Liu Meiling set down her chopsticks, her energy brimming. “What, just you know how to slap? What am I gonna do, huh? What am I gonna do? I want money! Ten-plus years’ wages you never gave me—where did it all go? Speak! Don’t stay silent! Give me the money!!!”
She delivered a slap to Li Mingliang’s (Old Li’s) head, and a buzzing pain made him reel.
Li Mingliang could no longer endure it. If this kept up, how could life go on?
“I’ll give it! I’ll give it, isn’t that enough?!”
Fine. Liu Meiling picked up her chopsticks again and nonchalantly bit into a jianbing (savory Chinese pancake). “Everyone, eat!”
Li Baoqing’s face darkened further, banging her bowl and chopsticks on the table. “I’m not eating this!”
She swallowed nervously, stubbornly waiting for Liu Meiling to make her a new meal as before.
Liu Meiling finished her bowl of rice porridge in three mouthfuls, then took Li Baoqing’s bowl and polished it off in three more bites. With her chopsticks set down, she dropped a line:
“If you don’t eat, get lost! Li Baoguo, wash the bowls later!”
Li Baoguo choked on his own words. “Why should I wash them?!”
Liu Meiling put down her chopsticks and glared at him coldly. “Don’t wash them? Then get lost.”
Qin Xiangru’s face darkened.
At the moment Li Mingliang agreed to give money to Liu Meiling, she had stopped him.
Now she felt uncomfortable and didn’t care about Liu Meiling’s children.
“No need. Let Baoguo do what he should. Aren’t there two other kids in the house?”
Liu Meiling had tolerated her for long enough. She grabbed her porridge and splashed it: “This is my house! Whoever I say does work—does it! Don’t you dare whine!
What, living in a house for so long made you think you’re somebody?”
Qin Xiangru let out a small gasp and instinctively shrank into Li Mingliang’s embrace.
Liu Meiling chuckled. She threw open the front gate and shouted outside: “Everyone, come quick! Look at these cousins—shameless! Caught in broad daylight!”
With that, eight people cooking nearby, hearing the commotion, rushed out without even putting on shoes.
They barged in and caught the two in the act.
“I knew something was up! You didn’t believe me!”
“Oh my heavens, shameless! Lucky for me Liu Meiling has a temper, or I’d have scratched her face for sure!”
Qin Xiangru screamed, covering her face, and ran inside.
“Yo-yo-yo! That little bitch knows shame!”
“Old Li is really lucky~”
Sarcastic words made Li Mingliang’s anger boil. His face flushed red and green. “Stop blabbering, go home and eat!”
He waved his hand, closing the gate, muttering: “Liu Meiling… you…”
Did she know something…?
Afraid of another hit, Li Mingliang swallowed the words and his anger. The meal lost its appeal. He muttered, “I’ll give it to you the day after tomorrow. Let me be quiet for two days.”
He turned and went into the rooms of his eldest three sons.
No choice—yesterday he had been kicked out; today he could only make do with his three sons.
The Li family courtyard wasn’t small: six rooms in total. The east wing was the main house, normally for him and Liu Meiling. Next to it, a small room where the two daughters shared one bed. Another small room on the west side housed the three sons. Qin Xiangru was currently living in a small room there.
The main house faced the kitchen; the west side had the latrine.
Upon entering, Li Mingliang sneezed from the smell, missing the east wing.
Before, living together, Liu Meiling kept the east wing immaculate, with no odors.
Seeing the current state of the room, his mood sank further—he’d be better off going to work.
He went to where his clothes were usually kept, stunned. His socks, underwear, and work clothes from three days ago were all in a heap.
He exploded. “Liu Meiling, you’ve gone too far! You didn’t even wash my clothes!”
Usually, Liu Meiling washed and ironed them in advance, ready on his bed for the next day.
Looking at the time, Li Mingliang couldn’t afford to complain. He found the least wrinkled work uniform, put it on, and rolled up dirty socks from the past few days to wear.
People used to praise him for having a good wife, always neat and tidy.
Today, stepping in, Liu Gong (a friend) grinned mischievously and winked: “Old Li, why argue with your wife? Look, no one’s washed your clothes, right?”
He chuckled, slung an arm around Li Mingliang’s shoulder. “Not to criticize, but your wife has been supporting the family alone for over ten years, and still takes care of you properly! Don’t be ungrateful!
If things really don’t work out between you two, I could use a close friend…”
Meanwhile, Liu Meiling had gone to the textile factory. After a day of work, she sought out Ma Jie in logistics.
She knew Ma Jie had a daughter, born in 1979, sent to the countryside, who hadn’t returned yet.
Because of this, Ma Jie’s hair had gone partly gray.
When Liu Meiling found her, she didn’t beat around the bush. “Sister, your daughter still hasn’t come back, right?”
Ma Xiulian nodded, her face worried. “Meiling, you know how it is. Getting back into the city is difficult without work. And good jobs aren’t sold cheaply.
My daughter was foolish—back then, she insisted on going to the countryside. Now, she can’t return.
I wanted to find her a match in the city, but when they heard she was a sent-down youth, they turned away!”
Ma Xiulian choked back tears. She and her husband had one son and one daughter, and she loved them both dearly. Seeing her daughter suffer pierced her heart.
“Meiling, the last time I saw her, she was so skinny, practically just bones. I told her not to ruin herself for a man, but she wouldn’t listen!
Now, she can’t even come back!”
Liu Meiling sighed, understanding.
That girl had insisted on going down to the countryside for a classmate; her household registration had been moved to the brigade.
Liu Meiling had met her once: a chubby little round face, now grown up and suffering.
She patted Ma Xiulian’s hand, offering comfort, then got to the point: “Sister, I want to sell the job. Asking price: 1,800 yuan. Can you manage?”
“What? Sell a job? Are you crazy?”
Ma Xiulian’s first reaction was impossible, but seeing Liu Meiling’s serious expression, she calmed down, grabbed her hand:
“Sister, you’re serious? If you sell the job to me, I’m not after anything else—I just want to rescue that girl. Afterwards, you’ll be my true little sister!”
Ma Xiulian burst into tears.
Her life had gone smoothly all these years, and the only thing she worried about was her daughter sent down to the countryside.
Liu Meiling understood. In her past life, when Baomei went missing, she had constantly worried, fearing for her safety, imagining the worst.
Even when Qin Xiangru forced her to give up work to Li Mingliang, Liu Meiling could turn around and sell the job immediately.