Chapter 360 Idle Talk
Under the curious gazes of Wei Zhao and Song Lubai, Chen Yu gave a thumbs up and said, "Sister Pang Juan is really something. No man in our cafeteria dares to talk back to her. She helped me scold someone before, and she gave them a thorough dressing down. The person didn't dare to say a word. I heard from Aunt Li that before, because her son was beaten up by another child, she went to the child's house and beat up the child's father. The other child couldn't beat her. She's very fierce."
Wei Zhao said, "Being assertive is good, assertive people don't suffer losses, but she has her own job and children, why would she want to go back with a troublesome man?"
“I’m not going to find him a wife. I’m going to his boss tomorrow and have him deal with him. I’ll give him the hardest job and see how he’ll manage to get involved with Miao Feng then.”
Chen Yu shook her head and said, "You haven't heard me finish yet. Sister Pang Juan's husband died. Now she has a son and an old man who can't take care of himself. Her old man has difficulty walking, and Sister Pang has to go home every day to help him clean up his stall. I heard from Aunt Li that Sister Pang's old man has been urging her to remarry so that he can be at peace when he dies."
After hearing this, Song Lubai shook her head and said, "No, if Pang Juan marries someone like Tang Xuewen, there will be another master to serve in the family, and she won't be able to live a normal life."
Upon hearing this, one immediately senses that Pang Juan is a filial and kind person, and such people are most likely to suffer losses.
The young, the old, and then another person of similar age with physical needs—after a day of busy work, what's the point of living? A lifetime dedicated entirely to others.
Chen Yu said, "What I mean is, if Tang Xuewen wants to marry Sister Pang Juan, then he has to let her take care of Sister Pang's father-in-law. Sister Pang's father-in-law is very old and in poor health. I don't know how much longer he can live. If Tang Xuewen takes care of her father-in-law and he passes away, given Sister Pang Juan's temper, Tang Xuewen won't get away with it."
Wei Zhao shook his head and said, "You're thinking too simply. If Tang Xuewen were a good-tempered person who could take care of others, Miao Feng wouldn't be beaten so often. Let's just let it go and let his boss deal with him."
Both of them disagreed, but Chen Yu thought it was a good idea.
Miao Feng's resolute decision to divorce has already taught Tang Xuewen a lesson. If he gets another wife, he will definitely have to restrain his temper. Moreover, Song Lubai and the others don't know just how fierce Sister Pang Juan's temper is. Someone like Tang Xuewen would definitely be able to be completely subdued by Sister Pang.
…
The letter was sent by Song Lubai's aunt.
A while ago, Song Lubai sent a letter back to her hometown asking her aunt to help her find out how to make sweet potato noodles. Zhang Lan replied that she had specifically consulted a sweet potato noodle maker and recorded the information.
Although there are typos and the sentences are not entirely fluent, every step is recorded in great detail, and some key points are highlighted in bold.
Sweet potatoes don't ripen until September or October, but she still has dozens of kilograms of sweet potatoes stored in her cellar.
The cellar was dug deep, and the grain was covered with a layer of felt and straw, so the grain could be stored for a particularly long time.
After managing to obtain chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings for making dried radish, Song Lubai took some time to invite Zhao Hongying into her home and pickled the remaining radishes from the cellar into radish strips.
Zhao Hongying's steps were so simple that Song Lubai felt she had already learned them.
On the other side, Zhao Dongmei was pacing back and forth at the door, holding her wailing child. After Zhao Hongying looked away, she said, "There's something I haven't asked you before. Your stepfather is Zhao Hongmei's ex-husband's uncle, right?"
Song Lubai paused in her sewing, "Who told you that?"
Zhao Hongying smacked her lips and said, "It's Sister Lu who lives next door to you."
Song Lubai felt that she had just asked a pointless question.
She has no relatives or friends here, and no one knows what her family situation is like. It must have been Zhao Dongmei who spread the word after seeing her mother after the New Year.
Song Lubai asked, "What else have you heard?"
Zhao Hongying felt a little guilty; she regretted asking the question earlier.
