Chapter 34
Qin Xiang didn't bother to pack up, just threw her things there and got up to open the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Old Lady Liu standing there. Qin Xiang smiled and said, "Auntie Liu, why are you here? Come in."
Old Mrs. Liu, still looking serious, followed her into the yard, took a look around, and then asked, "You haven't been home recently?"
"Yes, I went to the south and bought some goods." Qin Xiang didn't think that Mrs. Liu came here specifically to ask about this.
As expected, Old Lady Liu said, "A couple of days ago, a man and a woman came to see you. They said they were your brother and sister, and asked you to come over when you're free."
After saying this, Mrs. Liu prepared to leave. When she reached the door, she said, "Little girl, are you really planning to become a self-employed person?"
Qin Xiang pointed to the pile of goods in the room. "I got all the things back, but it cost me all my money. How can this be fake? I was determined to do this."
Old Mrs. Liu looked at her deeply and gave her a thumbs-up. "Okay, I'm leaving. As long as you don't involve my house, you can open the back door if you want."
After she left, Qin Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and went back to the house to continue packing.
After a while, Qin Yang came back with food he had bought from a small restaurant. While they were eating, Qin Xiang mentioned that his second brother and fourth sister had come over. Qin Yang said, "It's okay. Maybe they'll come over to get acquainted with us. I'll go check it out tomorrow."
Qin Xiang hesitated, "How about going over tonight? I plan to go to the school tomorrow."
It is already the 18th day of the first lunar month and school has already started. She has to sort out her student registration and do some exercises. What she used before is not enough.
Qin Yang looked at her and said, "You said it would be better for you to study hard, but you have to make such a fuss."
Qin Xiang couldn't help but chuckle.
Qin Yang used to nag a little, but now he is too lazy to nag anymore.
After the brother and sister had dinner, it was already past seven in the evening. They went out and went straight to Qin Hai's house.
When they got there and saw them, Qin Hai said, "It's nothing. Your fourth sister knew you were in the county and wanted to see you. I told her you were going to the south, but she didn't believe me. She was so scared, afraid you'd been kidnapped by bad guys. Just go see her and tell her when you have time."
Qin Xiang nodded, "Then I'll go in a moment."
"Maybe tomorrow. They're probably all resting by now."
Qin Yang gave the gift he brought back to Huang Xiufen and suddenly said, "Brother, I've decided to quit my job and help Xiangxiang."
Not only was Qin Hai shocked, but even Qin Xiang was shocked.
This was too sudden. Although Qin Xiang hoped that her third brother would work with her, she also planned to wait until she made money so that her third brother could work with her without any worries. However, she never thought that he would work with her at this time.
After Qin Yang finished speaking, Qin Hai frowned. "Third brother, what are you doing? Xiangxiang doesn't have a job and is preparing for the college entrance exam. It's okay for her to be so fussy, but why are you following suit? Even if you're not a regular employee in the fleet, you're still making over 60 yuan a month, which is not enough for you to eat and drink. Why are you going out to be a self-employed person?"
The reason Qin Xiang was not opposed to being a self-employed person was because he knew she still wanted to go to college, so he felt that Qin Xiang's self-employment would not last long. He was also worried that Qin Xiang would be depressed after the divorce, so he thought it would be good for her to go to the south to relax.
But he never thought that the third brother who had been working outside would also resign to become self-employed.
Qin Hai said angrily, "No, this is absolutely not possible."
Seeing his heated words, Huang Xiufen hurriedly advised, "Don't be so anxious. Ask clearly first." Then she turned to Qin Yang and asked, "Third brother, tell me what's going on. Tell your second brother clearly. He's worried about you. You should know that although the work in the fleet is not formal, it is respectable and the income is good. Your brother is just worried that you will regret it later if you miss this opportunity."
They are all brothers, how could they not know what the other is thinking? Qin Yang was not angry, but Qin Xiang understood a little, "Third brother, if you are worried about me, then there is really no need. I want you to work with me, but not now."
