The man shrugged indifferently and agreed.
Then, Cui Xue turned around and left, not wanting to stay with the man for a moment.
She didn’t know if it was because of the medicine but her face was so itchy. She always wanted to scratch it, but it hurt to death when she touched it making her very irritable.
The man looked at Cui Xue’s back and snorted. When her face was not injured, it was barely acceptable. It makes sense for her to pretend to be noble and I’m happy to flirt with her.
Now that her face is rotten to shit, even dogs are not willing to look at it, but she still acts noble in front of me? What a joke!
The cold wind swept and the man shivered all over, so he went back to his room cursing.
No one noticed the old beggar on the corner of the wall who stood up unsteadily and walked away trembling.
In Gubai Village, when Yu Zhi woke up, the sky was dim and the snow was falling in a flurry.
The big kang under her was scorching hot, and her hands and feet were warm. This kind of warmth seemed to have only appeared in her regretful dreams.
Her mind was a bit foggy and couldn’t tell what day it was.
Wang Xinfeng pushed the door open and saw Yu Zhi opened her eyes. She smiled and said, “I was just about to wake you. It’s almost five o’clock. If you continue sleeping, you may not be able to sleep at night. Are you still feeling uncomfortable?”
Yu Zhi smiled and shook her head with her lips raised. “No, thank you, Mom.”
Wang Xinfeng reached out and touched the kang. It was still hot, so she felt relieved. “What are you thanking me for? Warm yourself in the quilt first. Don’t lift the quilt when you just wake up, or you will catch a cold. What do you want to eat tonight? Mom will make it for you.”
“I can eat whatever Mom cooks.” She rolled over to Wang Xinfeng’s hand and rubbed against it.
Wang Xinfeng was coaxed into a state of great joy. “Okay, Mom will make you pancakes tonight. We have leeks at home, so I can make leek pancakes.”
“Okay.”
“Then Zhizhi must get up after warming up, walk around the kitchen, move around, and wait for Little Shen and Little Ye to come back, then we’ll have dinner.”
It got dark early in winter and no one could be seen around six o’clock.
Sang Shen and Sang Ye were fourth graders at an elementary school in the commune. It took an hour to walk from the commune to the village. They usually got out of school at five o’clock and got home after dark.
“Got it. Is Dazhuang not back yet?”
Speaking of her son, Wang Xinfeng was angry. “Don’t worry about that stupid thing! He always wanders around outside. Anyway, he is so big that he won’t be hungry or cold, so Zhizhi doesn’t need to worry about him.”
Yu Zhi smiled helplessly and could feel Wang Xinfeng’s deep love for her son. She nodded and prepared to get up.
Wang Xinfeng rushed into the kitchen. Two cups of flour had been kneaded and could be used to make noodles or pancakes.
Yu Zhi put on her clothes and went to the kitchen to light the fire for Wang Xinfeng. She didn’t know how to do it before, but now she was very good at it.
Wang Xinfeng was worried that Yu Zhi would choke from the smoke, and didn’t expect that she could do it very well.
“When did Zhizhi learn it? You are doing really well. My Zhizhi is so smart.”
Yu Zhi smiled helplessly. No matter what she did, whether she did it well or not, Wang Xinfeng would always praise her in surprise, as if she had really done something amazing, which was obviously something that a three-year-old child could do.
Did she really do it well? Not at all.
She had never done these things at home before. Because of her parents’ work, the Yu family would hire a nanny. She had always been taken care of by the nanny and had never learned to cook, so from beginning to end, she knew nothing about lighting fires and cooking.
When she first came to the Sang’s house, she was aloof, angry, and resentful. She didn’t want to be involved in the Sang family, so she wanted to cook by herself and almost burned down the kitchen.
Later, she felt guilty and didn’t dare to go there again. She had been eating ready-made food all these years.
