"Wow, your house is really something now! So many meat buns! It must have cost a lot of money."
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Widow Zhang, with whom they had some past grievances. Widow Zhang's loud voice attracted the attention of passersby. Sure enough, there was a family of seven or eight people, each with a meat bun in their hand—they were quite wealthy.
Xuemei jumped up: "What's it to you? Did I eat your food or drink your water? Why are you making such a racket? No wonder your husband died."
So this woman was a jinx to her husbands! A group of passersby immediately scrambled to get out of the way, especially the men, who kept their distance.
Widow Zhang was stunned. She hadn't expected a teenage girl to be so capable. She had originally thought that Cuihua was honest and easy to bully, and that she could trick her into giving her a steamed bun. But unexpectedly, a Cheng Yaojin appeared out of nowhere.
Xuemei hadn't finished speaking when she said, "You widow Zhang, not only did you bring death to your husband, but you also caused all the rice and wheat in the village to die. Why don't you just die? Our lives will be better if you die."
Widow Zhang was furious. She picked up a broom from the shop and tried to hit Xue Mei, but Dongnan grabbed her and pushed her away.
Although Dongnan was still a young lad, he was incredibly strong when it came to farm work. He pushed Widow Zhang five or six meters away from the shop door, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
This stirred up a hornet's nest. Widow Zhang sat down on the ground and pretended to be dead, wailing with tears and snot streaming down her face. But she had forgotten the date.
Which shop owner would want to open on the first day of the new year to have people wailing and mourning in front of their door? The steamed bun shop owner picked up a basin of dirty water from washing dishes and splashed it on Widow Zhang.
The icy water splashed onto Widow Zhang's head, face, and body, sending a shiver down her spine.
The cotton-padded coat I was wearing was also splattered with this basin of dirty water and had an indescribable smell.
Seeing the disheveled Widow Zhang, everyone burst into laughter. Widow Zhang was furious and embarrassed, realizing that she had lost more than she gained.
She stood up and ran towards the village, shouting threats as she ran: "You Yan family, you just wait!"
No one will pay attention to such harsh words; it's usually said by the loser of a fight or argument.
As Grandma was about to leave after finishing her steamed buns, she overheard the bun shop owner saying he was also planning to stop making them for the day because he couldn't get enough flour.
Grandma Yan made a quick decision and bought all the remaining steamed buns from the shop. Since it was cold, they could be stored for a few more days. She also wanted to bring some to her in-laws tomorrow, since she was going with them anyway.
Looking at the twenty-odd steamed buns in his hand, Yan Xiaoqiang sighed at his mother's decisive action. Although they were very expensive, money was nothing in the face of scarce food.
Yan Xiaoqiang went into the grain station when he passed by and saw that there was no grain. Nobody knew when the grain would arrive, and there was no grain to buy at the farmers' market either.
With a sigh, Grandma Yan, along with her son and grandson, began their shopping spree again. "This fabric is really nice. I'll make a coat for Nannan in the spring. This fabric is also pretty. I'll make a pair of pants for Nannan."
"Cuihua, do you like these leather shoes?" Yan Xiaoqiang asked, pulling Cuihua along and pointing to a pair of leather shoes in the department store counter.
When Cuihua took a look, she realized that these leather shoes were not the same as the ones her second sister-in-law Cai Min was wearing. Goodness, they cost seven yuan and sixty-five cents! That's too expensive!
Yan Xiaoqiang snorted, "The second son has money to buy leather shoes for his wife, but he doesn't give our mother any money for her retirement. What an ingrate."
Cuihua wholeheartedly agreed. It must have been incredibly difficult for their mother to raise the three brothers all by herself. How could they forget their mother after getting married? What an ingrate!
Yan Xiaoqiang looked at the three brothers and said, "If you learn from your ungrateful second uncle in the future, don't blame me for kicking you out."
The three brothers were a little confused. How did buying shoes turn into them being kicked out? And what did their second uncle have to do with it again?
Cuihua dragged Yan Xiaoqiang out of the department store, saying, "No, no, we'd rather die than buy anything. This much money could feed the whole family for a month."
Yan Xiaoqiang just stood there and wouldn't leave. His biggest wish was to buy his wife a pair of shoes. How could he leave just because he saw shoes?
Grandma Yan also supported her son. It had been so many years since he had bought clothes and shoes. Leather shoes were a bit expensive, so she let Cuihua choose a pair of cotton shoes, which were both soft and inexpensive.
Cuihua either doesn't buy anything, or she buys seven pairs. Everyone except Yan Xiaonan gets one. Seven pairs of cotton cloth shoes only cost five yuan and six mao, how great! However, all the cloth and shoe coupons she brought with her today, which she had saved up for several years, have been used up.
The children were overjoyed, especially the Southwest and North South children. Most of their shoes were too small for the Southeast children, and the rest were shoes sewn by their grandmother and mother themselves, which they hadn't worn yet.
Looking at the sun overhead, it's getting late. Nan Nan should take a nap. We still need to go back and make some preparations, as we'll be leaving early tomorrow morning.
Several people ran towards the cattle management office. When the old ox saw Yan Xiaonan, it became uneasy. Yan Xiaonan said, "Home? Go there?" The old ox immediately quieted down.
The people from the cattle management office glanced at Yan Xiaonan. What a pretty little girl! They really wanted to hug her, but looking at their work uniforms, they decided against it.
Old Niu walked very steadily, as if he knew the little girl behind him was going to sleep. Yan Xiaonan yawned, closed her eyes, and actually fell asleep.
This is a child's biological clock. Yan Xiaonan originally wanted to change it, but each time she failed, so she simply let it be.
The area in front of the house was a mess, with all sorts of garbage piled up at the front door. The most conspicuous thing was a dilapidated water vat filled with snow.
Yan Xiaoqiang's anger flared up instantly. He grabbed a broken broom and was about to rush towards Widow Zhang's house when Dongnan grabbed him.
"Dad, what if Widow Zhang falsely accuses you of being a hooligan if you go alone?"
Yan Xiaoqiang was startled. Yes, this widow Zhang was a worthless woman who wanted everything except her dignity. Now that she had extorted money from him, he couldn't explain himself no matter how hard he tried.
"Southwest, go to the village chief's house and ask him to come over. North South, go and call the villagers over, the more the better, so that everyone can come and see."
Then he said to Cuihua, "Mother, you climb in from here and take Nannan inside to sleep. Xuemei, you go and help your mother."
Grandma Yan held Nan Nan in her arms, and Xue Mei helped Cui Hua climb over the wall. Cui Hua opened the door between the main room and her own room, and then took Nan Nan inside.
The village chief jogged over, and when he saw the situation, he was so angry that his beard bristled. He ordered someone to call Widow Zhang over and ask her what she was up to.
Widow Zhang came over triumphantly. This was something she had asked the old bachelor at the village entrance to do, and she and the old bachelor had an inexplicable relationship.
Widow Zhang glanced at it with feigned concern: "Oh dear, who have you offended? Why are all these junks dumped at your doorstep?"
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