Chapter Eleven Song Xingzhi
The room finally became completely quiet.
Li Hongjuan, who had been huddled in the corner, barely daring to breathe, saw that Liu Cuie and the others had completely disappeared. Her eyes darted around, and she immediately put on a fawning smile, eagerly moving closer to Zhang Chunxue.
"Oh my, Mom, you are so farsighted and wise!"
As Li Hongjuan spoke, she gave a thumbs-up, her expression so exaggerated it was as if she were about to perform a grand opera.
"I knew it! Sending Xiaoxiao to school was definitely the right thing to do! Look at this! Even the town's top leaders came to praise us! Now, our family can finally hold our heads high in the village, we're so proud! Let's see who dares to look down on us now!"
Then, she changed the subject, feigning disdain and pursing her lips: "Grandma is really something, talking nonsense! Mom, you're not some old hag at all! To me, you look several years younger than that Third Aunt Huang Xiaolan! Your skin is so fair and clean. If you wanted to remarry, it would be a piece of cake!"
She was making her own plans.
If Zhang Chunxue really has the idea of remarrying, that would be wonderful!
Once she gets married and leaves, won't Li Hongjuan be in charge of the family?
Zhang Chunxue can't possibly take Zhong Guosheng's compensation money to her new husband's family, can she? In the end, won't all that money end up in her hands anyway?
Then, she'll be the mistress of the house, able to do whatever she wants!
Zhang Chunxue is a very shrewd person; she could figure out Li Hongjuan's little scheme even with her toes.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunxue merely twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing a half-smile, while looking at her with chilling eyes.
"Oh? So you're actually hoping I'll remarry? Are you thinking that once I'm gone, you can take charge of the household and control everything?"
Li Hongjuan felt uneasy under Zhang Chunxue's gaze, as if her little secrets had been exposed, and she immediately blushed with embarrassment.
She quickly waved her hand and gave a dry laugh: "Oh, Mom, what are you saying! I... I was just standing up for you! Grandma's words were too harsh, I just felt she wronged you!"
Zhang Chunxue didn't expose her little scheme, but simply said, "Actually, it's not impossible for you to be in charge."
Upon hearing this, Li Hongjuan's eyes lit up instantly, gleaming with greedy light like a mouse seeing an oil lamp in the dark.
"Mom! You...you're telling the truth?" Her voice trembled with excitement; she could hardly believe her ears.
Did happiness come so suddenly?
Zhang Chunxue slowly picked up the cup of tea on the table, which had already gone cold, and took a small sip.
“Of course it’s true.” She put down her teacup and looked calmly at Li Hongjuan: “You and your Zhong Chengyi will separate from this family now. When that happens, you will be independent and run your own household as you wish. I will not interfere.”
"..."
Li Hongjuan's smile froze instantly, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her head, chilling her to the bone.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Distribute...distribute it?
That won't do!
Right now, this family is in the spotlight because of Xiaoxiao's situation!
The town leaders have all come, bringing bonuses, prizes, and gifts one after another!
Who knows what benefits Xiaoxiao might get when she goes to high school!
If she were to split the profits now, wouldn't that be giving away all the benefits? What would she gain from that?
Li Hongjuan's expression changed several times, but in the end she managed to force a smile that looked worse than crying.
"Mom...you're joking." She said dryly, "This family, inside and out, still needs you to run it. We young people don't know anything about these things. What would we do without you!"
Looking at Li Hongjuan's arrogant yet obsequious face, Zhang Chunxue felt nauseous.
"Alright, stop getting in my way." She waved her hand impatiently. "Go and cook. Xiaoxiao's studying is hard on her brain, she needs to eat something good for lunch."
Li Hongjuan was so choked up that she almost couldn't catch her breath, and the ingratiating smile on her face froze.
She wanted to say a few more words in her defense, or express her loyalty, but when she met Zhang Chunxue's all-knowing yet somewhat impatient eyes, the rest of her words stuck in her throat.
"Okay, okay, I'll go right away, I'll go right away!"
Li Hongjuan dared not say another word, fearing that Zhang Chunxue would really kick her and Zhong Chengyi out to live separately, which would be a huge loss.
She turned away dejectedly and plunged into the kitchen, inwardly cursing Zhang Chunxue to the core.
You old hag! You don't know what's good for you! You'll regret this sooner or later!
Only after Li Hongjuan's figure disappeared from the kitchen doorway did the house truly quiet down.
Zhang Chunxue let out a soft sigh, walked to the window, and looked at the hens pecking at food in the yard.
"Remarry..." she murmured softly, her eyes somewhat unfocused.
Liu Cuie's words, "A widowed woman like you, with a yellow face and no children, what man would want you?" echoed in her ears again.
In the past, she might have just laughed it off, but today, those two words were like a pebble, creating ripples in the calm lake of her heart.
The image of a certain person involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
Song Xingzhi.
Song Xingzhi was an educated youth who came to the village in the 1960s. In total, he has stayed in this poor mountain village for more than ten years.
He was truly handsome, with delicate features and a refined air unique to city dwellers. Not only was he good-looking, but he was also knowledgeable and efficient in his speech and actions. Even when it came to farm work, this precious city lad learned and adapted quickly, no less capable than the peasants in the village.
Back then, countless aunts and young wives in the village secretly harbored feelings for him.
Those enthusiastic matchmakers practically wore down the old threshold of the educated youth compound, but Song Xingzhi didn't find a single one of them suitable.
At first, the villagers whispered among themselves that he must have a girlfriend in the city, which was why he looked down on the country girl.
However, when a large number of educated youth returned to the city, Song Xingzhi did not return to the city; he remained in the village.
However, he no longer did farm work. Through some connections, he was transferred to be the brigade secretary, which meant he was now a government employee.
The villagers then changed their tune, saying that Song Xingzhi was probably a stone bodhisattva, clueless about romance and matters between men and women.
However, only Zhang Chunxue herself knew why Song Xingzhi didn't return to the city and why he looked down on everyone.
Because Song Xingzhi likes her.
That happened a few years ago, just six months after Zhong Guosheng passed away. One day, Song Xingzhi found her.
He confessed his feelings to her.
He said that when he first came to this village after being sent to the countryside, he fell in love with her at first sight.
Later, when he was sick, Zhang Chunxue secretly brought him medicine and took care of him for a few days. From then on, he liked her even more.
Unfortunately, Zhang Chunxue had already married Zhong Guosheng by then, and Song Xingzhi was too late. Therefore, he could only suppress this sudden feeling in his heart and dare not mention it to anyone.
Now that Zhong Guosheng is gone, he waited for another six months to make sure he wasn't acting on impulse before finally mustering all his courage to find Zhang Chunxue and tell her what he had kept hidden for so many years.
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