Wang Lingling ran away in the middle of the night, and no one knew how she opened the window. Anyway, when she was found, it was already noon the next day.
Li Chunjuan had been punished by Wang Yongshun these days. Wang Yongshun disliked her for losing his niece Wang Ying and spoiling his second daughter's temper. Reporting was a small matter. The key point was that Wang Lingling was stupid enough to do such a thing that hurt others and did not benefit herself.
Of course, people in the team will stay away from the Xu family, but at the same time, if it is exposed that Wang Lingling did it, then their Wang family will have no good reputation!
Compared with the Xu family, people in the same team are more afraid of encountering such reports.
They are all busy working in the fields, so they are naturally wary of people who take too many detours.
Wang Yongshun was worried about whether Wang Lingling was clean and would not let this matter be discovered later. At the same time, he was thinking about how to cut off contact with Xu Shuang's family.
I have to say that in this matter, Wang Yongshun and Wang Lingling are worthy of being father and daughter, as their ideas actually coincide with each other.
Wang Yongshun thought that instead of bringing it up himself and making everyone feel that he owed the Xu family something, he might as well find a fault with Xu Shuang and threaten her to cancel the marriage. It would be better to give Xu Shuang a bigger handle, so that even if the two families broke off the relationship, he could still take advantage of Xu Shuang's family in the future.
Wang Yongshun thought it through and prepared to go to town in the next few days. One reason was to send some things to Yaozong. The house was in a mess recently, so he didn't want to delay Yaozong. He just wanted to send some things so that Yaozong could stay in school. Another reason was that he also planned to go to the state-owned restaurant to see if there was any breakthrough.
He had planned everything carefully, but he never expected that Wang Lingling would run away!
She actually ran away!
Wang Yongshun gritted his teeth, wishing he could stuff this unfortunate daughter back into Li Chunjuan's stomach.
The family was slowly trying to come up with a solution, but after a few years, it was all forgotten. It's like this in the countryside, every family has some bad things going on, but after a while, no one mentions it.
But at this juncture, this damn girl just ran away without saying a word!
She ran away, didn't that prove that she didn't want to marry Xu Shuang
Li Chunjuan cried out at the top of her lungs: "My Lingling! Where have you been?"
She actually had a kind motherly heart towards Wang Lingling. When she heard that Wang Lingling had run away, her first reaction was to worry that something might have happened to her daughter.
Wang Yongshun snorted, "Who cares about her? If she wants to leave, then leave! It was her own choice anyway!"
Li Chunjuan was still crying, her face covered with tears and snot: "We can't not look for him! What if something happens?"
Wang Yongshun really didn't want to look for her. He was afraid of finding this dead girl. She kept jumping up and down and saying that she was going to the Zhao family.
Wang Yongshun was confused. Is the Zhao family so good
Li Chunjuan clearly told him that the old lady in the Zhao family was a unreasonable person. There were four sons and a bunch of grandchildren in the family, more than 20 people, living in five houses. Not only were they crowded, but there were also all kinds of dramas between the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and sisters-in-law.
And there was Zhao Jun, who was a platoon leader in the army, and he was so awesome. But Wang Yongshun was not stupid. Now there was no war, and above the platoon leader there was the company commander, and above the company commander there was the battalion commander, and above the battalion commander there was the regiment commander...
The boy from the Zhao family does not have a city hukou, nor does he have any strong connections, and his education only goes up to the first or second grade of elementary school.
What future can such a person have
He also lost his wife and had two burdens at home. I heard that one was five years old and the other was just over three years old.
Wang Yongshun could not understand Wang Lingling from any angle. Although he treated his daughter less than his son, he was not the kind of person who would sell his daughter and then leave her alone.
His Yaozong would definitely need help from his two sisters in the future, so Wang Yongshun was not like other families in the village who ordered their daughters around. He preferred to marry his daughter to a good family, asking for a higher bride price and for them to visit each other on a daily basis.
It was obvious that the Xu Shuang family he chose for Wang Lingling met this condition, but Wang Lingling would rather destroy the Xu family than marry. Such stubbornness and determination really left Wang Yongshun puzzled.
Now that the person had run away, Wang Yongshun secretly hoped that Wang Lingling would just not come back.
Isn't it a disgrace to him and Yaozong to have such a disgraceful thing at home
The couple looked at each other, Li Chunjuan was crying uncontrollably, and Wang Yongshun also had a bruise on his head.
Finally, Wang Yongshun nodded: "Look for it!"
How can I not look for her? News spreads quickly in the brigade. If I don't look for her now, people will say that he has done something wrong and deliberately sent his daughter away just to avoid the Xu family.
Team leader Tian Youfu was called over. He frowned and asked Wang Yongshun and his wife, "When did Erya leave? Did she tell him where she was going before she left?"
Wang Lingling left in the middle of the night. If she left the team in half a day, she would definitely be seen. As for where she was going, Li Chunjuan just said she didn't know.
Li Chunjuan didn't even mention the news that Wang Lingling was insisting on marrying into the Zhao family.
How dare I say it at this time
Tian Youfu had no choice but to call two people, give them letters of introduction, and let them go to the county town to have a look. The others helped to look for the place in the brigade and the commune.
