Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Two in one, please subscribe...
Chapter 203
These words surprised Jiang Meishu and the others. Those who didn't know would have thought that Li Cuiqin was waiting for them to arrive.
It’s true.
Li Cuiqin came and opened the door, and everything in the large single room was revealed. There was only a bed, a table, and two chairs in the whole room, and nothing else.
It was so clean and bright that one wondered if anyone lived here. If it weren't for a diaper draped over the back of a chair, it would be hard to imagine anyone was here.
Seeing Jiang Meishu and the others' confusion, Li Cuiqin murmured, "I knew this day would come."
She didn't know Jiang Meishu, but she did know Liang Rui, because Liang Rui had often come to Mingjiao Hutong in the early years. However, as Liang Rui grew older and became more independent, he stopped coming.
Jiang Meishu knew something might be going on from her tone, so she asked, "Is it convenient for us to go in?"
"Sure." Li Cuiqin invited them in like a wandering soul.
"I knew something was wrong when my wife and mother-in-law didn't come home last night."
It's like I've finally found someone to vent my troubles to.
"The last time they didn't come back at night, Wang Shunzi went out gambling and got arrested, so my mother-in-law went to redeem him."
"This time," Li Cuiqin looked up at Jiang Meishu and the others, "I didn't wait for them all night, but I waited for you."
There were thick dark circles under her eyelids, and her eyes were dull, even revealing a hint of fatigue and panic. It was obvious that she hadn't had a good rest for a long time.
Jiang Meishu remained expressionless, "Do you know what they did?"
Li Cuiqin smiled bitterly, "As their family member, or rather, their bedmate, they wanted to hide what they did from me, but they couldn't."
Matchboxes and meat appeared in the house, as well as money and small packets of milk powder that shouldn't have appeared. There were no cans, only a fist the size of a palm, which I secretly held in my palm and took back.
Even if Li Cuiqin was stupid, she could tell that her mother-in-law and husband were stealing. Otherwise, the matches wouldn't be half a box, the milk powder wouldn't be the size of a fist, and even the meat wouldn't be a small piece, the kind that fits easily in a pocket.
Jiang Meishu was a little confused, "What about you?"
Li Cuiqin held the child and covered her face. "I have no choice. If I don't eat, my child will have no milk to drink. If he has no milk, he will die."
She had no choice. Eating it was not right, but not eating it was not right either.
Thinking of this, Li Cuiqin forced herself to cheer up, opened her red and swollen eyelids, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you here because their crime was exposed?"
Jiang Meishu looked at her and had an indescribable feeling. The only one in this family who was sober and in pain might be Li Cuiqin.
She hummed, "They were stealing something last night when we came home and caught them red-handed. They were taken away by the police last night."
Upon hearing this, Li Cuiqin slid off the chair and slumped onto the ground. After a long while, she finally burst into laughter. "It's good that he was caught, it's good that he was caught. Stealers deserve to be caught."
Her attitude made Jiang Meishu and Liang Rui a little confused. "Aren't they your relatives?" Jiang Meishu asked tentatively.
Li Cuiqin shook her head, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "Yes and no, from the first time they stole, I told them not to reach out, not to reach out. Once they do, there's no turning back."
"But they didn't listen to me and said I was being soft-hearted."
"Later, when I got pregnant and was extremely hungry, I started eating too." She smiled miserably, her eyes devoid of life. "I ate what they stole, too."
"I ate and vomited at the same time, but I still ate it."
That is self-loathing and dislike.
Anyone could see it, and Jiang Meishu was no exception. She didn't say anything. Liang Rui asked something he didn't understand, "Since you hate them so much, why don't you report them?"
He could see that Li Cuiqin hated stealing.
Li Cuiqin glanced at the innocent Liang Rui and said something that Liang Rui did not expect, "I will not report it because I have gained benefits without paying the price."
She looked down at her two-year-old son and laughed bitterly, "My son has grown up."
“That’s what I got.”
This woman, who only studied in the fourth grade, had very clear logical thinking. She even thought about the cost of today.
I also thought that Jiang Meishu and Liang Rui would come to my door.
This sentence made Liang Rui speechless for a moment. He looked at the child, wanting to say something but not knowing what.
Li Cuiqin was not surprised. She held the child and leaned against the wall, then slowly stood up. She was too thin, like a bamboo pole, and could be blown down by a gust of wind.
You can't tell at all that she has given birth to a child.
