The little boy stopped crying and snatched the five-cent coin from her hand, running out of the yard.
Seeing this, Zhang Chunhua quickly reminded him, "Run slowly, be careful not to fall."
Since Chen Mancang was unwilling to go, Zhang Chunhua had to take a cloth bag and go out herself.
"Mom, what do you think of these earrings?" Chen Lishu pointed to a pair of peach-shaped earrings inside the counter and asked Li Xiulan.
Li Xiulan quickly waved her hand, "I'm already so old, wearing gold and silver, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
"Who says you can't dress up when you get older? We buy these to please ourselves, there's no such thing as appropriate or not."
As Chen Lishu spoke, she looked up and asked the staff, "Comrade, how much are these earrings?"
The other party replied, "This comrade, gold is sixty yuan per gram, and a pair of earrings costs less than one hundred and fifty."
Pork was only a little over a dollar a catty, and this cost sixty yuan per gram!
Although she knew gold was not cheap, she hadn't expected it to be so expensive.
Everyone present gasped.
Chen Lishu said nothing and directly asked the staff to wrap them up.
Not long after, she spotted a plain ring, priced similarly to Li Xiulan's earrings. Turning to Wu Chunmei, she said, "Mom, you don't have pierced ears, try this ring."
As soon as Wu Chunmei heard the price, she repeatedly shook her head, "You still want to buy me something? I don't want it. My hands are rough like sandpaper, it won't look good with this."
"The sisters at home are all grown up. You won't have to do much work from now on. We'll take good care of you." Without waiting for a reply, Chen Lishu placed the ring on her finger.
Wu Chunmei's hands did not match her age. They were covered with deep and shallow furrows, traces left by years of hardship.
The ring was a little too big, so the staff exchanged it for a smaller size.
With several hundred yuan worth of goods sold in one go, the staff's attitude became very enthusiastic.
As they were about to pay, Chen Lishu noticed Zhao Qiuyue's gaze fixed on a silver necklace.
Chen Lishu pointed at the necklace and told the staff, "Wrap that up as well."
When the group pushed the baby stroller out of the store, everyone had smiles on their faces.
Especially Wu Chunmei.
She had never worn jewelry before. When she married Chen Mantun, their family conditions were poor. Later, she was worn down by Chen Laotai, with endless chores every day. She had no time for other thoughts.
Looking at the ring on her hand shining golden under the sun, Wu Chunmei's eyes welled up. She felt that the future days would definitely get better and better.
Zhang Chunhua went around the back of the vegetable market. Her luck was poor today; not many vendors were discarding vegetable leaves, and there was no discounted meat.
Feeling somewhat disappointed, she walked back and saw Chen Lishu and her group coming out of the store.
Not only Chen Lishu and her daughter-in-law, but Wu Chunmei was also there.
Having lived well these past two years, Wu Chunmei, who was originally thin and gaunt, had gained some weight in her cheeks. Her features were relaxed, and the wrinkles around her eyes had lessened.
From Chen Lishu and her sisters, one could tell that Wu Chunmei was not unattractive in her youth.
For decades, as sisters-in-law who entered the family around the same time, Zhang Chunhua had always suppressed her. Later, she gave birth to a son, and Chen Laotai completely sided with her.
Thinking of her son Baozhu, Zhang Chunhua's heart ached.
The people opposite said something, and Wu Chunmei couldn't help but laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear.
The new ring on her finger shone brightly under the sunlight.
A nerve in Zhang Chunhua's brain snapped instantly.
She rushed to Wu Chunmei in three steps and swiftly raised her hand. A crisp slap followed.
Everyone present was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Wu Chunmei covered the place where she had been hit and stared blankly at the woman in front of her, who looked like a madwoman, and uncertainly called out, "Sister-in-law?"
Chen Lishu stepped forward, "Mom, are you alright?"
Wu Chunmei shook her head. The shock in her heart was greater than her anger.
Zhang Chunhua, only in her fifties, looked at least seventy.
Her hair was more than half gray, her cheeks were sunken, her cheekbones protruded, and she wore tattered clothes. As it was hot, a sour smell could faintly be detected.
"Bitch, your whole family is black-hearted and heartless. Baozhu at least called you Second Aunt, how could you just watch him die!" Zhang Chunhua raised her hand, intending to slap again, but Chen Lishu grabbed her wrist.
Immediately, two even crisper sounds echoed.
Chen Lishu shook her stinging palm and looked at Zhang Chunhua, saying coldly, "If you want to act crazy, at least look at where you are. If you cause more trouble, do you believe I won't call the police?"
Zhang Chunhua pointed at Wu Chunmei, her eyes filled with malice, "Wu Chunmei, I never realized that a dog like you, who doesn't bite, could be so venomous. And you, this good-for-nothing daughter you gave birth to, you colluded to harm my Baozhu."
Xiao Cheng and Xiao Bai were happily eating biscuits in the baby stroller. Upon seeing Zhang Chunhua, especially hearing her sharp curses, the two children were so scared that they burst into tears.
They had never encountered such a terrifying bad person since birth.
Chen Lishu quickly bent down to comfort the two babies.
But Xiao Bai and Xiao Cheng both raised their little hands towards her, wanting to be held for comfort.
"Mommy, hug..."
She first held Xiao Chengzi, who was crying the hardest, in her arms. Zhao Qiuyue quickly bent down and picked up Xiao Bai as well.
Seeing that the two children were frightened, Wu Chunmei frowned and said, "Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Everyone knows how Baozhu died. I won't argue with you if you're not feeling well, but don't scare the children, they are still young."
"Before, you wouldn't even dare to fart in front of me, and now that life is a little better, your tail is sticking up? You think you can laugh to the end just because my Baozhu is gone? I'm telling you, I still have grandsons, what do you have? You only gave birth to seven good-for-nothing daughters, ptooey!"
Li Xiulan said, "Mancang's wife, the two families are relatives, your words are a bit too harsh."
Wu Chunmei shook her head at her, "Old sister-in-law, I'm fine."
In the past, if Wu Chunmei heard her heart-piercing words, she would have been sad and upset. But now, Wu Chunmei had long since come to terms with having sons or daughters.
Back then, she was also blinded by self-interest and wouldn't listen to anything anyone said. But after so many years, no one's son was as good as her daughters.
As the saying goes, one good tiger can block the road, but a nest of mice is all fed to the cats.
Just like Zhang Chunhua's son, Chen Baozhu. If he were that kind of son, she would rather not have him.
"Who is her relative? Has she ever treated us as family? Baozhu was desperate and asked them for a loan, but they wouldn't lend a single cent. Without them, my Baozhu wouldn't have died." Thinking of Chen Baozhu, Zhang Chunhua started to cry.
"Your words are truly laughable. What does his death have to do with us? Did we make him gamble? Did we make him borrow from loan sharks? Your family's house and land were all mortgaged by him. What, do you want to drag us down with you and fill his bottomless pit?"