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

The next morning, Huang Ronghua's wife and An Xiyang entered the Song family's gate in the morning light.

The adults from both families chatted in the courtyard, while the children had already gathered in a group.

Fu Bao and You Bao are young, as are Wang Zhihe's daughter, Xiao Ya. The three little kids became the focus of care for the older children.

A group of little kids were running around the yard, their giggles startling the sparrows in the trees.

He caused trouble in the yard a few times and was yelled at by Huang Ronghua's wife.

"Huang Yitian, you guys go out and have some fun."

Huang Yitian and Erbao ran out of the yard, laughing and shouting. Baogen, no longer arrogant and domineering, followed behind them, carrying a small stick.

Daya held Xiaoya in her arms, "Baogen, slow down."

Da Bao led the way, holding Fu Bao's hand in one hand and You Bao and Huang Yi Qing's hands in the other.

In front of the Song family's courtyard was a large open space, and further ahead was a vegetable garden belonging to a family in the village.

Several children ran to a small muddy pond in front of the open space and played in the water.

Song Xianglan picked up a large bamboo basket from the corner of the wall and then picked up a wooden bucket.

We headed straight for the seaside harbor.

The morning tide has just receded.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, went straight into my nostrils.

Fishing boats that had gone out to sea gradually docked, and the open space in front of the typhoon shelter was filled with freshly caught fish, shrimp, crabs and shellfish.

The valuable goods had already been taken away by the commune's fishmongers.

The rest were all laid out on the ground and sold individually.

Many villagers from the surrounding area come here to buy some cheap seafood, and the fishermen don't stay here for very long.

If they aren't sold in another hour, they'll be taken to the commune.

Song Xianglan caught sight of Huang San returning in his in-laws' boat and strode over: "Huang San, what good stuff did you keep in the hold today?"

Huang San was looking down at the net.

Hearing the voice, he looked up and grinned, "Old Song is here. I specially saved two stonefish and a big Dongxing for you. If you buy them all, I won't give them to those stingy fishmongers in the commune."

Song Xianglan peeked into the cabin.

Stonefish may be a bit ugly, but stewing it with garlic cloves, tofu, and mustard greens is absolutely delicious.

Sliced ​​Da Dongxing fish can be used to make sauerkraut fish, braised fish, or stewed fish in a clay pot – all are hearty dishes.

"I'll take them all."

Song Xianglan took out some money and handed it over, saying, "Get me some straw rope to string it up."

Huang San's wife was carrying a small half-bucket of clams and snails. "Old Song, I just dug these up from the nearby reef. Give me a dollar or two to take back and boil them as a snack."

"Pour it into my bucket."

Song Xianglan accepted all who came.

She also browsed the stalls next door.

Stone goose has many thorns, so it's good for making clear soup.

Leafy fish and ribbonfish are the most flavorful when cooked in soy sauce.

Three catties of sandworms were used to stir-fry with green peppers.

We also caught a few pomfret and filefish.

"Old Song, these fresh swimming crabs are just here, wanna have some?" Several fishermen nearby, seeing her spending money like water, enthusiastically invited her to join in.

Song Xianglan turned her head and saw that the swimming crabs in the net were all plump and waving their claws.

She walked over, reached out and pinched the crab legs. "Pick ten for me, take the biggest ones."

"Okay."

Less than an hour.

Song Xianglan's basket was full.

The bucket is full.

Their hands were red from the bindings, but they returned home laden with their spoils.

The aroma of oil wafted from the Song family's kitchen.

Huang Ronghua's wife is indeed a skilled worker; she chopped all kinds of side dishes, scallions, ginger, and garlic and arranged them on the cutting board.

"Godmother, you bought a Dragon King Temple?" Huang Ronghua's wife peeked out and quickly took the bucket.

Song Xianglan rolled up her sleeves and washed her hands. "Eat to your heart's content today."

Huang Ronghua's wife: "Huijun, the braised pork you and Xiao An make is the best. You two should make braised pork and sweet and sour pork ribs."

