People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

Zhuang Chaoying stood at the factory gate, glancing into the factory every now and then.

He was chatting with the gatekeeper when the old man enthusiastically handed him a small tin box for his tobacco: "Xiao Zhuang, would you like some? This is tobacco grown in the countryside, and it tastes very pure."

As he spoke, he skillfully rolled up a cigarette paper, then sealed the edges with saliva, carefully pulling off the end of the paper. Zhuang Chaoying quickly picked up a match from the table to light the old man's cigarette, then shook the matchstick in her hand: "Grandpa, I don't smoke, thank you!"

The gatekeeper took a couple of puffs and exhaled smoke rings.

Zhuang Chaoying coughed a few times from the smoke.

The old man stroked his beard: "Haha, Xiao Zhuang, this time I believe you won't smoke."

"Super Hero!"

Zhuang Chaoying immediately stood up: "Grandpa, my wife is out, you can take your time smoking!"

The old man nodded, puffing on his cigarette.

Zhuang Chaoying greeted Huang Ling: "You're here! Did your director give you leave?"

Huang Ling waved the letter in her hand: "I've given it to you. I don't often take leave." Then she put the letter of introduction into her handbag.

Zhuang Chaoying rode the bicycle, with Huang Ling sitting on the back.

They headed towards the state-run store.

When she arrived at the store, Huang Ling bought some braised dishes and put them in her lunchbox. It turned out that she had forgotten to bring her lunchbox when she went out, so she had to pay a 50-cent deposit.

Zhuang Chaoying pushed her bicycle and glanced at her watch: "It's almost five o'clock, Engineer Lin will be getting off work soon too."

Back in the house, Huang Ling went straight into the kitchen. "Song Ying, I'm back."

"Sister Ling, I stir-fried bok choy and dried tofu, and also stir-fried eggs with chives."

Huang Ling smiled and took out a lunchbox: "I bought some braised dishes. We'll eat when Engineer Lin comes back!"

Huang Ling placed the braised dishes onto two plates.

The two squatted in front of the earthen stove.

Song Ying looked at Huang Ling, her eyes filled with envy: "Sister Ling, to be honest, I really envy you. You have such outstanding children like Tu Nan and Xiao Ting. Then look at my Lin Dongzhe, just thinking about it makes my chest ache. He'll be in third grade soon, and he's not as obedient and sensible as Xiao Ting." Huang Ling gently tucked a stray hair behind Song Ying's ear: "It's okay for boys to be a little mischievous. The more mischievous a child is, the smarter they are. I think Dongzhe is very smart. The other day, Chao Ying taught them the third-grade curriculum, and Dongzhe did quite well!"

Song Ying sighed: "I'll be so grateful if Dongzhe can get into a vocational school in the future."

After getting off work, Engineer Lin walked into the kitchen: "Song Ying, your son is asking if dinner is ready!"

Song Ying stood up: "I'm hungry all the time! After work, all I do is cook! It'll be ready soon! Wu Feng, take the braised dishes out. Sister Ling bought them to celebrate Teacher Zhuang joining the Writers' Association!"

Lin Wufeng, carrying a plate, said, "Teacher Zhuang has joined the Writers' Association? He has indeed published several novels. Even if he didn't join, someone would have approached him to have his name credited!"

Song Ying opened her eyes wide: "Wu Feng, that's Teacher Zhuang, the one someone came looking for."

,,,,,,,,,

Zhang Amei and Lao Wu, who were diagonally opposite, were leaning against the door.

Zhang Amei held two eggs she had just taken from the henhouse in her hand, her eyes drifting to the lively scene in the neighboring yard, and she pursed her lips.

"Their two families are really close. They didn't even invite us to the meal. From what they were saying, they were implying that Teacher Zhuang is some kind of writer now! They didn't even invite us to such a good event. Although Huang Ling seems kind, she's just as cunning as Teacher Zhuang."

Upon hearing this, Old Wu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly reached out and patted her, saying, "Keep your voice down. It's normal for the two families to be on good terms, as they live in the same courtyard."