"You came here for the house, right?"
After Li Cuiqin stood up straight, she suddenly asked this question.
Jiang Meishu was somewhat surprised at the cleverness of this woman. She nodded but did not say that the property had been transferred, because she wanted to see how the other party wanted to deal with the matter.
If she handled the situation well, she might accept Li Cuiqin, a woman who was extremely smart but trapped by her family and the times.
Seeing her nod, Li Cuiqin murmured, "I guessed it right." She groped her way through the cabinets to the bedside, and finally pulled out a yellowed deed from under Wang Qiuju's pillow. She glanced down at it with a hint of reluctance, then looked up again with determination, "These are the deeds to the two rooms in our house."
"Here you go."
"Counting these two houses, how much more do they need from you?"
Jiang Meishu actually didn't need a title deed anymore, because they had already transferred the house directly through the Public Security Bureau.
But she couldn't say it now.
She lowered her head and glanced at the deed, her voice soft, "Are you willing to give it up?"
She actually couldn't feel much ill will towards this woman who was struggling to the extreme.
Li Cuiqin gave a bitter smile. The child in her arms started crying. She held the child and gently comforted him twice before she said slowly, "I'm reluctant to let him go, but there's nothing I can do."
"There's a price to pay for stealing."
"And the only price our family can afford is these two rooms."
This is the most precious thing in their family. Of course, if it weren't for these two rooms, her parents would not let her marry the gambling addict Wang Shunzi.
Jiang Meishu took the deed tentatively, and Li Cuiqin let go without any tug. Jiang Meishu thought to herself, it seems she really gave it to her, otherwise she wouldn't let her take it so easily.
"If you give us the deed to the house, you will end up living on the streets with your children."
A woman who hates stealing but can only eat food obtained by stealing has no support from her parents, or her parents will not give her any help.
For Li Cuiqin, if her parents could help a little, she would not eat the stolen food.
Jiang Meishu actually guessed it right. Li Cuiqin was the eldest daughter in the family. She married the gambling addict Wang Shunzi with a betrothal gift of fifty yuan.
Li Cuiqin's parents knew that Wang Shunzi was a gambler, but they still married their daughter to him. To a certain extent, they did not treat Li Cuiqin as a child, but as an object that could be bought and sold.
When Li Cuiqin heard this, her face froze for a moment. "I have a hukou in the capital. When the time comes, I'll go to the Women's Federation and cry, kowtow, or beg them to build us a shack so my child won't be exposed to the wind and rain."
She didn't think about her own.
All she thought about from beginning to end was the child's escape route.
She could also choose to keep the title deed, so that she could forcibly occupy the house and at least get a shelter for herself and her child.
But Li Cuiqin couldn't do it. Eating stolen food was already the most shameful behavior for her, and if she came to occupy the house again.
Li Cuiqin laughed bitterly, "Although I'm not a good person, I wouldn't be so despicable as this."
"I didn't spend a cent of the money Wang Shunzi and my mother-in-law stole. I only ate the food and milk powder they brought back, and used the matches, salt, and flashlight."
She took out a piece of paper from her arms and said, "This is what I used and the quantity."
She started keeping bills from the first time she used stolen items, and the bills above now almost clearly record every time she used something.
Or perhaps she knew better than Wang Qiuju what they had stolen.
Seeing that Jiang Meishu didn't answer, Li Cuiqin said miserably, "I know it's wrong for me to eat stolen things. I have kept a record of it. I will pay this part of the money back later."
"But I will only pay back the money for the food I ate. As for the money they spent and the things they stole, it has nothing to do with me."
Jiang Meishu didn't know what kind of situation could force this married woman with children to this point, and she could clearly calculate every account here.
She even calculated how much water the Wang family used each month, and she distributed it evenly among herself.
After Jiang Meishu finished reading this account, she couldn't help but ask, "You've been thinking about leaving since the first day you got married, right?"
As soon as these words fell, a look of astonishment flashed across Li Cuiqin's face, and of course more of shock. She didn't expect that even her partner Wang Shunzi didn't know about her secret little thoughts, but it was seen through by Jiang Meishu when they met for the first time.
She simply didn't hide it, "Yes."
Admit it straightforwardly.
"I don't like Wang Shunzi. My parents sold me to him in exchange for a fifty-yuan betrothal gift to help my younger brother get educated and marry."
This short line of words implies all the blood, tears and grievances of her first half of life.
