Chapter 502

「Bangeng and his wife's matter, at first it blew up big, you Jia Zhangshi actually opened your eyes and spoke nonsense, what do you want to do? Your family's Bangeng slept with someone else's widow, and didn't want to take responsibility, causing that widow to refuse to work, saying if they don't marry then Bangeng goes against women's wishes, letting Bangeng go to jail, your Jia family spent a thousand yuan to settle this matter. 」

「If Bangeng hadn't slept with the widow, could Xiao Dang have ruined her second half of life? Just because your family has no money, you wanted to marry off Xiao Dang at a high price, saying you needed a bride price, what's the difference from selling a maiden? Xiao Dang was such a good child when she was little, but because she got involved with your Jia family, her life was ruined, she married in the countryside to an old bachelor over ten years older than her. 」

Xiao Dang's matter.

All the neighbors in the courtyard knew.

Speaking of which.

It was also quite a lament.

Seven- or eight-year-old Xiao Dang, facing Huaihua urging Bangeng to steal from Shazhu's house, though young she spoke like an old soul, saying stealing is not what a good child does, and she also did not let Bangeng go steal.

Such a child with correct values, yet Jia Zhangshi managed to raise him crooked.

They weren't speaking up for Xiao Dang's grievance; they simply wanted to make the Jia family uncomfortable, so they deliberately, in front of Jia Zhangshi, said things they feared You Fengxia wouldn't know, clearly explaining what kind of family the Jia family is, what kind of people Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu are, making it clear to You Fengxia.

Roughly the same meaning: we can't be well, and your Jia family can't be well either.

「Your Jia family are the most shameless people I've ever seen; you dare not speak of what you've done, and you use nonsense to deceive those who don't know the inside story. You drag Bangeng and tell Dang Xianghong that Bangeng is a good child—what exactly are you scheming? The whole courtyard, because of your Jia family, has people pointing at their spines. 」

「Seeing Dang Xianghong looks good, also works as a cadre at Bai Xu restaurant, and is a distant relative of Master He, you thought to let Bangeng marry Dang Xianghong. I must say, Jia Zhangshi, your calculations are spot on. Just now your words with Wang Yaixiong, I'll throw them back at you—your family's Bangeng doesn't even have the sense to piss and look at himself, could he possibly be worthy of someone like Dang Xianghong? 」

Jia Zhangshi saw her tricks exposed by the neighbors.

She simply went all out, breaking the pot and smashing it.

She straightforwardly laid out her intention.

「When a man grows up he should marry, when a woman grows up she should wed; our Bangeng is fine, so why can't he marry Dang Xianghong? 」

Jia Zhangshi's gaze.

Gazed toward You Fengxia.

「Xianghong, I, an old woman, am not hiding anything; if you marry our Bangeng, you won't be wronged, our Bangeng will be going to work at Yagangchang as a cadre in a few days, then you'll be a cadre's family member, isn't that better than working at the restaurant? 」

「Marry Bangeng, and your whole family will be crammed into one room! 」

「Is your focus wrong? I don't care about the house or such; I just want to know what qualifications Bangeng has to work at Yagangchang and still be a cadre. 」

「Bangeng is not even as good as me; I can't get in, yet Bangeng gets into Yagangchang and still wants to be a cadre? 」

Also blaming Jia Zhangshi for talking too much.

Her remark that Bangeng would go to the factory as a cadre.

It provoked everyone's anger.

Among these people at the scene, whose family doesn't have a child who returned from the countryside?

Just because they can't find work.

They wander the streets all day.

Good fellows.

You Jia Zhangshi say Bangeng will go to work at Yagangchang, or go there and immediately be a cadre— isn't that pure nonsense?

Everyone wanted to see how Jia Zhangshi would get Bangeng into the factory.

「There must be some inside story here, right? 」

「There definitely is an inside story; otherwise Bangeng couldn't get into Yagangchang. 」

「If Bangeng becomes a cadre at Yagangchang, I will definitely go to the leaders to ask, on what grounds can a rural Bangeng who committed a male-female error enter Yagangchang, while we honest people cannot enter Yagangchang; if the factory chief doesn't give me an explanation, I will go to higher-level leaders to make a screening, to make the heavens and earth bright, not believing there is a place where truth is not spoken. 」

Around forty or fifty people.

More than ten are children of Yagangchang workers who can't find work.

Under the deliberate actions of some well-meaning people, each one glared at Jia Zhangshi and Bangeng with righteous indignation, their hearts feeling torn apart.

Seeing everyone shouting that they wanted to go to Yagangchang to demand justice from the leaders, Jia Zhangshi realized she had messed up; she held a stiff face, blankly staring at the crowd shouting for jail, not knowing what to say, and later having no choice, she simply changed the subject.

