Chapter 183

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Although Chai Mi didn't exactly have delicacies at home, she at least got to eat her fill.

Wang Huirong, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky……

After getting the short end of the stick from Chai Mi, Wang Huirong went around asking several people, wanting someone to take her to town.

But Wang Huirong was overthinking it.

She just ignored everyone while they were eating, and now she wants to go to town — who would pay her any mind?

Those with good attitudes politely declined.

Those with bad attitudes shut the door in her face, not giving Wang Huirong the time of day.

Wang Huirong was like an annoying old hag pestering everyone everywhere, her face dark as she cursed.

"What am I supposed to do?" Wang Huirong didn't know what to do herself.

But……

Wang Huirong didn't think it was her fault, but everyone else's.

"These people are worse than beasts! They really treat me, a helpless old woman, as useless — won't even let me use a bicycle to go out. Just you wait, you'll regret this."

Cursing all the way, Wang Huirong muddleheadedly wandered into Song Qingshu's little shop.

She looked up at the shop, feeling a bit awkward.

But these past two days have been too hot; everyone took advantage of the cool to go work. It's not too hot yet at eight-something, but generally by ten o'clock they have to come back.

So at this time Wang Huirong came, there really wasn't anyone cooling off near the shop.

Wang Huirong swept a glance, saw no one else, and her nerve instantly grew.

If there were people, Wang Huirong would naturally have quietly slipped away, to avoid being asked: Wang Huirong, your mother-in-law beat you, and you still come here to buy things?

If that happened, Wang Huirong would also feel too ashamed to show her face.

Fortunately there was no one……

Wang Huirong walked straight into the shop and said: "Give me two catties of dried tofu, three lap cheong, a few chicken feet, and do you have pig trotters? Give me two…… and another bottle of good wine."

Song Qingshu had actually long been watching Wang Huirong loitering at the door, but he completely ignored this in-law; now seeing her come in to buy things, he didn't even lift his head, just kept cracking melon seeds.

These melon seeds were the ones…… given to Chai Mi the day before yesterday…… the sweated ones.

Although the melon seeds had already gotten damp from sweating…… it didn't stop stingy Song Qingshu from eating them.

He turned around and re-roasted the melon seeds; although they still had a sweated taste, they were passable to eat.

Song Qingshu just wore a big tank top, big underpants, big slippers, cracking melon seeds, blowing the fan, ignoring Wang Huirong.

Wang Huirong waited a while, saw no movement, so she knocked on the counter and said: "I'm talking to you……"

"Not selling." Song Qingshu coldly refused.

Song Qingshu's wife Wang, who was tidying the courtyard, also walked over and directly shoved Wang Huirong: "Go go go, you old undying thing, what are you running to our house for?"

"Don't push me…… if you push me again I'll fall!!!" Wang Huirong said frantically: "I came to buy things, not for anything else."

"Not selling. No matter how much money, not selling." Song Qingshu replied again. "You have money, keep it for your own offspring. Want to buy from my little shop? Dream on. Hurry up and leave, not selling to you. Don't delay my business."

Song Qingshu's wife also shoved Wang Huirong even harder.

Wang Huirong's legs and feet weren't nimble, and she was directly shoved to the ground.

She sat on the ground and started wailing: "Someone come quick, murder…… someone come quick, Song Qingshu and his wife are killing someone……"

Song Qingshu's face turned iron-green, and he cursed: "You shameless thing, you come here to extort people."

Wang beside her glanced at Wang Huirong, and with tacit understanding also fell to the ground: "Ow…… it hurts to death, Wang Huirong you old undying thing hit me…… can't live this life anymore……"

While this side was clamoring noisily, over at Song Qingshan's house not far away next door.

Village Chief Liu Changgui was clinking cups with Song Qingshan.

That morning, after Liu Changgui and Song Qingshan came out of Chai Zhongxiao's house, Song Qingshan dragged and hauled Liu Changgui to his home to eat.

Ostensibly — Village Chief, you've worked hard.

Actually, Song Qingshan felt guilty inside……

Especially when Liu Changgui entered the courtyard and saw the yard full of broken glass, he guessed pretty much what happened. And Song Qiushui wasn't home……

The person who smashed the glass at Chai Zhongxiao's house was basically confirmed to be Song Qiushui.

Although Song Qingshan also felt that dragging Village Chief Liu Changgui over for a meal had a bit of a "three hundred taels of silver buried here" feel, Song Qingshan was ultimately an old hand; he knew this kind of thing could be hidden for a while, but not forever.

