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

The news of the divorce caused a sensation in the village.

It was even more lively than setting off firecrackers during Chinese New Year.

They had just gone to the county town to get their divorce certificate when the news spread from the east end of the village to the west end.

By evening, even people from the neighboring village knew that Song Qiang had left with nothing.

Yang Liu lived with her three daughters in the big house built by Song Qiang, and she had tens of thousands of yuan in her hand.

Tens of thousands of yuan.

These four words have a more devastating impact on the village than anything else.

If a family had 10,000 yuan, the plaque for "10,000-yuan household" would be hung on the commune's honor roll.

Yang Liu, a divorced woman, carrying such a large sum of money, was like a hen carrying a piece of gold among the chickens; all eyes were on her.

Early the next morning.

Before Yang Liu’s courtyard gate was even opened, several people were already squatting at the entrance.

Aunt Wang was squatting on the stone stool at the door, holding a bowl of brown sugar and eggs.

Her third son is already thirty-two and still single.

They cultivated six acres of land and raised two pigs.

He's an honest man, just a bit short and dark-skinned, even shorter than a willow tree.

"Is Yang Liu's mom home? I'm just dropping by."

The door was closed.

Aunt Wang placed the brown sugar and eggs on the threshold and shouted again at the top of her lungs.

Grandma Liu, leaning on her cane, turned the corner at the intersection and immediately stopped smiling when she saw Aunt Wang's face.

The old lady Liu's grandson is twenty-six years old. He works as a porter at the commune's grain station, earning forty or twenty yuan a month.

They are much better off than Aunt Wang's third son.

"Oh, Da Kui's wife is here early." Old Mrs. Liu slammed her cane on the ground. "You've come to see Yang Liu's mother too?"

Aunt Wang glanced back at her and said, "I feel sorry for Yang Liu, she's suffered so much."

The old lady of the Liu family snorted.

Squat down at the doorway.

Before an incense stick had burned, three more groups of people arrived at the courtyard gate.

Uncle Zhao brought his nephew, who was twenty-eight years old and worked at a brick kiln. His face was tanned dark, but he was strong.

Aunt Li was inquiring on behalf of her younger brother, who worked at a tailor shop in the commune and managed to save some money throughout the year.

Another one is Old Sun from the end of the village, who is over fifty years old and whose wife died three years ago.

He came over carrying two pounds of pork.

Five groups of people squatted in front of Yang Liu's house.

They stared at each other, neither willing to leave.

Yang Liu's mother came out of the house and pushed open the courtyard gate.

At a glance, I saw a large group of people squatting by the entrance.

Ever since the news of Song Qiang's illegitimate child broke, Yang Liu's mother has been moving into Yang Liu's house with Yang Gensheng and his wife. Last night, the other sons also moved in, saying that it would be more lively for the whole family to live together.

"What are you doing blocking my door so early in the morning?"

Aunt Wang was the first to stand up. "Sister-in-law, I've come to see Yang Liu. This girl married a scoundrel."

My third son may be a bit short, but he's kind-hearted and strong. He can carry a 200-pound load for ten miles without even breaking a sweat. If Yang Liu doesn't mind...

My grandson works at the grain depot.

Old Mrs. Liu pushed her way to the front with her cane, "Twenty-five yuan a month, guaranteed regardless of drought or flood. It's a million times better than your third son toiling in the fields."

Aunt Wang got anxious.

"Your grandson is only twenty-six. Yang Liu is in her thirties, almost ten years younger."

"My grandson likes mature older sisters who are caring."

Uncle Zhao shoved his nephew forward. "Look at him, 175cm tall, he works tirelessly. But after marrying Yang Liu, he won't even let her wash a single dish."

Old Sun couldn't squeeze to the front, so he stood at the back holding up his two pounds of pork and shouted:

"Although I'm a bit old, I have a house. Three large brick houses, and several longan trees in the yard, which can yield 200 catties of longan a year."

"Pah, you old man. Yang Liu is looking for a man, not me."

Yang Liu's mother stood at the door, her eyes darting around.

She scanned them one by one.

Aunt Wang's third son is short and poor; he doesn't have enough money.

