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

Three poles in the sun.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the window.

Cong Ying opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

My lower back felt sore and weak.

She cried out and fell back onto her pillow, then grabbed the watch from the table next to her and looked at it.

9:30.

The door was pushed open.

Zhou Fang walked in, carrying a neatly folded red sweater and black woolen trousers, which she placed on the edge of the bed.

"woke up?"

Zhou Fang leaned over and kissed Cong Ying on the forehead. "Get up. Wash up and go to your godmother's house for breakfast."

Cong Ying pulled the blanket over half of her face.

Her cheeks flushed red.

"Has everyone eaten yet? It's so late."

"without."

Zhou Fang pulled the blanket down, saying, "Liu Yukun and his wife haven't gotten up yet. We just need to get here before them."

Cong Ying quickly got up.

Getting dressed, brushing teeth, and washing face—all done in one smooth motion.

The neighbor's yard.

Liu Yukun pressed his ear against the courtyard wall, listened for a long time, then turned and hurriedly ran into the house.

"Zhizhi! They're up!"

Sheng Ruzhi was brushing her teeth with an enamel mug in her hand, glaring at him with a mouthful of white foam.

She quickly spat the foam into the sink, rinsed her mouth, and washed her face, muttering to herself as she did so:

"I told you to rest earlier last night, but you wouldn't listen. You insisted on making a fuss, and now look what happened—you can't even get out of bed. You've made a fool of yourself."

Liu Yukun leaned against the door frame and laughed heartily.

"Can the wedding night be wasted? Those who laugh at this don't understand romance."

Sheng Ruzhi threw a wet towel at him.

"Get out and change your clothes."

After Sheng Ruzhi changed her clothes.

The two locked the door to the main room and hurriedly walked out of the courtyard.

I just got out of the hospital.

They bumped into Zhou Fang and Cong Ying, who were walking out from next door.

The four of them stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Liu Yukun raised his chin, looking smug. "I thought I could leave before you guys."

Zhou Fang sneered and rolled his eyes at him.

"You wish!"

Cong Ying and Sheng Ruzhi exchanged a glance, their faces burning hot. They looked away simultaneously, lowered their heads, and walked quickly forward.

We arrived at Song Xianglan's house.

Song Tingting and Xiao Yan were sitting on a stone bench, picking vegetables and chatting.

Four people entered.

The two put down their dishes and greeted each other.

Song Xianglan was carrying a basin and splashing water outside when she glanced at them.

"The food is keeping warm in the pot in the kitchen. Go and take it to the table to eat."

Song Xianglan was a carefree person and never set any rules about what time to eat.

The rice is cooked and left there.

Those who get up early eat early, and those who get up late eat late.

Song Tingting stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

"I'll go get it."

"Chen Zui just called. He said he'll give you a belated wedding gift after the Spring Festival."

Zhou Fang pulled out a chair and sat down.

He said casually:

"His spendthrift son would surely give away something valuable as a gift."

Not long after.

Song Tingting came out carrying a tray.

A table was laden with white porridge, pickled vegetables, and fried eggs.

She took two small red boxes out of her pocket.

They handed it to Cong Ying and Sheng Ruzhi.

"Sister-in-law, Sister Ruzhi, this is a gift I prepared for you."

Cong Ying wiped her hands.

Take it and open it.

These are a pair of jadeite earrings of excellent quality.

The water is plentiful, and the green is vibrant and lush.

Sheng Ruzhi opened her bag, inside which was an old jade pendant with exquisite carving.

"No way," Cong Ying quickly pushed it back. "This old thing is too expensive. You're still in school, how can you afford to buy this?"

Sheng Ruzhi waved her hand repeatedly.

"You can't accept something so valuable. Take it back immediately."

Liu Yukun picked up the jade pendant, held it up to the light, and clicked his tongue twice.

"Good stuff. Zhizhi, take it."

Sheng Ruzhi kicked him under the table.

"Our Tingting is quite the little rich girl," Liu Yukun laughed, slapping the table. "Her master is such a powerful figure. Even the things she casually buys are worth a fortune. Please accept this; it's a token of her sister-in-law's goodwill."

Song Tingting also joined in the persuasion.

The two then sheepishly tucked the items into their arms.

The Lunar New Year.

It rushes forward like flowing water.

In the blink of an eye.

The day arrived for Song Tingting to return to her school in Beijing.

The night before departure.

Song Tingting didn't go back to her own room; instead, she took her blanket and went to Song Xianglan's room.

The mother and daughter squeezed onto one bed.

The cold wind howled outside, but the blankets inside were warm and cozy.

