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

Song Xianglan threw Fang Lanhua out the door and dusted off her hands.

Stepping through the courtyard gate, he slammed the wooden door shut behind him.

Outside, Fang Lanhua's cursing and sobbing could be heard, along with the sound of Liu Chounu pulling her aside to gossip.

Song Xianglan turned around and went back into the house.

Liu Yukun was looking down, grabbing the bowl and stuffing mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

He chewed very hard, his cheek muscles bulging with each chew.

Fu Bao sat in the baby chair that Song Xianglan had specially made by a carpenter. He reached out his chubby little hand, grabbed a rib from the plate, and held it straight in front of Liu Yukun's face.

Youbao was not to be outdone.

He grabbed a handful of white rice and smeared it on Liu Yukun's face.

"Second-rate."

Liu Yukun felt a lump in his throat, and his eyes became bloodshot.

He hummed softly, wiped the rice off his face with one hand and ate it, then took the bone that Fu Bao handed him and started gnawing on it.

Song Tingting took the spoon.

I ladled a large bowl of Bidens pilosa and lean pork soup for him and placed it beside him: "I told you you should have built the house last year. You must build it this year, so you can be the master of your own destiny."

"Don't get involved with them."

"Eat quickly." Song Xianglan picked up her rice bowl. "After you finish eating, go to the brigade headquarters to do some serious business."

Everyone noticeably sped up their eating.

Song Xianglan changed into a short-sleeved jacket, slung a huge canvas bag across her chest, and strode out of the courtyard.

After finishing his meal, Wang Zhihe hurried home so he could go with his family to divide the land.

He didn't want to go home so early, afraid his mother would nag him to find another wife soon.

Song Tingting and Shen Huijun stayed in the main room to clean up the dishes.

Song Tingting wiped the table with a rag. "Sister-in-law, let's wash quickly. On this big day of dividing up the land, there's bound to be a fight at the brigade headquarters."

At the mention of fighting, Shen Huijun moved even faster.

The two dried their hands, carried the child out, and locked the door.

Lin Gang's wife next door was eating pumpkin seeds as she walked towards the brigade headquarters.

Today, the land is being distributed, and the workshops are closed for a break.

Lin Gang's wife spat out the sunflower seed shells, "The two brothers, Da Mu and Yang Xiaoye, have also been allocated land."

Song Tingting stopped.

"Didn't the Yang family cause any trouble? Didn't they seize Xiaoye and her siblings' land?"

"Thanks to the old Party Secretary's words," Lin Gang's wife said, pursing her lips. "The old Party Secretary said in front of the whole village that Xiaoye and her brother had recognized Zhang Qin as their godmother."

From now on, the Zhang family will be responsible for cultivating this land. The old Party Secretary's family is large and powerful, and given his prestige, the Yang family didn't dare utter a single word.

The three of them turned onto the village road.

Anxi Yang was sweeping the yard.

Shen Huijun went over and called out, "Xiyang, let's go to the brigade headquarters to check on the land allocation."

Anxi Yang gripped the broom handle tightly and shook her head repeatedly.

She was afraid that Zhou's mother would cause trouble and make a scene in front of many people, and that the villagers would enjoy watching the spectacle and mock her.

"I'm afraid..."

Unlike Shen Huijun, An Xiyang didn't like this place.

Shen Huijun grabbed her wrist and dragged her out, "What are you afraid of! I've recently learned a lot of swear words from my mom, and now I'm incredibly strong."

"I just need an opportunity to step in. Today, whoever dares to mess with you, I'll verbally abuse them until they can't find their way back."

*

On the drying ground in front of the brigade headquarters.

Two peeling desks were placed together at the front, with a row of wooden chairs behind them.

The captain sat imposingly in the middle, a lit cigarette between his fingers in his left hand. Two unlit cigarettes were tucked behind his ears. Seven or eight cigarettes of various brands were scattered on the table.

A long string of ash hung from the cigarette butt, and he flicked it off with his finger.

The Party Secretary sat on the other side, drinking tea from an enamel mug.

The accountant sat down next to him and opened the thick ledger.

Several militiamen carrying guns stood straight behind them.

Several of the village's most senior men sat on a long bench to the side, each with a cigarette in hand, puffing away. These old guys were there specifically to keep the atmosphere quiet.

The old Party Secretary was also sitting in the middle.

Those without land all crowded on the periphery, craning their necks to watch the spectacle.

The captain raised the megaphone, and the sound blared deafeningly:

"Villagers' land use rights are leased for ten years, and automatically renewed upon expiration with payment. If the lease expires, it will be given to someone else. Wasteland and mountain land have thirty-year usage rights, and fishponds and beaches have ten-year usage rights. As long as you pay, the land will belong to your family indefinitely."

