Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

"Just giving a fixed salary isn't enough; there needs to be something to strive for. We'll give a bonus instead of commission on the first sale, but from now on, we'll make it a rule that you'll still get a commission even if you don't make a sale."

The room was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

Song Fei swallowed hard.

"Third Aunt, this...this is too much. Just provide meals and pay a salary. We're family, how can you ask for so much?"

"Yes, Third Aunt, physical strength is worthless," Song Tian chimed in.

Song Qiang: "Listen to Auntie. This business isn't a one-off deal; there's a long road ahead."

Third Aunt is leading us to prosperity, so let's not complain; it makes us seem petty. Doing things well is more important than anything else.

Song Xianglan gave Song Qiang an appreciative look.

This kid has guts.

He can keep the situation under control.

"Song Dong," Song Xianglan called out.

Song Dong pushed up his glasses and sat up straight.

"Third Aunt".

"You're quick-witted and good at accounting. You'll be in charge of the books all the way here. Record every single inflow and outflow for me."

"Don't worry, Auntie, I know what I'm doing," Song Dong readily agreed.

His hobby is accounting.

"Song west, you're big, you can intimidate people just by looking at you. If you run into someone who doesn't know what's good for them on the road, don't hesitate to fight back, don't think you're a pushover."

Song west chuckled.

His knuckles cracked as he squeezed them.

"If any of them dare to touch our car, I'll shove the shit into their mouth."

The atmosphere inside the room became even more lively.

Song Qiang took a cloth bag out of his pocket.

Unfolding the layers revealed several letters of introduction stamped with red seals.

There are also a few freshly carved radish seals.

"Third Aunt, don't worry about the journey. I've got the letter of introduction, and I even managed to get a few sheets of the company's official letterhead."

These seals were carved by Wang Ermazi from the commune, and they look just like the real ones when stamped.

If anyone stops us on the street, we can easily fool them.

Song Xianglan had to admit that Song Qiang was a man of unconventional methods.

"Okay, I trust you to handle things. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

the next day.

Song Xianglan got up very early and prepared dozens of steamed buns and several pounds of pig's head meat for them.

"Don't skimp on food while traveling; your health is your most valuable asset."

Song Qiang jumped into the passenger seat and waved to Song Xianglan.

"Third Aunt, go back now! Wait for our good news!"

A plume of black smoke billowed from the rear of the car.

It roared away.

After seeing the group of young men off, Song Xianglan still felt uneasy.

When no one was looking, she slipped into a small cave in the back of the mountain.

That was the place where the villagers used to secretly worship the Bodhisattva.

I've been hit quite a few times by red arm warmers before.

But this statue was well hidden and remained undiscovered.

Song Xianglan knelt on the ground.

He kowtowed three times firmly.

"May the Bodhisattva protect us and bless these children so they can come back safely. Even if we earn less money, we don't care if anything happens to them."

The following days.

Calm and calm.

Geng Yutian caused trouble at Xiaoquan Brigade several times, but each time he was scolded and driven away by the brigade members.

He wanted to take Lin Fang away.

Lin Fang refused to leave and wanted a divorce.

He then made some harsh remarks.

I'll drag this out until she dies; I'll never get a divorce.

Liu Chounu originally intended to bring her family to the Song family to cause trouble.

Before they even left the house...

News came from her family home.

Her mother was gored by a scalper and is now in the hospital.

When her brothers heard that she had to take care of the elderly, they all said they had to go to work and there was no way to help.

Keeping an ugly woman means she can only go back to serving excrement and urine.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

In October, a bombshell dropped across the country—the college entrance examination was reinstated!

When the news reached Xiaoquan Brigade, the educated youth settlement was in an uproar.

Some of the educated youth wept bitterly, some laughed heartily, and others used their connections to buy high school textbooks.

The exam is scheduled for December.

The Song family also received a telegram from Song Xiangdong.

They urged Shen Huijun to return to the military family compound.

Shen Huijun looked at the telegram, her brows furrowed.

"Second sister-in-law, you should go back."

While flipping through her Chinese textbook, Song Tingting comforted him, "Your second brother must miss you a lot."

"But I can't bear to part with Mom..." Shen Huijun said, feeling a little reluctant.

"What's there to 'but' about!"

Song Xianglan was sewing shoe soles when she heard this and looked up. "Go ahead. Xiangdong misses you terribly."

If he doesn't go back soon, he'll wear out the doorstep of the post office.

"I can go back and focus on my studies. If I can get into university, the ancestral graves of both the Song and Shen families will be emitting auspicious smoke."

Shen Huijun's eyes reddened.

He finally nodded.

On the day she saw Shen Huijun off, Song Tingting accompanied her all the way to the station.

"Second sister-in-law, don't let anyone bully you when you get there." Song Tingting held onto Shen Huijun's hand tightly. "If anyone gives you a hard time, just remember the swear words Mom taught you, and don't hold back a single one."

