"This must be Comrade Tang's wife, right? You were crying so hard last time we met that you couldn't speak. Now that Comrade Tang's funeral arrangements are almost complete, there's only one thing left: the succession. If you have any requests, please feel free to mention them." The leader noticed this family's unusual behavior. Even though Tang Wenzhi's parents were still alive, they didn't even dare enter the house when they came to discuss the funeral arrangements; it was an aunt who received them. What kind of custom was that? And this Tang Wenzhi's wife—just three months ago she looked like she couldn't survive, but now she's full of energy, not like someone who recently lost her husband. Well, it's a good opportunity to get everything clear while Qin Xiaoyu is here, to avoid future trouble.
"We need to discuss this matter further within our family. Tomorrow—oh no, tomorrow's Sunday—how about the day after? I'll go to the factory to handle the paperwork." Qin Xiaoyu didn't immediately bring up the matter, and the old woman was so anxious she was wringing her hands, but she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Little did she know that Qin Xiaoyu already had a new plan.
After seeing the leader off, the old lady became a little anxious.
"Xiao Qin, didn't we agree on this the other day? Why are you dragging your feet?"
"Auntie, I just got off work and I'm tired. I haven't made dinner yet. Can I bring the kids to eat here?" Qin Xiaoyu ignored her and just kept talking to herself.
"Come on, come on." The old woman couldn't refuse, but her tone was clearly displeased.
Qin Xiaoyu didn't care about any of that. She called over Hanhan and her younger sister, and the three of them ate their fill first. She now had a new plan.
There weren't as many dishes as the other day, but there were still three dishes and a soup. However, Qin Xiaoyu ate too much. What was supposed to be a sufficient amount of food was eaten to the point that everyone left the table with complaints on their faces, all of them feeling unsatisfied.
"Eldest son, could you make me some oil tea noodles?" The wife walked into her room, wanting a special meal.
"Madam, could you give me some of your oil tea noodles? My little sister always gets hungry at night, I'd like to make her some too," Qin Xiaoyu said generously. Her uncle's hand trembled as he took the oil tea noodles, almost dropping the paper package on the ground. Although her aunt kept giving her meaningful glances, her uncle still filled a small container with oil tea noodles and handed it over. Qin Xiaoyu, satisfied, took her two children back into the house.
As soon as she entered, she eagerly opened the white envelope. The money inside was thick—all ten-yuan notes—a total of five hundred yuan. That was her entire year's salary, and Qin Xiaoyu suddenly felt a little more confident.
"Mom has to go out tomorrow, so you stay home and take good care of your little sister," Qin Xiaoyu instructed. The oil tea noodles she ordered weren't for her little sister to drink at night, but for the two siblings to drink in the morning. She left without eating breakfast.
Now that she had some money in hand, she wanted to find something to do. Passing by a grain store, she bought a steamed bun. She handed over a ten-yuan note to pay.
"Such a big bill." The sales clerk muttered in dissatisfaction, which almost made Qin Xiaoyu laugh. She never thought that a ten-yuan note could have its moment of glory. She put the handful of change she received into her pocket and started shopping.
The streets were bustling with people on Sunday. Everyone was out and about since they didn't have to work, giving the city a vibrant, urban feel.
These past few days, Qin Xiaoyu has seen nothing but work clothes, either dark or black and gray, as if the world has lost its color. Only today did she realize that there is actually quite a lot of color in the world.
Women are all getting big, curly perms and messy hair. As the weather gets cooler, more people are wearing sweaters and cardigans in all sorts of colors, from red and green to pink and blue, mostly with batwing sleeves. Some fashionable people are starting to wear jeans with wide, flared cuffs that sweep back and forth.
Qin Xiaoyu wandered around the department store but didn't buy a single piece of clothing. One reason was that she didn't find a style she liked, and another was that the money was stained with Hanhan's father's blood, so she wanted to save it for Hanhan.