Song Tingting and her group had just reached the outer perimeter.

All eyes in the village turned to them.

"Song Tingting is here too. She's the first real college student in our village, and she's a female college student."

"Song, the pig butcher, is really lucky. His son became an officer after joining the army, and his daughter was the first female college student."

Some villagers jokingly expressed their envy:

"Tingting is the first female college student in Qingyang in decades. If she becomes a high-ranking official in the future, remember to help our fellow villagers."

Some people were sour, saying, "If anyone should help, it should be Yang Jianjun; after all, they're brothers."

Song Xianglan glanced sideways at them and immediately launched into a tirade in the direction of the voice: "What kind of brother are you? Did you drink some kind of suppository today, and now you're spewing out filth?"

"You can find money or trash, but I've never heard of picking up a bastard child born from a mistress and treating him as a brother."

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"My Meizhen will also study hard in the future and try to get into university."

"With Tingting as a role model, my three daughters won't drop out of school either. They'll study as far as they can, but if they repeat a grade, they won't have the chance to continue their studies."

"I also told my daughter."

The villagers started talking about the girls' education again.

Zhou Fang quickly pulled out a few packs of Changshou cigarettes from his pocket, unpacked them, and handed them out to the men around him. "Come on, everyone, share one."

I took the cigarette.

The surrounding chatter subsided.

Huang Ronghua and his wife had just contracted a piece of wasteland.

Song Xianglan strode to the desk, unzipped the canvas bag on her chest, and took out a large stack of ten-yuan notes, placing them on the table. "I want all fifteen acres of wasteland around the processing workshop. Here's ten thousand yuan."

A bald man was so envious he was jumping up and down.

"Why should it all go to Song Xianglan?"

The brigade leader rolled his eyes. "According to brigade rules, bidding is allowed. Fifteen mu of land costs ten thousand yuan. You bid eleven thousand yuan and take it immediately."

The bald man shrank his neck and muttered:

"Why would I spend eleven thousand to buy that desolate land?"

The captain pointed at his bald head and cursed:

"Then what are you so envious of? You get jealous when you see others eating meat, but your back aches when it's your turn to work. You're like a little devil yawning under the King of Hell, all talk and no action."

The villagers burst into laughter again.

"Wang Laowu, don't be jealous. If you're so capable, you go and do it yourself. You can buy ten acres of land too."

"Ten mu of land won't do. Let's wait two more years until Wang Laowu's eldest daughter gets married and we get the dowry. Then we'll have enough money to contract two mu."

Take advantage of the lively atmosphere.

Liu Yukun, Wang Zhihe, and Zhou Fangquan squeezed to the front of the table.

Before we arrived, Song Xianglan had instructed us to buy as much land as possible if we had the money, and to contract wasteland, hilltops, or even beaches.

Huang Ronghua, Zhou Fang, and the other three took out their money and snatched up a significant portion of the remaining wasteland.

They are not the only families in the village with the money to contract out projects.

They would pool their money to contract land, because in the eyes of rural people, land is their lifeline.

Even contracting two or three acres is a way to build a family business for one's children and grandchildren.

Song Xianglan continued to take out money.

Bundles of cash were slammed onto the table.

"I've contracted the entire hillside where my family grows longan trees at the west end of the village, as well as the ten acres of beach outside."

Looking at the mountain of banknotes piled up on the table.

Someone in the crowd gritted their teeth with envy, "Old Song used Wang Dahai's money to contract the land. Song the butcher got rich thanks to Wang Dahai."

In the eyes of some villagers.

The money used to build Song Xianglan's house, pay for Song Tingting's schooling, and cover all daily expenses and other costs was the compensation money Zhang Yujuan had given her.

The person next to him chimed in:

"Wang Cong's family didn't even have the money to contract wasteland anymore. I heard that after Zhang Yujuan came back, Wang Dahai went to work on a boat again through connections."

Song Xianglan grabbed the canvas bag.

He pointed at the man's face and yelled, "Open your two shit-hole eyes and see how much money is here!"

Has Wang Dahai ever seen so much money in his life? How much money has his mother lost raising Zhang Yujuan's illegitimate child, getting him married, and losing everything in the process?

The more she cursed, the angrier she became, and she pointed out of the village.

"I feel so cheated just thinking about it. Tomorrow I'm going to Yang Dashan's grave to have a chat with him. I'll make him come to you in the middle of the night and have a good talk with him, and see if I've really gotten the short end of the stick."

The man was so frightened that he took two steps back and stammered his reply:

"Old Song... I was just kidding."

Song Xianglan scoffed coldly: "That damned Yang Dashan likes to joke too. Perfect, it's been a long time since I've gone to his grave to throw dung and curse him."