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

Old Nie's funeral was handled hastily.

They carried the person up the mountain in just three days.

During these three days, the most bustling place in Niejiazhuang was not the mourning hall, but the old man Nie's house.

Nie Dahua, leading her two younger sisters, rushed into the room like madwomen and dragged Zhao Xiaofang, who was still lying on the bed groaning, to the ground, where she beat her mercilessly.

Zhao Xiaofang screamed and howled, and in the end, she was beaten so badly that she could hardly even turn over on that broken bed.

His face was covered in purple and blue marks, and swollen like a pig's head.

The son and daughter-in-law don't come to take care of him either.

Before leaving, Da Hua spat out a mouthful of saliva:

"I'll beat you every time I see you from now on. You troublemaker, you schemed to death your father-in-law, you schemed to get your husband in jail, why don't you scheme to get yourself into your coffin?"

The villagers pointed and whispered among themselves.

Everyone says Zhao Xiaofang has a tough fate and brings bad luck to her husband's family; she's a jinx.

Some people glanced at Song Xiangmei sideways, wondering if the old lady had become too ambitious in the city.

Will it really bounce around on the old man a couple of times?

The mourning hall has just been cleared.

The whole family stood in the yard.

"Mom, come to my place."

Nie Dahua's eyes were red, and her voice was loud:

"I'm the eldest sister, and I'm the boss at home. I don't live with my in-laws either. If you go there, I'll slap anyone who dares to give you a hard time."

Sanhua also wiped away her tears.

"I'm fine with coming; I have spare rooms at home."

Sihua gritted her teeth.

"Mom, come with me. You raised me when I was young, I'll take care of you when you're old."

Several sons-in-law stood to the side, each with a different expression.

The eldest son-in-law nodded honestly, the third son-in-law picked at his fingers and looked up at the sky, and the fourth son-in-law looked constipated, occasionally tugging at Sihua's sleeve.

Song Xiangmei looked at her daughters and her heart softened.

I looked at those sons-in-law again, and sighed...

"I'm not going."

"What kind of place would it be for an old woman like me to live there? I've spent my whole life having to eat at the mercy of others, and I don't want to have to eat that kind of food in my old age."

"Mom!" Da Hua cried out anxiously.

"Alright, stop talking." Song Xiangmei waved her hand.

Nie Lao Er, Nie Lao San, and Nie Lao Si, who had been huddled in the corner, exchanged knowing glances.

Nie Laosi cleared his throat and took a step forward.

"Mom, since we're not going to my sister's house, why don't we just stay at the old house? We're your own sons after all."

Song Xiangmei coldly observed these three good-for-nothings.

"You want me to support you?"

Old Man Nie, his neck stiff, said, "Dad's gone, he should leave something behind, right? Big Brother's gone, but what about all this stuff in the house..."

Song Xiangmei stepped aside and pointed to the inner room.

"Go find what you're looking for yourself. Whoever finds it keeps it."

Upon hearing this, the three sons rushed into the house like dogs seeing a bone.

After a while, the sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets filled the air. Finally, Old Man Nie came out with a crumpled letter in his hand, his face as long as a donkey's.

"Why is there only this one piece of scrap paper?" Old Master Nie slammed the paper on the table.

The account was written crookedly on the paper: the eldest brother took ten yuan, the eldest brother took fifty cents, the eldest brother swiped two packs of cigarettes...

Densely packed.

It was all the blood and sweat that Old Man Nie had been swindled away by his eldest son.

"Bah! That old geezer, he's poured all his money into that bottomless pit of his eldest son's house." Nie Lao Er kicked the door frame in anger.

Old Master Nie's eyes darted around.

He forced a fake smile and approached Song Xiangmei.

"Mom, look, we're broke. You only have twenty-five yuan a month. Come live with us, and we'll take turns looking after you. We'll manage the money for you..."

Song Xianglan listened with amusement.

The abacus beads even hit her face.

"Fourth brother, your mother is dizzy from looking at green grass all her life. Seeing that really green thing on your forehead, she's going to have another bout of dizziness."

The Song family's uncles and their sons stood at the courtyard gate, each with their arms crossed, their physiques resembling door gods.

"What if we disagree?" the eldest uncle sneered.

Nie Laosi shrank his neck.

Seeing this display of force made me a little nervous, but the thought of the twenty-five yuan gave me courage again.

"Uncle, this is a family matter for the Nie family. What are you all meddling in? Besides, we're also worried that outsiders might be after my mother's meager salary..."

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap sent Nie Laosi's words tumbling back into his throat.

Song Xianglan withdrew her hand, wiping it on her clothes. "Shut your filthy mouth. Is it always this loose? Do you use a latrine stirrer to pry it open?"

Nie Laosi covered his face, completely stunned.

"Why did you hit me again?"

Song Xianglan slapped him again with her backhand.

"Do I need to pick a day to beat you up?"

Song Xianglan stared at his messy hair with disgust. "You green-haired turtle, instead of wasting your time scheming for your mother's retirement money, you should go home and count how many hats you have on your head."

The entire greening of Niejiazhuang Village is thanks to your contribution; you can be considered a "talented person" who benefits the village.

The villagers watching the commotion were trying not to laugh.

Nie Laosi's face stung, and his head was buzzing.

