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

"Well done! Let the bad children and grandchildren fend for themselves. There's no reason for someone as old as her to have to clean up their messes every day. Da Hua has finally figured it out. Children and grandchildren have their own lives to live, and she'll enjoy hers regardless."

As the two were talking, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

With a "bang".

A muddy hoe slammed onto the threshold of the yard.

"Old Song, you really decided to come back?"

Liu Chunhua's voice arrived before she did.

She scraped the mud off the soles of her shoes with a hoe and stepped across the threshold.

Liu Chou-nv pouted and muttered to Song Xianglan:

"He has a dog's nose; he can smell things and come right away. He's afraid I'll eat something good by myself."

Liu Chunhua has sharp ears, and she retorted as soon as she entered the main room.

"Stop talking nonsense, you ugly girl. I saw Old Song's car enter the village from the fields, and I didn't even bother to clear the weeds before I came over to keep an eye on you. If I don't keep an eye on your gluttonous habit, you won't even leave me a scrap."

Song Xianglan pushed a bag of Dingsheng cake over.

"Eat up. Let's shut you up."

Liu Chunhua carefully picked up a piece. The cake was red and decorated with delicate patterns.

"Oh my!" Liu Chunhua couldn't bear to eat it, holding it in her hand and examining it from all angles. "How can this thing be made so beautifully? It looks like a flower. It feels like a sin to even take a bite."

Liu Chounu also picked up a piece and examined it closely. "Look at this exquisite craftsmanship. The dough we make in our village is so poorly made that even dogs would chew it. People from Haishi are so particular."

"That's called craftsmanship."

Song Xianglan picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing it a couple of times.

"Even food can't shut you up. After you finish eating, hurry up and get on with your business. I've been on the train for a whole day and night, my bones are about to fall apart."

Liu Chunhua took a bite of Dingsheng cake, the sweetness spreading out, and she smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared from her smile.

"Old Song, don't cook dinner tonight. Come to my house. I'll kill a free-range chicken for you to welcome you back."

"Forget it. I'll just make myself some rice noodle soup."

"Why did you cook rice noodle soup yourself?" Liu Chounv interrupted her.

"You can't just get away with this meal today." Liu Chounu stuffed half a piece of Dingsheng cake into her mouth and mumbled, "We're cooking dinner tonight. Xiaofang brought over a big basket of good stuff this afternoon."

Song Xianglan became interested:

"What did you send?"

Liu Chou-nu swallowed the pastry in her mouth. "It's all your favorite food. The oysters are all plump, and the swimming crabs are also plump. There are also two croakers as wide as your palm."

The goddess of ugliness said mysteriously, "There's a whole shark liver inside, plus a big piece of bright yellow fish roe."

Song Xianglan's eyes immediately lit up.

Shark meat is coarse and tough to eat, so most people don't like to eat it.

But if that shark liver is prepared properly, it's an absolute delicacy.

This is a favorite of gourmets who grew up by the sea.

"Okay." Song Xianglan readily agreed. "Then we'll eat at your place tonight. I'll bring these snacks with me so we can all share them."

Liu Chunhua couldn't stand listening to this anymore.

She rolled her eyes.

"Give me a break, you two." Liu Chunhua waved her hands repeatedly. "You know how terrible Liu Chou's cooking is. She's either stingy with seasonings or just throws in a bunch of random ingredients. If you let her cook that shark liver, it'll be a waste of such a good dish."

The ugly woman was unhappy and stiffened her neck.

"What's wrong with my cooking? I can just add more oil."

"Shut up already," Liu Chunhua said mercilessly, "Good things need good cooking skills. I think you should take this seafood to Lin Fang's shop."

Her kitchen had a big fire and a large stove, which Xiaofang easily tidied up. We'd have a feast at her restaurant for a few nights. Even though I'm old, I still have a sweet tooth, so I joined in and freeloaded.

Liu Chounu wanted to retort, but she swallowed her words back.

She smacked her lips, feeling guilty.

My skills are really not presentable.

If she messes up this precious thing, Song Xianglan could scold her for three days and three nights without repeating herself.

"Alright then," Liu Chounu relented. "Let's go to Xiao Fang's shop. Tell the old folks to have sweet potato porridge at home."

