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

He had become a clown jumping around.

Just as he was getting angry, he heard the sound of wheels outside the courtyard gate.

Huang Zhuzi pushed his bicycle in, drenched in sweat.

The handlebars were covered with bags and packages.

It's still dripping.

"Dad, I bought some seafood, I'll make dinner right away," Zhu Zi called into the house. "There's Tieguanyin tea on the tea table, you guys make your tea first."

He took the bag into the kitchen, washed his hands, and immediately brought out a large aluminum plate.

The plate was filled with neatly cut squares of red-fleshed watermelon, with several plump peaches lying beside it.

The peaches were still covered with water droplets and exuded an enticing sweet fragrance.

"Dad, Auntie, have some fruit." Zhu Zi carried a plate into the main room and placed it on the octagonal table.

He casually grabbed a clean towel and handed it to Huang Guoping.

"It's hot, let's cool down first."

Zhu Zi smiled apologetically.

Tianyun unceremoniously reached out and grabbed a peach. She took a big bite.

The juice splashed out.

"Wow!" Tianyun's eyes lit up. "These peaches are so delicious, crisp and sweet. They're much better than the nectarines we have back home."

Tianquan also took one, took a bite, and nodded in agreement.

"It's really good."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zi immediately perked up.

He said with a smug look, "We don't grow peaches here. These are all peaches from the big food factory in our village. They specially went up north to pick them up and brought them back to Qingyang. They said they wouldn't come back empty-handed; these are all peaches from Yangshan."

Zhu Zi became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.

"Those people are really capable. They go up north to deliver goods and come back to buy fruits and vegetables from there. Dad, even you guys on the other side of the strait have never eaten anything this fresh, let alone here."

Huang Guoping's face turned even uglier.

"I won't eat it." Huang Guoping's voice was as cold as ice shards.

Zhu Zi's smile froze. "Dad, what's wrong? These peaches are really good..."

Huang Guoping's wife glared at Zhu Zi. "Does your father even want to eat peaches right now? He came back for you, and who knew he'd be beaten like this. What have you done as his son?"

The pillar awkwardly stepped aside.

Just then, Old Lady Huang came out from the backyard.

She was holding a fat old hen that was still struggling upside down in her hand.

"Guoping, I'll make you some chicken soup to nourish you," Grandma Huang called out in a strong voice, wielding the knife with swift motion.

A flash of light appeared, and chicken blood dripped down the blade into the broken bowl.

The hen kicked her legs twice, then stopped moving completely.

The old lady threw the chicken into the basin of boiling water.

She wiped the sweat from her face, turned around, and shouted at the pillar under the eaves.

"Zhu Zi, don't just stand there idly." Old Mrs. Huang put her hands on her hips. "Go and run an errand. Go and call your uncles and the others over."

Zhu Zi was stunned: "Why call them?"

"How can I manage to feed so many people by myself?" Old Mrs. Huang scolded irritably. "They took your father's things for nothing, so why don't they hurry up and come help wash the vegetables and cook?"

"If you really don't want to come over, then return your things."

Zhu Zi responded with a "Yes".

He glanced at his father, whose face was ashen, in the main room, then turned and ran out of the courtyard in a flash.

Huang Guoping sat in his chair, watching the hen outside rolling around in boiling water, plucking its feathers.

The kitchen was filled with smoke.

My aunt was holding a Dead Sea fish with its eyes rolled back, and she threw it directly into the basin of water.

"The fish's eyes are all cloudy." Huang Guoping's wife stood outside the kitchen doorway, covering her mouth and nose with a silk scarf. "How can we eat this?"

Without even looking up, the aunt was scraping the fish scales hard with a kitchen knife.

"Why can't we eat it? Sea fish die quickly, and even if you fry it thoroughly with a little soy sauce, you can't taste the flavor." Auntie gutted the fish. "City people are so fussy. Besides, Zhu Zi also bought a grouper, so we can eat that now, right?"

My second aunt was chopping vegetables nearby.

Chop it finely, including the yellow leaves.

"Oh my, Zhuzi has bought a lot of good stuff this time." Third Aunt picked up the oil bottle and poured a coin-sized amount of oil into the hot iron pot.

The fumes immediately shot up.

The fourth son's wife picked up a dozen or so stainless steel plates of various sizes and placed them one by one on the kitchen table.

Huang Guoping's wife frowned.

She couldn't hold back any longer, "You don't even have a decent porcelain plate? These stainless steel plates look like they're being fed to pigs, they're so ugly."

My third aunt was banging the spatula in her hand.

