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

"Look at your shop." Song Xianglan pointed to the messy pile of goods. "Is this a place to sell big-ticket items? There's barely any room for customers to even put their feet down. The display area is too cluttered, there's not even a proper way to categorize them. You've really lost sight of the bigger picture."

Huang Ronghua retorted, "As long as we can make money, why bother with all that fancy stuff?"

"Upgrade the decor, and customers will be willing to pay a higher price."

Song Xianglan was still willing to reason with him in a gentle and persuasive way.

"Once the store is renovated to department store standards, even if you raise the price of items by 10%, customers will still buy them without hesitation."

I bought the shop next door. If I knock down the wall in the middle, the area will double. Zhou Fang is arriving in Shanghai tomorrow; I'll give him the blueprints. There's no room for discussion.

"Big cities are different from our rural areas. Customers value the experience. Nobody dislikes a nice shop with a cozy area inside, a couple of sofas, and some of our traditional tea."

Huang Ronghua looked pained, glancing at the pile of goods and then at the wall next door.

He sighed, always thinking that Song Xianglan had been influenced by Liu Yukun.

He nodded reluctantly.

evening.

The sky was getting rather dark.

Song Xianglan strolled to the pedestrian street.

People were coming and going on the street.

As I was walking, I ran into two people.

Sheng Ruzhi was arm in arm with a middle-aged woman, carrying a paper bag from the mall.

The two met face to face.

Sheng's face turned deathly pale, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

"Aunt Song... Aunt Song." Sheng Ruzhi's voice was weak.

Song Xianglan sized up the middle-aged woman. Her face resembled Sheng Ruzhi's somewhat, and her clothes were simple and clean.

Her eyes were bright and clear, radiating a gentle happiness.

"Zhizhi, did you run into someone you know?" The middle-aged woman stepped forward and greeted her with a smile. "Hello, I'm Zhizhi's mother."

"Mom, this is an elder I know." Sheng Ruzhi didn't dare to look Song Xianglan in the eye, afraid that Song Xianglan would mention Liu Yukun.

"Oh, what a coincidence!" Mrs. Sheng warmly took Song Xianglan's arm. "Sister, have you eaten yet? It's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. That local Shanghainese restaurant up ahead is quite good; let's have a meal together. Zhizhi must have received a lot of help from you in Shanghai, right?"

Sheng Ruzhi desperately tried to wink at Song Xianglan.

I hope she doesn't mention Liu Yukun.

Song Xianglan readily agreed: "Sure. Let's go."

We arrived at the restaurant.

We ordered four dishes and a soup.

Mrs. Sheng was a chatterbox; after a couple of sips of tea, she couldn't stop talking.

"Sister, you be the judge." Mrs. Sheng frowned. "Zhizhi's cousin is two years younger than her, and she got engaged last month. The man is a permanent employee at the factory. But she insists on staying in Shanghai. In our hometown, if you're not married by this age, you're considered an old maid."

Sheng Ruzhi lowered her head and ate her white rice.

The tips of the chopsticks were poking at the rice at the bottom of the bowl.

"Mom, why are you telling Aunt Song all this?"

"Why can't I say it?" Mrs. Sheng's eyes widened, and her voice rose even louder. "Look at yourself now. You're in your late twenties and still can't find a husband."

A woman's youth only lasts a few years, and you've wasted it all in this city. Your father has already pulled strings to get you a job at the post office back home, a stable job, a good husband, and a peaceful life. Isn't that better than you squeezing into a rented room?

The blossoms were so abundant that they were buried even lower on the branches.

"I'm doing fine in Shanghai," Sheng Ruzhi said in a very soft voice.

"What's so good about it?" Mrs. Sheng's eyes reddened. "If you really had a boyfriend outside, I would accept it. But you haven't even brought a man home. What are you doing here all alone?"

"We are just an ordinary family, and we don't wish for you to be rich and powerful."

Song Xianglan picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks without making a sound, glancing at Sheng Ruzhi out of the corner of her eye.

Sheng Ruzhi bit her lower lip, her face pale, and refused to look up.

"Young lady, don't be in such a hurry." Song Xianglan put down her chopsticks, picked up her teacup and blew on it. "Ruzhi is a reliable girl. There are many opportunities in Shanghai, and she'll meet many talented young men. Perhaps Zhizhi's good match is here."

Mrs. Sheng was stunned and looked at her daughter with suspicion.

