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The eldest son’s household lacked the usual warmth and harmony.
Wang Yue was using an egg to soothe her swollen face, cursing Wu Zhiqiu bitterly with venomous words.
The eldest son kept his head down, saying nothing.
“Li Xingguo, if you dare to give your salary to the family, I will divorce you!”
Wang Yue was quite attractive. Although she was only a technical school graduate, many university seniors had pursued her. She had chosen Li Xingguo because he listened to her, didn’t despise her family, and never complained about her sending money home. Moreover, they lived independently after marriage, so she didn’t have to care for her in-laws or give a portion of her salary to the family.
Now, just two years into their marriage, they were asking for half of Li Xingguo’s salary, and Wang Yue couldn’t tolerate it.
“If I can go abroad, what’s wrong with giving them some money? If things go well abroad, I’ll get a green card, and you can come over. All of this will be a thing of the past!” The eldest son comforted his wife, holding her close.
The slap marks were still clearly visible on her delicate face, and there were claw marks on her neck.
Upon hearing about going abroad, Wang Yue momentarily forgot her pain. “But that old hag won’t help you get the money! It’s over ten thousand yuan; where are we going to get that much money?”
“I’ll take a day off tomorrow and go back home!” He still had grandparents alive back home. As long as he could persuade them, he didn’t have to worry about his parents not giving him money!
Convincing his grandparents would be a piece of cake for Li Xingguo!
Wang Yue’s eyes lit up. “Then hurry up and go! Once we’re abroad, we won’t have to deal with this broken place anymore!” Giving them half of his salary? Dream on!
The eldest son comforted his wife, feeling determined. He was set on going abroad!
The next day
Wu Zhiqiu opened her eyes, looked around at the familiar furnishings, and saw Li Mancang snoring beside her. It was real; she was truly alive, not dreaming.
She was afraid of waking up in a rental house and seeing her cancer diagnosis with her children treating her like trash.
She was alive! She was alive!
Getting up, washing up, and heading to work.
In their shared courtyard, several families used a few taps for water. Usually, they would wash clothes and clean up in the courtyard.
It was rare to have something lively to watch; yesterday’s family drama provided plenty of gossip.
As Wu Zhiqiu was washing up, Hu Dala greeted her enthusiastically.
Wu Zhiqiu responded perfunctorily; she knew Hu Dala wanted to pry for more information. After the news from yesterday, she didn’t want to indulge Hu Dala further.
The second daughter-in-law prepared breakfast: millet porridge, corn cakes, and pickled vegetables.
The children had also gotten up to help their mother with the bowls and chopsticks.
The second daughter-in-law taught them, and it was impressive how young these children were, already so helpful.
Looking at her own children, who were older and didn’t even show concern for their mother, always plotting against her, she wondered if it was her fault for not teaching them better.
Early in the morning, Wu Zhiqiu began to doubt herself!
Seeing the three little boys looking skinny, she said, “Second daughter-in-law, make sure to boil an egg for the kids every day. They’re growing and need some nutrition!” She took ten yuan out of her pocket and handed it to the second daughter-in-law.
“Mom, it’s not necessary; the kids will be fine with just their meals!”
“Take it; starting tomorrow, the kids need to eat eggs!”
“Mom! I want to eat eggs too!” The third son, still wiping sleep from his eyes, rushed in. He had a habit of wanting to get something whenever money was mentioned, speaking before he thought.
“I see you like an egg! You’re so lazy you might as well be a maggot, and you still want to eat eggs? I have a bomb; do you want to eat that instead?”
The third son…
Did she just say she had a bomb for breakfast? He was just joking!
The third son slumped his shoulders, not saying anything. He realized today wasn’t a day to provoke his mother!
Wu Zhiqiu scolded him a few more times before she had to leave for work.
“From today, the third son will wash the dishes and do housework. Tomorrow, Fengchun, you all better be proactive! If I find anyone slacking off, I’ll kick them out!”
