is no better! Shameless! Look at your old eyelids, they're almost drooping, your old face is crisscrossed like the roots of an old tree, and you still don't forget to put on airs. Which wild man are you trying to impress? You even faint for no reason. You wouldn't even spare your grandson just to get a man to hold you for a while..."
Then, seeing so many people gathered around, he rolled his eyes and said, "Look...look...look...what are you looking at? Go home and see your mother!" With that, he slunk away.
"My goodness! Old Mrs. Qi really has courage, how could she invite this ancestor into our courtyard?"
"This is going to be interesting!"
"Old Mrs. Qi doesn't think that this one is like Qi Zhijun's ex-wife back then, able to control him and get 30 yuan a month for nothing, does she?"
"This is a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead! They kicked a hornet's nest. This family is interesting too; one's acting like a thug, the other's a bachelor."
"In other families, it's the men who act like hooligans and stay single, but these women are truly remarkable! The men are all well-behaved and obedient, while the women are all incredibly capable!"
"But this granddaughter of the Li family is really outrageous, and her family doesn't do anything about it!"
"Why are you saying this? Why don't you go and mediate for the Qi family?"
"Get out...get out...get out..." Who dares to mess with this evil star?
After the neighbors finished their chatter, they dispersed. Who would dare mess with Li Qiuxiang? Li's grandparents, brother, and sister-in-law were all good people, even a little too honest. Perhaps the rebellious streak of the whole family was concentrated in Li Qiuxiang. It was fortunate she was a woman; if it had been a man, their family would have been in deep trouble.
Li Qiuxiang, who was being "praised," didn't want to go back to listen to her family's lectures. She was carefree and felt good after the fight. She strolled to the dumpling shop, bought a pound of cabbage and pork dumplings, and ordered a bowl of dumpling soup.
After finishing their meal, they made sure to bring back a pound for Wang Dong, who, being the spineless guy, actually ate it all. They still had to do some physical labor that evening, and they couldn't manage without eating something.
As for Qi's mother, she used to faint easily from anger and be hospitalized, with her children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren all listening to her scolding at her bedside. Now, it's all been cured of those ailments by a bucket of cold water. She doesn't dare to cause any more trouble and cooks properly every day, making sure there are eggs even if there's no meat. Otherwise, Li Qiuxiang might turn on her and refuse to acknowledge her.
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