The old lady Liu's grandson is a bit young, but the job at the grain station is indeed a good one.

A 26-year-old man married a divorced woman with three children.

What picture?

They're after the money.

Uncle Zhao's nephew works at a brick kiln, always covered in dust and dirt, and doesn't earn much money in a month.

Old Sun is over fifty years old and has three tiled houses, but Yang Liu definitely won't agree to serve the old man.

Yang Liu's mother went through the details of these people in her mind.

I understand it perfectly well.

These people? They're here to rob us.

They were eyeing the tens of thousands of yuan in Yang Liu's hands.

Yang Liu's mother stuffed Aunt Wang's brown sugar and eggs back into her hands, and Old Sun's pork was also pushed back. "My daughter just got divorced and hasn't recovered yet. We'll talk about marriage later."

Aunt Wang wouldn't give up.

"Sister-in-law, at least let me see Yang Liu."

"My daughter is crying inside, her eyes are all swollen. Are you all rushing over here to comfort her or to make things worse?"

Yang Liu's mother closed the courtyard gate.

With a loud "bang," Aunt Wang's hand was almost caught.

The people outside the door looked at each other in bewilderment, then squatted back down on the stone stools and waited.

Yang Gensheng came out of the house.

Seeing a group of people still squatting by the door, his face fell.

"My sister's marriage is none of your business. If we're talking about marriage, we'll find someone from among our relatives."

Aunt Wang's face immediately fell.

"Yang Gensheng, your sister's divorce is not your family's private property. She can decide who she wants to marry."

Yang Gensheng slammed his hand on the door frame. "I'm her brother. If I don't agree, no one is allowed to enter this door."

He shooed the people at the door out one by one.

Brother Yang also came out from the inner room, and the two brothers, one on each side, forcefully pushed the families out.

Old Sun took a few steps with the pork in his hand, then turned back. "Yang Gensheng, you guys want to keep the profits within the family, don't you?"

Yang Gensheng glared at him but didn't reply.

Old Sun's words hit the nail on the head—that's exactly what the Yang family thought.

Sister-in-law Yang told Brother Yang about it that very evening.

"My cousin is 29 this year. He runs a transport business in town. He's hardworking and good-looking. After Yang Liu married him, the money is still in our family's hands."

Brother Yang: "It doesn't matter if my younger sister is a few years older."

Yang Erge's wife also had her eye on it.

"My cousin lost his wife at the age of thirty-four, but he had a son. He said he didn't mind his younger sister taking care of the child, so he took care of one of them as well. The two families became one, and he had a daughter while his younger sister had a son."

Even Yang Gensheng's wife spoke up.

"I have a cousin who's 41 and collects recyclables in the county town. Don't underestimate collecting recyclables; he earns quite a bit every year."

Yang Liu's mother sat in the main room.

Listening to his daughters-in-law recommending candidates one after another, his eyes darted around.

These candidates all have one thing in common: they are all relatives of the wives of the Yang family.

Yang Liu got married, so this house is hers.

The more Yang Liu's mother thought about it, the better she felt this idea was.

Just as he was about to set the tone, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Yang Liu standing at the entrance of the main room.

Yang Liu leaned against the door frame, her eyes red and swollen, her face ashen.

"Have you finished discussing it?"

The sisters-in-law all shut their mouths.

Yang Liu didn't get angry; instead, she turned around, went into the inner room, and closed the door.

The door panel blocked out most of the noise from outside.

Yi Feng sat on the bed, hugging her knees.

Yang Liu sat on the edge of the bed.

I took the paper package out from under my pillow and squeezed it.

Yifeng looked up. "Mom, they want to sell you."

"It's all the same who I marry," Yifeng said, biting her lip. "The money they give me just goes into their pockets. Mom, don't marry him."

Yang Liu patted Yi Feng's head.

"Mom won't marry him."

After saying that, Yang Liu herself didn't believe it.

She's a woman with three children; if she doesn't get married, her mother and brothers will eventually squander all her money.

She got married, and the money went into a different pocket.

It still didn't fall into her hands.

She felt sad thinking about Song Qiang and regretted the divorce.

Yi Feng looked at Yang Liu's face and bit her lip until it bled.

She was sixteen years old.