"Alright!" the two readily agreed.

Huang Ronghua took a large taro, peeled it, cut it into chunks, and fried it in oil to make the outer skin. It would be the most fragrant ingredient for stewing pig's feet.

The men, unable to help in the kitchen, gathered in the yard smoking and chatting.

Zhou Fang led Wang Zhihe and Huang Ronghua to Liu Yukun's backyard.

Crops grew on the homestead, and four men stood by the roadside, pointing out the landscape and discussing which side to open the gate on and which side to dig the well on.

Wang Zhihe slapped his thigh, calculating that in a few years he would save enough money to build two large red brick houses.

Song Xianglan moved a small stool and sat under the big banyan tree in the courtyard.

He took a few pickled mandarins from the jar on the stone table, popped them into his mouth, and chewed them with a crunching sound.

The Indian gooseberry is both sour and sweet, with a slightly astringent taste, and it is refreshing and appetizing.

The sun was directly overhead.

All the food in the kitchen is ready.

Several women cooking together, they have endless gossip and jokes to share.

Song Xianglan walked to the courtyard gate, cupped her hands to her mouth, and shouted at the top of her lungs:

"Dinner's ready."

A commotion arose from the other side of the mud pit. "Stop playing! Stop playing! Grandma Song is calling for dinner!"

The children ran back in a flurry.

Youbao was covered in mud, and he and Wang Zhihe's little girl were smearing mud on each other's feet.

Da Bao rushed over, scooped You Bao up, and ran back. "You Bao, your mom's going to spank you later!"

Youbao's little face was all scrunched up.

Huang Yiqing quickly picked up Fu Bao and followed. Wang Zhihe's two younger children, while pulling up their pants, chased after them, shouting, "Big Brother Bao, slow down, wait for me!"

Youbao was met with a roar from Shen Huijun, who was so angry that she lost her gentle smile and threw him naked into a basin for a bath.

After taking a bath, Youbao refused to put on clothes and tried to climb onto the chair naked.

Shen Huijun pulled a pair of shorts from the clothesline in the yard and put them on Youbao. "You're so shy. If you don't wear shorts, the geese will eat your peanuts."

Two tables were set up in the courtyard.

Children sit at one table, and adults sit at another.

There was a fan in the main room, but everyone still felt that eating under the shade of a tree was more enjoyable.

All the dishes on the children's table were to their liking: steamed egg with minced meat was tender, fried meatballs, and a large plate of sweet and sour pork ribs that looked and smelled delicious.

In addition, there was a plate of sweet and sour taro paste, a large plate of boiled shrimp, braised pork, and salt and pepper shredded fish. The main dish was seafood fried rice served in an enamel basin, with golden rice grains, eggs, shrimp, and scallops mixed together, and a fragrant aroma.

The adults' table was filled with elaborate dishes.

Two ways to prepare swimming crab: stir-fried with ginger and scallions, or steamed.

Stonefish and tofu soup is topped with vibrant green mustard greens. Stonefish and ginger soup.

Da Dongxing cut it in half; one half was braised in soy sauce, and the other half was cooked with pickled fish.

Stir-fried sandworms with green peppers, leafy fish and ribbonfish in soy sauce, braised pork belly in rich and dark sauce, tender and fall-off-the-bone braised taro with pig's feet, casserole with black bean sauce for pomfret, pan-fried skinned fish, stir-fried clams with chili, and blanched bitter snails.

There's almost no room left on the table.

Song Xianglan took two clean, large bowls and filled them with two cooked swimming crabs.

He ladled out a full bowl of stonefish and mustard green soup, took it out, and delivered it to the ugly woman next door.

Neighbors naturally want to share good things.

When I returned, the wine had already been poured.

Zhou Fang brought out a large wine jar, opened the seal, and a rich aroma of wine mixed with fruit wafted out.

A full twelve catties of bayberry wine.