Jiang Meishu paused suddenly. She clutched the bill and said, "I'll take the house away."
Li Cuiqin was not surprised. She murmured, "This is the house they owe you."
So from the very beginning, she remembered where Wang Qiuju hid the house deed.
This woman is smart and clear-headed, but it's a pity that she is bound by her family, environment and times.
Jiang Meishu suddenly wondered if she would end up here if she was given a chance.
"I will take the house, but if I tell you I'll give you a chance and a job, will you go?"
As soon as these words fell, Li Cuiqin's eyes instantly sparked with hope, "Work?"
After she heard it, she subconsciously denied it, "That's impossible."
"Work is so difficult nowadays." Her father has a job, but it will be given to her younger brother in the future, so she can forget about it.
Wang Shunzi has no job and relies entirely on Comrade Wang, who works as a nanny in the Liang family, to support her. However, Li Cuiqin knows very well that her mother-in-law cannot support Wang Shunzi for the rest of her life.
She had mentioned this to Wang Shunzi countless times, but Wang Shunzi never listened. She was alone, without a job, and making matchboxes couldn't support herself and her child.
Thinking of this, Li Cuiqin's eyes became more hesitant. "Are you asking me to work as a nanny in the Liang family?"
Jiang Meishu shook her head, "No."
"If I wanted to find you a job, I would take you to Guangzhou instead of staying in the capital."
"Li Cuiqin, do you know the meaning of this?" She looked directly into Li Cuiqin's eyes when she asked this question.
Li Cuiqin was silent for a long time. She nodded and said, "Let go of the past."
Jiang Meishu was a little surprised at Li Cuiqin's intelligence. Really, she only needed a little bit to see through things. In this era, when most women were brainwashed into taking care of their husbands and children, and devoting themselves to their families and parents, her qualities were truly precious.
"Yes, I have that idea." Jiang Meishu didn't mention the job, but just asked her, "Are you willing?"
This was her last test for Li Cuiqin.
Li Cuiqin agreed without hesitation, "Yes."
"But, can I go with the child?"
Her only life now is her child.
The child is her Achilles' heel and her soft spot, and she cannot give up on him.
Jiang Meishu, "Of course."
Li Cuiqin started packing without a word. She didn't have much in this house. When she married in, she had only a small, empty bag, and when she left, she had only a mediocre bag, which was full of her children's things. She had almost nothing of her own.
Seeing her leave with him like this, Jiang Meishu was still a little confused, "Aren't you afraid that I'm a liar?"
How can you agree one second and leave the next?
Li Cuiqin looked down at her patched clothes, sagging breasts, and soaked clothes. She gave a wry smile, "What are you trying to trick me about?" Her eyes were filled with a hint of sadness. "I don't have a penny on me. Even this dress is from before I got married. If there's anything valuable, it's probably my belly."
She smiled calmly and desperately, "If you sell me to an old widower, maybe I can even give birth to a child for him."
"But will you?"
When she asked this question, she looked directly into Jiang Meishu's eyes. Jiang Meishu didn't know how to describe her eyes: calm, desperate, dull, tired, and struggling.
The only thing missing is hope.
This woman has been tortured to the point of numbness by her current life.
Jiang Meishu felt a little bit hurt. She retracted her gaze and lowered her eyelids. "I won't." She raised her head and said seriously, "I won't covet your reproductive value."
As soon as these words fell, Li Cuiqin, who had been calm and numb, suddenly shed two lines of tears without any warning. She raised her hand and wiped them away casually, "Thank you."
With some sincere sigh.
Jiang Meishu felt inexplicably sad.
When she came, she was full of fighting spirit. She had even imagined countless times in her mind the scene of her having a fight with the other party when she took over the house, but she had never thought of this.
When leaving the Wang family's house, Li Cuiqin took out three keys and handed them all to Jiang Meishu. "These are the current keys to the house. Of course, you can also come and change the locks at any time."
She cut off her last escape route.
Li Cuiqin has no attachment to this home.
Jiang Meishu looked at the key, took it, and temporarily gave it to Liang Rui and Jiang Nanfang. "I won't be in the capital for a few days. If you two are free, find a way to come over and clean up this house. If you can rent it out, then rent it out."
"I have only one condition."
“That means it can’t be sold.”
"No matter what, the ownership of the house must be in our own hands."
These two rooms may not look big, but they could be worth six million or ten million in the future, of course, provided that the houses are still in their hands.