Qin Yang glanced at her and smiled, "Do you think Third Brother is that kind of person? Although we are brother and sister, we are also independent individuals. Third Brother has been thinking about this issue on the road for the past two days. When we arrived at the county, I finally made a decision. On the one hand, I am worried about you, but more importantly, I don't want to waste my time like before. I am a man of blood and I also want to have my own career. Although I can earn more than 60 yuan a month in the fleet, it is not a stable job. I may be replaced at any time. Instead of this, I might as well plan for myself sooner. Working for the fleet is working, and working for my sister is also working. It's the same thing."
Qin Xiang was helpless, "Third brother..."
Qin Yang interrupted her, "Why, you still don't want to pay me? Shouldn't it be a little higher than the team's salary? I can not only drive, but also be a thug."
Hearing this, Qin Xiang burst out laughing, "I definitely won't let Third Brother suffer any loss."
Seeing that the two had already made up their minds, Qin Hai felt a little depressed. "Is being a self-employed person really that good? It's better to have a stable salary."
Qin Xiang and Qin Yang glanced at each other and knew what their second brother was worried about. Qin Xiang comforted him, "Second brother, I've noticed from my time out that state-owned factories are getting worse and worse. The fleet is certainly profitable and developing well. It's such a good industry. If our county can think of it, other places can think of it too. Who knows how long it can last? Formal employment has a government guarantee, but Third Brother doesn't."
Seeing that Qin Hai was still worried, Qin Xiang hurriedly said, "I promise to drive a higher price than the one the team gave Third Brother."
Qin Hai was speechless and looked at Qin Yang, "Have you really decided? If my parents knew about this, it would probably cause another family war." He glanced at Qin Xiang. With his mother's temper, she might blame Qin Xiang again.
Qin Yang nodded, "I've figured it out. I'll go handle the formalities tomorrow."
It was useless for Qin Hai to disagree with this matter. He could only say, "You will regret it later."
He himself graduated from a technical secondary school and knew the importance of going to school after the resumption of the college entrance examination. He said to Qin Xiang, "Since you want to take the college entrance examination, come with me to the school tomorrow to ask about your enrollment and subsequent classes. You can be self-employed, but your studies should be your priority. Don't put the cart before the horse."
Huang Xiufen beside her also nodded, "Yes, Xiangxiang, you should listen to your second brother. If you have any difficulties in life, come to us, don't carry it all by yourself. You should focus on your studies now. Everyone is looking forward to you getting into university."
Qin Xiang felt warm in her heart after hearing what her second brother and second sister-in-law said. She nodded happily and said, "Don't worry, second brother and second sister-in-law, I will definitely not delay my studies. I will go home to study tonight, and I will come to find my second brother to go to school together at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
Coming out of Qin Hai's house, Qin Xiang looked at Qin Yang and said, "Third brother, thank you."
"We are siblings, so let's not be polite. After I finish the paperwork, if you want to go to the market, I'll go with you. Don't go alone. There are some unreliable people in the countryside nowadays." Qin Yang instructed, worried that her sister would go by herself without saying a word.
Qin Xiang nodded honestly, "Okay."
Qin Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her third brother was safe and there was no need to worry.
When they got home, the brother and sister tidied up briefly and went to sleep.
The next morning, the brother and sister went straight to see Qin Juan before going to work.
Qin Juan married Zhao Qianjin, who had taken over his father's job at a chemical factory. His mother-in-law was a retired elementary school teacher. Her mother, Lian Fengying, was initially proud of her marriage to such a family, but she flaunted it for a while.
Being able to marry a worker and then work as a temporary worker in the city was a truly remarkable achievement in the countryside. Many people said that Qin Juan had been soft-hearted for so many years and that this was the only time she had the nerve to find a good husband.
But only Qin Xiang and his brothers and sisters knew how unhappy Qin Juan's life was. Qin Xiang, with her life experience, knew that her fourth sister had lost her life because of this marriage in her previous life.