Although the other members did not understand Wang Lingling's behavior of running away secretly, after all, they lived in the same team, so everyone was eager to help.
"Are you looking for it in the back hills?"
"Not really. This girl wouldn't be so ignorant as to go up to the back mountain in the middle of the night when the wild animals in the mountain are hungry."
Yes, the weather is getting colder and colder, and winter is coming soon. Every year, there are wolves in the mountains who are hungry and come down the mountain. At this time, you have to go up the mountain in broad daylight and you can't go deep into the mountain.
"How about... let's get a few guys to team up and take a look at the wooden barn."
Tian Youfu was also afraid of any accidents, so he immediately took action and picked out a few former militiamen to go and take a look together, and repeatedly reminded them not to go too far.
In this way, the entire Seventh Brigade searched from noon to night.
Those who went to the county town came back and said they didn’t see anyone. Those who went into the mountains also came back and said they didn’t see anything unusual.
Several brigades nearby said that only one or two people saw a girl going to the city in the early morning. She looked like the girl described by Wang Lingling, but they didn't see her clearly.
After struggling for most of the day, Tian Youfu couldn't keep spending his time on this.
Fortunately, someone said they had seen it, which is good news.
Tian Youfu waved his hand to let everyone go, staring at Wang Yongshun: "Yongshun, tell me the truth, why did Lingling run away?"
Wang Yongshun and his wife obviously knew the inside story, otherwise Wang Yongshun's face would not be so full of anger.
Li Chunjuan cried for a long time. At first, she was worried about Wang Lingling's safety, but later she felt ashamed. If others didn't ask about Wang Lingling's escape today, how could they not ask about her tomorrow
What will my family say then
Wang Yongshun was in such a dilemma. If he didn't say anything, it would seem that he was guilty and short of breath. But Wang Lingling's behavior was indeed unorthodox.
She ran away secretly to become a stepmother.
Who would believe this if I told them
Wang Yongshun's mind was quick, and he found an excuse in a short while. He wiped his face fiercely and said bitterly: "It's not because of the Xu family's trouble that Lingling doesn't want to be with Xu Shuang anymore. As parents, we naturally can't agree with her doing this. Wouldn't this make others think that we are a family that despises the poor and loves the rich?"
"I thought if I locked her up, she would figure it out. But who knew this girl... I don't know what she got herself into, and she just said she didn't want to get married."
"Captain, you know me well. Even if I was a little unfair to San Ya in the past, I didn't notice it. I am not the kind of person who sells my daughter. Although the Xu family has some problems, I think Xu Shuang is a good guy. Even if there are some difficulties, I support Lingling to go through the difficulties with Xu Shuang."
Wang Ying looked through the door and admired her uncle's survival wisdom.
He is so cruel.
He first wanted to put the blame on someone else, but when he saw that things were not going well, he immediately decided to abandon his daughter to save his own face.
Now, even if Wang Lingling comes back, she will be labeled as someone who is snobbish and takes advantage of others’ misfortunes.
Tian Youfu had guessed that it was related to the Xu family before. Now that he heard Wang Yongshun admit it himself, he no longer felt that Wang Yongshun was so innocent.
When the Xu family was doing well, Li Chunjuan would cling to them like a fly.
Xu Shuang often stayed in the hotel, and Li Chunjuan would go to her house to chat with the old lady of the Xu family all day long. The Xu family didn't have much money, but their living standard was high, and Li Chunjuan benefited a lot from the old lady of the Xu family.
It didn't look good for them at the moment. Li Chunjuan had never even visited Xu's family, and the same went for Wang Yongshun and Wang Lingling.
It was as if there was something dirty in the Xu family's yard, and people had to walk around it when passing by.
Now that Wang Lingling had run away, it was up to Wang Yongshun to decide whether she was good or bad. He did a good job of shirking responsibility.
Tian Youfu snorted coldly: "No matter what, you have to give an explanation to Xu Shuang's family. Tomorrow I will send someone to the county town to look for it. If it can be found, that would be the best. If not, you have to go to the Xu family and explain it to them."
Wang Yongshun didn't want to go. Although he was a man of many thoughts and calculations, he was not willing to get involved in things that required him to apologize.
Besides, he was not very courageous. The Xu family was already in the situation they were in. If he went there himself, what would happen if others thought he was going to discuss marriage
Just as he was about to refute, Tian Youfu turned around and left.
Wang Yongshun could only grit his teeth and think of a solution.
After two days of this, Wang Lingling was still not found, and rumors spread in the brigade. Some said that Wang Lingling eloped with her lover, some said that Wang Lingling ran away to the mountains because she was depressed, and some said that Wang Lingling must have asked Wang Yongshun and his wife to hide her just to get back at the Xu family.
Xu Shuang was drying meat at home. Recently, his family had a lot of things to do, and he couldn't leave Mrs. Zhao alone at home, so he ran back and forth every day. He would go home after finishing his work at the restaurant.
He also knew that the people in the brigade were not happy with him, so he would not go out to face the cold shoulder. He often went up the mountain to hunt rabbits or something at dawn.
Winter is coming soon, and he won't be able to go when the mountain is covered with snow.
Winter is a time when people tend to get hungry easily. If you don’t stock up on food at this time, you will only be able to drink thin coarse grain porridge in the winter.
