After seeing off the last group of relatives who hadn’t even spared the leftover soup, the courtyard finally fell quiet.
The ground was littered with melon seed shells and cigarette butts. The fading sunlight glinted off the greasy remnants of the feast.
Qin Gang rolled up his sleeves, ready to move the two heavy iron woks, his wrists still trembling slightly.
“Leave it, I’ll do it.”
Zhao Hongmei pressed Qin Gang’s hand down. She squatted by the well platform, using a loofah sponge dipped in old alkali powder to swiftly scrub the large bowls.
The well water was icy cold, turning Zhao Hongmei’s hands bright red. Having been reborn to accomplish this, she worked with great energy.
The first battle of her second life had been fought beautifully.
As they were tidying up, Second Uncle’s laughter came from outside the courtyard gate.
Qin Jianguo followed behind, his face flushed from drinking, clutching a red cloth bundle tightly as he strode into the yard.
“Sister-in-law. Gangzi.” Qin Jianguo’s voice was loud, startling the sparrows in the trees. “Today’s event really brought honor. Just now while seeing off the guests, even the pickiest women in the village were saying how satisfying the feast was—that even the town head’s family didn’t have such a spread when their son got married.”
Li Guilan had been leaning against the doorframe, groaning as she rubbed her lower back. Hearing this, she immediately straightened up, her face beaming with smiles.
“Well, look whose family pulled this off. Jianguo, it’s all thanks to your influence.” Li Guilan hurried forward to greet him.
Second Uncle waved his hand dismissively and walked over to Zhao Hongmei, reeking of alcohol.
“Guilan, enough of that flattery. If it weren’t for Hongmei showing her skills today, the Lao Qin Family’s face would’ve been lost.” Second Uncle gave a thumbs-up. “Hongmei, I’ll remember this favor.”
Zhao Hongmei wiped her hands on her apron and smiled. “Second Uncle, we’re family—no need for formalities.”
“Well said.” Second Uncle shot Qin Jianguo a meaningful look.
Qin Jianguo quickly stepped forward and handed over the red cloth bundle. “Sister-in-law, take this. We offered Wang Dapang thirty, but he thought it was too little and left. Your skills are far better than his.”
Qin Jianguo raised his voice. “There’s fifty yuan in here. Thirty is the cost, and the remaining twenty is our family’s heartfelt thanks. Buy yourself some snowflake cream to soothe your hands.”
Fifty yuan.
At these words, the courtyard fell silent.
In 1988, even a formal worker in the city only earned a little over forty yuan a month. Fifty yuan was no small amount.
Li Guilan stared intently, her hands rubbing nervously against her apron, her gaze fixed on the red cloth bundle.
Qin Gang stood to the side, frowning.
He knew his mother’s habit of pocketing money. Worried his wife might lose out, he instinctively reached out, intending to take the money for Zhao Hongmei first.
Before his fingertips could touch the bundle, Zhao Hongmei had already taken it smoothly.
Without even looking at it, she simply pinched it to gauge its thickness and slipped it into her pocket. “Then I’ll accept this on Gangzi’s behalf. Thank you, Second Uncle, and thank you, Brother Jianguo.”
After a few polite exchanges, she saw the two men off.
With a clang, the courtyard gate closed.
The sounds from outside were shut out, leaving only the Qin family members in the yard.
The smile on Li Guilan’s face vanished instantly.
She stared at Zhao Hongmei’s pocket, rubbing her hands as she took two steps forward, forcing a smile. “Hongmei… about that money… don’t you think it should…”
The old woman’s hand stretched halfway out, but remembering how Zhao Hongmei had wielded the kitchen knife that afternoon, she froze mid-air.
“Mom, are you saying this money should be handed over to you to manage?” Zhao Hongmei looked up and asked.
Watching her mother-in-law’s antics, Zhao Hongmei shook her head.
In her past life, Zhao Hongmei had done many foolish things.
She worked herself to the bone, hoping that kindness would be repaid with kindness, believing that her mother-in-law would eventually remember her good deeds.
When she fell ill from exhaustion and lay in the hospital, the old woman clung to her money, refusing to buy medicine, and even pointed fingers and cursed at her.
Having lived a second life, Zhao Hongmei had come to understand.
