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

Grandpa Liu and several other elderly people from the courtyard went out to eat watermelon early in the morning.

He'll come in with his hands behind his back, practically flying.

"Something terrible has happened." Grandpa Liu walked to the center of the courtyard, looked around, and said, "Several shops on the back street have also been robbed."

Aunt Wu was sitting on a small stool washing clothes. "Have we been robbed again?"

"That's right." Grandpa Liu sat on the steps. "There was a couple who slept in the shop to mind the business, but in the middle of the night, a thief broke in and beat them up right there in their bed."

The thief was holding a weapon and threatened to kill them if they dared to call the police.

The couple was terrified and only dared to report the crime to the police station today after hearing that the thieves had been caught. After reporting it, the police investigated and said it wasn't the same group of people.

The courtyard fell silent instantly.

The elderly men and women looked at each other, their faces filled with fear.

"Are there other thieves?"

The door to the next room opened.

A tall, thin young man came out carrying an enamel basin and went to the tap to fill it with water.

He had just finished his night shift, and his eyes were dark-rimmed.

While rubbing my face with a towel, I listened to what Grandpa Liu was saying.

The young man is usually quiet.

Aunt Wu glanced at him and casually asked, "Young man, haven't you been allocated housing at your factory yet?"

"no."

The young man wrung out the towel and hung it around his neck. "I don't want to live in the dormitory. I don't get along with the people in the dormitory."

Aunt Wu sighed:

"Renting a place outside will add to your expenses. Find someone and get married sooner; once you're married, you can get a place in the factory on the waiting list."

Song Xianglan straightened up and patted the dust off her hands.

"These days, relying on housing allocation is unreliable. Whether the factory performs well or not will be determined by the market in the future."

Instead of rushing into marriage and waiting in line for housing, it's better to save up and buy your own house.

The young man turned his head and glanced at Song Xianglan a couple more times.

"Auntie, we're permanent employees. How can the factory fire us if it's not doing well?"

Song Xianglan made no attempt to hide it.

"Apart from civil servants, there's no such thing as a guaranteed job. If the factory isn't doing well and can't afford to pay wages, what's the point of keeping people here?"

There will be more and more private enterprises in the future. If you are a skilled worker, and a private company offers you a high salary to poach you, go directly to that company.

Grandpa Liu couldn't stand it anymore and snorted:

"What do you know, you outsider? We're from the capital. People from other places might be unemployed, but that won't take away our jobs."

"You can't work for individual business owners."

Song Xianglan rolled her eyes and retorted without any politeness:

"Decades ago, people living in the Forbidden City were evicted. You think you're more secure than the Qing emperors?"

One sentence left Grandpa Liu speechless.

Aunt Wu burst into laughter, pointing at Uncle Liu, "Old Liu, your mouth has finally met its match."

Song Xianglan ignored Grandpa Liu.

Go inside and bring out the leftover chive dumplings from this morning.

She handed the young man two chive dumplings, saying, "Just got off your night shift? These are homemade, have some to tide you over."

The young man paused for a moment, then accepted it with both hands.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Song Xianglan distributed the remaining chive dumplings to Aunt Wu, Uncle Liu, and the other people in the courtyard.

Everyone was biting into the chive pancakes, their mouths dripping with oil.

On the coal stove in the yard, two pots of soup were steaming.

The smell of Chinese medicine is getting stronger and stronger.

The aroma of chicken filled the entire yard.

Grandpa Liu wrinkled his nose and sniffed. "Old Song, you're a strange person. Ever since you moved in, the courtyard has been filled with the smell of Chinese medicine every day. Even if you're not sick, you'll get sick from the smell."

Song Xianglan watched the fire from the stove, saying, "Medicine and food share the same origin; you don't understand."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the jujube trees in the corner of the yard, dappling the ground.

The big jujube tree by the door is laden with jujubes, hanging heavily from its branches.

Grandpa Liu's grandson moved a stool, stood on it, and held a long bamboo pole, striking the jujube tree branches with a "crackling" sound.

The green and red dates fell to the ground like rain.

Aunt Wu went over and picked up a large handful, washed them under the tap, put them in a small basket, and placed them on the small square table in front of Song Xianglan.

"Eat a few dates."

Aunt Wu grabbed a jujube and popped it into her mouth. "There are two big jujube trees in the courtyard that Black Monkey rents. I took a look at them last time and they had so many jujubes."

Aunt Wu both envied Chen Zui and felt sorry for him.

I always felt that this child was both born into a good and bad family, and that his life was both good and bitter.

Song Xianglan picked up a date and took a bite.

It's crisp and sweet.

"The dates in Beijing are really good." Song Xianglan ate several in a row. "When I go back in a couple of days, I'll go to the courtyard house and buy a few sacks to bring back for the villagers to try."

Judging by the time, Song Xianglan lifted the lid of the pot.

A rich aroma wafted through the air.

Everyone craned their necks to look over. Song Xianglan picked up the upside-down bowl, and the aroma of medicine and meat blended perfectly.

The broth was thick and dark in color.

She brought the pot out, saying, "Sister Wu, please watch the pot for me."

She went to the shop in front.

The store was packed with people.

Chang Ping and Mao Qiaozhen were so busy they were practically running around.

One person picks up the goods, and the other collects the money and gives change; their voices are hoarse from shouting.

Song Xianglan squeezed through the counter. "I'll collect the money. You two hurry back to the courtyard to eat and drink your soup. I've made a bowl of soup for each of you."

Chang Ping waved her hand and swallowed.

"Auntie, I won't go back yet, there are too many people here. Qiaozhen, you go back and eat first, then come back and relieve me."

Mao Qiaozhen was already starving, so she nodded and ran outside.

Back in the courtyard, Mao Qiaozhen lifted the pot lid.