Who knows when, after this passes, people will find out it was his own daughter who did it.

When that happens, conflict is inevitable, so Song Qingshan dragged Liu Changgui over in advance to prepare mentally; if Chai Zhongxiao finds out, Liu Changgui can back him up.

Liu Changgui didn't take it to heart; in his view, this was just a small matter. Not to mention just some broken glass, Wang Huirong was beaten black and blue the day before yesterday, and the village didn't really intervene.

But since Song Qingshan invited him to eat, Liu Changgui didn't decline either; the two were halfway through the wine when they heard someone start wailing outside.

"Village Chief, you drink!"

"Sssip……" Liu Changgui took a small sip: "From the sound it's over at the little shop, don't know what's happened this time."

Liu Changgui had already drunk half a catty, and now his tongue was a bit thick: "Day after day, being this village chief is truly suffering. Every day there's something, either the east family fighting or the west family raising hell, never a moment's peace. Old Song, you tell me, why do common folk's lives have nothing but trouble?"

"Hey, your words are serious; this isn't common folk having nothing but trouble, this is clearly the Chai family having nothing but trouble." Song Qingshan sighed, picked up a bite of food and said: "Their family, generation after generation. Whenever life gets bad, the family starts fighting. The problem is, their life has never been good. In the past, other families all had grain to eat, their family starved three days out of ten. Now they're basking in the light of Reform and Opening-up, so they don't starve to death. Otherwise, just relying on their men, so lazy, they'd have starved to death sooner or later."

Liu Changgui stroked his not-too-long stubble chin, thoughtful: "I see their eldest is pretty capable? Even your niece's husband isn't bad, just Chai Youde is a bit of a piece of work."

Song Qingshan uncharacteristically took another sip of wine, borrowing the alcohol courage to say: "Their eldest, that's purely blind effort. He could work himself to death and life still wouldn't be good. That person doesn't grasp the key points. Take farming — others hoe the field once, he does it three times. Is there much meaning? I say there's basically no meaning. With that effort, go out and work a job, earn some money — isn't that far more profitable than this unprofitable work? I'm not badmouthing anyone, Chai Youqing that person, looks capable on the surface, seems skilled, but actually is nothing. You work yourself to death, don't earn money, what's the use."

Liu Changgui slapped his forehead, suddenly feeling Song Qingshan made sense.

"Also, this Chai Youqing does most of the work at their old house. If he doesn't do it, no one will. As for that Chai Zhongxiao, he retired before even reaching sixty. You say he's a farmer, what's he putting on airs for? When you're sixty, you just play the father and do nothing, sitting at home eating and waiting to die? If it weren't for Chai Youqing and his wife being blind and helping him, his crops would have completely failed. He still shouts and yells all day; sooner or later he'll be drinking the northwest wind." Song Qingshan spoke the truth.

Some things, everyone can see, they just don't say anything.

Liu Zhanggui clicked his tongue: "Anyway, their family has a lot of matters. Every day they're thinking about fighting and ascending to heaven. Last time I divided a broken house for them, I still thought Chai Mi was a decent child, so I gave it to them. To tell the truth, if anyone had a father like Chai Zhongxiao and a mother like Wang Huirong, it would be scorching enough. Sins from a past life……

When the elders can't keep things even, the family will explode. All day it's full of dark energy, who knows what they're after. What you said is right, this Chai Youqing isn't in good spirits either. A family like that, stay far away, no need to gather together when there's nothing going on.

The two chatted, while outside it was still noisy beyond endurance.

Song Qingshan said to his wife Meng Shi: "Go out and see, what's going on? Did they kill a pig over there, howling like wolves and crying like ghosts? Could it be my brother and his wife started fighting?"

Meng Shi didn't say anything, turned around and went out.

Not long after, Meng Shi came back and said: "I saw it, that someone……Wang Huirong and your brother's wife started fighting. Wang Huirong is now making a scene at the small shop……lying down right there, she's pinned it on your brother."

Meng Shi laughed as she spoke: "Finished, Qiu Shui's old aunt is also rolling on the ground. These two are both rolling on the ground. Their clothes are all covered in dirt……no one is pulling a fight, I guess no one dares to pull a fight. I didn't dare go either, I'm afraid Lao Diao Pozi would pin it on me."

