Those who watched the commotion for a while, seeing that they didn't seem inclined to fight, all went back inside.
Lu Yang stood outside holding the child, but Song Qing had no qualms. She walked straight into the house, and the others didn't dare to stop her because of her cold expression.
The kitchen window faces the corridor directly, and behind it is a square living room, which is not large, only about ten square meters. The house is a two-bedroom house, and the two bedrooms are the same size, also about ten square meters.
This place is manageable for the three of them, but the Wang family already has five children, and his wife is pregnant with another one. It's quite difficult for such a large family to live together.
There's no other way; there's simply no extra space. It's already a blessing that the Wang family can live here. Most families are crammed into one room, sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed) with the curtains drawn.
Many people in Xin'an didn't have houses before. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government allocated houses, and several families squeezed into one courtyard, with the whole family living in one room.
To be honest, Song Qing wasn't particularly envious of the house. Her family lived in an apartment building in Xin'an, and the government dormitory she and An'an lived in later was also an apartment building. Even the dormitory she was assigned in Ancheng was a newly built building.
But that doesn't mean anyone can take her things away.
Zhou Lian was very nervous. She had inquired about Lu Yang's family situation early on and heard that his wife was from the city. She thought that city people should be shy and embarrassed to kick them out, but looking at the couple, she was no longer sure.
They might not drive them away, but rather they'd probably beat them off.
This family is very fierce.
In particular, Song Qing now calmly strolled around the house, looking at every corner, just like he was back in his own home.
The four older children of the Wang family were still blocking the doorway, keeping an eye on the man holding the child. However, the woman inside was equally formidable, so they also had to keep an eye on the inside.
Looking at the children who were like frightened birds, Lu Yang felt both annoyed and amused. He was now just waiting for Wang Minggui to come back.
The house was only about 30 to 40 square meters in total, and it was completely empty except for the things that Zhou Lian and the others had moved in in the living room. Song Qing finished looking at it in no time.
Only then did she realize something was wrong. The room was quite warm, like a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed), but there was clearly no kang or coal stove.
Looking around, all I could see inside was a row of curved, exposed pipes that looked like water pipes, and they were quite hot to the touch.
She realized that this was the kind of radiator she had seen in the newspaper. She knew that some cities in Northeast China started providing heating in 1968, and it had gradually become more widespread in recent years. In Xin'an, people were still using coal stoves for heating, and she had never seen this kind of radiator before.
This is the advantage of industrial cities: local finances are better and people's quality of life has improved significantly. It snows in Xin'an, but I estimate that heating will not be widespread for another 10 years.
While Song Qing was still sighing, Wang Minggui, who had received the news, rushed back. He hadn't expected his wife to do such a thing, moving out without even a word.
When the four children saw their father, they thought they had found a powerful backer, but to their surprise, Wang Minggui glared at them and let them into the house.
"Old Lu, I'm sorry, my wife probably misunderstood. She just wants the house here. Don't worry about it, I'll make her move out right away."
Seeing Lu Yang standing at the door holding the child, Wang Minggui immediately understood that Lu Yang's wife was planning to stay and join him in the military.
It was agreed beforehand that if their family didn't come to accompany the military, the house would be theirs. Now that they've stayed, he can't just occupy their house.
His own wife handled this matter so unfairly. He and Lao Lu had been through thick and thin together; if this turned into a fight, how could they ever see each other again?
Wang Minggui rubbed his hands together, smiled sheepishly at Lu Yang, and quickly went inside.
"I'm so sorry, sister-in-law. It's all my fault for not explaining things clearly last night, which caused your sister-in-law to misunderstand. We'll move in right away, so it won't delay your move-in today."
Wang Minggui took all the blame upon himself, saying that he hadn't explained things clearly, and never mentioned that his wife was trying to take advantage of others.
After all, she's his own family member, so he has to maintain her image in public.
"It's alright, Brother Wang. We still have to pack our things and can't move in today, so it won't cause any delays."
Song Qing nodded, said hello, and left, leaving the battlefield to the couple.
Zhou Lian was furious. She never expected that her husband would immediately side with someone else as soon as he returned, without even considering the situation at home.
"Nonsense! Da Hu and Er Hu, hurry up and pack your things and move them back. Don't follow your mother and cause trouble."
Wang Minggui sternly reprimanded the children, who were all frightened and quickly went to move their belongings.
Zhou Lian, holding her youngest son and pressing down on the luggage, burst into tears. "How dare you!"
"This is a house belonging to the military district. Do you think this is back in your hometown? You think you can just take it away by making a scene like a shrew?"
Wang Minggui knew his wife was concerned about appearances and wanted to live in an apartment building, but he never expected her to be so obsessed.
"Shrew? Wang Minggui, do you have any conscience saying that? You went to join the army and were gone for more than ten years. I was raising several children and taking care of your old mother. Do you think it was easy for me all by myself?"
Yes, you've made something of yourself now. You look down on me and despise me for being a lowly country bumpkin.
If I weren't a shrew, do you think I could have raised all these children of yours? Now you despise me? What were you doing all those decades ago?
"I'm not moving. You're so useless; you only got this shabby apartment because you can't curry favor with the boss. Why should Lu Yang get an apartment?"
Wang Minggui's face was as black as charcoal. Zhou Lian wasn't afraid of him. Holding her crying baby son in her arms, she pointed at his nose and cursed him while her belly protruded.
Wang Minggui was trembling with anger, having lost face in front of outsiders, and now his wife was still unrepentant. He raised his hand in anger.
Zhou Lian was stunned for a moment, then immediately put her son down. "Fine, Wang Minggui, you still want to hit me? If you've got the guts, then beat us, a widow and her children, to death together."
"If it weren't for my mother's painstaking efforts, this family would have been bullied to death in the countryside long ago, and you're still acting all high and mighty."
Wang Minggui was just confused with anger, and he couldn't possibly hit her, but Zhou Lian wouldn't let it go. She pounced on him and started hitting him.
She was pregnant, and Wang Minggui didn't dare to hide. Soon, several bloody wounds appeared on his neck and face.
The five children were terrified, and the whole family burst into tears, their cries sounding as loud as if they could lift the roof off.
"Let me tell you, we're not moving. If you're so capable, go find your military region's leaders. I also want to ask why we were assigned this dilapidated house?"
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