CHAPTER 33
Shen Haiyang really looked down on Fang Zhongcheng. He was not really a man. He had neglected his child for such a long time. He was unworthy of being a father.
Shen Haiyang didn’t care whether to pay child support or not, he had no shortage of money and Li Xia also earned a lot. But he had to help his wife vent her anger, and hence changed the surnames of both children, and tried to make sure that he couldn’t change it back even if he knew about it, and to piss off that bastard to death.
Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. After learning that Fang Zhongcheng was in debt because of his house and wife, Li Xia immediately went to him to ask for child support. Her purpose was to let his neighbors know that he didn’t care about his two children.
She chose to go at dinner time, when everyone was eating at home. His house was allocated by the company, and all his colleagues lived there. As a civil servant, they would definitely testify in court if necessary.
”Boom boom boom,”
After knocking on the door three times, Murong Danling opened it from the inside. As soon as she saw her, she frowned, looking impatient. “What are you doing here again?”
”Call Fang Zhongcheng out.” Li Xia said, intentionally raising her voice, using her loud voice from the fields to speak: “Fang Zhongcheng, Fang Zhongcheng, come out.”
When she shouted, Fang Zhongcheng came out, and the crowd of onlookers also came out. Some of them were openly in the corridor, peeking out through the cracks in the doors of people on the same floor, and their eyes were all shining with gossip.
Fang Zhongcheng was immediately annoyed by this phenomenon. He was a hypocrite who cared a lot about his reputation. He liked to talk about things in private. Li Xia thought that he was hiding his thoughts. He had lost his temper with her because of this. She was happy for him, and later his temper changed a lot.
After all, she had experience in this life and was very restrained in her actions. After marrying Shen Haiyang, she would always consider Shen Haiyang’s face before doing anything. On the contrary, Shen Haiyang often encouraged her to say whatever she wanted. She was always protecting this home and her family, and she was not afraid of being laughed at.
”Are you crazy? Why are you here making trouble again? We are divorced. I have nothing to do with you anymore.”
”Ha,” Li Xia sneered sarcastically. “Divorce has nothing to do with me, but you haven’t forgotten that you still have two children, right? It’s been so long, you still have to pay me child support and my son’s tuition and childcare fees.”
”I…” Fang Zhongcheng was speechless. He was short of money and couldn’t be tough. The people around him had already started to discuss quietly. The looks in their eyes made him feel ashamed and angry. But he was in the wrong, and he couldn’t get angry even if he wanted to.
”Why aren’t you talking? You’re getting remarried and planning on having another baby. Are you planning on leaving those two behind?”
His face turned red and his neck became thick due to her ridicule. The discussion around him became louder. He was so ashamed and angry that he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, or cover her mouth with tape. But he couldn’t do either of these two things, not even close the door to avoid her. His colleagues and family members were watching him, so he would be even more unreasonable if he hid back.
”I, I’m a little tight…”
”You weren’t worried about remarrying, buying a house, and living your own life, but you’re short on money now that you have two children? Oh, so you don’t have the money to raise the children. Then why did you give birth to them in the first place?”
Fang Zhongcheng lowered his head and gritted his teeth at her ridicule. His shame had already faded away, and now he was only annoyed. Oh, no, it had escalated into anger. He was so angry that he wanted to push this woman who slapped him in the face in public down the stairs.
But he couldn’t vent his anger, his face turned pale, blue, and red. His whole body was shaking like he was having the hiccups. Facts speak louder than words, nothing he said could change the situation. Unless he threw the money in Li Xia’s face, he had no money and still owed foreign debts.
”I’ll make it up to you when I have money.”
”Oh, it’s been so long. If I didn’t come, you wouldn’t give me anything. If I came, you still wouldn’t give me anything. The brigade has no money, so you can write me an IOU. Are you going to write me an IOU for your son?”
Someone couldn’t help laughing. This woman is really mean. But she deserves it. The stinky man divorced and didn’t raise the children, leaving them all to the woman. He remarried and didn’t want the children to start a new life. Have you ever thought about how difficult it would be for his ex-wife with two children? If her husband did this, she would have to die with him.
