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

The two put down their bowls and chopsticks and headed straight for the Beijing Railway Station.

Upon arriving at the freight station, I inquired and learned that the goods had arrived two days prior.

With his silver tongue and his status as an overseas Chinese, Chen Zui had virtually no trouble getting around the train station.

He opened his briefcase, took out a pack of cigarettes, and pulled out a few silk handkerchiefs, then pushed them directly onto his desk.

"Thank you all for your trouble, everyone. This is just a small token; please share it."

A tall, slender girl's eyes lit up. She grabbed the silk scarf and rubbed it in her hands. It was silky smooth and cool to the touch. "Wow, this material is so fine. It must be from an overseas Chinese store, right?"

"Sister, you have excellent taste. I brought this from overseas; the material is better than what you get at overseas Chinese stores."

Chen Zui leaned against the table and said, "To be honest, my godmother just got a batch of imported goods. A TV, a double-door refrigerator, a dual-cassette recorder, a washing machine, a rice cooker, a pressure cooker... and clothes, shoes, socks and other small items."

If you have any friends who want to buy this, please recommend it to me.

Chen Zui held up one finger, "For every successful referral, you get a commission. That's the rule of doing business internationally."

The tall, slender girl clutched the silk scarf tightly.

"Do I get a commission for referring relatives to buy?"

Everyone else pricked up their ears, eager to know if there was a commission, which would be extra income.

"Of course there is, this is called monetizing your network. Don't you have to spend money to maintain relationships? It's like a hidden investment for you." Chen Zui immediately launched into a string of business insights.

Several older men gathered around, clearly fascinated by the foreign cigarettes.

"Young man, what's up with that washing machine you mentioned earlier?"

Song Xianglan, who was standing next to her, chimed in, "For a single-tub washing machine, you just put the clothes in, pour in some detergent, press a button, and you don't have to worry about it anymore."

If you add a dehydrator, you can take it out and air it for less than half a day before wearing it.

And then there's the rice cooker. You rinse the rice, pour it in, add water, plug it in, and it cooks the rice itself. You don't need anyone to stand by the stove and eat ashes.

The people at the train station stared wide-eyed at what they heard.

Can you wash clothes and cook without anyone doing anything?

This has become a divine object.

"I think I heard that they sell them in big department stores, but you need connections and foreign exchange certificates to buy them," a man said after thinking for a while.

"Where would we get foreign exchange certificates if we wanted to buy them?"

Chen Zui patted his chest confidently, "We don't use foreign exchange certificates here. Some prices are the same as in shopping malls, and some are even 90% cheaper."

Several people surrounded the two, asking them all sorts of questions.

Women are interested in rice cookers, pressure cookers, and washing machines.

Men are interested in dual cassette recorders, game consoles, and televisions.

The most quick-witted young officer was Xiao Luo. Without saying a word, he ran out, called over a large truck, and pushed a driver named Hu Zi in front of him.

"Auntie, Tiger is a steady driver, let him help you haul the goods over," Xiao Luo thoughtfully suggested.

"Thank you so much, Comrade Luo. You've been a great help to us. I often have goods sent from Qingyang. If you need anything in the future, just let me know, and don't hesitate to ask your auntie for help."

Xiao Luo readily agreed.

The goods were loaded onto the truck, and the truck drove into the Locust Alley.

The truck was parked between two spacious courtyard houses.

Chen Zui pointed to the door diagonally opposite, "I bought that one, and Tingting bought this one."

Song Xianglan took out her key and pushed open the door.

Tiger helped carry the cardboard boxes into the yard.

Looking up and sweeping across the house, I gasped in shock.

"Auntie, you've really made a grand impression renting this courtyard. These days, every courtyard house is crammed with dozens of families, leaving no room to even step. Yet this courtyard hasn't been damaged at all."

"They say it was taken a liking to by a leader back then, and the courtyard is very well preserved," Chen Zui replied.

Song Xianglan readily took out twenty yuan and gave it to Hu Zi.

Tiger was overjoyed to receive the money and worked even harder.

Song Xianglan stood in the courtyard, looking around.

With its carved beams and painted rafters, covered walkways, and a rockery in one corner, next to a delicate little lotus pond, this house exudes a grandeur and sophistication that is far beyond the reach of ordinary families.

Chen Zui came over to explain:

"The original owner of this house returned from the Northwest a few years ago. He was eager to go to the United States for medical treatment and was in a hurry to get rid of the property."

He was very picky about buyers, afraid that someone would ruin the house.

Tingting happened to know a lot about ancient architecture and spoke eloquently about cultural relics. Plus, with my overseas connections acting as guarantor, the homeowner finally agreed to sell to her.

Song Xianglan pushed open the door to the main room.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The room was not only spacious, but also furnished with a complete set of huanghuali wood armchairs and zitan wood mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture. The porcelain vases and jade basins of various sizes on the display shelves gleamed with a lustrous sheen in the light from the window.

"Did you move all of this here?" Song Xianglan turned and glared at Chen Zui.

