Chapter 128 128 Niu Laicai & Refrigerator & Washing Machine & Shared Stall…
Shu Jinyue was really shocked. She didn't expect that there would be such a cruel grandmother in the world.
Seeing that his aunt didn't say anything, Xiao Ping'an thought that his aunt didn't believe his "secret" and quickly said, "It's true, aunt, I heard it behind their house. I went to play with Zhenzhen and we were cooking behind her house. Grandma Niu said it herself."
"Grandma Niu also said that if Laicai doesn't listen and doesn't ask his aunt for money, he will be sold for money and can't be allowed to eat for free... Xiao Ping'an doesn't lie."
"I know what it means to eat white rice, but Laicai is not lazy at all. He does a lot of work every day. He is so good. He can sweep the floor and cook. He only eats a little rice, not even as much as I do! Xiao Ping An doesn't lie."
Seeing that she still didn't speak, Xiao Ping'an chattered even harder, as if he would not give up until he convinced her. Every sentence he said ended with "Xiao Ping'an doesn't lie."
Shu Jinyue of course knew that her child could not lie, she was just shocked.
Aunt Niu, who used to be so noble and self-proclaimed the best family in Liuye Hutong and never looked at them in the eye, actually did such a thing as selling her own grandson. This really shocked her!
"Who else knows about this?"
"I was the only one there, so I only told my aunt. I didn't even tell my elder sister Meng Meng Ya Ya."
Shu Jinyue calmed down and said, "Then you can't tell anyone else. We adults will handle this matter."
"Okay, little aunt, will you save Laicai?"
"Don't worry, this is a little secret between us, don't tell anyone else."
The little guy immediately saluted: "Yes, Chief!"
Niu Laicai is actually a pretty good kid, at least more normal than other members of the Niu family. Ever since he learned to call people, he would call people obediently when he saw the old and young in the alley. The Niu family naturally could not teach him, he figured it out on his own. He called the old ones grandpa and grandma, the young ones brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, and the little ones brother and sister, so he was quite popular.
Everyone knew that Aunt Niu ordered him to go out and ask for money. First, he was asked to find Niu Xiaofang who was detained in the detention center. He cried and told her that his child missed his mother. The police saw that the child was indeed well-behaved and pitiful, so they allowed them to meet. However, as soon as they met, they asked for money, which pissed off Niu Xiaofang. She went crazy in the detention center, and completely scared the child.
From then on, whenever the child heard that he was going to "see his mother", he would never go, no matter what.
Later, Aunt Niu turned her attention to her daughter-in-law who worked in a dance hall. She asked Xiao Laicai to go to her at night to ask for money. When he saw her with a male customer, he went up to her and taught the child to call her mother, which made the daughter-in-law's face turn green with anger! The security guard refused to let him in and waited at the door until late at night.
Just think about that scene, it’s such a sin!
But Aunt Niu is so black-hearted that not only does she use the child as a pretext to ask for money everywhere, she also ignores the child every day. When she goes out, she locks the food cabinet at home. When the child is hungry, she eats at various houses.
Many kind-hearted aunties would even give him their children's old clothes and shoes. Now that everyone's conditions are better, they don't lack food and clothing.
She wanted to sell the child who she had just let run free and for whom she didn't spend a penny?
The Shu family thought that Aunt Niu was really crazy.
"Back then, when the child wasn't even born yet, she secretly told me that she wanted to sell the child to Wenming and Wenli, but I refused. Who would have thought that after raising the child for several years and having grown so close to him, she would still be so greedy."
"It's inhumane, inhumane. Now it seems that the reason why Niu Xiaofang chose this path is actually closely related to her education."
The Shu family members deeply agree with this. “This family values profit over everything else. They will do anything for money. It’s really a waste of such a good child.”
Xu Wenli's eyes welled up with tears when she heard this. "If it were up to me, this child might have escaped from this sea of suffering if he could really go to another family."
Everyone actually thinks so, but the prerequisite is that they are really sold to a family in need of children, and it is a normal family. If they are taken to do illegal things, or to be dismembered alive, then they will fall into hell... Of course, in this kind of thing, you must stand firm from the beginning. As long as you participate in this transaction, you are not a good person.
