Chapter 22: Writing a Letter to the Son-in-Law
Since entering, Cheng Cheng has stood behind her mother and eldest sister, wearing a guilty expression. Her large, almond-shaped eyes are filled with apology, making her look pitiful and touching.
Looking at her innocently, Manman, I'm sorry.
Ding Manman was in a state of utter confusion, feeling both anxious and angry. When she finally saw what Cheng Cheng was lip-syncing to, she felt a sense of helplessness towards this idiot Cheng Cheng for the first time.
"That can't be, comrade, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Ding Dazhuang clearly didn't believe it, and as the head of the family, he straightened up.
Hu Xiaoxiang chimed in, "Impossible! My Manman has been well-behaved and sensible since she was little! You must have mistaken her for someone else. You're throwing all sorts of dirty and smelly things at my Manman. Our Ding family isn't afraid of you!"
Xu Fengying sneered, "Ha, you think you're worthy to throw mud at me?!"
"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin," Xu Fengying gave her eldest daughter a meaningful look.
Just like her mother, Cheng Ping slammed the ledger on the table with a fierce expression. "Look carefully, aren't we slandering Ding Manman?"
"Let me make this clear from the start: your daughter, Ding Manman, borrowed countless clothes from my younger sister, and she hasn't even returned half of them. The clothes are all in terrible condition. I'm telling you, you have to pay back this debt!"
The ledger was taken away by Ding Manman's older brother, Ding Pingfeng. As he turned the pages one by one, even this grown man broke out in a fine sweat.
"Pingfeng, what's written here? Say something! Your sister has definitely been wronged!"
"Yes, that's definitely it! It's definitely fake!"
The elderly couple, Ding Dazhuang and Hu Xiaoxiang, were illiterate and couldn't understand what was written on it, but they did recognize the numbers.
Ding Pingfeng: "Dad, Mom, it records how much money my little sister borrowed on which day, month, and year. Every single transaction is recorded."
Seeing her sister-in-law suffer, Jinmei felt a sense of satisfaction and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "No wonder my sister-in-law is still so well-off after paying her household expenses every month."
So it turned out she had borrowed money from outside accounts. She had always suspected that her mother-in-law had secretly given her younger sister a subsidy.
"Shut up!"
Hu Xiaoxiang glared at her daughter-in-law, saying, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"
He doesn't speak when he should, and he's like a coward when he should stand up for himself. Why is he opening his mouth now?
Jinmei shut her mouth, feeling wronged. She wasn't wrong. It was only natural that her sister-in-law owed money and the debtor came to collect. It was only right that debtors should pay back their debts!
Ding Dazhuang moved his lips a few times, but finally asked, looking at his son, "How much money do you owe them in total?"
"Four hundred and sixty-eight yuan and twenty-two cents."
Seeing that there was no way to turn things around, Ding Manman immediately spoke up: "No, I've already paid Cheng Cheng back 42.32 yuan!"
"Wow! Good heavens! This girl from the Ding family is incredibly bold!"
"Borrowing so much money is equivalent to a family's living expenses for a year! No wonder they came knocking on our door!"
"No wonder the Ding family's daughter is always so generous; it's not her money after all!"
"I knew it! Old Ding and his wife don't seem like the kind of people who dote on their daughter to the core. Their daughter wears new clothes every few days, it turns out she borrows them from others!"
"Whose daughter is so carefree? I'm furious just hearing about it. Isn't she just a complete sucker?"
Ding Manman's face turned pale instantly, a mixture of ashen and livid. Only one thought occupied her mind: it was all over, her reputation was completely ruined!
Hu Xiaoxiang glared at her daughter-in-law again. This stupid woman didn't close the door, but left it wide open. Did she think their house wasn't lively enough already?!
Jinmei felt wronged after being glared at by her mother-in-law. This old woman only knew how to take her anger out on her. Her daughter's mistake was not her fault, yet she still had the nerve to take it out on her!
Jin Mei thought maliciously, "I hope everyone in the entire tenement building hears this, everyone in the entire textile factory knows, then let's see if Ding Manman still has the face to stay in the textile factory!"
The best course of action would be for her to give up her job, find a husband, and go far away!
The daughter-in-law stood there like a block of wood, and Hu Xiaoxiang had no choice but to go over with a sullen face.
"Stop looking! Stop looking! Everyone, get out of here!"
Hu Xiaoxiang pushed everyone who had rushed in out and closed the door.
He immediately put on a smile and said, "Sister, could there be a misunderstanding between the two children? Let's sit down and talk it over."
