Aunt Li came to find Li Qiuxiang early that morning, just as she was leaving for work. Aunt Li asked her to go to Uncle Li's recycling station after work. Li Qiuxiang nodded in agreement and said she would go after work.
When I got off work, I saw Grandpa Li, Grandma Li, and Director Wang from the neighborhood committee all sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed). They were all smiling and asking, "Grandpa, Grandma, Director Wang, what's all this fuss about?"
Aunt Li frowned and said, "You've only been married for a short time, and you're always arguing and fighting with people? Are you here to live a peaceful life or to beat them up?"
Li Qiuxiang poured herself a glass of water, opened her lunchbox, and said it contained mixed grain rice, chives and eggs, and shrimp paste and shredded radish. She mixed it with a spoon and started eating, saying as she ate, "Who complained this time? I say you're making a fuss over nothing. Who doesn't argue in life? Even tongues and teeth sometimes clash!"
Grandpa Li looked at Li Qiuxiang disapprovingly, "You just insulted Old Madam Qi like that?"
Li Qiuxiang swallowed her food and took a sip of water. "Hey! Grandpa, we can't just make baseless accusations! What did I say that insulted him?"
Director Wang's head throbbed with pain. "If you hadn't insulted her, how could your neighborhood have spread such a detailed story? The old lady came to our street office crying and wailing, and what you said was uttered inhuman! I couldn't even hear it!"
Li Qiuxiang said with a grin, "Oh dear! Director Wang, it's not my fault. That old lady is so petty. I didn't even take it to heart, but she still went to complain!"
"Shut up! Look at your reputation..." Grandma Li's face turned red with anger.
"What's wrong with my reputation? I'm a model citizen, a positive role model, and an ambitious young person. Who dares to say anything bad about me?" Realizing his voice had risen, he quickly lowered it and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, Director Wang, don't listen to their nonsense. Don't you know what kind of person I am?"
The elderly couple snorted coldly; it was precisely because they knew too much that they were uneasy.
Li Qiuxiang continued, "Really, she's so old, and all she eats is boiled cabbage every day. Wasn't I trying to get her to eat something better? Ask me if I even tried to talk to her beforehand. But she just wouldn't listen, like she had donkey hair stuffed in her ears. That's why I was so worried."
"Well, my words were a bit harsh, but my intentions were good! If you ask me, it's because of our family. Aren't we poor? That's what happens when you're uneducated and don't know how to speak properly! We don't have those cunning tricks."
Director Wang gave Grandpa Li and Grandma Li a look, and Grandpa Li cleared his throat and said, "No matter what your intentions are, it's not appropriate for you two to live together. Qi Zhijun will be back soon, so you should move out with Wang Dong..."
Upon hearing that she was to move out, Li Qiuxiang slammed her lunchbox down and roared, "No way! I didn't even think about it! Anyone who dares to make me move, I'll kill her..."
The three were startled.
She slammed her hand on the table. "Damn it, why should I move? Who said that? The Qi family? If they want me to leave, they'll give me back Wang Yanda's house, or a new one. Otherwise, it's mine! Bring Qi Zhijun back! Who does he think he is! Why didn't they mess around with their own house back then? They used the house left by Wang Dong's father to do favors, being so generous, raising a bunch of good-for-nothings. Now that they've lost the house, they want to kick Wang Dong out? He's an idiot, but I'm not." Li Qiuxiang glared fiercely, her voice filled with murderous intent.
Director Wang forced a smile and said, "That's Old Mrs. Qi's house. It's her prerogative to decide who lives there..."
"Freedom my foot! She's really giving her face. She came in penniless, carrying only a pen holder, and she thinks she owns a house! Bah! I'm going back right now and rip her skin off..."
"Come back!" "Come back!" "Let's talk this out!" The three people desperately tried to stop Li Qiuxiang, but because her grandparents were there, she didn't struggle too much.
Director Wang felt a chill run down his spine and a tightness in his chest. "Qiuxiang, look at their reputation. Even if you lived with them, you'd be looked down upon. It's better to move out and live somewhere more comfortable..."
"Don't spout those stupid nonsense. I'm not coming out. If anyone's going to leave, it's her! That shameless old hag, that jinx, she's ruined her son-in-law's house and the ancestral home her husband left behind, and she still thinks that little shabby house is hers? What a load of rubbish!"
Director Wang was about to explode with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "There's a two-and-a-half-room apartment in courtyard number 17. You can move in there. Can you just pay two yuan a month for rent?"
"No way! Not a single penny! I own a house with a deed, why would I need to rent it? No way! Get out of my way! I'd like to take this to the police, and see if they side with that shameless old man too!"
“Ancestor, calm down. That little house won’t even have room for your next child. What’s the point of having it? It’s just a house with a deed. There’s a three-room house in courtyard number 16. You can pay 2,000, and I’ll give it to you! Consider it a gift. Don’t be impulsive…” Director Wang was really putting in a lot of effort.
Grandpa Li knew this too, so he quickly said, "Qiuxiang, just agree! It's so much better to have your own house. Why bother squeezing in with them and getting angry!"
Li Qiuxiang, as if possessed, ripped open her clothes and tried to rush out, shouting, "I won't give it to her! Did she think 2,000 yuan grew on trees? Not a single penny! Why should I, who already owns a house, have to buy another one! This old hag, if I don't teach her a lesson, she'll think I'm easy to bully!"
Director Wang's mind was buzzing. "You don't have to pay the 2000 all at once. Just give me whatever amount you have, and pay me back a little each month until the debt is settled and the property is transferred..."
"No way! I don't have that much, and I don't raise children! Director Wang, I advise you to mind your own business, or I'll come live with you!"
"1500 is the lowest I can agree to! That's for three and a half rooms. I'll give you 1500 as a token gesture, but for the next five years, you'll pay me one yuan rent every month so I can keep accounts. If you don't agree, I'm done with this. You can fight and make a scene all you want, and if someone dies, it's up to you whether you go to jail or get shot." He was practically bleeding as he finished speaking! One and a half rooms would cost over 1700, but she was willing to risk everything for this troublemaker. After all, she was an elderly woman living alone, and the house would be handed over to the state after she died. He could manipulate things so the house could be transferred to Li Qiuxiang, saving her from further trouble! If it weren't for the upcoming awards, he wouldn't have gotten involved in this.
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