Seeing Zhao Hongying's hesitant expression, Song Lubai felt there must be something else. "What other gossip has Zhao Dongmei been spreading about my family?"
Zhao Hongying stammered.
Song Lubai said, "Just say what's on your mind. I won't hold you responsible if you say something unpleasant."
Zhao Hongying then said, "No one is gossiping about you. People say your mother married twice, that she's a shrew, and that she even broke your stepfather's legs."
Song Lubai: "..."?
Wasn't Lin Dahai's leg broken by Lu Jianxi? Wasn't his mother beaten by Lu Jianxi?
What are you all spreading?!
"Haven't you heard anything about Zhao Dongmei's ex-husband?"
Zhao Hongying shook her head. "I don't know. I only heard people say that your mother remarried twice, that she was vicious, unwilling to help relatives who were struggling financially, had no human touch, and even broke your stepfather's leg."
After Zhao Hongying finished speaking, she leaned closer to Song Lubai and asked in a low voice with curiosity, "What happened to Zhao Dongmei's ex-husband?"
Song Lubai lifted her eyelids and said, "Zhao Dongmei's ex-husband was a wanted criminal. He took my mother's ex-husband's job and broke his leg. He was sent to a labor camp and then escaped, becoming a wanted criminal. I heard he died last year."
Zhao Hongying's eyes widened in surprise.
Song Lubai referred to her stepfather as her mother's ex-husband. Zhao Hongying had some trouble figuring out the relationship. After she did, she opened her mouth and asked, "You mean Zhao Dongmei's husband stole his own uncle's job and even broke his uncle's leg?"
Song Lubai nodded and said, "Zhao Dongmei's ex-husband is very famous in our area. He crippled his stepfather and broke his uncle's leg in order to get his uncle's job."
Aunt Lu, who was going out, couldn't help but say when she heard this: "What I heard was that your mother broke your stepfather's leg. Zhao Dongmei said it herself."
Without a hint of guilt, Song Lubai said, "Call her over here, I want to ask her why she spread rumors."
Aunt Lu looked embarrassed. "This isn't very appropriate. People talk about others behind their backs. Who asks those questions to their face?"
If Zhao Hongying hadn't mentioned it today, Song Lubai wouldn't have known that people were gossiping about her mother behind her back.
Her mother only stayed for seven or eight days, and after she left, she still managed to leave behind gossip about breaking Lin Dahai's leg. If Zhao Dongmei dared to spread rumors, why couldn't she confront Zhao Dongmei directly?
Aunt Lu was unwilling to call out, so Song Lubai called out Zhao Dongmei's name loudly.
Zhao Dongmei felt a little guilty a while ago, but seeing that Song Lubai didn't react and that no one was talking about the rumor anymore, she felt relieved.
Now that Song Lubai had suddenly called her, her heart started pounding.
Looking at Aunt Lu and Zhao Hongying's expressions, Zhao Dongmei couldn't move her feet at all.
Song Lubai called out again, and Zhao Dongmei slowly walked over with the child in her arms.
"What do you want from me?"
Zhao Dongmei didn't dare to get close; she was still more than ten meters away from Song Lubai.
Song Lubai asked directly, "Did you tell others that Lu Jianxi's uncle's leg was broken by my mother?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Dongmei's face drained of all color.
At this moment, Zhao Dongmei's world fell into stillness.
Song Lubai continued, "You know perfectly well what kind of person your ex-husband is, that wanted criminal, and you also know what kind of person his uncle is. I've never told anyone about you, but you're doing just that, making up stories outside, telling people that my mother was divorced twice. So what if my mother was divorced twice? You yourself got married twice, and it's not something to be ashamed of. I don't understand the point of what you're saying to others."
“Zhao Dongmei, although I came to Xinjiang Province two years ago, it doesn’t mean I don’t know about my family’s affairs. Now that I’m here, can’t I just live my own life? Do you think you can spread rumors just because these things won’t reach my ears?”
After regaining her senses, Zhao Dongmei lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes, and remained silent.
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