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

Zhao Shengli's eyes were frighteningly red. "If it were a family like this, I, Zhao Shengli, would be happy to give them two thousand yuan as a bride price, let alone a thousand."

"If someone treats me with respect, I'll treat them with even greater respect. What kind of people is the Wang family?" Song Xianglan said coldly. "What does Juhong say?"

Zhao Shengli calmed down a bit. "She's not willing to give it. The two of us live together as a family, eating behind closed doors and not dealing with anyone else. The Wang family won't get a single penny."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Shengli handed over the dog shark he was carrying.

"Sister Song, you just came back from a trip outside. I'll take the dog shark back for you to make soup."

Song Xianglan didn't take it, her gaze falling on the plump dog shark, looking it up and down. "You went to the harbor to buy this rare thing, just to satisfy the cravings of those little brats at Ju Hong's house, right?"

His thoughts were exposed.

Zhao Shengli scratched his head sheepishly and gave two awkward, dry laughs.

"Hurry up and take it over." Liu Chounu waved her hand. "Ju Hong's children are growing up. It's time for you, the soon-to-be stepfather, to show your abilities. Don't waste time here."

Zhao Shengli's face turned bright red as he hurriedly walked down the road with the dog shark in his arms.

The person has gone far away.

The smile on Song Xianglan's face vanished instantly.

"These village officials are all useless," Song Xianglan cursed, turning her head. "Those old beasts from the Wang family smashed things in other people's houses and blocked the door demanding money, and no one stepped forward to do anything about it."

Nie Erhua sighed beside her:

"It's ultimately someone else's family matter. The Wang brothers are mostly related in the village, and Zhao Shengli only came here because of you. The village officials don't want to get involved in this mess."

"If others don't care, I will."

Song Xianglan turned to look at the onlookers around her and raised her voice:

"Does she really think my Song Xianglan's food factory is a charity? Aren't those old geezers from the Wang family supposed to be powerful?"

Several villagers walking by stopped in their tracks.

Look this way.

Song Xianglan bluntly stated: "Go back and check which of Wang's nephews and nieces work in our factory."

"Send a message: if any elder in a family dares to act recklessly in front of Zhao Shengli and Xiuhong again, their entire family will never be allowed to set foot in my factory again. They're all out of here, packing their bags and going home to fend for themselves."

Outside the crowd.

A gaunt old woman wearing a gray cloth shirt suddenly changed her expression.

This is Ah Jin's second uncle's mother-in-law; her granddaughter happens to be working in the packaging workshop of a food factory.

His own grandson also got a job at the food factory.

The old woman was so frightened that she didn't dare to say another word and turned around and ran all the way to her daughter's house.

We need to report this immediately.

If we lose our job, the whole family will starve.

Let alone going to the factory, even when selling vegetables, most of them are sold to Song Xianglan's purchasing station.

The ugly woman watched the spectacle unfold.

I turned around and went to Lin Fang's snack shop.

Just as Song Xianglan and Nie Erhua reached the street corner, Lin Fang, carrying a large stainless steel plate, jogged up from behind.

"Aunt Song. Sister Erhua. Wait a minute." Lin Fang shouted at the top of her lungs.

The two stopped.

Lin Fang ran over and handed the plate to the two of them. "These are freshly fried oysters, eat them while they're hot. I specially prepared a big plate, Aunt Song, take this to Erhua's shop and order another dish."

The plate was piled high with golden, crispy fried oysters, like a small mountain.

Each one was as big as a child's fist, steaming and emitting an enticing aroma of oil.

"Why are the oysters so big today?" Nie Erhua exclaimed in surprise.

"Someone booked a private room," Lin Fang explained with a smile. "They gave me a generous deposit so I could cook a feast of seafood tonight. I specially went to the typhoon shelter to pick out the fattest ones, and I bought a little extra to fry up for you guys to try."

Lin Fang glanced at Nie Erhua, then changed the subject:

"Sister Erhua, your shop may be a bit out of the way, not on the main street, but it's spacious. The courtyard is also quite roomy. Why don't you do what I do and set up two or three small private rooms to cook some freshly stir-fried hot dishes?"

Nie Erhua was stunned.

Her shop mainly sells taro balls and two clear soups, and occasionally makes some fried snacks.

I've never actually cooked a proper stir-fry before.

"Will it work?" Nie Erhua hesitated.