She learned how to cook in the years of seeking revenge in her previous life. She wanted to prove herself and achieve her wishes. She forced herself to learn and work hard. She fell many times, took many detours, and suffered a lot, but she finally achieved something.
“Mom, I have learned how to cook too. I will cook for you some other day and let you know how good my cooking skills are.”
Wang Xinfeng was still dominated by the fear when Yu Zhi almost burned down the kitchen that year. She didn’t think deeply about when she learned how to cook and whether she really knew how to cook.
Without thinking, she waved her hands. “No need, your hands are not meant for this kind of work. I’ll take care of the cooking. It’s enough for me to know your intentions. Just tell me what you want to eat and I’ll make it for you.”
Yu Zhi sighed. Wang Xinfeng was afraid of tiring her, so she didn’t have to do anything. If it weren’t for the fact that her family wasn’t allowed to touch her things before, Wang Xinfeng would have taken care of all her clothes and room, not letting her do any work.
Of course, Wang Xinfeng was also afraid that she would ruin things.
No matter how much she said, it was useless. One day when Wang Xinfeng was not at home, she would do it secretly and prove herself.
Sang Dazhuang and the twins went home together at the last ray of light.
Wang Xinfeng took a broom to sweep the snow for the two children and cursed Sang Dazhuang’s ancestors for eighteen generations, especially his dead father.
Sang Dazhuang silently felt his mother’s love and was numb.
Yu Zhi covered her mouth and smiled secretly, then took a broom to sweep the snow for Sang Dazhuang.
“Mom is worried about you. The snow is so heavy and you haven’t been home all afternoon. You don’t know how many times she has said that.”
However, Sang Dazhuang didn’t believe it. His mother would only talk about him to show her maternal love for him and nothing else.
Wang Xinfeng didn’t believe her either. If someone else said this, she would scold that person to pieces. What kind of nonsense is she talking about? Am I the kind of person who would worry about my son?
But her daughter-in-law had said this so she just ignored it.
She glanced at Sang Dazhuang and dragged Yu Zhi and the two children into the kitchen. “Wash your hands and eat. It’s cold, so it’s better to eat something hot. Little Shen, Little Ye, take your shoes off and dry them by the stove, otherwise, you won’t have anything to wear tomorrow.”
“Got it, Grandma.” The grandmother and grandchildren went busy in the kitchen.
Yu Zhi stood aside, her eyes fell on the shoes of the two children, then moved to their clothes, then looked at Wang Xinfeng and Sang Dazhuang, and finally her eyes fell on herself.
Her clothes were half-new and half-old, without a patch, while Sang Dazhuang and the other three had patches layer after layer, and their shoes were so broken that their thumbs were exposed and they were almost unable to hang on their feet.
Ripples slowly appeared in her heart, and it hurt more and more. She was afraid that Wang Xinfeng would notice something, so she lowered her head.
Sang Dazhuang stood at the door, a big lump, covering the kitchen door tightly.
Whenever Yu Zhi was present, he could see no one else.
He saw how Yu Zhi’s face suddenly became ugly so he frowned slightly.
He wanted to say something but felt timid.
Yu Zhi’s attitude towards him had changed significantly over the past two days, but he feared that he would accidentally destroy it. So even if Yu Zhi was upset, he didn’t dare to comfort her unscrupulously because he didn’t feel qualified to do so.
Yu Zhi didn’t feel uncomfortable for long. She took two deep breaths to adjust herself. Everything will be fine. Just take it slow, there’s no rush.
For dinner, leek pancakes with hot and sour soup were appetizing and warm.
Yu Zhi liked it. She ate two pancakes and a bowl of soup and was full.
After dinner, the twins cleaned up the dishes and did their homework by the stove because the fire in the stove was brighter than the oil lamp.
Little Ye was impatient to do homework or read books, but she had a black-bellied brother. Even if she had a high martial arts talent, she couldn’t be good in everything.