At sixteen, only one thought kept running through his mind.

She hated Song Qiang. She hated him to the core.

If he hadn't been seeing other women, Mom wouldn't have become a target of everyone's gossip.

She needs to go out and earn money.

She wanted to protect her mother and sisters.

She didn't believe that a man like Song Qiang could make a lot of money; she and her mother couldn't either.

As long as you have money.

Nobody should even think about messing with her mother.

Yi Feng buried her face in her knees, her mind filled with thoughts of making a fortune and slapping the Song family in the face.

After school, Erfeng and Sanfeng did not go home.

They turned a corner and ran to the Song family's old house.

Sister-in-law Song was washing Sifeng's clothes in the yard.

Xiao Wu sat on the doorstep, drooling as he ate a lollipop.

It dripped down his chin and onto the front of his clothes.

Sister-in-law Song, with her sharp eyes, reached out and wiped the drool from Xiao Wu's chin. "You saccharin, all you do all day is eat."

"grandmother."

Erfeng and Sanfeng rushed into the courtyard and greeted everyone.

One person grabbed Sifeng's arm.

When Sifeng saw her sister, her eyes immediately turned red.

She opened her mouth to cry, but then forced herself to hold it back.

She remembered Erfeng telling her yesterday that she was the older sister and needed to take good care of Xiaowu.

"You've arrived." Sister-in-law Song put down the clothes she was holding and wiped her hands on her apron.

Sanfeng squatted down in front of Xiaowu.

"Xiao Wu, do you know me?"

Xiao Wu tilted his head and looked at her for three seconds, then held up a lollipop. "Candy."

"Give me a bite." Sanfeng leaned closer.

Xiao Wu hid the lollipop behind his back and shook his head like a rattle drum.

Sanfeng didn't grab it.

She reached out and wiped the sugar stains from the corner of Xiao Wu's mouth.

My nose tingled, and tears fell.

Sifeng tugged at Erfeng's sleeve. "Second Sister, are you coming again tomorrow?"

"Come. Come every day."

Sifeng nodded vigorously, her eyes reddening.

"I miss my mom."

Sister-in-law Song felt a tightness in her chest as she looked at the children gathered together.

She turned around, pretending to gather clothes, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Yi Feng didn't come.

Sister-in-law Song glanced at the courtyard gate twice, but didn't see Yifeng's shadow.

She sighed, "Erfeng and Sanfeng, have dinner before you go back."

She went to the kitchen and made fried rice with eggs, using a full four eggs. She also reheated the leftovers from lunch.

Erfeng and Sanfeng ate with gusto, their mouths brimming with the delicious aroma.

There was also pan-fried yellowfin tuna and blood sausage on the table.

After they finished eating, they said, "Grandma, my eldest sister said she won't be coming anytime soon, and she wants us to bring Sifeng and Xiaowu with us next time."

Sister-in-law Song was stunned for a moment.

Why?

Sanfeng was too young to understand the hidden language. "My sister said... she doesn't want to enter the Song family again."

The courtyard was quiet for a few seconds.

Sister-in-law Song moved her lips, but ultimately didn't say anything.

Sanfeng looked up. "Grandma, my sister said she's going to earn money to take Xiaowu and Sifeng away. She said she can support us all."

Sister-in-law Song's face darkened.

She put the bowl on the table.

"Your sister is only sixteen this year. She struggles to support herself, let alone four younger sisters? She should use that ability to get into a good school."

"My sister said she's not going to school but will go to work to earn money."

Sanfeng whispered, "If Dad can make money, then my eldest sister must be even more capable than him."

Sister-in-law Song took a deep breath.

She sat down on the stone bench with Xiao Wu in her arms and looked at the courtyard gate.

The afternoon sun was lovely, making the yard feel warm and cozy.

Xiao Wu leaned against Sister-in-law Song's chest.

After finishing the lollipop, he twirled the stick in his hand.

Sifeng squatted on the ground and drew a picture with a twig. She drew a big circle with five little people inside.

"What is this?" Erfeng leaned closer to take a look.

"These are our five sisters." Sifeng pointed to the largest little figure, "This is the eldest sister, and the one lying on the ground is the fifth one."