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

The table was covered with plates.

The table was laden with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, which were not as refined as those in the city, but were still quite oily.

This is because life is better now; a few years ago, we didn't have such good days.

Everyone was hungry.

As Brother Song and his friends were drinking, he took out the wine that Song Qiang had bought.

Old Tang wants to drink Moutai.

But no one said anything, and he secretly despised Brother Song for being stingy, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.

Song Xiangmei poked at the braised pork in her bowl with her chopsticks, turning the piece into a pulp, but she didn't put it in her mouth.

My mind was filled with the words my third sister had just said.

"Poisonous weed", "scourge", "ungrateful wretch".

These words felt like needles pricking her forehead.

She always thought she was kind-hearted, but the look in her third sister's eyes just now really made her brain water.

"Big sister? Big sister!"

Brother Song, holding his wine glass, his face flushed from drinking, said, "What are you thinking about? I called you several times and you didn't answer."

Song Xiangmei remained dazed, her eyes unfocused.

"Ouch!"

Song Xianglan elbowed Song Xiangmei in the elbow.

Song Xiangmei's hand trembled, and the chopsticks almost flew out of her hand.

He suddenly snapped out of his daze, looking around blankly: "Huh? What's wrong?"

Song Xianglan picked up a piece of meat with alternating layers of fat and lean and stuffed it into her mouth. "Brother is asking you a question. Have you lost your mind?"

Brother Song shook his head helplessly.

I told you to eat more, look how skinny you are.

At another table, young people were huddled together.

Song Tingting, Shen Huijun, Song Yuzhu, and several unmarried siblings of the Song family.

The atmosphere at that table was noticeably more lively.

Song Tingting was peeling shrimp when she heard Song Yuzhu mutter something beside her, and suddenly exclaimed, "What does she mean by that?"

This shout startled the adults at the main table.

All eyes turned to him.

Song Tingting blushed and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, "We're whispering, don't stare, it's creepy."

Done.

The group of heads huddled together again, whispering amongst themselves. Even Song Qiang, who tried to eavesdrop, was slapped away by Song Tingting.

The meal was quite lively.

As soon as she put down her chopsticks, Song Xianghe's eyes began to dart around the main room.

She stared at the gifts piled up in the corner.

"Big brother."

Song Xianghe picked her teeth, chewing the toothpick to pieces. "The wine and cigarettes are good. I don't think you're used to good wine; it gets you drunk easily. How about I give a bottle to my husband, Lao Tang? He likes it. And how about we open a few packs of cigarettes and share them?"

Brother Song was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

He felt a little embarrassed.

What do you mean he can't stand good wine?

Before the eldest brother could speak, Song Laosi lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "What good things haven't you city folks seen?"

"Why do you even think about cigarettes and alcohol when you come back to the countryside? Those are gifts from your third sister to your eldest brother, how dare you ask for them?"

Song Xianghe's face stiffened.

Just as he was about to lash out, he heard a heart-wrenching cry and curse coming from outside the neighboring courtyard wall.

"You jinx, how dare you come back?"

Along with it came the cries of children.

Song Xianglan's ears twitched.

He stuffed the sunflower seeds he had just grabbed into his pocket. "What's going on? Are they putting on an opera during the New Year?"

Sister-in-law Song was tidying up the table.

He glanced outside. "It looks like the San Tiao family next door. I heard a couple of days ago that their youngest daughter, Song Xiaoyan, took her two children to the city to find a man before the New Year. It seems they've come back?"

Song Qiang's wife was about to take the leftovers to the kitchen.

I listened carefully and then replied.

"Mom, it really is Song Xiaoyan's voice. She's crying so pitifully."

"There's some juicy gossip to be had."

Song Xianglan's eyes lit up, and her previous languidness vanished instantly.

She nimbly moved her old legs, faster than anyone else, and darted to the door in just a few steps.

Song Xianghe followed, giving instructions as she went:

"Sister-in-law, send us some melon seeds and peanuts. Watching the show without snacks is like missing the soul."

Song Fei's wife quickly grabbed a handful and handed it over.

"Second Aunt, your pockets are already bulging like that, and you still want more?"

Song Xianghe was reluctant to take out the milk candies and chocolates from her pocket; they were meant to be shown off when she went back to her husband's family home.

She turned around and kicked Old Man Tang.

"You stay here. See if you can get your hands on that wine. I'm going to go check out the fun."

Done.

He happily followed Song Xianglan.

A crowd had already gathered in front of Song Santiao's house next door.

The courtyard was in complete chaos.

Two tattered bundles lay on the ground, with several old clothes scattered around inside.

Wearing a drab gray cotton-padded coat, Song Xiaoyan slumped on the ground, her hair a mess like a bird's nest, her face covered in tears and snot, tightly clutching her son and daughter in her arms.

She used to be the most beautiful girl in the village.

She has very high standards and won't marry anyone who isn't cultured.

She was sobbing uncontrollably, "Mom... I have nowhere to go... Sister-in-law, you can't kick me out... This is my home too, and you've already taken over my room after only a few days in the city."

Standing opposite her was her sister-in-law, Wu Hua.

Wu Hua, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised, pointed at Song Xiaoyan and cursed:

"All you do is cry! I told you that educated youth was unreliable and I wouldn't let you marry him, but you insisted he was educated and would take you to the city to enjoy a comfortable life. Where's the comfort now? Are you enjoying it at your own doorstep?"

"Sister-in-law, I really have no other choice..."

Song Xiaoyan grabbed Wu Hua's trouser leg, "He lied to me... He said he would get a fake divorce so he could go back to the city and register his household there. Once he got the registration, he would bring the three of us over."

Who knew...who knew he would change his attitude as soon as he got back...

"Pah, are you brain-dead?!"