The third son shrank his neck. He had wanted to discuss things with his sister-in-law, seeking her help, but he was immediately seen through by his mother.
Li Fengchun had the same thought.
Now, both of them lowered their heads to eat, afraid to breathe. They weren’t sure if their mother would actually kick them out!
Even the most precious eldest son hadn’t received any favor from their mother; what could they expect?
Li Fengchun was particularly worried. She needed her family to support her studies! If she angered her mother and didn’t get into the exam this year, Wu Zhiqiu wouldn’t let her retake it, and that would be the end!
Seeing that both of them had taken the hint, Wu Zhiqiu picked up her bag and left for work!
Elder Ge at the entrance greeted her warmly.
The recycling station wasn’t far from home; it took about twenty minutes to walk.
Over the years, Wu Zhiqiu had been frugal, and they didn’t even have a bicycle. She took bus No. 11 to work every day.
Li Mancang’s bicycle was barely functional. Apart from the bell ringing, everything else rattled, making it sound like a symphony when he rode it. The chain fell off at least eight times a day, and even the bicycles used for collecting scrap metal were in better condition than his.
When Wu Zhiqiu arrived at the recycling station, it was managed by the supply and marketing cooperative. There were three of them in total; she was responsible for collecting at the station while the other two rode tricycles to collect scrap from the streets.
“Good morning, Sister Wu!” Liu Zhuzhi and Han Dazhuang greeted her.
“Dazhuang, Zhuzi, good morning! Where are you collecting today?”
“I’m heading to North City today, and Zhuzi is going to West City. We’ll be going further today!” Dazhuang cheerfully hopped onto his tricycle.
“Sister Wu, we’re off!”
“Okay!”
Wu Zhiqiu was the only one left at the recycling station.
She recorded the items collected by the other two from yesterday and sorted everything out; there wasn’t much work left to do.
Now she just waited for others to come and sell some scrap.
Although this work was dirty and the pay was low, it was genuinely easy.
Picking up a basket nearby, she started making shoes for Li Mancang.
She took her needles and began to continue her shoe-making. The whole morning passed without a single person coming to sell scrap.
Wu Zhiqiu hurriedly tidied up, locked the recycling station’s gate, and rushed to catch the bus to her eldest son’s workplace.
The eldest son was now working at the construction bureau. Although he had graduated from university, his connections weren’t strong, and he didn’t know how to navigate social situations, so he was just a deputy director, earning a little over a hundred yuan a month.
When Wu Zhiqiu arrived, the construction bureau had just finished its workday.
She waited at the entrance and saw the eldest son coming out of the office building. She quickly called out, “Li Xingguo!”
The eldest son had just finished asking his supervisor for a leave of absence and was preparing to head to the countryside.
He hadn’t expected to see his mother calling him outside.
What was it? Was she having second thoughts about asking him for money after yesterday? Or did she want to discuss his plans to go abroad?
Thinking about this possibility, the eldest son quickly jogged over. If his mother had come around to his way of thinking, he wouldn’t have to go to the countryside. Visiting a bunch of relatives would be quite an expense.
“Mom! What are you doing here?” The eldest son smiled.
Wu Zhiqiu didn’t know what the eldest son was thinking, but she was pleased to see him smiling!
That didn’t change the fact that she had something serious to discuss.
“Eldest son, I want you to bring me the bride price money you gave your wife!”
A thunderclap sounded in the eldest son’s mind. His mother wasn’t here to talk about going abroad; she had come to ask about the bride price from yesterday!
“Mom, how can you ask for the bride price back once it’s given?” The eldest son said, pulling his mother aside. He didn’t want his colleagues to overhear; that would be humiliating.
“If a daughter-in-law can insult her mother-in-law, why can’t I ask for my bride price?” Wu Zhiqiu shrugged off the eldest son’s grip. She spoke loudly at the entrance, moving away just enough so others couldn’t hear; how could she not be loud about it!