When they first met, Zhao Qianjin's parents looked down on Qin Juan's country background. After they finally got married, they reluctantly accepted her for their son's sake. But after she gave birth to a daughter, their attitude changed, believing she was bringing shame to the Zhao family and leaving them without descendants. The couple, without any manners, took their dissatisfaction out on Qin Juan.
As for her brother-in-law, Zhao Qianjin, he wasn't a good person either. He saw what his parents did, but he also thought it was Qin Juan's fault. He even told Qin Juan that if she gave birth to a son, everything would be fine. No matter what, it was Qin Juan's fault.
If this happened in the past, it would not be a big deal if the first child was a girl, and they could just have a son later. A working-class family like theirs would not be unable to raise the child. But when the child was born, family planning was implemented, and a working-class family like theirs would lose their job if they had a second child.
Zhao Qianjin finally became a team leader, so how could he bear to give up his job? Once he lost his job, the family would not be able to spend just relying on Qin Juan's mother-in-law's pension and Qin Juan's salary as a temporary worker.
So the responsibility was pushed onto Qin Juan, and people thought it was all Qin Juan's fault. If Qin Juan could give birth to a boy in one go, there wouldn't be so many troubles.
Qin Juan was a soft-hearted person who endured all the pain for the sake of her children. Her brothers and sisters were angry at her for not fighting back and came to the Zhao family, but Qin Juan couldn't help herself, and their brothers and sisters were useless except to threaten Zhao Qianjin.
When they were there, Zhao Qianjin cried bitterly and said that he was not good and promised to change in the future. But after they left, he refused to regret and continued to torture Qin Juan.
Qin Yang had advised Qin Juan to divorce before, but was scolded by her mother. Qin Juan was weak and had no idea what to do, and she refused to leave the house for the sake of her children.
In her previous life, when Qin Xiang heard the bad news about her fourth sister, she was so heartbroken that she couldn't breathe. Now that she is back, she naturally tries her best to change the ending.
But she also understood that it was difficult to change a person's mind, and if her fourth sister didn't stand up on her own, there was only so much she could do to help.
"Don't worry, your fourth sister is not as weak as you think."
Qin Yang knew what Qin Xiang was worried about at a glance, "Xiangxiang, she chose her own path. We can only provide her with methods. It's up to her whether she is willing or not."
Qin Xiang raised her head and looked at him, "You know I want to persuade her to divorce?"
"Won't you persuade me?"
Qin Xiang pursed her lips. "I wanted to persuade her to divorce, but I knew she wouldn't be happy about it. She didn't want to do it when Nian Nian was still young, and she's probably even less willing now."
Because of her experience in her previous life, she would not hesitate to divorce, but Qin Juan was different. She was now a real person of the 1980s. You could tell how much people of this era resisted divorce by looking at their mother.
Besides, Qin Juan and Zhao Qianjin have a child. Even if they are willing to help raise the child, will the Zhao family be willing to let them go? If they don't let them go and let the child stay with Qin Juan, then will Qin Juan still have the heart to divorce alone?
In her memory, Qin Juan was a soft-hearted girl. Even though their grandmother often taught them that girls shouldn't be weak, it was useless. Qin Juan had been soft-hearted since she was a child, and the only time she showed any strength was when she got married and rebelled against her family.
Qin Xiang sighed, "Third brother, why is the world so harsh on women?"
Qin Yang had no answer to this question and could only say, "Everything will be fine."
He couldn't imagine what kind of rumors would spread outside and how their mother would react if his sister and younger sister got divorced.
But what he was sure of was that he couldn't let things continue like this.
The two chatted until they arrived at the chemical plant's staff family compound. The chemical plant's performance was average, and the family compound wasn't a building, but rather a series of bungalows, one next to the other. Before the brother and sister even reached Qin Juan's house, they heard the cries of a child, a woman, and other people's scolding.
Qin Xiang's heart skipped a beat and he hurried forward. When he arrived outside Qin Juan's house, he saw a lot of people gathered at the door and peeking inside.