Wu Hua kicked her hand away. "The divorce certificate is real. How can you fake a divorce?"

Once he's back in the city, he's like a fish out of water; he'd never remember you, a mudfish from the gutter. You sold yourself and are still helping him count the money. Did you give him your entire fortune?

Song Xiaoyan shrank back.

"I give my mom money for food every month, and the rest of the money goes to him..."

Song Santiao's wife stood to the side, wiping away tears as she scolded him.

"What a tragedy... Xiaoyan, how could you believe his lies? That's a divorce certificate! He's a teacher here, after all, and he earns twenty yuan a month."

"I thought he was the child's biological father..."

Song Xiaoyan cried even harder, "I thought we were husband and wife for a day, and there's a hundred days of kindness between us..."

"Bullshit!"

Wu Hua spat as she spoke, "She's found someone else in the city. And she's the daughter of a deputy factory director. What do you have to compare with her? You're just a worn-out shoe with two burdens thrown out."

Song Xiaoyan's face was deathly pale, and her lips trembled:

"It's all my mother-in-law's fault for forcing him to remarry. They're heartless and refuse to acknowledge their relationship, not even letting their grandson into the house. They gave us fifty yuan in child support and that was it..."

"Fifty dollars?"

Song Santiao's wife's eyes lit up. "Where's the money?"

Song Xiaoyan burst into tears:

"At the train station... someone picked our pockets... we were left with nothing... we had to beg our way back and be given a ride by kind people..."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"My God, this is too tragic."

"Fifty dollars is a lot of money, how could you be so careless?"

Wu Hua was so angry that she was trembling, and her finger was shaking as she pointed at Song Xiaoyan.

"You good-for-nothing! You're just unhappy because life at home is too good for you. You can throw away fifty dollars. Why don't you just throw yourself away too?"

"Alright, alright, that's enough."

Song Santiao squatted by the door, smoking his pipe, and muttered, "They're back already, are we really going to kick them out?"

"Where will they live if they don't kick them out?"

Wu Hua suddenly turned her head and shouted, "There are only four rooms in the house. Originally, you two old folks shared one room, and our family of six squeezed into two rooms."

I've already vacated her room for Bai Lian and Bai Jun. We can't have our two sons sharing a room with us; where would we fit the three of them?

"Let's squeeze in..." Song Santiao said, lacking confidence.

"Squeeze my ass."

Wu Hua finally snapped, "I'm telling you, no way! Song Xiaoyan is married now, she's like water spilled from a cup. Why should she come back and take over my son's place, and expect me to support them and let them eat for free?"

"Sister-in-law, you're forcing me to die..." Song Xiaoyan pleaded.

That's your problem.

Wu Hua wouldn't back down an inch. "Song Xiaoyan, if you have any backbone left, go to the city and hang yourself in front of his workplace."

Go drink pesticide at his neighborhood committee office, throw manure at his new in-laws' house. What kind of skill is it to run back to your parents' home and act tough? I think you're just a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong; you only do this because you think our family is easy to bully.

The villagers pointed and whispered among themselves.

"Actually, Wu Hua isn't wrong. No family is rich. Suddenly, three more mouths to feed are added, and there's no income. How are they supposed to make ends meet?"

"That's right. That educated youth was heartless. He cheated people out of their return-to-the-city certificate and then dumped them. I've heard a lot about this lately."

"Never let your daughter marry a former educated youth; their heart isn't in it."

Seeing that her parents-in-law didn't speak, Wu Hua turned around and went into the house to start packing her things.

They pulled the child out.

"Fine! You're worried about your daughter, then go ahead. I'm taking the child back to my parents' house. As long as Song Xiaoyan stays in this house, I won't come back."

When Song Santiao's wife saw this scene...

The daughter-in-law wants to run away, and the grandson wants to be taken away.

Suddenly, he couldn't catch his breath, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward.

"Mom, Mom, what's wrong?"

Wu Hua's husband, Song Dazhi, quickly stepped forward to help his mother.

The courtyard was immediately thrown into chaos.

Shen Huijun happened to be standing at the front.

She reacted quickly, rushing forward and pinching Song Santiao's wife's philtrum with swift and skillful movements.

A few seconds later, Song Santiao's wife cried out "Ouch!" and slowly woke up. Looking at the mess on the ground, hot tears fell down her face.

"What a terrible thing! What terrible thing has this person done?"

Song Xianglan stood on the periphery of the crowd.

He ate sunflower seeds while watching coldly.

This has become all too common in recent years.

Many educated youth who returned to the city abandoned their wives and children for the sake of their future.

It's hard to say whether it's right or wrong.

Song Xiaoyan gritted her teeth, exuding a sense of despair that made her feel like a dead pig that had given up all hope.

She got up, grabbed her two children, and forced her way into the house.

"I'm not leaving. I have no other way to survive. You can't let me go home." She felt wronged. Back then, her husband was an educated youth who taught at the brigade's primary school and received a monthly salary and a ration of grain.

Staying at my parents' house, no one complained about it being crowded.

The man is now returning to the city.

She was left with two children and was disliked.

Done.

The door slammed shut with a "bang".

Wu Hua was so angry that she jumped up and down in the yard cursing, and finally left with her four children.

Song Dazhi chased after him.

It continued until evening.

Song Xianglan then returned to Xiaoquan Brigade with Shen Huijun and Song Tingting.

"Mom, this isn't just happening here," Shen Huijun sighed. "There are rumors all over the school that many married students are getting divorced. They're willing to give up anything for the sake of returning to the city and for their future."

This is the growing pain of our times.

It is also the most authentic mirror reflecting human nature in the face of self-interest.

Song Tingting remained silent for a long while before finally raising her head, her eyes filled with worry. "Then... what about Zhou Fang and An Xiyang? What if they also..."