Zhao Fu and Zeng Shuyi boasted, “Everyone in this village knows me, and they only do business with me—they don’t recognize anyone else!”
Zeng Shuyi laughed, “I’m just riding on Brother Fu’s luck.”
Zhao Fu grinned, “That’s only right.”
He kept grinning foolishly at Zeng Shuyi, but suddenly his brother pulled him away, and he asked confusedly, “What’s wrong?”
“Come with me to take a piss,” Zhao Qing dragged his younger brother behind the earthen house.
“I advise you to give up that idea—you’re not on the same level as Shuyi.”
“Why? You all say that!” Zhao Fu was defiant.
“We’re all doing business; Shuyi does business too. Clearly, she’s perfectly matched for us!”
Zhao Lei patted his brother’s head, “She graduated from high school, is cultured, and eloquent. The reason I let you two interact is because I value her ability. Before long, her business will only get better, and by then, she’ll leave you in the dust—you won’t be able to catch up no matter how fast you run!”
“Have some self-awareness, little brother. I’m not just talking nonsense; there’s a gap between you two. You just can’t compete with Shuyi.”
Before, he hadn’t made it clear because he didn’t want to crush his brother’s spirit.
But since Zhao Fu couldn’t see his own shortcomings, Zhao Qing had to play the villain.
Zhao Fu puffed up with anger, “If you say I can’t catch up, then I can’t. You’re not the fat worm in Shuyi’s belly.”
“I’m indeed not the fat worm in Shuyi’s belly, but I know Shuyi wouldn’t like someone who’s been held back twice in middle school,” Zhao Lei said, stopping short.
“Enough said. Think it over yourself, and don’t make things awkward—I still want to make money with her.”
He dusted off his pants and, as he came out from behind the earthen house, a few villagers had already gathered.
“Ah, Brother Yao, you’re here. I’ve got some really good homemade tobacco—want to take a look?”
The man Zhao Qing had hooked by the neck immediately brightened and signaled Zhao Lei to check out the tobacco separately.
Zeng Shuyi also started serving customers, bringing some daily necessities.
The most attractive item was a basin of malt sugar.
“If you want sugar, it’s five fen per stick, and you can also trade with things from home—fish, chickens, ducks, all fine.”
Nowadays, unlike before when raising chickens and ducks was prohibited, with the development of the Household Contract Responsibility System, everyone cultivated their own land, so they had surplus grain to raise chickens, ducks, and pigs.
However, the rule was that grain could only be sold to the grain station.
But rules are rules—some people secretly traded to get other goods.
Zeng Shuyi couldn’t buy meat from the state-run store, so she planned to trade for some meat to bring home this time.
When she mentioned that household items could be used for trade, children immediately ran home to tell their families.
Soon, someone brought eggs, but no one brought chickens or ducks.
After all, a chicken cost two or three kuai; no one would be so extravagant as to trade that many malt sugar sticks at once.
In the end, Zeng Shuyi had to quietly negotiate with someone to buy an old hen and a pound of cured meat.
The items she brought all sold out.
They had to return to the city before dark.
The three-wheeled vehicle sped along, with Zeng Shuyi putting the old hen in a bamboo basket, covering it with a newspaper, then splitting up with the Zhao Fu brothers after arriving in the city.
Over the next few days, Zeng Shuyi accompanied the Zhao Fu brothers to sell goods in the village.
It wasn’t until the twenty-sixth day of the lunar New Year that, with all her malt sugar sold, she finally took a break.
With some free time at home, Zeng Shuyi suggested they slaughter the old hen she’d brought back since her mother had bought another chicken.
Lin Jiazhen said, “You brought it back, so it’s your call.”
But when Zeng Shuyi went to catch the chicken by the stake, the old hen was nowhere to be seen.
“Mom, did we get robbed?”
“Huh?” Lin Jiazhen hurried to the yard and saw only three chickens tied up.
Her brow furrowed.
“That’s strange. When I tied them up this morning, there were four.”
The chicken stake was small, and only three chickens remained inside.