He shook his head, wondering if he was seeing things, and saw his father, who had just been buried, standing in the corner of the yard, grinning and waving at him, as if telling him to hurry up and plant some grass to make the ground green.

He was so frightened that he fell to the ground.

"Who else wants to take care of this money?" Song Xianglan looked around, her gaze sweeping over Nie Lao Er and Nie Lao San.

The two brothers trembled under the glares of their uncles from the Song family, and neither dared to utter a sound.

"Big sister, pack your things and let's go," Song Xianglan said decisively.

Nie Dahua and her sisters looked at their mother with heartache.

"Mom, you go with Auntie San first."

The sons-in-law visibly relaxed, their shoulders slumping. As long as their mothers-in-law didn't come to stay at their house, they could go wherever they wanted.

Song Xiangmei took one last look at the courtyard where she had lived most of her life.

With empty eyes and no trace of lingering affection, he picked up his small bundle and followed Song Xianglan away without looking back.

We arrived at Song Xianglan's house.

As soon as she put down her bundle, Song Xiangmei rolled up her sleeves and looked for work to do.

Wipe the table, sweep the floor, scrub the pots, and feed the chickens.

Song Xianglan couldn't stop her. She wiped the table in the house again and again, even cleaning the dust out of the crevices between the table legs, until the wooden surface was almost shiny.

"Big sister, take a break." Song Xianglan snatched the rag from her hand.

Song Xiangmei started to panic when she ran out of work.

Standing still, unsure where to look.

"Xianglan, I'm not tired. I just want to move around a bit; if I don't move, I feel uneasy."

Her eyes reddened again, and tears streamed down her face.

"Do you think I've done something terrible? If I hadn't smashed up the old man's house, he wouldn't have died."

After all, it's a human life...

I just wanted to save some money for Xiaochuan's dowry, find Erhua, and finally save some money for Xiaoyi's son... How did it turn out like this?

"This is fate, this is retribution, it has nothing to do with you."

Song Xianglan hugged her eldest sister and gently patted her back. "You didn't hand that carrying pole to Boss Nie. It's a debt that he and his father have in this lifetime."

"I can't get in touch with Xiaochuan either."

Song Xiangmei sobbed like a child who had done something wrong, "I want to call Xiaochuan, but I don't know where to call..."

Song Xianglan let her cry.

In situations like this, it's better to cry than to hold it in.

At night, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Zhou Fang returned, looking travel-worn, carrying a large snakeskin bag, and his face was full of excitement.

"Godmother, I'm back."

As soon as he entered the house, he put the bag on the ground, took out the oil paper package from his pocket, and carefully handed it to Song Xianglan.

"These are butterfly cookies and spiced broad beans from Haishi. I brought them especially for you to try. I queued for a long time over there to buy them."

Song Xianglan tasted a butterfly pastry and exclaimed, "It's so delicious!"

He then gave another piece to Song Xiangmei.

Zhou Fangcai took out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to Song Xianglan.

"Godmother, this trip to Haishi really opened my eyes. Big cities are different. There are bicycles everywhere, and people are dressed so fashionably."

At this point, Zhou Fang's excitement faded a bit, and he scratched his head.

"Well... at Anxi Yang's house, I overheard their family chatting, and there were so many words they used that I couldn't understand. I was thinking, maybe I could find some books to read?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xianglan smiled and nodded:

"That's a good thing. It's never too late to learn. Tingting has a lot of old textbooks; I'll ask her to find you a few later. If you don't understand something, just ask Tingting."

Seeing Zhou Fang's enthusiasm, she felt a surge of excitement within herself.

When summer comes, I'll have to go there myself, no matter what.

Liu Yukun also brought his two children over.

The two little ones clung to Zhou Fang, as if afraid their parents would abandon them.

Huang Ronghua and Wang Zhihe followed closely behind.

The courtyard suddenly became lively.

"Eat here!" Song Xianglan waved her hand. "Big sister, stop bothering with those neglected corners and hurry up to the kitchen to show off your skills and let them taste your cooking."

Upon hearing that she was to cook, Song Xiangmei immediately perked up, washed her face, and went into the kitchen.

Just as the aroma of food wafted out, the sound of a tricycle braking came from the courtyard gate.

Lin Fang pedaled the bicycle, with Old Zhao sitting in the back.

"Oh dear, I made it!"

Lin Fang jumped out of the car and helped Old Zhao down. "Uncle Zhao was worried and insisted on coming to check on me. I'm busy with my stall during the day, and I just happened to be coming back to collect seafood in the evening, so I brought him over on the way."

Old Zhao was still carrying two cans of food in his hand, and he peeked inside.

"Um... how's Xiangmei doing?"

"She's busy in the kitchen," Song Xianglan said, inviting them inside. "Haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Old Zhao quickly waved his hand.

"No need to trouble yourself, I just came to take a look..."

Lin Fang is a straightforward person. She rolled up her sleeves and walked to the kitchen. "I'm going to cook two dishes."

The sound of Song Xiangmei and Lin Fang chopping vegetables came from the kitchen. Da Bao and Er Bao chased Zhou Fang in the yard, begging for candy. Wang Zhihe was demonstrating to Liu Yukun how to fix a bicycle chain.