"You slut!" Liu Widow, after a moment of recovery, jumped up and slapped Zhang Chunhua.
The two women now glared at each other like angry chickens and immediately started brawling again...
After their own television was installed, Chen Lishu and her husband carried another television back to the Chen family home.
"Big brother-in-law!" The younger children obediently greeted Gu Xingdong when they saw him enter.
The seventh child, Chen Lizi, seeing the box in his hand, blinked and asked, "Big brother-in-law, what are you holding?"
Gu Xingdong smiled and said, "Your big sister said you are usually obedient and sensible, so she is rewarding you with a television."
"A television?" Chen Lifei and Chen Liwan, who were washing clothes, stopped what they were doing upon hearing about the new television and came over curiously.
Wu Chunmei: "This thing isn't cheap, is it? I heard it costs four or five hundred."
Chen Lishu smiled, "Mom, as long as you're willing to spend money on electricity, I'll buy the family a washing machine next year."
"Absolutely not," Wu Chunmei waved her hands repeatedly. "If I had known, I wouldn't have let you spend this unnecessary money. Please don't buy a washing machine; doing the work yourself is fine."
"Mom, just stop. I think you're just being stingy."
Chen Lifei shamelessly exposed her, "I'm already earning a salary at Big Sister's place. Next year, I'll buy a washing machine myself, so we don't have to boil water in the dead of winter. Washing such thick clothes will break my back and Fourth Sister's back."
Chen Mantun said with a smile, "Good, you're all promising. Liffi, keep your money for yourself. Dad will pay for the washing machine."
Wu Chunmei couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, "You're the only one who spoils the children, as if I were a stepmother."
Chen Lifei chimed in, "If Dad doesn't spoil us, who will?"
The couple couldn't help but laugh.
Lying on the kang, Old Mrs. Chen heard the harmonious sounds of everyone in the adjacent room, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Her eldest grandson had only been gone a few days, and these people were still laughing and chatting. They wouldn't stop until they had angered her to death!
All beasts!
"Heh heh!" Old Mrs. Chen's throat sounded like a worn-out bellows, wheezing continuously but unable to produce a clear syllable.
She strained her body towards the edge of the kang, but after trying for a long time, she only managed to move a small distance.
Her eldest grandson was gone, and it was all the fault of the second family. They had money to buy a television and wanted to buy a washing machine, but they didn't think of helping her eldest grandson. If they had lent the money to Baozhu at that time, he wouldn't have died.
She wouldn't let this family have an easy time. She would torment them relentlessly and absolutely not let them have peace!
Thinking this, Old Mrs. Chen gritted her teeth and finally managed to crawl to the edge of the kang, then with a forceful push, she flipped over and fell off.
Originally, Old Mrs. Chen thought that as long as she made a noise, she would definitely call Chen Mantun and his wife over, but she didn't expect that the ground in the room was dirt, and with a wall in between, the adjacent room heard nothing.
"Dad, I think there's a good piece of tree trunk by the courtyard wall. We can use that to make the antenna later," Gu Xingdong suggested.
Frugal households in the countryside generally had a habit of saving wood. Once dried, it could not only be split for firewood but also used to build sheds and annexes.
Chen Mantun was skilled at farming and was meticulous in managing household affairs. Sometimes, he would bring back leftover materials from logging on the mountain. Over time, a pile of three to four-meter-long logs was neatly arranged at the bottom of the courtyard wall.
"I'll go with you," Chen Mantun said, and went out with Gu Xingdong.
Wu Chunmei: "I'll go buy groceries now. Later, ask Liffi to bring the two children over, and you'll all eat at home tonight."
"We didn't tell my mother-in-law we wouldn't be back for dinner when we came. She must have brought our meals. How about tomorrow? I'll bring them over first thing in the morning."
As soon as Chen Lishu finished speaking, she heard Chen Lijuan's cry: "Mom, hurry! Grandma fell on the ground!"
"How did she fall on the ground?" Wu Chunmei hurriedly got up, and Chen Lishu followed her.
By the time they reached the room, they saw Old Mrs. Chen lying motionless on the ground, her facial expression severely contorted.
Seeing that the situation was bad, Wu Chunmei quickly said to Chen Lijuan, who was already scared stiff, "Lijuan, hurry and call your dad!"
By the time Chen Mantun hitched the horse-drawn cart to take her to the hospital, Old Mrs. Chen had already completely passed away.
Chen Baozhu had only been gone a few days, and now Old Mrs. Chen had also passed. Chen Mancang and Zhang Chunhua had no intention of preparing a funeral for her. They only attended the viewing perfunctorily, and all other arrangements were handled by Chen Mantun and his wife.
"After being mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for twenty to thirty years, with her suddenly gone, honestly, I feel completely relieved."
From the day she married into the Chen family, she had been obedient and submissive to her mother-in-law. Because she couldn't give birth to a son, she had been tormented for over a decade. Wu Chunmei didn't show much sadness on her face, only a slight sense of melancholy.
Chen Mantun looked up and said softly, "It's all in the past."
...
Lin Dazhong's wound healed well. After staying in the hospital for about ten days, he was notified that he could go home to recuperate.
Liu Xiaobao's sentence also came down: five years in prison. Liu Widow was stunned at the time, but she was always optimistic and didn't grieve for more than two days. She then thought of her eldest son, Liu Dabao.
She was also nearing fifty and had to consider her future retirement. Although she disliked Yue Hongmei, Yue Hongmei was carrying the Liu family's child. She visited twice, wanting to call the couple back, but unfortunately, Yue Hongmei ignored her.
She was quite content being in charge of her own affairs; why should she put herself out? Liu Widow was helpless. Her land had been sold by Wang Qiao'e's family for several more years. With no money and no son to rely on, she soon returned to her old ways.
It was a pity that she was not good-looking and was older, so she could only barely make ends meet.
Before the Chinese New Year, Chen Lishu visited the two shops before they closed. Besides checking on the situation in the shops, she reviewed all the accounts. Once she was sure there were no problems, she called Zhang Li to her side.
"You've worked hard this year, and you've done a great job."
Receiving the praise, Zhang Li couldn't help but smile.
"We can't neglect the ready-to-wear business, but running back and forth is still limited in energy. I plan to have my eldest sister-in-law manage the village side, so you can free up more energy here."
Then, Chen Lishu briefly explained the work arrangements for the coming year.
"...The courtyard is already there. I'll talk to Nan Haitao and buy a few more sewing machines. In the future, we'll recruit workers to work in the office; they won't be allowed to take the work home. This way, it will avoid many problems and improve efficiency."
Zhang Li diligently took notes on each item.
Thinking of something, she looked up and said, "Oh, Sister Chen, you don't know yet, do you? Sister Sun retired some time ago."
The Sister Sun that Zhang Li was referring to was Sun Min, a neighbor in the rented courtyard before. Both she and her husband, Wang Chenglin, were workers at the garment factory.