Chapter 51: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 51: Mountain Gully Village 51

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

On Mid-Autumn Festival, Wang Zhanggen returned.

He bought many things back.

Mooncakes, pomelos, Hami melons, yogurt, toy four-wheel drive cars...

There was food to eat, drinks to drink, and toys to play with.

The three children were all very happy.

Especially when they ate the Hami melon Wang Zhanggen had bought back.

That taste was truly fragrant and sweet!

It was the first time in their lives they had eaten Hami melon!

Li Xiulan, however, could not feel happy in her heart.

Because Wang Zhanggen had not brought any money back.

He had used all the money he earned to buy a mobile phone.

"What good is buying a mobile phone? You'd be better off saving money to build a new house!"

When deeply in love, one sees the other shining everywhere; when no longer in love, one sees only shortcomings everywhere.

Now Li Xiulan found Wang Zhanggen an eyesore everywhere she looked.

Wang Zhanggen spending several thousand yuan on a mobile phone made Li Xiulan very angry.

The old mud-brick tile house they currently lived in had long been in disrepair, and the roof leaked on rainy days; they indeed should save money to build a new house to live in.

Not to mention building a multi-story building, even building a new mud-brick tile house would do.

However, Wang Zhanggen did not care about this matter at all.

Or rather, he had never even thought about building a new house.

"Building a house isn't that easy; if we can live here, let's just keep living here. I bought a mobile phone so I can keep in touch with home more easily, didn't I? Besides, what is the outside world like now? Everyone has a mobile phone at their waist! If I don't have a mobile phone, how can I face people! You're just a village woman—long hair, short knowledge; if you don't understand, don't talk nonsense!"

Wang Zhanggen did not have much love for Li Xiulan either, so Li Xiulan disliked him and picked at his faults, and he also disliked Li Xiulan and picked at her faults.

"Besides, the phone installed at your convenience store cost two or three thousand yuan too, didn't it? And you have to pay such expensive phone bills every month! You can install a phone, so why can't I buy a mobile phone? I didn't spend a single cent of your money!"

Li Xiulan immediately got angry.

"My phone was installed by Niu Chunsheng before. Besides, my phone makes money—many villagers come to make calls every month, and my phone earns me over a hundred yuan a month. Can your mobile phone do that! You say we don't need to build a new house because you're hardly home all year! Now we only have two rooms, one small living room, less than eighty square meters. Now three children are crammed into one small bedroom. When the children grow a bit older, how will there be enough room! You're a grown man—can't you be a bit more responsible!"

"How am I not responsible? I work myself to death away from home all year. Who am I doing it for, if not for you four—you and the children!"

"Hmph, for us? You're doing it for yourself! All year I haven't seen you bring back much money! This year Erhai's tuition was paid by me myself! If you can't earn money out there, then don't go out—just stay home and raise pigs!"

Li Xiulan's words were very harsh, and Wang Zhanggen simply could not bear it any longer!

With a "bang," a dull sound.

Wang Zhanggen suddenly slapped the tabletop.

The three children were all frightened dumb.

"What are you slapping the table for! What skill is it to lose your temper at me! If you really have skill, earn more money back! The little money you earn isn't even as much as my convenience store makes! Do you really think buying a mobile phone makes you impressive? Do you think it makes people think you're rich? Wang Zhanggen, I'm telling you, putting on a swollen face to look fat won't make anyone envy you a bit—they'll only laugh at you as a fool!"

Wang Zhanggen stared dumbfounded at Li Xiulan, his head buzzing.

He never would have thought Li Xiulan would dare to defy him so boldly.

It could only be said that the convenience store's income gave Li Xiulan confidence, supported the courage in her heart, and made her no longer so dependent on and afraid of Wang Zhanggen.

Wang Zhanggen didn't even dare to threaten divorce anymore, because he knew that if he proposed divorce, perhaps Li Xiulan would agree without hesitation.

A woman with economic independence would inevitably completely break free from a man's control.