Song Tingting rested her chin on Song Xianglan's shoulder, wrapped her arms around her, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Mom, are you really not going to come live with me in Beijing?"

Song Xianglan patted the back of her hand.

"No, I'm not going. There's no place like home. I'm comfortable living in our own little house. The capital has many rules and a lot of people; I'm not going to join the crowds."

Song Tingting didn't press the matter further.

Song Xianglan stroked her daughter's soft hair.

"At your age, shouldn't you be dating?"

Song Tingting chuckled.

"Didn't you say before that it was up to me whether I got married or dated? Why have you changed your mind now?"

"I still hold this view."

Song Xianglan rolled over. "I'm not rushing you. I'm just reminding you not to miss out on the right guy when you meet him. Look at your brothers, they've all gone through so much, haven't they all met the right person?"

Song Tingting nodded without saying a word.

After a while, she looked up and asked:

"If I get married and have children in the future, and I'm unhappy, can I get a divorce?"

"Of course!"

Song Xianglan raised her voice, "Even your own mother couldn't stand the grievances and got a divorce, how can you endure it?"

I don't want you to marry just for the sake of marriage. You should only marry someone you truly love.

Besides, marriage isn't about locking your life away with someone else; if you're unhappy, of course you should leave.

Song Tingting's mind raced for a while.

Love has never held much weight in her heart.

She didn't even understand what it felt like to love someone.

But there was one thing she was very clear about.

She could never do what Yang Yaxiu did—view all women as enemies for the sake of a man.

"Go to sleep." Song Xianglan patted her back.

Song Tingting closed her eyes.

Fall asleep.

Early the next morning.

The octagonal table in the main room was piled up like a small mountain.

Dried seafood, dried longan, dried lychee, and tea.

Stacks of meat pies and mung bean cakes.

Several cans of fruit were also mixed in.

"Mom, you really don't need to bring so much." Song Tingting looked at the pile of things with worry. "I can't carry it all by myself."

"I can carry it." Song Xianglan turned and went into the kitchen, where she took two more lunch boxes.

Inside are fried pork with vinegar and sweet potato balls. "It's cold in Beijing, so they won't spoil. Take them to the alley and share them with your neighbors."

She stuffed the burlap sack without a care in the world.

"You should also give some to Chang Ping and Mao Qiaozhen. And the Lei family, they specially sent gifts, so we can't go empty-handed. I also brought some large yellow croaker maw and soft-shelled turtle maw; remember to give some to the old couple in the Lei family."

Song Xianglan kept rambling on and on.

The work in my hands never stopped.

Song Tingting's eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly turned her back to pack her luggage.

"Mom, I've written it all down."

The roar of motorcycles could be heard outside the courtyard.

Nie Xiaochuan parked the car, walked in, and picked up the snakeskin bag from the ground.

"Come on, I'll take you to the county to catch a bus."

Song Tingting was carrying a bag.

Standing at the gate of the courtyard, he turned around and glanced at Song Xianglan.

The wind lifted the hem of Song Xianglan's dress.

As she grew older, Song Tingting's feelings changed.

The excitement of looking forward to seeing the world that I used to feel has now turned into reluctance.

The green train rattled and clattered for two days and one night.

Upon arrival at Beijing Railway Station.

It was already getting dark.

Crowds surged.

As Song Tingting, carrying her heavy luggage, squeezed out of the station exit, she immediately spotted that tall figure in the crowd.

Lei Li stood ramrod straight, tiptoeing as he peered inside.

Song Tingting felt a strange sense of certainty.

In this unfamiliar train station bustling with people.

Seeing familiar faces, even the cold wind didn't feel cold anymore.

She raised her hand and waved:

"Brother Lei!"

Lei Li turned his gaze to her and strode over.

He reached out and took all the luggage bags from her hands.

"You bought the tickets but didn't even call me," Lei Li said with a hint of complaint. "I had to call your brother to hear that you were arriving in Beijing today. Didn't you say you'd let me know after you bought the tickets?"

Song Tingting lowered her head and smiled, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"I left in a hurry. I thought I could just go back to the alley by myself."

Lei Li glared at her.

"How are you going to move all this stuff by yourself?"

Song Tingting pointed to the largest snakeskin bag.

"My mom asked me to bring all of this. There's a lot of dried goods in there for Grandpa Lei and Grandma Lei. There's also a piece of clothing that I bought especially for Auntie. Could you take it home for me later?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Li couldn't help but smile.

"I thank you on their behalf, Auntie."

The two walked side by side out of the train station.