"So what if it looks ugly? It's made of stainless steel, so it's durable and heavy." She rolled her eyes. "In the countryside, we eat to fill our stomachs, not for fancy dishes. Seafood is all about freshness."

Huang Guoping's wife took two steps back, afraid that the fishy smell would stain her newly bought silk dress.

Food was laid out in the main room.

Grandma Huang sat at the head of the octagonal table in the main room.

Huang Guoping's family of six, along with Zhu Zi and several uncles, filled the large table.

The sisters-in-law were very considerate; they set up a small square table in the corner of the main room and brought over several dishes.

Grandma Huang picked up a chicken leg and placed it shakily into Huang Guoping's bowl.

"Fifth brother," Grandma Huang smiled, her face crinkling with wrinkles, "this is the most nutritious. You craved this the most when you were little. Eat up."

On a small table in the corner.

My second aunt was gnawing on a crab leg, her eyes constantly drifting towards the large table.

"Guoping must be doing pretty well doing business on the other side of the strait, right?" Auntie spat out a crab shell and raised her voice.

Huang Guoping held his wine glass but didn't take the drink.

"Last time, a big boss surnamed Chen came to Xianglan's house. He's a real spendthrift young master who came back from abroad." Second Aunt gestured with her chopsticks in the air. "Anyone in the village who is chosen by him to work will be paid ten yuan a day."

He provided everything for Song Xianglan's family, and even paid people to hear a few gossips. The village children followed him around all day; he gave out money as easily as handing out vegetable scraps. He was incredibly generous.

Aunt chimed in:

"They don't even blink when they pay. Old Wu, the owner of this big hotel, is definitely more extravagant than that General Manager Chen."

Huang Guoping's wife's face darkened.

"That's different."

She explained dryly, "Guoping's money is all tied up in the restaurant and purchasing goods. He doesn't have that much working capital. The money we brought back was all saved up by our family through hard work."

My second aunt rolled her eyes and put down her chopsticks.

"Fifth brother's wife, don't think Second sister-in-law is being blunt. Our fifth brother works hard outside, braving the wind and sun to earn money; we can't let outsiders benefit from it."

"What outsider?"

"Who else? Your ex-wife, Liu Dahua, of course." Huang Laosi's wife scoffed from the side. "Don't let her muddy appearance fool you, she's got a vicious heart. She'll fawn over whoever has money in the village. Don't give her any child support if she asks for it."

Zhu Zi was raised by our mother. Back then, our mother didn't help us with chores; she only helped Zhu Zi with the work. Our mother should ask Zhu Zi for the money she was paid as a nanny. We only didn't say anything because we're kind-hearted.

"You'd be better off giving that money to your mother-in-law. She's the one who's given everything."

"She's clinging to that pig butcher Liu Yidao now. Isn't it just because she's after him and he can make money by leasing shrimp ponds?"

And your daughter, Xiao Xiang, is a complete ingrate. The other day at the village entrance, she pointed her finger at us elders and cursed us old hags.

The sisters-in-law were all incredibly talkative.

They have a considerable ability to distort the truth.

The men of the Huang family were very satisfied; they had just been instructing their wives on how to speak at home.

It worked!

Huang Guoping's anger flared up instantly.

"Zhu Zi," Huang Guoping turned and glared at his son, "Go and call your sister over tomorrow. I want to ask her face to face who taught her such bad manners!"

Zhu Zi was stuffing red crab meat into his mouth, mumbling a vague response.

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow. But my sister's son, Dawei, is hanging out with Liu Yidao at the shrimp pond now. He absolutely refuses to come to our house. I can't persuade him to come."

Huang Guoping's mind went blank for a moment.

"Is Liu Yidao the old scoundrel who beat me up at the village entrance today...?"

"Yeah, Dad," Zhu Zi said indignantly. "That old bastard is so arrogant. This afternoon I went to the shrimp pond to confront him, and he even threatened me with an iron hook, saying he was going to kill me."

Back then, my mom wanted to be with him, and no matter how much I objected, it was no use. That old bastard is cunning.

Huang Guoping felt as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

He originally thought Da Hua would stay with his home, but he never expected that Da Hua would get together with the old hooligan who had been pounding him in the mud on the street.

What's even more alarming is that his own grandson was following the assailant around like a lackey.

Seeing that things were not going well, the second aunt quickly spoke up to smooth things over.

"Oh, Fifth Brother. Why are you getting so worked up? They may not recognize you, but the Huang family does." Second Aunt smiled broadly. "For the past thirty-odd years, you've been away from home. We brothers and sisters-in-law have taken care of everything for you, cleaning up after your mother. We've done our part, even if we haven't done anything particularly meritorious. Don't you think so?"