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

"Give me back my underwear." The old woman raised her cane and smacked the man on the back. "My underwear has been worn for over ten years and has a peculiar smell. You perverted bastard, you won't leave here without twenty yuan."

Upon hearing this, the aunties and sisters-in-law who were watching...

Even a pair of red underwear that's over ten years old can be worth twenty yuan; their underwear when they were younger was worth even more.

"You pervert! My floral print underwear that I just bought last week is gone too."

"Your new one isn't worth much. The heart-patterned underwear I wore on my wedding day was stolen too. It wouldn't be enough to make up for my heartbreak on my first wedding day without at least fifty yuan."

"And my bra."

"You pervert! You owe me money!"

The old ladies in the shantytown were incredibly tough, pushing Song Xianglan to the periphery.

Seven or eight middle-aged women surrounded the man, scratching and clawing at him.

Some used shoe soles to whip it, while others used fingernails to pinch it.

They were both women who despised men who couldn't control their lower bodies. Today they were attacking an old woman named Song Xianglan. What if they were to become beastly and attack underage girls one day?

The man was pressed down in the mud.

Even the pleas for mercy were interrupted.

Song Xianglan stood outside the circle, shouting instructions:

"Neighbors, don't just slap him in the face. Strip him naked and see if he dares to embarrass himself like that again!"

"Keep the money and watch in your pocket. Consider it compensation for everyone's shorts, whether new or old, they were all bought with money."

Screams echoed through the alleys of the shantytown.

The man couldn't escape the old ladies' encirclement even if he scrambled and crawled.

"Kill this heartless bastard."

"Do you think we're pushovers? You dare to act wildly on our territory?"

The brooms, canes, and worn-out shoe soles of seven or eight old women rained down on the ground.

That scoundrel was initially defiant, but within two minutes he was rolling around in the mud, clutching his head and howling in pain.

Grandma Wu tapped his shinbone with her cane.

"Get lost. If we run into you in the alley again, we'll beat you up every time we see you."

Erlaizi scrambled and crawled, without even pulling up his pants.

He limped out of the alley.

After chasing the people away, the old ladies tidied their hair, picked up their shoes that had fallen to the ground, and put them back on.

Only then did he turn his head to look at Song Xianglan.

Grandma Wu sized her up, noticing her wealthy attire, and said with a hint of wariness, "This young lady looks unfamiliar. Did you just say you're a relative of Yao Hong?"

Song Xianglan nodded in agreement:

"Sister-in-law, you're quite skilled. I'm a distant relative of Yao Hong, and I haven't been in contact with her family for many years. I just met her when I arrived in Haishi, and I came here today specifically to see the children."

"Oh, a distant relative." Da Mao's wife breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew it. Who else could Yao Hong rely on in Haishi?"

Song Xianglan sensed the desolation in his voice and asked accordingly:

"Yao Hong must have troubled the neighbors quite a bit, right?"

"What a mess," Grandma Wu sighed, pulling over a bench with uneven legs for Song Xianglan to sit on. "That poor woman came here alone with two little girls. What a tragedy."

Song Xianglan sat down and subtly probed for information: "Yes, about her family home..."

Wang Huaihua chimed in, "Her family is a real scumbag. I heard her husband died years ago, and all the family wealth he left behind was taken away by her husband's younger brother. Yao Hong was kicked out with her two daughters."

Grandma Wu continued:

"Her parents are in poor health. Her husband's compensation money was stolen and she was kicked out. Her father was so angry that he went to his in-laws' house to seek justice, but his leg was broken by her brother-in-law. The family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat, so she had no choice but to take her two daughters and come to our city to find a way to make a living."

An 88-year-old woman was holding a handful of money and said she wanted to share it.

Everyone glanced at Song Xianglan.

Song Xianglan quickly waved her hand. "This has nothing to do with me. My underwear wasn't stolen. You don't need to share it with me; you can all share it."

The 88-year-old woman said, "Everyone contributed. How about we split the profits equally? And if we sell the watch, we can split the money too?"

Grandma Wu and Wang Huaihua both agreed.

Let's split it evenly.

Seven or eight people agreed.

Song Xianglan watched them divide the money.

In the end, everyone received 23.46 yuan.

Everyone was in high spirits. "From now on, if we encounter any perverts, we'll empty their pockets."

Song Xianglan stood up and brought over the several net bags she had bought earlier, placing them on the table.

The net bag was filled with White Rabbit milk candy, peach shortbread, and sponge cake.

She beckoned to Xiao Xiang, who was huddled in the corner, and said, "Xiao Xiang, open these bags of candy and share them with your friends outside."

Xiao Xiang's small face was fair and delicate, her eyes red from crying. Hearing this, she glanced timidly at Song Xianglan, then at the candy on the table.

Song Xianglan patted her head.

"Go ahead, Grandma Song bought it for you, you decide."

Xiao Xiang immediately smiled broadly, revealing her two little tiger teeth.

The little girl, barefoot, picked up the plastic bag and ran outside.