Chen Zui shrugged and laughed carefree, "Some of these are things I found to give you as a gift, and the rest were bought by my little sister Tingting herself."

Song Xianglan's face hardened. "Even between brothers, accounts should be kept clear. I'll give you the money."

Chen Zui's face immediately fell, and he clutched his chest, crying out:

"Godmother, mentioning money is like ripping my heart out. I'm so poor all I have left in this life is money."

My dad has to fawn over me and ask for money whenever he sees me; this life is really tasteless.

I love your temper; you scold me when you need to, you hit me when you need to—that's what makes a family warm and loving. Unlike my father, who had absolutely no warmth in him.

Song Xianglan's lips twitched.

This kid definitely wasn't beaten enough in his childhood, and he's developed a lot of fussiness now that he's grown up.

I can't be bothered with him.

Song Xianglan picked out two dual-cassette recorders and had Chen Zui carry them.

She carried a rice cooker in one hand and a pressure cooker in the other. "Let's go back to our old courtyard."

Back in the courtyard.

Song Xianglan put the tape recorder into the room.

First, I unwrapped the rice cooker.

He took out the inner pot, scooped out two large bowls of rice, and went to the water trough in the yard to wash it.

"Chen Zui, go to the alley entrance and get two jin of beef ribs. I'll make you a curry beef rib soup tonight," Song Xianglan shouted.

Chen Zuigang rolled up his sleeves and waved his hands upon hearing this.

"Godmother, beef ribs are so hard to stew. If we put them in the pot now, we won't be able to eat them until midnight."

Song Xianglan patted the gleaming pressure cooker beside her. "With a pressure cooker, I guarantee you can have meat in half an hour."

Aunt Wu from next door brought out a handful of cowpeas.

His eyes widened when he saw the tools in Song Xianglan's hands.

"Hey girl, what's that treasure you're holding?"

Song Xianglan put the inner pot of the rice cooker into the pot. "Rice cooker. Department stores are always out of stock. Without inside connections, you can't even get in line."

She carried the rice cooker to the kitchen and pulled an extension cord out of the house.

Plug it in and press the cook button.

Hearing the commotion, Grandpa Liu, Grandma Shen, and Sister Wang all rushed out of the house and gathered around.

"Is that all?"

Aunt Wu stared at the red light on the pot with a look of suspicion on her face.

"Alright, the rice will be ready once the dishes are on the table." Song Xianglan clapped her hands, moved a small stool to the middle of the courtyard, and started picking vegetables.

Aunt Wu and several neighbors looked at each other in bewilderment.

When cooking, not only do you get choked by soot while fanning the flames, but you also have to keep a close eye on it to prevent the food from burning.

This young lady is really something, she just pressed a button and then ignored it?

Not long after.

Chen Zui ran back carrying a beef rib with blood streaks.

Song Xianglan ran next door to borrow a wood-chopping axe, and with a few "clangs," chopped the beef ribs into even square pieces.

Wash away the blood with water and set up the iron pot directly on the honeycomb briquette stove in the yard.

Heat a pan, add sesame oil, and then add ginger slices and sizzle them.

Add the beef ribs and stir-fry until the skin tightens and changes color.

Song Xianglan deftly poured in curry powder, satay powder, two large spoonfuls of thick peanut sauce, followed by a toss of light and dark soy sauce.

The aroma instantly filled the courtyard.

Then add cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, etc., and stir-fry.

The pot was bubbling and boiling.

Song Xianglan picked up the iron pot and poured the entire pot of meat broth into the pressure cooker next to her.

Pour boiling water into the thermos, cover it with the thick lid, tighten it, and then flip the small gas valve upwards.

Pick up the pressure cooker and place it steadily on the coal stove.

Song Xianglan turned around and washed some coriander, then quickly made a cold salad.

At this moment, all the families in the courtyard gathered around the stove with their vegetables, craning their necks and staring intently at the silvery-white pressure cooker.

He kept an eye on the vegetables while picking them.

Grandpa Liu took a bite of his cornbread and shook his head. "Little sister, you're exaggerating. Cow bones are so hard you can hammer nails into them. You think you can stew them until they're tender in twenty or thirty minutes?"

Back in the day, it took me at least four or five hours to simmer this stuff on the stove. It's a real pain to cook with firewood and coal.

Aunt Shen chimed in, "That's right, with the lid on this iron pot so tightly sealed, will it really work?"

Song Xianglan tried the cold dish and found it delicious with sesame oil. "You all stay here and watch. Once the meat is stewed until tender, I'll give each of you a piece to try."

The pressure cooker's metal valve began to rotate rapidly, hissing and spewing out white steam.

As the valve turned, an extremely strong, domineering aroma, a blend of curry and beef fat, wafted into people's nostrils along with the exhaled white vapor.

Aunt Wu stood at the front, swallowed hard, and gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

The cornbread in Grandpa Liu's hand suddenly lost its appeal.

The entire courtyard fell silent, everyone staring at the bulging, steaming iron lump.

They wanted to see what would happen when the lid was lifted. Could they really expect to get tender, easily deboned beef ribs in less than half an hour?