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

one year later.

At the entrance of Song's Food Factory, a long line of large trucks stood.

The new factory area has been fully built, and the crispy noodles and braised beef noodles became hot commodities as soon as they went into production.

The original flavor potato chips and shrimp chips delivered from the No. 3 Food Factory were also snapped up as soon as they hit the shelves.

Zhou Fang jumped out of the van, turned around and shouted to the passenger seat:

"Shuting, we've arrived."

The car door opened, and Zhang Shuting stepped out of the car in her heeled leather shoes.

She wore a pink shirt, her hair was slightly curled, and she wore light makeup.

He exudes the capable and efficient spirit of a modern metropolis.

"Where's Aunt Song?" Zhang Shuting asked, brushing the dust off her clothes as she looked around.

"She's either in the office or in the workshop. Go to the office and wait for her."

Zhang Shuting arrived at the office.

A moment later, Song Xianglan pushed open the door and came in.

"Shuting's here?" Song Xianglan looked her up and down. "Oh my, dressed like this, who would recognize Xiaxia's mother from back then?"

"Aunt Song," Zhang Shuting said with a smile as she walked over, "People in the new city only recognize this style. If you dress unfashionably, they won't even come into the store to look at clothes. They say that since we sell clothes ourselves, we have to dress ourselves up first."

"Sit down." Song Xianglan poured her a glass of water. "How's the shop in Xincheng?"

"Business is booming. I've acquired two more shops, and I've invested all the money you approved in them. I haven't missed any of my night school classes either." Zhang Shuting took a sip of water and leaned forward slightly. "Aunt Song, I've come this time to discuss an idea with you."

"explain."

"Those shops in the new city are all selling resold goods. They make a profit from the price difference, not the main income. I took classes at night school for a few months, and I realized that always selling other people's goods isn't a long-term solution," Zhang Shuting said. "I want to start our own clothing brand."

Song Xianglan held the water glass and raised an eyebrow.

"Building a garment factory? That's not something you can just talk about. Getting fabric, buying machines, hiring workers—it's exhausting. My focus right now is still on food."

"No need to build a factory." Zhang Shuting waved her hand. "I've heard that OEM manufacturing is popular in Guangzhou now. We provide the design and the money, find an existing factory to make it for us, and then sell it under our brand. It saves us the money of building a factory and reduces the risk."

"You can design?" Song Xianglan smiled.

"I've learned a little. But we also have people ready-made." Zhang Shuting smiled mysteriously.

"Who?"

"Yu Lu," Zhang Shuting said, "she also attends night school in Xincheng, specializing in fashion design. The designs she draws look more stylish than the ones sold in stores. Why don't we let her try them?"

When Song Yulu was mentioned, Song Xianglan's smile faded.

"How are things between her and Cai Youde now?"

"She's doing great," Zhang Shuting sighed. "Everyone envies her. Although she can't have children, Cai Youde protects her. He even stopped going back to his hometown for her sake and settled down in the new city. They're both working hard on their careers now."

Song Xianglan's brows relaxed a little.

"As long as the couple is of one mind, whether or not they have children is not a big deal. That girl Yulu is too scheming; she insists that she has wronged the Cai family."

"Yes. So finding her something to do will help her gradually untangle this knot in her heart." Zhang Shuting stood up. "Aunt Song, please consider it. I think the brand thing is something we can do."

"Alright, we'll discuss this later. Come on, follow me to the orchard on the back hill." Song Xianglan picked up the straw hat hanging on the chair. "Let's pick some fruit, and you can bring some back to Xincheng for everyone to try."

"The orchard is thriving now. We're an experimental base for the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences."

Looking at Xiaoquan Village, Zhang Shuting exclaimed sincerely, "Our hometown is also by the sea. The men still fish by carving stones, and the women still shoulder the heavy burden of the home and the fields. They are even stronger than the men at carrying stone slabs weighing hundreds of pounds."

"After Xiaxia finishes her studies, she won't have to follow those old paths again."

The two left the factory and walked along the dirt road toward the back of the mountain.

The orchard is full of fruit.

The starfruit were bright yellow, while the jaboticaba grapes lay dark purple on the trunk, emitting a sweet fragrance.

Zhang Shuting stepped on a tree branch.

I climbed up a big tree, carrying a basket, and reached out to pick grapes from the tree.

"Aunt Song, this is so sweet." Zhang Shuting said as she picked the fruit and put it in her mouth.

"They're ripe. Pick some more and share them with them." Song Xianglan stood under the tree, pulled over a branch of starfruit, and carefully cut it into her basket.

Just as I was busy working, I heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes by the roadside.

Old Mrs. Yu pushed aside the branches and crawled out.

She had several red marks on her face, her clothes were covered in mud, and she stared at Song Xianglan with a gloomy expression.

"You have the leisure to pick fruit," Old Mrs. Yu spat. "Zhang Yujuan is dead."

Song Xianglan paused in her scissors and looked up.

"You're already dead?" Song Xianglan sneered, continuing to prune the starfruit from the tree.

Zhang Yujuan is dead.

The news was like a stone falling to the ground, hitting Song Xianglan's heart and stirring up a feeling of pure joy.

The sins Zhang Yujuan committed in her past life have been repaid with interest in this life.