"Smack—"
Xu Fengying slapped Ding Manman across the face, and Ding Manman's right cheek immediately became red and swollen, her face burning.
This action immediately stunned the others.
Xu Fengying shouted, "Misunderstanding? Misunderstand your father, misunderstand your mother, misunderstand your whole family! Your daughter herself has admitted it, and you still dare to tell me it's a misunderstanding?!"
Cheng Ping immediately snatched the ledger back to prevent the Ding family from tearing it up in desperation. She also shouted coldly, "Does your Ding family not want to pay back the money? Why are you making excuses and saying such nonsense?"
"One word: are you going to pay me back or not?!"
The rest of the Ding family looked at each other, while the person in debt was still struggling under Xu Fengying's control.
Seeing that the whole family was pretending to be dead, Xu Fengying lost her patience. She restrained Ding Manman with her right hand and grabbed a plate from the table with her left hand, smashing it on the ground.
His movements were very elegant, but to the Ding family, they looked extremely fierce.
Hu Xiaoxiang quickly stopped her, "Let's talk this out, don't smash things, don't smash things!"
Having lived in the city for so many years, I've only ever seen the occasional quarrel between neighbors, which is usually just arguing and insulting each other's families, using foul language. I've never seen such a barbarian who beats people and smashes things without saying a word!
Xu Fengying beat Hu Xiaoxiang as well. She couldn't believe that Hu Xiaoxiang was a good person, given that she had raised such a daughter. Of course, she didn't spare Ding Dazhuang either, grabbing whatever was on the table and throwing it at him.
The situation instantly descended into chaos. Cheng Cheng's guilty and innocent expression vanished immediately as she rushed to help her mother and older sister.
The two sides started fighting, and the situation became uncontrollable. The sounds of things falling to the ground, slaps, screams, and children crying created extreme chaos.
Jinmei rushed up as well, originally wanting to take revenge on the fierce old woman, as her scalp was still sore. However, Xu Fengying kicked her to the ground.
Jinmei became docile after being kicked. The children trembled and cried together. Jin Dabao was so frightened that he screamed at the top of his lungs. Daya, Erya, and Sanya hugged their younger brother and huddled in a corner, not daring to come closer.
Seeing her son crying so heartbreakingly, Jinmei immediately went over, took her son from Daya's arms, and soothed him in a low voice.
Anyway, this has nothing to do with her, and it's not like she caused the trouble. Why should she be so foolish as to go looking for trouble?
Jinmei glanced quickly and saw her mother-in-law being slapped by the fierce aunt by the hair. She almost couldn't help but clap her hands in praise!
That old woman deserved it!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
"Stop hitting! Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"
Ding Dazhuang slapped his thigh and sighed as he dodged the woman's fists and slaps.
Even Ding Pingfeng, a grown man, was slapped several times in the face, and his cheeks and neck were scratched by fingernails. He looked at the woman in front of him as if he had seen a ghost!
Cheng Ping smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth curling up. Her hands moved without hesitation, one hand gripping the other person's arm tightly like an iron clamp, leaving the other person with no choice but to passively endure the beating.
Cheng Cheng belatedly realized that she seemed to be the weakest, and with great self-awareness, she assisted her mother and older sister. While her mother and older sister charged ahead, she played a supporting role on the sidelines.
His gaze inadvertently swept over the incredulous look on Ding Pingfeng's face, an expression of utter disbelief. He chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Sorry, your opponent is—a master butcher."
Ding Dazhuang yelled at the top of his lungs, "Give us back! Give us back our money! Stop fighting!"
After saying that, Xu Fengying stopped after a long while.
The whole family was beaten black and blue. Xu Fengying breathed a sigh of relief, and her chest felt less constricted than before. Sure enough, she felt better when she did it herself!
She glared at them coldly, "Hurry up! I don't have that much time to waste with you!"
Everyone else held their breath, and Ding Dazhuang stammered, "Old woman, go get the money quickly."
At this moment, Jinmei lost all interest in watching the commotion and immediately spoke up: "Dad, what do you mean?! Why should we pay back the money Ding Manman owes?! I don't agree!"
She then turned to her husband, who was standing to the side, and said, "Ding Pingfeng, say something!"
Just as Ding Pingfeng was about to open his mouth, he suddenly heard a "smack" and jumped in fright.
Xu Fengying slammed her hand on the table and said, "Paying back debts is a matter of course! I don't care how you all negotiated, not a penny less will be owed!"
