You can’t just leave all the money in the kang hole at home—what if Li Mingliang finds it later? Wouldn’t that be wasted?
Liu Meiling hugged her money and slept blissfully through the night.
The next morning, she saw Qin Xiangru washing clothes in the yard. An idea struck her, and, unusually, she greeted her first.
“Xiangru, doing laundry? Didn’t go to work today?”
Qin Xiangru’s expression was far from pleasant. She had finally managed to find a temporary cleaning job at the state-run factory, but in less than three days, someone—she had no idea which elder sister—spread rumors that she was a mistress for someone else, morally corrupt, and unfit to be a cleaner.
Being a cleaner was already a dirty, menial job—what innocence was there to begin with? On top of that, she hadn’t even received wages for those three days. They told her that if she wasn’t satisfied, she could go complain to the street office.
The more Qin Xiangru thought about it, the angrier she got. Li Mingliang wasn’t reliable either. He had promised to transfer Liu Meiling’s work to her, but so far there was no confirmation, and he hadn’t been seen all day.
Seeing Liu Meiling lifting a package to leave, Qin Xiangru hurriedly responded: “Yes, well, it’s just a temporary replacement. Going or not doesn’t matter…
Sister-in-law, where are you headed?
Haven’t seen my brother these past two days.”
Liu Meiling rolled her eyes, shook the package, and pulled out a large steamed bun. She said flatly: “What do you think I’m doing? Bringing food to your brother!
Oh? You even care to ask about your brother? Didn’t you know he was hospitalized yesterday?”
“What?!” Qin Xiangru tossed the clothes into the basin, wiped her wet hands on her hips, and hurried forward, panic all over her face: “My brother is in the hospital? Sister-in-law, wait, I’ll go with you!”
No way—Liu Meiling’s package was full of money.
Today she could go check out a property.
If she hesitated, it would make her look guilty. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and scolded sharply: “Go where? You’ve got time to stew some chicken at home for your son? Don’t know what kind of trouble you’ve caused, leaving a bunch of freeloaders behind.
Your face is thicker than my second uncle’s wife’s heel. Your son’s beaten half to death, and you don’t care? If I hadn’t come back early, the house would have been ruined!
I rushed your son to the hospital overnight, and you didn’t even ask once.
And now you’re worried because your brother is in the hospital?
Worried for what? Your own son was about to die, and you weren’t worried! Your brother in the hospital, now you care?
Are you even a real mother? You hit him so hard—why didn’t you just kill him?
Even if he ended up in prison for a couple of years, at least I could have had some peace!”
The more she spoke, the angrier Liu Meiling became, cursing the whole Li family in one go.
She waved her hand, spreading her plump white palm in front of Qin Xiangru:
“What are you standing there for? Give me the money!”
Qin Xiangru, stunned by the scolding, instinctively rummaged through her pockets and handed over a single bill.
Liu Meiling spat angrily: “Just one bill? Do you know your son almost died, and we saved him? I’m telling you, between these three days of hospital fees and meals for the two of them, ten bills wouldn’t even cover it!
Really, in my past life I owed you Li family so much—look at how you’re taking advantage of me now!
What are you standing there for? Go buy some chicken for your son!
I’m telling you, if I have to manage meals again today, it won’t be just a single bill!”
Though Qin Xiangru thought it was too little, it didn’t stop Liu Meiling from stuffing the money into her pocket.
As the saying goes, money is a bastard—spend it and earn it again!
Liu Meiling stuck to her plan. First, she took the train to Yangcheng. In her past life, her meat stall had really been just a stall. Dahe County was in northern China, and winter was bone-chilling. She would set up her stall in the snow.
Umbrella in hand, sleeves tucked over her hands, she would stand all day. Summer, the meat would spoil; winter, it would freeze. Her hands were covered with frostbite, and by old age, her elbows and knees ached to the bone.
She had always thought: if only I could have a proper shop.
Yangcheng wasn’t far from Dahe County—three hours by train.
Though officially a city, it wasn’t much different from her county. Liu Meiling found the local street office.
She quickly secured a courtyard. She didn’t have much time to waste. She knew Yangcheng had a famous demolition zone. In her past life, the demolitions were huge news.
The courtyard wasn’t large, reportedly taken from an old landlord, totaling 152 square meters. She got it for 2,800 yuan.
This area belonged to the old urban district, not part of government development projects, so the price was cheap.
But Liu Meiling knew that in less than two years, this area would be demolished.
After a three-hour train ride back to Dahe County, Liu Meiling treated herself. At the state-run restaurant, she ordered wood ear mushroom stir-fried with pork and Kung Pao diced pork, plus two bowls of rice, and ate heartily.
After finishing, she packed three corn buns, two large meat buns, and three vegetarian buns in a lunch box, and headed to the hospital.
Around two o’clock, Qin Xiangru arrived with two portions of chicken soup.
Liu Meiling nodded in satisfaction: “Now you finally look like a mother!”
She reached for the soup in Qin Xiangru’s hands.
“Sister-in-law, this one is for my brother!”
Liu Meiling paused, took the portion meant for Li Mingliang, and waved her hand casually: “It’s all from the same pot—what’s the difference?”
Still, she swapped the two portions anyway—just in case Qin Xiangru had tried to poison her son.
Even knowing Qin Xiangru wouldn’t be so blatant, Liu Meiling didn’t want to take chances.
If someone spit into the soup, it would be disgusting even if it didn’t kill anyone.
At Qian Feng’s ward, Liu Meiling placed the chicken soup meant for Li Mingliang on the table: “See? Your mom still cares about you. Chicken this expensive, bought just for you to make soup!”
She also put down a lunch box. Qin Xiangru frowned: “Sister-in-law, the two kids are small—they don’t need rice, just a bit of soup! I won’t give you money for this meal!”
She had less than a hundred yuan, and one bill had already been taken by Liu Meiling that morning. She was frustrated.
Liu Meiling opened her own lunch box: “A few buns aren’t anything special. Who asked you to pay?”
Qin Xiangru barely looked at the kids, focusing on Liu Meiling: “Sister-in-law, we’ve fed them and checked on them, let’s go see my brother.”
Liu Meiling laughed lightly and didn’t refuse. She also wanted to see what Qin Xiangru had put in the chicken soup for the two kids.
At Li Mingliang’s ward, Qin Xiangru’s tears fell instantly.
She didn’t cry loudly but held back her sobs, full of restrained emotion.
“Brother, how did it come to this?”
Seeing Liu Meiling’s expression, which looked ready to scold, Li Mingliang’s old face softened immediately, twisting slightly.
He couldn’t exactly say he had been knocked out by Liu Meiling—his pride as a man wouldn’t allow it.
Liu Meiling set down the chicken soup, quickly opened her lunch box, and laughed.
What chicken soup? It was basically chicken bath water, with a feather floating on top.
She pinched the feather and rubbed it behind Qin Xiangru’s back. Perfect.
Now it was pure chicken soup.
Li Mingliang had really gotten a bargain.
“Look at this! Xiangru made this soup so well. Old Li, open your mouth. Xiangru cooked it all morning—drink a few sips!”
Li Mingliang felt deeply touched.
Only a gentle, tender woman like Xiangru would care so much for someone else.
But the next second, his expression changed drastically.