Qin Xiang gritted her teeth. Qin Yang had already separated the people and went in. "Make way."
Everyone turned around to look when they heard the noise. Someone recognized Qin Xiang and Qin Yang and whispered, "Qin Juan's brother and sister are here."
Qin Xiang followed Qin Yang in and saw the room in a mess. Qin Niandi, who was only two years old, was sitting on the ground with his bare bottom crying loudly, while Qin Juan was standing aside wiping her tears.
Meanwhile, at the dining table inside, Qin Juan's mother-in-law, Gao Yulan, was clutching her waist with one hand and pointing at Qin Juan with the other, cursing, "You unlucky thing! Our Zhao family is truly unlucky for marrying someone like you."
Seeing Qin Juan just crying, Gao Yulan became even more upset. She picked up the stool next to her and raised it up, staring at Qin Juan and scolding, "Cry, cry! Try crying again."
"Put it down. Don't be so impulsive."
Qin Juan's father-in-law, Zhao Hongbing, who was sitting there smoking a pipe, said indifferently, "It would be bad if someone saw it."
This is not good enough. Qin Xiang glanced at the people watching the excitement at the door. He really didn't know how this old man could say such a thing.
Qin Yang couldn't control his anger and went in directly. Gao Yulan finally saw the brother and sister, and her expression changed immediately. She smiled awkwardly, "Her, her third brother is here."
"What's the matter? Do you still want to hit someone? Who do you want to hit?" Qin Yang glanced at the stool in Gao Yulan's hand and narrowed his eyes.
"No, nothing happened. We were just joking." Gao Yulan quickly threw the stool away and changed her expression. "Qin Juan, look at you. What are you standing there for? Your third brother and sister came all the way here. Why don't you go and boil some water?"
Qin Juan wiped her tears and nodded in response, "You guys sit down, I'll go boil some water."
Seeing that the fight could not break out, the onlookers felt an inexplicable regret.
Qin Xiang glanced at him and said, "Let's go. There's nothing fun to watch."
As she spoke, she followed Qin Juan to the kitchen set up outside. Qin Juan forced a smile and said, "Have you and Third Brother had breakfast? If not..."
"Fourth sister." Qin Xiang interrupted her. Qin Juan was stunned. "What's wrong?"
Qin Xiang asked, "Are you going to live like this?"
Qin Juan knew very well how inhumane the Zhao family was. Every time they beat and scolded her, it was simply because they disliked her for giving birth to a daughter for the Zhao family.
Qin Juan looked at her and said, "What else?"
Qin Xiang looked at the simple kitchen, where neither of them could stand straight. Qin Xiang said, "Fourth sister, I'm divorced."
"What?" Qin Juan was immediately furious. "Why are you getting divorced out of the blue? Your parents-in-law were getting along very well, weren't they? Why are you getting divorced?"
Qin Juan suddenly covered her mouth and started crying, "Did they beat you?"
The worry and heartache in Qin Juan's eyes made Qin Xiang feel indescribable. Her eyes were slightly sore. She looked at her sister and said, "No, no one beat me. It was Wang Junsheng who cheated on me. I didn't want to continue like this, so I divorced him."
"Ah?" Qin Juan was confused.
Qin Xiang sighed, "Fourth sister, do you want a divorce?"
This question made Qin Juan silent. She lowered her head to look at the stove and said after a while, "This..."
Before she could finish her words, Zhao Qianjin's wailing voice suddenly rang out from the main room. Qin Juan subconsciously wanted to go inside to take a closer look, but Qin Xiang grabbed her arm and said, "They treated you like that. What's wrong with Third Brother going to teach him a lesson? You still want to protect him?"
"But..." Qin Juan hesitated, but also worried, "I'm afraid it will scare Nian Di."
After saying that, Qin Juan went straight into the house. Qin Xiang had no choice but to follow her in. She saw Zhao Qianjin in the main room holding his stomach with both hands, and Gao Yulan standing beside him, angry but not daring to say a word.