"Including interest and all the clothes your daughter borrowed from my daughter, you can't shortchange me a single penny of the five hundred yuan!"
"five hundred?!"
Upon hearing this, the Ding family dared not refute it due to Xu Fengying's intimidation. Hu Xiaoxiang, limping, went into the room to get the money.
Without saying a word, Xu Fengying took the wad of money, picked up a chair from the ground, sat down, and started counting the money on the table.
Hu Xiaoxiang's tone was somewhat ingratiating, "Sister, our family can't come up with that much money right now. Please give us a little more time to scrape together some money. Here is three hundred yuan, which is all our savings. Sister, we really don't have any extra money."
Ding Dazhuang also pleaded, "Don't worry, our Ding family will definitely pay back the rest of the money! We won't go back on our word. I'll write you an IOU in the name of the head of the Ding family."
Xu Fengying didn't say anything. She finished counting the money in her hand, which was exactly three hundred yuan, not a penny more or less.
He glanced at them and coldly refused, "No need."
The next second, he said in a sinister tone, "No one has ever dared to owe me, Xu Fengying, money and not pay it back."
The Ding family members: ...
Cheng Ping nodded: That's right! My mom is absolutely right!
Cheng Cheng's eyes sparkled: Wow, my mom is so awesome!
Suddenly, Xu Fengying stood up, making a loud thud as she moved the chair, and everyone in the Ding family immediately felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Xu Fengying glanced at them sideways, grabbed Ding Manman's arm like she was carrying a chick, and said, "Take me to your room."
Ding Manman was furious; her face was red and swollen, but no matter how much she hated him, she dared not disobey.
Cheng Cheng seemed to understand something. In the face of absolute military deterrence, all petty thoughts and schemes were no match for it.
Ding Manman's room was small, only big enough for a single bed and a wardrobe. Xu Fengying let go of her, opened the wardrobe, and threw all the clothes inside onto the bed.
He said to his troublesome little daughter, "See if there are any clothes inside that I borrowed from you."
Cheng Cheng immediately stepped forward, expressionlessly rummaging through the clothes, and found eleven or twelve pieces, all made of good material and of good quality. Without exception, every single piece of clothing was one that Ding Manman had told her was lost and could not be found.
When Ding Manman met Cheng Cheng's gaze, she lowered her head, clenched her fists, and felt extremely embarrassed.
One day, she will repay all the humiliation she suffered today!
"What a tragedy! What a tragedy..."
Hu Xiaoxiang sat on the ground wailing. Ding Dazhuang and his son Ding Pingfeng also looked unwell, their faces bruised and swollen, making them look even worse.
Xu Fengying and her two daughters emerged from the Ding family home victorious, carrying clothes and money, their heads held high.
A crowd had gathered in front of the Ding family's house, even larger than before. It was probably the neighbors upstairs who had heard there was some juicy gossip and had all come down to see what was going on!
Some were still holding their rice bowls, eating while asking the people next to them, their faces full of interest, as if they had just heard something big, discussing it all at once, spitting everywhere.
"Ding Manman, you have to pay this money back! There's no room for discussion! Why should we clean up your mess?! Why should we fill your holes?!"
Ding's eldest sister-in-law, Jin Mei, spoke up, her voice mingled with Hu Xiaoxiang's wailing cries. Ding Manman retorted without backing down:
"It's true that I borrowed money from Cheng Cheng! But didn't you use that money at all? Didn't you enjoy any of the benefits I received from the things I bought? Now you're trying to distance yourself from me? Let me tell you, no way!"
“And the household expenses I pay every month, the salary I hand over, most of it is spent on our family. Mom takes it to subsidize your family of five. Don’t think I don’t know where the money for Jin Dabao’s malted milk powder, candy, and new clothes comes from. If you want to calculate it with me, then we’ll calculate it item by item!”
"Ha, Ding Manman, don't think you're so right! Whose job is this? It was given to you by your mother, it belongs to the Ding family. The salary you earn belongs to the Ding family. If you don't want to work here and don't want to contribute to household expenses, fine, give the job back to me, and I'll do it!"
“I’m putting this out there today, Dad, Mom, Ding Pingfeng, my younger sister is taking over Mom’s job. This job was originally mine. It’s just that I, as the eldest sister-in-law, have a kind heart and feel sorry for my sister-in-law who has to go to the countryside without a job…”
After they left, the Ding family was in complete chaos, arguing incessantly. However, all of this was temporarily irrelevant to Cheng Cheng. Who cared about the chaos? The more dramatic the better!
