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

"The richer you are, the stingier you are." Yang Liu gritted her teeth, squeezing out each word from between them.

Sister-in-law Yang walked up from the back of the crowd, bent down and whispered in her ear, "I told you before, only family members care about you. You can't rely on outsiders."

Yang Liu turned her head to look at her.

Sister-in-law Yang gripped her wrist. "Listen to me. You must get custody of all five daughters."

From now on, Song Qiang will give you alimony every month.

Song Qiang earns so much money outside, he can afford to raise five daughters.

"Then he'll leave with nothing. You'll have the money and the kids in your hands. What are you afraid of?"

Yang Liu's eyes twitched.

Brother Yang also whispered the instructions:

"Let's make it clear that we're getting a divorce first. We'll discuss how to talk things out when we get back."

"Let's go. Let's go back first."

The Yang family went to Yang Liu and Song Qiang's house together.

Lin Ping remained standing in the same spot.

Her eyes darted around, following the direction the Yang family had left, while she was also calculating the accounts in her mind.

Yang Liu is getting a divorce.

Song Qiang wants to leave with nothing.

She suddenly thought of herself.

If Song Rong could earn as much money as Song Qiang... then a divorce might not be out of the question.

The moment the thought popped into her head, she was startled.

The people at the village entrance hadn't all left yet.

Several old women squatted under the tree, their mouths never stopping.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Song Xianglan was the first to get divorced, then her niece Nie Erhua also got divorced. Now even her nephew Song Qiang's wife is getting divorced."

"Are all the women in the Song family destined for this fate?"

"What do you mean by fate? Even if you married a man like Yang Dashan, you'd still get a divorce. Capable women don't want to put up with this. The only ones who do are afraid that life won't be good outside, and they're also afraid that their families won't approve."

"Yang Liu's family agreed."

"Yang Liu should keep the money in her own hands after the divorce. The Yang brothers are not as good as Song Qiang."

"But it's strange, isn't it? As soon as Song Xianglan got divorced, her whole family followed suit. There's a story behind it."

"What do you mean? Don't talk nonsense."

"I'm not making this up. They say women with strong fates have a kind of ominous aura. After she got divorced, that ominous aura spread."

"Stop talking nonsense. If Song Xianglan hears this, she'll slap your head into your neck."

The old woman who had been speaking shrank back and finally shut her mouth.

……

Song Xianglan rode her bicycle and made two turns before arriving at Brother Song's house.

She parked the car against the wall.

He unloaded the half-sack of dates from the back seat, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and went into the yard.

The courtyard was deserted.

Peanuts were drying on the ground.

The kitchen door was open, and the sound of water ladle hitting pot could be heard from inside.

Sister-in-law Song came out of the kitchen.

My sister-in-law is getting old.

Not the kind of aging that comes with slow, gradual aging.

It's like being hit by something and collapsing all over.

His back was hunched over, and he walked with his right hand supporting a wooden stick and his left hand holding onto the door frame, taking one step at a time.

"Third sister is back." The eldest sister-in-law smiled when she saw her.

A faint smile hung on a face full of wrinkles, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

Song Xianglan placed the burlap sack on the stone table and patted the dust off her hands.

"Sister-in-law, I brought these fresh dates from Beijing. You can share them among your families."

The eldest sister-in-law came over.

He placed his hand on the opening of the burlap sack and felt the dates inside.

Song Xianglan brought over a stool.

Please have your sister-in-law sit down.

"Sister-in-law," Song Xianglan squatted down in front of her, "Don't take Song Qiang's matter upon yourself."

Children and grandchildren have their own lives to live. It doesn't matter how well they enjoy their lives. You're all at this age; eat and drink as you please. Let them do whatever they want.

The older sister-in-law didn't look down at the ground; her fingers were pinching the fabric of her pants above her knees.

A long time passed.

She then spoke.

"Third sister. Your eldest brother either spends his days working in the fields or stays at home and doesn't go out."

"He used to play cards and drink a little wine with the old men in the village when he had nothing to do."

The eldest sister-in-law looked up at Song Xianglan.

"After the news about Song Qiang spread, your older brother felt ashamed. Every step he took in the village made him feel like someone was criticizing him for not raising his son well."

Once, he went to a convenience store to buy cigarettes. There were a few people chatting and laughing at the door, but they stopped talking as soon as he walked over.

He stayed home all night and didn't go out the next day.

Song Xianglan remained silent.

"Third sister, this family is in such a mess. Yang Liu is making a scene every few days, and her family members are constantly coming to the door."

You know your older brother's temper; he's incredibly proud. He felt he'd lived an honest life his whole life, only to be betrayed and humiliated by his son.

