"From now on, you two should stop being so self-righteous. If I ignore you, it's not because I'm afraid, but because I don't want to dirty my hands." Chen Lishu finished speaking, turned around, and called the Gu family to leave together.
Seeing that the matter was mostly settled, everyone dispersed and went home.
"Cheng Ming, are you alright?" Zhao Hong, seeing that most people had left, cautiously stepped forward to check his injuries.
"Slap!" Lu Chengming suddenly flung his hand and slapped her hard.
"Cheng Ming?" Zhao Hong, covering her face, looked at Lu Chengming in shock, unable to recover for a long time.
"Bitch, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have lost so much face today. Why don't you just die!" Lu Chengming said, still unconvinced, and kicked her twice more.
Zhao Hong was caught off guard and slumped to the ground. Seeing him about to leave, she grabbed his leg, "Cheng Ming, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please forgive me this once."
"Get lost!"
Lu Chengming was unmoved. He kicked her aside and quickly disappeared.
...
"Really, anyone can appear these days. I think they are just bullying you because you are easy to bully." Li Xiulan's anger had not subsided by the time they got home.
"Lishu, from now on, you should be more assertive. Listen to your mother. We don't pick fights, but we shouldn't be afraid of them either."
Chen Lishu smiled and nodded, "Mom, I know. From now on, if anyone bullies me again, I'll scratch them back without a second thought."
"That's right. Remember, if you can't win, your father and I are here to back you up. Don't be afraid."
Chen Lishu felt a surge of warmth listening to her mother's nagging reminders.
Her family had no sons, and she was quite timid before. She used to let things slide when encountering problems, never daring to argue, let alone fight. It was only after being severely beaten by Lu Chengming that she was forced to learn to resist.
"Tomorrow you'll go back to town with Xingping. I'm thinking of bringing some food for you. I'll have your elder brother get you some preserved mustard greens. We also have frozen tofu and sticky bean buns at home, so you can just heat them up if you don't want to cook." Li Xiulan said, heading towards the storeroom.
Chen Lishu returned to the room and started packing. They had made some clothes during the New Year, which she could take back with them when they returned to town.
After returning to town, Chen Lishu began to work diligently on making clothes. Although Nan Haitao said there was no rush, she still wanted to finish them as soon as possible.
It wasn't until after the Lantern Festival that she finally finished all the fabric she had. Estimating that the spring plowing in the commune would begin soon, she rode her bicycle back to pick up the remaining finished clothes.
After organizing and counting all the clothes, Chen Lishu found a public phone booth and called Nan Haitao.
To Chen Lishu's surprise, less than ten minutes after she hung up and walked home, Nan Haitao arrived in his car.
"There are two hundred and thirty-nine pieces in total. Please count them?"
Nan Haitao nodded, squatted beside the large pile of clothes, counted them carefully, and then stood up. He took out money and fabric coupons from his briefcase. After deducting the five hundred yuan deposit and some fabric coupons previously given, he paid over a thousand yuan plus dozens of fabric coupons this time. It was a thick stack of colorful paper, appearing quite substantial at first glance.
"I will continue to make clothes in the future. Manager Nan can contact me anytime if you need anything," Chen Lishu said with a smile as she saw him off.
Nan Haitao raised his eyebrows, "Work clothes again?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "Even if I wanted to, I don't have that much fabric. This time, I plan to make fashion clothing."
Although she hadn't studied fashion design formally, she had lived through several decades more than others. She knew what would be popular in each era, which was her advantage.
"Fashion clothing?" Nan Haitao was quite interested in what she said, "What kind of fashion clothing?"
"If Manager Nan is interested, I can show you a sample after I finish making them."
Nan Haitao nodded, "Alright, then I will look forward to your good news."
After they made arrangements, Chen Lishu saw him off to the gate. Watching him get into his sedan and drive away in a cloud of dust, she suddenly felt a pang of envy.
In the future, when she earned money, she would also buy a car to drive, making it more convenient to go anywhere.
...
"How is it, Auntie? Will I really have a child after taking my medicine?" Widow Liu held Wu Chunmei's hand, her rat-like eyes flashing with calculation.
"I, I'm already this old. I really didn't expect to get pregnant again. Sister Liu, I truly thank you." Wu Chunmei said excitedly, her eyes welling up with tears.
She was already forty years old and had given up hope of having another son. Who knew that after listening to Widow Liu and buying her medicine, she had actually gotten pregnant.
"I can understand your feelings. Getting pregnant is not the goal; the goal is to have a son, don't you agree?"
"Yes, yes. If I can't give my husband a son in this life, I will be a sinner of the Chen family. I..."
Thinking of all the grievances she had suffered since marrying into the Chen family, Wu Chunmei covered her mouth and sobbed softly as she spoke.
"Don't cry. I heard about your pregnancy and came to help you solve your worries," Widow Liu said, pretending to be understanding as she wiped away Wu Chunmei's tears with her sleeve.
"I'm telling you, I know someone who has another medicine that can change the sex of the fetus. Even if you are carrying a girl, it can be turned into a boy."
Upon hearing this, Wu Chunmei suddenly looked up, forgetting her tears. Her eyes shone with a bright light, as if a dying person had grasped a lifeline. She tightly held Widow Liu's arm, "Sister, do you really have such medicine?"
She had bought medicine from Widow Liu to get pregnant this time. Although it cost twenty yuan, which was a bit expensive, she had indeed become pregnant. Therefore, she now believed every word Widow Liu said.
Seeing her expression, Widow Liu felt confident. However, she pretended to be hesitant and said, "This fetal sex-changing medicine is very potent, and its price is naturally high. I don't think this pregnancy is necessarily a girl yet. How about..."
"Sister, I'll buy it no matter the cost. As long as I can have a son and continue the Chen family lineage, I'm willing to spend all my wealth and even risk my life!" She was already this old, and getting pregnant now was a miracle. Having given birth to seven daughters, she dared not gamble anymore.
Widow Liu pondered for a moment and named a price: "Two hundred yuan. They said the medicinal ingredients are hard to gather, and this is the price I got after explaining your situation and begging them on your behalf."
Upon hearing that it would cost two hundred yuan, a hint of hesitation appeared on Wu Chunmei's face.
Seeing her reaction, Widow Liu added fuel to the fire, "If you want to buy it, you should do it quickly. They only have one dose of this medicine left. And I heard that to change the fetus, it's best to use the medicine as early as possible. It's most effective before three months."
She was almost two months pregnant now. If she missed the timing and had another daughter, the thought of that situation made Wu Chunmei's hesitant expression turn firm. "I only have one hundred and fifty yuan here. Sister, please take it to pay the person first. When Lishu returns in a couple of days, I'll talk to her and guarantee that the remaining money will be paid. What do you think?"