"Zhizhi, are you dating someone in Haishi?"

"No." Sheng Ruzhi lowered her head, her eyes filled with panic. "We haven't dated. All the single young men in my workplace prefer to date local girls."

Song Xianglan could only let out a cold sigh.

She cut off her own escape route for a man who dared not marry her.

Is this infatuation or foolishness?

Liu Yukun is a real scoundrel.

"My husband has worked on the railway his whole life, and he still has a few years before he retires." Mrs. Sheng took a sip of tea, her emotions calming down a bit. "I also just retired from my job, and I feel really uneasy being idle at home."

I have a son who teaches at a middle school and a daughter-in-law who works in a textile factory.

A while ago, she said the factory wasn't doing well, and she had to take a few extra days off each month; she was afraid she'd be laid off. Our whole family are honest people; we don't have many ulterior motives. We just want our children to be happy, and as parents, we'll help them out as much as we can.

Song Xianglan nodded in agreement:

"It's good that my family is small."

"Yes. I only have one son and one daughter." Mrs. Sheng looked at Sheng Ruzhi, who had her head down. "I have never mistreated her since she was little, and I am not like other families that favor sons over daughters. Now my son is married and has a grandson."

"I'm worried about this girl. She's all alone out there with no one to rely on. I just retired, and while I'm still relatively mobile, if she gets married and has a child, I can help take care of it. But in a few years, when I can't take care of it anymore, she won't even have anyone to help her."

"We also saved money for her dowry. The same amount of dowry we gave our son was the same amount we gave her as a bride price."

Mother Sheng turned to look at Song Xianglan.

"Sister, how many children do you have?"

"One son and one daughter. The son had twins, a boy and a girl, but the daughter is not yet married."

Mrs. Sheng smiled and said:

"Having a son and a daughter makes a perfect family, and that's a blessing for ordinary people like us. The two siblings should visit each other more often, so that the holidays won't be lonely."

Unlike those families with several siblings who argue endlessly over trivial matters. "At our age, what else can we hope for?" she sighed.

All I wanted was for my children to have good futures. She was determined to build her career in Shanghai. I never put any financial pressure on her growing up; I let her do whatever she wanted. Why did she have to be such a strong woman? "I'll only stay for two days; out of sight, out of mind."

Sheng Ruzhi remained silent.

The two mothers started chatting, from their children's jobs to blind dates, completely leaving Sheng Ruzhi out in the cold.

Song Xianglan and Mother Sheng felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

They were practically sworn brothers on the spot.

After finishing their meal, the three of them walked out together.

The night breeze outside was a bit chilly.

After taking only a couple of steps, Mrs. Sheng stumbled.

She grabbed Sheng Ruzhi's arm, and clutched her chest tightly with her other hand.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Sheng Ruzhi helped her up.

Mrs. Sheng's face turned deathly pale, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing that things were not going well, Song Xianglan quickly stepped forward to support Sheng's mother's back.

"Don't let her stand, quickly help her sit down."

The two of them worked together to lay Sheng's mother flat on the curb.

"Zhizhi, go stop the car, hurry!" Song Xianglan turned and shouted at Sheng Ruzhi.

Sheng Ruzhi was completely stunned and stumbled to the middle of the road, waving frantically.

Fortunately, there are few cars in Shanghai at night.

People nowadays are simple and honest; they'll stop their cars if they see someone in need.

A Santana braked suddenly to a stop.

Song Xianglan and the driver helped the person into the back seat.

"Go to the nearest major hospital." Song Xianglan closed the car door.

Hospital emergency room.

Doctors and nurses rushed to the scene to save the patient.

"Doctor, what's wrong with my mother?" Sheng Ruzhi gripped the sleeve of the white coat, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

"The patient's symptoms currently appear to be a pulmonary embolism, but further examinations will be needed after the patient is resuscitated," the doctor said rapidly. "The family should hurry and pay the fees and complete the formalities."

Sheng Ruzhi's legs went weak, and she slid down to the ground.

"What should I do... Aunt Song, what should I do?" Tears streamed down her face.

Song Xianglan grabbed her and pulled her up, pressing her down onto the bench.

"Sit here and don't move, I'm going to pay the bill."

Song Xianglan took the receipt and ran to the payment counter to pay for it herself.

After paying the bill, she went out and found a public phone, then dialed Liu Yukun's number.