Chen Lishu was quite startled. In the impression of Granny Chen, she was just a little beast who could do anything. If she really suffocated herself to death, where would she go to reason?
"Man Dun, Man Dun, hurry up and get up." Granny Chen's voice was hoarse from fear. Chen Man Dun and his wife were startled awake by her cry. They even forgot to put on their shoes and ran over barefoot.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Chen Man Dun said as he lit the kerosene lamp on the table.
"I..." Granny Chen wanted to say that Chen Lishu wanted to kill her, but there was no proof. This dead girl could twist black into white with just her mouth.
"I'm not sleeping with her, I want you to have your wife come serve me."
"Mom, you still have to go to work tomorrow. Isn't Lishu serving you well? Why change people?" Chen Man Dun felt that Granny Chen was being a bit troublesome.
"Grandma, my mom is only accompanying you temporarily. She has to go to work tomorrow. You can't tie her to your side forever, can you?" Chen Lishu said patiently, but winked at Granny Chen where others couldn't see.
Yes, this dead brat Chen Lishu was right. She couldn't tie her to herself forever. If she was out of sight, she might really send herself away.
Granny Chen became more and more scared. She shivered violently, then quickly got up, "Hurry and pack my things, I'm going back to your eldest brother's place."
"Mom, you..." Chen Man Dun and Wu Chunmei saw that she could stand up and was looking for things everywhere, showing no signs of illness at all. They immediately understood that she had been faking her illness all along. The couple was filled with mixed emotions when they realized this.
Silently helping Granny Chen pack her things, Wu Chunmei cried aggrievedly as she watched Chen Man Dun send her away, "It's all my fault for not being able to give birth to a son, that's why your Grandma torments the family like this."
Chen Lishu said helplessly, "Mom, this has nothing to do with whether you give birth to a son or not. It's because you and Dad indulge her too much that she dares to be so presumptuous."
Wu Chunmei continued to cry. Chen Lishu stopped trying to persuade her and lay down again, closing her eyes to sleep.
After crying for a while and seeing that Chen Lishu on the kang had already fallen asleep, Wu Chunmei wiped her tears, blew out the lamp, and returned to her own room.
The next morning, Chen Lishu did not eat at home. After getting up, she greeted Chen Man Dun and his wife, as well as the younger ones, and went home.
"Why are you back so early?" Li Xiulan was feeding the pigs. Seeing her return so early after only being away for a day startled her. She wondered if Granny Chen had passed away. "My Grandma has recovered, she went back to my eldest uncle's house, so I came back too." Chen Lishu said as she took the pig feed bucket from Li Xiulan.
Li Xiulan nodded, handed the bucket to her, and went to the kitchen to busy herself with cooking with Zhang Qin.
After breakfast, Liu Yuemin saw everyone leaving the courtyard and deliberately lagged behind to approach Chen Lishu, saying, "Third sister-in-law, I've thought it over carefully. I was wrong about the clothing factory matter before. As a mother, I just wanted to earn more money for my two children. To make amends for my past mistakes, I was thinking of selling you the hairpins for eight cents each. What do you think?"
Liu Yuemin thought that since she had said this much, Chen Lishu would definitely agree. Who knew she would say, "Second sister-in-law, I stopped doing the hairpin business a long time ago. Why don't you go to town and ask the supply and marketing cooperative if they'll buy them?"
Liu Yuemin frowned, "I asked them, and they don't need any. They won't buy them for eight cents either." Otherwise, she wouldn't be here begging Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu gave her a meaningful smile, "If they don't buy them, who will I sell them to for eight cents?"
"Don't you have a friend in the materials bureau? Can't you ask him to help sell them?"
"Second sister-in-law, you've made it all clear. As the saying goes, no profit, no early rise. Without any relationship, why would anyone help me?"
Liu Yuemin hesitated, "Then what should I do? With so many hairpins piled up, if I sell them any cheaper, I won't make much money."
Back then, Zhang Qin and the others earned at least a three-cent commission for making hairpins. If she sold them any cheaper, she wouldn't even earn three cents.
Chen Lishu didn't reply, just watched her with a half-smile.
Liu Yuemin thought for a moment and said, "Since third sister-in-law is unwilling to help, then forget it."
Seeing Chen Lishu's attitude, it was clear that she wanted to take advantage of the situation and buy them at a low price. But if she wanted to sell them cheaply, she might as well sell them to the supply and marketing cooperative in town.
Seeing Liu Yuemin leave, Chen Lishu raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and turned back into the house.
In the afternoon, she was reading when the village broadcast suddenly rang out, "Chen Lishu, Chen Lishu, please come to the brigade headquarters immediately for your phone call. Chen Lishu..."
Chen Lishu wondered who would be calling her at this time.
She arrived at the brigade headquarters in confusion. The call came again. Chen Lishu had just answered "Hello" when a slightly rushed voice came from the other end, "Hello, sister-in-law, I'm Wu Zheng. Old Gu is injured."
Old Gu was injured.
Injured...
Chen Lishu felt her head explode. She couldn't hear anything Wu Zheng said afterwards.
"Hello, hello, sister-in-law, are you listening to me?" Wu Zheng asked several times in confusion, hearing no sound from the other end of the phone.
After a while, Chen Lishu finally came to her senses, trying to control her trembling hands. Her throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, and she managed to say with difficulty, "I'm, I'm here. How is Xingdong? Is he seriously injured?"
Hearing her voice was wrong, Wu Zheng regretted not explaining things clearly and frightening her.
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. He just got a slight injury on his leg, nothing to the bone. The doctor stitched him up and gave him an IV drip. He's sleeping now."
Although Wu Zheng said so, Chen Lishu couldn't feel at ease, "I understand. Please take care of him for me. I'll take the bus over tomorrow. Please tell me the address."
After the initial panic, Chen Lishu quickly sorted out her thoughts and asked Zhang Changhe for a pen and paper to write down the address Wu Zheng had given her.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Lishu returned the pen to Zhang Changhe.
"Daughter, did something happen to Xingdong?" Zhang Changhe asked concernedly.
Chen Lishu nodded, "Uncle Changhe, Xingdong is injured. I need to go over there."
Zhang Changhe nodded, his face unconsciously becoming serious, "I'll get you a permit. Be careful on the road. Soldiers often have bumps and bruises. Don't worry too much."
"Yes, thank you, Uncle Changhe."
By the time Chen Lishu returned home with the permit, her heart had calmed down considerably.
Back home, Gu Xingping had just finished cutting pig feed and saw her enter the courtyard gate. She asked curiously, "Third sister-in-law, I heard the broadcast call you to take a phone call. Who was it?"