“Oh, taking your daughter-in-law out? Tsk, tsk. So affectionate already before even stepping inside?”
Shi Meilan snorted. “Better than your family with no daughter-in-law. Can your Tianbao get a wife? No wonder—your family doesn’t even have a bicycle.”
Zhao Erjie stomped her foot in anger and shouted, “Your family’s rich? Why else would Li Jianye come to borrow money from me? Our family’s richer!”
Shi Meilan kicked the bike defiantly. “Your family’s rich? How much are you paying for the banquet?”
Regarding elder care, the cost was split seventy-thirty.
The Big Li Family paid seventy since the elders lived there and had most of the land after the split.
Mentioning money, Zhao Erjie suddenly fell silent and went straight into Qian Erniu’s yard.
Shi Meilan snorted and followed on her bike.
Hu Honghua sat on the back, listening to the two aunties argue but not understanding a word. She clutched her skirt tightly and said nothing.
Qian Erniu’s yard was at the village entrance, not far away.
A few minutes later, they arrived just as Qian Erniu was about to leave on his tricycle. Zhao Erjie hurried over and asked to ride along.
But Qian Erniu’s tricycle already had someone sitting behind.
The person slowly looked up and revealed a pale, oval face.
It was Wang Yulian.
Seeing Wang Yulian, Hu Honghua instinctively grabbed a handful of Shi Meilan’s waist.
Last night, Hu Honghua had secretly watched Wang Yulian and Li Jianye’s indecent behavior, oblivious to ethics.
Now seeing Wang Yulian dressed properly and sitting quietly on the tricycle made Hu Honghua uncomfortable.
She had a strange feeling—not that she’d done anything wrong herself, but because she saw it, she felt embarrassed and scared. She dreaded such evil.
Whenever confronted with such human darkness, she always felt helpless and wanted to flee. When she knew nothing, she could call “Auntie Wang,” but now that she knew, her whole body tensed.
She squeezed the soft flesh on Shi Meilan’s waist tighter and tighter.
The flesh was soft and springy, firm to the touch.
Shi Meilan was well-fed. She loved cooking and never denied herself good food. The whole family was robust and plump, with oily mouths, round bodies, full chests, and soft bellies—all the signs of a mature woman.
Feeling Hu Honghua’s squeeze, Shi Meilan glanced down. Seeing the anxious eyes, her pretty round face softened. Like coaxing a child, she whispered, “Alright, Auntie knows. It’s okay.”
Hu Honghua pressed close, smelling the faint scent of soap pods on Shi Meilan’s skin. Her fearful heart calmed instantly.
She leaned in, rubbing her shriveled face against Shi Meilan’s back.
The back was soft like a custard. The sensation was comforting, not just physically, but an emotional relaxation, as if in the dark night, when all outside were ghosts, she was safe under warm covers.
She didn’t have to fear anything, just curl up and be safe.
She struggled to describe this feeling but thought it must be… mother.
Shi Meilan paid no mind to the little mouse clawing behind her and turned her gaze back to Wang Yulian.
She guessed why Wang Yulian was out.
After getting the money, of course she was going to make connections and find a job.
Wang Yulian clearly hadn’t expected to run into Shi Meilan here. Uncomfortable, she shrank back and said, “I’m already sitting here.”
She didn’t want to go to town with Zhao Erjie and Shi Meilan.
Zhao Erjie’s face immediately twisted.
“Oh come on, squeeze in, squeeze in, there’s room.” Qian Erniu quickly said, “As long as we go together.”
The two daughters-in-law of the old Li family were a handful. Qian Erniu didn’t dare refuse Zhao Erjie.
After that, Wang Yulian didn’t argue.
Zhao Erjie glanced at Wang Yulian and muttered loudly, “Widows cause trouble,” then plopped down on the other side.
Wang Yulian clutched her skirt and said nothing.
Qian Erniu started pedaling. The tricycle was heavy with herbs and two women onboard.
Shi Meilan’s bike wheels rolled lighter, since Hu Honghua was very light.
Wang Yulian stayed silent, but Zhao Erjie couldn’t help herself.
After sitting down, she chatted with Wang Yulian, asking, “What are you going to the city for? Writing to your husband again? When will he come pick you up?”
Normally, Zhao Erjie wouldn’t speak so harshly.
It was because Wang Yulian had offended her once that she was now sarcastic.
Wang Yulian clearly couldn’t handle it.
