Chapter 55: The dog’s belly and feeding the dog

The voice was too stern, and Zhang Xiaoxi trembled in fear.

    Everyone looked towards the door, and saw Zhang Yuandong standing at the door against the light, blocking most of the sunlight from outside.

     They couldn’t see his expression, but they could hear the obvious anger in his voice.

     Zhang Xiaoxi was still very afraid of this elder brother. Unlike the twin brothers who were raised by him, Zhang Xiaoxi was still a baby when this elder brother joined the army. He had only come back a few times, and she could count them on one hand.

    She had very little impression of this elder brother. She only remembered that her mother would occasionally call and cry, and he would send back some money and stamps. She could tell that her parents didn’t like this eldest son. Although she didn’t know why, she could tell from the things they said that they only regarded him as a tool for getting money and thought that he owed them, that he should support their whole family.

     In this family, perhaps only the two twin brothers were truly close to him.

     She had been exposed to this since she was a child and didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

    She remembered what her mother said and said stubbornly: “Big brother, we are your real family, she is just an outsider, you can’t stand on her side!” The twin brothers wanted to stop her, but it was too late.

     Zhang Yuandong was still standing in the light and shadow, his expression unclear.

    He said in a cold voice: “You’ve got one thing wrong; you are the outsider; you have no right to criticize my wife.

    Your sister-in-law was too good to you before, making you think she’s easy to bully. You eat her food, drink her water, and still come to humiliate her.

    Since you think she’s an outsider, don’t think about her things anymore. Go back and tell them, we’ll still give you ten yuan a month, but don’t think about anything else.

    ” These few words weren’t just a lesson for his sister, they also addressed his parents.

    The people in the room and the helpers watching the excitement in the courtyard didn’t know how to persuade him.

     Zhang Xiaoxi only now remembered that this elder brother was still the husband of that woman and the father of the two little brats on the kang.

    Now, not only did he give all his money to them, but his heart was also on their side.

     She cried out: “Big brother, you’ve changed. You were so good to us before; all the money you earned was ours. Now you don’t care about us anymore! It’s all because of this bad luck and these two little brats. If they weren’t here, you wouldn’t have abandoned us!” Zhang Yuandong took a step forward and walked out of the light and shadow.

    Zhang Xiaoxi was so frightened by his aura that she stopped crying and started hiccupping uncontrollably.

     Zhang Shouren and Zhang Shouyi, the two brothers, quickly stood between them, each grabbing one of Zhang Xiaoxi’s arms and dragged her out, only giving their elder brother a guilty look during the process, not daring to say a word of plea.

     As soon as the three of them left, the room became quiet. The people outside watching the excitement also felt the pressure from Zhang Yuandong and turned back to work, forgetting that it was still their break time.

     Lin Yue saw that the atmosphere in the room was tense, so she took the initiative to greet him. She didn’t mention what had just happened, but only asked: “Why did you come back at this time? Did you have lunch?” Zhang Yuandong’s expression softened immediately.

     Last night, they both drank and slept in a mess. This morning, when he woke up, he realized that he wasn’t sleeping on the other side, but was sleeping side by side with Lin Yue, and they were even close together.

    This scared him, and he could only get up stiffly. Fortunately, Lin Yue hadn’t woken up yet and didn’t see the situation.

     He was still embarrassed, and he felt like he couldn’t move when he thought about coming back to face Lin Yue.

    But after Zhang Xiaoxi’s commotion just now, he had forgotten about his embarrassment this morning. He answered softly: “I ate. The office made meat at noon, I finished it and came back.

    By the way, I bought four bags of cement. I was afraid we would need it urgently today, so I sent it back first.

    ” Zhang Shouchang rushed in from outside: “We need it, we need it. It’s just right for laying the floor today!” Wang Xiuxiang glared at him speechlessly. This guy must have been eavesdropping outside and ran in when he heard the sound.

    He’s so bold, he even forgot to pretend! Zhang Shouchang had just heard about the cement and was so happy that he forgot to pretend. He just chuckled awkwardly.

     Zhang Yuandong didn’t mind. He just called him to go outside and carry the cement.

     Lin Yue and Wang Xiuxiang were cleaning the furniture and other things in the room together when they heard Little Wanli ask timidly: “Mom, what’s a little brat?” Little Lingling also hurriedly asked: “And what’s bad luck?” Lin Yue’s heart sank.

     It was too chaotic just now, she didn’t pay attention to the two little ones, and in the rush, she forgot to care about them.

     In the past, in such situations, Lin Yue would try her best to keep the two of them away.

    But it’s not just in the countryside, no matter where you are, as long as the population is dense, friction is bound to occur.

    Even in the modern world, in neighborhoods with almost no human interaction, there are still times when people will argue endlessly in the property group chat.

     It’s impossible to keep the two children completely away from this kind of situation. Children of this era have heard many unpleasant insults since they were young, and the two of them are no exception.

     The two children are still young, but they can tell whether others are saying good things or bad things, and they know that their little aunt was scolding them just now.

They felt very uncomfortable in their hearts, but they were too young to express it.

     Lin Yue and Wang Xiuxiang exchanged a glance and went to pick up the two children, carefully saying: “These are all bad words, they are insults.

