Yang Zhigang smiled. "Alright, Old Sixth, since I’m giving it to you, just take it. Just drive a little more carefully from now on. I’m busy today, but I’ll treat you to a drink this weekend."
"In that case, I’ll gladly accept." Song Sixth chuckled and took the fish. He thought Yang Zhigang and Han Xiaorui were very generous. To just give away a Big Yellow Fish like that—it had to be worth over ten yuan.
After Yang Zhigang left, Han Xiaorui led Pingping and An’an over. "Wash your little handsies, it’s time to eat. Mommy made you something delicious today."
The moment Han Xiaoqing heard her sister mention delicious food, her mouth started to water. "Sis, what are we eating today?"
Han Xiaorui smiled. "I made five dishes with the Luo Duan we caught yesterday. Come and eat."
Han Xiaoqing dished out some rice, her eyes fixed on the food on the table. "Sis, this is braised Luo Duan... and this... oh, it’s fish skin. Is this edible?"
Han Xiaorui swallowed. "That’s cold-dressed Luo Duan skin. It has the best texture. The skin is very thick and full of collagen, translucent like semi-set jelly. It’s slippery and fragrant, yet crisp, chewy, and refreshing to eat."
"There’s also steamed head and belly with lotus leaf in a small basket, our favorite pickled vegetable and Luo Duan slices, and braised Luo Duan fins with garlic and roasted pork belly. The kids can’t eat spicy food, so I didn’t add any chili, but I made you a chili dipping sauce. If you don’t think it’s spicy enough, you can use the dip."
Han Xiaoqing nodded repeatedly. The food at her sister’s house was amazing. "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s dig in!"
The Luo Duan had very few bones, so Han Xiaorui quickly picked out a lot of meat for the two children and placed it in their bowls.
Seeing their mother and aunt eating with such gusto, Pingping and An’an started to eat as well.
When they tasted the fragrant Luo Duan meat, the two children’s eyes lit up, and they began shoveling it into their mouths with their little spoons.
Pingping liked the braised Luo Duan meat, while An’an preferred the cold-dressed Luo Duan skin.
Savoring the delicious food, their big eyes sparkled. They were eating with pure delight!
Just as Han Xiaorui finished her meal, she heard frantic pounding on the door.
"Xiao Jing, watch the kids. I’ll go see what’s going on." Han Xiaorui put down her bowl and chopsticks and went to the door.
She first peeked through the crack in the door and saw that it was, surprisingly, Zhang Xiufang.
"Aunt Zhang, what are you doing here?" Han Xiaorui asked politely. Even though Zhang Xiufang was out of line, she wanted to set a good example for her children.
Zhang Xiufang shouted irritably, "Did Yang Zhigang give you the money from selling the fish? That was over seven thousand yuan! You heartless woman! You’re divorced, yet you’re still stealing our family’s money. I don’t know what kind of potion you fed Yang Zhigang."
As soon as Han Xiaorui heard this, a wave of anger rushed to her head. "What nonsense are you talking about? Who have you been listening to? I was the one who caught over seven hundred jin of Big Yellow Fish! Everyone at the village wharf knows it."
"Pingping and An’an’s grandfather saw Song the Second trying to trick me with a low price, and that’s why he offered to sell the Big Yellow Fish for me. I caught the fish, so of course the money comes to me!"
Zhang Xiufang jumped up. "You think I don’t know you? You’re so scrawny a gust of wind could blow you into the sea. You, catch fish? Easier said than done! Open this door and give me the money, or I’ll stand here and curse you out."
"You shameless hussy! Jianming doesn’t want you anymore, so now you’re seducing your father-in-law! How despicable and depraved! No wonder Yang Zhigang is so good to you. So you’re trying to take my place and push me out!"
...
Hearing Zhang Xiufang’s accusations get more and more outrageous, Han Xiaorui felt her face darken with frustration.
’If I don’t teach this unreasonable fool a lesson today, she’ll really think I, Han Xiaorui, am a pushover.’
She didn’t open the door or get into a shouting match. Instead, she went straight back inside and called the police, reporting that someone was spreading rumors and attempting to rob her.
Han Xiaorui found the phone number Ye Feng had left for her and called it, asking him to be a witness that she was the one who had caught those fish.
Ye Feng answered the call and said he would come over immediately with the local police to act as her witness.
She also called Yang Zhigang’s seafood wholesale shop.
When Yang Zhigang heard that Zhang Xiufang was at Han Xiaorui’s door cursing her out, he was so furious he saw black spots, and a metallic, sweet taste rose in his throat.