”Li Xia, don’t go too far.” Fang Zhongcheng’s body was shaking, his voice was shaking as well. His eyes were red, like an animal that was cornered. But he couldn’t fight back, and had to bear all the damage himself.
Murong Danling did have money, but it was her money for business, so she certainly couldn’t pay child support for him. She didn’t even care about her own son. Of course, Shen Haiyang had sued to deprive her of visitation rights, and she didn’t take Shen Hui seriously.
”I’m being too harsh?” Li Xia also started to act. She was no longer as fierce as before, but aggrieved and pitiful. “After the divorce, you pushed the two children to me. I worked in the wind and sun every day to raise the children. Now you say I’m being too harsh? Are these two my own children?”
Fang Zhongcheng was already so bullied by her that he couldn’t say a word. People around him were talking about it, all accusing him of being irresponsible. If you don’t like rural women, why did you marry her in the first place? If you don’t like rural women, how did you get those two children? This kind of person is a complete beast, unable to control his lower body.
Li Xia realized that she had achieved her goal and didn’t stay any longer. As if in slow motion, she turned around and said, “Forget it, forget it. I gave birth to them and I will raise them. I will, raise them.”
She left, and the crowd dispersed. Fang Zhongcheng was dragged into the house by his wife like a ghost, and soon a fierce quarrel broke out inside, and there were sounds of things breaking.
Li Xia didn’t care how the couple quarreled, her goal had been achieved. This time everyone knew about the quarrel, even if he paid the child support later, the bad impression would be deeply rooted in people’s minds. The child support was something she had worked so hard to get, and Fang Zhongcheng didn’t care about the two children.
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Generally, starting from the tenth month of the lunar calendar, people start to prepare clothes for the New Year. At the same time, more and more small businesses are opening, and her clothes are soon sold out. She gathers funds and prepares to go south to buy another batch.
She counted the cash at night, and she was a little scared of the heavy bag. In this era without computers, sending money from the bank was very troublesome and time-consuming, and she was really nervous about carrying cash. It was winter, and the roads were even more dangerous. If it was stolen or robbed, all her hard work would go to waste.
”How about asking Han Jun to help me? I’ll give him a commission. Otherwise, I can ask third brother to accompany me.”
Han Jun is a retired soldier and is now a policeman. With him, the safety factor will definitely increase. But he is a working person. Isn’t it bad to do this privately? Li Xia regretted it a little after she finished speaking, and quickly tried to make up for it by asking her third brother to go with her.
”There’s still work to do at home, and third brother has no experience traveling far away. Let’s find Han Jun and see if he has time.”
Shen Haiyang said this, and Li Xia nodded. The third brother was honest and had no experience in dealing with these things. If the two of them encountered robbers or scammers on the road, or a combination of the two, Han Jun would be better able to deal with them, and his status would also be able to suppress those villains.
As for Han Jun, he came the next day and said, “Sister-in-law, do you have any job that can make money for me? I really…”
Li Xia and her husband looked at each other and she said softly, “Are you thinking of going into the adult entertainment industry?”
In the late 1980s, when the craze for going into business was still in its infancy, people were still very conservative. They didn’t dare to take risks, especially those with stable jobs, who didn’t dare to gamble everything on one throw. Was he forced into a corner by life, or was he envious of her money?
”I’m so in debt that I can’t make ends meet. I don’t care if it’s a stable job or not. I just want to make money now, even if I can make a penny more.”
”Do you have time recently? If so, come with me to the south. I’ll give you a month’s salary and we’ll be gone for about a week. Trading requires capital, so if you don’t have any, accumulate some first.”
”Okay, I’ll take ten days off.”
Shen Haiyang couldn’t say much because of the pressure of life. If he didn’t have the money his father gave him as a foundation and Li Xia didn’t make as much money, he would probably have the same idea at this time. After all, it’s not easy to raise three children. Especially if you want to raise them well, it will cost more money.
Huihua is learning to paint, and Shen Hui seems to be very interested in mental arithmetic. He is looking for a teacher for his child recently. Yiyi is also very smart, and it is necessary to cultivate the child’s interests. And all these require money to support. His father gave him enough US dollars, but he was reluctant to spend them on daily life.