"You're the child's third uncle. Is there any uncle like you? You came to our house early in the morning to beat someone up. I really want to ask my mother-in-law how she raised her child."
Qin Xiang said, "Auntie, I really want to ask you something. What are you all doing here so early in the morning scolding my fourth sister? Does she deserve to be a human being just because she gave birth to a daughter? Your Zhao family's sons are precious, but our Qin family's daughters are worthless? You are not human beings, bullying my sister, and you still despise my third brother for teaching him a lesson. Why, do you have to force us to invite the police to judge the matter?"
When Zhao Qianjin and Qin Juan were dating and discussing marriage, Gao Yulan went to Qin's house. Qin Xiang happened to be returning from school at that time, and she was stunned by her beauty. Qin Juan was also beautiful, but her personality was too soft. Gao Yulan would rather choose someone like Qin Xiang.
But Zhao Qianjin was obsessed with Qin Juan's gentleness, which made Gao Yulan very regretful.
But two years ago, because Qin Juan gave birth to a daughter, the Zhao family was dissatisfied with Qin Juan and often made her angry. At that time, Qin Xiang came to the house and scolded Zhao Qianjin directly, which made Gao Yulan lose all her good impression of this girl.
Two years later, it's here again, and it looks even more difficult to deal with.
Gao Yulan said with a frown, "This is our Zhao family's business."
"Your Zhao family's daughter-in-law is our Qin family's daughter. The person you beat and scolded is my own sister, and you actually said it was your Zhao family's business. You are committing domestic violence." Qin Xiang looked at the old lady who kept forcing her, "You are breaking the law. It's only because my sister is good-tempered that she doesn't care. Otherwise, if we report it to the police station, you will be committing domestic violence. My sister wouldn't do that, but we family members dare. You can also report to the police that we beat your son. As long as your son dares to tell the police why he was beaten, do you dare?"
Gao Yulan was pressed step by step by Qin Xiang, cold sweat broke out on her forehead, she stumbled and sat down on the chair behind her.
Of course they didn't dare. These days, people are calling for a severe crackdown every day. As long as they are taken to the police station by the police, no matter if they have any problems or not, they are finished.
Gao Yulan looked at the little girl in front of her in horror, not understanding how this little girl could become so powerful. After not seeing her for two years, she became even more difficult to deal with than before.
"Her aunt, calm down." Zhao Qianjin's father, Zhao Hongbing, hurried to smooth things over. "It was her grandmother who was wrong. I asked her to apologize to you..."
"Uncle, what you said is not right." Qin Xiang turned his attention to the old man. "It's true that Auntie did something wrong and she should apologize, but it's not just Auntie who should apologize, but Zhao Qianjin as well. And the person they should apologize to is my sister, not me. We only come here occasionally and encounter things like this. How many more have happened without us knowing?"
Qin Juan hugged her child and cried inconsolably.
Qin Xiang looked at Zhao Hongbing and said, "You're also an old worker. You should understand that it's not that my sister doesn't want to give birth to a son for your family, but because the country has implemented family planning and doesn't allow children to have children. Don't you understand such a simple truth? You are unhappy and take it out on my sister. The three of you bully my sister and her mother. Do you think it's glorious? Do you feel proud when people are watching you? You are so smug. Go out and ask, which family doesn't say that the Zhao family is a piece of shit and abuses their daughter-in-law and granddaughter."
"Stop talking..."
Before Zhao Qianjin could finish his words, Qin Yang twisted his arm and threw him to the ground. "Do you even have the right to speak?"
Zhao Qianjin was furious and turned to look at Qin Juan. "Qin Juan, are you just going to watch them run wild at home?"
Qin Juan turned her head away and didn't look at them.
But she was also worried that her third brother and sister would really get into trouble, so she wiped her tears and said, "Third brother, forget it."
Qin Yang frowned, looked at Qin Juan, and asked, "Juanjuan, Third Brother wants to ask you, can you still live like this? Do you want a divorce?"
Qin Juan was stunned for a moment.
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