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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Lin Fang pedaled her tricycle, carrying Song Xianglan, towards the county town.

The wind stung their faces, but their hearts were warm.

Lin Fang took a cloth bag from the handlebars and handed it to Song Xianglan in the back seat: "Aunt Song, eat it while it's hot."

When Song Xianglan opened it, she found a freshly made egg pancake with a golden-brown, crispy fried dough stick inside, brushed with sauce, and its aroma filled her nostrils.

"They even fried dough sticks?" Song Xianglan took a big bite; the outside was soft and the inside crispy, and her mouth was full of oil.

"I cooked some savory porridge this morning, but I figured just drinking porridge wouldn't be enough to fill me up, so I fried some dough sticks. There are lots of people at the early market, so they'll sell easily," Lin Fang said loudly as she pedaled her bicycle, her feet barely touching the ground. "I put them all in a basin, covered them with a blanket, and took them to the city to sell."

We arrived in the county town.

Song Xianglan jumped out of the car and told Lin Fang the address where Song Xiangmei lived.

"Alright, you hurry up and go reserve a spot at the factory gate, I'm going to my older sister's place."

Lin Fang responded and the wheels spun rapidly, heading towards the machinery factory.

Song Xianglan turned into the Zhao family's courtyard with practiced ease.

In the courtyard, Old Zhao, dressed in a white silk exercise uniform, was practicing Tai Chi.

After finishing a set of punches, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Song Xiangmei was squatting by the well washing clothes, and the clothesline next to her was already full of bed sheets and quilt covers.

Song Xianglan glanced at it.

The eldest sister had dark circles under her eyes, a sallow complexion, and looked listless.

Old Zhao stopped his attack, took the towel Song Xiangmei handed him to wipe his sweat, and glanced at her: "Your unfilial son has caused you trouble again?"

Song Xiangmei paused in her hand as she rubbed the clothes, and lowered her head.

I'm ignoring him.

"Just ignore it? You're just being delusional." Old Zhao snorted. "I saw your old man say he's sick and wants you to go back and take care of him. He's just trying to get you out of here. He's too scared to come to the county for treatment. I bet he's faking it, afraid of being exposed."

Song Xiangmei sighed and wrung out the clothes.

"He said he was in pain all over and couldn't eat. I was thinking of taking a leave of absence to go back and see him, but you're here..."

"Practicing?" Song Xianglan pushed open the door and interrupted.

Upon seeing her third sister, Song Xiangmei's ashen face immediately lit up.

He wiped his hands on his apron and came forward to take Song Xianglan's hand.

"Third sister, I'm really worried. Have Xiao Chuan and Song Qiang returned from Guangzhou yet?"

"No, she said she wants to earn more money over there before coming back." Song Xianglan smiled and patted her older sister's hand.

When Old Zhao saw Song Xianglan, his eyelids twitched.

This woman is cunning and ruthless; she's a formidable character.

"Alright, you two sisters are talking, I won't interfere."

Old Zhao turned and went inside, finished his porridge in a few gulps, picked up the birdcage and went out to find his old buddies to walk their birds.

Only the two sisters remained in the courtyard.

Song Xiangmei pulled Song Xianglan to sit down, her eyes immediately reddening, and she poured out her family's troubles like beans spilling from a well.

It's nothing more than the old man in the family getting sick.

Her son and daughter-in-law wouldn't stop pressuring her to go back, saying she was enjoying herself in the big city and didn't care about the well-being of her family.

"I'm so anxious. If I don't go back, people will talk about me behind my back. But if I go back, I'll lose my job." Song Xiangmei wiped away her tears.

The voice just fell.

The gate to the courtyard was pounded on so loudly it was deafening.

"Mom! Mom, open the door!"

Song Xiangmei shuddered and quickly went to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, Boss Nie and Zhao Xiaofang came in.

As soon as Boss Nie entered the door, his eyes were red, and his voice trembled with tears before he even spoke.

"Mom, how can you still sit still? Dad is almost dying at home. He hasn't eaten since the sixth day of the new year, hasn't gone into the mountains, and just lies in bed groaning all day."

Zhao Xiaofang chimed in from the side, but her triangular eyes kept glancing around the courtyard.

"Mom, even though life is good in the city, we can't neglect our own men just to take care of someone else's father, can we?"

If we let him die alone and pitifully at home in our old age, after a lifetime of marriage, what will become of the Nie family's reputation?

This back-and-forth dialogue felt like a knife stabbing into Song Xiangmei's heart, and tears streamed down her face.