Old Mrs. Zhao was groaning in the room. She wasn't pretending, but the more she thought about it, the more hopeless she felt.
The eldest son had a promising future, but now his class status has changed and he is detained in a remote place. The youngest son may lose his job, and the most annoying thing is the attitude of the people around him.
During this period of time, except for her eldest sister from her natal family who came to visit her once on crutches, all the previous relatives stopped coming.
Even the family of Li Chunjuan's youngest son's fiancée used to come seven or eight times a day, but what happened? In recent days, let alone entering the yard, I'm afraid they haven't even walked through the wall.
Old Mrs. Zhao couldn't tell what she felt. She thought she was a good person and was always enthusiastic about any event in the village. But when the time came, everyone in the team avoided her just because they were afraid of being stuck
There was also Xu Shuang, who was able to choose any good girl from the entire commune. There were also one or two educated youth from big cities who were attracted to her, but she thought her son was a dull person and needed to find someone more lively to take care of him.
In addition, since there was some family connection with Li Chunjuan's family, they decided to choose Wang Lingling as their daughter-in-law.
The eldest son has a bright future, so he will probably find a wife from the city. Old Mrs. Zhao lives in the countryside, so naturally she wants to find a daughter-in-law who can get along with her.
In the end, I chose this one.
Even if you come directly to her and ask for marriage, it's still an attitude. It's really disheartening that she doesn't even come to the door.
After thinking it over, Old Mrs. Zhao called Xu Shuang from the yard to her bedside.
"My dear, I have something serious to say to you now. I'm afraid our family will have a hard time in the future, and we don't know when this matter with your brother will be over. I think the Wang family doesn't want to have anything to do with us anymore... I think we can't let your brother's matter delay you."
Old Mrs. Zhao eliminated the original candidates for daughter-in-law several times in her mind, and finally decided on a few people. She was ready to tell her son one by one: "In our situation, there are two options. One is that I will find you a father-in-law who is a poor farmer for three generations, and the kind of person with a good family background. We will pay more for the bride price and marry him."
Old Mrs. Zhao was a little reluctant. It wasn't that she was snobbish and looked down on the poor family. In fact, everyone is the same now. If you say poor, they are all poor in the same way. But at this time, he said he would find a poor peasant. In his family's situation, anyone who loves his daughter would not let her marry, and those who can marry her would not treat her as a human being. If he finds such a daughter-in-law for his youngest son, he will have to deal with his father-in-law's family for a long time in the future.
If you meet someone who is not in his right mind and insists on staying close to his mother's family, life will be even more chaotic.
"The second option is... Mother will pick a family for you and we'll marry into their family."
Old Mrs. Zhao is not a conservative person. On the contrary, she is very wise in life, as she was able to send her two sons, one to college and the other to be a cook.
Of course, I also know that I have to bow my head when I should.
"I know this must be unfair to you, but I don't want you to have a hard time."
Last year and the year before last, I heard that the neighboring commune was criticizing people and even killed a family member of an Anti-Rightist activist.
Old Mrs. Zhao didn't know whether it would be her family's turn, but when she thought of the attitude of the commune secretary Zhao Zhichun that day, she was really scared.
It's obvious that people won't support you.
Moreover, every brigade would have one or two "backward elements", either landlords or relatives of the landlords. When the brigade needed to criticize someone but no one else was there, these people would take over.
Although their team leader Tian Youfu is a fair man, if the situation comes to a head, he, as a team leader, will not be able to help.
Old Lady Zhao looked at her upright son and couldn't help but blame him for being too upright. As an old lady, the team couldn't make things difficult for her, but this youngest son was afraid that he would suffer for his elder brother. If they wanted to cut off the relationship, they had a good relationship between the two sons. How could the elder son not be considerate of his younger brother
After complaining, you still have to find a solution. You can't just live with the unclear label of being a relative of the Anti-Rightist Movement.
Xu Shuang remained silent. Old Mrs. Zhao didn't have the heart to force her son to take out the rules right away. Whether he had a bad in-law or married into another family, it would be embarrassing to tell others about it.
As an old lady, I feel the gap, and my son probably feels it even more.
Xu Shuang's eyes drifted silently to the dried rabbit meat drying in the yard, and she seemed to be thinking about something...
The team spent two or three days searching for Wang Lingling, and by the fourth day, everyone was tired.
This is not a naughty boy, this is an 18-year-old girl, an adult. If an adult deliberately runs away, who can find her in a short time
Tian Youfu had no choice. He told the militia on the first day Wang Lingling went missing and asked them to pay attention when they patrolled and bring her back if they saw her.
Tian Youfu couldn't help with anything else.
Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan had adjusted their mindsets. Wang Yongshun was even glad that it was better for this crazy girl to be lost than to embarrass herself at home.
But what is a pity is the original betrothal money. If the marriage is not arranged with the Xu family, this is the most painful thing.
Wang Yongshun calculated the amount in his mind and was extremely anxious. He received a hundred yuan as a gift for marrying off his eldest daughter, and the family had more than two hundred yuan in savings. The three hundred yuan or so was his private property, which he had carefully hidden in various places in the house. This was why Tian Youfu had not found any of it when he searched the house last time.
