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

The mute and the big-eyed man didn't leave after finishing their work. The two brothers went to work in the backyard.

First, the outhouse was cleaned thoroughly, and then the leaves on the trees in the corner of the backyard wall were swept away.

The mute man, with all his strength, jumped straight into the pigsty.

Use a brush to scrub the sink, then rinse the sink and floor thoroughly with water.

He also picked a few old vegetable leaves and threw them in for the pigs to eat.

Da Mu cleaned the chicken and duck coops and changed the water in the feeding troughs.

Song Xianglan brought out two bowls of steaming hot noodles.

"Let's eat. Ten yuan per person today."

Song Xianglan took out two ten-yuan bills and handed them over.

Da Mu waved his hands repeatedly, mud dripping from his hands. He first went to the well to wash his hands, then began to refuse:

"It's free. Aunt Song has helped us enough. We even get paid every day, and now we have enough to eat and wear. Life is so good."

Song Xianglan frowned. "One thing at a time. Accept it."

"Really, no." Da Mu scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. "Auntie, I'm planning to build a new house at the end of the year. I've saved up some money over the past few years, enough for three big brick houses."

Song Xianglan took the money back and looked Da Mu up and down again.

"Build three tiled houses?"

"Yes. Thanks to my aunt, we have enough land to build a house. But I want to build a small one, just three big brick houses for my brother and me."

"Don't build a tiled house," Song Xianglan said, leaning against the doorframe. "If you're going to build, build two buildings in one go."

His big eyes were wide open.

"Two buildings, how much would that cost? I only have a little over a thousand yuan in my pocket. My brother still needs to get married."

"You're married but still living under the same roof? Your brother has one building, and you have another." Song Xianglan sat opposite them. "Da Mu, it won't be easy for your brother to get married. Maybe you'll get married first, and then the two brothers living together will definitely cause some friction."

When Song Xianglan chose the land for their houses, she specifically selected a place that would not be demolished.

Good location, close to the road.

In the future, the beach culture here will be developed, attracting more tourists.

Their houses can be used as guesthouses or for small businesses.

Da Mu swallowed hard.

"But we really don't have the money to build this house..."

"The ancestral house has been built for decades and hasn't been moved. The house is near the main road, and you can leave the ground floor as a storefront. You can use it to run a small business or rent it out to make money in the future."

"Even if all else fails, we can set up a guesthouse and never have to worry about food and drink." Song Xianglan made the decision. "If you don't have enough money, I'll lend it to you. We'll deduct it from your and the mute's wages slowly later."

The mute man's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

He murmured "uh-huh" with his eyes full of emotion.

In the mute man's heart, his younger brother was the most important person.

Before his parents died, they told him that he was the eldest brother and that he must take good care of his younger brother.

Song Xianglan grabbed him.

"I've rented your few acres of land to you too. I'll pay you ten years' rent upfront, and you can use the money to build a house." Song Xianglan waved her hand. "After we finish eating, I'll take you to see Old Chen to discuss this further."

The mute and the big-eyed man quickly ate their noodles and washed the dishes.

Da Mu excitedly pulled the mute man along and followed behind Song Xianglan.

The three of them had just stepped out of the house and turned the corner of the courtyard wall.

A man wearing a baseball cap was furtively peering over the wall.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Song Xianglan shouted sternly.

The man shuddered in fright, and a smile appeared on his sinister face.

"Big sister... I'm looking for someone."

Song Xianglan squinted and looked her up and down.

The man's flip-flops were covered in yellow mud, and he had a fresh cut on the back of his hand.

"Who should I look for?"

"Looking for... Old Li. We used to work together." The man's eyes darted around, and he pointed towards the village entrance. "I might have gone to the wrong place."

"Which old Li?" Song Xianglan pointed in the opposite direction. "If you turn left after you go this way, there are several houses with the surname Li."

"Hey, thanks, ma'am." The man lowered his head and quickly slipped away.

The mute man beside him made two "ah ah" sounds, his face full of vigilance.

Da Mu leaned close to Song Xianglan's ear.

"Aunt Song, my brother said this person seems suspicious; he doesn't look like he's looking for someone, but rather like he's scouting the place."

"I know." Song Xianglan didn't turn around. "Let's go find Old Chen first."

We arrived at the construction site.

Song Xianglan got straight to the point.

"Old Chen, you build Da Mu's house. It's on that plot of land by the road at the east end of the village. One two-story house per person. The courtyard wall will be against the main road, and the walled section will have two adjacent shophouses."

Old Chen stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.

"The boss is here. This design is very trendy." Old Chen drew two lines on the ground with a charcoal pencil. "Two brothers, each with a shop, with a wall in between, so neither of them takes advantage of the other."

"That's settled then. You pick a date to break ground. We'll calculate the cost later. These brothers have it tough, so give them a discount."

