Chapter 136
During the New Year of this year, more people came to visit Wang Yuedong's home.
Some relatives with whom Wang Mengmei had long lost contact also started to visit, bringing some fruits or other things when they visited, sitting down to warm themselves by the fire, and asking about what business Wang Mengmei was in now to make her fortune.
Wang Mengmei just said she was going to open a shop, and everyone else just laughed it off.
She is too lazy to lie to others, but she is not stupid enough to lie to every detail.
Wang Yuedong drank a little wine on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and said to his second sister with a little drunkenness: "Sister, I am very happy this year."
Wang Mengmei was just about to scold her younger brother for drinking without restraint at his age, but when she heard these words, she was suddenly startled.
Wang Yuedong's eyes were dazed: "Now when I think about the time when my father just passed away... I hate those people so much!"
Wang Mengmei sat down silently. After a moment, she also poured a glass of rice wine and gulped it down.
The year her father died, Wang Menglan was eighteen, she was fourteen, Wang Yuedong was nine, and Wang Yuexi was seven.
Zhao Chunlan cried and cried, from morning to night, and from night to morning, and no one could persuade her to stop.
The man died, along with four children.
Life is simply unbearable.
Someone from Zhao Chunlan's family came and said that she should either give two of the children away, and then she could remarry with the other two.
Zhao Chunlan thought and thought, counted again and again, but in the end she still had no idea.
She couldn't take both boys away, because if she did, she wouldn't be able to find another family. She couldn't do anything with the two girls either, because they were grown up, and it was time for them to repay their parents, whether by working or getting married. It would be a loss to give them away, but it would be bad to take them away.
The man's brothers urged her to make a decision quickly, and all they wanted to do was divide the old house after she left.
Zhao Chunlan cried and cried. She even went to the grave in the middle of the night to cry about how her man could be so cruel to leave her with such a big problem.
In the end, it was Wang Menglan who spoke up. She asked her mother not to remarry and that she would do her best to support the family.
Zhao Chunlan was in need of someone to rely on, so she relied on her eldest daughter who was willing to sacrifice herself for her.
With her thin body, Wang Menglan went to the construction site to move bricks, went to the kiln to make bricks, and went to help others...
But life is still hard.
Zhao Chunlan couldn't make ends meet, so she went to her neighbors and relatives to borrow money.
A bowl of noodles is borrowed and returned with its surface pointed.
If you borrow too much, you will always be criticized when you visit.
The mean family would close the door and light the kerosene lamp as if they were not at home, and the man’s brothers would never be happy with him.
It was not enough for Wang Menglan to finish school, so Wang Mengmei also finished school, and then Wang Yuedong finished school as well.
Zhao Chunlan praised Wang Yuexi for being a good student, but in fact, Wang Yuexi was just an average student at that time.
Wang Yuedong had seen Zhao Chunlan tutoring Wang Yuexi in the middle of the night. The young Wang Yuexi sobbed while studying, and Zhao Chunlan also cried.
"Son, if you don't study, our family will have no way to survive."
If your family is full of old and weak people, it would be difficult to even lend them face if you don’t let others see that there is someone promising in your family in the future.
Gradually, Wang Yuexi was instilled with hints that he should study well, and he finally did.
Wherever Zhao Chunlan went, she felt her spine was straight.
"My little one will definitely go to college in the future!"
At that time, it was still a workers', peasants' and soldiers' university, and one needed a recommendation to attend. For this, Zhao Chunlan helped those village cadres for five or six years.
When other people were going to pick up the bride, Zhao Chunlan went there before dawn.
When someone died in someone's family, Zhao Chunlan ran faster than anyone else.
Whenever someone called for something, Zhao Chunlan was always the first to raise her hand.
At that time, the villagers laughed at Zhao Chunlan, calling her a "stinky-foot widow".
Wherever Wang Yuedong went, a group of children would ask him, "Is your mother a widow who flatters others?"
Zhao Chunlan's brothers looked down on her and would not allow her to take her children to the ancestral worship during the New Year.
Wang Yuedong drank several cups of rice wine and felt extremely sad.
Later, Zhao Chunlan's hopes were dashed. When the college entrance examination was resumed in 1977, the people in the village laughed at their family.
It is said that Zhao Chunlan's efforts were in vain and that she was not flattering the widow with stinky feet.
The reason why he had such a strong opinion of Wang Yuexi was not for any other reason, but because Wang Yuexi actually had better choices back then.
Although Wang Yuexi was studying at a technical secondary school at that time, the country was in great need of manpower.