This amount of money may seem like a lot, and it is a lot of money whether in the countryside or in the city, but it is not enough to buy a job.
Wang Yongshun thought about it and decided that the key to solving this problem lay with Wang Ying.
The old woman from the Zhao family was cruel enough to cut the betrothal gift to thirty yuan right away. But Wang Yongshun would not just stand there and watch. He thought that on the day of Wang Ying's wedding, he would ask Li Chunjuan to make a scene and force the old woman from the Zhao family to give him another twenty yuan on the spot!
Although it was not very righteous to ask for a gift before leaving the house, Wang Yongshun could not care less at the moment.
Wang Ying's betrothal gift was fifty yuan, plus the family's belongings, which could just be scraped together to make ends meet.
Wang Yongshun pulled Li Chunjuan and asked, "What about the old lady from the Zhao family? Didn't she say she would bring the child to our house to see him? Why didn't she come these days?"
Li Chunjuan was filled with sorrow. Wang Lingling's running away was a huge blow to her. She had changed her usual noisy demeanor and became silent these days. "How should I know this? How about I go and ask?"
Wang Yongshun: "Go quickly, and bring the two children with you when you come."
When the child calls Wang Ying "Mom", it will be hard to explain. Even if Wang Ying doesn't want to, she has to think about it.
Li Chunjuan took half a day off and secretly went to Zhao's house.
When they arrived at the place, they saw that the door of the Zhao family was closed and there was a big lock hanging outside.
Li Chunjuan hurried home again and reported to Wang Yongshun: "The Zhao family said that the third son was injured on the way back and is living in the county town. His old lady missed her son and took her family to see him."
Wang Yongshun felt that something was out of his control, and said in a daze, "Then you didn't say when you'll be back?"
Li Chunjuan: "No, he just said he went there in the morning to pick up his son."
Wang Yongshun immediately felt relieved: "That's fine, I'll just meet the man when the time comes."
Wang Yongshun instructed, "Don't go to work tomorrow morning. Go again."
The sooner Wang Ying's matter is settled, the sooner he can feel at ease.
But what Wang Yongshun never expected was that early the next morning, a figure appeared at his doorstep.
Wang Lingling is back!
The entire team came up.
"Lingling, where have you been these days? Your parents are looking for you like crazy!"
"Whose children are these two around you?"
"Why are you wearing new clothes?"
A series of questions were thrown at Wang Lingling, but Wang Lingling did not seem embarrassed. Instead, she was extremely frank.
"I'm getting married, and I came back today to get a letter of introduction. These two are my wife's children, one is Zhao Dong, and the other is Zhao Xi."
"What? You're married?"
"Who are you marrying? Aren't you going to marry the boy from the Xu family..."
"Is this child also his? Are you being someone's stepmother?"
"Do your parents know?"
Wang Lingling looked at the people around her like a god looking down on the world. Many of them pouted, and a few even showed it directly on their faces, saying harsh words. However, Wang Lingling was immersed in the sweetness of having achieved her wish, and didn't care about what these people thought at all.
A few days ago, she pondered over it and finally remembered something about Zhao Jun. In his previous life, when Zhao Jun came back, he didn't have enough vacation time. He said he had a small accident in the county town and suffered some minor injuries. He stayed in the hospital for two or three days.
At that time, Wang Ying, the fiancée, followed Old Lady Zhao to pick up the person, and after they came back, the two got married right away.
Wang Lingling thought about it and decided to take a gamble. She simply climbed through the window and went to the county town. There were only two hospitals in the county town, and Wang Lingling found Zhao Jun without much effort.
She lied that she was the daughter-in-law that Old Lady Zhao had chosen for Zhao Jun, and shyly served Zhao Jun in the hospital for two days.
It was not until yesterday when Old Lady Zhao arrived that the truth was revealed. But it didn't matter much even if it was revealed. Just from those few days in the hospital, Wang Lingling could sense that Zhao Jun was very satisfied with her.
As expected, as soon as the conversation started, Zhao Jun persuaded Mrs. Zhao to accept him. No matter how uncomfortable Mrs. Zhao was, she had no choice but to follow her son's orders.
Wang Lingling's eyes were full of pride and she looked down on the people around her.
Even though you are laughing happily now, when Zhao Jun becomes the richest man in the future, it will be useless even if you stare with envy!
Wang Lingling happily knocked on the door with her two children. The older boy, Dongdong, had an impatient look on his face. He crossed his arms and pouted. The younger one, Zhaoxi, was only three years old. She had a pair of big watery eyes. Although she was cute, her expression was exactly the same as her brother's.
Wang Lingling couldn't get enough of the two children, as if they were flesh and blood that had fallen from her body, calling them "this" and "that". If you didn't know them, you would think they were her biological mother.
It was Li Chunjuan who opened the door. When she saw her daughter whom she hadn't seen for three or four days, she shouted with joy.
"Her father! Her father! Our Lingling is back!"
Wang Yongshun's heart sank, but he still pretended to be excited.
"You damn girl! Where have you been? Do you know how worried your mother and I are..."
Wang Yongshun's mood suddenly stopped when he saw the two little kids at the door. He had a terrible guess in his mind. This guess made him look a little ferocious.