When Old Lady Yu saw Song Xianglan's indifferent attitude, she suddenly became furious.

"You're a heartless woman." Old Mrs. Yu was indignant that Song Xianglan was living a good life, with all sorts of men flattering her. "Zhang Yujuan just had a child with Yang Dashan in bed."

What heinous thing did she do? Why did you drive her step by step to her death, ultimately killing her?

Song Xianglan put down the scissors and walked up to Old Lady Yu.

"Smack."

He slapped the old woman hard across the face.

The blow knocked Old Lady Yu off balance, causing her to bleed from the corner of her mouth.

"Who are you pointing fingers at?" Song Xianglan looked at her coldly. "Zhang Yujuan is going to die because she helped those capitalist tycoons get away with it. Now that they've turned their fortunes around, it's only natural that they're looking to settle scores with her. You feel sorry for her? Then go down and keep her company."

Old Mrs. Yu covered her face.

"If she hadn't hired someone to deal with me, she wouldn't be in this predicament today." Song Xianglan approached step by step. "Her own death was predetermined. I've already shown her mercy by not strangling her myself."

Old Mrs. Yu was furious and lunged at him, baring her teeth and claws.

"I'll fight you to the death."

Song Xianglan didn't even try to dodge.

She's had a good life these past few years, taking supplements regularly, and is very healthy.

On the other hand, the old woman's eldest son is missing, and her other two sons are estranged from her.

I don't have much strength.

Song Xianglan grabbed Old Lady Yu's hair and slammed her down.

He lifted his leg and kicked her in the stomach.

"Ouch!" Old Mrs. Yu cried out as she fell into the mud.

"If you keep talking so rudely, I'll throw you into the pigsty next time." Song Xianglan straightened her clothes, turned around and shouted to Zhang Shuting in the tree, "Shuting, stop picking them, take your things and leave."

Zhang Shuting jumped down from the tree, not even glancing at Old Lady Yu lying on the ground wailing, and followed Song Xianglan into the village.

As soon as I reached the village entrance, I heard a commotion.

A crowd gathered in front of Wang Cong's house.

A thin-skinned coffin sat in the courtyard. Wang Cong, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt before the coffin, weeping uncontrollably.

Zhang Mahua stood with her hands on her hips, blocking the doorway.

"I said no, and that's final. This slut who died outside, still wants to come into our Wang family's house?" Zhang Mahua cursed, spitting as he spoke. "If you don't get rid of her, I'll chop the coffin up with an axe right now."

Wang Cong raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Mom, she's still my own mother, please let her stay overnight."

"Stop what?" Wang Dahai stood up for the first time ever, holding a fire poker in his hand. "This woman has disgraced the Wang family. She's made me lose all face. Get her out of here!"

Wang Dahai thought about Zhang Yujuan, how wonderful those early years of their marriage were.

He hated Yang Dashan and Song Xianglan, but he couldn't bring himself to hate Zhang Yujuan.

But he is also very realistic.

Now Zhang Mahua is in charge of the whole family, and he no longer goes to work on the boat.

Growing fruits and vegetables at home with Zhang Mahua, they earn quite a bit of money.

There were also three or four acres of land planted with asparagus, which Zhang Mahua sold to Song Xianglan's family.

Zhang Mahua chimed in from the side:

"If you dare bring a coffin in, I'll die right here on this threshold. If the ancestors of the Wang family knew that you, such a spendthrift, brought in a promiscuous woman, they'd be so angry they'd crawl out of the ground."

Looking at the determined faces of his biological father and stepmother, Wang Cong knew there was no hope.

He wiped away his tears and stood up.

"Fine, if we're not going in, then we're not going in." Wang Cong gritted his teeth and called to a few of his brothers, "Brothers, give us a hand and carry it to the back of the mountain."

Several men tied the coffin with thick ropes and lifted it up with heavy breathing.

Song Xianglan stood outside the crowd, coldly watching the swaying coffin.

Liu Chounu squeezed in from somewhere, holding a handful of melon seeds, and whispered in Song Xianglan's ear.

"Xianglan, have you heard?" Liu Chounu's tone was filled with excitement. "The Wang family won't let us in, and Meifang won't budge either, saying it's bad luck. Old Fang hasn't come back since he ran away; some people say he might have died out there."

Zhang Yujuan died without even a place to be buried. Wang Cong is planning to send his biological mother to the back of the mountain and just dig a hole for her.

Song Xianglan raised an eyebrow.

Watching the coffin procession recede into the distance, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Go tell Wang Cong that Yang Dashan is buried over there. Why not bury Zhang Yujuan with him?"

Liu Chounu was stunned for a moment, then waved her hands repeatedly, causing the melon seeds to fall to the ground.

"That won't do. Wouldn't that just make us a laughingstock?"

"They'll be together in life, and together in death." Song Xianglan's eyes were as cold as ice. "That's what makes their affair meaningful, isn't it? Go and tell Wang Cong a message."

The ugly woman gasped, shrinking back and not daring to reply.

Zhang Shuting, carrying a basket of grapes, stood nearby and felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing these words. She glanced at Song Xianglan, then at the receding coffin, said nothing, and silently followed behind Song Xianglan towards the food factory.