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

Yang Zhixin gripped the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands, his fingers turning white from the effort, his nails digging into his flesh without him feeling any pain.

He didn't want to leave.

He sniffled, forcibly suppressing the surging hatred in his heart.

His voice trembled:

"Godfather, can't I really stay at your house? I'm fine with staying in the woodshed, it won't take up much space."

"cannot."

This time, Liu Yidao didn't even glance at him, bluntly uttered two words, and slammed the courtyard gate shut.

The sound of the bolt locking was particularly jarring.

It was like a slap across Yang Zhixin's face.

Yang Zhixin stared at the tightly closed black lacquered wooden door, and the pitiful expression on his face instantly cracked like a mask, replaced by a sinister look that was completely out of character for his age.

He spat fiercely at the door panel:

"Pah! You old, childless man!"

Saliva dripped down the crack in the door, sticky and gooey.

"What godfather? He's just a stingy old bachelor. All your stuff will be mine sooner or later, so what's wrong with letting me use it now?"

I won't take care of you in your old age or see you off in your final days. You'll just rot and breed maggots in this house. No one will even bury you when you die."

Yang Zhixin finished his rant.

He kicked a pebble against the wall and turned to disappear into the night.

We returned to that dilapidated little courtyard.

Chen Yuhuan was sitting in the house with her older brother, eating sunflower seeds.

They spat sunflower seed shells all over the floor and didn't even bother to sweep them up.

They saw Yang Zhixin return empty-handed.

Chen Yuhuan frowned and threw the melon seeds into the plate.

"Zhixin, has that damned butcher given a straight answer yet?"

"without."

Yang Zhixin threw the thin, tattered cotton-padded jacket onto the chair, his cheeks puffed out in anger.

"I told him I wanted to stay for a couple of days and help him with his work. He kicked me out immediately, saying that it was about recognizing a godparent, not adopting a child, and told me to get back here."

Chen Yuhuan slapped her thigh in anger.

"It must have been that shrew Liu Dahua who stirred things up today. That old woman is obviously no pushover. She was pretending to tidy up Liu Yidao's house, but she probably just wanted to seize Liu Yidao's property."

"If that courtyard, that savings, falls into her hands, we won't even be able to afford a bowl of soup."

Yang Zhixin panicked when he heard this.

"Mom, what should I do? You won't even let me wear the new cotton-padded coat Liu Yidao bought for me, and you insist I act pitiful. Does he not want to take care of me anymore? Does that mean I'll lose my big house too?"

Uncle Chen, who had been silent all along, rolled his cloudy eyes.

Like an old fox speaking:

"What's the rush?"

He sat cross-legged, behaving like a strategist.

"We're in too much of a hurry. We've only been related for a few days, and you're already asking to move in, for money and food. Anyone would be wary of that."

Several people around Liu Yidao were eyeing his actions; how could there not be whispers about it?

"What should we do? We can't just watch this opportunity slip away, can we?" Chen Yuhuan asked anxiously.

"Listen to your brother."

Uncle Chen lowered his voice and tapped the table with his finger.

"Zhixin, don't mention moving in again, and don't ask for anything."

Don't go empty-handed after the New Year. Sweep the yard for him every day, feed the chickens and ducks, and leave as soon as you're done. Even if he invites you to stay for dinner, tell him you have to come back to be with your mother.

People are all made of flesh and blood; this old bachelor just needs someone to care for him and show him warmth. Once we warm his heart, what's there to worry about not getting what we want?

Yang Zhixin listened with a sense of understanding but not quite.

But he nodded nonetheless, a calculating glint in his eyes:

"Fine, I'll show him who's truly filial."

He verbally agreed.

But I couldn't help cursing in my heart:

"That old bastard is really hard to please; I have to act like a grandson. Once I get my hands on the money, I'll see how I deal with him."

Chen Yuhuan hugged her son tightly and tenderly rubbed his frostbitten hands.

"My good son, you've suffered so much for our family. It's all my fault for being so useless, making you suffer along with me."

"Mom, I'm not afraid of hardship."

Yang Zhixin nestled in Chen Yuhuan's arms, his eyes cold. "Once we've squeezed that old bastard Liu Yidao dry, I'll build a big house for our family and we'll eat meat every day, making those people who look down on us drool."

