"Aizhen, you're back from grocery shopping!" Grandma Wu greeted Yang Aizhen as she walked by carrying her shopping basket.
Yang Aizhen hadn't intended to pay any attention to Grandma Wu, but thinking of Qin Hanshu, she responded with a smile.
Their steps also came to a stop.
Grandma Wu was surprised; it seemed like they wanted to talk to her.
But didn't Yang Aizhen always look down on her and ignore her?
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Aizhen got down to business, "Has my Hanshu written to me recently? Has she mentioned coming home to visit her family?"
The telegram had been sent long ago, but not a single word from Qin Hanshu had come back.
Whether she received it or not, whether she came back or not, Yang Aizhen had no idea.
She needed the money urgently, so she could only ask Grandma Wu for help.
Coincidentally, Grandma Wu received a letter from Qin Hanshu just yesterday.
However, as usual, the letter contained only mundane family matters and did not provide the answer Yang Aizhen wanted.
Yang Aizhen was extremely disappointed, but then she caught a whiff of the aroma of meat wafting from Grandma Wu's house.
Her stomach immediately started making a loud, uncontrollable noise.
When Grandma Wu heard this, she looked at Yang Aizhen with great surprise, as if she couldn't believe that such a voice came from Yang Aizhen.
This was a very shameful and ill-mannered thing for Yang Aizhen, who had grown up in luxury. She was so ashamed that she covered her face and ran away.
Back home, looking at the few loofahs and gourds in her vegetable basket, Yang Aizhen couldn't help but shed tears of bitterness.
Thinking back on the days I've spent here, it's been pretty much the same as what my family in the countryside has been doing.
The only consolation is that with the Hu family around, she doesn't have to suffer the same disdain as her own family, nor does she have to endure the pain caused by her political stain.
Thinking of this, Yang Aizhen wiped away her tears and dragged her tired body to cook for the Hu family.
Halfway through cooking, Hu Bingbing ran in and reached out to Yang Aizhen for money.
"I want roast duck, pay up!"
Yang Aizhen said helplessly, "I only have two cents left from buying groceries. How can I afford roast duck?"
Hu Bingbing couldn't understand any of this. He only remembered that Yang Aizhen used to take her whole family out to eat roast duck every month.
It's been so long since I've had this!
Passing by a roast duck shop today, his craving was rekindled, so he ran back to ask Yang Aizhen for roast duck.
Seeing Hu Bingbing's fierce expression, Yang Aizhen quickly said, "Mom will take you to eat after we get our wages. Let's have a candied hawthorn for today."
As he spoke, he took out the two cents he had left over from buying groceries and stuffed them into Hu Bingbing's hand, coaxing, "Good boy, go buy some candied hawthorns, two cents can buy ten skewers."
Candied hawthorn skewers are certainly not as good as roast duck, but the temptation of ten skewers of candied hawthorn skewers is still very strong.
Hu Bingbing thought for a while and decided to get his hands on the candied hawthorns first, so he took the money and went out.
Yang Aizhen breathed a sigh of relief.
However, after a while, Old Mrs. Hu came to ask her for the money left over from buying groceries.
The vegetables were right there, and the price was clearly displayed, so Grandma Hu knew exactly how much money Yang Aizhen had left.
"Give me the money!" Old Mrs. Hu's eyes drooped, her calm face exuding authority.
Yang Aizhen trembled with fear, then stammered, "The money... I gave it to Bingbing..."
"Nonsense!" Old Mrs. Hu had just seen Yang Aizhen give money to Hu Bingbing inside the house, but she pretended not to see it and insisted on asking Yang Aizhen for those two cents.
"You outrageous little whore, how dare you hide money from others and use my grandson as an excuse! Are you deliberately taking advantage of my grandson's poor judgment and inability to speak properly?!"
As Old Mrs. Hu spoke, she grew angrier and angrier, and grabbed a broom to hit Yang Aizhen.
Yang Aizhen didn't dodge at all, just stood there blankly, letting Old Lady Hu beat and scold her.
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors in the courtyard, who came out to watch.
Everyone pointed at Yang Aizhen and whispered among themselves, their faces full of mockery.
The women present were all modern women who had been influenced by the ideas of the new society, and they could not understand Yang Aizhen's behavior as a "model daughter-in-law of the old era" who did not fight back when hit or scolded.
They just thought she was shameless, stupid, and that she must have been out of her mind to offer her face to be beaten.
Even Wu A-nai, who was raised as a child bride, shook her head at Yang Ai-zhen.
Only a few men praised Yang Aizhen as "filial and kind," while criticizing Old Lady Hu's shrewish behavior with sympathetic eyes.
However, the man who praised others was soon dragged back to his room by his wife, who pulled his ear and lectured him.
Halfway through the farce, Hu Dayong returned and, with a dark expression, stopped Old Lady Hu.
Yang Aizhen, who was silently lamenting her miserable fate, immediately looked up at Hu Dayong as if he were her savior.
Old Mrs. Hu had long been dissatisfied with Hu Dayong's favoritism towards his daughter-in-law and vowed to teach Yang Aizhen a lesson this time, with no intention of listening to her son.
Hu Dayong's face contorted in anger as he whispered, "Go back inside, I have something to say."
Grandma Hu sensed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong?"
After entering the room, Hu Dayong closed the door and said with a solemn expression, "Director Ma has been arrested."
Grandma Hu said, "Is it that neighborhood committee director? Didn't we already know? The neighbors have been talking about it every day."
Yang Aizhen thought for a moment and asked, "What does this have to do with you?"
"I only heard it from someone else, I don't know if it's true or not, but they say that Director Ma has some kind of ledger that records a lot of bribery and corruption." Hu Dayong scratched his head and said irritably, "I gave Director Ma three hundred yuan before in order to get my residency."
Yang Aizhen was also startled. "Yes, you were just saying you were going to send some more the other day. Luckily you didn't..."
Grandma Hu asked in surprise, "What will happen if you really put it in that book?"
Yang Aizhen also looked at Hu Dayong nervously.
Hu Dayong was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know."
After thinking it over, Old Mrs. Hu said fiercely, "Who cares! Whether it's on the register or not, we won't acknowledge it! If anyone comes to arrest you, I, this old woman, will stand in front of you and see who dares to touch me!"
Old Mrs. Hu was once a local tyrant in the countryside, relying on her reckless and fearless spirit.
But now we live in the city, where there are laws and police. If someone commits a crime, it's not something an old woman like her can solve by throwing a tantrum.
Hu Dayong lived in fear at home for several days, and sure enough, the police came to his door.
He tried to comfort himself, thinking that it was just a matter of settling down in the city; at worst, he would just lose his urban residency and go back to his hometown.
But when the time comes, it's not that simple.
He was completely stunned after hearing the charge against him.
When did he ever resell goods?
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