As she spoke, her eyes reddened.

A woman of this age can't cry whenever she wants; her tear ducts have long since dried up.

Song Xianglan gently patted her sister-in-law's shoulder.

"Sister-in-law, I'll have my brother call Song Qiang and ask him to come back. As for Yang Liu wanting a divorce, let them talk it over. Divide it however they want. The sooner this is over, the more peace and quiet you two old folks can have."

The older sister-in-law wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve.

"Your older brother is in the vegetable garden behind."

Song Xianglan walked towards the backyard.

Pushing open the wooden door to the backyard, you can immediately see Brother Song squatting by the vegetable patch.

His back is hunched.

Song Xianglan walked over and squatted down.

"Big brother."

"Third Sister is back?" His voice was hoarse.

"I came back from Beijing. I brought you some dates."

Brother Song grunted in agreement, "Tell your sister-in-law to kill a chicken."

Song Xianglan didn't mince words. "Brother, Yang Liu caused a scene at the village entrance. She wants a divorce from Song Qiang. Call Song Qiang and tell him to come back and handle this."

Brother Song stopped.

"He has to bear the consequences of his own actions. I can't control him anymore."

Song Xianglan looked at his back and felt bad.

When my older brother was young, he stood up straight and walked with a confident stride. Now he's shrunk, and it's like a section of his spine has been removed.

"Brother, why don't you make a call from the brigade headquarters?"

Brother Song remained silent.

"Big brother."

He stood up, supporting himself with the handle of the hoe, his knees creaking.

He leaned the hoe against the edge of the vegetable patch and walked out of the yard.

He took two steps and then stopped.

He glanced back at Song Xianglan.

"Third sister, what do you think about Song Qiang... is it because your sister-in-law and I didn't raise him well?"

Song Xianglan shook her head.

"It's none of your business. He's just got a screw loose. He doesn't have a throne in his family, so he insists on having a son."

Brother Song opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Only sons are allowed to enter the ancestral hall.

When Song Xianglan returned to the front yard, her sister-in-law was carrying out a bowl of water and handing it to her.

"Third sister, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart."

"Sister-in-law, you tell me."

"Your older brother withdrew money from the savings account twice, giving Yang Liu almost a thousand yuan in total. My savings here are from eggs, vegetable sales, and the money my children give me as filial piety."

I saved up over 800 yuan over several years, and I gave her 600 yuan. She came to me yesterday asking for the money back, but I didn't give it to her.

Song Xianglan frowned slightly.

"If we keep giving out this money, Song Rong will have something to say."

The eldest sister-in-law's voice was even lower, "Song Rong's wife said in front of me that we gave all our savings for our funerals to the eldest son's family."

She even said that if we didn't handle things fairly all night, we shouldn't blame her for instigating her children to disown us.

"Song Fei's wife also had complaints. Last time Yang Liu came to collect the eggs, Song Fei's wife stood at the door for a long time without saying a word, her face long and drawn. She then told the villagers that her in-laws were biased."

The elder sister-in-law sighed:

"I also wanted to pack a few pounds of peanuts for Yuhua to take back, but Yangliu took the whole basket first. Yuhua didn't say anything, but her eyes were red when she left."

Song Xianglan sat down next to her sister-in-law.

"Yang Liu has indeed suffered; raising five children has been tough. But this financial burden is not something you two old folks can fill."

Your money is your retirement money.

Song Rong, Song Fei, Song Qiang, Yu Hua, and Yu Zhu are all your children. Your favoritism towards Song Qiang's family is bound to cause resentment among the others.

"You two old folks just need to take care of yourselves. Don't spend any more money."

Sister-in-law: "I know."

……

Yang Liu came over quietly by herself.

She glanced around the yard and suddenly walked towards the chicken coop.

"Mom, so many people have come from my family, we need to cook a decent lunch. I'll go catch a chicken and kill it."

She bent down to untie the ropes of the chicken coop as she said this.

A hand reached out from the side.

It slammed down on the chicken coop door.

Song Fei's wife somehow managed to get around there.

She blocked the chicken coop door with her body, her eyes fixed on Yang Liu.

"Second sister-in-law, what are you doing?"

Yang Liu was taken aback, straightened up and looked at her.

"I'm just catching a chicken to cook for my family. Why are you stopping me?"

Song Fei's wife didn't move aside.

She leaned against the wooden fence of the chicken coop. "Now that we've separated, go catch your own chickens. Your in-laws don't have many chickens in their coop. If you come and catch them once, and then catch them again next time, what will be left?"

"What business is it of yours if I catch my mother-in-law's chickens?"