With the New Year approaching, everyone was stocking up on supplies, and there had indeed been several recent thefts.
Lin Jiazhen was furious, slapping her cheek. “Damn thieves! How dare they steal our chickens?”
Zeng Shuyi wanted to call the police but said, “I have to shout on the street selling goods for two or three days to earn enough for an old hen. I won’t let this slide. Since it was still there this morning, it’s only been missing for less than two hours. Maybe we can find it.”
She rushed out and saw elderly neighbors sitting at the alley entrance.
She hurried over.
“Uncle Liu, Aunt Xu, have you seen any strangers coming into our alley? My chicken got stolen—did you see anyone leaving with a chicken?”
Since the milk powder incident, Xu Zhaodi hadn’t been too fond of Zeng Shuyi and said harshly, “Our alley is small but home to seven or eight families. So many people come and go—you think we wouldn’t notice?”
Liu Xiwang said he saw, “But it wasn’t a stranger. It was your eldest brother and sister-in-law carrying a chicken away. Shuyi, didn’t they tell you when they took the chicken?”
He was clearly gossiping.
“I heard the son-in-law often helps his wife’s family but is stingy with his own. Now he’s taking his wife’s family’s chickens to feed his own. Is that right?”
Zeng Xiangping and his wife had indeed gone back to the Wang family today and had told their family yesterday, but they never mentioned taking the chicken.
Zeng Shuyi immediately understood—the thief was her own family.
She wasn’t going to hold back. “Enough… I can’t keep quiet.”
The more she hesitated, the more others believed her.
“Shuyi, didn’t the matchmaker give your family a heads-up?” Liu Xiwang, who loved gossiping, pressed. Seeing Zeng Shuyi hesitate, he was nearly frantic, “Tell me, is it really like that?”
Zeng Shuyi said she couldn’t say. “Uncle Liu, wait till my brother and sister-in-law come back and ask them yourself. I have things to do—I have to go!”
She needed to get to the Wang family before lunch to get her chicken back.
The chicken she had bought with great effort couldn’t just end up with the Wangs.
Back at home, facing her mother’s gaze, Zeng Shuyi bluntly explained what had happened.
“Shuyi, where are you going?” Lin Jiazhen saw her daughter pushing the bike out the door.
“To the Wang family!” Zeng Shuyi grabbed an axe from the yard as well.
Hearing this, Lin Jiazhen quickly said, “Forget it. Your sister-in-law is pregnant. She can’t get angry. We have to tolerate it. Shuyi, why do you need the axe?”
Before she could finish, Zeng Shuyi was already cycling away. Lin Jiazhen muttered, “Good heavens, what am I going to do now?”
With no one else at home, Lin Jiazhen put out the fire and went to the factory to find her husband.
Zeng Shuyi rode all the way to the Wang family’s doorstep.
Even before entering, the aroma of chicken soup was in the air.
She knocked on the door with the axe.
“Wang Juan, come out!”
Inside, Wang Mei was cracking sunflower seeds.
Today, her future daughter-in-law had come, so she had specially brought an old hen from her husband’s family.
Hearing Zeng Shuyi’s voice, Wang Juan thought she’d misheard until the knocks came again.
Only then did she realize it was true.
“Wang Juan, you had the guts to steal from your in-laws. Now you don’t have the guts to come out?”
The Wang family members exchanged glances.
Wang Zhigang looked unhappily at his daughter and daughter-in-law.
“Xiao Juan, Xiangping, didn’t you tell your family when you took the chicken?”
Wang Mei thought since she was pregnant, taking one chicken back to her family wasn’t a big deal.
But with Zeng Shuyi home, she definitely disagreed.
Zeng Xiangping felt justified treating the family’s chickens as his own.
Even though one was bought by Zeng Shuyi, the other three belonged to the family, so he thought it was fine to take one.
But he never expected to grab the one Zeng Shuyi had bought.
Being questioned by his father-in-law, Zeng Xiangping lost face.
He opened the door unhappily, “Why are you making such a fuss over one chicken?”
