Read Novel Full Chapter 109
Chapter 109 : Passed the Exam
The squatting man seemed to have seen Jiang Li approaching and quickly turned his head away, uncomfortable. In front of him were a dead pheasant and some dried mushrooms.
An old lady was inspecting the mushrooms. “Young man, your mushrooms don’t look good. Can you lower the price? I’ll buy more if you make them cheaper.”
It started as a typical bargaining, but when Jiang Li walked past, Zhuang Guoliang felt his face burn with embarrassment. He awkwardly shifted his position, bent down to cover a patch on his cotton jacket, and gruffly said, “That’s the price, take it or leave it.”
The old lady immediately became upset and snapped, “Why are you speaking so harshly? Are you angry?”
She threw the mushrooms aside and walked off, muttering to herself. Who would want to buy his goods? If she hadn’t searched the entire market and failed to find the mushrooms her granddaughter specifically wanted, she would have avoided doing business with him. The food looked off, and she wasn’t sure if it was even clean.
Jiang Li glanced at the scene and quickly turned away, not wanting to get involved. It wasn’t worth her attention.
“Jiang Li,” Zhuang Guoliang called out to her from where he was squatting. “How have you been?”
Since Zhao Xiangyu went to jail and his third brother and his wife moved back home, he had come to understand just how important a good daughter-in-law is to a family.
Even though his third brother’s clothes were old, they were always clean, and he could come back for meals as soon as he put down his hoe.
Yingzi, his third sister-in-law’s daughter, was a good student obedient, well-behaved, and helped with housework at home.
The girls who were taken care of by his third sister-in-law had gained some weight on their faces and were smiling all the time.
Even Dabao, who used to be disobedient, became obedient after being disciplined by his third sister-in-law. He no longer got poor exam scores and would take his younger sister home after school.
But on the other hand, Jiang Hongmei was always dirty and wrinkled, only cleaning herself up when she stayed at home and sometimes taking care of her two children. When she got angry, she wouldn’t even cook properly, just boiling some vegetables to pass off as a meal.
The two children were ignorant and unruly. He used to work at a pig farm and had some money, so he could occasionally treat them to special meals. Now, with no money, Xiaobao didn’t even call him “Dad” anymore. Spoiled by Jiang Hongmei, he had become undisciplined, constantly stealing and fighting in the village. He was often visited by the village members. Xiaoyu was quiet and withdrawn, never having any friends.
The moment Zhuang Guoliang called out to Jiang Li, countless thoughts raced through Qi Shaoqiang’s mind. If he had married Jiang Li in the first place, would everything have turned out differently?
He wouldn’t have to worry about the two children, he’d just focus on making money. Then, he’d live a happy life like he had in his previous life, an ideal family and obedient children.
Now, he had to admit that he had underestimated Jiang Li and her family.
Of course, children don’t grow up easily. If their parents are unreliable, the children can grow crooked.
He wanted to fix this, but he didn’t know where to start. With his tight budget, the cold relationship between him and his wife, and the constant struggle to make a living, he had no time to think about anything else.
Before he could say anything, Jiang Li and her companions had already walked further away, and she didn’t even want to engage with him.
Zhuang Guoliang was caught in his frustration and depression. He didn’t take the money from the pheasant and mushrooms home but went to Zhang Qiaohui instead.
Now, only Zhang Qiaohui could give him a momentary escape from his troubles, but of course, this respite came with conditions. He had to bring money or something with him otherwise, Zhang Qiaohui wouldn’t treat him as well as usual.
He spent most of the night at Zhang Qiaohui’s house. When he returned home, he was surprised to find the lights still on.
As soon as Zhuang Guoliang entered, he saw Jiang Hongmei’s cold expression. “So, you remember to come back?”
She spread her hands out, “Where’s the money?”
Zhuang Guoliang felt a mix of guilt and anger at her questioning. “If the stuff didn’t sell, where would the money come from?”
Jiang Hongmei saw through his lie and exposed him mercilessly, “So you didn’t sell it? Then what about the chicken? Take it out and kill it tomorrow!”
“Why are you shouting so loudly? You woke up the child!”
The argument between the two of them woke up Zhuang Xiaobao and Zhuang Xiaoyu, who were sleeping in bed. Zhuang Xiaoyu covered her ears with a pillow, her face expressionless.
“Why worry about waking them up? I want them to hear how disgusting you are as a father. You took this little thing from home and gave it to some slutty woman. You’re such a shameless thing!”
“What the hell are you talking about! Believe it or not, I’ll beat you up!”
“Go ahead and hit me. If you have the guts, beat me to death and then find a stepmother for your child. Look at how poor you are. Which woman would marry you?”
This made Zhuang Guoliang so angry that he slapped Jiang Hongmei across the face. Jiang Hongmei reacted immediately, screaming, “I’m going to fight you. You cheat on me with other women while I work so hard at home, and you still have the nerve to hit me!”
The two of them fought. Zhuang Guoliang was drunk and feeling guilty, so he didn’t dare to use much force. But Jiang Hongmei had been working hard recently and had become much stronger. Furious, she tried to overpower Zhuang Guoliang, beating him back step by step.
Daya was woken up and instinctively hugged her two sisters. Gao Xiuqin comforted her and called for Zhuang San, “Go and have a look. This is outrageous. Aren’t you afraid of scaring the children in the middle of the night?”
She grabbed some cotton from the cotton-padded jacket she was washing, rolled it into balls, and gave two to each of the children. “Plug your ears and go to sleep.”
Zhuang Guoliang was scolded by Zhuang San, and Jiang Hongmei wouldn’t let him back in the house, so he was forced to sleep in the woodshed that night.
His regret reached its peak a month later when Jiang Li’s admission letter arrived.
Jiang Li had actually gotten into university, one of the best universities in Haicheng.
The Qi family next door celebrated by setting off firecrackers for three consecutive days and hosting a banquet to invite their relatives.
There were only two people from the Bailutang Production Brigade who had been admitted to university this year, one of them was Qin Xiaoting.
Mr. Zhuang and his wife sent over a small basket of dried bamboo shoots. There was nothing special at home, but Jiang Li didn’t mind it. She politely sent over a bowl of vegetables in return.
Chen Xianyun read Jiang Li’s admission letter over and over, almost ready to worship it on an altar.
The more she looked at Jiang Li, the more pleased she was. There was no other daughter-in-law like her in the area, she was a college student.
Well, there was also Qin Xiaoting. Qin Xiaoting was good friends with Lizi, almost like family.
While Qi Shaoqiang was happy, he had already started thinking about his work. His wife was going to study in Haicheng, which would take four years, and it was impossible for them to live apart.
Fortunately, he was in Haicheng, where he had acquaintances. His former comrades were scattered all over the country, and one of his good friends lived in Haicheng. Before he was discharged from the army, his friend had told him repeatedly to get in touch, even leaving his phone number and address.
After arriving in Haicheng and settling down, Qi Shaoqiang began looking for new opportunities.