Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 908 907 The Iron Wheel Handle is Going to Get Exciting Again

On his way home, Tang Zhitong picked some more peaches and ripe apricots from his spatial storage.

Peaches are fine, as they have a long fruiting period and can be enjoyed for more than a month. But apricots are different; their fruiting period is only about half a month, after which they disappear from the market.

The apricots were for their own consumption, and besides reserving some peaches for Xiao Wang as an appetizer, Tang Zhitong planned to take some more to the hospital to visit Ding Jianhui's mother tomorrow.

When Tang Zhitong returned to the iron wheel handle, he could hear Liu Zhangshi's dry howling from a distance.

The courtyard where Liu Zhangshi lived was not far from the water station, and her howling and cursing could be heard quite clearly.

If you listen carefully, you'll hear that the spirits Liu Zhangshi summoned this time included not only her deceased husband, but also her son, and even more curses directed at her daughter-in-law, with the curses making up a large proportion of the chants.

He would cry out "My son!" and then curse Chu Chunxue.

They cursed Chu Chunxue as a jinx, saying that since she married into their family, their family had been plagued with bad luck, that she would bite her teeth while eating, trip over her feet while walking, and choke on her water.

He cursed Chu Chunxue for blocking Liu Chengzhi from seeing him, saying she wanted him to die inside.

She cursed Chu Chunxue for being a jinx, saying she had caused the death of her eldest son.

They scolded Chu Chunxue for corrupting her precious grandson...

"Uncle Zhu, is this Liu Zhangshi out of prison?" Tang Zhitong stopped his bicycle and handed a cigarette to Old Zhu, who was listening intently.

"Yeah, he came back around noon. Nobody was home. He ate and drank his fill and then started howling in the yard. It's been a little past two o'clock." The train station's timekeeping chimes sounded every half hour. Although Old Zhu didn't have a watch, it didn't stop him from keeping track of Liu Zhangshi's time.

"Sigh, it's really tragic for a parent to outlive their child. But the insults were so harsh, didn't anyone try to comfort them?" Although Tang Zhitong didn't have a good impression of the Liu family, it would be hard for anyone to bear such a thing, and he could accept that Liu Zhangshi was crying.

But the way she cursed was really offensive, which was a bit much. Everyone in the neighborhood knew what was going on: Liu Chengzhi couldn't pay off his gambling debts, so he wanted to use his pregnant wife as collateral. Was he even human?

"Sigh, I tried to persuade him, but it was no use. The more I tried to persuade him, the more enthusiastic he became. He would scold anyone who tried to stop him. Liu Zhangshi simply doesn't believe that her eldest son would gamble. She thinks it was Xiao Chu who instigated him." Old Zhu shook his head. When you encounter such a reckless person, who would try to persuade him? Everyone just watches her act from afar and treats it as a show.

"Sister Chunxue's days ahead are probably going to be tough." With a mother-in-law like that, it's no wonder the household is in turmoil. Tang Zhitong thinks it would be best for Chu Chunxue to take this opportunity to sever ties with Liu Zhangshi. Even if the severance isn't complete, it's still better than being stuck in the same boat.

"We have to get through it, even if it's tough. We can't just abandon her mother-in-law." Old Zhu felt sympathy for Chu Chunxue's situation.

From the current basic understanding, Chu Chunxue has taken over Liu Chengzhi's position, and since Liu Zhangshi has no other children and Chu Chunxue has not remarried, the responsibility of taking care of Liu Zhangshi in her old age will ultimately fall on Chu Chunxue's shoulders.

"That's true. I guess Liu Zhangshi is certain of this, which is why she's been so unrestrained in her insults." Tang Zhitong sighed. It's Chu Chunxue's bad luck to have such a mother-in-law.

"Hmm, Liu Zhangshi is wailing so loudly, probably to play the victim. Maybe she doesn't want to pay back her previous debts, or maybe she's worried that her daughter-in-law won't support her and wants to grab more money." Old Zhu analyzed Liu Zhangshi's motives for wailing while smoking the cigarette Tang Zhitong gave him.

"Your analysis makes sense. Uncle Zhu, you go ahead with your work, I'm going back now." Tang Zhitong was too lazy to care about Liu Zhangshi, wishing she could stay there for another three or five years. With her back, the Iron Wheelbarrow would probably be in chaos again for a while.

Even after entering her own house, Liu Zhangshi's forbidden spell for summoning the dead continued to try and penetrate Tang Zhitong's ears from afar.

Xiao Wang's friends have all gone home, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are discussing the Liu family's affairs.

"Fengzhi, come and wash the apricots." Tang Zhitong didn't want to disturb the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's gossip, so she assigned the task of washing the apricots to Fengzhi.

With delicious food dangling in front of her, Fengzhi didn't hesitate. She threw down her pencil and rushed over to rummage through Tang Zhitong's bag.

"Wash them carefully, don't break the skin." Tang Zhitong took the apricots out of the bag and handed them all to Fengzhi, while the peaches in the net bag were taken back to the room untouched.