This is not allowed from the source. It is not allowed. Once caught, no matter whether you are a buyer or a seller, or what you do, you should be sentenced to death. Xu Wenli also understood this logic, she was just shocked by Aunt Niu's evil heart.
Shu Jinyue is about to become a mother herself, and she is very soft-hearted. She can't bear to see her child suffer. She looks at Xu Duan and Shu Wenming, "You will find a way to stop this, right?"
"Of course. If she can sell the child under my nose, I'll think she's amazing." Shu Wenming said bitterly.
Xu Duan said, "This matter may not be as simple as we think. Don't act rashly. I will find a solution."
"What do you want to do?"
Xu Duan handed her a bunch of crystal grapes and said, "First verify whether this happened."
After all, the authenticity of what comes out of the children's mouths remains to be verified. Yes, they will not lie, but they will talk nonsense, so whether the Niu family really wants to sell the children remains to be verified.
"If it's true, I'd like to see who would do such a wicked thing in the open world." He said in a light voice, "Maybe we can dig up a big fish."
In such a big business as buying and selling children, Aunt Niu is just a very, very small link in it. She knows who picked up her child when she sent him away, where he was sent to, which places and steps his child went through, where he ended up, who the buyer was, and whether he had a protective umbrella... It is definitely not something a retired old lady like her can do.
Everyone was suddenly shocked.
"Yes, I just remembered the child who went missing in Xinghua Hutong that year. Li Xiangdong had clearly found out that the child was abducted by human traffickers, and he even said that the traffickers were near us, but they still haven't found the child until now."
Jin Yue was serious. If that was the case, "Do you think the human traffickers are in our Liuye Hutong?"
"That can't be possible. We've lived here for many years and we know each other well. We may have some minor problems, but we wouldn't do something so outrageous."
Shu Wenming laughed, "Dad, you are the most innocent and simple person in our family right now."
Shu Linong's old face flushed red, "You are so smart, so smart."
"In recent years, the floating population has increased, and the compound is a mixed bag. The tenants' situations are also complicated, and some things are hard to predict."
"Let's take Courtyard No. 16 for example. Aunt Liu moved to live in the courtyard and rented the house to a few young people. We only know that they are temporary workers in the paper mill, but do you really know the details?"
Teacher Shu was suddenly shocked. "Do you suspect that they are... human traffickers?!"
Shu Wenming was so angry that he laughed, "Dad, can you use your brain? I was just giving an example. I know these people well. They don't have any serious problems, otherwise I wouldn't have allowed them to live here until now."
First of all, Xu Duan got the person away, so it was not his turn to be a neighbor.
They chatted for a few more sentences, and then Shu Jinyue went back to her room to read after dinner. She was still concerned about Old Lady Wang's condition. Although she was sure that she wanted to use Baihu Decoction, she still felt that the diagnosis was not clear enough, and she had to think about it further.
On the way, the three little ones came for a stroll and brought her some food. However, Xu Duan, who usually came in and out, was not there today. It was said that he went out to visit his old comrades.
This time, he didn't come back until late at night. Shu Jinyue was half asleep when she felt a pair of hands on her waist. She was too sleepy to open her eyes. "Why did you come back so late?"
What he answered she had no idea, for she soon fell asleep again. Since I became pregnant, my sleep has become particularly good. I feel sleepy at 10 o'clock every day and fall asleep within seconds.
The next day when he went to the clinic, Jin Yue remembered what Qi Peilan said and asked Xiaotian and Xiaofang whether Hu Rongsheng had called back.
Usually he would be gone for more than half a month, and would occasionally call Jin Yue to report his safety. Jin Yue left a note at the cash register, asking anyone at work to tell him about Taocheng if they received a call from Master Hu. But he hadn't called back this time.
Even Old Wang and the others didn't come. They probably thought she needed to think about it for a while, so they didn't come to disturb her. So Jin Yue went straight home after seeing other patients.
Just as I reached the entrance of the alley, someone suddenly called out, "Jin Yue!"
"Hey, Mama Lee?"