Meng Shi said while gesturing with her hands: "Wang Huirong probably couldn't take it, she let down her own hair, disheveled, then smashed two eggs on her own head……ugh, so disgusting. Our Qiu Shui's Second Aunt isn't a pushover either, she banged her head against the concrete ground, her head swelled up with several big bumps……

Liu Zhanggui and Song Qingshan heard it and their scalps went numb.

These rural old women fighting, indeed aren't very refined.

Sometimes the actual situation is just like this, rural women often argue and talk back, then afterwards they both make a scene and roll on the ground.

Like the other day when Wang Huirong and Song Qiuping directly started fighting, that's not common. More often, it's like today's situation.

Both of them just lay down on the ground, started "lazily" making a scene. She said she hit her, she said she scratched her.

They care about their image, but this kind of unreasonable trouble-making can indeed keep oneself in an invincible position.

After all, everyone knows hitting people is against the law, and if you injure someone you have to pay medical fees.

So they both rolled on the ground, using this form to show off their "personal charm."

"Why are they fighting? Wasn't it settled last night?" Liu Zhanggui's face turned purple with anger: "This pair of mothers-in-law, they really are needle against wheat awn, sharp against sharp. I just settled it last night, Old Song, you were there too……

The matter from last night was naturally a group from Old Song's family going to Wang Huirong's house to reason. At that time, Song Qingshu's wife Wang Shi, relying on numbers, vented anger for her daughter Song Qiuping, and slapped Wang Huirong several big slaps.

At that time there were many people, Liu Zhanggui was also forced to go persuade them, busy half the night before it was settled.

This matter, Song Qingshan, as Song Qiuping's biological uncle, naturally went too: "Later I don't know either. We left together……who knew after this Wang Huirong still came to find fault……let her lie, just let them both lie on the ground, see who isn't afraid of losing face."

Song Qingshan didn't really want to go out at this time, he was halfway through eating and hadn't drunk well either, go out to do what?

Pull a fight?

It's not like they're fighting a war.

Just let these two "tough people" make a scene on the ground, anyway it's hot in summer, they won't get a chill in their waist from lying down.

Meng Shi also said: "Let them mess around, I'll stir-fry two more dishes for you two……

Liu Zhanggui took a drag of his cigarette and said: "Just stir-fry eggs, this plate is eaten up already. Your family's eggs are not bad……"

"Okay." Meng Shi then went to stir-fry dishes again.

"Where's Qiu Shui? What did this child go do?" Liu Zhanggui asked intentionally or unintentionally.

Song Qingshan smiled and said: "This……you know. Hahaha……

Liu Zhanggui also smiled and said: "Hahaha……this child Qiu Shui……ah……good!!!"

"Ah……this child, is white……tall, thin……ah……" Liu Zhanggui drank another cup of wine: "This child Qiu Shui, is really good."

Hearing Liu Zhanggui speak like this, Song Qingshan's speech was slurred, and he was actually praising her……

He was also extremely happy in his heart.

But, Song Qingshan always felt Liu Zhanggui had ulterior motives, so he warned: "My family's Qiu Shui is naturally very good. Good temper, gentle person, whatever you pinch her as she is……

"That's not it……my daughter is……" Meng Shi, hearing the two talk about her own daughter, immediately became interested, but she was inarticulate, thought for half a day, couldn't think of any praising words: "My daughter takes after me, honest and simple."

To say this Meng Shi, she really is an honest and simple person, but as for whether Song Qiushui is also honest and simple, that's not really known.

Song Qingshan also said: "Qiu Shui takes after her mother……not after me, I'm no good, I have no ability……

"Hahaha……" Liu Zhanggui laughed.

He naturally knew Song Qingshan and his wife's actual situation, at home Song Qingshan is cursed by his wife Meng Shi all day, this matter the village basically all knows.

Meng Shi's catchphrase is: Song Qingshan, in the whole Yingzi up and down, you're nothing……

"We ordinary common people, what ability can we have? If we had ability, who would still farm?" Liu Zhanggui smoothed things over.

"Mm, if I had ability I'd be a big boss, just sit there, sit all day and still get money." Song Qingshan said while suddenly seeming to remember something: "Eh……wrong. Old Liu, you'd better not set your sights on my daughter. I also know your son Da Zhi is old enough, should marry a wife. But you'd better not covet my daughter, my daughter is young, I still need to raise her a few years, no rush to marry or anything. And……what I say to her doesn't count either."