Wang Lingling was just adding fuel to the fire. She saw Wang Ying coming out of the room from the corner of her eye and hurriedly introduced them in a high voice: "This is Zhao Dong, this is Zhao Xi, both of them are my children."
Wang Ying had no expression on her face, but Wang Yongshun felt that he had never been so embarrassed. His daughter had been away for three or four days, and when she came back she dragged the two children and said they were hers. Did she know what she was talking about
Unfortunately, Wang Lingling couldn't remember anything at the moment. Her mind was full of the day when she returned to her hometown in her previous life.
Wang Ying's arms were between the man and stepson, and her stepdaughter was also particularly intimate. The family of four was enviable to look at.
And now, this future is in my hands!
Wang Lingling's face was full of pride. In another dozen years, she would be able to ride in a car, hold the arm of the richest man, and have two filial and obedient children who would spend all the money they earned on her!
At that time, she must sit in the car and slide slowly past Wang Ying, so that Wang Ying can also experience what she once felt.
Looking at Wang Lingling who was feeling smug not far away, Wang Ying was very confused.
Is it so glorious to be a stepmother
Is it true that this sister was reborn not just to waste her place
Wang Yongshun pulled Wang Lingling into the house and quickly closed the door.
"Wang Lingling, are you crazy?"
Wang Yongshun finally knew where Wang Lingling had been these days. He was afraid that she had already gone to the county town to find Zhao Jun. Although he didn't know why she knew that Zhao Jun was in the hospital, it was obvious that Wang Lingling had already hooked up with Zhao Jun.
Wang Yongshun was about to go crazy: "Do you really want to marry a divorced woman? Do you have to find someone with children?"
Wang Lingling said confidently: "Yes! If you don't want to help me, I will fight for it myself."
She didn't fight hard enough in her previous life, so she was married to Xu Shuang casually and lived the way she did in the end.
She has learned her lesson in this life and must take her destiny into her own hands.
Zhao Jun is her destiny.
"Dad, things have come to this point. It's useless for you to make a fuss. Let the captain give me a letter of introduction. I will go and get the marriage certificate with Zhao Jun now."
Wang Yongshun narrowed his eyes: "You wish!"
"Even if it's a marriage, what's the matter with the Zhao family assigning two children here? Do you have any self-respect as a girl? You brought two burdens back to ask for a letter of introduction. Do you believe that I will report you to the Revolutionary Committee and say you are a slut?"
The Zhao family was really calculating. The master didn't show up, and Mrs. Zhao didn't show up either. Their plan was to ask Wang Lingling to come back and ask for a letter of introduction and a household registration book. The Zhao family didn't pay anything, but just wanted to marry a daughter-in-law back
It's just a long dream!
"Go back and tell your mother-in-law that I won't give you the letter of introduction or the household registration booklet unless you have fifty yuan!"
Old Mrs. Zhao looked around and thought that marrying a daughter-in-law who didn't cost any money was much more cost-effective than paying thirty yuan for Wang Ying.
Anyway, the daughter-in-law we bring back will take care of the family, just like we have picked up a free laborer.
Wang Lingling sneered: "Marriage is free. I will still open it even if you don't agree."
She had not come back to see Wang Yongshun, but only to warn Wang Ying. Now that her purpose had been achieved, Wang Lingling was too lazy to pretend anymore.
"Zhao Jun and I are in a military marriage and are protected. As long as I agree and Zhao Jun agrees, none of you can change it."
For the first time in his life, Wang Yongshun had the idea that it would be better to drown this girl right after she was born.
How dare she?!
"Okay, okay, get out of here! Don't come back again!"
Wang Yongshun had completely lost his mind at this moment. His Wang family didn't want such a stubborn girl anymore!
Wang Yongshun opened the door and wanted to chase Wang Lingling away. Wang Lingling did not hesitate and turned around to pack her things.
After packing, he left with his two children without looking back.
Wang Yongshun almost couldn't breathe and almost suffocated himself.
Wang Ying watched the big show from the sidelines and couldn't help but applaud.
It is true that every evildoer will be punished by his own evil. After all Wang Lingling's troubles, her crisis was resolved.
Just by looking at the expressions of Wang Yongshun and his wife, one could tell that they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble for a while.
Wang Lingling came back briefly and then left again, destroying her marriage with the Xu family without hesitation. She then found a divorced woman to be her stepmother. Within a few days, the whole commune was filled with rumors about the Wang family's deeds.
Wang Yongshun and his wife hardly ever go out. They can only be seen at work. On weekdays, there is no sound even at home.
Wang Lingling was also said to be quite capable, and she wrote a letter of introduction to transfer her household registration to the Fifth Brigade of Hongqi Commune. The Zhao family boy stayed for two or three days and then left, and Wang Lingling stayed in the Zhao family as a stepmother.
"Hiss, you didn't see that the Zhao family girl really spoiled those two children. The older one is called her darling every day, and the younger one is three years old but she still holds him tightly in her arms."
"Could this girl be under a spell? Is she so excited about being a stepmother?"
"How could that be possible? You must not want to marry into the Xu family, so you just randomly find someone to marry."
"If you don't want to marry into the Xu family, then don't marry. There are many young men in our brigade. Why do you have to go to the next commune? It's quite far from your parents' home. It takes an hour to go back and forth."
