Chapter 50: Li Xuyang

After checking out the place where they were acquiring white-feathered chickens, Jiang Liyun returned home and found Jiang Liping, accompanied by Li Xuyang.

Seeing Jiang Liyun, Jiang Liping said, “Did you buy another bicycle? So wealthy! Why not get a women’s bike instead of this big one? This bike is too ugly.”

“This bike is convenient for doing business,” replied Jiang Liyun.

Jiang Liping scoffed, thinking that if you earn money in business, you should indulge in good things. She asked, “Sister, why are you here?”

“I came to the countryside to buy some chickens to pickle and eat during the New Year,” explained Jiang Liping.

Earlier, when chicken prices were falling, Jiang Liping’s in-laws had the idea to buy some chickens to pickle and slowly consume. However, thinking the prices would continue to drop, they didn’t rush to buy. Now, with prices stabilising, they decided to purchase.

Jiang Liping, not keen on working, took a day off to stay at her parents’ house and enjoy some good food. However, when she left, Li Xuyang was handed over to her by Li’s parents.

Li Xuyang worked as a labourer in a fertiliser factory, with the flexibility to rest for two days each month, which he scheduled himself. Since he had one day left this month, Li’s parents arranged for him to take a day off.

Jiang Liping wasn’t thrilled about bringing Li Xuyang along, as he couldn’t ride a bicycle, making it difficult for her to carry him. However, with him handed over to her, she had no choice but to take him.

“If you want to buy chickens today, you’ll have to offer the same price as the village; otherwise, you won’t get any,” advised Jiang Liyun.

“What price? Why is the village suddenly buying chickens?” asked Jiang Liping.

Jiang Liyun chose not to disclose her money-making plan related to acquiring white-feathered chickens and simply said, “Big brother’s friend, Sun Jinshan, contacted a wholesaler in Shanghai who’s willing to buy chickens from our village.”

“So, I won’t be able to get cheap chickens?” frowned Jiang Liping.

“The current price is still cheap,” Jiang Liyun said.

“But it’s more expensive than a few days ago,” Jiang Liping replied while rummaging through the place where she was cooking. She found a bag of brown sugar and took a bowl to prepare herself some brown sugar water to drink.

Jiang Liyun glanced at Li Xuyang, who was digging for earthworms at the door, and also brought out a bowl. “Make a bowl for Li Xuyang too. He’s a guest in our house; he should have some brown sugar water.”

“I thought you disliked him, always saying he’s not good,” Jiang Liping remarked.

“I don’t dislike him; I just don’t think he’s suitable for marriage,” Jiang Liyun explained. She genuinely didn’t dislike Li Xuyang; he was like a child and quite obedient. But children aren’t suitable for marriage—no, they shouldn’t get married.

Jiang Liping made two bowls of brown sugar and handed one to Li Xuyang. “I’m being nice to you, right? I give you everything to eat, so you should treat me well too, understand?”

Jiang Liping was quite good at coaxing children. Jiang Liyun went to cook while there were guests at home, so they needed an extra dish.

Soon it was time to eat, and as they ate, Li Xuyang said to Jiang Liping, “Liping, I need to pee.”

“It’s at the back; go by yourself,” Jiang Liping replied.

“I’m scared.” Li Xuyang hesitated.

The Jiang family’s toilet was at the back of the house, next to the sheep pen where they kept sheep. Li Xuyang had been to Jiang’s house a few times before and initially loved the sheep. He would pester Jiang Liping to take him to see the “baa-baas.” At first, he watched from a distance, then got closer, even feeding them grass. However, one day, for some reason, he got bitten by a sheep. It wasn’t serious, just a scratch, but he cried for a long time afterwards and developed a fear of sheep.

Busy enjoying the delicious dishes on the table, Jiang Liping didn’t want to accompany him. “There’s nothing to be afraid of; go ahead,” she insisted.