There are several baskets placed at Mother Li's feet, filled with things that their family grows themselves, including potatoes as big as baby fists that have not yet reached the harvest season, purple eggplants with a glossy glow, tender green peppers, and some small vegetable seedlings...all of them are the freshest and most delicious things.
Of course, at her feet there was a bucket of lively bullfrogs and two clucking pullets.
"You kid, you didn't even tell me you were pregnant. If Yulan hadn't called me last night, I wouldn't have known about it. After all, I'm the child's godmother, right?"
Shu Jinyue smiled and took her arm, "Yes, yes, yes, I was so busy that I forgot how you got here. Why didn't you come to our house and sit down?"
"Your third brother brought me here on a tractor. He wanted to send some small firecrackers to the city for some essay competition. I just found out you were pregnant last night, so I didn't have time to prepare properly. You can enjoy these things slowly. I'll send you something better in a few days."
"so much?"
"What's so much? It was much more when Yulan was pregnant before. Life was not as easy as it is now. I came out in a hurry this time. You should just eat whatever you can for now." She added in a low voice, "I asked your third brother to leave me here. It's just right that you can go back and ask someone to get the things. He will come back to pick me up soon."
"You've come all this way, why don't you just sit for a while?"
"No, no, I have something to do at home and can't leave. Now your third brother and his family have opened a pond to raise bullfrogs, so I'm too busy to handle it."
Well, now the Li family's life is getting better and better, and it's getting better every day. They are making a fortune, and many dual-income families in the city are envious of them.
"By the way, these two hens are still small. It would be a pity to kill them now. Let your mom... oh no, your dad, let your dad raise them first so that they can lay eggs. Then we can kill them and make soup when you give birth."
Shu Jinyue took note and asked her to help watch her things while she went back to call someone. There were so many things that she didn't dare to carry them all by herself, so she had to go back and call for help.
By the way, I collected a bunch of malted milk and canned food from home and asked her to take them home to feed her children.
Mother Li went back happily, leaving Teacher Shu looking at the pile of food with a worried look on her face. "We can't finish eating so many bullfrogs in two or three days. If we don't kill them, we don't have room to keep them at home. If we kill them, they will go bad easily in the hot weather."
"You can put it in the refrigerator, it won't spoil easily."
"Where's the refrigerator?"
Shu Jinyue smiled. Isn’t this simple? She was usually so busy that she didn't think about it. The Shu family was used to buying vegetables and meat and eating them on the same day, and there were basically no leftovers, so she didn't think about buying a refrigerator.
In the first two years of their marriage, Xu Duan ordered milk for her and drank it on the same day, so there was no need for a refrigerator. Later, she had enough of it and didn't want to drink it anymore, so she stopped ordering and never thought about buying a refrigerator.
"Wait a minute, I'll buy it now." Jin Yue called Grandpa Sun. When he heard that Jin Yue wanted to buy a refrigerator, it happened that San Department Store now had a special store selling electrical appliances, both imported and domestically produced, so he could buy whatever he wanted.
In fact, domestic refrigerators are not bad. Jin Yue bought the best and most expensive one on the market. However, due to the high price, the product has been kept in the warehouse for more than two months and has not been sold. She wants it to be delivered to her home on the same day.
So, a light green single-door refrigerator that was one person tall was carried into the Shu family's front door in a grand manner and placed in the living room, which was spacious and convenient for storing anything.
"I know the refrigerator. If you put popsicles in it, they won't melt for days!"
"I know, there's still room for ice cream in there! You can eat as much as you want, it won't go bad!"
“You can also put watermelon in it, and it’s cool and sweet when you take it out!”
A group of children were arguing about the wonderful uses of the refrigerator, and the neighbors in the compound all came to watch the fun, after all, this was the first electric refrigerator in Liuye Hutong.
In recent years, people's lives have become better, and there are more electrical appliances. Almost every compound has two or three televisions, and some are even better than Jin Yue's. But everyone knows that refrigerators consume a lot of electricity. If they are turned on 24 hours a day, the electricity bill will be considerable every month.
