NCCnovel Chapter 51: Unmasking the Scumbag, He's Destroyed!
Chapter 51: Unmasking the Scumbag, He's Destroyed!
As the rooster crowed for the first time, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. A hazy mist enveloped the entire Red Star Brigade, chilling the air to the bone.
The dilapidated wooden door of the Li family creaked open.
Niu Guihua was already dressed up, having specially changed into the blue cloth jacket that she only wore during the New Year. Although the cuffs were worn white, she still exuded a spirit of going to receive a reward when she wore it.
Her arms were still bulging, with the two hundred-plus yuan pressed against her belly, warming her and giving her energy.
"Da Bao! You lazy pig! Get up and push the cart!"
Niu Guihua kicked open the door to the east room and grabbed Li Dabao, who was still drooling.
Li Xianglian walked out of the woodshed.
After a night's rest, and with that rare bowl of dumpling soup, her face was still pale, but her eyes were frighteningly bright.
She combed her hair neatly and tied it into a low ponytail with a faded red hair tie, revealing her smooth, full forehead and her calm, deep eyes.
When the group arrived at the village entrance, Zhao Cuifen was already waiting.
Unlike Niu Guihua's cheerful demeanor, Zhao Cuifen looked like a wilted eggplant, listless and droopy.
Last night, I was tormented by Old Man Sun for most of the night. Now, I have dark circles under my eyes, and my old face is sallow. Plus, I'm heartbroken over the two hundred yuan. I don't look like I'm going to the county town for business, but rather to attend a funeral.
"Why are you so late? What were you dawdling about!"
Zhao Cuifen muttered something in annoyed, and glared at Li Xianglian with her triangular eyes.
"What's the rush? Good things come to those who wait."
Niu Guihua slapped her thigh, in a good mood and not bothering to argue with her, "Let's go! Today is a big day!"
The cart wheels made a teeth-grinding scraping sound as they rolled over the gravel road.
A figure was squatting under the crooked old willow tree at the entrance of the village.
Er Gou had a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, seemingly waiting idly to watch the sunrise, but his sly eyes had already seen through the group.
Once the cart was far away, Er Gou suddenly spat out the grass root in his mouth, chuckled, and turned to disappear into the cornfield next to him.
"Brother, let's go! That Zhao Cuifen is like a living ghost, she's been completely drained!"
Deep in the cornfield, Qin Rushan was resting with his eyes closed, leaning against a bundle of straw. Hearing a noise, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the glint in his eyes was more dazzling than the rising sun.
He casually grabbed a tattered straw hat from the side of his feet and put it on his head, covering half of his face, revealing only his resolute chin and thin lips pursed into a straight line.
"Keep up."
Only these two words, deep and powerful.
This journey has been incredibly difficult.
First came the handcarts that smelled of cow dung, then the Jiefang brand buses that billowed black smoke.
Zhao Cuifen was reluctant to spend the money. When she took out the ticket money, her hands trembled as if she had Parkinson's disease. She squeezed the two crumpled one-yuan bills until they were wet before she could bear to give them to the ticket seller.
Niu Guihua, however, was quite generous. She snatched the ticket, afraid Zhao Cuifen would change her mind, and dragged Li Xianglian onto the train, not forgetting to instruct Li Dabao: "Dabao, save us seats! Don't let anyone take the good ones! We paid for these!"
Three hours later, we arrived in Yun County.
Compared to the impoverished and remote area of Hongxing Brigade, this place is indeed a dazzling world.
Upbeat songs blared from loudspeakers, and many people rode bicycles on the street, their bells ringing crisply enough to make one's heart itch.
As soon as Zhao Cuifen entered the city, her domineering attitude towards her own family shrank back by half.
Looking at the city people around her in their blue overalls, she felt that her homespun clothes were too conspicuous, and she wished she could walk close to the wall.
"Go directly to the supply and marketing cooperative's staff quarters."
Li Xianglian sat on the cart, her voice as cold as ice.
Zhao Cuifen stiffened, turned around and glared: "What are you doing there? Gangzi's at work..."
"If we don't block them in the staff quarters, are we supposed to cause trouble at the counter?"
Li Xianglian rested her hand on the side of the cart, her fingernails lightly digging into the splinters in the wood. "Or perhaps, Mother-in-law, you want everyone in the supply and marketing cooperative to see how Gangzi acts like a heartless scoundrel?"
Zhao Cuifen was so choked up that her eyes rolled back, and she could only grit her teeth and lead the way.
The supply and marketing cooperative's residential compound was located in the west of the city. It consisted of a row of red brick tenement buildings, inhabited by respectable people.
