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

Old Fang's surname isn't Fang.

Most of the villagers couldn't remember what this person's real name was.

The main problem is that his head is square, like a brick placed on his neck.

Over time, everyone started calling him Old Fang, and once they got used to it, no one remembered his real name anymore.

When Old Fang was young, he married a widow.

When his alcohol cravings kick in, he becomes completely unrecognizable to his family and friends. Besides hitting people, he also has other problems after drinking.

Song Xianglan hadn't seen the specifics of the illness herself, but the rumors in the village were quite detailed, saying that the person was worse than an animal and comparable to a beast.

The widow had been with him for less than two years when she took all the valuables from his house that night while he was drunk.

He never came back.

Old Fang has remained a bachelor ever since.

He's over fifty years old and spends all his time wandering around the village.

He climbed over the walls of widows' houses quite a few times.

That time, when he climbed over the wall, Widow Wang chased after him with a carrying pole, cursing him.

He got angry and wanted to fight back, but the three boys from Widow Wang's family, each holding a machete, blocked the doorway.

She scared him so badly he went back to his room.

This bandit was so bad that the women in the village would avoid him altogether.

Zhang Yujuan actually plunged headfirst into it.

Zhang Yujuan's every step she took was disastrous, and her posture when jumping into the pit was exactly the same.

She didn't even have to lift a finger; she just watched as Zhang Yujuan ruined a winning hand.

When they reached the intersection near the workshop, Song Xianglan stopped and parted ways with Liu Chunhua and the others.

"You all go back first, I'll go check on the workshop."

"What time is it? Why are you still going to the workshop?" Liu Chunhua patted her on the shoulder.

"I just got back, I need to ask about the situation." Song Xianglan waved her hand and turned into the workshop.

The lights in the workshop were still on.

Work has stopped, but there are still a few people packing up in the workshop.

Zhang Qin was talking to Gan Shanshan at the entrance of the seafood processing workshop when they both paused for a moment when Song Xianglan came in.

"Sister Song," Zhang Qin greeted her, "When did you get back?"

"Today." Song Xianglan glanced around the workshop. The stove was clean and the floor was free of debris.

"How's the daily work going?"

Gan Shanshan followed, wiping her hands on her apron twice.

"The seafood processing plant ships out two batches of goods a day, with shrimp paste and dried fish selling out the fastest."

Last month, the county's supply and marketing cooperative placed another order, saying that sales were good and they wanted an additional 500 jin (250 kg).

"What about the mushroom workshop?"

"Lin Gang's wife is keeping an eye on the mushroom workshop," Gan Shanshan called back, turning around. "Sister-in-law Lin, the boss is back."

Lin Gang's wife trotted out from behind, her sleeves rolled up and a cloth apron tied around her waist.

"Boss, everything is normal at the mushroom processing plant. A batch of dried mushrooms was shipped out this morning, and a batch of canned mushrooms was shipped out this afternoon."

Song Xianglan nodded and walked to the entrance of the mushroom workshop to peek inside.

Layers of mushrooms were neatly arranged on the bamboo rack, and the air was filled with the aroma of mushrooms.

How do shipment volumes compare to last month?

"It's increased by 20%," said Lin Gang's wife. "Many people in our village are planning to cultivate mushrooms."

Increased production is a good thing, but manual operation has its limits.

She had thought about this when she was in Beijing.

If the workshop wants to move forward, it will eventually have to go to the production line.

With manpower alone, the maximum output is limited.

"You did a good job. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions."

Gan Shanshan and Lin Gang's wife both had smiles on their faces.

Song Xianglan came out of the workshop.

Go around to the construction site at the back.

it's dark.

A few kerosene lamps were lit on the construction site, their dim light illuminating the unfinished walls and the piles of bricks, stones, and sand on one side.

Foreman Lao Chen was packing up tools with several workers.

Hammers and shovels were gathered one by one into the wooden box.

Hearing footsteps, Old Chen looked up and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Hey! The boss is back."

The four-flower man and the three-flower man were also there, and the two of them were helping to move a stack of bricks.

Hearing this, he stopped, put down the brick, and walked over.

"Third Aunt," the man with the four flowers spoke first, "did she go see Yang Xiaoming?"

"They've pulled them out; they're still alive," Song Xianglan said briefly.

The man with the three flowers breathed a sigh of relief: "Just now, the news spread like wildfire through the village, saying that the odds were against us and everyone was on edge."

Song Xianglan hummed in agreement, not saying anything more about it, and turned to look at Old Chen:

"How's the progress?"

Old Chen wiped his face with a towel, walked over, raised the lantern a little higher, and pointed to the row of houses in front.

"The main structure of the warehouse is complete, and only the final finishing touches remain. The expansion of the processing workshop is also halfway done, and it will be completed in about ten days."

Song Xianglan looked around in the direction he was pointing.

The warehouse walls were neat and tidy.

The roof tiles have been laid, and they gleam with a bluish light when the moonlight shines on them.

"Can you handle renovations?"

Old Chen draped a towel over his shoulder: "I happen to know someone here, a master craftsman with over ten years of experience in renovations, his skills are top-notch."

He has some apprentices who can do all the plumbing and electrical work. I'll bring one over to meet you tomorrow, and you can see if he's suitable.

"OK."

Song Xianglan readily agreed, "Bring it over tomorrow morning."

She looked around the construction site again to make sure there were no problems, then turned to look at the four-flower man and the three-flower man:

"When you leave later, please stop by my house and take some dates with you."

The two responded simultaneously.