Yang Zhixin's older sister, younger brother, and younger sister all came, and the family warmed each other under the dim kerosene lamp.

He kept muttering nothing but schemes and plots against people.

They cursed Liu Yidao for being greedy and wanting to get a son for free to support him in his old age.

……

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere in Xiaoquan Brigade was joyous.

Occasionally, you can hear a few scattered firecrackers, which explode into puffs of white smoke.

Song Xianglan got up early in the morning to get busy.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, making her face look rosy.

Song Tingting and Shen Huijun also helped out. The three of them first prepared the offerings, then carried the baskets to the banyan tree at the village entrance to pray, and then went to the back mountain to pray to the local earth god and other gods.

These days, we can't indulge in feudal superstitions.

The villagers all knew the unspoken agreement. Every household secretly went to offer prayers, hoping for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

Even the brigade leader and the brigade party secretary.

They all went before dawn.

Everyone pretended not to know, and as long as no one publicized it, no one cared about anyone else.

At night.

A rich aroma of meat wafted from the Song family's courtyard.

Zhou Fang, along with her two children and Liu Yukun, all gathered in the main room of the Song family home.

This New Year's Eve dinner.

Song Xianglan really went all out.

In the middle of the table was a grouper sent by Liu Dahua, steamed and drizzled with hot oil, its freshness hitting you right in the head.

Next to it was a large pot of braised pork with tiger-skin eggs, tender and juicy, with a bright red color.

There are also giant lobsters as long as an arm.

The stonefish and tofu soup was milky white, bubbling and steaming.

In addition, the children's favorite fried snacks were piled up like a small mountain.

Fried pork with vinegar, fried chicken legs, fried seaweed and tofu balls, five-spice rolls... a large, golden plate.

"Wow. So chubby!"

Erbao's hands were covered in oil from eating, and he slid down from Zhou Fang's lap.

She climbed onto Song Xianglan's lap using both hands and feet, and lifted her little belly: "Grandma, look, my belly is so big, can I fit another belly? I want to eat lots and lots of meat."

Song Xianglan burst into laughter.

He reached out and rubbed the round little belly.

"Oh dear, that won't do. If you keep stuffing yourself, your little tummy will burst, and then it'll let in the wind. Let's eat slowly."

Da Bao was more composed, his chopsticks never stopped moving.

They ate until their mouths were greasy.

Suddenly, Gou Sheng shouted from outside, "Let's set off firecrackers! Da Bao, Er Bao!"

Erbao's ears perked up, but he hadn't even swallowed the meat in his mouth yet.

Then slide down.

"Brother, let's go play!"

Da Bao couldn't sit still any longer. He pushed the bowl away, grabbed his younger brother, and ran outside.

"Slow down. Don't burn the new clothes." Zhou Fang shouted towards the door, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes as he watched the two children's backs.

After the two little ones ran far away.

The atmosphere inside the room quieted down a bit.

Zhou Fang picked up his wine glass.

He didn't drink first, but instead solemnly raised the glass above his head, facing southwest.

"This first glass of wine."

Zhou Fang's voice was a little hoarse, "A tribute to Brother Xiang Dong, who is still on the southwestern battlefield. May our country enjoy peace and prosperity. May our soldiers return safely."

Song Xianglan's eyes instantly reddened, and the chopsticks in her hand trembled slightly.

Shen Huijun lowered her head and secretly wiped the corner of her eye.

Liu Yukun and Song Tingting also suppressed their smiles and raised their wine glasses.

Everyone raised their glasses in that direction.

At this moment.

The southwestern border region, thousands of miles away.

The air was thick with the smoke of battle.

Song Xiangdong felt as if all the bones in his body had been taken apart and then put back together.

Every movement is excruciatingly painful.

The long, intense forced march was followed by fierce fighting.

This caused him to experience a severe hypoglycemic reaction, and his vision would go black intermittently.

Each soldier in their regiment carried over a hundred kilograms of equipment, galloping like warhorses through the suffocatingly hot and humid jungle.

The mud underfoot was up to my ankles.

The canopy overhead was dense and impenetrable, and one had to be constantly vigilant against enemy sniper fire.

Half an hour ago.

They had just adjusted their battle plan and captured a high ground in just half an hour.

