Under the old banyan tree at the entrance of Mule Alley, a "gossip stall" has been set up again.
Old Wang was carrying a half-empty bottle of Erguotou, and Aunt Sun was carrying the unfinished soles of shoes.
A few old ladies were sitting around a stone bench, eating melon seeds, their eyes rolling around, and I don't know who they were talking about.
Li Guifang came over with a vegetable basket, and two wilted celery stalks in the basket were particularly eye-catching.
Aunt Sun was sharp-eyed and called out from a distance in a hoarse voice: "Guifang! Come quickly! I've been thinking about you. Come and sit down!"
"What are you talking about me?" Li Guifang put the vegetable basket on the stone bench and grabbed a handful of Old Wang's melon seeds.
"What's going on? Are you planning to come to my house again? Oh, Mr. Ge is here too. Isn't he on duty today?"
Uncle Ge sucked on his pipe, squinted his eyes and smiled, "Hey, it's my turn to rest today, so I came to chat with you old neighbors early.
I was saying that you are the only one missing. Why are you still buying groceries and doing housework? If I hadn't told you otherwise, you would have had several wives, and it's time for you to start a new life and enjoy a peaceful life."
"My dear brother, you are so lucky! Your daughter married a government official, and even your retired father-in-law got a job as a government gatekeeper!
None of the ones in my family are worry-free, so I'm just living in poverty, right? "
"That's right!" Uncle Ge crossed his legs proudly, "My son-in-law is..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Hey, speaking of the government compound, I saw your Mingyuan and his two kids eating steamed buns in the cafeteria yesterday. What's going on? Your family won't cook!"
Aunt Sun replied nonchalantly, "No way, it's only once or twice a day. Who doesn't have their upper lip touching their lower lip?"
Li Guifang paused while cracking melon seeds. "Yaqin is busy at school, so it's okay for Mingyuan to take the kids out for a few meals!"
Old Wang sighed, "Busy? What woman, no matter how busy she is, doesn't cook for her children?"
He lowered his voice and said, "Guifang, I'm not saying this, but you need to take care of your wife!"
"Yes, Guifang, everyone knows that you are a good mother-in-law, but you can't let your daughter-in-law get ahead of you."
Old Wang slapped his forehead and said, "I saw something new yesterday. I was delivering gas to Chunhui Primary School yesterday, and there was a Mercedes-Benz parked outside the gate."
He looked at Li Guifang meaningfully, "That bald boss in the car is quite familiar with your Yaqin. Your eldest daughter-in-law got out of the car!"
Li Guifang slammed the melon seed shells to the ground and said, "Old Wang! What do you mean?"
Uncle Ge quickly tried to smooth things over: "Eat, eat! My wife is going to call me back for some porridge!"
"Alright, alright! I won't say any more to you guys." Li Guifang grabbed the basket of vegetables,
"My family is waiting to cook!" After saying that, he turned around and left, and a burst of murmurs of laughter came from behind him.
Li Guifang was squatting in the yard cleaning up the pork fat she had just bought, and the chopping board was making a "crackling" sound as the kitchen knife scraped against it.
Xie Dazui rushed into the courtyard, the flesh on his chin trembling. "Guifang! Guifang! Your family is in the news again!"
She was still clutching half a greasy glutinous rice ball in her hand, and sesame seeds were falling down as she spoke: "The girl from Sister Luo's family at the supply and marketing cooperative saw it with her own eyes!
Your Yaqin got out of the Mercedes-Benz, and there was a little golden man standing on the front of the car, shining brightly!
The driver was wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses and a suit, looking very impressive! They say it has a nose and eyes, why don't you go and take a look!
Li Guifang slammed the knife in her hand onto the chopping board. "Did you see it with your own eyes?"
"How can I be so lucky as to sit in four circles!" Xie Dazui slapped his thigh, and the glutinous rice balls and oil residue fell down.
"But Lao Luo swore and said there were red roses piled in the back seat of the car, just like a wedding!"
She suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously and said, "I heard there are only a few of those cars in our city, so you have to be careful."
Li Guifang felt stars in front of her eyes, picked up the ginger on the chopping board and stuffed it into Xie Dazui's mouth.
"Shut up your mouth! Why would I care? She's not my wife!"
"Oh my god!" Xie Dazui was so embarrassed that he jumped up and down, "You are still being stubborn in front of me!
If you don't believe me, go to Chunhui Primary School and find Feng Quezi! She cleans there every day, what can be hidden from her?
"Get out!" Li Guifang swung the broom and rushed out the door. "If you keep gossiping, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
. . . . . .
Under the back wall of Chunhui Primary School
Li Guifang blocked Sister Feng who was pouring slop into the trash can.
She deliberately changed into an autumn coat with a frayed collar, and was carrying a bag of bulk peach cakes on sale in the supermarket, which she bought for Sister Feng's grandson.
"Sister Feng!" Li Guifang went up to her and greeted her warmly as soon as she saw her.
Sister Feng just turned the corner with the swill bucket in her hand and when she looked up she saw Li Guifang's half-smiley face.
Her hands trembled, and half a bucket of rotten water almost splashed on her trouser legs: "Gui, Guifang, I'm taking out the trash, I'm busy first."
When Sister Feng saw the mother-in-law who was at the center of the scandal coming to her, she was very confused.
"What are you throwing away?" Li Guifang snatched the metal bucket.
"I heard your principal is withholding your wages again? Do you want me to help you go to the Education Bureau and talk to the director?"
She caught a glimpse of the keychain tied to Sister Feng's belt. The keychain was worn to a shine and its original color could no longer be seen.
Sister Feng kept turning a blind eye, and the two of them pulled and tugged at each other and went to the back of the laboratory building.
Li Guifang tapped her fingers on the concrete pillar: "Feng the Lame!
That year, your husband lost all his family fortune gambling, so who sent you 20 kilograms of brown rice and noodles in the middle of the night?
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