The group of sun-tanned, mud-covered monkeys in the alley were already peeking out from outside.

When they saw Xiao Xiang take out the candy, they swarmed over to her.

"Line up. One at a time," Xiao Xiang called out crisply, her voice loud and clear.

The sounds of laughter and chatter drifted in from outside.

Grandma Wu looked at the table full of good food and waved her hands repeatedly, "Sister, you're going to spend too much. Yao Hong has been gone for several days and there's still no word of her coming back. You come to see her, but you can't even get a hot meal."

"It's alright. Yao Hong went to run some errands for my godson. She was worried about the child, so I, as an elder, came to check on him."

Da Mao's wife laughed:

"Everyone in this alley has helped look after her children. Our area is a bit poor, but outsiders don't dare to come in and bully the kids. That scoundrel only dared to take advantage of the situation because all the adults were at work."

Wang Huaihua chimed in, "We're all like family here. I'm working the night shift today. This child won't get lost."

As Song Xianglan listened to the women's words, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

The poor people at the bottom of society, who suffer all kinds of contempt outside, can unite as one when they return to this dilapidated shantytown.

"Alright, I've seen the person, I should head back now." Song Xianglan picked up her purse and prepared to leave.

"Stop right there, young lady." Grandma 88 slammed her cane on the ground, her face hardening. "Are you trying to slap us in the face?"

Song Xianglan was stunned:

"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?"

She thought about it and realized she hadn't offended these incredibly tough old ladies.

"They came all the way here and didn't even have a sip of water before trying to leave?" Grandma Wu pointed outside. "In our hometown in northern Jiangsu, it's customary for relatives to come and not be offered a meal; that's considered heartless. If word gets out, where will I put my face?"

Da Mao's wife quickly rolled up her sleeves.

"It's the same in Anhui Province. I'll go catch some chickens in the back right now. The old hen that laid eggs just stopped laying yesterday, so it's perfect to kill it and make soup today."

Wang Huaihua also walked outside.

"There's a piece of salted meat hanging on my stove. I cut it off and stir-fried it with garlic sprouts."

Grandma Wu turned around and called into the inner room, "Dazhu's wife, stop sewing shoe soles, take five yuan to the street corner to buy a pound of pork and a pound of river shrimp. We have guests."

"Yes," came a reply from inside, and a young woman hurriedly ran out with a net bag in her hand.

Song Xianglan was stunned by this display of power.

Hurry up and step forward to stop them.

"No, no, no, really, it's not necessary. I have something to do..."

"Even if it's something really important, finish this meal before you leave." Grandma Wu pressed her wrist. "Does your sister think our place is dirty and the food isn't clean?"

Grandma 88 smiled and said, "Our shantytown is bad, but every house is kept clean. The food we cook is also clean."

That's all there is to it.

If Song Xianglan were to refuse again, she would be ungrateful.

She sat back down on the stool, listening to the various dialects from different regions mingling together inside and outside the house.

Northern Jiangsu dialect, Southern Anhui dialect, Central Plains Mandarin, Sichuan dialect, Northeastern dialect... and even a tone with a touch of Haishi local accent.

It was chaotic yet lively.

They were talking.

Yao Hong's eldest daughter, Xiaoyu, pushed open the door and walked in.

The girl was about seven or eight years old, wearing a clean floral shirt, with her hair tied into two braids that draped over her shoulders. She was carrying two lively crucian carp in her hand, and had a handful of pumpkin tips tucked under her arm.

"Grandma, all the aunties are here."

Xiaoyu's voice was clear and crisp as she deftly tossed the fish into the water basin by the door.

Grandma Wu waved: "Xiaoyu, come here quickly. This is your Grandma Song, your mother's elder, who came especially to see you."

Xiaoyu dried her hands and walked up to Song Xianglan.

He greeted her respectfully, "Hello, Grandma Song."

After saying that, Xiaoyu turned around, took a clean enamel mug, mixed hot and cold water, and presented it to Song Xianglan with both hands.

"Grandma Song, have some water."

Song Xianglan took the enamel mug and her gaze fell on Xiaoyu's face.

This girl has extremely beautiful features. Her eyes and brows already reveal a beauty that surpasses even Yao Hong's.

Given time, she will definitely be a stunning beauty.

Then look at Xiao Xiang, who is running around in the yard. She is also a fair-skinned and lovely little girl.

Song Xianglan's heart sank.

Such a look would be the icing on the cake for a wealthy family.

But being born in this drafty shantytown, without anyone to protect you, is a death sentence.

Today, some scoundrel dared to sneak in and grope Xiaoxiang while things were in chaos.

Tomorrow, there's no guarantee that some street thugs won't come after Xiaoyu.

Beauty alone, coupled with poverty, is always a dead end.

There are too many wolves and tigers in this world who have no moral bottom line.

No wonder Yao Hong was so determined to make money to take her daughter out of the shantytown. Song Xianglan unconsciously developed a greater appreciation for Yao Hong.