Shen Huijun burst into laughter through her tears:

"I remember it all, I know it by heart."

"My second brother is the same; he hasn't come back for years."

Song Tingting pouted, "I used to think he was a good guy, but now it seems he's just a heartless bastard."

"He said he has a family visit leave this year and will definitely come back," Shen Huijun defended her husband.

"Whether he comes back or not, who cares?"

Song Tingting snorted.

Turning around, he took out a pair of handmade insoles from his pocket and stuffed them into Shen Huijun's bag.

"This was made for him."

After Shen Huijun left, life felt much quieter.

Every day, besides going to the slaughterhouse, Song Xianglan would stay at home and watch Song Tingting study.

That afternoon.

The sky was overcast.

Brother Song entered the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and before she could even speak, tears were already streaming down her face.

"Third sister..."

Song Xianglan felt a headache coming on when she heard Song Sange's sobbing voice.

"Third Brother, what's wrong with you again? Did Third Sister-in-law hit you?"

"no."

Brother Song sniffed and found a stool to sit down.

"Song Xiang and the others have been gone for almost two months, and there's been no news of them at all."

Do you think something happened? I had a dream last night that Song Xiang was chased by a dog and fell into a latrine…”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.

Song Xianglan sighed helplessly:

Third Brother, can't you hope for something better?

With such a large group of young men, and Song Qiang leading them, what could possibly happen to them?

Besides, it hasn't even been two months, only about forty days.

"But……"

Before he could finish speaking...

A rough roar suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Third Aunt! We're back!"

Brother Song hadn't even warmed his seat yet.

It sprang up with a whoosh.

It rushed out like a dog.

Song Xianglan felt relieved and quickly walked out.

When I went outside, I almost didn't recognize her.

This isn't a place to make money.

It was almost like they were fleeing a famine.

Song Qiang and the others had hair that looked like a bird's nest, piled up on their heads in a messy, unruly manner.

His face was covered in dust and grease, his beard was unkempt, and his clothes were dirty and shiny.

It emitted a musty, stale smell.

Their eyes shone with an alarming light, like hungry wolves eyeing meat.

"dad!"

When Song Xiang saw his third brother, he grinned.

He flashed a bright white smile.

Brother Song rushed over, grabbed his son, and started wailing.

He even punched Song Xiang twice on the back, yelling, "You little rascal! You finally know how to come back!"

"Alright, alright, stop howling like a banshee and people will think you've been abused."

Song Xianglan greeted them.

"Hurry inside."

Once inside, Song Xianglan poured several cups of hot water.

Several people held up enamel mugs and gulped down half of them before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Song Qiang put the large black bag he always carried with him on the table.

A muffled thud.

Just hearing it makes my heart race.

Brother Song quickly went out, pushed his bicycle out of the yard, without saying where he was going.

Song Qiang's voice was hoarse.

Yet, an undisguised excitement emanated from him.

"Not only was it sold, but it was sold at a high price."

We traveled to two northern provinces, where there was a severe shortage of clothes. The clothes we bought could be resold for ten, fifteen, or even twenty yuan a piece.

Song Dong pulled a tattered notebook out of his pocket.

He carefully pushed up his glasses and pointed to the numbers on them.

My hands were shaking.

"Third Aunt, the accounts are all here. After deducting costs, fuel expenses, travel expenses..."

He paused.

Take a deep breath:

"We made a net profit of this amount on this trip."

He gestured the number "eight".

80,000.

This trip.

They more than doubled all their previous capital.

Song Xianglan was also shocked.

He remained calm on the surface and nodded.

"Well done."

"Song Qiang, what happened to the things I asked you to prepare for Erhei's unit leaders?"

Song Qiang chuckled: "As you instructed, Third Aunt, I gave my cousin a big red envelope. The director in charge at his workplace gave him 1,000 yuan, and the supervising manager gave him 1,500 yuan."

The manager was overjoyed, saying that the car could be driven away anytime it was not needed, as their fleet had more than just this one vehicle.

Song Fei and the others felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this.

Inhale the cool air directly.

Song Xianglan laughed: "That's right. Once the road is paved, we'll earn even more in the future."

Song Qiang pointed at Song Dong with an indignant expression.

"That guy is such a miser. All along the way, I wanted to buy the brothers a roast chicken, but he just wouldn't give me any money."

They said not a single penny of public funds could be touched, yet they forced us to eat dry rations. Can you believe it?

Song Dong didn't even look up.

He pushed up his glasses.

"Rules are rules. The money isn't ours until we come back to settle accounts."

If you want roast chicken, buy it with your own money; don't use public funds.

"Listen to this. We don't have any money on us!"

Song Qiang rolled his eyes in anger. "If it weren't for his accurate accounting, I would have kicked him out of the car long ago."

The room erupted in laughter.

Song Xianglan stood up, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "I'll make you noodles, and three poached eggs each, as many as you want!"