When Tang Zhitong put down the peaches and returned to the main room, Fengzhi had already washed the ripe apricots.

Although Fengzhi was a little greedy, she didn't eat it all by herself. Instead, she carried the bowl around and distributed it to everyone, which showed that she was quite polite.

Before the Tang family had even finished eating the ripe apricots, Liu Zhangshi's wailing intensified; it would be a waste not to use that voice to call for help.

Tang Zhitong glanced at her watch and immediately knew that her daughter-in-law, Chu Chunxue, had returned from get off work.

The two houses were quite far apart, so it was hard to hear what Liu Zhangshi was wailing about, but one could tell from her increasingly loud shouts that she was very excited.

"I'll go take a look." Zhang Guifang wasn't usually a gossip, but this time she couldn't resist.

"Mom, Liu Zhangshi is not a reasonable person. Stay away from her. If all else fails, call the police. I guarantee Liu Zhangshi will shut up when she sees us." Tang Zhitong thought his mother might speak up for Chu Chunxue, but how could she so easily meddle in such family matters?

Tang Zhitong cooked a large portion of food for lunch, but the girls' appetites were limited, so there was some leftover. They will reheat the leftovers later and the dinner will be ready.

With no cooking duties, Tang Zhitong chatted with Xiao Wang about today's gathering and the trip to Chunshu Hutong.

When Du Yanqing and her friends came, there was food, drink and fun. Before leaving, they insisted on leaving behind their food coupons. Little Wang couldn't refuse, so he had to agree. But it wasn't much, only three liang of food coupons per person.

The grain coupons were all given to Zhang Guifang, who could use them directly when she went to the grain store to buy grain next time.

Upon hearing that Jingmin had provoked and been beaten, Xiao Wang smiled with satisfaction: This girl has inherited my spirit!
Before they could finish talking, Liu Zhangshi's voice abruptly stopped, like a quacking duck suddenly being grabbed by the neck and lifted up.

A short while later, Zhang Guifang returned, shaking her head as she spoke: "Liu Zhangshi is the same. Originally, the neighbors were quite sympathetic to her after Liu Chengzhi passed away, but she insisted that Xiao Chu give her half of her wages, not even caring about Jiaming's life or death."

"The police officers from the local station have gone over there?" Tang Zhitong wasn't surprised by Liu Zhangshi's actions, since he had already heard about it from Old Zhu.

Ultimately, the reason Liu Zhangshi was wailing in the yard was simply to place herself on the moral high ground, using the neighbors' sympathy to put pressure on her daughter-in-law so she could squeeze more money out of her. "I guess it was your Uncle Wu who invited them. When Liu Zhangshi saw the police officers, she jumped up in a flash, stopped crying and shouting, and obediently said something about reporting something..." Zhang Guifang paused, recalling the scene.

"Report to the disciplinary committee?" Tang Zhitong guessed, adding that although he hadn't been there in person, he had already imagined the comical scene.

"Yes! It's discipline, how did you know?" Zhang Guifang was a little surprised. After all, the Liu family was far away from her own home. She could hear the noise, but she couldn't make out what Liu Zhangshi was howling about.

"Hey, you may not have eaten pork, but you've seen pigs run, right? That's what they call people in detention centers. And then what happened? How was it resolved?" Tang Zhitong had never been to a detention center, but he had been to Qinghe! The prisoners there were all like mice before a cat when they saw the guards, behaving themselves perfectly.
There's also Gongdelin Prison next to the Post and Telecommunications Institute. No matter how many soldiers they led or how high their positions were, they all have to run regularly every morning now. Their chants during the morning run are very uniform, and I've never heard any prisoner yelling at the guards.

"Later, the police officers asked Xiao Chu how he planned to resolve the matter. Xiao Chu said that the compensation would go to Liu Zhangshi, and his own salary would be used for the living expenses of the mother and son." Zhang Guifang paused and praised, "Xiao Chu is a kind-hearted child. I heard from the neighbors that the compensation was 40% of Liu Chengzhi's salary before his death, and it was for Liu Zhangshi and Jiaming."

"Didn't they mention splitting up the family?" Tang Zhitong put himself in Chu Chunxue's shoes. Things had escalated to this point, and life was unbearable. It would be better to just split up the family directly.

“What family division? Liu Zhangshi just wants to hold onto more money. She will never agree to a family division. Besides, a family division wouldn’t be good for Xiao Chu. The gossip from the neighbors would be devastating.” Zhang Guifang didn’t agree with her son’s idea.

"Hey, Liu Zhangshi isn't one to stay put. If she doesn't break up this family, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause in the future." Tang Zhitong knew, of course, that words could be deadly. If it weren't for this concern, he wouldn't have agreed to the chemical raw materials company's offer of a house swap. But what kind of person was Liu Zhangshi? A greedy and insatiable woman who would definitely try every means to gradually take over the family business.

If Liu Jiaming were released again, tsk tsk, that would be even more interesting to watch. Wouldn't every household in the back courtyard have to close their doors and windows tightly?

