Chapter 70

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Lin Dajun had been doing construction in the countryside for over a decade, and he had seen all kinds of neighborhood disputes.

So he knew that with the way Li Xiulan and Yang Xiaocai were fighting, the one who would suffer in the end would definitely be Li Xiulan.

Sure enough.

The next day, Yang Xiaocai actually used mud bricks to seal off both ends of the road in front of his own house!

Only leaving an entrance about half a meter wide!

As a result, it became even more impossible for Li Xiulan to have a tractor bring construction materials in!

"Why don't you take some gifts and go apologize to them? Otherwise, in the future, with so many construction materials, there'll be no way to transport them directly in here!"

Lin Dajun kindly persuaded Li Xiulan to go apologize and admit fault to Yang Xiaocai.

This kind of thing really shouldn't be dragged out into a deadlock!

One should just lower their head and admit fault!

As long as you admit fault, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble!

But if you don't admit fault, in the future the tractor won't be able to get in, and transporting materials will be pure suffering!

All materials would have to be moved by manual labor — not only is it backbreaking, but the efficiency is also very low!

However, Li Xiulan was just stubborn.

For the sake of that one breath of pride, she refused to go apologize to Yang Xiaocai.

"Uncle Dajun, no need to persuade me. I won't apologize to Yang Xiaocai. It's just a few hundred meters' distance, right? I'll carry them in myself!"

Lin Dajun could only give a dry, hollow laugh at this.

He and Li Xiulan weren't that close yet, and with Li Xiulan's attitude this firm, he couldn't say anything more.

After the foundation was dug out, it was soon time to pour the foundation.

Pouring the foundation requires cement, steel bars, gravel, and sand.

Since vehicles couldn't drive into the construction site, when these materials were delivered, they could only be unloaded at an empty patch of ground at the village entrance.

Then Li Xiulan had to move them in by manpower.

Li Xiulan carried cement for a day, only then discovering that these construction materials were nothing like rice straw or peanuts — easy to shoulder!

These things were heavy and dead-weight; just carrying cement already had her exhausted half to death!

And behind that came even heavier steel bars!

As well as sand and gravel in even greater quantities!

Yang Xiaocai moved a bamboo chair to his own doorway and sat there at leisure, just watching Li Xiulan make trip after trip carrying cement and steel bars!

A look of schadenfreude appeared on his face.

When Li Xiulan passed by, he even spoke with sarcastic irony:

"Li Xiulan, tired? Be careful not to throw out your back!"

Li Xiulan kept her head down carrying cement past him, her face covered in sweat, not responding to Yang Xiaocai's mockery.

After several days, Li Xiulan still hadn't finished moving all the construction materials in, but her body already couldn't take it.

She got a fever.

She was a woman of the household — how could she withstand such a heavy workload?

Lin Dajun and Zhou Hongwei were quite speechless about this.

They only had Li Xiulan as a single laborer; with Li Xiulan sick, they could only halt work for a few days, waiting for her to recover before restarting.

Lin Dajun went to persuade Li Xiulan again:

"What are you being stubborn for? You and Yang Xiaocai are from the same village — you'll keep running into each other. If you just talk nicely with him for a bit, wouldn't everything be fine? Fighting him like this, aren't you just bringing suffering on yourself?"

"But I just can't swallow this anger! The more he deliberately makes things difficult for me, the more I can't let him succeed!" Li Xiulan was feverish and weak, yet her tone was incomparably firm.

She simply could not let Yang Xiaocai succeed.

All these years of life experiences had already told her: the more she retreated, the more the bad people would push their luck!

Who knows — if she went and apologized to Yang Xiaocai, he might make excessive demands on her, just like his brother Yang Dafu did back then!

Lin Dajun shook his head and sighed:

"What use is fighting for this one breath of pride? This breath of pride can't be eaten as rice! Fine, I won't lecture you anymore. You hurry up and nurse yourself back to health. When you're better, call me and let me know, and then Hongwei and I will come back to resume work!"

Having said all this, Lin Dajun said his goodbyes and returned to town.

Li Xiulan had a fever alone at home, feeling very unwell; she broke out in cold sweats all over, her head heavy and feet light — as soon as she stood up, she felt the world spinning.

She didn't want to go get an IV, because an IV costs money.

So she just took some Anaine and lay in bed toughing it out.

She toughed it out until afternoon, when the children came home from school; she still hadn't improved, but she had no choice but to get up and cook.

All three children were still very small and couldn't cook yet.

They could only help feed the chickens and pigs, and sweep the floor.

Li Xiulan finished cooking the rice and dishes, let the three children eat, but she herself had no appetite, so she went back to her room to rest.

The children were fairly sensible; knowing their mother was sick, after eating they took the initiative to wash the bowls and chopsticks, and didn't make noise like before — they even spoke in hushed tones, afraid of disturbing their mother's rest.

Wang Dashan also said to Wang Erhai:

"Second Brother, Mom has it too hard. Starting tomorrow, let's learn to cook!"

Wang Erhai nodded:

"Okay, Brother!"

Wang Xiaohua also followed along and said:

"I want to learn too!"

Wang Dashan, however, said:

"What the hell would you learn, you're still so small, you can't even hold a wok spatula steady, you go learn to sweep the floor and feed the chickens first! From now on sweeping the floor and feeding the chickens are handed over to you!"

Wang Xiaohua nodded:

"Alright then, I'll feed the chickens!"

Li Xiulan slept for one night.

Until the next day morning past eight o'clock did she wake up.

She had just opened her eyes when she sprang up from the bed:

"Terrible, slept too dead!"

Then she hurriedly walked out of the room, shouting loudly:

"Dashan Erhai, have you all gone to school!"

When she came out to the Living Room, she instead saw only Wang Xiaohua alone, clumsily cleaning the Living Room's hygiene with a broom.

"Mom, Big Brother and Second Brother they all went to school! Big Brother and Second Brother made Breakfast, it's on the table! I already fed the chickens!"

Li Xiulan looked toward the tabletop, only to see a plate of yellowed greens, a plate of burnt scrambled Eggs, and a pot of white Congee.

These were all made by her children for her.

She ladled a bowl of white Congee, and ate with the Eggs and greens.

The greens were very salty, the Eggs full of burnt taste.

But this was the most delicious Meal she had eaten in these years.

As she ate, she couldn't help but shed tears.

"The children have all grown up, become sensible, know to make food for Mom, Mom's hardship these years has finally not been in vain..."

"Mom, why are you crying? Is the illness not better yet?" Wang Xiaohua watched from the side, big eyes full of puzzlement.

He did not understand why his mom would suddenly cry.

"Nothing, Mom's illness is better, Mom is just too moved!"

Li Xiulan wiped tears while revealing a long-lost smile.

"Mom, you hurry and eat, after you finish I'll wash the bowls! After I wash I'll go read books!"

Wang Xiaohua spoke like this, he now basically reads books every day, among the three brothers he is comparatively introverted, rarely takes the initiative to go play with other children in the Village.

"Good good, Xiaohua is so obedient!"

Li Xiulan finished Breakfast, and together with Wang Xiaohua washed the bowls, she then let Wang Xiaohua stay at Home alone to read books, while she herself picked up a carrying pole, preparing to go continue moving those Construction Materials at the Village Entrance inside.

However, when she arrived at the Village Entrance, saw those Construction Materials of hers, the Steel bar and Cement had actually lost more than half, she immediately felt the sky had fallen.

"Which bastard actually dares to steal my things!"

Li Xiulan cursed out loud like she had gone mad.

Sharp cursing voices reverberated in the Village Entrance's sky.