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

Song Xianglan frowned as she listened; Yu Xiujuan's mother-in-law was quite a peculiar character.

"Yu Xiujuan is also a capable person."

Liu Chounu curled her lip, looking disdainful. "If this were a normal daughter-in-law, she would at least leave some room for her family, right?"

Hey, she poured out a four- or five-pound old hen and ate it all, soup and meat.

Only the chicken heads and tails, which she didn't like to eat, were left for her sister-in-law. I heard that she was so full that night that her eyes rolled back in her head, and she wandered the streets for over an hour to digest her food.

Song Xianglan's lips twitched.

"Four or five pounds? You ate it all?"

"They say they suck the chicken bones until they turn white."

Liu Chounu gestured with her fingers, "His appetite was even bigger than a half-grown boy's. The worst part was that after he finished eating, he said the chicken wasn't fat enough, which made his sister-in-law so angry that she almost smashed her pot."

Song Xianglan shook her head, thinking to herself that this was difficult to judge.

This mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are a perfect match.

One dared to steal, and the other dared to eat.

No one should look down on anyone else.

This incident served as a reminder to Song Xianglan.

My daughter-in-law is a very honest person. If she goes to live in the school dormitory, who knows what kind of awful people she might encounter.

A few days later.

The day of Shen Huijun's first day of school has arrived.

Song Xianglan carried large and small bags.

He accompanied Shen Huijun to Xincheng University.

We arrived at the dormitory.

My roommates have all arrived and are making the beds and folding the blankets.

They talked about what had happened in their respective families.

The group of people from Xiangyanghua greeted Song Xianglan warmly when they saw her.

Song Xianglan put down her luggage and cheerfully took out several boxes of cookies and a large bag of White Rabbit milk candy from her bag.

"Dear classmates, Huijun is unwell, so I'll have to trouble you all to take good care of her."

The cookies were packaged in those exquisite tin boxes with foreign writing printed on them, which looked very luxurious.

Song Xianglan had a box of biscuits and a handful of milk candies by herself.

Han Lu, who loves to eat, slid down and approached the table.

"Auntie, this box is so pretty! Are these cookies? I'm so lucky to have gotten to eat them today. I'll definitely use them to help Huijun get water from now on."

Song Xianglan smiled and lifted the lid of the box, and a rich milky aroma instantly filled the room.

"Here, everyone can have a taste of this box."

Han Lu picked up a piece, took a bite, and narrowed her eyes into slits.

"Delicious, so delicious! So crispy and crunchy!"

The other roommates couldn't resist and gathered around.

Taking the opportunity, Song Xianglan took out two more bottles of face cream and handed them to Peng Yuying and Chu Linlin.

We were so grateful to them for helping us buy medicine before the Spring Festival.

"This is nothing, thank you very much."

Peng Yuying and Chu Linlin were a little embarrassed and declined a couple of times before finally accepting it.

Qiao Siyi, who had been silent the whole time, stared intently at the two bottles of face cream, her hand unconsciously touching the metal lid of the box of cookies.

Her clothes were a bit old, and the cuffs were frayed.

She glanced at the face cream, then at Peng Yuying's new clothes, and couldn't hide the bitterness in her eyes.

It's normal for rich people to curry favor with other rich people.

Sunflower suggested:

"Aunt Song has gone to so much trouble, we should at least treat her to a meal, right?"

The girls all nodded in agreement.

Song Xianglan did not refuse, and the group went to the street opposite the school in a lively manner.

I found a small restaurant that sells satay noodles.

When it was time to pay the bill, the girls were still collecting money, while Song Xianglan had already settled the bill.

"Alright, you're all students, how much money do you have? Save it for books." Song Xianglan waved her hand, not wanting to linger any longer. "I have to rush back; there's a ton of stuff waiting for me at home."

She cannot stay in Guangzhou any longer.

Seafood processing plants cannot function without people.

The girls thanked her with smiles and saw Song Xianglan off at the minibus station.

Back in the village, Song Xianglan was constantly on the move.

They immediately put the old house that they had previously lent to Zhou Fang to good use.

She had part of the courtyard wall demolished, expanded it outwards by a large circle, and added several rooms, turning it into a spacious warehouse.