Liang Rui took the key and nodded, "I know."
Although Jiang Nanfang was a little hesitant, seeing Jiang Meishu's pleading look, he could only accept it, "I'll do my best."
"Come over with Liang Rui to clean up when you have time."
This is Jiangnan Fang’s promise to Jiang Meishu.
Jiang Meishu hummed, "Thank you for your hard work."
After leaving Mingjiao Hutong, Jiang Meishu found a guesthouse for Li Cuiqin and her son to stay in.
Settle them down.
Jiang Meishu gave Li Cuiqin ten yuan and three kilograms of food coupons. "Wait here for me. I'll be busy at home for two days. When I'm done, I'll come to see you."
Li Cuiqin didn't want money or tickets.
Jiang Meishu, "Keep it and return it to me when you get your salary."
Li Cuiqin finally accepted it. After settling them down, Jiang Meishu left. As soon as she left, Liang Rui asked her, "Are you planning to bring Li Cuiqin to Guangzhou?"
"Let her man the stall?"
Jiang Meishu hummed, "I do have this plan. Xu Jiaojiao won't be able to work at my stall for too long."
Xu Jiaojiao is ambitious. Neither the relative who took her in nor Jiang Meishu who temporarily asked her to come to work will be Xu Jiaojiao's final path.
If there is a suitable opportunity, or a better opportunity in the future, Xu Jiaojiao will definitely leave.
"Then she is too ungrateful." Liang Rui was a little angry.
Jiang Meishu smiled and said, "That's not the case. People always strive for higher positions. Liang Rui, this is a very normal thing. What's more, Xu Jiaojiao's staying was just a temporary measure."
“So, we need our own people.”
She said calmly, "I've observed Li Cuiqin for a long time. She's calm, smart, and grateful. She has a positive outlook and doesn't take advantage of others. That's enough."
"Bring him with you and train him well."
Liang Rui was a little worried, "What if Li Cuiqin and the others want to leave after they're done?"
Jiang Meishu was stunned for a moment, then she smiled gently, "If Li Cuiqin can reach this point in the future, I'm happy for her, Liang Rui."
"She's had such a hard time in the past. If she can live a better life in the future, even if it means leaving me, how could I not agree?"
There are too many women like Li Cuiqin in this era, and Jiang Meishu can't help them all. She can only help within her conditions and needs.
Liang Rui looked at Jiang Meishu, who had a gentle face and a faint smile, and murmured, "You are just too kind."
"My dad said you're too easy to be fooled."
"What if Li Cuiqin lied to you?"
Jiang Meishu thought about it seriously, "It would be great if she was lying to me. It would be great if her life wasn't so hard."
"Liang Rui, she lied to me. I offered her a job, and the worst-case scenario is that I find out the truth and fire her."
"But she is different. That was her past, her life. I always believe that God sees what we do. If the truth is not like this, then she will definitely be punished in the future."
"Liang Rui, you must know that everything in the world is balanced."
Jiang Meishu is not afraid that the other party is lying to her, what she is afraid of is that what the other party says is true.
As a woman herself, she knew too well how miserable the life of such a woman was.
Really, it’s so bitter.
Liang Rui didn't know what to say. He looked at Jiang Meishu, who had fair eyebrows and a gentle face, and just swore silently in his heart.
I hope he can be as awesome as his dad in the future.
This will protect her.
Jiang Meishu is so kind and as white as a piece of paper. She should not be bullied and deceived by outsiders.
*
After Jiang Meishu finished decorating the house, she went back to rest for half a day, and then returned to Qudeng Hutong with Jiang Nanfang to stay for a day to accompany Jiang's father.
Father Jiang has lost a lot of weight because he is alone. It is obvious that he is not having Wang Limei to take care of him, and his life has become worse.
Jiang Meishu felt distressed when she saw this. "Why don't you go to Guangzhou with me?" she asked tentatively.
There is really a shortage of people in Guangzhou.
Once her father is gone, they will be one of ours.
Jiang's father disagreed, "That won't work. Someone should stay at home to look after the family. That way, when he returns from the south, he won't be left without a home."
Jiang Meishu was stunned by what he said, "I didn't think it through."
Jiang Nanfang wanted to say something, but was silenced by Jiang Meishu. She and her father didn't actually have many intimate words. Before leaving, Jiang Meishu left her three hundred yuan in cash and thirty kilograms of food coupons.