However, the farce orchestrated by the Ding family provided amusement for the residents of the textile factory's residential compound and made headlines on the compound's front page.
It was already quite late when they left the Ding family's house, and they had been delayed for some time. Cheng Cheng looked at the two "generals" who had been charging into battle and were invincible, and suggested, "How about we go to a state-run restaurant for a meal?"
Let's celebrate our great victory and the satisfaction of getting our revenge.
Xu Fengying held the three hundred yuan in her hand and put it into her purse. It was obvious that she wanted to keep the money for her youngest daughter so that she wouldn't have another brain fart and become a sucker for someone else.
Cheng Cheng shrugged, not caring. Anyway, her mother wouldn't embezzle her money, so it was fine to leave it with her mother for safekeeping.
The main problem is that her mother is in a bad mood right now, so she doesn't dare to stroke her beard!
Xu Fengying nodded in agreement and said to her eldest daughter, "Go back and bring Da Ni, Er Ni, and Niu Niu over."
Their aunt treated them to a meal at a restaurant, so why not take advantage of it!
Besides, if they don't spend it, someone else might spend it. So there's no need to be stingy with money. It's better to keep the money within our own family!
Cheng Cheng went back to Aunt Ma's house to pick up Xiao Xiao, thanked Aunt Ma, and went home to get money, food coupons, and meat coupons.
"Mom, should we go out to eat?"
"Bingo~ That's right!"
Cheng Cheng gently flicked the little guy's nose. "Come on, your grandma and aunt are waiting for us."
Having resolved a worry, Cheng Cheng was in a great mood. Although she had been given a small beating beforehand, seeing the miserable state of the Ding family and her mother's true fighting prowess still left her feeling lingering fear.
Ms. Xu Fengying was still too lenient with her. No, I should say that Ms. Xu Fengying was very kind to her. Amen, maternal love is great!
It was lunchtime, and the state-run restaurant was bustling with activity and quite crowded. Fortunately, Ms. Xu Fengying had reserved a seat in advance.
The little guy was too small and had short legs, so he was practically invisible in the crowd. Cheng Cheng picked up Xiao Xiao and squeezed through the gaps between the seats in the crowd.
Xu Fengying ordered two dishes in advance: stir-fried pork with chili peppers and spinach soup. Cheng Cheng added braised pork belly and stir-fried pork kidneys. Four dishes for seven people should be enough.
The portions at this point are truly generous; the plates are almost overflowing, no skimping. If you're still hungry towards the end, you can get more.
Not long after Cheng Cheng sat down, Cheng Ping arrived with Da Ni, Er Ni, and Niu Niu.
"Auntie!"
Niu Niu's shout was filled with the utmost enthusiasm for his aunt and the food. Like a bull, he charged through the crowd of diners.
Da Ni and Er Ni followed closely behind, their faces beaming with enthusiastic smiles. However, unlike their younger brother, who only had eyes for food, they obediently greeted people.
"Grandma, Auntie!"
Once everyone arrived and all the dishes were served, there was no need for further discussion; everyone at the table immediately focused on eating.
In fact, the only sounds in the canteen of the state-run restaurant were the sounds of eating, clinking chopsticks, and shoveling rice into bowls. It seemed that very few people were having long conversations at this time; everyone was focused on eating!
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone had satisfied expressions on their faces. In a word—awesome!
This kind of life is so comfortable!
Cheng Cheng couldn't help but think to herself, "This is what life should be like: having money and leisure time, not being too busy at work, and going out to eat every now and then to improve my life. This is the ideal life!"
"Hiccup~~"
Niu Niu hugged his round belly, his big, bright black eyes staring intently at his aunt, and asked expectantly, "Auntie, can we eat out again tomorrow?"
Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Ping slapped him on the back, saying, "You brat, you wish!"
Niu Niu wasn't afraid of his mother at all; his eyes were fixed on his aunt, looking pitiful.
Cheng Cheng chuckled, thought for a moment, and said, "Tomorrow won't work!"
The other person looked dejected and let out a deep sigh at such a young age. Cheng Cheng smiled and said, "However..."
Niu Niu knew immediately that this was going to work, and quickly asked, "But what auntie?"
A pair of bright black eyes stared intently at her, looking impatient.
"I remember you all have your final exams coming up soon. If the three of you can all make progress in these exams, then your aunt will reward you—we'll come to the state-run restaurant for dinner, and you can order the food."
Upon hearing this, even Da Ni and Er Ni looked at their aunt with bright eyes, unable to contain their excitement!
"It all depends on your confidence. Whether you can do it or not is up to you."