…
But no matter what, Wang Lingling got married. Although she left behind a mess, she seemed to be happy with it.
The Zhao family has a large population, with four branches squeezed together. Wang Lingling married Zhao Jun, the third child. There are three sisters-in-law in the family. Each of the sisters-in-law has two children at least. The whole family does not separate, and they eat from the same pot all day long.
Although Wang Lingling was excited about starting a new life, she still felt very uncomfortable.
Perhaps because there were so many people, the Zhao family's living standard was not very good. Especially compared to their family's income, just eating coarse grains that made her throat dry every day was enough to make Wang Lingling complain.
She had lost money in her previous life, but she had never lost money on food. Xu Shuang never skimped on others when it came to food.
After she was reborn, although her family was in financial difficulty, Wang Lingling knew that her father was a thoughtful man and that the family's financial resources were not what they seemed, so the food on the dinner table was mostly coarse grains, but they were mixed together.
Mix some cornmeal into sorghum flour, and some white flour into cornmeal. Although it is also unpalatable, the taste is much better.
It’s nothing like now, when my three uncles and brothers-in-law all eat cornmeal steamed bread, and my sisters-in-law eat sorghum flour. My mother-in-law has an easy life, with a bowl of cornmeal mixed with white flour.
The little kids ate almost the same food as their grandmother, except that it was much smaller.
Old Mrs. Zhao was also in charge of distributing the porridge. The way she distributed the porridge was so delicious that it was hard to describe. The bowls of the men were filled with thick porridge, while the bowls of the sisters-in-law were filled with the same porridge as clear water.
Among them, Wang Lingling's is the clearest, just like a bowl of boiled water.
Old Mrs. Zhao complained, "You are just a bunch of female locusts. All you know is eating. You've wasted all the food we have at home!"
After saying that, Old Mrs. Zhao waved her chopsticks to scoop up the food, and ate while muttering. The sisters-in-law around her seemed to be used to it and kept silent.
Old Mrs. Zhao's spit was flying everywhere, and the only sound in the whole room was her high-pitched and loud voice.
"Old Third, you just came in, I don't want to say anything to you, you have to know what's going on. You have to keep an eye on the things, feed the pigs and chickens, sweep the yard, and fetch water. You sisters-in-law should discuss the work. Anyway, I don't care how you do it. If I see the yard is dirty, or if you forget to feed the pigs, you all get out of here and there!"
Wang Lingling managed to hold back her response. She comforted herself in her heart.
Hold on, hold on for a few more years, as long as the two children grow up and Zhao Jun retires and returns home, from now on, she will be the Empress Dowager!
At that time, she would not only eat dry rice, but also ask Zhao Jun to buy her all kinds of jewelry! Change a set every day!
This is how Wang Lingling began her married life.
On the other side, Wang Ying also recently put something on the agenda.
Considering that her uncle and his wife from the next room would sooner or later harbor evil intentions, Wang Ying decided to strike first.
She wandered outside the brigade's youth cadre center. It was called a youth cadre center, but in fact it was where the childless five-guarantee households in the village went. Their houses were taken over by the brigade.
There were seven or eight dilapidated adobe houses, with only nine educated youth living in them.
Because the educated youth in the past few years all went to the countryside voluntarily. In the past five or six years, only five educated youth came. When they came, they had the dream of changing the countryside, but they were dumbfounded after staying for a while. Life in the countryside was too hard and difficult. Farming depended on the weather. Who knew when an accident would happen? The food supply of the year would affect everyone's heart.
Some of the educated youths wanted to go back to the city, but they had been clamoring for two years, but no one approved them. Not only that, but this year they simply decided that all the young people of working age in the city should go to the countryside to help build the village.
Now returning to the city became a daunting task that seemed to take an indefinite period of time. Some of the earliest batch of educated youth could not bear it, and one female educated youth had already married a member of the brigade.
Wang Ying stared at the gate of the educated youth center, thinking to herself that she had to at least pick someone who looked decent. If someone ugly came...
Sorry, she's better off being single.
Wang Ying waited at the gate of the educated youth center for two days and had decided on a candidate in her mind.
There was a young man named Wei Qiang who had been there for three years and was usually quiet.
Wang Ying felt that this person looked normal, seemed to like helping others in daily work, and seemed to have a decent character.
I just don’t know what this person thinks about starting a family in the countryside.
Wang Ying thought as she walked, and after returning home she made herself a bowl of egg soup as usual.
The marinade bought a few days ago has been used up. Wang Ying used that marinade to make rabbit, and the taste was also amazing.
I was thinking about when to go to the state-owned restaurant again to buy some more braising sauce, or simply see if I can negotiate with the waiter and buy the braising sauce or the ready-made seasoning directly.
Suddenly, Wang Ying heard a commotion outside.
"Bah! You said you would marry my daughter to my family, but you have taken so much from my family over the years! I won't talk about the two skins before and after. Your daughter is hard-hearted and insists on marrying someone else, but as her parents, shouldn't you come to our house to inform us? Fine, fine, if you despise us, then return all the things you took from my sister's house before! Otherwise, compensate us with a daughter-in-law!"