Li Xuyang reluctantly went to the back to use the toilet. Meanwhile, Jiang Liping was about to grab the last chicken wing, but Feng Yi, quick to act, snatched it and put it in Jiang Liyun’s bowl.

Jiang Liping gave Feng Yi a glare, about to say something, when Li Xuyang emerged, holding up his pants with a panicked look on his face. “The sheep almost bit me!”

Li Xuyang didn’t cry, so it seemed he wasn’t actually bitten; he was just frightened. But that wasn’t the issue—the issue was that his pants were wet!

Jiang Liyun was at a loss for words, and Jiang Liping’s expression turned sour.

Feeling embarrassed, Jiang Liping scolded, “The sheep are locked up; how could they bite you? You’re an adult and still wetting your pants!”

Li Xuyang, originally not crying, felt wronged after Jiang Liping scolded him and was on the verge of tears.

Getting angrier, Jiang Liping was about to say something when Jiang Liyun intervened: “Alright, stop arguing. Dad, take Li Xuyang to change his pants.”

Jiang Limping, accompanied by Li Xuyang, went to change pants, leaving a silent table of diners behind.

Not long after, Li Xuyang returned, saying, “Liping, I’m cold; I want to go home.”

The Jiang family was always poor, and their clothes were worn for years. Jiang Limping and his wife were reluctant to spend money on clothes, so their attire, especially, was old and tattered. They only had one set of winter clothes each and wouldn’t change them throughout the season.

Jiang Limping was forced to lend Li Xuyang a pair of his own trousers, and now Li Xuyang was feeling cold.

Hearing Li Xuyang’s request, Jiang Limping felt awkward and unsure of what to do, instinctively looking to Jiang Liyun for guidance.

Jiang Liyun suggested, “Dad, take him to lie down in bed, cover him with a blanket, and hang his pants outside. The sun is strong today; they’ll dry quickly.”

Relieved, Jiang Limping followed the suggestion and settled with Li Xuyang.

Meanwhile, Jiang Liping’s expression became even more unpleasant.

She had always thought her choices were good, but seeing Feng Yi, who had helped Jiang Liyun grab food during the meal, and then looking at Li Xuyang, made her feel irritated.

The thought that crossed Jiang Liyun’s mind after buying the tricycle resurfaced.

When Jiang Liyun went to take a nap in her room, Jiang Liping followed, saying, “I don’t want to continue with Li Xuyang.”

“If you don’t want to, then don’t,” Jiang Liyun replied. “But you’ve spent quite a bit of the Li family’s money. Maybe you should offer some compensation.”

Jiang Liping got married without receiving a dowry from the Li family. However, she had made various demands, and the Li family had provided a sewing machine, bicycle, and radio, all of which were delivered to Jiang’s house before the wedding.

“Why should I compensate?” Jiang Liping muttered.

“If you plan to find someone else, don’t ruin your reputation,” advised Jiang Liyun.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Liping suddenly said, “Li Xuyang doesn’t understand anything. We haven’t even slept together. You’re right; I should divorce him earlier. No, we haven’t even registered; it doesn’t count as a divorce.”

Jiang Liyun was a bit surprised to hear this, but considering Jiang Liping had children later than her in her previous life, it seemed normal. Given her past experiences and the current situation, Jiang Liyun guessed why Jiang Liping didn’t want a divorce in her previous life but desired it now.

In his previous life, around this time, Jiang Lihai had an affair with He Chunlin, causing chaos in the family. At that time, Jiang Liyun was in a relationship with Xie Zugen, but the Xie family was low-key, and their wealth wasn’t apparent even to her.

Moreover, Xie Zugen was not attractive and didn’t treat her well.

Xie Zugen would come to their house for meals, and she was expected to take care of him! For instance, while Li Xuyang could be asked to serve her food, Xie Zugen would hand her his bowl and expect her to serve him.

Living in the town, Jiang Liping enjoyed a good life. Her in-laws didn’t dare to offend her, and though her husband was a bit silly, he was easy to please and listened to her. She had a comfortable life, a sense of superiority in front of her siblings, and naturally didn’t want a divorce.