He, Yang Zhigang, had been a proud and strong-willed man his entire life. What sins had he committed to deserve such a wife and son?
"Xiao Rui, I’m on my way," Yang Zhigang said through gritted teeth. "Some bastard must have been gossiping and spouting nonsense to your mother-in-law—no, to Jianming’s mom!"
He had only wanted to help Han Xiaorui, but he never imagined it would cause her so much trouble.
When Zhang Xiufang saw that Han Xiaorui wasn’t opening the door or arguing back, she assumed Han Xiaorui had a guilty conscience and her cursing in front of the door grew even more fervent.
Han Xiaoqing wanted to go out and get into a screaming match with Zhang Xiufang, but Han Xiaorui held her back. "Don’t. If a dog bites you, are you going to bite it back?"
Han Xiaoqing was seething, her brows tightly furrowed. "So we’re just going to let her curse at us? If we don’t put her in her place, how are we ever going to live here?"
Life was so hard for a divorced woman—subjected to gossip and bullying! She had to help her sister and not let her be pushed around.
Han Xiaorui smiled and brandished the tape recorder she was holding. "We’ll record her. This will be evidence of her cursing and slandering me. As long as I don’t forgive her, she could very well be detained. Isn’t that more satisfying than us screaming until our mouths are foaming?"
Yang Jianming had bought this. Now, it was being used to deal with Yang Jianming’s mother. You could say it was being put to its best use.
She had put in fresh batteries and a new, empty tape. She pressed the record button.
Zhang Xiufang’s flowery curses, her threats, and the sounds of her periodically pounding on or trying to break down the door were all recorded exactly as they happened.
Han Xiaorui sneered inwardly. The more gleefully Zhang Xiufang cursed now, the harder it would be for her to clean up this mess later.
Zhang Xiufang’s cursing grew more and more energetic, and a large crowd gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Wu Cuicui heard that her second aunt was at Han Xiaorui’s door making a scene and hurried over. "Second Aunt, hurry up and go home. If you don’t care about Xiao Rui, don’t you at least care about Pingping and An’an? They’re children of our Old Yang Family!"
Zhang Xiufang was the type to get wilder with an audience; the bigger the crowd, the more worked up she became.
Before, she had been worried Han Xiaorui wouldn’t get a divorce and would keep clinging to her son.
But now that Han Xiaorui was divorced from her son, she had nothing to hold her back. Of course she was going to do whatever she pleased!
"Han Xiaorui, that shameless woman, cheated our family out of money! And your Second Uncle, that old fool, is full of crooked ideas. He’s been completely bewitched by that vixen. The seven thousand-plus yuan from selling the Big Yellow Fish just now—he gave it all to that little homewrecker!"
The onlookers whispered among themselves.
"Yang Zhigang is an honest man. That can’t be right, can it?"
"Who knows? I’ve seen Yang Zhigang come here often. They’re divorced, but he still visits his former daughter-in-law. Maybe there really is something going on. After all, Zhang Xiufang is Yang Zhigang’s wife. Family members know their own family’s business best."
"I think Zhang Xiufang might be mistaken. I was at the wharf this afternoon. Han Xiaorui came back first, having caught several hundred jin of Big Yellow Fish. Yang Zhigang just helped her sell them; he didn’t catch them himself."
...
Yang Zhigang, having come by motorcycle, arrived more quickly. Seeing the door to Han Xiaorui’s place surrounded by a thick crowd, he rushed in. "Zhang Xiufang, have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you spouting! Xiao Rui caught those fish; I was only selling them for her."
Zhang Xiufang absolutely refused to believe Han Xiaorui was that capable and was convinced Yang Zhigang had given her the fish money. "Oh, my! Calling her ’Xiao Rui’ so sweetly. Yang Zhigang, have you been bewitched by this new vixen?"
Yang Zhigang was furious and exasperated. He raised his hand to strike her. "If you spout any more nonsense, I’ll beat you to death."
Zhang Xiufang started to make a scene, grabbing Yang Zhigang’s hand and pulling it toward her own face. "Go on, hit me! Beat me to death! That will make room for this little homewrecker. Aren’t you afraid you’ll be drowned by people’s spit!"
Just then, a military green jeep pulled up in front of Han Xiaorui’s house.
"The police are here!"
Han Xiaorui smiled. ’It’s my turn to take the stage!’
’The show is about to begin. If I don’t scare Zhang Xiufang into behaving, then I’m not Han Xiaorui!’