"I'll go back, I'll go back right away..."

"Return to what?"

A cold, hard voice broke in.

Song Xianglan came out of the kitchen and stood at the door, looking like a door god.

Zhao Xiaofang was taken aback, and asked in a shrill voice:

"Third Aunt, what are you doing here?"

"Your mother asked me to cover your shift." Song Xianglan crossed her arms.

"Covering up?"

Zhao Xiaofang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Well, so that's why you agreed so readily, you old codger. So you wanted to give this lucrative job to your sister."

"I introduced you to this job. Even if you go back to take care of Dad, this opportunity to cover his shift should have fallen to me! Why should it be given to her?"

What? Old Man Nie is sick.

What do you mean by "bad reputation"? It turns out they're just jealous of this salary.

He wanted to send his biological mother back to be treated like a slave.

Zhao Xiaofang stiffened her neck.

"I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to marry into the Nie family. I've borne children for the Nie family, but the elders don't care about the younger ones at all!"

"If you're down on your luck, go cry at the Nie family's ancestral graves and dig up the Nie family ancestors to settle scores."

Song Xianglan wouldn't back down an inch, "What does this have to do with your mother-in-law? Your mother-in-law's surname isn't Nie."

Your mother-in-law gave birth to more children for the sake of the Nie family than you, but unfortunately, the Nie family's offspring were of poor quality, and all that grew were misfits.

If you're not happy about it, then move the Nie family's ancestral graves to a different location!

This barrage of insults.

He was both vicious and ruthless, which made Zhao Xiaofang tremble with anger.

"You...you old hag."

Zhao Xiaofang was furious. She pointed at Song Xianglan's nose and said, "What are you doing here? Trying to cover my shift? I bet you're trying to trick this old man in the courtyard into marrying you, aren't you? Trying to scam him out of his money, you shameless old hag."

A cold glint flashed in Song Xianglan's eyes.

"Snapped!"

The slap was crisp and loud, completely stunning Zhao Xiaofang.

"You dare hit me?" Zhao Xiaofang screamed, covering her face.

Song Xianglan slapped Zhao Xiaofang twice more with her hands, left and right, making Zhao Xiaofang scream and her face swell up instantly.

"You old hag, who are you calling?" Song Xianglan grabbed Zhao Xiaofang's hair, forcing her to tilt her head back. "Why don't you take a piss and look in the mirror? See how many flies could be trapped in the wrinkles on your face. You're as old as a coffin."

"A good dog doesn't block the way. Open your latrine-washed eyes and see clearly. I'll eat anything in my life, but I'll never suffer a loss. You're fucking tired of living!"

Song Xianglan was equally formidable in both physical and verbal combat.

Zhao Xiaofang frantically reached out to scratch Song Xianglan, but she was no match for Song Xianglan.

Song Xianglan had an incredibly strong grip; she grabbed her by the collar, shoved her aside, and kicked her in the buttocks.

"Ouch!" Zhao Xiaofang fell flat on her face.

When Old Master Nie saw his wife being beaten, he roared and rushed over to take her side: "Third Aunt, how could you hit my wife?"

Song Xianglan was not intimidated at all. She was still holding a lock of Zhao Xiaofang's hair in her hand. When she saw Boss Nie rushing over, she used her other hand to scratch his face.

The fingernail scratched the skin, immediately leaving several bloody welts.

Zhao Xiaofang lay on the ground, throwing a tantrum, yelling, "My third aunt is going to beat us to death! We have to pay! We have to pay!"

The neighbors heard the noise.

They all gathered at the door to watch the excitement.

Song Xianglan took a step back, straightened her collar, and calmly pointed at the two people on the ground.

"Everyone, be the judge. These two came in and started forcing my older sister to go home, trying to take over Uncle Zhao's job. They even accused me of cheating Uncle Zhao out of his money!"

Her voice was loud and clear, "I was acting in self-defense. I'm an old woman, being beaten by these two strong young people. If I didn't fight back, would I just wait to be beaten to death?"

Zhao Xiaofang opened her mouth to curse, but because her face was so swollen, she spoke with a lisp: "Waaah...you're talking nonsense..."

Song Xianglan didn't give her a chance at all, pointing her finger at Zhao Xiaofang and continuing to attack.

"Brother Nie, you're old enough to be a grandson now, and you still have the nerve to sponge off your parents? I think you should just go to the Nie family ancestral grave and gnaw on the coffin boards; they're hard and filling!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Old Zhao had just turned back carrying the birdcage when he saw the scene at the door, and his face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.