Especially a man like Wang Zhanggen with not much ability—it would be even harder to control a woman with economic independence.

"Liu Xiulan, today is Mid-Autumn Festival. I finally managed to come back once. Can't you, in front of the children, give me, their father, some face? You think I don't want to make money? But the money out there isn't nearly as easy to earn as you imagine!"

Wang Zhanggen gritted his teeth, his heart full of resentment.

As a father, what he least wanted to see was losing face in front of his three sons!

In the past half year, he had suffered many setbacks in the city.

Because he trusted a friend and went into business with him, he lost everything within a few months, and finally had to go work in a factory.

It was precisely because of the business failure that even his mistress proposed breaking up with him.

This Nokia mobile phone of his wasn't bought just to look cool; it was bought back then for business to make it easier to contact clients.

But he couldn't explain it to Li Xiulan, and even if he did, Li Xiulan wouldn't believe him, because when he went into business with his friend, he hadn't communicated with Li Xiulan at all, and Li Xiulan still didn't know about his failed business venture.

"Hmph, same old thing. Since money isn't easy to earn out there, then come back and raise pigs."

Li Xiulan sneered again.

For someone who doesn't love the other to want empathy is like a fish trying to understand a bird's flight—simply impossible.

Wang Zhanggen, mocked like this, was about to explode.

A fierce quarrel, even domestic violence, seemed about to happen.

Just then!

Footsteps came from outside!

It was Village Committee Secretary Liang Yuanchao and Village Accountant Zhang Zhongtian.

"Changgen, Xiulan, happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Secretary Liang, Accountant Zhang, why have the two of you come?"

Wang Zhanggen saw an outsider visiting and hurriedly suppressed his inner anger, putting on a smiling face to greet them warmly.

Li Xiulan, however, wore a cold expression; she had not a shred of good impression toward Liang Yuanchao, because last time Liang Yuanchao had deceived her and taken away the ten acres of cassava field she had painstakingly cleared, and she had harbored resentment over it ever since.

"What are you standing there dazed for? Hurry up and brew tea!"

Wang Zhanggen saw Li Xiulan wearing a stony face and not moving an inch, and hurriedly urged her.

He did not want Li Xiulan to make him lose face.

Li Xiulan, however, not only refused to brew tea for Liang Yuanchao and Zhang Zhongtian, but even directly said:

"Liang Yuanchao, if you have business, state your business; when you're done speaking, leave. You are not welcome here!"

Liang Yuanchao immediately could not hold his face, letting out an embarrassed haha laugh.

Wang Zhanggen glared at Li Xiulan with furious eyes; he hated Li Xiulan to death — Li Xiulan's behavior was far too ignorant of human relations; the other party was at any rate a village cadre, how could she treat them like this?

"Village Secretary Liang, Accountant Zhang, sorry about that, my wife has a bad temper, please don't take offense; I'll go brew tea for you right away!"

Wang Zhanggen hurriedly apologized.

Liang Yuanchao chuckled and said:

"It's fine, no need to brew tea for us. We came this time to take advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival when people are relatively gathered and talk to you about a matter; once we're done speaking, we'll leave!"

"Village Secretary Liang, what matter?"

"The town government has sent down a notice: the Jingzhu Expressway happens to pass through our village, and our village is to be expropriated. The current set price is: each household gets three thousand yuan in demolition compensation, and additionally a homestead plot of the same area will be allocated to everyone for free. This is a major matter of national development; I hope you will prioritize the overall situation. Three thousand yuan can let you build a new mud-brick tile house of the same area. Moreover, many villagers have already agreed; if you have no objections, sign your names on this relocation agreement."

Liang Yuanchao produced a relocation agreement, on which quite a few villagers had already signed and pressed fingerprints.

Wang Zhanggen glanced at the relocation agreement, didn't examine the clauses inside too closely, only saw many villagers had signed, and said:

"Since everyone agrees, then I have no problem either; I'll just sign."

However, at this moment, Li Xiulan stepped out and said coldly:

"I disagree!"