Old Chen naturally agreed.

He made a lot of money just from building Song Xianglan's factory and similar structures. Now, wealthy families in Xiaoquan Brigade are all asking him to build their houses. His wife says he's going to settle down in Xiaoquan Brigade.

Even the eldest daughter in the family came to work at Song Xianglan's food factory.

After giving her instructions, Song Xianglan waved to the two brothers, Da Mu and Song Xianglan.

"You should all go back to the factory and get to work. Don't delay."

Big Eyes happily led the mute away.

Song Xianglan did not go home after leaving the construction site.

They took a detour along a small path and found their way to the earthen slope behind the village.

You can see the back door of Old Fang's house clearly from here.

The wind blew through the tree branches.

I didn't squat for more than a few minutes.

The back door was opened a crack.

The man in the baseball cap suddenly appeared, looked around, and then crouched down and ran along the ridge of the field.

Song Xianglan gave a cold laugh.

Zhang Yujuan, Old Fangtou.

Well, these two have certainly figured out how to find outside help when they're paired up.

They really did have designs on her.

I understand perfectly well now.

night.

After washing her feet, Song Tingting was about to go back to her room to sleep.

"Tingting, sleep with me tonight." Song Xianglan was carrying several wooden chairs to block the gate of the courtyard.

A chair placed upside down, with its legs facing outwards.

A layer of gravel was scattered on the ground.

Song Tingting looked at the mess on the ground, completely bewildered.

"Mom, what are you doing? Trying to keep thieves away?"

Song Xianglan patted the dust off her hands.

"If you've offended too many people, it's always good to be on guard."

I went back inside and turned off the lights.

The room was plunged into darkness.

The mother and daughter were lying in bed.

Song Tingting turned over.

"Mom, who have you offended lately? Why are you making such a fuss?"

Song Xianglan stared at the dark roof beams.

"I didn't provoke anyone, but quite a few people are jealous of me. That bastard Yang Dashan came into my dreams and scared me."

"My dad?"

"Hmm. You came to scare me in my dreams. You said your brother would die a horrible death and I'd end up in jail too." Song Xianglan rolled her eyes. "That bastard is still so arrogant."

Song Tingting's face turned red with anger.

"He was pathetic in life, and he still can't rest in peace after death. Does he think the grave is too clean? Mom, tomorrow I'll go get two buckets of the stinkiest manure and pour it over him thoroughly, so his soul can fly away."

Song Xianglan pouted.

"They've probably had too many good days. They're not used to the air these past few days. I'll have someone fix it tomorrow."

"I'll go. He'll be very happy to see his own daughter doing it."

Song Xianglan didn't want Song Tingting to get involved in these things.

"Silly girl, listen to me. In a few days we'll be going back to Beijing to have a good get-together with your friends. There are also some elderly people living alone in the village; I'll spend a little money and I'll make sure they get some work done."

Song Tingting lay down again and hugged Song Xianglan from behind.

"Mom, if he dares to scare you in your dreams again, ask me to come into your dreams and beat him up for you."

"I don't need you," Song Xianglan patted her daughter's hand. "I chased him for half an hour. He ran faster than a dog."

Song Tingting was speechless.

The mother and daughter did not speak again.

Only the even breathing sounds remained.

The night grew deeper. Not even a dog barked in the village.

A cold wind howled.

Several dark figures and a dog stealthily approached the outside of Song Xianglan's courtyard wall.

"Is this the place?" a suppressed male voice asked.

"Yes. I checked it during the day; the wall isn't high," replied the man in the baseball cap who had been scouting the area during the day. "Just climb over it."

The other person shook their head.

"There might be something up there, so we'll just break down the door. I brought my tools."

He gritted his teeth, wearing a baseball cap.

"Let's tie up that young girl inside first. She's really pretty. She looks like a girl from a big city. Then we brothers can have some fun. With the young one in our hands, we're not afraid the older ones won't open their mouths."

Very light footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Song Xianglan suddenly opened her eyes.

She's been on edge these past few days.

The rustling sound was very faint, close to the base of the courtyard wall. So faint that it was easily overlooked.

Song Xianglan tiptoed out of bed.

Song Tingting, who was standing next to her, was also awakened and was about to speak.

"Mom, what's wrong...?"

Song Xianglan quickly covered her mouth and pressed her ear to it.

"There's a thief. Don't make a sound."

Song Tingting's eyes widened, and she threw off the covers, ready to get out of bed.

Song Xianglan held her down.

"If we really alarm the thieves and scare them away, there will be more trouble later. There are only thieves who can steal for a thousand days, but not thieves who can guard against them for a thousand days. Today we have to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, so that when thieves from all around hear the name of Song Xianglan, their ancestors for eighteen generations will jump up and stop them."