Song Xianglan nodded:

"Food tastes better when there are more people. When you go, invite Da Hua along too."

"And Widow Wang," Liu Chounu quickly chimed in, though her tone carried a hint of sourness. "But I can't guarantee she'll come."

I've called her several times recently, and she always says she's busy. She's working herself to the bone for money. She's out delivering goods from dawn till dusk, I hardly ever see her during the day, and she always comes home in the dead of night.

Song Xianglan patted the dust off her clothes.

"She's a woman supporting her whole family; how can she not work hard? Just tell her I need to talk to her about something, and don't let her ruin her health trying to earn money."

Liu Chunhua also spoke up for Widow Wang:

"You're just wasting your time keeping that ugly girl. Don't blame Widow Wang for ignoring you; can she compare to us?"

Although none of us old men are very capable, at least we still have a man at home helping to earn some money and do some work in the fields. Xianglan and Dahua have finally made it through the tough times, but who will Widow Wang's children, who are they to rely on?"

The ugly woman muttered to herself:

"Her eldest daughter is now working in a garment factory to earn money. I'm just worried that she'll suffer for the sake of her child."

"Wang the widow wouldn't waste the money her eldest daughter earned," Liu Chunhua sighed and shook her head. "She's a woman who cares about her reputation and is very proud."

Every month, her eldest daughter brings home two-thirds of her salary, which she saves in a bank account. She says it's for her daughter's dowry. "How can the remaining little money possibly support the whole family?"

Liu Chunhua's tone was full of emotion:

"There's always trouble around this widow, and she carries all the burdens of life on her own shoulders. If it were me, at her age, she should really take another step and find a reliable man to live with."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Chounv immediately perked up.

She looked around and then mysteriously moved closer to the two of them.

"You know what, I've been walking around the village lately and I've seen some interesting developments." Liu Chounu winked, unable to contain her excitement. "That Zhao Shengli is always going to Widow Wang's house. He's helped out a lot with the chores."

Song Xianglan turned to look at her:

"Zhao Shengli? Zhao Yuan's father?"

"Yes, it's Zhao Shengli who came here to do chores for you." Liu Chounu said excitedly, "I saw him helping to chop firewood in the yard, he chopped for an entire afternoon."

I saw them again, carrying a ladder to help repair the leaky roof tiles at Widow Wang's house. They worked incredibly hard, acting like family. Seeing them made me want them to get married right there on the spot.

Liu Chunhua also joined in the gossip:

"I've heard about this from the old ladies and gentlemen at the village entrance. Zhao Shengli is a bit older, which is a good match for Widow Wang. Widow Wang is more than ten years younger than us old ladies who are about to have our water and electricity cut off. She's just over forty, still quite spry, and hasn't lost her looks."

The more the ugly woman talked, the more excited she became:

"That's right. Zhao Shengli's daughter, Zhao Yuan, was also adopted. If these two really got together, and Widow Wang went over and had another child, wouldn't their lives be completely transformed if they were one family, with the man working outside and the woman managing the household?"

Song Xianglan couldn't listen anymore.

He reached out and tapped the table, making a "thump-thump" sound.

"Alright, alright, you're getting more and more outrageous." Song Xianglan said sternly, "You two shut up and stop gossiping behind people's backs. This matter is uncertain, and if it gets out, it could ruin their reputation and cause them a lot of trouble."

The ugly woman pouted defiantly:

"What do you mean by gossiping? Everyone in the village can see it. They definitely have feelings for each other. They're just keeping quiet, neither of them wanting to break the ice. I'm even thinking of playing matchmaker."

"No matter what layer of paper it is, it's not your place to pry it open." Song Xianglan pointed to the pre-packaged specialty products on the table. "Instead of wasting your time, you should do something productive. Take these things and get on with your business."

"Don't talk nonsense in front of Widow Wang."

Liu Chou-nv picked up several paper packages: "Leave it to me, I'll make sure everything is delivered without missing a single item."

Song Xianglan instructed, "After you finish distributing the local specialties, please tell them to go to Lin Fang's shop tonight. I'm going to boil some water now to take a shower and wash off this sweat. I also need to go to the factory later to check on things."