“What do you mean ‘one chicken’?” Zeng Shuyi shouted, “Did you pay for it? Did you buy it?”
“Everyone, come look! The chicken I worked so hard to buy for my family’s meals was stolen by my sister-in-law! Before, she bought food and hid it for herself without sharing. Now she’s learned to steal chickens. Who knows what she’ll steal next!”
“Zeng Shuyi, do you have to speak so harshly?” Zeng Xiangping frowned. “Even if Mom and Dad knew, they’d agree with us.”
“Mom and Dad’s approval doesn’t matter. You cooked the chicken, but I bought it—not Grandpa and Grandma,” Zeng Shuyi said, seeing more people gathering from the alley, and growing bolder. “Everyone, come quick! There’s a thief in my family!”
Zeng Shuyi shouted loud enough from selling goods every day that the neighbors all heard.
Everyone loved watching a good scandal.
Some knew Zeng Shuyi’s identity and immediately said, “You’re Xiao Juan’s little prostitute. Are you sure you bought that chicken?”
“Of course! I work hard in the sun and wind every day. I haven’t even had a sip of chicken soup. I can call the police to settle this!” Zeng Shuyi declared.
Seeing her so confident, the crowd believed her even more.
“That really was Xiao Juan messing up. How could she take things bought by her little sister-in-law?”
“I often see Xiao Juan bringing home big bags of stuff. Maybe some of that was taken like this.”
“Very likely! The Wang couple care about their face the most. Why would they accept such gifts? Strange, I’ve never seen them.”
Wang Zhigang and his wife were too ashamed to face anyone.
Wang Zhigang pushed his daughter out, “Tell her to stop shouting! What kind of thing is this? That little girl has no shame!”
His future daughter-in-law was present too; it was utterly humiliating.
Tian Xiaohua urged her daughter to chase Zeng Shuyi away quickly.
Wang Mei angrily came out, “Zeng Shuyi, what do you think you’re doing? Don’t you have any shame?”
She tried to search Zeng Shuyi but was pushed away.
Pregnant and standing firm, she said, “If you dare hit me, you’re hitting your own grandchild from the old Zeng family. If you touch a hair on me, we’ll see if you live or die!”
“I don’t care about hitting you. It’s you who has no shame stealing things. What am I afraid of?” Zeng Shuyi said. “Be sensible and pay me for the chicken.”
“Dream on,” Wang Mei scoffed and looked around.
“Everyone, don’t listen to this little prostitute’s nonsense. My mother-in-law knows—she’s just crazy.”
“Oh, you say Mom and Dad know? Then let’s go to the police and see who’s telling the truth,” Zeng Shuyi grabbed the axe, and everyone stepped back.
Zeng Xiangping frowned.
“Zeng Shuyi, what are you doing? It’s just a trivial chicken. Why make such a fuss?”
“Easy for you to say. Most of the money you earn you keep for yourself. It wasn’t easy for me to buy this old hen. I never even tasted it before you stole it and are now cursing me. If you want to fight, come on—I’m not afraid!”
Zeng Shuyi had known since childhood that timid people get the short end of the stick.
She refused to lose and preferred to see others suffer.
“You probably don’t know, but before, my sister-in-law took bribes from her uncle and bragged about how great her cousin was, even showing me fake photos. But the guy turned out fat and ugly. You should know Wang Jie has a history of domestic violence and harassing women in the streets…”
“Shut up!”
Wang Zhigang couldn’t listen any longer.
Coming out, he glared fiercely at his daughter and daughter-in-law.
Not letting Zeng Shuyi leave would expose all the Wang family’s dirty laundry.
“Tell me, how much do you want?”
“Five kuai! This old hen I bought from the countryside was hard to get. The trip there and back was tough, plus my tea money running around with Zhao today. Add it all up and give me five kuai.” Zeng Shuyi had spent two kuai eighty for the hen and wouldn’t settle for less.
It was hard to buy a chicken from the supply and marketing cooperative now.
“What? You want five kuai? How can you be so shameless?” Wang Mei disagreed.
Zeng Shuyi said she wouldn’t leave without the money.