Zhang Amei, however, was unmoved. She glared at him fiercely and muttered, "What do you know!"

After saying that, he turned and went back into the house.

The two families sat in the small courtyard.

Lin picked up the wine bottle and poured wine for Zhuang Chaoying.

"It's great that Teacher Zhuang has joined the Writers' Association. This is a wonderful thing! We must have a couple of drinks with Teacher Zhuang!"

Zhuang Chaoying quickly raised her glass: "Thank you, Engineer Lin! I didn't expect that Chairman Wang from the Jiangxi Provincial Branch of the Writers Association would come to visit."

Lin Wufeng raised his glass. "Come on, Teacher Zhuang, have a sip first!"

After saying that, the two raised their glasses and gently clinked them together.

Zhuang Chaoying tilted her head back and took a sip. The spicy liquor instantly slid down her throat, and she couldn't help but grimac. She quickly picked up a piece of food to calm herself down.

During this time, his alcohol tolerance also improved considerably. He would have a drink or two with Engineer Lin whenever he had free time, which not only helped him relax but also allowed him to sleep soundly at night.

Like a little adult, Tu Nan skillfully served some braised dishes to Xiao Ting and Dong Zhe.

Lin Dongzhe's eyes lit up as he looked at the dishes on the table, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Great! There's no snake gourd today!"

As Huang Ling ate her food, she watched the children playing. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead and realized that she hadn't asked Song Ying to help look after the children.

She swallowed the food in her mouth: "Song Ying, I'm going to Shanghai with Chao Ying first thing tomorrow morning, so I'll trouble you to look after Xiao Ting and Tu Nan for me. We'll have to eat at your place too!"

Song Ying nodded without hesitation: "Sister Ling, you don't need to be so polite with me. It's just about watching over Xiaoting and Tunan. Now that they're here, I can relax. Someone can help keep an eye on Lin Dongzhe. Sister Ling and Teacher Zhuang, you can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, Huang Ling quickly took out two yuan from her pocket, got up, walked to Song Ying's side, and stuffed the money into her hand: "Song Ying, this is your living expenses for the next two days. You must take it! You're still eating snake gourd, so hurry up and take it."

Song Ying pursed her lips slightly, hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the two yuan. A bright smile appeared on her face: "Then I won't be polite, Sister Ling, haha!"

After dinner, Zhuang Chaoying neatly washed the dishes and wiped her hands with a towel.

Entering the room, Zhuang Chaoying saw Huang Ling sitting in front of a sewing machine, her feet rhythmically pressing the pedal, the machine making a "clattering" sound. Zhuang Chaoying walked over: "Ling, do you have one of these dresses?"

Huang Ling looked up, her hands still moving: "This is for Song Ying, it's almost finished."

A moment later, Huang Ling, holding a skirt, opened the screen door: "Song Ying!"

Song Ying was watching TV with the children when she turned around and replied, "Sister Ling! Come and watch TV!"

Huang Ling walked into the room with a smile: "Song Ying, come here, to Dong Zhe's room!"

Song Ying walked over and immediately saw the dress in Sister Ling's hand.

Huang Ling handed her the dress and said, "Here! It's finished, just as I promised you last time!"

Song Ying took the dress with both hands and happily held it up in front of her. The style and color of the dress were the same as the one Sister Ling had worn before.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she hugged Huang Ling tightly, her voice slightly choked with emotion: "Sister Ling, you're so good to me!" Her eyes welled up with tears as she finished speaking.

Huang Ling gently patted her back: "Okay, give it a try, I'll close the door."

Song Ying turned around and began to take off her clothes and put on a skirt in a very generous manner.

Huang Ling stood at the door, looking at Song Ying's figure. Her slender waist had no excess fat, and she was big in the right places and thin in the right places. No wonder Engineer Lin doted on Song Ying so much. If it were her, she would also dote on the factory beauty if she married her.

"How is Sister Ling?"

Huang Ling smiled as she looked at Song Ying, who had changed into a dress: "Song Ying, you really are beautiful, you look good in anything!"

Song Ying covered her mouth and laughed uncontrollably: "Sister Ling~~~~~!"