***Original translation is from enchantesstranslations.com. Please read it on the translator’s website.***
Wang Xinfeng was also sewing shoe soles by the stove. Judging from the size, they were made for Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi was silent and called Sang Dazhuang back to the room.
Sang Dazhuang’s breathing became tight, but when he saw Yu Zhi’s calm face, his heart sank. He knew he was overthinking and followed Yu Zhi with a little disappointment.
As the two walked away, Wang Xinfeng secretly lifted her eyes and smiled obscenely.
Sang Ye bit the pen and leaned on Sang Shen like a boneless person. “Grandma, your saliva is flowing out.”
Wang Xinfeng wiped it with her hand. Where’s the saliva? Then, she glared at Sang Ye. “You stupid kid, you dare to make fun of your grandmother? Have you finished your homework? How much longer do you need?”
“I’ve finished it! I’ve finished it a long time ago.”
Sang Shen glanced at Sang Ye’s homework book. Her answers were written in big characters that looked like they had been scratched by a chicken and were unreadable.
He pushed Sang Ye away from him coldly and ruthlessly. “Rewrite them.”
Sang Ye was about to howl, but Wang Xinfeng quickly suppressed her. “Alright, alright, don’t forget to finish it tonight. Go back to your room and sleep after you finish your homework. You are not allowed to come out before dawn. Little Shen, are you afraid of sleeping alone tonight? How about staying in my room for one night?”
Sang Ye raised her head and approached Wang Xinfeng with a playful smile. “Grandma, why is my brother sleeping alone tonight? Where is Dad? Is he not going to sleep?”
“Go away! Just mind your own business! Go back to your room now. You are a kid, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
Sang Ye pouted and went back to the room with a stomping sound.
You think I don’t understand what’s going on? Isn’t it because he just wants to sleep with that person?
She didn’t know whether the other person was happy or not, but her father was definitely happy for no reason.
Sang Shen also understood what was going on. His eyes moved slightly and shook his head. “I’m not afraid, Grandma, so don’t worry. It’s warm in the woodshed.”
“Okay, Grandma will get you a bed and quilt. If you feel cold, don’t hesitate to come to Grandma’s room, okay?”
“Got it.”
“Okay, then go to bed early, go quickly.”
Wang Xinfeng sent both children to bed, and she also went into the room with a lewd smile.
While Yu Zhi was rummaging through the cabinets in the room, the house suddenly fell silent, but she didn’t think much about it. She found the money and handed it to Sang Dazhuang. “Take it, go to the commune tomorrow to see if there are any leather boots for the twins. They walk to and from school a lot, and cotton shoes can easily get their feet wet. Leather boots are waterproof so they are much better.
“I don’t have a lot of money so I can only buy them for the children for now. I will save some more and buy another pair for you and Mom later.”
Sang Dazhuang looked at the money and pursed his lips, but didn’t take it.
With a heavy heart and some dull pain, he still made it clear to Yu Zhi. “No, I have money. I will buy them tomorrow.”
Yu Zhi was not surprised that the man said he had money, otherwise, he would not be able to spend lavishly in the county town.
Besides, she always knew that the man was restless and would not work hard in the fields. When he had nothing to do, he would go out to find ways to make money.
Before meeting her, he often went to the mountains with others to hunt, get mountain products, and exchange them for money.
Later, it was not allowed, so he came secretly. Then, he went to the black market to exchange or get other things and made a profit. He was very smart and courageous when making money.
After meeting her, he was forced to be an honest farmer in the fields. He went out less often, but he did not give up. Whenever he had time, he would sneak out.
Therefore, he had a lot of money.
“Give it to me then.”
Sang Dazhuang was stunned. What should I give you?
Yu Zhi glared at him. “Why? You still want to hide your private money and won’t give it to me?”
Sang Dazhuang’s eyes suddenly widened and he looked at Yu Zhi in disbelief. “You want it? Really?”
