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

Song Xianglan looked at the stack of money that Zhou Fang had stuffed back into her hand.

"You don't need to worry about Erhua's money. When we negotiated compensation with the people from Yanjiazhuang, you were entitled to a share."

"Godmother, compensation is compensation, but you should give it to Erhua."

Song Xianglan didn't refuse anymore and asked him if he had called An Xiyang.

"When Song Dong comes back, you can go with him on a few more trips to earn more money."

Zhou Fang's knuckles felt a little tight.

"I haven't made a call yet."

"The An family is different; it's normal for their mother to be picky. If my daughter married someone without support, I'd feel sorry for her too," Song Xianglan said bluntly. "Only when you stand on your own two feet and let the An family see your efforts and abilities will anyone say you're not good enough for them."

Zhou Fang looked down at his toes.

There was no movement for a while.

After a long while, he nodded heavily.

Her voice was a little hoarse: "Godmother, I understand. I will work hard, even if it's just for Xiyang and the child, I have to make something of myself."

Song Xianglan did not stay any longer.

He patted him on the shoulder, turned around, and left.

The courtyard was quiet. Zhou Fang watched Song Xianglan's figure disappear around the corner.

The light in his eyes slowly faded.

He recalled asking Song Xiangdong a question before: If Shen Huijun's family didn't agree, would he give up?

He asked Song Xiangdong if he was tired and if it was worth it.

Song Xiangdong only said that love always contains a sense of indebtedness. Because of his profession and the world's perspective, Shen Huijun had to endure too much when she was with him, so he had to desperately make up for this indebtedness.

He didn't want to break An Xiyang's wings, and he didn't want her to have to break with her family just to be with him.

He has to pave the way.

Let her walk steadily and gracefully.

Even after he had given his all, she chose to let go, and he had no regrets.

Zhou Fang took a deep breath, put the money in his pocket, turned around, closed the courtyard gate, and strode towards the west end of the village.

Finding a bricklayer to build the house is the first step.

……

On the other side, Nie Xiaochuan arrived at Nie Dahua's house with his bag on his back.

Nie Dahua has a loud voice.

Shout at Old Man Zhuang:

"You think you can boss me around, you old codger? I've eaten more salt than he's eaten rice. That spineless coward, all he knows is to cower behind his mother like a good boy."

Nie Xiaochuan peeked inside.

The courtyard was in a chaotic mess.

Da Hua's eldest son and his wife had just returned from the fields, covered in dirt.

The second son, Zhuang Erchao, was squatting by the well washing his face, a bruise on his forehead, with a shovel beside him. Erchao's wife was wiping his face with a towel, her expression a mixture of heartache and relief.

"Say less. Sanhua lives by her man's whims."

Nie Dahua snorted, turned her head and saw Nie Xiaochuan at the door, "Oh, Xiaochuan's here."

Nie Xiaochuan walked in with a smile: "Big sister, brother-in-law."

The whole family looked over.

Nie Xiaochuan didn't waste any words and directly took out the money that Song Xianglan had given him from his bag.

"Eldest sister, this is what Third Aunt asked me to bring. Of the compensation money from the Yan family, Third Aunt gave half to Second Sister, and the other half was divided among everyone. This is your family's share."

I saw several large unison bills.

The courtyard fell silent instantly.

Zhuang Erchao's wife's eyes widened, and she almost dropped the towel in her hand: "So much? Oh my goodness, you get paid for fighting!"

Ogawa chuckled. "The injured ones got more shares."

Nie Dahua took the money, licked her index finger, and counted it off quickly.

After counting the money, she didn't put it in her own pocket, but instead gave a portion to Zhuang Erchao's wife.

"This belongs to both of you."

He counted out another portion and gave it to the eldest son's wife.

"Both my second son and his wife are going, so they get two-thirds. I've divided my share in half for you. You didn't go today, but you've been running around a lot lately for the Nie family's affairs. As their mother-in-law, I know all that, and I'm not biased."

The two daughters-in-law were stunned.

My hands were trembling a little as I held the money.

These days, it's only natural for a mother-in-law to keep the money; who would willingly stuff money into their daughter-in-law's hands?

Zhuang Dachao and Zhuang Erchao watched with envy.

He leaned in with a grin:

"Mom, what about ours? Why are you only giving them to the daughter-in-law and not the son? That's so unfair!"

"Get out of here, get as far away from me as you can."

Nie Dahua glared at him and pinched Zhuang Dachao's arm. "All I give you is cigarettes and alcohol. Money should be in the hands of women. Look at your dad, when has he ever had more than two cents in his pocket?"

Old Zhuang, who had been squatting in the corner smoking a pipe, chuckled.

I didn't dare to refute it.

The two daughters-in-law were overjoyed as they looked at the money in their hands, and their eyes became much warmer towards their mother-in-law.

Nie Dahua added another sentence:

"Now that you have money, don't just think about enjoying yourself."

Tomorrow I'll go buy two pounds of pork and two boxes of pastries to take back to my parents' house. I'll let my in-laws have a nice meal, so they won't say we old farmers don't know our manners.

