Chapter 32: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 32: Shanchou Village 32

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Early the next morning, Niu Chunsheng and Li Xiulan went to the town police station again.

This time Li Xiulan had all her documents ready, and things went surprisingly smoothly; the clerk at the police station helped her submit the materials, and she could come pick up her new household register in three working days.

"Chunsheng, I truly don't know how to repay your kindness to my Dashan!"

Li Xiulan felt full of gratitude toward Niu Chunsheng.

"Sister Xiulan, why say these polite words to me? It's all what I should do!"

Niu Chunsheng grinned and laughed heartily.

He rode his motorcycle to take Li Xiulan home, then went off to work himself.

Li Xiulan couldn't wait to tell this good news to her husband.

So after lunch that noon, she went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative at the village entrance to call her husband.

But she found Village Secretary Liang Yuanchao directing several big men to remove the signboard outside the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

"Secretary Liang, why tear down a perfectly good Supply and Marketing Cooperative?"

Liang Yuanchao had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, a wry smile on his old face:

"It doesn't make money. Zhiguo and his wife decided to quit; the two of them want to close the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and go work in the city!"

The Supply and Marketing Cooperative originally belonged to the state, but the state had abolished the supply and marketing institutions several years earlier.

Later it was privatized, and this Supply and Marketing Cooperative was contracted by He Zhiguo and Yang Aiying.

Now, after they had run this Supply and Marketing Cooperative for several years, it was also facing bankruptcy.

"Without the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, where will the villagers buy things in the future?"

Li Xiulan couldn't help but feel melancholy.

"Go to the town. Now there are plenty of tractors and small four-wheelers that carry passengers to town on market days!"

Liang Yuanchao took a drag on his cigarette:

"This Supply and Marketing Cooperative belongs to the village collective property. If it can be rented out, that would be best—for example, rent it to someone to run a small shop. The village committee can earn some money, and it can also solve the villagers' daily needs."

These words passed over Li Xiulan's head; she didn't pay much attention, only thinking about calling her husband Wang Zhanggen.

"Secretary Liang, is the phone inside the Supply and Marketing Cooperative still usable? I want to call my husband."

Liang Yuanchao said:

"It won't work. The phone line broke the day before yesterday. Go to the health station next door and find Doctor Zhong; his health station also has a phone."

"Alright!" Li Xiulan watched as two men took down the old signboard of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and she couldn't help but feel a bitterness in her heart. She had just married into this village, and this Supply and Marketing Cooperative had already existed. In the past, she could buy salt, oil, eggs, sugar, and such things at this Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Now that the Supply and Marketing Cooperative had gone bankrupt, she would have to go to town to buy things, which was far less convenient.

Li Xiulan came to the health station, found Zhong Jianguo, explained the situation to Zhong Jianguo, and wanted to use his phone. Zhong Jianguo readily agreed.

Li Xiulan dialed the phone of the factory where Wang Zhanggen worked, and a strange woman answered.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for my husband Wang Zhanggen!"

"Then wait, I'll go find him and have him call you back later!"

The strange woman hung up the phone.

Li Xiulan waited by the phone, waiting for nearly half an hour before receiving Wang Zhanggen's return call.

"Didn't you just call not long ago? Why are you calling again?"

Wang Zhanggen on the other end of the phone seemed a bit impatient.

Li Xiulan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her heart. Originally she had been excited, wanting to tell Wang Zhanggen the good news that their eldest son's household registration had been settled, but now she suddenly didn't want to say it.

"Who was that woman who answered the phone just now?"

Li Xiulan hesitated for a moment, but finally asked this question.

"What are you thinking? That's Xiao Hong, an employee in our factory's personnel department. Your call forced Xiao Hong to run all the way to the production line to find me. She's unhappy, the group leader on the production line is unhappy because I missed work to answer the phone, and I might even get my work hours docked. Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

Hearing these words, Li Xiulan felt full of guilt:

"Husband, I'm sorry. I know it's not easy for you working outside. From now on, if there's nothing else, I definitely won't call you again. But this time, I really want to tell you some good news. Dashan's household registration has been settled, and he can go to school this September!"

Li Xiulan originally thought Wang Zhanggen would be very happy to hear this news.

Unexpectedly, Wang Zhanggen's reaction was lukewarm:

"It's good that it's settled. I originally planned to wait until next year to let Dashan and Dahai go to school together. By the way, how did you help Dashan get his household registration settled?"

Li Xiulan truthfully said:

"It was done with the help of the Women's Federation Director in the village!"

Hearing these words, Wang Zhanggen immediately became unhappy.

"Why did you go find the village Women's Federation Director again?"

Li Xiulan hurriedly explained:

"Husband, don't you remember? The former Women's Federation Director Yang Dafu has already been removed from office. The current Women's Federation Director is a young man named Niu Chunsheng! Niu Chunsheng is a good person!"

Wang Zhanggen angrily scolded: "It's not allowed to find the current Women's Federation Director either! The Women's Federation Director is nothing good! Don't forget that you almost got raped by the Women's Federation Director back then! This time I won't argue with you so much. Don't go find the Women's Federation Director again! That's all I have to say. I have to go back to the production line, otherwise that bastard group leader will scold me again!"

Wang Zhanggen hung up the phone, leaving Li Xiulan with a bitterness in her heart.

She vaguely felt that her husband seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

They were no longer as close as before; an invisible barrier seemed to have appeared between them.

But Li Xiulan simply couldn't ask too many questions. She could only hide these emotions in her heart.

This night, Li Xiulan suffered from insomnia.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to control her wild thoughts.

The next day, early in the morning, she had to get up with dark circles under her eyes to feed the livestock at home and make breakfast for the three children.

At this time, Niu Chunsheng appeared before her again with a radiant smile, like the morning sun shining on her cheeks.

"Sister Xiulan, I discovered a huge business opportunity!"

Niu Chunsheng's tone was excited.

"What big rooster?" Li Xiulan was absent-minded.

Yesterday her husband told her not to go looking for Niu Chunsheng again, but now Niu Chunsheng had taken the initiative to run to her home, and she was too embarrassed to directly chase him away; after all, Niu Chunsheng had helped her son a great deal with household registration.

"Not big rooster, it's huge business opportunity!"

Niu Chunsheng had a big heart; he didn't notice the wrongness on Li Xiulan's face at all.

He spoke excitedly:

"I just discovered that the Supply and Marketing Cooperative at the village entrance went bankrupt; we can contract the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and use it to run a Convenience Store, selling some daily necessities and small snacks — absolutely a sure profit! But right now I don't have that much money on hand; it's hard for one person to bear the shop rent and restocking costs. Do you want to partner with me?"

Li Xiulan thought for a moment and felt that contracting the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's shop to run a Convenience Store indeed had an opportunity to earn money; moreover, she didn't want to have to beg Wang Zhanggen for money every time she was short, especially after Wang Zhanggen gave her the cold shoulder yesterday, she felt having money in hand was too important.

As for Wang Zhanggen telling her not to get too close to Niu Chunsheng, she felt she was upright and unafraid of a crooked shadow; her friendship with Niu Chunsheng was pure, both of them were innocent, and they had a clear conscience!

So she said:

"I am willing to partner with you, but I don't have much money on hand."