After sending the manuscript, Tang Rubao took Anlai straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.
She had left early today, and when she arrived, the fresh pork hadn’t all been sold.
She managed to snag two pounds of pork belly.
She also spent five cents to buy a head of cabbage.
She gently pinched Anlai’s little nose and smiled, “Let’s go back and make dumplings.”
Suddenly remembering something, Tang Rubao, who had been heading toward the family compound, changed direction.
They walked down another street.
She arrived at a residential area and slowly looked around.
She also saw rental information posted by people.
“Mom, are you here to look for someone?” Anlai asked.
Tang Rubao replied, “How about Mom brings Anlai to rent a place here a month from now?”
Anlai smiled. “As long as I can be with you, I don’t care where I live.”
Tang Rubao wanted to move out of the family compound immediately, but she remembered that she hadn’t finalized her divorce with Zhou Jingran yet. The address she had used for sending manuscripts to “Story Club” the previous two times and today was the family compound.
She planned to stop submitting articles until she received a reply from “Story Club.” She would resume submissions only after the divorce, when she rented a house and had a new address.
Passing through a small courtyard, she saw an old lady sitting in the yard sunbathing, with rental information posted on the wall.
Tang Rubao led Anlai inside and asked the old lady how much it cost to rent a house per month.
After Tang Rubao entered the courtyard, a tall figure emerged from the wall of a neighboring house.
He stood at the door, clenching his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.
Was she going to rent a place to live?
When Tang Rubao returned home, she saw that Zhou Jingran was also there.
Somewhat surprised, she asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
Zhou Jingran pointed to her room. “When we arrived in town last night, the department store was closed, so I only managed to buy the lock for you today.”
“Oh.” Tang Rubao put the meat in the kitchen.
Zhou Jingran’s gaze followed her, scrutinizing her.
She had changed.
Her personality had changed, her speech had changed, even her eyes had changed.
There was only one possibility for someone to become so utterly ruthless: she had been faking it before.
She had been pretending in front of him for so long, but finally, she couldn’t keep up the act anymore.
Had she defected to the secret agents?
Zhou Jingran became increasingly suspicious of Tang Rubao’s identity.
He looked at Tang Rubao, who was preparing to cook, and said, “My mother and sister will be here this afternoon. Let’s go to the train station to pick them up.”
Tang Rubao stopped what she was doing and came out of the kitchen. “Didn’t you say next week?”
It wasn’t even next week yet.
“It can be done earlier.”
“Oh. Since they’re here, Anlai and I will move out, and they can stay in my room.”
“No need. I will arrange accommodations for them.”
“Oh,” Tang Rubao replied and returned to the kitchen.
In her past life, when his mother and sister came to visit, he arranged for them to stay at Tu Xiuxiu’s house.
Tu Xiuxiu’s house was obtained through Battalion Commander Ke Mao’s application, who had sacrificed his life.
Tu Xiuxiu’s house, like theirs, was detached with its own courtyard and had two bedrooms and a living room.
In her past life, when she heard his mother and sister were coming, she told Zhou Jingran, “Let my mother and sister stay in my room, and I’ll move into your room to live with you.”
He coldly rejected her, telling her not to have any improper thoughts about him.
Zhou Jingran was at home, and Tang Rubao took pity on him and made him dumplings.
After finishing the dumplings, Tang Rubao asked him for money. “Three days have passed, Zhou Jingran. When are you going to give me the money?”
“I’ve already written to my former comrades-in-arms. When I was in the Nanning Military Camp, two comrades borrowed money from me when they got married. They have repaid me, so I am giving it to you.”
Zhou Jingran was telling the truth, but he planned not to give the money to Tang Rubao after receiving repayment from his comrades. He also wanted to investigate whether Tang Rubao was a spy.
“I don’t trust you. If you don’t have five hundred, I’ll take two hundred,” Tang Rubao said sharply, looking at Zhou Jingran.
Zhou Jingran looked at her deeply and finally only took out twenty yuan. “I don’t have that much money on me.”
Tang Rubao suddenly stood from the stool, lowered her head, and made herself look more imposing than Zhou Jingran.
“I’m going to tell everyone in the family compound that the two hundred yuan I put in my luggage was taken by Tu Xiuxiu, and that you’re covering for her.”
“Zhou Jingran, two hundred yuan is not a small amount. If I make a big deal of this, Tu Xiuxiu will be taken to the police station. Won’t you feel bad if she loses her job at the performing arts troupe?”
Zhou Jingran looked at her with an icy expression. “Do you have to be so aggressive?”
“Yes!” Tang Rubao looked at him coldly. “You forced me to do this! If you don’t want me to make a big fuss, you’d better go get me two hundred yuan right now!”
She needed money to rent a place to live, and she needed money to eat.
Her icy gaze intimidated Zhou Jingran.
He stared at her blankly, feeling increasingly unfamiliar with her.
He was genuinely worried that she would make a big scene and cause Tu Xiuxiu to lose her job in the cultural troupe.
He stood up, looking at her with exasperation. “I’ll go get the money right now!”
That afternoon, Zhou Jingran returned with three hundred yuan.
He had borrowed it from his comrades when he went back to the barracks.
Tang Rubao took the money. “There are still two hundred left. Pay me back within a month.”
Zhou Jingran left with a dark expression.
That evening, he picked up his mother and sister from the county train station.
Anlai was already asleep, but Tang Rubao was not.
She sat at her desk writing.
Hearing the commotion outside, she did not come out.
Zhou Jingran placed his mother’s and sister’s two bags on the sofa and poured them some water.
He glanced at Tang Rubao’s room, light was shining through the crack in the door.
Zhou Jingran went over and knocked on the door. “Mom and my sister are here. Come out and cook them a bowl of noodles. They haven’t had dinner yet.”
When Zhou Jingran picked them up, he had wanted to take them out to a restaurant.
Zhou’s mother thought it was wasteful and refused to eat out.
Tang Rubao opened the door and looked at Zhou Jingran indifferently. “Are you missing hands or feet? Can’t you cook?”
Zhou’s mother walked over and looked Tang Rubao up and down.
This was the first time she had met her daughter-in-law.
Her first impression was bad.
Zhou’s mother, her face long, began to scold Tang Rubao. “How could you talk to Ah Ran like that? Ah Ran is your husband, he’s your everything. What kind of attitude is this?”
Tang Rubao looked at her mother-in-law, the woman she had been forced to serve in her past life, who had despised her and said, “Your son and I are going through a divorce. He won’t be my god anymore soon.”
“Tang Rubao!”
Zhou Jingran never expected that Tang Rubao’s first meeting with his mother would involve bringing up divorce.
His face turned ashen with rage, his handsome features contorted, and his gaze toward her was piercing. “Do you really have to make such a scene?”
“Weren’t you the one causing trouble?” Tang Rubao looked up and calmly glanced at Zhou Jingran.
“Your mother came over, and instead of cooking noodles for her, you asked me to come out and cook them. Am I your family’s free maid?”
“What’s wrong with a daughter-in-law cooking a bowl of noodles for her mother-in-law?” Zhou Jingran sneered. “We’re not divorced yet, so don’t even think about distancing yourself from me.”
She must have thought that the political commissar had submitted the divorce application, which is why she felt so confident bringing up divorce so often.