    It’s wrong to say such things, don’t take what they said to heart, and don’t learn from them.

    ” Children’s hearts are always black and white, they think that anyone who does wrong is a bad person.

    Wanli raised his little head and looked at Lin Yue, asking: “Then is the person who said such things a bad person?” “Not necessarily a bad person, but this matter is definitely wrong.

    ” Lingling said in a small voice: “Mom also scolded just now, Mom is also wrong.

    ” Lin Yue was stunned, she hadn’t remembered which of her words was wrong, when she heard Wanli rush to say: “Mom is wrong, Mom said dog’s belly!” Lingling also said: “And fed to the dog!” Wang Xiuxiang had been watching from the side, and now she burst out laughing.

     Lin Yue twitched the corner of her mouth and thought, I was really careless. It seems I have to be more careful in front of the children in the future.

     She didn’t deceive the two children, and said sincerely: “Mom was wrong, Mom shouldn’t have said such things.

    ” When Lin Yue was educating the children just now, Wang Xiuxiang didn’t interrupt, but now she stepped forward to take Lingling and said: “Don’t teach them to be too sensible, I think it’s good for children to be a bit feistier, so they won’t be bullied in the future.

    ” As she was speaking, she saw Zhang Yuandong and Zhang Shouchang carrying two bags of cement each coming in.

     The two little ones saw their father come back, happily stretched out their arms to be held.

    Zhang Yuandong quickly put the cement down and picked up the two children, one in each hand. He held their heads together and kissed them affectionately for a while.

     When the two children finally let go of their father, he took out a small notebook and a pen from his jacket pocket and discussed with Lin Yue: “I’ve exchanged a few tickets with my colleagues these days. What’s missing at home? Give me a list, and I’ll see what I can buy and bring it back first.

    ” Lin Yue had already thought about this, but many things were hard to buy. She originally planned to take it slow, but she didn’t expect Zhang Yuandong to get industrial tickets.

     She didn’t hesitate, took the notebook and pen, and wrote as she spoke: “We need a wall clock, and it’s best to buy a mirror, a big one.

    Buy two basins.

    I heard there’s a kind of iron stove with a flue in the county; it would be best if we could buy one.

    The rest, the big market in Xiaowu Village will be on Saturday, it’s the weekend, let’s go to the market together then!” The new house is spacious, and it’s not possible to keep the house warm in winter just by burning the kang.

     Zhang Yuandong knew about this kind of stove. He pondered: “I heard that iron stoves were only supplied to units and schools before, I don’t know if it’s easy to get or not. Moreover, that thing needs to burn coal, it’s not easy to buy coal here. I’ll inquire tomorrow and see if there’s any way.

    ” But it’s not urgent, it’s still a few months before winter.

     Lin Yue knew this too. This kind of iron stove is the same as the iron stove in the modern world. In Lin Yue’s time, it had basically been eliminated, but it was still a rare thing now. The policy had only been relaxed recently, and it was open to individuals, so it was indeed hard to buy.

     Wang Xiuxiang just clicked her tongue: “You’re really something, you’re asking for all the expensive and hard-to-buy things. It’s good that your Yuandong is capable, otherwise you would have squeezed him dry.

    ” Zhang Yuandong didn’t know what he thought of, his face turned red for a moment.

    He ran out as if escaping, joining the ranks of building the annex.

    He had built houses in the army, and the annex was relatively simpler, and the foundation didn’t need to be dug very deep, so he was quick to get started.

     A man working nearby laughed: “Brother Huizi, go change your clothes quickly. What a good white uniform, don’t get it dirty.

    ” Zhang Yuandong paused in his work, secretly glanced at Lin Yue who was standing not far away, pretending not to care: “It’s okay, I’ll wash it later when it gets dirty!” Among a group of men working, many were shirtless. Someone laughed: “Take it off quickly, don’t be a sissy. Such good clothes, you’re wasting them by wearing them to work!” These people didn’t say anything, but Zhang Yuandong was afraid that Lin Yue would hear, so he impulsively took off his jacket.

     He was wearing a vest inside. Everyone saw it and all made a “tsk” sound.

     Zhang Yuandong saw that Lin Yue didn’t notice him, so he relaxed, picked up his hoe and dug the foundation with everyone else.

     The man’s muscles were very smooth, the muscles on his arms and shoulders stretched out beautiful curves as he worked, full of explosive power.

    Lin Yue inadvertently saw this scene and was instantly mesmerized.

     Zhang Shouchang patted her shoulder: “Sister-in-law, snap out of it, I’ve called you several times!” Lin Yue was startled and unconsciously wiped the non-existent saliva from the corner of her mouth, embarrassed: “I was a little distracted just now, what was it?” Zhang Shouchang was familiar with her and didn’t hold back when he joked: “I know Brother Yuandong has a good figure, you’re his wife, why do you need to sneak a peek here? You can have your fill at home tonight, right, Brother Yuandong!” A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd, Zhang Yuandong’s body stiffened, and the force with which he dropped his hoe became much smaller.

     Even though Lin Yue was thick-skinned, she knew she was embarrassed in front of so many people. She pushed Zhang Shouchang towards the house: “You’re going to tidy up the house, right? I know, go, go!”