Chapter 011 A Plan to Turn the Tide
"I've always been short of money."
Li Banxia sighed. She raised six children on her own and had to give Su Youfu's living mother a living allowance every month. It was common for her to be struggling to make ends meet.
Because we never had enough money at home.
In the last two years, the eldest son gave all the money he earned from his job to her. After his wife came into the family and learned about their situation, she also handed over all her salary to her without saying a word.
She was finally able to catch her breath.
Su Youfu, who should be the one supporting his family, seems to have disappeared.
The other children, aside from asking her for money, never considered whether the family had enough money to spend.
Thinking of her past life, Li Banxia smiled speechlessly.
After laughing, I felt really pathetic.
"Pinellia..."
Seeing that she looked a little off, Liu Mingcui patted her lightly, "Are you alright?"
"Something's up."
"Huh?"o_O
Li Banxia sighed, "Yesterday I found out that Su Youfu was getting a little close to a widow, and we had a fight. I never expected him to smear me with his colleagues today. At first I didn't believe it, but now it seems he and that widow are definitely having an affair! No wonder he hasn't brought a single penny home all these years..."
"My God!"
Liu Mingcui's eyes widened. "He and that widow... Did you catch him trying to take advantage of you and ruin your life? Does he have no conscience at all?! Wait, you said he didn't take a single penny home, could it be that he used it to support that young widow?"
“She looks like a pretty widow,” Li Banxia corrected.
Liu Mingcui raised her hand and slapped her, "What time is it? You're still teasing me! How come you've never mentioned something as big as him not bringing money home?! You've helped him keep such a big thing a secret, and you've been so good to him, how could he say such things and tarnish your reputation?!"
Yes, she was so good to him. When he said those things, did he ever think about what she would face?
Li Banxia sighed inwardly; asking such a question sounded like a joke.
If he had any conscience, how could he have allowed He Taohua to run to her bedside and say such hurtful things in his past life?
"Banxia, what are you planning to do? You live in the auto parts factory's residential area, in the same place as his colleagues. You see each other all the time. What will his colleagues think of you? This is really inhumane."
Li Banxia nodded and gave Liu Mingcui a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I won't let him ruin my reputation like that."
"You have a plan?"
"...Does improvisation count?"
Liu Mingcui, “...Li Banxia!”
Li Banxia smiled at her, took her hand, and glanced at the watch on her wrist. "There are still twenty minutes left. I'm going to leave work now. Could you tell the director for me?"
"Why!"
Liu Mingcui called out to her, "If you can't handle it, just call me. My mother-in-law is a master at arguing; I'll ask her to help you argue!"
Li Banxia laughed heartily, but after being glared at by Liu Mingcui, he smiled and said okay.
When we arrived at the auto parts factory, it was just as the factory was closing time, and the large crowd was heading towards the factory gate like a tide.
Li Banxia pushed her bicycle against the flow of people, smiling and greeting familiar faces as she went, asking, "Off work? Is my Youfu still in the office?... I heard some gossip yesterday and had a fight with him. That guy has a bad temper; he was so angry he didn't eat breakfast or dinner. So, I left work early to pick him up and take him out to a restaurant to apologize. I shouldn't have believed everything I heard..."
Many people looked strange upon hearing this.
Li Banxia pretended not to see it and continued to smile.
Li Banxia used to come to the factory quite often, and most of the older employees knew her. After all, in the 1960s, it was unforgettable to see a young woman shamelessly chasing after a man.
Some of the older employees couldn't stand it anymore, so they pulled her aside and asked, "Wasn't your argument because your eldest daughter-in-law wasn't coming to work?"
"What does this have to do with my eldest son's wife?" Li Banxia pretended to be confused, looking at everyone with a puzzled expression.
A group of people looked at each other.
"What's wrong?"
Li Banxia asked several times before someone sighed and told her what Su Youfu had said in the office. People in the cafeteria at lunchtime had also been gossiping about her, saying she was greedy, exploiting her daughter-in-law who was pregnant with twins, and that her heart was black, blah blah blah…
"How...how is this possible?"
Li Banxia was stunned, her face turning deathly pale. "Impossible! My Jia Youfu would never do this to me! I...I...Although I've never truly entered his heart, we've had six children together. He would never tarnish my reputation like this!"
She looked up and shook her head at the sympathetic old employee, "No way! What will happen to my children if my reputation is ruined? Even if he doesn't care about me, he'll still care about the children, right?"
What is it?
A group of people looked at Li Banxia with sympathy. When Su Youfu spoke, he didn't consider her and her child at all.
"Oh dear, silly Banxia..."
A female employee sighed sympathetically, "It's being talked about in several workshops, and everyone in the office knows about it. How could it be false!"
"Li Banxia!"
Upon receiving the news, Su Youfu rushed over, asking, "What are you doing here?!"
"Su Youfu, did you really make fun of me at the factory?" Li Banxia stared at him and asked directly.
Su Youfu choked, glanced at the veteran employees around Li Banxia, and frowned deeply. "Let's talk about it when we get home."
He reached out to grab Li Banxia, but Li Banxia took a step to the side, avoiding his hand.
Su Youfu looked at her with a disappointed expression.
"Don't you know why I don't let my eldest daughter-in-law rest at home? Why are you lying to everyone?"
"I'm not lying! Did you not let your eldest daughter-in-law rest and make her continue working?"
With his back to the group, Su Youfu gave Li Banxia a slightly warning look in his eyes.
Li Banxia felt that he was treating her like a fool, thinking that he could trap her by avoiding the important issues?
"I asked my eldest son's wife, and she said she's in good health and wants to continue teaching. She'll go home to prepare for childbirth when she really can't teach anymore. Besides, it only costs eighty-eight yuan a month..."
Li Banxia paused slightly and glanced at Su Youfu.
A glint flashed in Su Youfu's mind; he felt he had caught her red-handed and immediately cut her off, "See! You just can't bear to part with those eighty-eight yuan! Am I right?"
"Why would I be reluctant to part with those eighty-eight yuan?" Li Banxia's eyes were slightly cold, and she gently shook her right hand behind her back.
Su Youfu scoffed, "What else could it be? Because you love money..."
The word 'money' landed on her lips, and Li Banxia raised her hand and slapped her across the face. "Why do I love money?"
"Smack!"
Another slap.
"Because we're short of money! I want to hire a postpartum nanny for my eldest son's wife to help with her postpartum care. My two sons are getting married soon, but we don't have enough housing, we haven't saved enough for the bride price, and we haven't received the 'three turns and one sound' (refrigerated goods, watches, and radios) that their families are asking for. I can't save up that much money by myself, no matter how hard I work!"
"Slap! Slap!"
After two more slaps, Li Banxia punched Su Youfu in the stomach. "Su Youfu, we only had a fight yesterday, didn't we? I only argued with you because I heard from others that you gave all your salary over the years to a widow. How could you say such things to smear me today? How am I supposed to face people in the future?"
The surrounding circle was in an uproar.
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