"I'm so happy today, pour wine for everyone at the table." Zhou Fang took a wine glass and filled it up for everyone.

Huang Ronghua's wife picked up the bowl, took a sip, and smacked her lips:

"This bayberry wine is sweet and easy to drink, but it has a strong aftereffect; you can easily get drunk without realizing it."

An Xiyang used to occasionally have a little bayberry wine with Zhou Fang at home; she also liked it. She and Song Tingting each poured half a bowl.

Several stray cats in the village followed the smell of seafood and crept to the base of the wall.

Huang Yiqing had only taken a couple of bites of rice when she rushed off to feed Fubao egg custard. After feeding Fubao, she picked up the gnawed bones and fed them to the cat in the corner.

She was the busiest person there, this cat-loving girl.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

The men started talking non-stop.

Zhou Fang and Wang Zhihe started playing a finger-guessing game.

Their voices were all incredibly loud.

The commotion and the toasting made the courtyard more lively than a stage.

After finishing a piece of pig's trotter, Song Xianglan also became interested. "Zhou Fang, I'll play a couple of rounds with you."

Zhou Fang's eyes lit up. "Godmother, you can do this too?"

Song Xianglan rolled up her sleeves: "I played plenty of drinking games at the slaughterhouse."

The two men's fists flew up and down, and they shouted loudly.

Song Xianglan reacted very quickly, and in the end Zhou Fang was defeated, drinking a large bowl of bayberry wine with a bitter face.

Shen Huijun and An Xiyang sat beside them with their rice bowls, their eyes wide open, unable to make out what gestures the two were making.

"Mom's hands are moving so fast, my eyes can't keep up." Shen Huijun swallowed.

Song Tingting covered her mouth and laughed, "I've watched people play rock-paper-scissors since I was a child, but I've never even gotten the hang of it."

Huang Ronghua's wife chewed on sandworms, pointing at her husband who was red-faced and thick-necked from losing, and laughed.

"I can do it too, but I'm just a half-baked player. I'm just there to make up the numbers and get punished. Look at my husband, he lost again."

"Sister-in-law, Ronghua's face is all red from drinking. Aren't you going to try to stop him?" An Xiyang asked in a low voice.

Huang Ronghua's wife waved her hand, "What's there to persuade him about? If I make him put down his wine bowl now, he might turn on me. It's rare for the brothers to get together. If he drinks himself into a stupor, that's fine. I'll just carry him home."

A large jar of bayberry wine weighing twelve catties was completely drunk up by this group of people.

Not a single drop was left.

Zhou Fang let out a burp, his eyes shining, "Godmother, we're not done yet, let's open another jar."

"You've downed all twelve catties of wine. If you drink any more, you'll be climbing on the roof and tearing the tiles off the house. Sit down and eat some more food. Tingting, take that pot of soup to the stove and heat it up. Give each of them a big bowl to help them sober up."

Song Tingting and Huang Ronghua's wife each brought a bowl of soup into the kitchen.

Several people wanted to protest, saying, "Give us another two or three pounds."

Song Xianglan glared at them: "After you finish your soup and have a couple of bites of rice, all of you get out of here and go wash the dishes. Wipe the table clean and sweep the floor. Let us women sit here quietly and have a cup of tea."

Zhou Fang, Wang Zhi, and the others were intimidated by her imposing aura.

I'm half sober now.

They immediately stood up straight and shouted in unison, "Follow orders!"

The women burst into laughter.

A few days later.

Wang Zhihe, Liu Yukun, and Huang Ronghua returned to Haishi together.

Zhou Fang rented out the land allocated to his family to one of his uncles for cultivation, leaving the wasteland to be reclaimed by Song Xianglan together. He then took his family back to the new city.

Song Tingting and Shen Huijun packed their bags and returned to the new city with Fubao and Youbao.

Song Tingting transferred buses in Xincheng to go to Beijing.

The Song family compound, which had been bustling for several days, suddenly fell silent.