We have lived without refrigerators for so many years. It's okay to keep vegetables for a few days, but if the meat can't be kept, it can be made into bacon and cured. The leftovers can be heated up a little longer the next day. It won't get an upset stomach if it's heated thoroughly. So, in fact, as for this electric tiger, except for the children who are happy, the adults just feel that the Shu family is really rich.
but--
"Wait, what is this?"
After the workers installed the refrigerator, they carried in a large cardboard box. It was a little shorter than the refrigerator, but it also looked like a big thing.
"A washing machine, a semi-automatic one that can spin dry."
"Washing clothes?" Fan Qiuyue suddenly became interested, "Can you really wash them clean?"
Both of her children are rather naughty, especially her son. The clean clothes she changes into before going out in the morning are already very dirty by noon. She has to wash them every two or three days, washing a large basin at a time. It's okay in the summer, but her hands get frostbite in the winter.
"For particularly dirty areas, apply some soap in advance and add more detergent to wash them very clean." The delivery man from the mall said, taking the cash handed over by Jin Yue, counting it on the spot, and giving her the invoice, "Comrade Shu, we will go back first. If you have any problems during use, please contact us. This is our store's phone number. We will come to your home within two hours to help you repair it. Mr. Sun has explained that we will do our best to serve you, so don't be afraid to trouble us."
Everyone looked at each other: Wow, is this still the usual arrogant sales staff? When their electrical appliances break down, they have to carry them to the store's after-sales repair point and wait in line. Sometimes it takes half a month to repair them, and they may not even be able to get them fixed.
Shu Jinyue thought to herself that they would really bring hatred upon her, so she quickly put the small piece of paper away, hoping that they would not contact her often.
Everyone watched her hand over such a thick stack of bills. They didn't dare to ask questions on the spot. They all held their breath. As soon as the deliveryman left, they immediately asked: "How much is it? Is the refrigerator or the washing machine more expensive?"
"Refrigerators are more expensive, after all, most of them are quite old." Aunt Li gestured with her hands to measure the size, feeling sour again, "Young people nowadays are so greedy and lazy. They have to buy a refrigerator just to eat a watermelon. Can't they just put it in the well water to cool it? They don't even wash their own clothes... In those days, we not only had to wash our own clothes, but also the clothes of more than a dozen people in the family. There was no soap, so we could only use soapberry. It was really bitter, but we all went through it. Young people nowadays just can't stand the hardship."
"Aunt Li, if you are willing to suffer, that's your business. I wish you have endless suffering. It would be best if you could suffer our share as well." Fan Qiuyue retorted.
Aunt Li was so angry that she fell backwards. Does she like to suffer? She has no money and no conditions!
"Okay, you just look down on me and think I can't afford a refrigerator, right? Wait, I'll buy one tomorrow!"
"Hey, why don't you go buy it? You don't have to wait until tomorrow. Buy it now before the staff members leave."
Mai Ke had just finished his college entrance exam and was just sitting around doing nothing. He ran out to watch the fun and called the people from the electrical appliance store back, "Uncle, wait a minute. Grandma Li from our alley wants to buy something too. Look, she's right there!"
Aunt Feng and the others flattered in a fake way: "Oh my, I didn't realize that Aunt Li is quite rich. We still have to rely on Aunt Li to live our lives."
"Don't think that when Xiao Li came to my house, everyone would think that she was an old lady who was alone and must be so poor that she couldn't even afford to eat. Who would have thought that she was so rich that she could buy a refrigerator!"
Aunt Li was immediately put on the spot. She couldn't say that she was reluctant to buy it, right? Isn't that a direct admission that you don't have a son and that you can't make ends meet? I wonder how many people will laugh secretly!
She gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, I want to buy one. Comrade, give me the smallest refrigerator in your store. I live alone and I can't use a big refrigerator. It's too wasteful. Aren't we short of electricity all over the country now? I heard from Teacher Shu on the radio that there is a nationwide construction program and electricity shortages everywhere. We ordinary citizens can't do anything else, so let's save some electricity for the country."
Everyone: “…” What he said sounded very high-sounding and there was nothing wrong with it.
Shu Jinyue glanced sideways and thought to himself, has Aunt Li's recent ballroom dancing improved her speaking skills? She used to talk about shit and piss and fart every other sentence, but now she is not only much more polite and serious, but what she says is also very reasonable and people can't refute it.