"How dare you say such things! Can you blame me for the stubborn girl in our family? Besides, we were relatives before and helped each other..."
"Go away and help each other! Who helps each other with your family? Is your family poorer than other families or do you have gold teeth on your door? What did my sister ask you to help her with when she was doing well?"
"That's not what I meant..."
"No matter how much I say, you are unreasonable! Stop talking nonsense! Give back everything that was eaten and drunk by my sister!"
…
Wang Ying poked her head out and saw a commotion outside the Wang family's gate, with a large group of people gathered.
A gray-haired old lady was pulling Li Chunjuan, cursing loudly. Wang Yongshun and Xu Shuang were standing next to her. Xu Shuang was holding another old lady in her hand.
Wang Yongshun has suffered a series of blows recently. First it was Wang Ying, then Wang Lingling pushed him up, and now he is tormented by the mess left behind by Wang Lingling.
Wang Yongshun's face turned green as if covered with asphalt: "I have severed all ties with Wang Lingling..."
The gray-haired old lady didn't care about that. She cried in a rhythmic voice: "Then you didn't eat the things she brought home before? You didn't accept the gifts from our Frost boy? Didn't you take them all before your girl broke off relations with you? Now you are talking to me about this! Don't you want to give it to her?"
Wang Yongshun was choked. He had almost reached an agreement with the Xu family more than a year ago, and Mrs. Xu did give him a lot of things. The Xu family had Xu Shuang, the cook, and their eldest son in the provincial capital. They had not only given him food, but also sent him canned food and sugar twice.
These things are hard to find in the countryside, especially canned food, and few people in the city have a ration. Xu Ming was working with a teacher at a good university in the provincial capital, and the school allocated him one or two cans.
These things were all counted, and one could still fool around by saying that he had paid for the food. In fact, Wang Yongshun knew very well that the 15 cents his family gave him each time did not match the items. But he could still fool around. As for the canned food and sugar, a can cost several yuan, and a pound of sugar was also very expensive.
Wang Yongshun didn't want to pay the money, and Li Chunjuan didn't know the family's financial situation, so she didn't want to pay that much either.
Seeing that the Xu family was determined to get the things and had attracted a large group of people, Li Chunjuan made up her mind and lay down on the ground to deny it.
"What's the point of you saying all this?! My family is unlucky. We gave birth to a shameless girl. She insisted on marrying someone else, and we as parents can't stop her. We gave all our things to Wang Ying a while ago. How can we have any money at home?"
"If you really want money, just ask Wang Ying!"
"Or I'll beat me to death as compensation!"
Li Chunjuan was a bitch, but she was also sensitive enough to know that the Xu family wouldn't dare to do anything to her.
The Xu family is in a situation now. Everyone in the brigade knows that there was an Anti-Rightist Movement in his family, so they try to avoid him. Didn't you see that the Xu family has been keeping their doors closed recently
Even though something happened to Wang Lingling, Old Lady Xu didn't come to ask for an explanation right away. It was Old Lady Xu's sister who came to ask for an explanation this time.
Li Chunjuan cursed these old fools in her heart. They were all married sisters. They all had their own families, and they were still making such a fuss!
She gambled that the Xu family was just bluffing and didn't dare to make a big fuss.
Even if this matter gets out of hand, no one will support him.
The Fifth Brigade next door was where a landlord from one of their teams said his house was robbed, but no one cared when he reported it to the commune.
Li Chunjuan just lay on the ground and refused to give in.
Anyway, his family has no face left now.
Wang Lingling's behavior had already brought shame to the family outside the commune.
Old Lady Xu's maiden name was Su. Her sister stayed in her natal family to marry into the family, so she was called Old Lady Su.
When Old Lady Su saw Li Chunjuan lying down and acting like a spoiled child, she was so angry that her teeth were itching. She couldn't pull Li Chunjuan away, so she simply started to tear Wang Yongshun apart.
He stretched out his hand to hit Wang Yongshun: "You are a family of leeches! You come closer when you see something good, and retreat when you see something bad! My sister even sent cigarettes to your family at that time! You shameless man only gave 10 cents at that time!"
As she spoke, Old Mrs. Su began to chatter on and on about what the Wang family had taken and the one or two cents they had given.
When people get older, they always like to remember the things they think are most important.
Old Mrs. Xu didn't pay attention to it before, but the sisters who often visited her were not like that.
Old Mrs. Su remembered it clearly before, and now she was talking about how much things the Wang family had asked for from the Xu family.
The onlookers were also watching the show. After all, the Xu family and the Wang family were outsiders and had nothing to do with the big families in the village, so everyone usually just watched.
The more they watched and listened, the more astonished they were.
"The Yongshun couple are so shameless. They gave a dime to someone for a pack of cigarettes. How could they do that?"
"Don't talk about cigarettes. Lingling from their family often came to the Xu family and asked to exchange some meat. She gave them 5 cents for half a rabbit."
"Who told you that?"
"Who else could it be? Wang Lingling was showing off to our girl before."
"How shameless! Your daughter has married someone else. Shouldn't you, as her parents, go to her house and give her an explanation?"
"It's just bullying the Xu family. I think they are in trouble now and don't dare to argue with them."
"This kid from the Xu family... is at a loss."