“With a mother-in-law like this, Xiao Chu’s life is going to be tough.” Zhang Guifang agreed with her son and sighed.

"Mom, let's not worry about other people's affairs. You are the best mother-in-law in the world. Let's just live our own lives well." Xiao Wang didn't want to get involved in the neighbors' family matters and held her mother-in-law's arm like a daughter.

"I'm not as good as you say, let's eat." Zhang Guifang's face lit up with a smile after hearing this.

Both were widows and both had found understanding daughters-in-law, yet their lives were worlds apart. Zhang Guifang secretly reminded herself that she couldn't end up like Liu Zhangshi.

Monday, April 7th.

After breakfast, Tang Zhitong took Xiao Wang to work, planning to visit the Public Security Hospital first and then the escort office on the way back.

Just as they stepped off the iron wheel handle, the two came face to face with the necromancer from yesterday afternoon—Liu Zhangshi.

If it weren't for the fact that her face still vaguely resembled her former self, and that highly recognizable mole on the corner of her mouth, Tang Zhitong wouldn't have recognized her.

Liu Zhangshi used to be known for her plumpness in Donghuashi, but now she has lost a lot of weight.

Tang Zhitong couldn't help but sigh, "When it comes to losing weight, either you have to be ruthless yourself, or someone else has to be ruthless. As long as you have that kind of determination, you can always lose weight."

Liu Zhangshi looked quite good after losing weight, and the mole on the corner of her mouth no longer looked like a gluttonous mole, but rather a beauty mark.

At this point, Tang Zhitong began to understand Lü Dexian. No wonder he still couldn't forget Liu Zhangshi after liberation, and even after living in the same compound, he often took her side. It turned out that she really was Old Lü's white moonlight.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, this matter has little to do with Tang Zhitong.

After recognizing Liu Zhangshi, Tang Zhitong shifted his gaze, picked up his bicycle, and followed behind Xiao Wang toward Chongwenmen.

After dropping Xiao Wang off at the entrance of the National Library, Tang Zhitong turned around and headed east along Wenjin Street to the Public Security Hospital.

As Tang Zhitong rode, he observed the residential areas on both sides of the road, wondering what kind of house the chemical raw materials company could provide for him.

The Public Security Hospital is located in Yinzha Hutong, about four miles from the National Library of China. There are many courtyards here, and Shen Congwen once lived here. However, he was not very satisfied with the environment here, and jokingly referred to his home as a "narrow and moldy little study".

After arriving at the Public Security Hospital, Tang Zhitong carried the net bag and went to the inpatient department.

The net bag contained peaches I brought home yesterday. Although they had been at home overnight, the peach leaves still clung to them and remained fresh.

Nowadays, people bring flowers or green plants when visiting patients. The love of flowers among the people of Beijing has a long history. Some families with good living conditions often plant various flowers in their yards, and there are also people selling green plants on the streets.

Perhaps influenced by this, or perhaps from the perspective of changing customs and traditions, many larger meetings and formal occasions will place fresh flowers in the corners of the meeting room, or even on the meeting table, to decorate and beautify the environment.

Tang Zhitong has always been a pragmatist; aside from tomb sweeping, he usually carries practical gifts on other occasions.

Following the address given by Director Ye yesterday, Tang Zhitong quickly found bed 17 on the third floor.

This is a three-person room. Ding Jianhui's mother is lying on the bed by the window. Ding Jianhui is facing away from the door, holding his mother's hand, his gaze is somewhat vacant, and his eyes are fixed on the potted plants on the windowsill.

"Brother Hui, I've come to see Aunt Xie." Tang Zhitong walked over and gently nudged Ding Jianhui, speaking softly.

"Oh, oh. I'm sorry to have troubled you." Ding Jianhui came to his senses, gently put down his mother's hand, and stood up.

"Don't mention it, it's just a small token of my appreciation." Tang Zhitong handed the net bag to Ding Jianhui, then turned to look at Aunt Xie, who was sleeping. Her face was sallow and she looked withered. If Ding Jianhui hadn't been there to watch over her, Tang Zhitong wouldn't have recognized her.

"Mom, Mom? Tang has come to see you." Ding Jianhui placed the net bag on the cabinet next to the ward, bent down, and began to call out to his mother.

"Brother Hui, let Auntie sleep for a while. Let's talk at the door." Tang Zhitong quickly called out. Judging from Aunt Xie's condition, it was no longer appropriate to wake her up for a talk. What would they talk about? A speedy recovery?
"I just had a phenobarbital injection, and I haven't had a good night's sleep in a while." Ding Jianhui felt a little embarrassed for not being able to wake his mother, and explained to Tang Zhitong as soon as he left the ward.

"It's alright, I understand. The most important thing now is to stop Aunt Xie from suffering any more." Tang Zhitong had heard from Director Ye that Aunt Xie had cancer.

Cancer is a disease that people hate. As time goes on, it spreads and metastasizes, constantly eroding various organs. Few people can bear the pain. At this time, strong painkillers are needed, otherwise the patient can die from the pain.

(End of this chapter)