Read Novel Full Chapter 84
Chapter 84 : Lard Dregs
The apartment had two rooms. The larger one was used as a bedroom, where a desk and two chairs could be placed for studying. The smaller room was a bathroom. To be honest, Jiang Li felt relieved when she saw the squat toilet and shower area.
If she had to use a public restroom in such cold weather, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The two of them quickly tidied up, locked the door, and went out to buy some necessities. Furniture and other items could be brought from the countryside, and the rest could be purchased in the city.
As they were going out, a figure flashed by and almost knocked Jiang Li over. Fortunately, Qi Shaoqiang was quick to pull her aside.
Jiang Li glanced quickly and saw that it was a boy about seven or eight years old. His clothes were neat but dirty. He didn’t apologize for bumping into them but glared at both Jiang Li and Qi Shaoqiang.
An old woman came out from behind the boy. She acted as if she hadn’t seen anything when her child bumped into someone. As she walked by, she looked Jiang Li up and down, then asked in a tone that sounded like she was inspecting her household registration, “Are you new here? From the countryside? How many people are in your family?”
Jiang Li had a very bad impression of this family and quickly took Qi Shaoqiang away.
The old woman muttered behind their backs, “You uneducated fool, you don’t even respond to your elders.”
Her hostility wasn’t without reason. Before Qi Shaoqiang moved in, she had set her sights on these two rooms.
There were many children in her family, and the seven of them were cramped into two rooms, with no place to sleep at night. The two rooms had originally been occupied by a family named Wu, but the man had been fired from the factory for committing a crime at work and was sent to labor reform, so the rest of the family moved back to the countryside.
Her family had lived there for more than ten years, and those two rooms should have been allocated to her. But she hadn’t expected them to suddenly appear and occupy the rooms.
“Humph, that woman looks like a vixen. She’s restless, and I bet she’ll cheat on me sooner or later!” the old woman muttered.
“Mom, I’m back with lunch,” said a woman in work clothes, carrying two aluminum lunch boxes, her face showing signs of exhaustion.
Noticing that the two rooms next door were locked, Fang Fang curiously asked, “Did the family next door move in? Who are they?”
“She’s not very old, but you can tell from the first glance that she’s not a quiet person. The man is young, too, probably just an ordinary worker,” said Old Mrs. Luo.
She was very disdainful because her own son, Yue Jin, was the team leader at the factory and in charge of a production line.
Once they knew her identity, this family would rush to give her gifts to try to curry favor with her. Then, she’d have to warn them, because they took what should have been hers. Ugh!
The boy who had bumped into Jiang Li ran in through the door and grabbed meat from the lunch box without washing his hands.
“Huzi, why didn’t you go to school today?” Fang Fang frowned. “Who taught you to eat food off the table without washing your hands?”
“Also, it’s wrong to skip school like this. You need to go to school in the afternoon,” she scolded.
“The child is hungry, let him eat if he wants,” Old Mrs. Luo said dismissively. “It’s the time for him to grow.” When Fang Fang turned around to pick up a bowl, she quietly curled her lips, “Your mother is just pretending to be clean. Besides, my eldest grandson is smart even without school. Your father didn’t go to school either, and he could still take over your grandfather’s job as a worker.”
Li Xiaohu was held in his grandmother’s arms and made faces at Fang Fang. It was his grandma who always spoiled him, saying, “Mom is a big bad guy!”
Before dinner, Xiao Xing, who had just turned one, urinated again. By the time Fang Fang changed the diaper and fed the child, only the scraps of food were left on the table.
Fang Fang ate the leftovers as usual, then asked her eldest daughter, Xiaotao, to clean the table and dishes before hurrying off to work.
By the time they came out, Qi Shaoqiang had already gotten a letter of introduction from the brigade, organized the grain, oil, and non-staple food books, and the two of them went to buy vegetables and coal.
By chance, the grocery store had just received some fresh pork fat, so Jiang Li bought a large piece and also asked for two pounds of spare ribs, planning to go home and make pork ribs with preserved plum sauce.
The two of them were chatting and laughing as they carried their purchases home when they saw the old woman they had met earlier in the morning loitering around their door. When she saw the large piece of pork fat, her eyes lit up.
She rushed over and stretched out her hand. “This neighbor is so polite, even buying meat for us! Hey, why don’t you buy lean ribs instead of fatty meat?”
Qi Shaoqiang quickly pulled his hand back, and Old Mrs. Luo’s hand, which had been reaching for the meat, was left empty. She stared at him in surprise and said, “I can carry it home myself.”
“Old lady, your face is thicker than the pig skin I just bought. Why don’t you go to the supply and marketing cooperative and grab some meat?” Jiang Li retorted bluntly.
“This meat is for my family. You two are new here and have no manners at all. It’s polite to give gifts to neighbors when you move in. How can you be so uneducated?” Old Mrs. Luo responded, her tone self-righteous, which made Qi Shaoqiang laugh.
“Do you think the food factory is your mountain? Do you think you’re the king here? People who come in have to pay respects to you!” Qi Shaoqiang said, his voice tinged with mockery.
“You are so old, and yet you still do such shameless things!” Jiang Li added, making Old Mrs. Luo’s face turn blue with anger.
“You two are so filthy and disrespectful to the elderly. You’re such a curse!”
Two sharp slaps to the face left Old Mrs. Luo stunned. Jiang Li had started the confrontation simply because she didn’t agree with her.
“If you say that again, I’ll slap you twice,” Jiang Li warned.
Normally, when Old Mrs. Luo met someone weaker, she would have pinched them. But facing someone as strong as Jiang Li, she hesitated and backed off.
Covering her face, she glared at Jiang Li, slammed the door, and cursed softly as she went inside.
Jiang Li ignored her and instructed Qi Shaoqiang to wash the pork fat and cut it into small pieces to boil the oil.
The spare ribs were stewed, and the aroma quickly spread through the entire corridor, tempting those who had just gotten off work.
Li Xiaohu, the boy from next door, pestered Fangfang, who had just gotten off work, asking for some meat. When Fangfang refused, Xiaohu threw himself on the ground. Old Mrs. Luo, irritated, scolded Fangfang, saying, “The child is growing, what’s wrong with giving him some meat?”
Fangfang, feeling helpless, responded, “It’s the end of the month. Where am I supposed to get meat coupons?”
“This family next door is something else. They eat meat and make others watch them. Not only do they eat it, but they make it smell so good! Ugh!” Old Mrs. Luo complained as she looked around, then pulled up Li Xiaohu, who was still rolling on the ground. “Go see if the door of that house is open. If it is, you can go to the table and eat. How much can a child like you eat? If they don’t give you anything, you can cry.”
Li Xiaohu had been howling, but at this, he rushed out. However, when he reached Jiang Li’s door, it was closed, and he refused to give up. He slammed the door in frustration.
“Li Xiaohu, you’re asking for food at someone’s house again. You have no shame!” came a voice from behind him.
It was a little girl with two ponytails, holding a bowl of radish meatballs and glaring at him.
The girl knocked on the door politely, much more courteously than Li Xiaohu had. When Jiang Li opened the door, she smiled and handed over the bowl, saying, “Auntie, my name is Xue Yingzi. My mom asked me to bring this to you. Our home is just to the right of yours. My mom said we are neighbors, so if you ever need anything in the future, just let me know. You can come to me or my mom.”