Chapter 25 Renting a House
Shi Wenliang, the village secretary of Shijia Village, got up early in the morning and was blocked at home by Pu Xiang before he could go to work.
"Secretary Shi, this is the situation. I'm going to get my dowry later. I'm worried that if there's a quarrel, the police will be called. With the secretary here, we can all resolve the issue peacefully."
This is still calm.
Shi Wenliang felt as if his chest was blocked early in the morning. What was going on? A few days ago, someone got divorced, and now another one got divorced, and the one who got divorced was his next-door neighbor. Is divorce some kind of contagious disease?
"Hey, you young people, how can you say that you are so good? Why don't you want to live a good life? Third sister, this incident will not end well. Think about it carefully. You still have a child. No matter what, you are still the child's mother."
Shi Wenliang also felt that the Shi family was not fair in locking people up and forcing them to pay money before releasing them, but he also didn't think that Pu Xiang asking him to move her dowry was a good way to deal with the situation.
She should go to her parents' house, negotiate, and move in when it's getting dark and no one will notice.
Give everyone some face instead of asking him to go with you early in the morning.
But in the end he hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of breakfast, got on his bike and followed Pu Xiang.
He had to go. If the police were called, he would be derelict in his duty.
After Pu Xiang invited Shi Wenliang to join her, she felt completely relieved.
That is to say, they were affected by the reform and opening up early, the status of women was not low, there was no clan power in the local area, and they all supported each other and united against external foes, and each family lived its own life. That was why she could do this.
Otherwise, she would be a single woman, and her family wouldn't care about her, so she wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. It would be a blessing if she had the chance to turn around and run away.
Shi Wenliang has been the brigade secretary and village party secretary for many years, and he is still very fair in doing things.
Not only did he come himself, he also called the women's director Lin Juan along.
Matters like divorce are easier to handle with a lesbian.
Yu Abao called a few aunts with whom she got along well early in the morning, and they all held their bowls and ate and chatted while waiting at the door of her house.
As soon as they saw Pu Xiang, the village party secretary and the women's director riding their bikes down the road and passing by her house, they all ran home tacitly, put down their bowls and chopsticks, and hurried out.
He also did not forget to invite the old sister-in-law and young wife from the next-door neighbor's house to come along.
Go and see what the excitement is, and see if you can pick up any bargains.
But they heard from Yu Abao that Pu Xiang didn't take her dowry home but sold it all at a discount.
Shi Hai has been busy since he got up in the morning, feeding the pigs and making breakfast. It sounds like just two things to do, but he does them all by himself, taking an hour at a time.
Shi Dafu, the unfilial son, worked for a whole day and made a split on the pig manure. He then shook half of his hip and said that he had twisted it and was in so much pain that he couldn't move his strength and he didn't want to go into the pigpen again.
Shi Hai really wanted to hit him with the stick used to mix pig food. How could he be so lazy at such a young age?
This job was thrown to his elderly father, and he really could do it.
After getting married, Shi Hai had been idle for a few years. Now he has to take up this job again. It's not that he can't do it at his age, but he feels uneasy when he looks at his son again.
Not only does he not work, but he also drives his capable daughter-in-law away in anger.
This bastard thing!
Shi Hai was already stinking in the morning. He went into the kitchen to make breakfast. He was surrounded by smoke and fire, and his body was covered with ashes and straw.
Shi Wenliang walked in and called out to Shi Hai twice. Shi Hai heard the voice and quickly ran out of the kitchen.
"Hey, why is Secretary Shi here? And Director Lin, what's up so early in the morning?"
Shi Hai and Shi Wenliang are quite familiar with each other, and unlike other villagers, they are not nervous when they see the village party secretary.
He was the first household with a net worth of 10,000 yuan in the village, and he interacted with village cadres more than the average person.
When he saw this situation and Pu Xiang was also there, his heart sank and he uttered a rare curse.
This matter is really not over yet!
Shi Hai usually thought his daughter-in-law was good, but now he began to think that she was too good at finding trouble and felt a little dissatisfied.
Shi Wenliang sighed and said, "Old Shi, I didn't want to come this time, but there is no other way. Third sister has come to visit us. We have to solve the problem. We have to solve it properly. Don't make a big fuss. If we do, we will become a laughing stock in the whole area and we will feel ashamed when we go out."
Shi Hai's heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, what's going on?"