There were food vendors on the first floor. Qin Xiaoyu bought half a pound of peanut brittle and half a pound of flower petal candy. A childhood without sugar is boring.
She rushed home before noon, carrying a bag of rice and flour in her left hand and a bag of vegetables in her right; she was going to cook dinner today.
The courtyard was noisy. She had already driven her bicycle into the yard, but Hanhan didn't come out to greet her. Qin Xiaoyu felt that something was unusual.
"Ah!" The crying was from her younger sister. Qin Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat. Although the child couldn't speak, her body language was rich. She always wanted to stick to her and had unknowingly developed feelings for her.
She didn't even have time to grab her things; she pushed her bicycle against the wall and rushed into the yard.
It turned out the children were fighting.
There are already several fourth-generation people in this courtyard. Tang Long is the eldest, the eldest grandson, and he usually doesn't get involved with his younger brothers. Tang Long's younger sister is named Tang Feng, who lives at school and rarely comes home. Tang Hu is the one who's in charge. The younger sister sat slumped on the muddy ground in the courtyard, her face smeared like a cat's, wiping away tears as she cried. Hanhan stood protectively in front of her sister, refusing to give way.
"What? You've forgotten what I said again?" Qin Xiaoyu's sinister words sent a chill down Tang Hu's spine, and he turned and ran into the house.
"Don't think you can act crazy just because you're crazy!" The older sister-in-law didn't dare to come out, so she opened the door, cursed at it, and then closed the door.
"So you think we women are just waiting to be bullied if we're in cahoots? Come out here and explain yourself!" Qin Xiaoyu went straight over and yanked on their door. She was ready to settle things with them. She wasn't afraid of death, so why would she be afraid of living?
"Mom! Mom! Help! The second son's wife is going to kill someone!" The eldest sister-in-law was terrified and clung tightly to the doorknob inside, afraid to let go.
"What are you doing? This family is in deep trouble, acting like they're going to die! Are you trying to make a fool of yourself?" Grandma Hanhan rushed out of the house carrying a broom.
"Well said! I think this family is no good either. Like father, like son!" Qin Xiaoyu saw that she couldn't open her sister-in-law's door and didn't want to have a direct confrontation with Hanhan's grandmother. She had to consider Hanhan's feelings, as she was his grandmother. Seeing that Hanhan was already washing her younger sister's face, she turned around to get something from her bicycle.
"How dare you talk to your mother-in-law like that! You're really asking for trouble!" Grandma Hanhan was furious when Qin Xiaoyu didn't take her seriously, and she swung a slap at her. Qin Xiaoyu heard the sound of wind behind her and nimbly dodged it. Being young, she managed to avoid being hit.
But then the thing in his hand fell to the ground, spilling the bag of peanuts. Tang Hu and the others stared in disbelief.
"Oh, I can see that now that my second brother is gone, his wife is doing quite well. She's using his money to buy food and drinks," the eldest sister-in-law shouted as she opened the door to add fuel to the fire.
"You wasteful good-for-nothing! You squander my son's money!" Grandma Hanhan was really angry and raised a broom to hit him.
"I gave Hanhan her father's money to Hanhan, is that wrong? Giving it to her is the only way to avoid being wasteful," Qin Xiaoyu retorted.
"You dare talk back? You think you're so great! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't know who's the boss in the Tang family!" Grandma Hanhan swung the broom down, and Qin Xiaoyu didn't hesitate, reaching out to parry and try to grab the broom. Seeing that Grandma Hanhan was about to get hurt, her sister-in-law stepped in to intervene, grabbing Qin Xiaoyu's arm to stop her from moving.
"What's going on here?" the old lady asked from inside the house. The older woman appeared just in time, defusing Grandma Hanhan's arrogance. Now was a good opportunity to win people over, and she certainly couldn't let it slip by.
Upon hearing the old lady's question, Hanhan's grandmother immediately cowered, and her sister-in-law scurried into the house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