"I'd rather take you back as my son-in-law!"
“… Then forget it.”
…
Listening to the discussions around her, Old Mrs. Xu tightened her grip on her son's hand.
Ever since Old Mrs. Xu found out about Wang Lingling's situation, she knew that this had to happen.
Although the country folks were simple, they were often bullies and cowards. No one had figured out the class background of his family. Everyone was just waiting to see what would happen.
Although the Wang family did not mean to do this, it was actually a gamble and a test by Wang Yongshun. If his family did not dare to stand up when faced with such a situation where they were right, they would be bullied openly or secretly in the future.
Therefore, even for the sake of the future, Old Lady Xu couldn't give in.
But she certainly couldn't come forward. Although she had the right to do it, if Wang Yongshun was more ruthless, he could have done it again and then accused her of having a bad background. So her sister volunteered to come forward and argue for this.
Old Mrs. Xu looked around and sneered.
She didn't care about the things she gave to the Wang family before, but this time she had to suppress the Wang family openly. In this way, her family could calm down and find a way to change their status.
Wang Yongshun was humiliated by an old lady, but he didn't dare to fight back. After all, it was old lady Su who beat him up. She was a good person, and if he hit her, she would definitely sue him.
When Li Chunjuan saw Old Lady Su tearing Wang Yongshun apart, she quickly came over and started tearing too.
While doing it, he cried, "What can I do? I don't have any other daughters at home! If I had another one, I would give you one as compensation!"
Old Lady Su said with a snort: "Who would want someone like your Wang family?"
"Pay me compensation! All in all, at least fifty dollars!"
Fifty yuan was definitely not enough to buy the items that were to be delivered to the Wang family, but it was almost enough when combined with the mountain products and meat and vegetables whose prices were unclear.
Li Chunjuan was about to cry when she heard this: "Where is that at home?"
She really didn't know the family's financial situation. Although the eldest daughter's betrothal gift was one hundred yuan, the money was in Wang Yongshun's hands. When Wang Yongshun said that it was all spent, she really believed that it was all spent.
Although Wang Yongshun had more than 300 yuan in assets, he did not intend to give it.
Not to mention that if he gave it to him now, everyone in the team would know that he had a wealthy family. Just the fifty yuan alone would make him feel painful!
The money is to be spent on my son!
Li Chunjuan cried and howled about how difficult it was for her. Her mind was not clear and her words were incoherent.
In the previous sentence, he was still talking about how he had to deal with a heartless woman like Wang Lingling, and he should have thrown her into the urine bucket and drowned her. In the next sentence, he said that he really had no money.
"Why don't you just marry Wang Ying? My family has no money!"
This shout attracted Wang Ying, who was standing aside and watching the show.
Wang Ying curled her lips and said, "Aunt, you are just dreaming. Even if I marry, our families will be separated. You still have to give me the fifty."
Li Chunjuan was now feeling a mixture of new and old grudges. She felt that her family was so miserable. She only lived in Wang Ying's house and had money, and was well-off. But when she saw that her own uncle's family was in trouble, she didn't even help.
What a black-hearted and rotten thing!
"I've given all my stuff to Wang Ying! You can ask her for it! Tell her to marry!"
Li Chunjuan was determined to drag Wang Ying into the water.
Before Wang Ying could say anything, a voice suddenly came.
"Can."
Li Chunjuan's hair was messy because of the noise. Through her messy hair, she could see the person who spoke.
Xu Shuang supported his own mother, his expression calm as if he was not the one who had just intervened.
Wang Ying was enjoying the show at first, but after hearing what Xu Shuang said, she felt a little bit depressed.
I feel a little annoyed and a little confused.
Xu Shuang supported Old Lady Xu and walked to Wang Ying's side. The people around them didn't get too close. Wang Ying happened to be standing in a shady place.
Xu Shuang said a few words to her mother and walked to Wang Ying.
The distance was neither too far nor too close, enough for everyone to see the two people facing each other, but they couldn't hear what they were saying.
Xu Shuang said: "Let's get married."
Wang Ying just felt it was unbelievable: "Do you know what you are saying?"
The topic jumped so much that she had no idea what was going on.
Xu Shuang gave her a deep look and said, "I saw you outside the Youth Institute."
Wang Ying: …
Xu Shuang: "In your case, you must want to take the initiative to find someone to marry into your family. You are looking for an educated youth, isn't it just so that after you get married, your uncle's family can't make a fuss about your marriage?"
"You also know the situation of my family. When we get married, to the outside world, I am marrying into the family and you are the child of a martyr. The background of my family is no longer an issue."
"If I marry you, you don't have to worry about your uncle eating up all the things in your house."
Wang Ying:!!!
Xu Shuang tilted her head and thought for a moment: "My family only cares about me and my mother. My mother is easy to get along with. If you want to make the decision about family matters, you can make the decision. If you don't want to make the decision, it's up to you to arrange it however you want."
Wang Ying: "Uh..."
Xu Shuang: "I can hand over my salary, and my family still has previous savings, which will be at your disposal after marriage."
Wang Ying: "Hmm..."
Xu Shuang pondered for a moment, and finally dropped a bombshell.
"I'm the cook. I'll cook all the meals after we get married."