Chapter 387 Setting Rules
After Yu Lin left, it was almost time to get off work, so Song Lubai went to see Director Liu and mentioned that she might have to go to the business office.
Song Lubai doesn't need to worry about the vegetable-growing class. With last year's precedent, they can just continue doing it the same way this year.
Director Liu said with a smile, "Don't forget about us when you leave."
Song Lubai said, "If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know."
Director Liu laughed and said, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."
Once the food workshop is up and running, the supply and marketing cooperative in the group will also need to purchase food products from the workshop, and they will definitely have to continue dealing with Director Liu in the future.
Not knowing what to say at the afternoon meeting, Song Lubai took her teacup home for lunch.
She happened to run into Zhao Hongying, who was carrying fabric, halfway there.
Zhao Hongying was delivering fabric to someone with physical disabilities.
The two walked to a spot, and Zhao Hongying whispered, "Do you know whose house I'm going to later?"
Normally, shoemakers would collect their own fabric, but Zhao Hongying is now bringing it to her door; Song Lubai must be an elderly person.
She casually remarked, "Could it be Tang Xuewen's new father-in-law?"
Zhao Hongying nodded, "It's him! You know Tang Xuewen remarried, oh no, I mean remarried. The old man in the family isn't the woman's biological father, he's her former father-in-law."
Song Lubai said, "Is the fabric for the elderly?"
Zhao Hongying nodded and said, "Tang Xuewen came to me to get it before. We thought that Grandpa Li had never done it before, and we didn't have enough fabric at the time, so we didn't give it to Tang Xuewen. Now we have flawed fabric, which is cheaper than good fabric. Even if Grandpa Li doesn't do it well, he won't lose much. Let him practice first."
Song Lubai said, "I'll go with you to take a look."
A wall has been erected around Pang Juan's house, which Tang Xuewen recently had some acquaintances help him build.
The courtyard wall wasn't very large; inside was a mud house, and in front of the mud house was a small thatched shed. At that moment, Grandpa Li was sitting under the thatched shed, leaning against the mud wall, smoking his pipe.
"Uncle Li, this is Xiao Zhao from the shoemaking team. I've come to deliver some fabric to you."
Grandpa Li tried to sit up straight by supporting himself with his hands on the ground. He smiled and said, "Come in, no one's home right now."
Zhao Hongying handed the fabric to Grandpa Li and said, "These fabrics aren't very good. You can practice first. Even if you don't do a good job, it's okay. You won't lose much."
Grandpa Li nodded to indicate that he understood.
Song Lubai noticed that the bowl next to him was empty, and seeing the tea bottle in the corner, she picked up the tea bottle, poured him a cup of water, and placed the tea bottle where the old man could easily reach it.
"Sir, how is Comrade Tang treating you now? If there's anything wrong, please tell us and we'll talk to him."
Tang Xuewen had beaten Miao Feng, and Song Lubai was worried that he would bully this elderly woman who had difficulty moving around.
Grandpa Li smiled kindly: "Little Tang is a good person, don't talk about him. He's the one who had the walls and houses built. Little Tang is also good to me, he often wipes me down, and he's good to the children, he buys them candy..."
Grandpa Li went on and on, praising Tang Xuewen. Song Lubai and Zhao Hongying exchanged a glance, finding it both unbelievable and yet perfectly reasonable.
Tang Xuewen has finally found a wife and is aiming for a good life together, so it seems normal that things will get better.
Song Lubai felt that she had underestimated Tang Xuewen.
After talking with the old man for a while, the two got up to go home.
Grandpa Li's grandson came home from school, carrying a bunch of wild vegetables he had picked by the roadside as he entered the yard.
Upon seeing people in the yard, the child said shyly, "Hello, aunties."
The two of them spoke to him for a few words, and watched as he squatted on the ground, deftly picked wild vegetables, and started to cook porridge.
Why didn't you wait for the adults to come back before cooking?
The child said, "Mom and Uncle are both tired, and Grandpa is hungry."
The child's clothes had many patches, his shoes had toes sticking out, and his pants were a bit short, revealing part of his calves.
What are you two doing here?
The two turned around and saw Tang Xuewen frowning at them, looking unwelcoming.
Grandpa Li hurriedly said, "Little Tang, someone came to deliver shoe material to me."
Zhao Hongying immediately said, "Tang Xuewen, the flawed cloth is cheap. I gave you three cents' worth this time. Go to the office to pay for it later."
Tang Xuewen nodded to indicate that he understood, and his attitude softened slightly.
Song Lubai didn't want to be disliked here, so she lifted her leg and walked towards the door.
When she arrived at the door, she happened to run into the aggressive Pang Juan.
Pang Juan had no time to pay attention to Song Lubai. She rushed into the yard, picked up the knife standing on the stove, and then turned to Song Lubai and the other woman, saying, "Comrades, please leave. I have something to take care of at home."
Both of them were startled by her posture.
When Pang Juan pointed the knife at them, Zhao Hongying was afraid that she would throw the knife at them.
The two quickly retreated to a more distant spot outside the courtyard. Song Lubai said, "Comrade, let's talk this out calmly, don't be impulsive."
Her first thought was, what "good deed" did Tang Xuewen do to make this woman so angry?
Sitting on the ground leaning against the wall, Grandpa Li said shakily, "Xiao Juan, let's talk things out. Don't rush, we're all family."
Pang Juan said angrily, "You don't know what he did!"
Song Lubai and the other woman really didn't want to leave, so they hid behind the wall and stood on tiptoe to look over the top.
Seeing the child who had been busy at the stove quickly leave the yard, he nervously peered into the yard from the gate.
At this moment, Tang Xuewen had been cornered by Pang Juan. Despite being a tall and strong man, he looked like a mouse seeing a cat in front of Pang Juan, cowering and timid.
"Tang Xuewen, are you out of your mind? The person who gave me their child's old clothes was just being kind. It's not like what you're thinking. If I were the kind of person you imagine, would I have married you? You even went to talk to them about it. Do you even have a say in that? In your eyes, I'm just a promiscuous and immoral woman, right?"
Pang Juan swung the knife wildly in the air, and Tang Xuewen, trembling with fear, tried to grab it several times but failed.
Tang Xuewen angered Pang Juan, and she punched him in the chest with her other hand.
Tang Xuewen curled up in pain.
Still not satisfied, Pang Juan hit him a few more times, each hit causing Tang Xuewen to gasp in pain and unable to straighten up.
Song Lubai felt sorry for Tang Xuewen.
An hour or so earlier, Master Zhai told Pang Juan that Tang Xuewen had come to see him and warned him.
After listening, Pang Juan calmly told Master Zhai, "I understand."
She wasn't nearly as angry inside as she was showing.
The things her child's father had done were even worse than what Tang Xuewen did today, but she had endured all of those. Now, she didn't even care about what Tang Xuewen was doing.
Things were going well; she was even a little happy. It was time to teach Tang Xuewen a lesson and set some discipline.
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