After thinking for a moment, Song Xianglan added, "Also, send one to Nie Family Village."

The four men eagerly spoke:

"I'm going to Niejiazhuang on my way."

Song Xianglan was stopped by the accountant to speak.

The three-flower man and the four-flower man went to her house first.

The two of them didn't stop moving as soon as they entered the courtyard.

The man with three flowers picked up a broom from the wall and started sweeping the floor, while the man with four flowers went to the kitchen to find a bucket of water.

They filled a container with water and then splashed it on the ground.

The four-flowered man poured water onto the ground in the yard, then used a broom to push it away, and dirty water seeped out from the cracks in the paving stones.

It took two rinses to finally get the yard clean.

After Song Xianglan returned, she quickly untied the sack and divided the dates.

Two portions were given to the Sanhua and Sihua families, and an extra portion was sent to Niejiazhuang.

"These are fresh dates brought back from the capital. Enjoy their freshness." Song Xianglan packed them in a cloth bag and handed one portion to each of them.

The four-flowered man took it, weighed it in his hand, and chuckled twice.

The man with the three flowers took one, popped it into his mouth, took a bite, his brow furrowed and then relaxed, and nodded several times.

"sweet."

Song Xianglan handed the portion meant for Nie Family Village to the four men, saying, "Send it over first thing tomorrow morning, don't delay."

The man with four flowers carried two bags of dates and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Third Aunt."

He was about to leave when he stopped.

The man with the three flowers didn't leave either; he stood there as if he had something to say.

Song Xianglan glanced at them.

"Speak your mind; it's uncomfortable to keep it bottled up."

The man with the three flowers cleared his throat. "Third Aunt, I heard the workshop is hiring?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Sanhua...she wants to come."

Song Xianglan put down the dates in her hand and turned to face him.

The man with the three flowers felt uneasy under her gaze and quickly added, "She wants to find a job to earn some money to help support her family."

"She can come whenever she wants."

Song Xianglan interrupted him, her tone flat, "Sanhua's here, what's going on at home?"

The man with the three flowers opened his mouth.

Song Xianglan: "You have elderly people to take care of, and children to take care of. Who does the work in your fields? Who cooks at home? Doesn't your family rely on three kinds of flowers?"

The man's face flushed red.

He lowered his head and remained silent.

The family was so poor they were practically starving, yet they still clung to a bunch of outdated rules, feeling it was shameful to let their wives go out and earn money.

A life of poverty, a landlord's nature.

She pointed at the two of them and scolded them together: "I can't even be bothered to talk to you. You're both so insecure, all you think about is saving face. Who cares about your face? Do you think you're a hundred-dollar bill, that everyone will fawn over you?"

The man with the three flowers lowered his head even further.

The four men stood to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Your mother-in-law said a long time ago that Sanhua and Sihua should come out and work. Your family is full of nonsense to shut your mother-in-law up, saying that she doesn't care about her children's reputation even though she's made some money. I just don't know what reputation you peasants have to speak of."

The two men stood there, like two stakes.

I didn't dare reply to a single word.

After Song Xianglan finished scolding, the four-flowered man cautiously spoke:

"Third Aunt."

"The same goes for the four flowers." Song Xianglan retorted, "Come whenever you want, but if you leave after three to five months, don't blame me for not giving you any more chances in the future."

The factory has dormitories. Since you both work here, you can apply for a couple's dormitory.

The four-flower man's eyes lit up.

"A couples' dormitory?"

"Yes." Song Xianglan's tone was crisp. "They'll stay in the factory dormitory, not at my house. I don't accept guests here."

Even if her house were empty and breeding mosquitoes, she wouldn't let her relatives stay.

Living together for too long can turn relatives into enemies.

The three-flowered man and the four-flowered man nodded repeatedly, their smiles almost bursting from their lips.

Song Xianglan waved her hand.

"Don't just stand there. Go back and talk to your parents before you come back to me. Don't just keep swearing and shrinking back in silence."

The two left, expressing their deepest gratitude.

Song Xianglan turned and went into the kitchen.

The stove was spotless, and all the bowls and chopsticks were put away.

She opened the cabinet next to the stove and peeked inside. There was an iron box inside. When she opened it, she saw a neatly folded stack of small bills and a few large ten-yuan bills.

Song Xianglan counted the money, made a note of the amount, put it back, and closed the tin box.

She then divided the dates into portions.

He yelled at the neighbor next door, "Gousheng!"

There was a crackling sound from the other side of the courtyard wall, and Gou Sheng's head popped out from the top of the wall. He put his hands on the top of the wall, rested his chin on his hand, and chuckled, "Grandma Song."

"come over."

Gou Sheng was more skilled at scaling walls than at walking through doors. He used both hands to push himself up and flipped over, then dusted himself off and ran to Song Xianglan.

Song Xianglan handed the basket over.

"Take these dates you brought back from Beijing home to eat. Where's your grandma?"

Gou Sheng took the basket with one hand, and with the other hand he had already grabbed a date and stuffed it into his mouth.

He mumbled, "They haven't come back yet."

Gou Sheng crunched on a date, "Grandma Song, I didn't know when you were coming back, so I sold all the chickens, ducks, and goose eggs."

"I see."

"We sell it once a week," Gou Sheng counted on his fingers for her. "The money from the sales is all in the kitchen cabinet. I saw her count it; it was so much money."

Song Xianglan nodded:

"Alright, you can go back now. Leave a few dates for your grandma, don't eat them all by yourself."

"hey-hey."

Gou Sheng, carrying his basket, climbed back over the wall the way he came.