“I wasn’t finished. Everyone keep listening—Wang family…”
“I’ll give you the money!” Wang Zhigang couldn’t stand it anymore and took five kuai from his pocket, wanting her gone quickly.
“Your parents must be cursed for raising a daughter like you.”
Zeng Shuyi planned to take the money and leave but dropped her pride when she heard that.
“I can’t compare to my sister-in-law. Every month she gives her salary to her family, and even paid my brother’s betrothal gifts. You really are lucky to have a daughter like her.”
Seeing a stranger standing close to Wang Weiguo in the yard, Zeng Shuyi shouted, “Miss, you’re Wang Weiguo’s fiancée, right? His cousin beat his wife to death. The men in the Wang family have tendencies toward domestic violence. You should be careful.”
After saying that, Zeng Shuyi immediately rode off.
Everyone there was stunned.
Ming Xia was frozen, staring blankly at Wang Weiguo. “Really, Weiguo?”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s a crazy woman ripping off capitalism!” Wang Weiguo grit his teeth.
“Come inside, I’ll pour you some sugar water.”
Ming Xia’s mind was a mess, but she knew one thing: the Wang family’s chicken had indeed been stolen by Wang Juan.
Looking at the crowd at the door, then at Wang Weiguo, her cheeks burned fiercely.
After some thought, she decided to go home first.
“Ming Xia, where are you going?” Wang Weiguo chased after her.
He’d barely managed to secure his fiancée—he couldn’t lose her because of Zeng Shuyi.
Wang Mei also urged, “Ming Xia, don’t listen to my little sister-in-law’s lies. She’s crazy. Wait, listen to me!”
The more the Wang family tried to keep her, the more unsettled Ming Xia felt.
“Weiguo, don’t stop me. I’m just a guest here. We can talk later. With so many people watching and no marriage, dragging this out would look bad.”
Seeing his fiancée leave like that, Wang Weiguo went home and kicked the pot of chicken soup on the stove, yelling at his sister, “It’s all your fault! If Ming Xia breaks up with me, I won’t let you off either! Eat up, I’ll make sure none of you get a bite!”
He stomped on the chicken meat, scaring Wang Juan away.
Wang Mei felt extremely wronged.
She just wanted her family to taste some meat.
They had scraped together the family fortune for the betrothal gift.
According to her mother, they only ate meat once a month.
This was the first time the future daughter-in-law visited.
She wanted to leave a good impression and had caught a chicken that morning to bring over.
Now, it backfired, and she was the one in trouble.
Zeng Yuling was so scared she was crying loudly.
Zeng Xiangping thought one chicken wasn’t a big deal and that if his wife wanted to take it home, that was fine.
But hearing his brother-in-law curse people like that, he was displeased and picked up his daughter to leave.
“Xiangping, where are you going?” Wang Juan grabbed her husband’s arm.
“Things are like this, how can I stay?” Zeng Xiangping looked at his brother-in-law, then at his parents-in-law.
Seeing no one stopped him, he said with a scowl, “If you don’t leave, you can stay here, but I’m not coming to get you.”
Wang Mei felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place and muttered, “Dad, Weiguo, what are you doing?”
She couldn’t stay at her family’s anymore and went after her husband, planning to return to her in-laws and make Zeng Shuyi look bad.
Meanwhile, Zeng Shuyi was happily singing to herself, still on her way when she ran into her parents.
“Shuyi, did you really go to the Wang family?” Lin Jiazhen asked.
Zeng Shuyi nodded, “The Wang family knew they were in the wrong and gave me five kuai.”
Zeng Qingliang’s eyes went wide.
“You demanded money from the Wang family? How did your sister-in-law react? Was she angry?”
His first concern was his eldest daughter-in-law’s pregnancy, which couldn’t afford to get upset—it would affect his grandson.
Zeng Shuyi smirked, “She was definitely angry. I advise you all not to go to the Wang family, or else…”
She deliberately paused, then pedaled her bike away, “Or else you’ll get scolded so badly you won’t know what hit you!”