“Alright, I’ll listen to you then. We’ll have chicken stewed with mushrooms for lunch. But you only asked someone to bring a wild chicken? What about Auntie and Uncle?”
Although Shen Zhiyan’s parents had no control over what she ate, they were still his parents. Song Yunlan felt it was better to ask.
Hearing this, Shen Zhiyan rolled his eyes and then looked at her with a slightly teasing grin.
“What, you’re not even married yet and you’re already trying to be a good daughter-in-law?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of everything. You just focus on eating!”
Thinking of his sister-in-law’s clueless behavior last night, Shen Zhiyan inwardly rolled his eyes.
He wasn’t going to waste his good things on ungrateful people.
Aside from the wild chicken, he had also asked a friend to bring a piece of pork head meat his father’s favorite. He planned to deliver it to his parents after work in the evening.
As for the rest of the Shen family since they liked to interfere so much, they might as well not eat anything.
Let them just have corn porridge with pickles and clear their stomachs and bad breath.
“You just talk all day,” Song Yunlan said helplessly.
Seeing that he had already made arrangements, she didn’t ask further.
About an hour later, the two of them had finished all the work in her field.
As they came out of the fields, many people saw them.
Shen Zhiyan openly recorded all the work points under Song Yunlan’s name, then swaggered away with her.
Watching their figures leave, Widow Li couldn’t help but feel a bit sour.
Song Yunlan was known in the brigade as a “golden girl,” yet she had ended up with Shen Zhiyan, that good-for-nothing troublemaker.
Thinking of how attentively Shen Zhiyan had been acting just now, Widow Li rolled her eyes and walked toward Aunt Xu on the western field edge.
“I say, Aunt Xu, your third son is really something. He knows how to help his wife work, but not his own mother?
The two of them just left so openly really inappropriate. You should set rules for your daughter-in-law early. Look at your eldest and second daughters-in-law, they’re much more filial.”
Without warning, Aunt Xu Lianglan picked up a clump of weeds she had just cut and flung it directly onto Widow Li’s pants.
“Ah! Xu Lianglan! Where are you throwing that? Can’t you see I’m standing here?”
Widow Li brushed the dirt off her pants in anger.
Xu Lianglan smirked and turned to her.
“Oh? So it’s you, Widow Li. I thought some mad dog was barking here.”
That remark made Widow Li even angrier.
“Xu Lianglan! Who are you calling a mad dog?! I came kindly to remind you, and you insult me like this?”
Xu Lianglan snorted coldly.
“Who needs your reminders? What do you think you are? Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to?
What, jealous that my third son found a good wife, so you came here trying to stir trouble?
Let me tell you it won’t work! Stop sticking your nose into other people’s business!
My son does what he wants. He treats his wife well because he has conscience. Not helping me doesn’t mean he’s unfilial.
If you have time, worry about your own Dogdan instead. That young couple gets along just fine, but you insist on being a troublemaker. Don’t end up getting kicked out by your own son someday!”
Widow Li was so furious she nearly exploded.
“You !”
“You what? If you’ve got nothing to do, get back to work. Or I’ll tell the scorer you’re slacking off!”
With that, Xu Lianglan hoisted her hoe onto her shoulder and walked away.
The swinging hoe nearly hit Widow Li, scaring her into a cold sweat.
“Xu Lianglan, you ungrateful woman! I’ll see how well your third son’s life turns out!”
“However it turns out, it’ll still be better than yours!”
Xu Lianglan didn’t even turn her head as she continued working.
Widow Li was even more furious, but before she could do anything, the work-point clerk shouted from afar:
“Widow Li! What are you doing over there? Don’t you know where your assigned field is? Trying to slack off again? I’ll deduct your work points!”
Caught slacking off, Widow Li quickly ran back.
“Comrade Xiao Meng, you misunderstood! I just had something to do I’m going back now, I promise I’ll finish my work before the end of the shift!”
Meanwhile, Shen Zhiyan and Song Yunlan had already gone home and were busy preparing lunch.
Stewing the wild chicken required time, which was exactly why Shen Zhiyan insisted on coming back early.
At the commune office, however, the couple who had just obtained their marriage certificate had no joy on their faces.
It was already noon, and Bai Ruolian was so hungry her stomach ached.
“Brother Liang, let’s go eat. Didn’t you say you’d take me for braised pork? After eating, we can go buy clothes at the supply store!
I’ve been eyeing a dress for a long time! We must buy it today! I’ll wear it for you tonight!”
Hearing this, Liang Bo’s face instantly darkened.
Eating was fine he had to eat too.
But buying a dress? Impossible.
Where was he supposed to get the money?
Last night he had originally planned to squeeze some money and vouchers out of Song Yunlan.
Instead, he got beaten badly.
Not only did he get nothing, he was now injured, and only had the last ten yuan left.
There were still two days until the 10th if he spent it all on clothes, what would he even live on?
“We can eat, but forget about the dress. Wait until my parents send me money.”
His tone was firm as he rejected her suggestion.
Bai Ruolian’s smile instantly faded.
“Brother Liang, didn’t you say that Song Yunlan got a hundred yuan betrothal gift and two sets of new clothes when she married Shen Zhiyan?
I didn’t ask you for anything, and now I just want a dress you won’t even agree? Didn’t you say you’d treat me well? Is this how you treat me?”
Standing there with tears about to fall, she looked at him pitifully.
With people coming and going on the street, Liang Bo felt embarrassed and could only force himself to coax her.
“Ruo Lian, listen to me. I know it’s unfair that we registered the marriage so suddenly.
Don’t worry. Once my parents send the money, I’ll make it up to you.”
She looked at him suspiciously.
“Really? How will you make it up to me?”
Seeing she had softened, Liang Bo patted his chest.
“Of course. You’re my wife. I won’t let you suffer. Didn’t Song Yunlan get a 100-yuan betrothal gift? I’ll give you 200, plus a Shanghai-brand watch. Once my parents reply, I’ll get them to send a watch coupon too.”
At that moment, Liang Bo completely ignored the fact that his parents didn’t even know he had registered the marriage and that his letters likely would never reach them at all.