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

When Huang Xiaoxiang arrived at Liu Dahua's house, she took the bamboo basket off the handlebars of her bicycle.

Walk to the edge of the well.

Secure the two large pig trotters in the basket with nylon rope and lower them slowly down the well.

The well water is icy cold, which helps keep the pig's trotters from spoiling.

I went into the kitchen and saw a bamboo dish cover upside down on the table.

I lifted it up and took a look.

Underneath was half a plate of leftover preserved radish and pickled cabbage.

The elderly couple must not be home.

Huang Xiaoxiang walked to the courtyard wall and casually plucked a longan branch laden with fruit.

She carried the longans, peeling and eating them as she walked out.

The sun is quite strong.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty smell, rushed straight to my face.

We walked all the way to the shrimp ponds by the sea.

The aerator was spraying water and humming.

A thatched shed for night watch was built by the shrimp pond.

Liu Dahua was squatting in the shade outside the shed, mending a torn fishing net.

"Mom." Huang Xiaoxiang spat out the longan seed in her mouth and ran over like a gust of wind.

Liu Dahua looked up, but before she could see who it was, her daughter hugged her tightly.

"You little rascal, you're such a grown-up and still so impulsive," Liu Dahua complained, but her eyes were full of laughter.

"Mom, what are you going to do with all that money?" Huang Xiaoxiang buried her head in her mother's shoulder. "Come back with me, and I'll give you living expenses every month from now on."

Liu Dahua felt a warmth in her heart.

She's a kind-hearted girl.

The son-in-law is also an honest and simple person.

However, the daughter's family was not well-off, and with three children to feed and drink, their life was much more difficult than that of Zhuzi's family.

She secretly helps her daughter buy fans and TVs, fearing that her daughter will feel ashamed in her husband's family.

"Stop talking nonsense, how are you going to support me?" Liu Dahua patted Huang Xiaoxiang's hand. "Is your eldest son looking for someone?"

"It's not decided yet."

"In my opinion, it would be better to have him come and raise shrimp with me." Liu Dahua pointed to the pond behind her. "The seafood market is good right now. If he learns all the skills, it will be a profession where he can earn a good living in the future."

Huang Xiaoxiang waved her hands repeatedly and took a half step back.

"I'm a married-out daughter. How can a married-out daughter take over her parents' property? Since this is something that makes money, it should naturally be left to the boys."

"Which boy should I leave it to?" Liu Dahua asked coldly.

"Let's leave it for Zhu Zi," Huang Xiaoxiang said softly.

"Keep dreaming." Liu Dahua threw the shuttle into the net. "Old Liu paid for this shrimp pond. What does it have to do with the Huang family? Zhu Zi's mouth is as foul as if he ate croton seeds and had diarrhea. I don't want anything from the Huang family, and he won't get a single penny of what I have or Old Liu have."

Huang Xiaoxiang still felt it was inappropriate.

"That shouldn't be given to my son either." Huang Xiaoxiang looked around. "It should at least be left to Uncle Liu's nephew. If my son gets this advantage, won't people curse me to death behind my back?"

"Don't be so polite."

The straw curtain of the thatched hut was lifted.

Liu Yidao came out carrying a plate of sliced ​​watermelon.

He invited Xiao Xiang and Da Hua to eat watermelon.

"Let your son come and learn first," Liu Yidao said casually. "Once he's mastered the skills and can work on his own, we can talk about the future later. We don't follow those fancy rules in our family."

Huang Xiaoxiang took the watermelon and called out:

"Uncle Liu."

She took a big bite of watermelon, and sweet juice dripped down her chin.

"Uncle Liu, thank you for taking care of my mother."

Huang Xiaoxiang didn't mention the fight at Zhu Zi's house, nor did she mention Zhu Zi's outrageous words.

"What have you been busy with lately?" Liu Dahua asked.

Huang Xiaoxiang wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Xiaoqun is getting married this year. Xiaoqin absolutely refuses to stay home and farm; she insists on going out and finding something to do."

Liu Dahua pulled over a small stool and sat down.

"That's easy. If you don't mind the distance, have her come to our village." Liu Dahua looked at her daughter. "Xianglan's food factory is doing very well now, and the pay is good. Or she can go to Cai's food factory in town."

Xianglan is also quite familiar with the Cai family. I'll put in a word with them and try to get her an interview. Whether she stays or not is up to her own luck.

"That's great!" Huang Xiaoxiang's eyes lit up. "These days, factory jobs are considered secure. So many people are desperate to get in. I'll go back and tell her to prepare properly."

A farm tricycle drove by on the village road in the distance.

