Death of Zhao Shen
Li Cuifen looked at Song Xiaojuan and then at the fourth child: "Alright, everyone sit down and eat."
"Juan'er, are you running the clothing store by yourself?" the third daughter-in-law asked her while picking up fish.
Song Xiaojuan didn't even lift her eyelids, and said nonchalantly: "Well, the store owner can handle it himself."
The second son's wife glanced at Song Xiaojuan and smiled meaningfully: "Fourth son, you two are really amazing. Where are you going to live after you get married?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone at the table pricked up their ears to listen, except for the children who were eating with relish.
Song Xiaojuan knew what these people meant. She also had a bad taste in her mouth and laughed at Li Cuifen: "I don't know. You can live in whatever your family arranges."
Li Cuifen was annoyed: "You already live in an apartment building, and you still care about this shabby little place at home!"
The second son's wife took a deep breath and asked, "Fourth son, did you buy a house? Where did you buy it and how much did you pay for it?"
Zhao Guomin sat on the kang, glanced at Song Xiaojuan, and said calmly, "Second-hand ones, they're all over ten thousand."
"Oh, fourth brother, you guys have made a lot of money this year." The third brother looked at Zhao Guomin in surprise on the kang.
"Well, we both spent all our earnings on building the house." Zhao Guomin first stopped anyone from asking to borrow money.
Song Xiaojuan didn't say a word and just lowered her head to eat her own food.
The two of them slept in the west room at night.
Zhao Guomin was making the kang when Song Xiaojuan gave him a light kick on the back: "You reacted really quickly."
Zhao Guomin took her feet away: "Hurry up, wait, after the first day of the new year, the old couple will have to open their mouths to you."
"It's okay, I'll be leaving on the second day anyway."
Zhao Guomin looked at her without saying anything.
When they were in the county, they slept in separate beds. When they returned to the village, they lay on the same kang again. Song Xiaojuan still felt a little uncomfortable.
Zhao Guomin also felt awkward, but what made him awkward was his relationship with Song Xiaojuan. He admitted that he had impulses towards Song Xiaojuan, but this impulse was not based on love, but was a man's impulse towards a woman.
So the two of them were about to accidentally fire their guns several times, but he stopped them every time.
He was afraid that once the current relationship was broken, he would be like all other couples, quarreling every day over trivial matters. This current relationship was the most comfortable one.
I fell asleep with all sorts of thoughts in my mind.
The next day, Song Xiaojuan was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. She hadn't heard this sound for many years. It still felt like the New Year in this era.
Song Xiaojuan got up to help Li Cuifen light the fire, and neither of them paid any attention to each other.
Several families arrived one after another, and with more children, the place seemed lively.
The children were playing in the yard.
Several daughters-in-law were busy cooking in the kitchen, and Zhao Shen was particularly happy to see this family.
No one in this village dares to say that he is better than him. His eldest son even bought a house.
Yi Kaixin drank a little too much at noon, and after dinner he lay on the kang and never got up again. It was Zhao Guomin who first noticed something was wrong. When he went to see him, he was already dead.
No one expected that the old man would pass away on New Year's Day.
Li Cuifen looked like she was dying, but she didn't cry. She just sat in front of Zhao Shen and held his hand tightly. Her sons worked together to pull her away.
After Zhao Shen's body came out, Li Cuifen seemed to have just come to her senses. She lay on the kang and cried silently without saying a word.
Several daughters-in-law took turns serving her. Seeing that she was getting thinner, Song Xiaojuan asked Zhao Guomin to buy two black chickens and stew them for her.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the second son had to go to work first and prepare to take his wife back to town.
The eldest brother stopped her and said, "Old lady, there's a saying here. Is it a rotation? If you live here, that's fine. The second and fourth brothers will have to come back and take care of it."
The second son's wife looked at Song Xiaojuan, but Song Xiaojuan didn't say anything.
Zhao Guomin opened his eyelids, his eyes cold and clear: "Ask the old lady what she thinks." His casual tone was full of fatigue.
"I'm going to your eldest brother's house." The old lady had been lying in bed for so many days and finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse.
The eldest son's wife quickly poured her a glass of water. After drinking it, Li Cuifen looked at her sons. The second son was cunning, the third son was narrow-minded, and the fourth son was busy. Only the eldest son and his wife were honest. Only the eldest son's home felt like a home.
"Since you will live with your eldest brother in the future, this old house will also belong to him. No one can take it away from him." After saying that, he glanced at his daughter-in-law.
The second son's wife didn't care about her good life, and the fourth son's wife didn't care about her own income. Only the third son's wife curled her lips and wanted to say something, but was glared back by the third son.
"You'll have to pay fifteen dollars a month to stay at your eldest brother's house."
Song Xiaojuan had no objection at all. She felt bad when her second son's wife asked her to pay, but she was willing to pay fifteen yuan as it would save her trouble.
When the third son’s wife heard about paying the money, she refused to do it, and the third son did not stop her.
"Mom, the house is supposed to be given to my eldest brother, so it's not appropriate for him to pay for it every month."
"Bullshit! You giving me money has nothing to do with your brother!"
"Who knows where you spend the money? In my opinion, it would be better to let each family take turns for a month." The third son's wife curled her lips and muttered softly.