「Xianghong, our Bangeng is a good child. 」

「A good child of twenty-three or twenty-four, really damn awesome. 」

「A good child who, from the countryside, got tired of someone else's widow, after marrying the widow then acted like Chen Shimei, such a good child is also amazing. 」

「Third Dog Egg, what nonsense are you spouting? Our Bangeng is fine, how did he end up marrying a widow? 」 Jia Zhangshi retorted to Third Dog Egg, then quickly smiled at You Fengxia, saying, 「Our Bangeng is single! 」

「Jia Zhangshi, you still stubbornly refuse to admit Bangeng married a widow; then let's find a witness—Jiekuang Brother, are you off work? Come over, Bangeng is back. 」

Third Dog Egg saw Jia Zhangshi stubbornly refusing to admit Bangeng married a widow, and seeing Jiekuang walk in from outside, he quickly waved for Jiekuang to come over.

Yan Jiekuang, as a courtyard resident who was sent down to the countryside in the same batch as Bangeng.

He also farmed in the same village as Bangeng.

He can be considered an informed person.

You Jia Zhangshi keep saying Bangeng didn't marry a wife; then let this witness Yan Jiekuang say whether Bangeng actually married a widow or not.

Even if You Fengxia couldn't marry Third Dog Egg, she also couldn't marry Bangeng.

Jia Zhangshi heard that Yan Jiekuang had returned.

Her expression changed instantly.

Bangeng behind him also lost his earlier composure.

The expressions of the two.

Clearly a self-incrimination without being struck.

You Fengxia, who took in their facial expressions, blinked at He Weiguo behind her, using her gaze to signal Jia Zhangshi and Bangeng.

He Weiguo immediately turned his head to the side.

The Jia family widow still wanted to scheme against You Fengxia; better give up that thought, or else she'll end up being schemed against, which would be really ugly.

Just as Jia Zhangshi and Bangeng were filled with panic, Yan Jiekuang squeezed through the crowd and appeared before Bangeng, their eyes meeting, truly a mix of feelings.

Before going down to the countryside.

Bangeng utterly despised Yan Jiekuang, saying Yan Jiekuang is just a parasite of the Yan family, constantly being schemed against by Yan Fugui all day long, unlike himself, who can manage the Jia family's affairs.

Nowadays.

Obviously, Yan Jiekuang is a bit better than him, Bangeng.

He wore Yagangchang's work uniform, with a red band on his upper right arm bearing the three characters 'Security Section', and his feet were in brand-new liberation shoes.

It gave off a vigorous and spirited aura.

Looking at Bangeng, he wore a set of ill-fitting black clothes; although there were no patches, due to his having suffered greatly in the countryside, he was extremely thin and weak, giving the impression of a beggar in a dragon robe; his cloth shoes were worn out, even showing his toes; his face was dark and grim, with seven or eight visible scars; his appearance looked much older; at a glance, one would guess Bangeng is in his thirties to just under forty, and many would believe it.

The changes are too great.

Even the major ones find it hard to believe.

Both were startled by each other's appearance.

Bangeng thought: How are you so good?

Yan Jiekuang wondered: How are you so trash?

"Bangeng, when did you come back?"

Yan Jiekuang, having worked a little over a month at the Yagangchang Security Section, had considerably improved his interpersonal skills and experience, and he posed a question.

This sentence.

It amounted to letting him seize the initiative.

Who is superior between the two.

Immediately, the distinction became clear.

"Just came back."

Bangeng lowered his head; he suddenly lost the courage to face Yan Jiekuang.

He also secretly hardened his heart; in a few days, once he entered Yagangchang as a cadre, he would definitely trample Yan Jiekuang hard in front of the Siheyuan neighbors.

That is just a feeling of inner imbalance.

Yan Jiekuang is not a worm in Bangeng's stomach, so he naturally doesn't know that Bangeng harbors the thought of competing with him; following old custom, he steered the topic onto Bangeng's wife.

"Did you come back alone? Your wife and children didn't come back with you? Or are you coming back this time to stay a few days then go back? Or you first come back, settle yourself, then after a while your wife and children come back? If there's anything you need help with, just say."

Yan Jiekuang's words.

Outsiders couldn't find any fault.

This is also the customary practice for married men in the countryside nowadays.

There are also some who abandon their children without a care, both men and women.

Shi Jiahong is very strong-willed, and also has her natal family backing her; Yan Jiekuang does not think it is Bangeng who abandoned Shi Jiahong's mother and four, he came back alone.

He also looked toward the Jia Family's direction, checking to see if Shi Jiahong and Gou Dan and them were inside the house.

"Jiekuang, why are you also following San Gou Dan and them in nonsense? When did our family's Bangeng get married? And have children? These are all baseless rumors, not true; our family's Bangeng is single; those saying our family's Bangeng married a widow and had children are all rumors; when I, the old lady, find the person spreading the rumor, I will surely tear his mouth apart, for spreading rumors about our family's Bangeng, he is immoral."