The courtyard wasn't idle either.

They bought several truckloads of lychee wood and longan wood and piled them up.

Both types of wood are hard and produce little smoke and a strong flame when burned, giving the seafood a unique fruity and woody aroma.

The simplest drying equipment has arrived.

Song Xianglan then announced that she would buy large quantities of shrimp, squid, and mackerel.

As long as they are fresh and of good size.

Settle your bill on the spot, no delays.

This news came out.

The entire brigade erupted in cheers.

Next came the recruitment process.

Song Xianglan entrusted this matter to Liu Chunhua. Liu Chunhua was now a staunch supporter of Song Xianglan and also the village's know-it-all. She knew exactly which wife was diligent and which wife was lazy.

Not two days later.

Lin Gang's wife, Chunxia's mother Zhang Qin, and Wang Zhihe's sister-in-law Gan Shanshan were recruited.

The wages were set reasonably.

One yuan a day, settled every two weeks.

In those days, a strong laborer would only earn a few cents a day working in the production team, and that depended on how many work points were worth.

That one dollar is practically a high salary.

Those women were so happy that they worked like crazy.

That evening.

The sea breeze was quite strong.

Song Xianglan came out of the processing workshop, ready to go home and cook. Just as she reached the banyan tree at the village entrance, she saw a thin little figure carrying two huge bamboo baskets, swaying as he walked towards her.

The basket weighed heavily on his thin shoulders, as if it were about to break him.

"Aunt Song..."

The girl's voice was barely audible. She stopped and called out timidly, "I...I'm here to sell fish and shrimp."

Song Xianglan squinted and tried to make out the details for a while.

Only then did I recognize that this was Yang Xiaoye from the west end of the village.

This girl has a hard life.

My father was killed in a quarry explosion, and the compensation money was divided up by several uncles who were afraid that my mother would pocket it.

Mom had no choice but to leave her and her younger brother behind.

She remarried and moved to a commune dozens of kilometers away.

The siblings depended on each other for survival, living a life where they never knew where their next meal would come from.

Song Xianglan remembered that this girl's ending was very tragic in her previous life.

She got married early, but because her body was so weak, she couldn't get pregnant. She tried countless folk remedies before finally getting pregnant, but she miscarried after five or six months.

Her in-laws are pressuring her to get a divorce.

She later married an elderly widower with several children.

They worked like oxen and horses, raising other people's children and grandchildren, only to be kicked out when they got old and couldn't work anymore.

"Xiaoye?" Song Xianglan looked at the girl in front of her.

The child was wearing only a patched-up single garment and tattered straw sandals. His toes were red from the cold, covered in chilblains, and bleeding.

Song Xianglan's heart tightened.

"Aunt Song, these are the fish and shrimp my brother and I caught while beachcombing. They're all very fresh." Yang Xiaoye thought Song Xianglan didn't want them, so she quickly put down the basket and lifted the straw covering it. "Look how fresh they are!"

Song Xianglan glanced down.

The basket was mostly filled with miscellaneous fish and shrimp.

There aren't many truly good products that can be used for drying.

But she didn't say anything, and reached out to help Yang Xiaoye lift one end of the basket.

"Come on, come back to the workshop with me."

We arrived at the workshop courtyard.

Song Xianglan squatted down and began to pick through the items.

"I've taken all the big shrimp and squid." Song Xianglan picked out the usable ones and weighed them, then pointed to the remaining pile of miscellaneous fish, "These are too small to be dried. I'll buy these too, and take them back to make a mixed fish and soy sauce soup."

These small fish and shrimp are washed clean, coated with flour, and then fried.

It's also a good dish.

After settling the accounts.

Song Xianglan handed the money to Yang Xiaoye.

Yang Xiaoye held the few bills, her hands trembling.

"Xiaoye,"

Looking at her lips, which were purple from the cold, Song Xianglan sighed, "Your body is too frail. Going into the sea in this cold weather will leave you with health problems for life."

Yang Xiaoye lowered her head.

"I'm not afraid of the cold. My younger brother needs to study to have a future, but it's okay if I'm not smart and don't study."

Song Xianglan cursed, "If you collapse, no matter how well your brother studies, he'll still be an ingrate."