The next day, Li Xia told her family that she and Han Jun are going south to buy goods. The old father didn’t know how much his daughter could earn from doing all this, but the bun shop was running and the son-in-law was kind to them, so the grandfathers worked hard and tried to finish the demolition before the end of the year and the doors, windows, cabinets and the house and everything else are ready. When the weather warms up next year, they can start the renovation.
The family was busy cleaning the house. Accompanied by Han Jun, she returned safely. Li Xia told Shen Haiyang about the thrilling experience on the road. “It was a robbery, with a knife in his hand. My God, if Han Jun hadn’t been there, I would have been scared to death.”
Shen Haiyang was also shocked when he heard this: “This is too dangerous, where did you meet him? Did he know that you were carrying a large amount of cash or was he robbing you blindly?”
”He didn’t rob us. He was just outside the industrial zone, observing and looking for someone to attack. We caught up with him and were blocked in the alley. Han jun was holding the money in his hand, and then he handed the bag to me and took out a dagger. Wow, didn’t you see that? He was so powerful. He scared those people away in just a few moves.”
Han Jun had been in elementary school, and later trained in the army, so he had real kung fu skills. He didn’t fight to the death, probably because he cared about the cash he brought and the safety of other people’s lives and property. “It’s good that you’re okay. What happened next? How did you deal with it?”
”We called the police, but they didn’t catch the gang until we left. The two women they targeted were also well-dressed and carrying small suitcases. They looked rich. It’s a recipe for disaster. You don’t know how to show off your wealth.”
”It’s too dangerous. Let Han Jun go with you next time.”
Li Xia nodded: “I have agreed with him that he will come once every two or three months in the future. He can earn extra money this way, but I am afraid that his company will not agree if it lasts too long.”
A few years later, there was a wave of people going into business. The country developed rapidly but the wages of companies were not adjusted in time, causing many people to leave their previous jobs one by one, either due to livelihood pressure or because of envy of small business owners.
Along the way, she chatted with Han Jun and learned that he was in a very difficult situation. His mother was ill and hospitalized. She had serious sequelae after a cerebral hemorrhage and was basically dependent on medication and treatment. The two children in the family were in school, and his wife could not work because she had to take care of the family. The burden of the family fell on his shoulders alone. He was a very active person, and perhaps he would have a choice soon.
After applying night cream, she got into bed, put her feet on the hot water bottle and relaxed her whole body. “How’s the backyard renovation going?”
”The ones built in the yard have been dismantled almost completely. Next we will dismantle the suspended ceiling and the bad doors and windows. My eldest cousin made two windows and said that there is so much work to be done that he will not go home during the Chinese New Year and will stay here to work overtime.”
Li Xia smiled and thought of the list she had made. It is easier to buy furniture now than in previous years, but she meant to make some antique furniture herself. A pure Chinese courtyard house looks so good with antique furniture. The demolition here will be more than ten years later. In the next ten years, let the old man enjoy the pure Chinese style. If he doesn’t live there, all of them will be hers.
After the goods were received, several people came to her for wholesale the next day. In the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, the first thing to prepare for the New Year is clothes. This period is the golden period for clothing, and she is busy every day.
”Xia, this cotton coat is so beautiful. People in big cities really have a good life!”
The second sister-in-law held a silk cotton jacket and said something that could make you jealous. Nowadays, rural people still buy cloth to make clothes, and the styles are definitely not comparable to those made by large factories in the south. Moreover, silk cotton is thin and light, and it is more stylish than soft cotton, and it makes you look thin and neat when you wear it.
Li Xia ignored the obvious tone of asking for money, and the second sister-in-law was so angry that she put down her cotton jacket and went out to cook. In the evening, she complained to her husband that her sister-in-law was too unkind, but the man not only did not help her but scolded her instead.
”You had to drag a person like me who can’t work here to eat and drink for free. You just helped to cook and you want to be paid. How dare you ask for a cotton-padded jacket? Feng Gaixiang, if you continue to be so ignorant, I will break off my relationship with Xia Xia. I want to see how you can take advantage of her in the future.”
”Li Lao Er, who is the one you will spend your life with? Why do you always turn your elbow outward?”