I stopped by the shrimp pond and honked the horn twice.

"The shrimp buyers are here." Liu Yidao wiped his hands. "You two sit down, I'll go and greet them."

Watching Liu Yidao walk away.

Only the mother and daughter remained in front of the thatched hut.

Huang Xiaoxiang moved closer, carrying a small stool.

She stared at Liu Dahua's face.

"Mom, why are there so many dark circles under your eyes? Have you been having trouble sleeping these past few nights?"

Liu Dahua's hand, which was touching the net, stopped.

She kept her head down and didn't say a word.

Huang Xiaoxiang felt a pang of sadness and reached out to tightly grasp her mother's rough hand.

"Mom, no matter what others say," Huang Xiaoxiang's voice trembled, "I will always stand by your side. No one will let you suffer."

Liu Dahua's shoulders tensed up.

"When I was little, those idle men in the village would gossip behind my back, saying you were always out at sea and got so tanned you looked like a black monkey. I was ignorant back then, but I'm not stupid." Huang Xiaoxiang's eyes reddened. "I knew in my heart that you forced yourself to become a man just to raise me and Zhuzi!"

Liu Dahua turned her head away and raised the back of her hand to wipe the corner of her eye hard.

"Mom, what woman wouldn't want to stay home and do some easy chores? Even carrying manure in the fields for a couple of days is a hundred times better than risking her life at sea against the wind and waves."

"Alright. Why bring this up?"

Huang Xiaoxiang held her mother's hand tightly.

"Your joints ache on rainy days, and your health is much worse than Aunt Xianglan and the others. It's all because of the illnesses you developed from spending so much time in icy seawater."

"Going to sea isn't as tough as you say."

"I remember when I was a child, every time it was a woman's period, the men on the boat would think it was bad luck and wouldn't let you on board. So you would run to the rocky beach by yourself with a basket."

You hold your breath and dive into deep water to dive for abalone and collect sea cucumbers.

If you're lucky, you might manage to pry up a few; if you're unlucky, you might freeze in the water until your lips turn purple and you only manage to pull up two broken crabs.

"Later, I got my period myself. My stomach hurt so badly that I couldn't even straighten my back. While I was rolling around in bed, you made me a hot ginger, brown sugar, and egg soup. Only then did I truly understand that back then, you endured menstrual cramps and plunged yourself into ice water, but you never even ate a single grain of brown sugar."

Liu Dahua couldn't hold back any longer.

She felt like a stone was weighing on her heart these past few days.

Zhu Zi's hurtful words made her even doubt whether she had really done something wrong.

She thought her daughter would also follow the Huang family's line of reasoning and persuade her to get a divorce.

She was used to swallowing her bitterness and showing her best side to her children.

But she didn't expect that her daughter saw everything and felt heartbroken.

"My dear little sister..." Liu Dahua hugged Huang Xiaoxiang and cried her heart out.

Not far away, the shrimp vendor drove away in his tricycle.

Liu Yidao watched from afar as the mother and daughter embraced and wept bitterly.

He didn't go over to disturb them. He turned around, picked up a bamboo basket, and bent down to collect seashells on the shallow beach as the tide receded.

A long time passed.

The sea breeze carried away the cries in front of the thatched hut.

Huang Xiaoxiang strode towards the beach.

"Uncle Liu!" Huang Xiaoxiang called out at the top of her lungs, "I'll be in charge of cooking lunch and make you some hearty dishes."

Liu Yidao straightened up, smiling broadly as he carried the basket back home.

When Liu Yidao walked up to them.

Huang Xiaoxiang looked very serious.

"Uncle Liu, I'll send my brat over in a couple of days. He'll be your soldier from now on. You can make him do whatever he wants, and if he disobeys, just beat him up."

"As long as he's willing to work hard, I'll teach him all my skills," Liu Yidao readily agreed.

"Your mother has been feeling down these past few days."

"It's all that bastard Zhu Zi's fault. Plus, all those busybodies in the village, they're always talking nonsense and having nothing better to do than fart around everywhere."

"But don't worry, Uncle Liu. I just cursed their ancestors for eight generations when I passed by the village entrance." Huang Xiaoxiang put her hands on her hips. "They just can't stand seeing others doing better than them. They're jealous that my mother has a loving husband and lives a more comfortable life than them."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yidao grinned and laughed.

The deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had completely smoothed out.

"Let them gossip. Next time I go around, I'll write down who's swearing and then beat up their sons." Liu Yidao handed the bamboo basket in his hand to Huang Xiaoxiang. The basket was full of freshly picked clams and sea snails. "Come on, let's go home and cook some dishes."