She paused, her tone softening.

"Since you don't have a boat for your in-laws, don't go beachcombing. My workshop is short-handed, so you can come work for me from now on."

"Bring your younger brother over. There's an empty room behind this workshop; you two siblings can stay here and help me guard the door and watch the goods."

Yang Xiaoye looked at Song Xianglan in disbelief.

A glimmer of light ignited in his eyes.

"Auntie... are you serious?"

"Would I lie to you?"

With a thud.

Yang Xiaoye knelt down on the ground.

He kowtowed three times to Song Xianglan.

"Auntie, thank you. I... I'll definitely work hard."

"Oh dear, child!" Song Xianglan quickly pulled her up. "How did you manage to bump into something? Get up!"

When Song Xianglan touched her hand, it was as cold as iron.

"Zhang Qin, go to the kitchen and get a bowl of brown sugar water, with lots of ginger," Song Xianglan called out into the house.

Not long after.

Zhang Qin brought out a large bowl of steaming hot brown sugar ginger water.

"Drink this quickly, it'll warm you up." Song Xianglan shoved the bowl into Yang Xiaoye's hands, then glanced down at her dripping straw sandals, her brows furrowing deeply. "Take these off. How can you wear them when they're soaked? Do you want to ruin your legs?"

Yang Xiaoye awkwardly shrank her feet.

"It's alright, Auntie, I'm not cold. I'll dry it after walking around for a bit."

"Take it off." Song Xianglan said sternly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Yang Xiaoye dared not disobey, so she obediently took off her straw sandals and stepped barefoot onto the dry straw mat.

Song Xianglan turned and went into the inner room.

I pulled out a pair of slightly worn cotton shoes from the closet.

These are the shoes she left in the workshop, just in case they get wet and she has time to change into them.

The upper is made of black corduroy, and it's stuffed with cotton, making it very thick.

"Try them on," Song Xianglan said, handing the shoes to Yang Xiaoye.

Yang Xiaoye looked at the clean shoes and waved her hands frantically.

"No, no, Auntie, I can't take it."

"Just wear it, why are you arguing?" Song Xianglan pretended to be angry. "It's a bit tight on my feet. If you don't wear it, I'll throw it into the stove to burn as fuel."

Yang Xiaoye heard that it was going to be burned.

Only after washing his feet clean did he carefully slip them inside.

The warmth of the cotton instantly enveloped her icy feet, making her feel so comfortable that she almost groaned out loud.

"Perfect." Song Xianglan nodded in satisfaction.

Yang Xiaoye's eyes were red.

He was about to kneel down again when Song Xianglan grabbed him.

"Why do you kneel down so easily, child?"

"Aunt Song, how much are these shoes? I... I'll pay you back when I get my wages," Yang Xiaoye said, her voice choked with emotion, but her eyes were firm. "I can't take your things for nothing."

This kid is tough.

Song Xianglan felt a pang of sadness, but said, "Why give me money? Old shoes aren't worth much. If you insist on giving me money, just be more efficient at your work in the future."

Yang Xiaoye nodded emphatically, took off her cloth shoes and hugged them to her chest, reluctant to wear them dirty. She went barefoot to get a broom to sweep the yard.

"Hey, you little rascal, get dressed and get to work."

Song Xianglan couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she simply stopped trying and turned to go into the kitchen.

There was a red bean, longan, and red date soup simmering in the pot, which was a snack for the workers.

She filled a large bowl.

I took another half pound of sponge cake and wrapped it in parchment paper.

"Come and have something hot," Song Xianglan called to Yang Xiaoye.

Yang Xiaoye sat down somewhat awkwardly, took a sip of the sweet red bean soup, and felt the warmth flow down her throat into her stomach. Tears, uncontrollably, fell into the bowl again.

I finished a bowl.

Song Xianglan stuffed the bag of sponge cakes into her arms.

"Auntie, take this sponge cake back with you and share it with your brother. Bring your bedding first thing tomorrow morning and settle down here."

Yang Xiaoye hugged the bag of warm chicken cakes and nodded vigorously.

"Um!"

When I stepped out of the workshop, the sea breeze was still strong.

It doesn't seem so cold today.