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

The door was suddenly flung open, and the wind from the door flaps hit the person outside in the face.

Standing at the door was Zhang Haiyan, her face streaked with tears and her hair disheveled.

"Auntie!" Zhang Haiyan grabbed Song Xianglan's sleeve. "My mother... my mother is missing."

Song Xianglan's heart skipped a beat, and she reached out to support the swaying Zhang Haiyan.

"Speak clearly. What's wrong with Da Hua?"

"Zhu Zi... that heartless bastard argued with Mom." Zhang Haiyan sobbed uncontrollably. "He said Mom was shameless, that she was sorry to Dad who went to the other side of the strait, that Mom was a slut at her age, and that she had... had an affair with Liu Yidao. He said Mom had disgraced the Huang family."

"They even said that in the past, someone like Mom would have been kneeling at the entrance of the ancestral hall."

Upon hearing this, Song Xianglan was furious.

"What utter nonsense from the Huang family ancestors!" Song Xianglan spat. "I knew Zhu Zi's brain wasn't even as big as a fly's dropping. Did he see Da Hua and Liu Yidao in bed together?"

"No...no."

Zhang Haiyan wiped away her tears, "Uncle Liu brought pork to our house during the Spring Festival, and Mom did return the favor by giving us some seafood."

As a result, the family of Uncle Liu's godson wentssip and told Zhu Zi that his mother wanted to take over Uncle Liu's property.

"Zhu Zi is stubborn. You know he thinks that unless his father-in-law dies, Mom will have to live as a widow until she dies, saying it's an old family rule."

"This kid's asking for it, I'm going to beat him up for Da Hua." Song Xianglan tucked the flashlight into her bosom, turned around and shouted into the house, "Hui Jun, lock the door, and put your bowls and chopsticks on the table after you've finished eating."

"Mom, where are you going?" Shen Huijun poked her head out.

"I'm going to your Aunt Hua's house."

After saying that, she grabbed Zhang Haiyan and started walking out.

"Let's split up and search. You go to the abandoned kiln at the east end of the village, and I'll go to the Waiting-for-Husband Rock. I know Da Hua's personality; when she's wronged, she can only go to those two places."

The sea breeze howled.

The sound of the waves at night sounds like ghosts wailing.

Song Xianglan ran towards the rocky shore, her steps uneven.

The area is full of jagged rocks, and you could easily twist your ankle if you're not careful.

The beam of the flashlight swayed wildly on the dark sea, and nothing could be seen except for the white waves.

"Liu Dahua, you good-for-nothing old hag! Where have you been?" Song Xianglan shouted at the top of her lungs, but her voice was instantly torn apart by the sea breeze.

"If you have the guts, beat your unfilial son to death."

"A new handsome old man comes back every year, specifically to kiss next to the Huang family's ancestral graves. Let the coffin lids of the Huang family ancestors play music for you."

no respond.

Undeterred, she continued to feel her way down the largest rock in the "waiting-for-husband" formation.

The flashlight beam swept across a wet, dark shadow; Liu Dahua was huddled behind the sharp rock closest to the sea.

Waves crashed over her one after another, soaking her completely.

Liu Dahua stared intently at the churning black water like a stone, her body still sliding down.

"You're asking for trouble."

Song Xianglan rushed down in a few steps, ignoring the pain from the oyster shells cutting her feet, and grabbed Liu Dahua by the back of her collar, pulling her back with all her might.

"Let me go...let me die..." Liu Dahua's voice was hoarse, her body heavy and lifeless. "I don't want to live anymore...I raised a son who points his finger at me and calls me a slut...what's the point of me living..."

"Snapped!"

Song Xianglan raised her hand and slapped Liu Dahua hard across the back.

"You good-for-nothing, if you want to die, I'll let go right now." Song Xianglan cursed louder than the sound of waves, "For a brainless ingrate who can't understand human language, you're going to feed this old body to fish?"

If Huang Zhuzi doesn't want you to get married, will you just refuse?