When they just got married, Sang Dazhuang wanted to give her all his money, but Yu Zhi didn’t think of herself as a member of the Sang family and didn’t want it.
Not only did she not want it, but she also gave Wang Xinfeng living expenses every month, under the pretext of not taking advantage of their family.
It was quite funny to think about it now. She thought she was noble and didn’t take advantage of the Sang family, but she didn’t know that everything she had was given by the Sang family, and she took advantage of them.
Being in the countryside, she had to go to the fields to get a share of food from the village. No matter what work she did, she had to go to the fields. Even the teachers would go to the fields to help during the busy farming season. Moreover, she was an educated youth who supported rural construction, so it would be unreasonable for her not to go to the fields.
Sang Dazhuang did the work of three people. He did her share and even more. No one could say no, so she stayed at home with a clear conscience.
Sang Dazhuang helped her and Wang Xinfeng protected her. She was weak and could not do anything else, so she found a job writing articles for newspapers and lived a leisurely life at home in isolation.
This clearly showed that she was taking advantage of the Sang family.
In those years, she was full of resentment and dissatisfaction with the world and her family. The things she wrote were full of resentment and evil ideas, and few were selected.
Naturally, she didn’t make much money.
Except for the money that Cui Xue cheated her, she used the rest for herself, and the money she could give to Wang Xinfeng was very limited, which was not enough to pay for her food and Wang Xinfeng and Sang Dazhuang’s labor.
But at that time, she felt that she had given enough and did not take advantage of the Sang family at all, and had taken a confident stance.
She enjoyed the convenience provided by the Sang family but was annoyed by what they did. She was really stupid and bad.
Sang Dazhuang and his mother were also upset by her rejection and overly clear distinction.
Everything they did for Yu Zhi was from the bottom of their hearts and they never thought of asking her to return a penny. Every clear-cut account calculated by Yu Zhi was a knife stabbed in their hearts.
In the hospital, Sang Dazhuang asked the old woman to pay for the kettle, but Yu Zhi refused to take it so he was sad.
Yu Zhi knew it but it was not easy to say much at that time.
“Of course! Hurry up!”
“Okay!” Sang Dazhuang was as happy as a silly boy who got a candy. He pulled a brick from the corner of the wall, took out the biscuit box inside, wiped off the dirt on it, and excitedly handed it to Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi raised her eyebrows. “You have been keeping it here? How did you get it in?” She had not allowed him to enter the room all those years.
Sang Dazhuang immediately reacted, his whole body stiffened, his big black face looked at Yu Zhi helplessly, and his lips were trembling. He wanted to explain but found that he could not say a word, so he felt guilty.
Yu Zhi just snorted, then took the box and opened it.
Oh my god, there are rolls of ten-yuan notes! One roll was one thousand yuan and there were twenty rolls, so about twenty thousand yuan was in the box.
Yu Zhi’s eyes widened. “This is a lot!” She thought he only had around a thousand at most.
Sang Dazhuang saw that Yu Zhi didn’t seem to be angry because he sneaked into the room, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Nodding foolishly, he said, “Not really.” If he could, he would earn more. But he was afraid that Yu Zhi would be angry if he was not home often, so he kept his efforts in check.
Yu Zhi pursed her lips because it sounded a bit like bragging to say that twenty thousand yuan was not a lot of money.
When she checked the bottom of the box, there were still a lot of notes and tickets which were more than enough to buy new shoes.
“Since you have money, why don’t you buy more food and clothes for the children? Also, for you and Mom, your clothes and shoes are so worn out.”
Sang Dazhuang was silent for a bit then said, “I have a bad reputation and the money didn’t come from a legitimate source, so it’s not good for people to know.”
Yu Zhi thought about it and he was right. The money should have been obtained from the black market and it was really not good to let other people know about it.
With his reputation, once he lived a good life, he would definitely be accused by a lot of people and countless troubles would come to him. It was quite frustrating to think that he couldn’t spend the money boldly.