”That’s my sister. We are from the same mother. How can she be considered an outsider? Anyway, we should not be shameless.”
”You said I was shameless, Li Lao Er, you have no conscience. Who am I doing all this for…”
The couple had a quarrel, and no one in the courtyard who heard it asked about it. Let the young couple solve their own problems. Li Xia didn’t know about this at all. She was not reluctant to part with a cotton jacket, but she had her own plans. The one that the second son’s wife took was in very good condition and could be sold at a high price.
During this period, the clothing business was not Strict, there will be contaminated, defective and unqualified ones in every batch. She thought that she would give her one after she had sold most of them. Besides, it was the New Year, and her old father and brother had worked here for a whole winter, so they couldn’t go home empty-handed. And there were also her mother and two sisters-in-law, so it was best to take care of them all.
Rural people are family members, so they can wash dirty clothes and repair defective ones without any problem. In this way, they can wear as many pieces as possible, so that they can all wear new clothes during the New Year.
The second son’s wife was angry because of being scolded by the man. She looked cold and didn’t say much the next day. During breakfast, Huihua asked her where the vinegar was, and she stood aside without saying a word. The old man glanced at her. She quickly took out the vinegar from the cupboard and handed it to her niece.
”Here. Aunt didn’t hear what you said just now.”
Huihua poured vinegar and went to the yard to eat. She didn’t dare to face her father-in-law, and lowered her head awkwardly, secretly regretting that she shouldn’t have lost her temper.
”If you don’t want to stay, go home.”
With just one simple sentence, the woman apologized again. When Li Xia came in, she served everyone food attentively, and after they finished eating, she offered to send Yi Yi to kindergarten.
”Don’t bother, I’ll send him on my way.”
Shen Haiyang took the children to school, and Li Xia was busy setting up the stall. The whole family left the kitchen, and the old man smoked a pack of cigarettes, tapped the pipe, and started to scold his daughter-in-law again.
”The old ancestors were right. If you don’t want to earn this money, go home. Your sister-in-law and your brother’s wife can do it.”
”Dad, I didn’t mean it. I’ll do my best.”
Everyone left, and she washed the dishes and cleaned up by herself, not daring to quarrel with others. As soon as she was about to ask for more, she was extinguished one after another.
In the following days, she didn’t dare to say anything bad, and she didn’t go to see Li Xia’s stuff. She just cooked and cleaned the house honestly, for fear that such a good job would not be needed for her.
By the end of the year, all the demolition work in the backyard had been done. The whole house looked bare and desolate, and the old father reached out and patted her, smiling and comforting her.
”We’ll just have to clean it up again in the spring.”
”Well, it’s much more open than before.”
”Laying floor tiles, replacing doors and windows, painting, hanging ceilings, and painting walls, there will be a lot of work next year.”
”Can you guys take care of it?”
”I can take care of it. I’ll ask relatives to help with the planting. Your sister-in-law and the others can do the rest. And your eldest brother is at home, so don’t worry.”
”Well. Then you can leave this afternoon and come back after the New Year. I’ll see what’s going on here. If I have time, I’ll come back. If I don’t have time…”
”Just take care of yourselves and don’t worry about home.”
”Well, take everything.”
The old man then realized that his daughter had prepared two large bags of clothes for him, and he immediately refused to take them. Li Xia opened them for him to see and told him that they were all defective.
”Some are dirty, some have jumpers, some have broken wires, some have buttons missing, etc. Anyway, they all have problems and cannot be sold. Take them home and let my mother and others fix them.”
”It’s just a small problem. It won’t affect your wearing. You can keep it and sell it.”
”I can’t sell it. If I really want to sell it, the price will be very low, less than the cost. It’s better to take it home and wear it ourselves.”
The eldest cousin joked about staying, but he had almost finished the carpentry work in a hurry. Everyone worked hard for their sister. Before leaving, he saw that his cousin had prepared a bag of clothes for him, and his face was immediately full of joy. It was worth his overtime work for her.
”Don’t be disgusted, cousin. It’s just a small flaw. It won’t affect your ability to wear it if you fix it.”
