Back To The 80s-Chapter 431 - 441: Contrast _1

Gu Xiaobei saw Zhao Hongmei out, made a helpless face as he entered the house, and muttered to Lu Zhanguo, "What kind of person is this? She stalks our house like a spy, keeping tabs on us every day."

Lu Zhanguo handed the old newspapers to the children and watched them tear them into pieces. After hearing Gu Xiaobei’s complaint, he looked at his wife with a gentle gaze and said, "If you dislike her, just don’t associate with her. Don’t worry about keeping up appearances for anyone."

Gu Xiaobei chuckled, sat down next to Lu Zhanguo and said, "Actually, she hasn’t really done anything over the line. It’s just that her mouth is rather malicious. Soon, no one in the residential area would dare to associate with her family. That’d give the old Zeng a headache."

After finishing his sentence, Gu Xiaobei tousled his son’s hair and asked, "Mo Wang, did you close the door just now? Why did you come inside with Xiaopang?"

Mo Wang tilted his head, his big eyes staring wide. He thought for a while before saying, "Fighting, bald."

Lu Zhanguo was utterly confused. However, as a mother, Gu Xiaobei understood her child well and ventured a guess, "Are you saying that Erhu hit your sister and she cried?"

Mo Wang nodded and continued to tear the newspaper into tiny strips.

Hugging their son, Gu Xiaobei praised, "Although our Mo Wang doesn’t speak much, he understands things clearly. He’s always ready to protect his sister."

That night, as Lu Zhanguo lay on the kang, a traditional Chinese bed stove, he listened to the sound of his wife and children breathing in their sleep, watching the ceiling in the dark.

Today, after hearing from Gu Xiaobei that he saw Li Juan, he couldn’t help but remember the scenes from Wen Dong’s last days. The images were still vivid. He decided to find some time to visit Wen Dong’s parents.

....

After hearing from Gu Xiaobei about Li Juan in the provincial city, Li Fengmei asked for the exact address. She planned to find time on Sunday to visit. Zhang Lijun couldn’t take off work, so he told her to go first. When he had time, he would make a trip there himself.

Knowing that Li Juan was now a butcher and wouldn’t lack meat, Li Fengmei went to the market and bought several feet of cloth. She thought the old couple could make some clothes out of it.

At the marketplace, Li Juan was dexterously cutting and weighing meat for customers. As she worked, she cheerfully said, "As you can see from the height of the scales, I always give full weight, and sometimes even more."

The customers laughed and said, "You are very honest, sister. Other shops keep the scales precisely balanced. From now on, we’ll buy meat from you. Please save four pig’s feet for me. I’ll come to pick it up the day after tomorrow."

Laughing, Li Juan replied, "Sure, don’t worry. We never cheat our customers."

Watching this scene from not too far away, Li Fengmei’s eyes welled up with tears. Back in the residential area, Li Juan never had to endure such hardship. Now, she was able to swallow her pride, wield a knife, and sell meat. It felt almost unfair.

After greeting the customers, Li Juan turned around and saw Li Fengmei standing to the side. She called out with surprise and joy, "Sister-in-law, you’re here." Then she quickly walked over from the meat stand.

"I see business is going pretty well. That’s great," Li Fengmei said with a smile.

Li Juan responded with a smile, "Yes, many residential areas for government units are nearby. The conditions are quite good. People come to buy meat every few days. On holidays, I can sell two whole pigs in a day." Li Juan was somewhat familiar with Li Fengmei, and there had never been any direct conflicts between them.

Looking at Li Juan, who used to be slim but was now much more robust, Li Fengmei knew that making money was not easy. "Are your parents in the room? After hearing from Xiaobei’s wife, I’ve been wanting to visit. Today, Sunday, I finally found the time."

Li Juan was somewhat moved. Seeing how Li Fengmei was dressed, she knew they were doing well but there was no hint of disdain, and instead, they even came to visit. After a moment of coy embarrassment, she smiled and said, "Yes they are inside. Let’s go sit in the room."

Inside the room, Wen Dong’s parents were scorching hair off a pig’s head. The room smelled burnt. Wen Dong’s father’s sight wasn’t too good, so he had to lean in close to the pig’s head to see if the hair was completely burnt off.

Seeing this scene, Li Fengmei’s heart ached. She put the cloth on the bed and rolled up her sleeves, ready to help.

Li Juan quickly stopped her, "Sister-in-law, it’s very greasy. You don’t need to get involved."

Wen Dong’s father also chuckled and said, "We’ve almost finished here, you just sit."

After sitting for a while and seeing Li Juan running back and forth between the customer and her, Li Fengmei thought it would be better to leave. Before she left, she pulled out ten yuan and left it on the bed.

Ever since the last time Gu Xiaobei had left ten yuan, Li Juan had been wary of Li Fengmei doing the same.

Now that Li Fengmei had actually done it, Li Juan quickly picked up the money, handed it back to Li Fengmei, and said, "If you do this, don’t come to see us again. Yesterday evening, the squadron leader came and gave my father-in-law a hundred yuan. He felt terrible all night. He said that we, a family of three, are not handicapped. We can’t be relying on our son’s honor and living off others’ charity. Apart from the poor living conditions, we aren’t lacking in food or clothing. In a couple of years, we’ll have saved enough to buy a house in the provincial city." As Li Juan spoke, her eyes turned red.

Yesterday evening, when Lu Zhanguo came and chatted with Wen Dong’s father for a while, he left a hundred yuan in the old man’s hand before leaving. Wen Dong’s father was an honest man. Seeing Lu Zhanguo’s serious expression, he didn’t dare refuse and obediently held onto the money.

After Lu Zhanguo left, the old man crumpled the ten big unity notes into a knot. Choking back tears, he said to Li Juan, "Juan, tell them next time that if they bring money, they shouldn’t bother coming. We’re able to work and survive. Wen Dong is gone. If we take their money like this, what does it make us?"

Hearing these words, Li Fengmei put the ten yuan back in her pocket.

While they were talking, a woman’s voice from outside called, "Anyone home? I want to buy meat."

Li Juan quickly walked out. Li Fengmei followed her, and when the two women saw the customer, they were both stunned.

Xiangmin hadn’t expected to run into Li Juan and Li Fengmei here, and she too froze on the spot.

Li Juan, not knowing about the recent events in the residential area, quickly smiled and went over, saying, "Xiangmin sister-in-law, has the instructor also been transferred to the provincial city? You’ve lost so much weight!"

Xiangmin’s face flashed with embarrassment. She awkwardly said, "Oh, it’s your stall. It’s doing well."

"Yes, we’ve been at it for over a year. Sister-in-law, do you live nearby? I haven’t seen you shopping for groceries," Li Juan said, somewhat agitated. Lately, she had encountered a lot of familiar faces.

Xiangmin didn’t confirm or deny it. She spoke in a small voice, "I have my own vegetable garden, so I don’t often come out to buy things."

Li Fengmei didn’t want to expose Xiangmin’s situation. She smiled, said goodbye to both women, and left.

Seeing Li Fengmei leaving, Xiangmin breathed a sigh of relief. Casually, she said, "You can carry on with your work. I’ll leave now."

Li Juan, puzzled, asked, "Sister-in-law, didn’t you say you were buying meat? Let me cut a piece for you to take home."

Xiangmin didn’t wait for Li Juan to finish. She swiftly turned around and left.

Watching Xiangmin’s retreating figure, Li Juan couldn’t make sense of it. Why had Xiangmin changed so much from what she used to be? Not only did she look haggard, but her personality had also changed.