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

Song Xianglan glanced down at the watch on her wrist.

Time is up.

She stood up, grabbed a damp cloth to cushion her hands, picked up the pressure cooker from the stove, and walked straight to the tap in the corner of the yard.

Turn on the tap.

Cold water splashed onto the scalding hot pot lid, hissing and steaming.

Aunt Wu and Uncle Liu quickly took two steps back, afraid that the iron lump would really explode.

The valve slowly deflated until it stopped releasing gas completely.

Song Xianglan turned off the water and carried the pot back to the table in the center of the courtyard.

At this time, people who went to work in the courtyard gradually came home and stepped through the gate, while children who ran wildly in the alley also carried their schoolbags home to prepare for dinner.

Everyone sniffed and slowed down.

In these days, when oil and fat are scarce, if someone stews a big piece of meat, the neighbors will be so envious they'll be restless and unable to sleep.

One by one, they peered into the yard, eager to see if there was meat on their table.

Everyone who entered the courtyard wore a look of trepidation mixed with anticipation.

When the courtyard was busiest, Song Xianglan gripped the pot lid handle with both hands and gave it a sharp turn.

With a "click," the pot lid was lifted.

The overpowering aroma of beef ribs, infused with the rich flavors of curry, satay, and peanut sauce, bursts forth from the pot, assaulting everyone's senses.

The smells relentlessly assaulted everyone's nostrils, attacking their sense of smell from all sides.

A chorus of swallowing sounds instantly filled the courtyard.

Several children drooled from the corners of their mouths.

The beef ribs were stewed until tender and falling off the bone, and the broth was thick and steaming hot.

Song Xianglan chopped the steak into small pieces, picked up a large soup ladle and stirred it a couple of times, then looked up and waved to Aunt Wu and Uncle Liu who were looking ahead.

"Go home and get a bowl. I'll give each of you a piece of steak with some broth. Take it home and mix it with rice. It'll be so delicious! This is a unique way of eating in Qingyang; you can't find this in Beijing."

The people in the tenement wanted to eat.

They would still make a few excuses, saying that neither family was rich, and they felt guilty for eating someone else's meat for no reason.

Aunt Wu rubbed her hands together. "Young lady, I have meat at home too..."

Grandpa Liu's eyes never left the steak. "I don't eat beef much."

The children wanted to eat it, but they were too afraid to say so.

If the adults don't allow it, and they ask for it, they'll be rewarded with bamboo shoots stir-fried with shredded pork by the adults in their family.

"Life is but 30,000 days, eat and drink without lingering." Song Xianglan slammed the large soup ladle against the edge of the pot. "Bring me a bowl. You northerners are known for your straightforward and cheerful nature, stop dawdling."

Aunt Wu said with a smile, "Then my greedy boys are in for a treat."

She turned and ran back into the house, bringing out a large blue-and-white porcelain bowl.

With a flick of her wrist, Song Xianglan scooped up a piece of beef rib with meat on it and poured it into the bowl, then ladled a spoonful of broth over it.

Aunt Wu thanked them repeatedly while holding the bowl.

"Adding some radishes or potatoes would make it taste even better," Song Xianglan casually remarked, immediately sparking everyone's interest.

The young people in the courtyard quickly ran back into the house, some washing radishes, others peeling potatoes.

Each family had someone take a bowl and line up to receive a piece of meat and half a bowl of soup.

Bai Gang's wife from the front yard also took a piece home.

She lowered her head and smelled it, salivating at the aroma.

She couldn't resist asking, "Auntie, is the iron pot used to stew this meat the same thing called a pressure cooker?"

"yes."

Song Xianglan pointed to the pot on the table, "You can't get this stuff at the department store. My godson got a batch of it when he came back to China. He was thinking of exchanging it for some money and taking it back with him."

The prices are the same as in the stores, but you don't need a ticket or have to queue and fight your way through the crowds.

The price will not be reduced by a single cent.

Song Xianglan bit her hard.

Chen Zui stood aside and picked up the conversation.

His face fell, his eyes reddened, and his voice trembled.

"Neighbors, I really have no other choice. My old man has been having affairs with seven or eight women, and my own mother was so angry that she died."

He's now going to hand over the entire family business to the illegitimate children born to his mistresses.

Chen Zui pounded his chest.

"My life is miserable. I'm so poor that I have nothing. My husband said that if I can earn money, he'll give me the house my mother left me. I can only make a living by selling some home appliances."

Chen Zui's dad... I work so hard for you, and you still make up stories about my immoral private life.

Chen Zui... Old man, don't think I don't know you change women like you change clothes.

Chen Zui is a natural actor.

He spoke with tears streaming down his face.

The neighbors in the courtyard were stunned by what they heard.

Sympathy is one thing.

Those with quick minds immediately sensed a business opportunity.

Most people weren't thinking about making money for themselves; they were just thinking about using these in-demand goods to curry favor with the factory. If the department heads and directors had money to buy home appliances, their relationship would definitely improve.