”Why would you dislike such nice clothes? Your sister-in-law will be so happy to see them. Okay, we’ll continue working after the New Year. Don’t worry, I promise to do it well for you.”
The old man still felt bad, so he put the money his daughter gave him under the bed before leaving. It was not right for a father to come to help his daughter during the off-season and ask for wages, not to mention that she gave him so many clothes before leaving. The couple even bought all the autumn clothes and trousers for the house, so how could he get more money?
Li Xia found out that her father didn’t take the money, so she had to go to the post office to send it back to him. The whole family joined in the year-end cleaning. When they were done, Shen Hui didn’t know what he was looking for, and he found the household registration book in the drawer. He had heard from his father about moving Yi Yi’s household registration a long time ago, but today he saw the five members of the family neatly in one book. He took it and showed it to Yi Yi.
”Look, this is our household registration book. This page is about you.”
”Shen Ruyi,” Yi Yi pointed at the big characters on his page in the household registration book and read them one by one happily. Then he raised his head and showed off to Shen Hui: “Brother, I also have the last name Shen, just like you. Whether you are happy or not, I am very happy.”
Shen Hui rolled his eyes at him, seemingly disdainful, but actually reached out and stuffed a piece of candy into his mouth. “What’s there to be happy about having a stupid little brother?”
”I’m not stupid, I’m the smartest.”
”Okay, you’re a smart guy.”
Huohua took the household registration book and read it several times, then looked up at her father and smiled silently. Someone at school once asked her why she didn’t have the same last name as her brother, but her mother, and she didn’t know how to answer. But now she won’t be asked such a question again.
”Dad, I’m going to practice calligraphy.”
The little girl handed the household registration booklet to Shen Haiyang, turned around and went back to her room in the west room. She did well in Chinese in the final exam, but not in math. The little girl knew where her shortcomings were, and she started attending the school’s calligraphy class last year. Now she writes big characters seriously every day.
Painting, calligraphy and painting have been inseparable since ancient times. She likes art and was deeply shocked after coming into contact with Chinese painting. She made up her mind to apply for an art college in the future and start practicing calligraphy from now on.
Shen Hui took his brother to watch TV after drawing and writing calligraphy. He got full marks in both subjects in the final exam. Shen Haiyang found him a teacher to teach mental arithmetic. He started learning before the New Year and resumed the course on the eighth day after the New Year. He could have a few days of carefree fun.
”It would be better if I stayed a child.”
”Brother, what did you say?”
Shen Hui patted the back of his head and said, “I envy you, little idiot. You don’t have to learn anything and just play every day.”
”Dad said he would sign me up for next year, but I won’t be able to play anymore.”
”No way, Dad is too cruel. He won’t let any of us three go.”
”Brother, isn’t it fun to learn arithmetic?”
”It was fun at first. It wasn’t a big deal, it was fun.”
Shen Hui smiled and pulled his brother to sit on the chair. The happy time of the little fool was about to pass, and they would become brothers in distress in the future. Thinking of this, he suddenly felt that he liked this brother very much. It was great to have him, and it was also great to have him to draw with.
Li Xia watched through the glass window as her daughter quietly practiced calligraphy at the table. She bit her lips and looked calm and resolute. She was a calm and steady person in her previous life. In this life, she had shed her inferiority complex and now looked calm and confident.
”Shen Haiyang, do you think it would be a good idea to let Huihua learn another instrument?”
”It depends on what the child wants.” Shen Haiyang smiled and cooked with her. “Playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting, are you trying to train your daughter to be a lady from a noble family?”
”I just heard people say that music can cultivate one’s sentiments and improve one’s temperament. I have not studied much in my life, and I don’t understand anything elegant. Of course I want my daughter to be beautiful and elegant, and not to grow up like me.”
”What’s wrong with you? You’re fine.”
Li Xia blushed when she was praised by her husband. However, this year’s results gave her unlimited confidence. She looked at him a little embarrassed, but she did not avoid him out of inferiority.
”I have sold all my goods this year and recovered all my funds. I will go south after the Lantern Festival. This time I plan to buy bell-bottom pants and shirts that young people like.”
”I just said my wife is very good and amazing.”