"How come Huang Guoping can marry a mistress and have a brood of kids over there, while you're stuck here upholding your chastity for him?"

Liu Dahua shuddered and burst into tears:

"I have no relationship with Liu Yidao. Although I've been on several blind dates, I haven't met anyone suitable... Zhuzi said that if I remarry, he'll lose face in the village..."

"When has he ever raised his head? If he can't, he walks with his head down."

The Huang family is so poor they have to patch their underwear; they can't even afford a pig's trotter to offer at their ancestors' graves. What kind of face do they care about?

Song Xianglan gripped Liu Dahua's wrist tightly, dragging her uphill. "Look at the widow village over at Dongshan Commune. How many men went to the other side back then?"

When communication resumes, they will all return with their concubines and children to acknowledge their ancestors.

They would not acknowledge their original wife, who stayed at home to fulfill their filial duties and see their parents off in their final days.

Liu Dahua slumped onto the reef.

The seawater and tears on my face mixed together, making it taste salty and bitter.

"Are the women in our area really that worthless?" Liu Dahua pounded her chest. "I risked my life at sea like a man to raise him, and in the end, I'm not even as good as my father, whom I never met."

"The roots are rotten; no amount of watering will help."

Song Xianglan sat down next to her, not minding the cold ground, and said, "Look at Yang Jianjun, he's a wolf cub that can't be tamed."

Look at how hard Xiangdong suffered as a child, but he had a good heart. It has nothing to do with how he was taught; it's because the seed (his character and upbringing) was flawed.

Liu Dahua sniffed and buried her face in her knees.

"Lanlan, I envy you so much, having such a sweet daughter and a son and daughter-in-law."

"Don't envy me, I've figured out life."

Song Xianglan took a handkerchief out of her pocket and threw it to her, saying, "I think Liu Yidao is quite good."

He was a bit rough around the edges, and the butcher had a terrible temper.

But he's very protective of his own. If something really happens, he'll grab a butcher's knife and rush to the front to beat people up for you.

Just imagine sending Liu Yidao to beat up those gossipy bastards from the Huang family, stirring up trouble at their ancestral graves every now and then—wouldn't that be awesome?

Liu Dahua took a handkerchief and blew her nose.

His old face, flushed purple by the sea breeze, felt slightly hot.

"Don't talk nonsense... When Liu Yidao was young, he used to be chasing after you."

Song Xianglan rolled her eyes, not caring whether the other person could see her in the dark.

"When I was young, I had so many suitors, they could line up from one end of the village to the other. But I was blind and picked the worst scumbag after all."

This is what you call targeted poverty alleviation. I'm very accurate at judging other people's partners, but not at judging my own.

Another big wave crashed in.

The icy water splashed all over their faces.

Song Xianglan wiped her face. "Alright, you've cried enough and vented your anger enough. Hurry up and come back with me. If you keep blowing your own horn, you'll either jump into the sea or die of typhoid fever tomorrow."

Liu Dahua's legs were too weak to stand up.

Song Xianglan supported one of her arms.

"Let's go back and settle accounts with Zhu Zi. I want to see whether the Huang family's rules are tougher or my fists are tougher."

"Stop being so coy with Liu Yidao. Go find him if you need to, and infuriate those bastards who're just waiting to eat your spoils."

Liu Dahua's body was still trembling.

But that suicidal impulse had dissipated.

She leaned on Song Xianglan, as if she had found her pillar of support.

The two walked back, stumbling along the path. Song Xianglan was seething with anger, and the beam of her flashlight danced wildly in the night.

"Lanlan, thank you."

"Thanks my ass. If you dare to act like you're going to kill yourself again, I'll make sure you don't have peace even in death." Song Xianglan cursed, her steps steady and firm. "Dahua, only you can truly care for yourself. Whoever makes you unhappy, make them even more unhappy."

The lights of the distant village flickered on and off.

Song Xianglan gritted her teeth, mentally tearing that idiot Zhu Zi into pieces three hundred times over.

This isn't over tonight.

She was determined to pry open that kid's skull to see if it was full of shit.