She carefully instructed, "If the food at home doesn't suit you, go out to eat, no matter if it's the canteen at the meat processing plant or a state-owned restaurant, go if you have the means."
He looks very wealthy.
This made Jiang's father a little surprised. "You kid, you eat out every day for free."
"It's okay, I can afford it." Jiang Meishu said lightly.
But Jiang's father couldn't bear to do it.
Knowing that she couldn't persuade him anymore, Jiang Meishu could only leave, leaving the decision to Jiang's father.
After leaving, Jiang Nanfang was a little puzzled, "I rarely come back, why didn't you let me tell you just now?"
The living and food he eats at school are much better than at home.
Jiang Meishu raised her hand and flicked his head. "Because Dad doesn't want to leave, he's just using you as an excuse. Now that he understands, there's no need to force him."
Jiang Nanfang sighed, "Why does family have to make things so complicated?"
He thought his father really didn't want to leave.
"It's not complicated." Jiang Meishu said, "Dad is a little resistant to unfamiliar things. He doesn't want to leave his familiar environment. It's normal."
"Then let him stay at home."
Jiang Meishuxin said that she couldn't persuade Jiang's father, and she didn't know if Liang's mother could be persuaded.
After returning, she went straight to Liang's mother and said, "Mom, when I go to Yangcheng, why don't you come with me?"
"The weather there is warm and the air is good, which is especially suitable for winter."
"Besides, you live with us, Qiu Run and I can take care of you."
Liang's mother refused simply, just like last time, "I won't go."
"Here they are, Xiao Jiang." Her eyes were kind. "I'm not young anymore. I'm already seventy years old. I might die someday. For the sake of convenience, I'll stay in my hometown until I die."
She has been in the capital for more than 40 years, and this place has become her hometown.
Jiang Meishu couldn't persuade him, so she appealed to his emotions and reason, "But I'm worried about you staying here alone."
"Besides, Comrade Wang is gone. How are you going to eat in the future?"
Liang's mother said, "I'm moving back."
"I live with your eldest brother and third brother, all under the same roof. I don't believe they won't give me a bite to eat."
Jiang Meishu subconsciously rejected this proposal, "No."
"Let me be frank. Whether it's the eldest brother or the third brother, these two people are unreliable."
"You're not so much relying on them for food as for being bullied."
Liang's mother also knew this, but she said this because she didn't want to cause trouble for Jiang Meishu and Liang Qiurun.
The purpose of her saying this was to let Jiang Meishu leave with peace of mind.
Jiang Meishu, "Should I ask my second brother and his wife to move in with us? That way you'll have someone to take care of you, and Uncle Lin will come back every day to cook for you."
"Mom, I actually trust Uncle Lin more than my second brother and his wife."
Liang's mother understood the implication.
She looked down at her hands, which were already covered with age spots. In the end, she gave in and said, "Let Lao Lin live here."
Ever since she had talked it out with Lao Lin, Lao Lin had returned to live in the tailor shop, and with Comrade Wang's departure this time, Liang Rui lived in the school dormitory.
The only old lady left in the huge Liang family is Liang's mother, so this is naturally not acceptable.
Jiang Meishu hummed, "I'll go talk to Uncle Lin."
When Jiang Meishu found Uncle Lin, she explained her purpose and Uncle Lin started moving without saying a word.
He smiled bitterly, "I've wanted to go back to take care of your mother-in-law for a long time, but she wouldn't let me."
"Xiao Jiang, I'm actually very open-minded now. Whether we're together or not, we've reached our age now. I'm already very satisfied to be able to support each other through the last part of our journey."
Jiang Meishu was silent for a long time after hearing her. "Don't you feel sorry?"
The person I have loved for a lifetime.
In the end, I still refused to be with him.
Uncle Lin answered simply, "No regrets." He smiled, his wrinkles filled with kindness and wisdom. "No one is perfect in this life. This is the norm."
"I'm very happy to be able to live with your mother."
Jiang Meishu actually didn’t quite understand what kind of feelings could make Uncle Lin persist for forty years.
She didn't understand, but Liang's mother did.
Looking at Uncle Lin who had returned again, Liang's mother's eyes were a little moist, "Old Lin, don't you think I'm too pretentious?"
It was she who made Lao Lin leave.
It was she who brought Lao Lin back.
Uncle Lin smiled gently, "How could it be a trick?"
"This is my young lady's privilege."
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