It didn't sound like he was talking about divorce.
At this point, Shi Wenliang said directly: "Your Dafu and Sanmei have already got a divorce certificate, so the marriage is divorced, but big brother, your family forced people to return the betrothal money, the money given for childbirth, and the gold jewelry given for the wedding. It will not be good if this gets out."
If it's like this, after marrying a wife and having a child, you can get a divorce and get all the money back. This man slept with the girl and got a child for free without spending a penny? What kind of thing is this!
If everyone learns to do this, it will be a mess. Who will dare to marry a girl?
If the husband's family wants to force a woman to pay money or divorce, isn't that easy? The simplest and most brutal way is to beat her half to death. How dare she refuse?
Shi Hai became anxious when he heard this.
"What's going on? What money and gold? When did our family force anyone to return the money? That's not the case!"
The two sides had different opinions, and Shi Wenliang looked at Pu Xiang.
Pu Xiang said, "Shi Dafu asked me for the money. I was locked in the room and was not allowed to leave unless I gave him the money. I was afraid that he would rob me and would attack me, so I gave him the money and wrote a receipt. If you don't believe me, just ask Shi Dafu and everything will be clear."
Is there any need to ask?
Shi Hai immediately thought of his son, who had been running outside every day these days and came back late at night. He looked very relaxed. He also saw that he had a new watch on his wrist, and when asked about it, he said he borrowed it from someone who played with him.
He thought at the time, the watch looks brand new, why would people be willing to lend it out? Are they stupid or have a lot of money?
OK, OK, so that's what's going on!
"Don't ask him!"
Shi Hai took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Divorce is divorce. Our family won't ask for the betrothal gift back! I'll give you the money!"
Shi Hai lived through that era. People today cannot imagine what life was like for high-class families at that time. It was very difficult to make any progress, so he valued reputation the most. He did things in a decent manner and was determined to be an outstanding member of the people.
When getting divorced, asking the woman to return the betrothal money is really a pain in the ass.
If this matter gets out, their days in the land will be over.
When Shi Wenliang heard what Shi Hai said, he immediately thought it made sense. Shi Hai was such a smart man, he said it was impossible for a person to do such a thing.
His family doesn't lack this little money.
I don't care about my reputation anymore.
His son is notoriously lazy and does not do any work, leaving everything to his wife. His wife, Pu Xiang, is also very capable and is also known for her hard work. Everyone can see it.
Shi Wenliang nodded and said, "In that case, then the money..."
"Secretary."
Pu Xiang interrupted him, "These things are in the past. I don't want to dwell on them anymore. I just want to get my dowry back now. I have already agreed with Shi Dafu on this matter. Can I have someone come and move it now? I have listed the dowry list. Please take a look."
This was listed by Pu Xiang the night before. She wrote down several copies and handed one to Shi Wenliang and one to Shi Hai.
"Uncle, I'll have someone move the things now. I'll have Director Lin come along to watch and make sure they don't take anything that doesn't belong to me."
Having said that, he didn't give Shi Hai a chance to speak again, and pulled Lin Juan out.
She went to ask someone to start moving.
Shi Hai wanted to follow, but was stopped by Shi Wenliang.
"Lao Shi, let them move the dowry. You have taken back all the money. If you don't allow them to move the dowry, don't force them to call the police. If you do, your family will lose face."
Shi Hai looked anxious and aggrieved: "Secretary, I am not that kind of person. You know, I hope that they can live a good life, but even if they can't, I can't take back the money and gold. Is this still a human thing to do?"
He rubbed his hands, stamped his feet, and discussed with Shi Wenliang how to return the money to Pu Xiang.
But Shi Wenliang leaned aside, looked at the increasing number of people gathered in front of the house, and said, "But look at the situation now. If we give you the money, your family's reputation will spread."
Shi Hai was stunned when he saw it.
That's right. The people in the village will make up something out of nothing. What's more, this is a true story. I guarantee that it will be known to everyone in the neighborhood within two days.
What a sin.
How could he have given birth to such a son? He usually didn't give him enough to eat or wear, but he was so short-sighted that he actually set his sights on the money!
This bastard thing!
…
Lin Juan followed all the way without saying much.
If the marriage had not been divorced, she could still offer some advice, but now that the certificate has been torn down, what else can she say?
And when she thought of Pu Xiang's situation, she also felt sympathy.