Yes! Absolutely!
Niu Niu patted his little chest, "Auntie, I'm sure I can improve!"
He then looked at his two older sisters, "Eldest sister, second sister, I will supervise your studies!"
Don't hold me back!!!
This time, even Cheng Ping didn't object, and Xu Fengying was happy to see it happen, saying with a smile, "If you get good grades, I'll also give you a reward."
With a tangible and real pie in front of them, Da Ni, Er Ni, and Niu Niu were full of confidence and determined to get good grades!
-
After going back and taking a shower and washing their hair, Cheng Cheng and her daughter Xiao Xiao lay on the bed together, their heads resting on the edge of the bed with their hair sticking out to air.
Xu Fengying came in from outside and woke her daughter up to write a letter to her son-in-law.
After much thought, she still felt it wasn't good for her daughter and son-in-law to live apart for so long, even though her daughter and granddaughter were right under their noses and close to their parents' home.
But usually her daughter lives in the county town with her granddaughter, while she and Aiguo live in the countryside. They have to work every day and can't take care of them much, so coming to the county town is a hassle.
As for the eldest daughter, although she is also married and lives in the city, she has her own job, her own family and children to take care of, and no one can look after them all the time.
So, after much thought, Xu Fengying realized that her youngest daughter wasn't very bright and was easily fooled, but her son-in-law was smart. Once the couple were together, the son-in-law would take care of their daughter and worry about his wife and daughter.
Moreover, the couple's long-term separation is generally detrimental to their relationship, and their granddaughter Xiaoxiao has never seen her father since birth, which is also not good for the child.
We've never even met, so how can we have any feelings for each other? It's better for the whole family to live together. Although the conditions in the Northwest are definitely worse and more difficult than here, it's better for the whole family to be together than anything else!
I just don't know if the son-in-law can accompany his wife to the military.
Xu Fengying still doesn't know what her son-in-law does, only that he is a soldier. But soldiers can take leave to visit their families every year. Her youngest son, Xiangyang, took leave to visit his family last year and came back for a few days.
She asked her youngest son if he knew which unit his brother-in-law was in, wanting to know which unit wouldn't allow husbands to come back to see their wives and children.
When asked, the youngest son couldn't give a clear answer either, only saying that there were military regulations that soldiers were duty-bound to obey orders.
"I'll read it, you write it down, write it for me word for word, and behave yourself. Don't let me find out you're up to no good again!"
Cheng Cheng: "..."
Well, she has a criminal record, and Ms. Xu Fengying's concerns and worries are understandable.
He nodded, picked up his pen and wrote something in the form of a letter: "It is as if we are meeting in person." He first asked how Zhou Yue was doing and how he was doing lately, and then asked when he would be able to come back.
Ms. Xu Fengying seemed to harbor some resentment towards Zhou Yue, directly asking him in her letter what his boss's name was, as she wanted to write to him to inquire why her son-in-law wasn't allowed to take leave to visit his family!
Then they asked Zhou Yue what rank he was at, and whether his rank was high enough for his wife and children to join him in the military. If not, they told him to work harder and try to get his rank up as soon as possible so that he could bring his wife and children to join him in the military.
Cheng Cheng's hand trembled slightly when she heard her mother ask Zhou Yue if he could join the army. Her heart skipped a beat, and the word "join" seemed to stretch out endlessly.
Xu Fengying stared at her for a moment, and Cheng Cheng immediately said, "Mom, I wrote it exactly as you read it, not a single word different!"
"Well..." She glanced cautiously at her mother and said, "I'm a little surprised, Mom, you're actually willing to let me and my little Xiaoxiao go with the army?"
He then added, "I heard that conditions are quite harsh in the Northwest."
Cheng Cheng feigned a pitiful look, "Mom, are you really willing to let me and my little Xiaoxiao suffer from the northwest wind every day?"
Xu Fengying was concerned about this point, but she didn't show it on her face and said coldly, "Don't interrupt, keep writing!"
"oh!"
As soon as Cheng Cheng finished writing the letter, Ms. Xu Fengying took it away.
The next morning, they were able to eat the cold noodles they hadn't had the night before, and they even had cilantro added.
After breakfast, Xu Fengying took her daughter and granddaughter to work. After watching them enter the library, she turned around and went to the nearby post office.
She was cautious and first asked the post office staff to read the letter to her to make sure her little girl wasn't causing any trouble before folding the letter and putting it in the envelope.
I bought a stamp and sent it to my son-in-law.
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Author's note: Goodnight [cat emoji]
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