It's lunchtime, and the entrance to the residential compound is bustling with activity.
People wearing polyester shirts rode their bikes in, with net bags hanging from the handlebars, filled with green onions or steamed buns; the lively atmosphere was palpable.
The appearance of the Li family was like a drop of ink falling into plain water—very jarring.
The dilapidated cart, Li Dabao's filthy clothes covered in patches, Niu Guihua's shrewish rural demeanor, and Zhao Cuifen's bitter and resentful face—passersby couldn't help but glance at them with disdain.
Zhao Cuifen blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head so much that she almost buried it in her crotch.
"Are we there yet? Why is this crappy place so far?"
Li Dabao was panting heavily from exhaustion, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Just then, a crisp and arrogant bicycle bell rang from behind.
"Ring ring—"
"Gangzi! Ride slowly, don't jolt the child! This road is uneven!"
A sweet, coquettish female voice rang out, with a charm that could melt your bones. The happiness emanating from that voice was sweeter than honey.
Li Xianglian suddenly raised her head.
Not far away, a brand-new Phoenix bicycle was slowly approaching.
The cart wheels were polished to a shine, reflecting the sunlight.
The man on the bicycle was wearing a snow-white polyester shirt, crisp navy blue trousers, shiny black leather shoes, and even a flashy watch.
Her hair was combed meticulously and slicked back with hair oil; even a fly would have to do the splits if it landed on it.
On that fair face, a gentle and indulgent smile was on her face as she turned her head to talk to the person in the back seat.
Who else could it be but Zhao Gang?
The woman sitting in the back seat had fashionable wavy hair, wore a red floral dress with white flowers, and black leather shoes.
She wrapped one arm around Zhao Gang's waist, pressing herself against his back as if boneless, while her other hand protected her slightly protruding belly.
Their loving display was so intense it hurt to look at them.
Zhao Gang was smiling and saying something when he looked up, and the smile on his face instantly froze.
He was like a rooster with its neck being choked, suddenly slamming on the brakes.
"squeak--"
The wheels left a black mark on the ground. The woman in the back seat cried out in surprise and lurched forward, bumping into Zhao Gang's back.
"Gangzi, what's wrong?" the woman asked coquettishly, peeking out from behind Zhao Gang.
Zhao Gang ignored her. He stared intently at the group of beggar-like people in front of him, his face turning deathly pale. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Niu Guihua originally wanted to hide, afraid of losing face.
But upon closer inspection, the first thing he noticed was the brand-new bicycle, then the watch on Zhao Gang's wrist, and finally his gaze was fixed on the gold bracelet on the woman's wrist.
The golden light dispelled all the fear in her eyes.
This isn't a son-in-law, this is a fat pig dripping with oil!
"Oh my goodness!"
Niu Guihua shot out like a cannonball, her fat body carrying momentum as she blocked the road, forcing Zhao Gang's bicycle to stop.
"Are you blind?! Are you looking for death?!"
Zhao Gang instinctively opened his mouth to curse, still unable to retract his sense of superiority as a city dweller.
But when he saw who was blocking his way, the cursing stopped abruptly, and a strange "clucking" sound came from his throat.
"Mother-in-law...?"
Zhao Gang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He froze on the bicycle seat, forgetting to hold onto the handlebars, and almost fell off the bike.
Niu Guihua, hands on her hips, ignoring the crowd around her, pointed at Zhao Gang's nose and sneered, "Oh, isn't this Gangzi? Dressed all high and mighty, I thought you were dead. Turns out you've been enjoying yourself here!"
Upon hearing this, the onlookers immediately stopped in their tracks.
The woman named Wang Lili frowned, looked Niu Guihua up and down, and covered her nose in disgust: "Gangzi, who is this? What's that smell on her? It stinks!"
Cold sweat trickled down Zhao Gang's temples. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but realized that any explanation he gave at this moment would be a bombshell.
"This...this is..."
"This is your mother-in-law!"
Li Xianglian jumped off the cart.
She walked slowly, step by step, but very steadily.
Although she wore patched old clothes and had no makeup on her face, the coldness she exuded from her very bones made Zhao Gang, dressed in Dacron, feel a little suffocated.
She walked to the bicycle, looked at the man who had once vowed to give her a good life, and then at the flamboyant woman on the back seat.
"Gangzi, aren't you going to introduce him?"
Li Xianglian's voice was soft, yet every word was clear, carrying throughout the entrance of the residential compound: "Is this the reason you gave in your letter, that you were too busy with revolutionary work and couldn't come home for three years?"