The two daughters-in-law were deeply moved.

"Mom, you're so thoughtful," Erchao's wife replied cheerfully. "I'll go fry some eggs now. Uncle can eat at home tonight before going back."

Da Chao's wife also rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen.

"I'll go knead the dough."

Nie Xiaochuan stood by and watched this scene, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

Although the eldest sister seems loud and boisterous, she is actually very perceptive.

Only by keeping the daughter-in-law happy can the whole family live in harmony.

Nie Xiaochuan thought that if he ever got married, he would live his life like that.

It has the warmth and energy of everyday life.

The matter concerning the Yan family has now come to a complete end.

After Song Xiangmei's injuries had almost healed, she moved directly to the county with Nie Erhua.

Song Xiangmei didn't want to hear those gossips in the village.

So I simply spent five yuan a month to rent a small courtyard.

Erhua is hardworking and quick-witted. Even after going to the county, she didn't stay idle; she went to Linfang's shop to help with odd jobs.

Lin Fang did it out of respect for Song Xianglan.

The wages were quite good, and the mother and daughter were able to settle down.

Yan Shugen didn't go back to school either.

He became somewhat withdrawn and didn't like talking to people his own age.

Later, Song Xianglan asked someone to find him a master carver.

He was a veteran craftsman in the county.

He has a strange temper, but his skills are superb.

Seeing that Yan Shugen was able to settle down and endure the cold bench, and that he was very talented, the master apprentice took him on as his last apprentice.

Yan Shugen hammers and pounds on the wood and stones every day.

His eyes, however, showed some sparkle.

Not long after.

Then came explosive news from the village.

Yan Ergou was executed.

This guy is courting death. Besides trafficking women, the police followed the clues and found that he was also suspected of burglary and robbery, and he even stole from the homes of several officials.

The amount involved was enormous, and the circumstances were egregious.

He was punished for several offenses and was forced to eat a peanut.

The news reached several nearby villages on that day.

Everyone was talking about it.

"Have you heard? Yan Ergou is dead. He ate peanuts straight away."

"This kind of scourge should have died long ago. Doesn't he even know who he messed with? Do you think a cadre's family would be burglarized?"

Someone lowered their voice and said mysteriously:

"Hey, have you guys noticed? This old lady Song is a bit strange. It seems like anyone who goes against her ends up in a bad situation."

Look at Yang Dashan and his gang before, and then look at Yan Ergou now... they must have magical powers, right?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't let her hear you, or she might send you to jail for making that wish too."

Shh... Don't offend her again.

The way the villagers look at Song Xianglan has changed.

With a sense of awe, and even a bit of avoidance.

As Song Xianglan walked along the road, she could clearly feel that the surroundings were much quieter.

Those gossipy women who used to love to talk behind people's backs now avoid her, afraid of getting tainted and being "sent in jail".

Song Xianglan didn't even bother to lift her eyelids at these rumors.

You live your own life.

Let others say what they want, as long as they don't come up in front of her, she can't be bothered to care.

That day, Song Xianglan was drying radishes in the yard.

"Old Song. Is Old Song home?"

Before you see the person, you can smell their aroma.

A strong, fishy smell mixed with an indescribable stench of decay filled the air.

It drifted into the yard with the wind.

Song Xianglan felt dizzy for a moment.

She frowned, covered her nose, and waved the air in front of her: "Who's this? Did you fall into some old, stagnant latrine?"

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Liu Yidao squeezed in.

He was carrying several kilograms of fatty and lean pork belly and a string of bright red pig liver, grinning at Song Xianglan.

His clothes were as dirty as rags.

He exuded an aura that seemed to reach straight to the top of one's head.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a dung beetle who enjoys playing with poop." Liu Yidao lowered his head and sniffed himself, seemingly not finding it too unpleasant. "I was just doing manual labor for someone. Carrying oyster shells all day. That's the smell of seafood. Understand?"

Song Xianglan took two steps back, looking disgusted.

"I think it smells like rotten fish and shrimp. It's so strong it almost made me throw up my dinner from last night. What are you doing, you pig butcher, carrying oyster shells? Are you desperate for money?"

Liu Yidao chuckled and placed the meat on the stone table.

"Since we're just idling around anyway, we might as well."

Someone asked me to help clean up piles of oyster shells at the beach, offering a good amount of money, so I went.

Hey, don't just complain, look what this is!

The best pork belly was saved for you. You can cook it and use it to make gua bao (steamed buns).

Song Xianglan glanced at the meat.

"Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious." Song Xianglan didn't respond. "So, what mischief are you up to this time?"

Liu Yidao rubbed his muddy hands together and forced a fawning smile:

"Old Song, why are you disliked? If you stick out your tongue and lick your lips, you'll poison yourself. Outsiders will think you committed suicide."

What are you saying? What bad intentions could I possibly have?

"Well... I heard your godson is building a house, and I was thinking if I could have him bring me some bricks and tiles too? I'd like to build a house as well."

"That's it?" Song Xianglan glanced at him sideways.