Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

Before Feng Cui and the others stepped into the courtyard, Xu Yin gave the children a look, signaling them to take their snacks and books back to their rooms to watch TV. She also took everything Bai Zhenzhu had brought back to Li Xiufen's room and closed the door behind her when she came out.

Those two old women were notorious in the village for their dishonest practices.

"Pearl is back! She seems to have become even more well-behaved after just a few days," Miao Qiong said with a smile. "The city environment really does nourish people."

Bai Zhenzhu was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and her old pants today, dressed rather simply, so Feng Cui and the others immediately noticed Li Xiufen in her new clothes.

Good heavens, that old woman Li Xiufen is actually wearing leather shoes.

And that shirt is so pretty! The buttons are so shiny they're almost blinding.

Feng Cui was so jealous she was practically going crazy.

The middle-aged woman behind her was also incredibly envious:

"Xiufen, this outfit looks really good on you, but your skin is a bit dark. It would be better if your skin were a bit fairer like your Pearl's."

Not only is it sour, it's also provocative.

Xu Yin is quick-witted and eloquent:

"Aunt Wang, have you picked all the plums on the mountain? I'm afraid your plum tea will turn sour because you didn't put enough sugar in it this year."

Aunt Wang: "..."

The second son of the Bai family, that woman really has no manners whatsoever.

Li Xiufen's relationship with her second sister-in-law was just so-so. Actually, saying it was just so-so was an exaggeration. The truth was that they maintained a superficial relationship but had disliked each other for many years.

The conflict arose from the marriage of Li Xiufen and Old Man Bai, and its root cause was the land where the house was built.

Old Man Bai returned from military service and his household registration was in Jinfeng Village. The village also allocated him land, but he did not have a homestead. The homestead for building the house was taken from Li Xiufen's parents.

Feng Cui felt that Li Xiufen was like water spilled after marriage, and that she had no share in the homestead. The homestead of the elderly couple should be divided between them and the eldest son's family.

She had made a fuss before, but since the eldest son, Li Zhongguo, and his family had no objection to the old couple's decision, Feng Cui didn't cause any more trouble, but the enmity was formed.

When Li Xiufen saw Feng Cui bringing these people to her home, she had no desire to greet them at all.

"Is something wrong, Second Sister-in-law?"

Feng Cui pulled her eyes off Li Xiufen's little leather shoes, and said with a smirk:

"I heard Pearl is back, I need to talk to her about something."

Li Xiufen's eyes immediately became alert:

"What could you possibly want with Pearl?"

Bai Zhenzhu, having been called upon, couldn't remain silent, so she brought out a few chairs and gestured for Feng Cui and the others to sit down.

"Second Aunt, Sister-in-law, please sit down and tell me what you need me for?"

Another woman surnamed Ren twitched her lips:

"They don't even bother to drink water in this sweltering heat."

Bai Zhenzhu pretended not to hear these words and only looked at Feng Cui.

For some reason, Feng Cui felt a little uncomfortable under Bai Zhenzhu's gaze, as if her scheming had been seen through.

"Pearl, look at my Xiaofei, he's not getting any younger, but he still hasn't found a wife..."

Xu Yin leaned against the pillar and interjected with a smile:

"Is Second Aunt trying to find Pearl to act as a matchmaker for Xiaofei?"

Feng Cui was stunned, and instinctively wanted to curse.

Bai Zhenzhu is a divorced woman; who would dare ask her to be a matchmaker? Isn't Xu Yin cursing her son Xiaofei to get divorced in the future?

Seeing that Feng Cui's expression was not good, Bai Zhenzhu quickly took over the conversation:

"Second Aunt, I'm not good at matchmaking, and I don't know any suitable girls."

Feng Cui stopped beating around the bush and stated her purpose directly:

"I don't want you to be my matchmaker, I just want to borrow some money from you. It's not much, just two thousand will do. We need to build a few houses for Xiaofei. Once a man has a house, it will be easier to find him a wife."

This time, before Xu Yin could even speak, Aunt Wang and Aunt Ren, who had come with her, chimed in:

“Pearl, you have to help with this. Your aunt has personally asked you to help.”

"That's right, Pearl. Two thousand isn't much for you. You should help her."

This was clearly putting Bai Zhenzhu on a pedestal, and Li Xiufen was immediately displeased:

"What do you mean 'should help'? You two old hags are inseparable from Feng Cui, why aren't you helping? Did my Pearl drink Feng Cui's milk or eat her rice?"

Li Xiufen is known throughout the village for being fiercely protective of her daughter, especially now that these old geezers have set their sights on her precious daughter. How could she possibly swallow this insult?

After saying that, he pointed at Feng Cui:

"It's your problem if your Xiaofei can't find a wife, but don't even think about messing with Pearl. Pearl's father has already spoken up at home: not only your family, but even Pearl's three brothers are not allowed to ask Pearl for money."

Aunt Wang instinctively clutched her pockets:

“You’re relatives, why are you asking us outsiders to help instead of yourselves? Aren’t your three family members already married? There’s no rush.”

Li Xiufen sneered: "If you know you're an outsider, shut your stinking mouth. You'll get slapped later, and that's your own fault."

“You…” The two older women, Wang and Ren, dared not utter a word.

Miao Qiong quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

"Auntie, don't be angry, don't be angry. We're here to borrow money, not to rob you."

Li Xiufen: "I don't have any money to lend."

Miao Qiong: "..."

There's a reason why the Bai family was able to establish itself in Jinfeng Village. Li Xiufen was fierce when she was young, and her daughters-in-law were all formidable.

The third son's wife is a teacher, and everyone in the village respects her immensely. After all, which family doesn't have a child in school?

Not to mention the second son's wife, she even dares to curse the older generation in the village.

And then there's the eldest son's wife. Don't let her quiet demeanor fool you; when it comes to fighting, no woman in the village can match her.

As for the white pearl, Miao Qiong has been married into the Li family for several years and knows a little about it.

Despite her ever-smiling demeanor and beautiful appearance, she and her mother-in-law have never gotten the better of her.

I doubt I'll be able to borrow that money today.

Feng Cui, who had been maintaining a respectful demeanor as an elder, became furious upon hearing Li Xiufen's blunt refusal.

When rural people argue, they dredge up all sorts of old, trivial matters, and then it gets back to the original homestead:

"...How can you be such a good aunt? If you hadn't taken our family's land, we would have built a house for Xiaofei long ago. Li Xiufen, let me tell you, if you don't lend this money and delay Xiaofei's wedding, I'll never forgive you."

Bai Zhenzhu's clear black and white eyes were somewhat dark, but she was smiling.

"Second Aunt, we can't accept such a statement. Xiaofei has already had several marriages fall through, right? Are they all because of our family?"

Xu Yin sneered:

"How could it not fall through? The people who were supposed to be looking for a partner had already gone inside, while my second aunt's precious youngest son was still sleeping soundly at home."

"That girl last time was quite pretty. Let me think, how did she turn yellow? It seems to have been around the time of rice planting. Xiao Fei worked for his father-in-law for half a day and then ran away under the pretense of having diarrhea. The next day, she returned the clothes that his second aunt had given him."

Feng Cui's face turned even paler.

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"Second Aunt, I've already spent all the divorce settlement money on buying a house, so you can't borrow any more money. And Xiaofei's marriage isn't something we can be responsible for, so don't try to pin this on us; we can't bear that responsibility."