When Wang Yuexi graduated, several units came to recruit people, saying that they could arrange for him to work in several confidential units. The army also needed talents in this area, and they would give him benefits if he went there.
Several of Wang Yuexi's classmates went there, and now they have become big leaders.
But Wang Yuexi felt that life was too hard and it would be better to stay at home, so he gave up many opportunities and returned to the town.
Zhao Chunlan boasted all her life about having a promising son, but in the end he became a laughing stock in the village.
Wang Yuedong's family has always been marginalized in the village.
This was certainly due to Zhao Chunlan's previous reputation, but it was also because Wang Yuexi, who was trained with the whole family's efforts, did not give the expected results.
Wang Yuedong also poured wine for Wang Mengmei: "Second sister, in the past few decades, I have been happiest twice. One was when Pingping was admitted to university, and the other was this year's Chinese New Year."
Wang Yuexi couldn't hold up the door lintel, and in the end Qian Ping took half of it.
Qian Ping hosted a banquet at Wangjiazhuang. The old relatives were too embarrassed to come that day and only a few of them came to have a drink.
This year, when Wang Mengmei drove back, more people came.
Among them were the children of my uncles and aunts.
Wang Yuedong: "Sister, let's all live a good life. In the future, we have to let these people see how good our life is."
For many years, this feeling has been weighing on his heart and no one can say anything.
Wang Mengmei also took a sip of wine: "Live well, and you should be well too."
The past is the past. In the future, if the next generation of children work hard, life will be better.
Wang Yuedong's eyes were filled with warmth: "Yes, if the children work hard, our lives will be better!"
*****
Wang Mengmei stayed in Wangjiazhuang for five days.
Many people from the village came to inquire about the matter, but some of them were really boring and started asking for money with a smile.
Wang Mengmei also smiled and responded: "That's fine. Whatever the interest rate of the rural cooperative is, we can just give one cent more than that."
This sounds like a joke. If someone really borrows it, Wang Mengmei will look at the other person in surprise: "Ah? I thought you were joking. With our relationship, can you open your mouth to me?"
After a few times, no one dared to say anything anymore.
Wang Mengmei was actually happy because she had gained a great reputation.
In village life, it is better to be strong than weak.
Apart from those who are borrowing money, the rest are just looking for work.
If she meets someone with a good attitude asking for directions, Wang Mengmei will not hesitate to give directions. She will recommend girls to learn a skill, whether it is beauty and hairdressing or accounting and driving, as long as it is a skill, they can find a job.
For boys, she recommends learning auto repair or something like that, so that they can always find a job in the city.
But if someone came up and asked to go to her store, Wang Mengmei would not give in.
You must be kidding. She hasn't even arranged things for her own younger generations yet, so why would she need to look for these people?
Moreover, some people don't go there to learn the skills, but just want to eat at the rich restaurants.
The most infuriating thing here is that someone secretly asked Jian Feng whether Wang Mengmei would not have children.
If you are unable to have children, would you consider adopting a son?
"With such a large family business, you must have descendants, right?"
There's no need for Wang Mengmei to help, Jian Feng can be stared at by this guy and make him sweat.
"My daughter is so strong in every way, why can't she be my descendant?"
Jian Feng made it clear that from now on, everything they had would belong to Jian Li.
Someone was being jealous in front of Zhao Chunlan.
"Your two daughters are quite capable, but they are both girls."
Zhao Chunlan's brain wasn't very good, but she was smart for once.
"Hey, boys and girls are the same."
Having been criticized by her second daughter once before, Zhao Chunlan learned her lesson.
Don’t worry about her. Your grandson’s surname isn’t Wang anyway, so he can have the baby or not.
Now that Zhao Chunlan has this attitude, no one in the village is blind enough to make irresponsible remarks.
It seemed that the Wang family was on the rise. Although Wang Yuedong and his wife were poor, Wang Yuedong's daughter seemed to be able to read.
No matter how much the villagers gossip, they have to admit: "It's good for a young lady to be successful."
Otherwise, Zhao Chunlan would have enjoyed the blessing of two daughters this year?
Wang Mengmei bought Zhao Chunlan a silver bracelet and a pair of gold earrings.
The old lady insisted on walking outside in the cold wind, leaning on her crutches.
She rolls up her sleeves to show her wide bracelets to everyone she meets.
Before Wang Mengmei left, Zhao Chunlan leaned on the car window and said, "Mei, come back more often!"
The second daughter was so proud of herself that Zhao Chunlan wished that everyone in the village would know about her good life.
Wang Mengmei waved her hand and said, "Let's go."
Year after year, Wang Mengmei drove and never felt the road back home was so flat and wide.
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