Li Cuifen knew that the third daughter-in-law had a narrow vision. She turned to look at the third daughter-in-law and asked, "Third daughter-in-law, what do you think?"
The third brother sat on the kang, glanced at his brothers, and said, "We are all sons. There is no reason for my eldest brother to serve you alone."
"Second brother, fourth brother, do you think so too?"
Zhao Guomin was standing by the window looking at the land on Dongshan Mountain when he heard Li Cuifen calling him. He turned around and said, "I don't have any objections. It's up to you. If you want to live in the county, my place is big enough, but you won't know anyone there. If you're lonely and want to stay at home, you can go to my brother's place. I'll pay for it."
The second son immediately followed suit. He now lives with his father-in-law, and it is really inconvenient to have an old lady as well.
The eldest brother had no objection, after all, he had already given the money. The third brother was more angry because he had worked hard for a long time and ended up earning nothing.
After making arrangements for the old lady, Song Xiaojuan and Zhao Guomin finally returned to the county.
The first thing Song Xiaojuan did when she got home was to catch up on some sleep. When she woke up at night, she saw Zhao Guomin sitting on the sofa in a daze.
Song Xiaojuan walked over and saw that he looked exhausted. She thought he had a headache and gently pressed his solar plexus. "Are you feeling better?"
Zhao Guomin pulled her hand down and held it tightly, his eyes fixed on the TV. He said in a deep voice, "What's the point of raising children? When she got old, none of her four sons raised her out of love. We must not raise our children like this in the future."
Song Xiaojuan pulled her hand away, feeling a little uneasy. "Maybe it has something to do with the times. Since we were little, we had too many children to take care of. As they grew up, they each started their own families. Everyone started to consider things based on their own interests, which led to the current situation."
Zhao Guomin stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly hugged Song Xiaojuan and put his chin on her shoulder: "I don't know why, but I feel so uncomfortable. This discomfort is like mine, but it's not mine."
Song Xiaojuan patted his back gently: "I understand, cry if you want to."
Zhao Guomin paused for a while before letting her go.
When I woke up the next day, I no longer felt the sadness from last night.
Both of them had just opened their own shops and after a few busy days, they were gradually getting on track. Spring was approaching, and Zhao Guomin was going to Hainan to study, and Song Xiaojuan also wanted to go to Guangzhou to stock up on goods.
The two walked together.
The date was set, but something happened again. The eldest brother called Zhao Guomin on his pager, and Zhao Guomin called back to ask what was going on. It turned out that the old lady's room was the third brother's turn this month.
The third son's wife gave all the milk powder that Zhao Guomin bought for Li Cuifen to her child. This was nothing, as she even secretly took some back to her parents' home.
The old lady woke up in the morning and found that the milk powder was gone, so she started to make a fuss.
Zhao Guomin's brows furrowed into a chasm. He really didn't want to waste his time on such nonsense. "I'm far away. Tell me, I can't think of any solution."
"I know, you have the money, so logically this matter shouldn't come to you, but the old lady is clamoring to go to your place."
"Song Xiaojuan and I have to go to Guangzhou to do some work. I can't take care of her even if she comes." Zhao Guomin put his hands in his pockets and raised his right cheek.
"The old lady has lost weight again recently."
"Then take her to get checked out. I'm busy here, so I won't talk about it for now."
Zhao Guomin didn't mention this matter when he returned home. He thought he had made everything clear.
The money has been taken, and there can't be any more problems with the boss.
As a result, the next day, just after Song Xiaojuan opened her shop and sold two pieces of clothing, the third son's wife came to her.
"Fortunately, I have a good memory!" The third daughter-in-law was very excited when she saw Song Xiaojuan.
Instead, Song Xiaojuan was stunned. Was he here specifically to buy clothes?
Before Song Xiaojuan could say anything, the third daughter-in-law said, "I don't know what's wrong with the old lady. She can't eat. My eldest brother and the others brought her up to see me. I came over to tell you."
While saying this, he kept looking around Song Xiaojuan's shop, touching this and that piece: "This dress is really beautiful. The one at the market is far inferior to yours."
Song Xiaojuan glanced at him, but didn't respond. She changed the subject: "Which hospital did you go to? Is your sister-in-law here too?"
The third daughter-in-law's eyes were still on her clothes: "Well, I went to Hongshan Clinic. The doctor said it was caused by a heart knot. Just let her relax and she will be fine."
Song Xiaojuan paused while changing her clothes. She could get treatment at a small clinic, so why bother coming all this way? Where could she go to relax? It seemed like this was a case of ulterior motives.
This is taking her kindness for granted.
She sat on the chair and said calmly, "Then take her for a good stroll around the city and help her get rid of the knot in her heart."
The third son's wife laughed awkwardly after hearing this: "What time do you close? My eldest brother and the others are still waiting at the clinic."
"I'm closing here at night. Where do you want to go? If you can't find a place, call Zhao Guomin and ask him to take you there." Song Xiaojuan just didn't respond.
"I haven't eaten anything this morning." The third son's wife said quietly.
Song Xiaojuan just didn't respond. She didn't need a meal, but shouldn't you have said something before coming up? You came without saying a word. You saw that Song Xiaojuan couldn't be chased away, right?
This is like putting a knife to her neck, she has to admit it even if she doesn't want to.
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