The large bowl is filled with stewed black-boned chicken and white phoenix pills.

Red dates, goji berries, and ginger slices float on top, emitting a rich aroma. Next to it sits a large bowl of rice and stir-fried chicken giblets with pickled vegetables.

Mao Qiaozhen sat at the small table, holding a bowl in her hand.

The steam was warming her face.

She picked up the spoon and took a sip of the soup.

It's very hot and smells delicious.

It has a slightly bitter medicinal taste.

One bite warmed my entire stomach.

She drank it down, one sip after another.

Tears fell into the bowl without warning.

I used to live in the village.

When her biological mother was still alive, she would secretly cook an egg for her when she was the youngest.

After her parents died, no one ever did anything for her again.

Mao Qiaozhen wiped her face haphazardly with her sleeve and shoveled rice into her mouth.

They ate every last bit.

I only picked up two pieces of pickled cabbage, but I couldn't bear to eat the chicken giblets inside.

a few days later.

Song Xianglan finished packing.

She spent a whole day going to the courtyard and knocking all the jujubes off the two trees, filling two large sacks.

I've bought my train ticket back to Qingyang.

On the morning of the day she was to leave, Song Tingting couldn't get out of school.

Song Xianglan, carrying a shoulder pole and two large sacks, had just stepped out of the alley.

A military green jeep was parked steadily on the side of the road.

The car door opened, and Lei Li, dressed in casual clothes, jumped out and strode over, taking the carrying pole from Song Xianglan's shoulder.

"Auntie, I'll take you to the train station."

Lei Li quickly stuffed the sack into the trunk of the jeep.

Song Xianglan shook her aching shoulders.

Somewhat surprised, "Comrade Lei, how did you know I was going back today?"

Lei Li closed the trunk and opened the passenger door. "Tingting asked me to practice shooting last weekend and mentioned you're leaving today. Call me next time you come to Beijing, and I'll pick you up."

Song Xianglan didn't stand on ceremony.

Get on the bus and take your seats.

The jeep drove directly into the train station square.

Lei Li helped carry the two large sacks into the waiting room and escorted them all the way to the train before leaving.

Song Xianglan bought a sleeper berth for this train.

She stuffed the sack under the lower bunk and sat on the edge of the bed.

Having learned her lesson last time, she didn't plan to sell dates in the train carriage.

These two sacks of dates are to be brought back to the village as gifts.

The train starts moving.

Song Xianglan paced back and forth in the carriage during the journey, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a little girl's profile.

That face looks familiar.

The little girl happened to turn her head and look over.

Just as their eyes were about to meet, a tall man blocked their view.

A tall man carrying a printed canvas bag plopped down on a folding chair in the corridor, blocking the little girl's view.

The man looked Song Xianglan up and down, then took the initiative to speak:

"Auntie, where are you going?"

Song Xianglan answered casually:

"Qingyang".

The man's eyes lit up, and he pulled the canvas bag closer to his chest. "I'm going to Qingyang too. I heard that the clothing business there is booming, so I'm going there specifically to buy some clothes wholesale to resell."

Song Xianglan paused.

Business is coming in.

She sized up the young man for a moment. "Young man, have you found a way to pick up the goods in Qingyang?"

The young man scratched the back of his head. "Not yet. I'm completely clueless. I plan to wander around the streets looking for a wholesale store when I get there."

"You're lucky to have run into me. My nephew runs a clothing wholesale business in Qingyang; he has a full range of goods and the latest styles. If you trust me, I'll take you there after you get off the bus."

"That's great. Auntie, my name is Li Jianguo, you can just call me Xiao Li."

Two days later, the train arrived at the station.

Song Xianglan got off the bus carrying two large sacks.

She didn't linger in the new city at all, not even visiting Song Xiangdong's house, and led Li Jianguo directly to Qingyang County.

Qingyang County Clothing Wholesale Warehouse.

Several large factory buildings are connected together, with trucks coming and going to unload and load goods.

Song Xianglan put the two sacks of dates into the guardhouse.

He led Li Jianguo straight to the innermost large warehouse.

The warehouse doors were wide open, and a large area inside had been set aside as a showroom.

Rows of iron racks were filled with all kinds of new clothes.

Li Jianguo's eyes lit up, and he couldn't move his feet.

Nie Xiaochuan was holding an account book and counting the items on the shelves.

"Xiao Chuan," Song Xianglan raised her voice.

Nie Xiaochuan closed the account book and strode over to greet her, "Third Aunt! Why are you back at this hour?"

"Just got off the train."

Song Xianglan pulled Li Jianguo forward, "This young man is from Hebei Province and wants to buy wholesale goods. Take him around and give him a good introduction, and give him a fair price."

Nie Xiaochuan immediately understood and beckoned over a stock clerk.

"Take this guy to select some goods."

They sent Li Jianguo away.

Nie Xiaochuan turned and grabbed Song Xianglan's arm: "Third Aunt, you're carrying so many things, let me take you back."

"You go about your business, don't worry about me. By the way, where's Chunxia? Didn't she say she was going to stay with you in the county? I've searched the whole warehouse and haven't seen her."

Nie Xiaochuan's cheek twitched twice.

"Even the dogs in our Niejiazhuang village have to go out of their way to avoid her. She's become known as a troublemaker; nothing can be left undone by her. She's not in the county anymore; she's gone back to the village to cause trouble."

Song Xianglan frowned. "What's all this fuss about?"

Nie Xiaochuan looked helpless. "She stirs up trouble everywhere. Now my brothers' families are fighting every day, and their homes are in complete chaos."

Even my fourth brother, who usually only cares about money and doesn't care how tall the green grass on his head grows, was instigated by Chunxia to fight with his sister-in-law several times this time.