They achieved a brief victory.

Song Xiangdong leaned against the damp trench wall, panting heavily.

He pulled a slightly melted piece of chocolate from his inner pocket; it was something Shen Huijun had prepared before he left.

He took a bite and handed the other half to the instructor next to him.

"Eat. Quickly clear the position and get into the trenches to prepare for battle."

The instructor, his face covered in mud and blood, took the chocolate and swallowed it.

Everyone immediately entered the trench.

Prepare for another battle.

There is an enemy mortar company and a reinforced regiment on the high ground ahead.

boom--!

The enemy on the main peak fired shells in front of them.

Shells whistled through the air.

Thick smoke obscured the sky.

Soil, stones, gun barrels, and shrapnel... were thrown around randomly.

"Commander, the enemy's attack is too fierce."

Company Commander Tong crouched low as he ran from the front, his voice hoarse and bloodshot: "We've already lost eleven comrades, and fifteen have been wounded. The enemy has launched another counterattack..."

Song Xiangdong shook his head violently, trying to shake off the dizziness.

He grabbed the light machine gun next to him, his eyes sharp as knives.

"Get me grenades! The instructor stays here; I need to blow up the enemy's mortars."

On the enemy's abandoned positions.

Everywhere there were boxes of ammunition and guns, all made in China.

These are all things we provided to the Monkey Kingdom back then.

Even the dry rations they didn't have time to take were made by us.

Looking at those familiar Chinese characters.

Song Xiangdong gritted his teeth until they broke.

The ungrateful monkey kingdom.

"Commander, I'll take some men," Company Commander Tong shouted.

"I must bring people with me." Song Xiangdong pushed him away.

He knew that only he could do it; today was Lunar New Year's Eve, a day for family reunions.

He couldn't let Company Commander Tong and the others step into dangerous territory again.

"I will lead ten soldiers. The rest will follow the instructor's orders."

Song Xiangdong set off along the trench with a box of grenades on his back, followed by a dozen soldiers.

Next to them.

Several more soldiers fell in the trench, their eyes no longer able to see the color of the sky above them.

……

After having New Year's Eve dinner.

Zhou Fang checked the time and went to the village party secretary's house to find Chunxia.

"Chunxia, ​​I want to call Xiyang and ask Dabao and Erbao to wish Mom a Happy New Year."

Chunxia was eating sunflower seeds while watching TV.

Seeing Zhou Fang arrive, she smiled and handed him the keys.

"Call An Zhiqing? Go ahead, call her, then keep track of the time, calculate the cost, and return the keys."

Zhou Fang thanked him.

He took the key and opened the door to the brigade headquarters' convenience store.

I dialed that number I knew by heart, and a long "beep-beep" sound came through the receiver.

A long time passed.

The call was connected.

"Hello, who is this?" It was my father-in-law An's voice, dignified yet kind.

Zhou Fang unconsciously straightened up, her hand gripping the receiver tighter: "Dad, it's me, Zhou Fang. Happy New Year. I'm here to wish you a Happy New Year, and also to let Da Bao and Er Bao say a few words to their mother."

"Oh, Zhou Fang." An's father's voice held a hint of amusement. "Happy New Year. How's everything at home...?"

After exchanging a few words...

Anxi Yang answered the phone.

"Feed? Zhou Fang?"

"west Yang, Happy New Year." Zhou Fang's throat tightened, a thousand words stuck in his throat, and in the end, he could only utter this dry sentence.

"Happy New Year." Anxi Yang's voice was devoid of much emotion. "Where are the children?"

"I'm here." Zhou Fang quickly handed the receiver to Da Bao and Er Bao, who had been eagerly crowding around.

Short days.

Zhou Fang suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say to his wife.

I'm also afraid to say anything.

That sense of distance felt longer than the thousands of miles of telephone lines.

"Mommy. Mommy."

The two little ones chattered away, vying to press their faces against the receiver.

The two children said on the phone that they missed their mother, and they even wanted to share the smallest things.

"Mommy, the baby ate a lot of meat, and his tummy is all round."

"Mom, I miss you. I got 100 on all my tests."

Before we knew it, we had talked for about ten minutes before hanging up.

An's father had been waiting by her side. When An Xiyang hung up the phone, his expression was cold: "Come to the study with me."