After the divorce, she can't go back to her parents' home, and her in-laws want to take her money. This is really pushing her to death!
I don't know how to get through the next few days.
Lin Juan was a careful person. She turned around and called Shi Yufang, the female team leader of the area. It was just like when Mo Yang's family got divorced. For something like this, it would be better for more people to deal with it together than for her to rush in alone.
At this moment, a group of people gathered in the grain drying field outside Shi Hai's house. Basically all the members of their production team were there.
There is no shortage of those who are watching the excitement or those who are looking for bargains.
Pu Xiang decided to start moving the small ones first. As soon as the pots, bowls, pans, and utensils were taken outside, she said, "Take them away." Some young wives were still hesitant, but those middle-aged women with super fighting ability were not ambiguous at all. They rushed forward and started to grab the things.
“I want this pot!”
"I've got my eye on this pot, don't let me break it!"
"Be gentle, my enamel cup can't withstand the knocks!"
…
Anyway, there are so many people, no one is afraid of being hated.
Inside the Shi family's house, Mo Amei was dumbfounded. These were all her family's things! They were hers, she didn't say she was selling them, how could they take them all?
After all, this is Pu Xiang’s home where she has lived for more than 20 years. Even after a long time, some memories are engraved in her mind. When she returns to the “scene”, all these memories come back.
She recognized her wedding dowry and recognized every detail of it accurately.
Soon all the small items downstairs were moved, and what was left were the large cabinets, boxes, and quilts upstairs.
Pu Xiang moved swiftly and dumped all the things in the cabinets and boxes onto the bed in the room, making it so empty that people could easily carry things down.
She also wrapped the clothes that she had not taken away earlier in a large bed sheet and carried them downstairs.
Lin Juan and Shi Yufang watched from the side and occasionally lent a hand.
Mo A'mei followed him and kept cursing, saying things like "the eighteen generations of ancestors must go to hell" and "the eighteen levels of hell". She kept cursing all the way to Pu Xiang's head.
Pu Xiang pretended not to hear.
She checked her handwritten dowry list to make sure nothing was left out before going downstairs.
During this time, Mo A'mei wanted to pull her away, but she hid behind Lin Juan, the director of the Women's Department. Seeing Mo A'mei crying and screaming as if she couldn't breathe, Lin Juan was also afraid, worried that she would faint from anger, so she quickly gathered people to comfort her.
But it was obvious that her comfort was of no use, and the scolding continued.
Pu Xiang came down from the upstairs, and Shi Hai was standing motionless in the main room downstairs.
At this moment, he seemed to have aged many years in an instant.
He saw Pu Xiang and asked calmly, "Just divorce me. What good will it do you to make things so ugly? Even if you don't care about the past relationship and Jiajie, don't think about yourself. How can you find someone else in the future after you've made such a fuss? It's already bad enough to be married for the second time."
Pu Xiang said calmly, "I won't die if I don't get married, and I'm not divorcing for the purpose of finding another one. Uncle, I've been your daughter-in-law for a few years, so I still want to thank you for your care. You should take care of yourself in the future."
By the time Pu Xiang left the Shi family, all the dowry she had moved out had been sold out.
Yu Abao's mother is really an expert at doing things. She is efficient and decisive. Pu Xiang told her that the items were sold at a discount, but she did not hesitate at all. She picked out the good and useful ones and ran home.
As long as there is someone taking the lead, others will have a mentality that they are not responsible for the consequences. After all, they are not the ones taking the lead, so they don't have to bear the consequences if anything goes wrong.
In addition, Pu Xiang's dowry was all good things that she had spent a lot of money on. If they were sold at a low price, the family would have exactly what they needed.
If you miss this opportunity, you will never find such a shop again.
Pu Xiang went to thank Shi Wenliang, Lin Juan and Shi Yufang again, and then left quietly with Shi Wenya and his family.
Only after entering the front door of the house did Shi Wenya pat his chest and breathe a sigh of relief.
"I was really afraid that Uncle Shi Hai would come out with a stick and hit me. It was so scary to rush in and get the dowry!"
Pu Xiang reached out and patted her on the back, saying, "He is not that kind of person. Don't say that these are just my dowry. They are not his Shi family's things. Even if they are his Shi family's things, he will not lose his temper on the spot."