Dancing is indeed a good sport.
No matter what everyone thought, Aunt Li, thanks to Shu Jinyue, successfully bought a refrigerator that day, while fellow women Fan Qiuyue, Li Yulan and others bought a washing machine, and even Xu Wenli got one for her family. Seeing that they were all neighbors of Comrade Shu and had such a good relationship with him, the staff promised them that if there were any problems with their appliances, they could call and they would send someone to repair them as soon as possible.
This is really all thanks to Shu Jinyue, everyone said happily.
Refrigerators are far less attractive to them than washing machines, which are good things that can directly improve their lives and reduce their workload. When others ask about them, they just say, "Only those who have bought it will know."
Those who didn't buy anything just watched Fan Qiuyue and the others happily throw in a pile of dirty clothes, and then take out a pile of half-dried clean clothes that smelled of soap, and then go home and quarrel with their men.
The men were so annoyed that they tried to persuade the girl earnestly: "This thing consumes so much electricity. A month's salary is not enough to pay the electricity bill."
"You're talking nonsense. You said it consumes far less electricity than a refrigerator. The delivery person said that if you wash the washing machine once a week, the electricity bill will only cost an extra dollar a month at most."
The man smacked his lips. "That also wastes water. We all have running water in the hospital now. Each family has a tap. It costs money to run the meter."
"Then I don't need to use water every time I wash my hands? Will the water meter stop running?"
The man had no choice but to say, "That's just a waste of detergent. You rub whatever is dirty when you wash by hand, and you throw detergent into the washing machine, and it spreads everywhere, so the dirty parts can't be washed. What a waste... Hey, why did you hit me?"
"I'm going to beat you, you bastard! I can't live like this anymore, who cares?"
"Ping-pong..."
There are several families like this. Just treat it as a joke. Men who are interested should either grit their teeth and buy one, or take over the laundry chores and do it themselves, instead of waiting for their wives to get angry and file for divorce.
Shu Jinyue didn't expect that buying a washing machine would cause such a big stir. She simply felt that Xu Duan worked too hard and had to help her wash clothes every day when he came home, and she just felt sorry for her husband.
＊＊＊
The two little hens were once again raised in the chicken coop by the Shu family. This chicken coop was made with the help of Sun Dalong. Now Sun Dalong has been married for many years and his children are born. The quality of the chicken coop is still very good, it is not broken or loose at all. At most, the metal pins are rusted, and Teacher Shu just needs to grind them with sandpaper.
There are not many people raising chickens in the compound now, because they are easy to buy in the market. If you want to eat chickens, you can spend a few dollars to buy one, which is fat and fragrant. Raising chickens is dirty and tiring work, and everyone dislikes it. On the contrary, Teacher Shu does not dislike it. "I raise these two thrush birds for the same reason. It's okay to have two more chickens. I clean them every day, and it's not that dirty. If they lay two eggs every day, it's enough for me to eat today."
Everyone originally thought it was dirty, but when they heard that Jin Yue could eat fresh eggs every day, they immediately supported it.
Shu Wenming instructed the three children, "Don't run around after school. Remember to go to the moat and pick some grass and dig up some earthworms. The chickens will lay more eggs after eating them."
"Yes, Chief!"
After the bullfrogs were cleaned, Teacher Shu divided them into several portions and put them in the refrigerator as Jin Yue said. Wen Li went directly to wholesale two boxes of cream popsicles and put them in the refrigerator as a reward for the children for digging earthworms. They could eat one every day when it was the hottest. If they were disobedient or made mistakes, one popsicle would be deducted for that day, and the effect would accumulate.
Mengmeng calculated and realized that was not right. If she acted like this, if she was a little naughty, wouldn’t she owe the family popsicles?
"It's not fair, it's not fair, I won't do it!"
Liu Huifang came in from the door and wanted to beat her up when she heard this. "If you don't want to do it, go home."
Xinghua Hutong was not as fun as grandma's house in Liuye Hutong. Her face suddenly frowned and she stopped, reminding herself not to make any mistakes and to be careful. She was so careful that she even ate in small bites. After finishing her meal and making sure she could have another bowl, she would go to get more rice with the gait of a duck.