"Brother Jiekuang, Bangeng's grandmother wants me, my little aunt, to marry their family's Bangeng; you originally went down to the countryside with Bangeng, you know Bangeng's affairs; has Bangeng married? Why do so many say Bangeng married? And even married a widow with three children, called Shi Jiahong."

He Weiguo hits the sore spot.

Specifically poking at Jia Zhangshi's heart.

Only then did Yan Jiekuang understand the full story.

He thought to himself, Jia Zhangshi has such great ambition; despite Bangeng's appearance, she actually still wants Bangeng to marry You Fengxia.

To be honest.

Yan Jiekuang also developed feelings for You Fengxia.

Pretty girls, which man doesn't like them?

Has a job.

And still wants to be a cadre.

Such a woman is hard to find even with a lantern.

In that case.

Bangeng is essentially Yan Jiekuang's rival in love.

Rivals in love meet.

Especially jealous.

Yan Jiekuang openly answered He Weiguo's question, but in fact, to cement the rumor that Bangeng is married among everyone, he said a few sentences.

"Bangeng got married in the countryside; his wife is called Shi Jiahong, a local widow with three children, five or six years older than Bangeng; the reason Bangeng didn't come back with us is because he married his wife, and her family wants her to come back to the city with him, but Bangeng disagrees, and he has kept delaying until now."

Everyone silently thought a sentence.

Alright.

All at once, he embraced two gold bricks.

Really impressive.

"Bangeng's grandmother, Bangeng is already married and has children; you just told my little aunt to let her marry your family's Bangeng; what do you want? Are you bullying my little aunt for not knowing the inside story of Bangeng marrying a widow?"

Fifteen- or sixteen-year-old He Weiguo.

He stood sideways in front of You Fengxia.

With an angry face, he questioned Jia Zhangshi.

You Fengxia, protected by him, looking at He Weiguo who is a head shorter than herself, felt a protective instinct for her child, and a warm feeling flashed in her heart.

The kind of family warmth that their own family never experienced, they experienced in the Shazhu family; from Shazhu to Yu Li, then to He Weiguo and his few children, they all regarded You Fengxia as their close little aunt.

He grinned.

He deliberately remained silent.

There are so many people at the scene.

No need for You Fengxia to step forward.

As expected.

Wang Yaxiong jumped out, said a few words to He Weiguo, then started talking back to Jia Zhangshi; he still remembered Jia Zhangshi's saying, "Go piss and take a look at yourself."

"Jia Zhangshi, with a grandmother like you, Bangeng and Xiao Dang have also had eight lifetimes of terrible luck; Xiao Dang not speaking, his life is already ruined, do you still want to ruin Bangeng? Bangeng is clearly married, his wife didn't come back with him, yet you say Bangeng isn't married, and you also say your family's Bangeng will work at Yagangchang, once inside he'll become a cadre, letting Dang Xianghong marry Bangeng; I tell you, if Dang Xianghong listens to you and marries your family's Bangeng, then your family's Bangeng would be committing bigamy, and would go to jail; tell me, is it because you don't like your eldest grandson Bangeng and want to send him in there?"

"Initially, Bangeng stole Xu Daming's old hen; if it were someone else, they would have hurried to deal with it, paid compensation, and then properly educated their own child; but Jia Zhangshi praised Bangeng for doing well, telling him to avoid people in the future so he wouldn't get caught—is that what a grandmother should say?"

"Someone like Jia Zhangshi, what kind of good child could she raise, and yet Bangeng becoming a cadre at the factory—I just can't believe it."

"You all." Jia Zhangshi saw everyone's accusations aimed at her, she jumped up and said: "My eldest grandson got divorced, okay? How is that bigamy? After Bangeng divorced that woman, who stipulated that a divorced man cannot remarry? Women can remarry, do men have to remain bachelors?"

The atmosphere on site.

For a moment, it was somewhat eerie.

Mainly because no one expected Bangeng to be divorced.

It was just over ten seconds.

Then the crowd seized on the fact that Bangeng was divorced and further talked back to Jia Zhangshi.

"Jia Zhangshi, Bangeng is divorced, how can you say he isn't married? This is deceit."

"Surely Bangeng returned to the city, then felt his widow wife made him lose face, so he shamelessly asked for a divorce; Bangeng is acting like Chen Shimei, ayo, our siheyuan has produced a Chen Shimei."

Bangeng just wanted to dig into a hole in the ground.

Too embarrassing.

Being said like that.

Could he still earn a glance of approval from You Fengxia?

If You Fengxia had a bad opinion of him, besides not being able to win the beauty and return, she also couldn't scheme for Shazhu's house.

Jia Zhangshi roughly thought the same.

She trembled all over with anger.