Her face turned pale and flushed in turns, and she gripped her bag tightly without answering.
When she stayed silent, Zhao Erjie kept going, sighing and fretting, “What will you do? Your husband doesn’t want you anymore. How will you live?”
Wang Yulian was educated. She couldn’t shout like Zhao Erjie.
Facing these veiled jabs disguised as concern, she just smiled gently and said softly, “Don’t worry, Big Sister-in-Law. My husband sends me money every month. I’m going to get it today—he’s still trying to find a job for my daughter in town.”
Wang Yulian knew exactly what Zhao Erjie wanted to hear—her suffering.
But she wouldn’t say it.
Zhao Erjie’s fake caring smile faded, and her malicious grin froze awkwardly on her face.
Hearing that Wang Yulian was doing well, she lost interest in pressing further.
The thought alone was irritating—how come everyone else’s husband was better than hers? Even a widow had money to spend, while she had to pinch pennies.
She said nothing and sulked.
From the village to the town was not close.
The group rode slowly for over an hour until they finally reached the town.
The town was called Chunfeng Town, not big. You could circle it in an hour by bike. There were no trains here; to catch a train, you’d have to go to another town.
But its location was good and the population was large.
The best chefs were in town. Every time there was a banquet, they had to book early. The town had specialized markets and many restaurants.
Two of its streets were even paved with cement!
After arriving, Wang Yulian separated from them. No one knew where she went.
Shi Meilan and Zhao Erjie went to find a chef and finalized the banquet.
Each woman paid from her own household. Then they planned to return and find Qian Erniu.
But Shi Meilan didn’t go back. After booking, she parted ways, saying she wanted to take Hu Honghua to the large agricultural market in town to pick out some clothes—Hu Chengjun’s choices for her had been awful!
Zhao Erjie threw out a sour remark, “With so much money, why borrow from me?” Then she turned and left without looking back.
Li Jianye’s debt to her was a sore point she could nag about for years.
Shi Meilan replied, “If you’re so rich—the richest in the village—go buy a bicycle. Qian Erniu can’t carry you anymore.” This made Zhao Erjie’s head swim, and she turned to haul Hu Honghua toward the market.
The agricultural market in the 1980s was just emerging. Before, people exchanged ration coupons. Then a few private shops opened, and the market took shape—simple and noisy.
People set up stalls selling everything: vegetables and meat in front, shoes and clothes in the back.
Shi Meilan dragged Hu Honghua through the market, who was dazzled.
She had never seen so many good things! The liveliest event before was village New Year’s Eve, but even that wasn’t this crowded!
Shi Meilan scoped out a shop and bought a few outfits for Hu Honghua, plus a few for herself.
She was good at picking clothes—bright reds, greens, blues. Her fair skin and tall frame could pull off anything. From afar, they looked stunning.
For Hu Honghua, she chose a pair of jeans and a white long-sleeve blouse with black polka dots.
The blouse was tied at the waist in a bow, revealing a glimpse of her slim waist—just like the girls in Hong Kong movies.
Shi Meilan let her braids down, clipped on a black-and-white polka-dot hairpin, and put on lipstick. She looked surprisingly beautiful.
She looked extremely fashionable.
Hu Honghua was thin and short but had good proportions. She used to keep her head down, looking timid and weak, but now she held her head high.
Her bright eyes stared into the mirror as if she hardly recognized herself.
While Hu Honghua admired herself, Shi Meilan chatted with the shop owner about the garment factory. The owner kept praising Hu Honghua.
“You’re such a pretty young girl. These are all from Hong Kong—only you can pull these off!”
Hu Honghua felt like she was floating, as if walking on clouds.
She wasn’t an ugly little mouse anymore.
Shi Meilan had turned her into a pretty little red flower!
Today was the happiest day of Hu Honghua’s life—it was just too wonderful!
Shi Meilan looked at her with satisfaction, then happily paid the bill.
It cost a full twenty-three yuan—one month’s salary for Li Jianye—making Hu Honghua’s face pale.
“That’s so much money,” Hu Honghua timidly said behind Shi Meilan.
“Spend it,” Shi Meilan sneered. “If we don’t spend it, it’ll go to that no-good.”
After buying new clothes, Shi Meilan took Hu Honghua straight to the most important place today—Chunfeng Garment Factory.
When they arrived, they saw a crowd of girls waiting outside to apply for sewing jobs.
Wang Yulian was among them.