Their family was a wealthy farmer back then, and they suffered a lot because of it. He knew best that one should not go against most people when doing things.
Yu Abao looked at the sewing machine she had received at home, and thought about the watch she also had. She could earn dozens of dollars by just selling it. She was in a good mood, but she was also a little worried about Pu Xiang.
"That's what you said, but if you did this, you must have offended him badly. He will definitely hate you."
As he said this, he handed over the dowry money that he had just helped Pu Xiang sell.
"You can count them. They are all sold at a discount according to the prices you listed. Some of them have been used for a long time and look old, so I gave them away with the larger items."
Pu Xiang counted the money and checked it against the dowry list to make sure everything was OK. Then she took out another twenty yuan and gave it to the other party.
"Thank you, Auntie. You can use this hard-earned money to buy yourself some food. I'll just take a break."
With money coming into the account, Yu Abao was so happy that he was grinning from ear to ear.
She also has a sewing machine and a watch, and if she sells them she can still make some money.
"Why are you being so polite? You and Wen Ya are sisters, right? This is the norm... We have been busy for so long, why don't you have lunch at home at noon?"
Pu Xiang thanked the other party but still refused.
She had a lot to do and couldn't stay in the village.
Pu Xiang took her own canvas bag and stuffed the money into it. She sold these belongings for more than 100 yuan in total, with the sewing machine and watch accounting for the majority of the proceeds, and the rest were basically given away as gifts.
With the dowry issue resolved, Pu Xiang's only connection with Shijia Village is her household registration.
She also had to find a place to settle down as soon as possible.
As soon as Pu Xiang pushed the car out of Shi Wenya's house, she saw Mo Jingjing standing at the corner of the wall. She looked up when she saw someone coming out.
"Come to see me?"
Pu Xiang's previous doubts came to her mind again, and she turned the car in another direction and walked over.
Mo Jingjing saw her and walked towards her.
"Auntie, is your leg okay?"
The child's body and the adult's expression and tone gave Pu Xiang goosebumps all of a sudden.
Mo Jingjing is back too!
Seeing something that cannot be explained by science happen to other people is more exciting than seeing it happen to yourself.
"I'm fine."
Pu Xiang felt her lips were a little dry, and she licked them twice before she felt better.
"you……"
She wanted to ask Mo Jingjing what was going on, whether she knew how she came back, and whether she would go back again. She had so many questions, but she didn't know who to ask or who to discuss them with.
But as soon as she saw Mo Jingjing's expression, she knew that the other person was just like her and knew nothing.
She changed her words when they were about to come out: "You came to see me specially? Is there something?"
Mo Jingjing nodded: "I'm here to thank you for saving me, auntie."
Pu Xiang shook her head: "Why thank me? You came back by yourself. You can still deal with Zhou Xiaorou without me. I should thank you for carrying me out of that room and sending me to the hospital."
She originally wanted to find an opportunity to remind Mo Yang not to go sailing with the dog thief, but now it seems that she doesn't need to be a good person. Mo Jingjing is back and will definitely not let anything happen to her own father.
The two thanked each other and were grateful to each other from the bottom of their hearts.
Mo Jingjing: "Auntie, where are you going to live in the future? I will come to visit you when I have the chance."
Pu Xiang: "I can't say for sure now. I plan to rent a house in the county town and live there first, then do some small business. When I have some money, I will buy a commercial house. When I decide on a place, I will find Shi Wenya and ask her to bring you a letter."
Mo Jingjing nodded and continued, "When Zhou Xiaorou left that day, she stole the gold earrings and gold ring that my dad had bought for my mom. My dad went to the police station to report the case that afternoon and gave me a photo of Zhou Xiaorou. The police called the village committee yesterday and told me to bring a letter saying that the man was caught when he went to the town to look for the seller. My dad is going out today."
Pu Xiang opened her mouth in surprise. She stole something and then she went out to sell it in the town. Didn't she know to run away? Or wait a little longer before taking it out. She should have enough money.
But on second thought, it makes sense for Zhou Xiaorou to do this. If she had any brains, she wouldn't abuse a child. Wouldn't it be better to earn 30 yuan a month as a babysitter than to steal these little gold ornaments?
"It's good that they caught him. I'm afraid Zhou Xiaorou will have to go to jail this time. Her son was such a bad boy later on. It might be a good thing that he doesn't grow up with his mother this time."