There's also face-saving among relatives and friends.

Over the course of a meal, their relationship was brought closer.

Several people gathered around and asked about the item.

Song Xianglan said she would set up a stall at the entrance of People's Park, as she had heard that there were quite a few people setting up stalls there.

She doesn't flaunt her wealth.

They certainly wouldn't want others to know how much real estate they own, as it easily arouses jealousy.

Chen Zui turned and went into the house.

Bring the rice cooker out.

Press the open button, the lid pops open, and the aroma of rice wafts out.

The two sat down at the square table in the yard, ladled steak broth over white rice, and began to eat heartily.

One bite of rice and your mouth is filled with its delicious aroma.

Grandpa Liu held the half-bowl of soup in his hands, then looked at the rice in Song Xianglan's bowl, took a deep breath of air, and almost fainted from the aroma.

The meal wasn't finished yet.

Wu Tianming and Liu Shuanghua couldn't hold back any longer.

Wu Tianming works at a military factory, which is doing well. Liu Shuanghua works as a transporter at a steel plant; his salary is decent and he knows many people.

Wu Tianming came over and said, "Auntie, we'd like two of these rice cookers."

Song Xianglan wiped her mouth and lowered her voice: "I'm telling you, there's a commission for selling this. If you can refer people to buy it, I'll give you the commission and we'll split it."

Their eyes lit up instantly.

Wu Tianming turned his head and glanced at the tape recorder on the table in the room.

"A dual cassette recorder?" He strode over to take a look. "How much is this one?"

"Sharp's is 1,400, Sanyo's is 1,800. I'll leave you with a 3% commission," Song Xianglan announced the prices without even looking up.

One thousand eighteen, with a three percent commission, that's fifty-four yuan.

Wu Tianming and Liu Shuanghua rubbed their hands together excitedly.

Their minds raced.

"Auntie, is this alright?" Wu Tianming pulled over a stool and sat down. "You don't need to recruit any more salespeople. We both work in a large factory with several thousand employees."

Plus, given the nature of our work and the large number of people we know, we'll make sure you sell out your stock very quickly.

"Sure. You guys are well-informed, so help me move the goods quickly. It'll be a win-win situation for us all, and we can make money together." Song Xianglan agreed readily.

The two were even happier than if they had received a raise.

This is real, tangible income.

Wu Tianming and Liu Shuanghua paid the money, ordered the rice cooker, and happily went home.

The next day was Saturday.

Everyone should go to work as usual.

Song Xianglan didn't plan to sell many goods on the first day; her main goal was to create momentum.

She called Bai Gang to help transport the goods.

Bai Gang usually travels a wide area to transport goods, so he went to a scrap metal recycling center and bought a broken sunshade.

I used a handcart to pick up a batch of small goods, such as electronic watches, radios, tape recorders, rice cookers, and pressure cookers, from Cihuai Hutong, and then hauled them all to People's Park Square.

He quickly and efficiently helped set up the sunshade.

Aunt Wu from next door also volunteered to come and help at the People's Square in front of People's Park.

Her son, Wu Tianming, specifically instructed her not to come home to cook lunch, but to assist Song Xianglan.

The stall is set up.

Several large cardboard boxes were placed on the ground.

Song Xianglan took out a large tin megaphone from her bag and put in the batteries.

She cleared her throat and raised the megaphone.

He shouted it out in somewhat broken Mandarin.

The mesmerizing sound instantly pierced through the entire square.

"Don't miss out! The latest trendy electronic watches, radios, cassette recorders, rice cookers, and pressure cookers from the south!"

"The shop owner, Mr. Chen, ran away with his sister-in-law. He ran away! Leaving behind a mess and his son. That bastard Mr. Chen ran away with his sister-in-law!"

"Boss Chen's son is having a tearful clearance sale, a final clearance sale. He wants to make money to pay off his employees' wages, support Boss Chen's illegitimate son, and also bring that bastard Boss Chen and his sister-in-law back."

Bai Gang's hand trembled as he was moving the boxes.

Aunt Wu's mouth was wide open.

Chen Zui stood to the side, completely frozen in place.

He pointed incredulously at his own nose, his mind completely blank.

Did his dad run away with his sister-in-law?

Who is the sister-in-law?

The people of Beijing love gossip so much.

Especially scandals like this one where the brother-in-law runs away with his sister-in-law.

Their gossip instincts ignited instantly, and regardless of whether they bought anything or not, they all swarmed around them.

"Hey girl, did Boss Chen really run off with his sister-in-law?" A middle-aged woman carrying a shopping basket squeezed to the front, her eyes shining.

Song Xianglan grabbed the stunned Chen Zui and pushed him in front of the crowd.

"That bastard Boss Chen has run away with his sister-in-law! He's run away!" Song Xianglan continued shouting through a megaphone, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.