The next morning, Jiang Shuya got up a little late. She didn't help pick grapes today; she was only responsible for calling a car in the direction of the ferry. Just as she pushed Tangtang to Zhang Xiaohui's door, she saw Zhang Xiaohui carrying two baskets of grapes and walking home.
After saying hello, I hurriedly went to the market for breakfast, found a car, and went to Zhang Xiaohui's house to help pack boxes. Seeing that she had been holding her child all the time lately, I frowned and said, "Xiaoya, why don't you let your mother-in-law look after Tangtang for a while? Aren't you tired of this? She's always clinging to you, and it will be hard to wean her later."
How could she not want to leave her to her mother-in-law to take care of? Ever since she didn't get her way last time, her mother-in-law had been in a bad mood and giving her the cold shoulder, even her words were sarcastic. Now that her son was back, she seemed to have gained confidence and had no scruples. She avoided Tangtang and cooked only when she felt like it. Now she mostly went to the market and the mahjong parlor.
Seeing Jiang Shuya remain silent, Zhang Xiaohui said nothing more. They were all from Xixia Village, and everyone knew each other. That family had nothing of value, no skills, and their tempers were bigger than their abilities. Only their son was outstanding in appearance. She really didn't know what Xiaoya saw in them. She felt sorry for her and thought that she was also deeply involved and had no way to get out of trouble. What right did she have to give her advice? She thought about how her mother-in-law was so clueless and didn't know how good she was. Everyone else in the village could see the potential in her, but her mother-in-law was oblivious to it.
Although her father-in-law passed away relatively early, her mother-in-law was truly wonderful. Knowing that she was busy selling grapes, she took the initiative to bring the child to Dageng.
"Xiaoya, are you going to the banquet tomorrow?" Zhang Xiaohui asked Jiang Shuya, who shook her head, indicating that she didn't really want to go.
“You don’t want to eat my cooking? You forgot! I’m here too!” Zhang Xiaohui tilted her head, trying to cheer her up, and asked with a smile, “You haven’t separated your households yet, so you don’t have to pay for meals. Why don’t you go?”
Jiang Shuya's eyes lit up: "Oh, you're here! There are so many dishes you've made that I haven't tried yet!"
Zhang Xiaohui pointed at her, revealing her signature buck teeth. Jiang Shuya looked at her and thought her round face was actually quite cute, but her teeth were a bit disappointing. Nowadays, orthodontic treatment is a mature technology that can be improved through medical means. Perhaps the reason she hadn't done it was because it was too expensive. She still mustered up her courage and said, "Xiaohui, when you have more money later, get orthodontic treatment done. Then you'll be perfect."
"Okay," she agreed without thinking, without giving Jiang Shuya any further thought because of her straightforwardness.
After packing the grapes, the two went to Grandma Sun's house for a while. By then, the car was already parked outside the gate. Sun Qi, who was packing, was called to the door by Jiang Shuya to load the grapes into the car. Zhang Xiaohui continued packing. Seeing the two vans parked at the door, the people who had been watching the commotion gathered around. Because they were not familiar with Jiang Shuya, they directly asked Sun Qi, "Xiaoqi! Where are you sending these? If yours isn't enough, we have some for ours too."
A middle-aged woman poked her head out and said, "Auntie, my house can be renovated."
Sun Qi politely responded, at which point the person next to the older woman interjected, "Xiao Qi, didn't you understand? She's asking you to help her family deliver some too." Sun Qi glanced into the crowd and said, "Sure! The selling price is 40 yuan a box, with a 50% commission. Is that okay with you?"
To everyone's surprise, the woman spat out a curse and said irritably, "Are you out of your mind for money? I thought you were a scholar who could give back to the neighbors, but all your education has gone to waste."
To everyone's surprise, Sun Qi immediately put on a stern face: "Auntie, did I spend a single penny of your money to study, or did I borrow your oil lamp to read? What should I repay you for? Should I repay you for your grandson scratching my brother's face, or for you picking vegetables and cutting grapes in my garden without my permission?"
No sooner had the words left her lips than the woman jumped up and shouted, "Boy, what nonsense are you spouting! Be careful, or I'll call my son back to deal with you. Let's see if you can get out of this intersection today. If you're so capable, try running over my dead body."
The woman who was being pulled away started screaming hysterically and tried to block the way in front of the van.
“Fine! Let your son come back and confront me. We’d better go to the police station to file a case and investigate. I will take responsibility for every word I say.” Sun Qi immediately retorted. Seeing that things were about to escalate, the crowd called for the village chief to handle the situation. Soon, the crowd was dispersed by a series of shouts, and the air instantly became quiet. A moment later, the onlookers went home in twos and threes.
Jiang Shuya smiled incredulously at Sun Qi, whose face was flushed red.
The unpleasant gloom quickly passed, and Jiang Shuya made her way to Software Avenue with ease. Tangtang followed along. On the way back, Zhang Xiaohui made an extra bowl of noodles for Jiang Shuya. When settling the bill, Jiang Shuya rounded down the price for Zhang Xiaohui. After eating a bowl of noodles, she still had 1800 yuan in her hand, bringing her total to 8000 yuan.
Looking at Zhang Xiaohui's relaxed expression, they guessed that her grape harvest was almost completely wiped out, and the two exchanged a smile.
"Sister Xiaohui, are you really not planning to open a fast food restaurant? I think this is a really viable business. Today, when I went to the office building and got Manager Wang's phone number, I also asked them if the office building had a cafeteria. They said they didn't, and the company wouldn't consider building one in the future; they're considering ordering food from outside." Jiang Shuya said while eating noodles.
Zhang Xiaohui teased Tangtang in her arms and sighed, "After the grape harvest, I plan to build a house first, to complete the square footage you mentioned. I met with the child's father a few days ago. He didn't accept the lawsuit and directly agreed to the divorce. He also agreed to my request that the house be registered under my father-in-law's name when he was alive. I am the head of the household, and I will build the house. After the demolition, he will only take his share, and from then on, we will have no debts to each other."
Jiang Shuya chuckled: "Your husband isn't stupid either. If you sue him, he'll definitely go to jail again. Now that the country has issued new laws and regulations to protect women and children, you have solid evidence in hand. I'm sure he can't do anything to trip you up. If you sue him, he'll be sentenced to at least two years. It's not worth it."
And your father-in-law is truly a wise man. Knowing his son was unreliable, he transferred the household registration to you. He anticipated you would protect his grandson and resolved unnecessary trouble for you early on. He was incredibly prescient. However, you will inevitably face some entanglement in the future, so you should be mentally prepared.
Zhang Xiaohui took a deep breath and sighed, "I'm prepared for a fight to the death. At worst, none of us will survive."
"Don't think of it as so serious. Believe that as long as you're alive, there will always be a way. Things will work themselves out." Jiang Shuya put down her chopsticks and took out a wet wipe from her bag to wipe her hands.
"Xiaoya, Tangtang's dad is back, right? There was the sound of mahjong playing next door all night yesterday. I saw your husband this morning." Jiang Shuya nodded expressionlessly. She knew it was her third aunt's house. "He might as well not have come back at all." A layer of frost appeared on her face.
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