He is so afraid of making mistakes and so cautious.
The adults were holding back their laughter as they talked about the lawsuit between Li Niu and the two aunts.
"I heard that Li Xiangdong came to coordinate last night. The final solution is that the two people share a stall, separated in the middle, and do not interfere with each other. No matter who starts the fight first, no matter whose fault it is, the stall will be taken back, and the rent and security deposit will not be refunded."
"By the way, in order to hold them hostage, Li Xiangdong also asked the market manager to collect a deposit of 30 yuan from each of them."
What a great shared stall, what a great sitting together, what a great thirty yuan integrity and harmony deposit, these two should be able to have some peace and quiet for a while, right?
Li Xiangdong is also a talented person. He tied the two most difficult aunties in Xinqiao Street together, making them share the same fate. Now everyone will have less excitement to watch in the future, right?
“I feel a little regretful.”
Xu Wenli's words successfully made everyone laugh, with Liu Huifang laughing the loudest. "Not necessarily. Who knows how long they will stay quiet before they start fighting again?"
Because Aunt Niu wanted to sell Lai Cai, the Shu family's disgust towards her had reached its peak. They wished that Aunt Li would do justice for her and give her a few more beatings, so that she would forget about selling the child.
"By the way, Wenming, how are your preparations for opening a branch going?"
Mingyue Garment Factory initially opened three stores in the book city. Later, the business was so booming that he basically monopolized the market for mid- to high-end clothing stores. Shu Wenming saw that some areas were still not covered, so he planned to open a few more stores in more remote districts and counties.
"It will be open for business in a few days. We will open five more stores this time, basically covering every district and every county with good economic development in our book city."
"Don't underestimate the counties and towns below. There are many nouveau riche people there now, including those who engage in breeding, planting, greenhouses, and fruit production. They all make a lot of money, but they have nowhere to spend it."
It just so happens that these nouveau riche live far away from the main urban area, and it is not convenient to come to the city if you don’t have a car. But now the Shu family has opened a clothing store in their county town. Isn’t this a ready-made place to spend money?
"Yes, I've discovered a pattern. They don't like cheap things, but they'll fight over expensive things, even if it's just a piece of rag."
Jin Yue thought: Isn't this just like luxury goods in later generations? Even if a certain brand launches a toilet lid, people will buy it, but the domestic ones are just made in a shabby way and the rich people in China won't even look at them.
"Then don't take advantage of others because they don't know anything. Don't sell inferior goods as good ones or mark up the prices too high," said Teacher Shu with a straight face.
"Of course. I won't do anything that goes against my conscience. I also have to consider the future reputation of my brand. If I start discriminating against different regions now, how can I go out in the future?" He plans to open Mingyue clothing stores in other provinces, even in Beijing and Haicheng. He cannot be so short-sighted.
Shu Jinyue encouraged with sparkling eyes: "Second brother, work hard. My future life depends on you."
She has shares!
***
On the third day, Shu Jinyue went to the clinic and finally saw the old couple of the Wang family. The old lady's condition was still not optimistic. Jinyue quickly expressed his thoughts: "Aunt Wang, in this case, I want to prescribe Baihu Decoction for you, with some gypsum. If you agree, I will prescribe it now."
Old Wang was stunned. "Are these medicines like gypsum, rhizoma anemarrhenae, rice and licorice?"
"Teacher Wang knows?"
Old Wang smiled helplessly, "More than knowing, she has used it."
It turned out that half a year ago, Aunt Wang was recommended to see a Chinese medicine expert in Beijing. The person was said to be the successor of a certain master. The opinion he gave was the same as Jin Yue's, and he also prescribed Baihu Decoction.
"I still had diarrhea after drinking it, and my fever went down a little, but only to 38 degrees. Once I stopped taking the medicine, the temperature would go up again."
Shu Jinyue's heart tightened. Well, a colleague had already tried it for her and it had failed. It seemed that her diagnosis was wrong again.
What happens if Baihu Decoction cannot reduce the fever?
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