"Why not?" Lin Fang pointed to the other side of the road. "There are more and more trucks coming and going. The drivers have money and are willing to spend it on a good meal."

Besides, the young workers have money, and the seafood vendors who come here to buy seafood also have money.

Fangfang and her daughters are all in the shop, just sitting there doing nothing but sitting around those two pots all day. If they really cooked a few meals, they could earn more than double their usual income.

Nie Erhua lowered her head and carefully pondered Lin Fang's words.

Life has been better these past two years.

There are indeed many people who spend money on this road.

Selling only taro balls is doing well, but that's not quite enough.

If I could really cook a few meals, my income would definitely double.

"I'll have Fangfang learn to cook later," Nie Erhua decided.

"Fangfang is quick-witted and clever," Song Xianglan chimed in. "Let her learn a few signature dishes from the chef. Then she can open a seafood stall in your yard."

Look, the shrimp ponds that Liu Dahua and her team contracted are right near your place.

"We're right by the sea, and the live seafood brought in from the typhoon shelter every day is readily available. With fresh goods, we don't have to worry about customers. You don't need to stock up on too much."

"That's right." Lin Fang clapped her hands. "Aunt Song has a keen eye for business."

Nie Erhua did some mental calculations, then frowned again.

"But if we really add a stir-fry station, we'll have to wash and chop vegetables, and serve dishes, so the restaurant definitely won't have enough staff."

"If we don't have enough, we'll hire more people."

Song Xianglan spoke decisively, "Now that your shop is making a profit, why worry about not being able to pay your workers? Just hire one or two clean, reliable, and hardworking people. There are plenty of women in the surrounding villages looking for work; as long as the pay is right, they'll be scrambling to do it."

Nie Erhua nodded.

Holding that plate of fried oysters, my steps became much lighter.

The two walked all the way to Nie Erhua's taro ball shop.

This shop is a building with the storefront in the front and the house in the back, connected to a large courtyard.

It was only thanks to Song Xianglan's help in borrowing money and coming up with ideas that this house was built.

Nie Erhua was a grateful person. Whenever the shop saved up a large sum of money, she would unfailingly take it to return to Song Xianglan, little by little.

In fact, Nie Erhua has a valuable trump card up her sleeve.

The things she and Song Xianglan got from Yan Ergou, even just one or two of them, would be enough to build several buildings.

But she entrusted all those things to Song Xianglan to keep.

Song Xianglan had mentioned several times that she wanted to return the things to Nie Erhua, but Nie Erhua refused to accept them no matter what.

In her words: "Those dangerous things, if they were with me, I wouldn't be able to sleep. I feel safest with you, Auntie."

Song Xianglan saw that she persisted.

So I didn't press them any further.

Just now, a group of casual customers who had come to eat taro balls left the shop.

Yan Fangfang and Nie Xiaoyan were busy.

Yan Fangfang quickly wiped the table with a rag. Xiao Yan swept up the peanut shells on the floor.

Gao Xiaoying stood to the side, carrying a large basin, helping to wash the bowls and spoons used by the guests.

"Third Aunt, Mom, you're back." Yan Fangfang straightened up to greet them.

Nie Erhua placed the fried oysters on the counter. "Fangfang, Xiaoyan, Xiaoying, stop what you're doing. Come and eat some oysters. Lin Fang just fried them; they're still warm."

The girls heard this.

He quickly washed his hands and came over.

Song Xianglan found an empty table and sat down. The shop was well-organized, so it looked like the business was doing well.

A sharp commotion came from outside the door.

"You pay me back. Give me back my marbles."

Gao Sanying burst into tears, her face flushed red, clutching four glass marbles in her hand, her face covered in tears and snot.

Gao Erying stood opposite her.

With his hands in his pockets, his chin held high, and his face full of disdain, he looked down on everyone.

"I won't give it to you."

Er Ying retorted loudly, "You lost just now, and you lost to me yourself. Why should I pay you back?"

San Ying panicked and went forward to grab Er Ying's pocket.

"I don't care, I just want my marbles."

Er Ying nimbly dodged to the side, covering her pocket.

"A bet's a bet. If you can't handle it, don't play with me anymore. What you lose to me is mine, and I will never give it back to you."

San Ying missed his target.

He simply sat down on the ground, kicked his legs wildly, and wailed loudly.

"No, I won't give it to you. Mom, Erying is bullying me."