Setting aside Li Xuyang’s lack of wit, in terms of living conditions, Jiang Liping was significantly better off than the rural girls.

Li’s parents worked at the fertiliser factory and had decent wages; they were even willing to spend money on food and drinks.

Going further back in time, after Jiang Lihai remarried, he married a woman who had been married before, and her family was always poor. After marrying Xie Zugen, she continued to do a lot of housework and eventually faced divorce due to Xie Zugen’s gambling issues.

At that time, where was Jiang Liping? She had given birth to a son, and her mother-in-law had just retired. Fearing that she might run away, the mother-in-law served her wholeheartedly. She didn’t have to do any housework, lived a comfortable life, and naturally didn’t want a divorce.

Thinking back, during that time, Jiang Liping used to boast in front of her about how well Li Xuyang treated her.

But now, the situation has changed.

Their family was living a good life. Jiang Lihai joined the transportation team and built a house. He was about to marry He Chunlin, and their future seemed bright.

As for Jiang Liping? She earned more, and her future days were sure to be good.

The sense of happiness is relative. When compared before, Jiang Liping thought she was very happy, but now… She probably felt she wasn’t living well.

Wanting a divorce was normal for her.

At this point, Jiang Liping asked again, “Do you think it’s not good for me to divorce him?”

“I don’t think so. Divorce is your freedom, but you should compensate the Li family,” Jiang Liyun replied.

Getting married or divorced is everyone’s choice, and it’s normal to want a divorce if one isn’t living well. But in Jiang Liping’s case… She had spent a considerable amount of money from the Li family, and if she divorced, she would have to compensate.

However, Jiang Liping was an adult and had her own ideas. Jiang Liyun couldn’t control much.

Jiang Liping left without knowing if she had taken in Jiang Liyun’s words.

Seeing her leave, Jiang Liyun laid down to rest.

In the afternoon, she had to go sell fried chicken. A few days ago, when chicken prices were low, she could sell ten chickens a day. Just selling fried chicken could earn her forty to fifty in a day, which was quite satisfying. However, the chicken prices wouldn’t remain so low.

Of course, they wouldn’t be too expensive either. The difference was just a few cents per kilogramme of chicken, which wouldn’t impact her much.

On this day, Jiang Liping left Jiang’s house with Li Xuyang after dinner.

Jiang Lihai didn’t come back for dinner at all; he had to sail the next day, and tonight some people were taking the chickens to the brick and tile factory. He and Sun Jinshan had to go there to oversee.

The next day, Jiang Liyun’s life went on as usual, but on the other side at the brick and tile factory, it was chaotic.

A total of five thousand chickens were brought in from Hongxing Township!

With so many chickens crowded together, the entire brick and tile factory was filled with an unpleasant odour.

Jiang Lihai was fine; he was eager for money. Just the thought of making a few hundred dollars from this trip filled him with motivation. Moreover, although he was a literary person, he had done all sorts of farm work at home before because Jiang Limping was not well. The smell of chicken manure was really nothing to him.

But Sun Jinshan was different.

Sun Jinshan’s parents were strong and healthy, and Sun Jinshan didn’t do much farm work at home.

Now, having to be with so many chickens day and night and go to Shanghai with them, he felt uncomfortable.

He even wanted to overthrow his career plan—did he really want to raise and sell chickens in the future? That was too uncomfortable, wasn’t it?

Would he never be able to wash off the smell of chicken manure from his body?

If he put on new clothes and shoes but ended up smelling bad,.

The more Sun Jinshan thought about it, the scarier it seemed.

However, he was very clear that he would continue with this job; after all, he could earn a lot of money from it.

He wanted a big TV, a car, and many other things.

Putting on the old clothes for work, Sun Jinshan busied himself, looking all dusty.

Secretary Lu stared at the dusty Sun Jinshan for a while before recognising him. “You… you’re Ermao?”