Dealing with someone like Li Guilan, who only cares about money, reasoning is useless.
If she wanted to take charge of this household, she had to make her mother-in-law dependent on her, make her obedient for the sake of money.
“Mom.”
Zhao Hongmei turned around, not giving Li Guilan a chance to make a scene.
She took out the red cloth bundle and slapped it into her mother-in-law’s hand.
Her movements were crisp and decisive.
“Take it.” Zhao Hongmei’s tone was calm.
Li Guilan was stunned.
The old woman stood there with her mouth agape, holding the bundle of banknotes, her hands trembling slightly.
Li Guilan had even prepared her lines for making a fuss, never expecting the money to land directly in her hands.
“This… all of this is for me?” Li Guilan asked.
“You’re the elder, in charge of the household’s meals.” Zhao Hongmei looked at Li Guilan and said, “Gangzi is my husband, and you’re his mother. This money was earned for the family in the first place.”
Zhao Hongmei took half a step closer.
“But Mom, just now Aunt Wang from the east end of the village pulled me aside. She wants to hire me to cook for her daughter’s engagement banquet, offering forty yuan right off the bat.”
Forty yuan.
Li Guilan was somewhat dazed.
Zhao Hongmei continued, looking at her mother-in-law, “It’s not hard for me to earn money. As long as you take care of the household chores and don’t distract me, I can earn back hundreds or even thousands in the future.”
She could earn a thousand yuan.
Li Guilan stood rooted to the spot.
The old woman sized up her daughter-in-law. She could earn big money for the family.
Li Guilan began to calculate in her heart.
If she offended Zhao Hongmei over these fifty yuan, that future thousand yuan would be out of reach. She could do the math.
Gritting her teeth, Li Guilan untied the red cloth bundle.
She pulled out three crisp ten-yuan bills and stuffed them back into Zhao Hongmei’s hand.
“Take it.”
Li Guilan shed her usual harshness, adopting a somewhat ingratiating tone, “Mom understands. Twenty yuan will be kept for buying rice and flour. These thirty are what you earned yourself.”
“Gangzi doesn’t know any better. Go buy yourself a box of snowflake cream and get a couple of feet of cloth to make new clothes. When you take on jobs in the future, you’ll be the face of our family. We can’t let people look down on us.”
Looking at the thirty yuan in her hand, Zhao Hongmei lowered her eyes, a slight smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
The matter was settled.
Without any arguments or fuss, she had subdued the old woman’s temper.
“Mom is a sensible person.” Zhao Hongmei deftly put the money away. “Then I’ll head back to my room. I need to get up early tomorrow.”
“Go rest in your room. I’ll wash the dishes. Gangzi, don’t just stand there. Go heat water for your wife to wash her feet.” Li Guilan took the dishcloth and waved her hand.
The door to the east room closed.
Qin Gang leaned against the door, staring at Zhao Hongmei and giving her a thumbs-up.
“Wife, you’re something else. I’ve never seen my mom give money away.”
Zhao Hongmei smiled and pulled out the three bills from her pocket.
She took out one ten-yuan note and placed it in Qin Gang’s hand.
“Take it.”
Qin Gang felt awkward and pulled his hand back. “You keep it. You earned it. Use it to buy clothes.”
“Just take it.” Zhao Hongmei stuffed the money into his pants pocket, her voice calm. “A grown man should have some money in his pocket. You’ll need it for things like buying cigarettes or offering drinks when you’re out handling business.”
Qin Gang clutched the bill through his pants, swallowing hard. His eyes reddened, feeling nothing but deep reassurance in his heart.
His wife was preserving his dignity, treating him as the pillar of the household.
Just then, idle chatter from the neighbor’s wife drifted over the courtyard wall.
Wang Dapang had been spreading rumors at the village entrance, claiming the Qin family’s offal wasn’t cleaned properly and would cause diarrhea if eaten.
Qin Gang was furious and wanted to confront Wang Dapang.
Zhao Hongmei grabbed him firmly: “Don’t rush. I have a way to make him seal his own lips.”
Zhao Hongmei stood by the window, staring into the pitch-black sky beyond the courtyard wall. “Wang Dapang, just you wait.”