Pu Xiang remembered Zhou Xiaorou's son Shi Jie, who later became a notorious gangster in the village. He was not doing his job properly. He was imprisoned for two years for selling ecstasy pills. Later, he was imprisoned for a second time for selling used cars and was charged with theft and selling stolen goods, and spent another year and a half in prison.
Speaking of Shi Jie, Mo Jingjing's eyes flashed, and then she said "hmm" softly.
"Also, my dad seems to suspect that there is something wrong with me."
Pu Xiang: “Hmm?”
Mo Jingjing said: "Yesterday he said he was going to see a friend, but he actually went to see a 'fairy lady' who asked me if I was possessed by something and asked me to write a talisman for me. Fortunately, she didn't let me drink the talisman water."
In the countryside, there are many legends about fox fairies and yellow fairies (weasels), and many people believe in them.
Pu Xiang: “…Puff!”
Having a smart and considerate family member doesn't seem to be a good thing.
She didn't know whether she should be happy or jealous. There were so many people in her family and husband's family, but no one noticed that something was wrong with her. They just thought she was having enough of the good life and was going crazy.
"You have the body of a child, you're only four years old, and it's really obvious. If we were adults, we would just think you were stimulated and your personality changed drastically."
Pu Xiang could only comfort him like this, "If it really doesn't work, why don't you just confront him?"
Although rebirth is a mysterious thing, he is still a biological father after all. Seeing that Mo Yang was willing to divorce because Zhou Xiaorou abused her child, he must still have some feelings for his daughter.
Mo Jingjing proved that she was just reborn and not possessed by a demon or ghost. Mo Yang should be able to accept it, right?
Mo Jingjing wrinkled her face and thought, this dress is too adult-like. If she were fourteen years old, she would not be able to get used to it so easily.
Pu Xiang: "I think you can give it a try. Tell him that you came back from decades later. It's the 1990s now. The next ten years or so will be the best time to start a business. Let your dad work hard and you can just sit back and relax as a rich second-generation. How great is that."
If her parents were not unreliable, she would have wanted to train herself to be a rich second-generation and just lie back and enjoy life.
Mo Jingjing nodded and finally smiled, a rare smile, no longer looking so gloomy.
"That's what I thought."
She is still too small and can't do anything, so she can only rely on her father.
Pu Xiang waved at the people and said, "Come on, we've all had a good time this time."
The two of them lowered their voices and spoke quickly, then Pu Xiang rode his bicycle out of the village.
She went all the way to the county town and went straight to the central building. She ate a bowl of noodles in the same noodle shop, and then went to the shop next door that was selling noodles.
The boss was still there, but he turned off the radio when he saw Pu Xiang.
Pu Xiang smiled and stepped forward: "Master Xu, I came to ask about the situation again today."
Lao Xu: "Oh, you even found out my last name?"
Pu Xiang: "Don't I really want to rent it? Of course I have to pay some attention."
Old Xu was also straightforward: "Yesterday I went home to discuss with my family and called my son. We decided to sell the store, but we can rent out the small house we live in. The monthly rent is 30 yuan, excluding water and electricity bills, and it's rented for one year."
His family is from the old city, and the house is theirs, not allocated by the work unit. It is quite old and cannot be sold at a high price, so it is better to keep it. His son said that many cities outside are now starting to develop commercial housing, and if the location of their house is to be renovated, it is estimated that there will be a lot of compensation.
It would definitely not be cost-effective to sell it at such a low price now, so I might as well keep it, sell the store, and then go to Mao City to buy another one with a little extra money, so that I can gain something on both ends.
Pu Xiang's eyes brightened up after hearing this. It would be good if the issue of renting a house could be resolved first.
"Master Xu, shall we go look at the house now?"
The rent of 30 yuan a month is not cheap, but because it is not cheap, Pu Xiang is sure that this family really wants to rent a house, and is not trying to deceive her as a single woman.
So, Lao Xu locked the door of the store and took Pu Xiang to look at houses.
The house is not far from the central building, just two streets away. However, although it is only two streets away, it is much quieter here. The houses are all stand-alone, some are two-story and some are one-story, but they are all squeezed together and look quite cramped.
"That's it. My wife should be home by now. I'll call her."
He raised his voice, and sure enough, a woman's voice responded from inside the room, and she quickly opened the door and came out with a spatula.
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