Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The room was scorching hot, and a thick layer of frost flowers had formed on the windowpanes.

But in Lin Xiu's heart, this warmth could not suppress the waves of panic that were nagging at her heart.

She sat cross-legged on the new kang mat, with the tin box in front of her upside down.

Three dollars and twenty-five cents.

This is the family's "working capital" for the Lunar New Year.

Although there was rice in the rice bin and a few pieces of cured meat hanging on the beam, they wouldn't go hungry.

But what is the New Year really about? It's about money and saving face.

They hadn't even bought enough fabric to make clothes for Niu Niu, and they were short on sewing thread; they were going back to her parents' home in two days, and the three yuan they had wouldn't even buy two cans of food. If she went back empty-handed, her snobbish father would break her back.

"well……"

Lin Xiu sighed, clutching the few coins in her hand until they ached.

"Mom, look!"

Three-year-old Niu Niu was wearing a slightly worn red cotton-padded jacket and was playing on the kang (a heated brick bed).

She was fiddling with the small rattle drum that Zhao Shanhe had bought for her, but her eyes kept drifting towards the window.

"Mom, Tiedan said his dad bought him firecrackers. When are we going to set off firecrackers? I want to hear them too!"

Lin Xiu felt a pang of sadness and reached out to touch her daughter's head.

"Let it go, wait for your dad to come back. Your dad's capable, he'll definitely be able to buy firecrackers."

She said that, but she wasn't sure herself.

Building this house is like a money-devouring beast; it's drained our entire savings.

Zhao Shanhe went out early in the morning, saying he was going to buy New Year's goods, but with the little money in his pocket, what could he possibly buy?

Just as the mother and son were staring at each other on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

A burst of extremely exciting and penetrating sound suddenly pierced through the thick red brick wall, like an electric current, instantly drilling into the room.

"As mentioned last time! Bai Yutang, the 'White-haired Rat'..."

It's storytelling! Shan Tianfang's husky yet powerful voice!

Immediately following was a series of clear bicycle bell sounds, as crisp as a lark's. The sound was so cheerful, it carried an arrogant air of "I, Hu Hansan, am back again."

"Ring ring—!"

"Xiuer! Don't stay cooped up inside! Open the door! Take the goods!!"

Zhao Shanhe's powerful roar echoed in the courtyard, making the frost flowers on the windows seem to tremble.

Lin Xiu was taken aback and quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and put on her shoes.

"What's with all the commotion, husband...?"

She put on the old cotton-padded coat, pushed open the door, and lifted the heavy cotton curtain.

As soon as she peeked out, before the cold wind even touched her face, her eyes were "burned" by the scene in the yard.

The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard.

Zhao Shanhe's face was flushed, steam was rising from his head, and he was grinning at her.

Behind him was a brand new, shiny black Phoenix brand "28-inch" motorcycle.

Behind the bicycle, there was even a hired donkey cart following!

The donkey cart was piled up like a small mountain.

In the most conspicuous spot, a large red cloth was covering it. When the wind blew, a corner of the red cloth was lifted, revealing the black metal engine head and the golden butterfly logo underneath.

Butterfly brand sewing machine!

Lin Xiu felt a buzzing in her head, her legs went weak, and she almost couldn't hold onto the door frame.

That was the pedal she had seen countless times outside the window of the department store in the county town, and dreamed about stepping on it!

"Honey... this... this sewing machine?"

Lin Xiu's voice trembled; she couldn't believe her eyes.

"your!"

Zhao Shanhe laughed heartily, rushed over in a few steps, first picked up Niu Niu and lifted her high, making the little girl giggle. Then he put his daughter down, turned around and, like a strongman, lifted the heavy sewing machine onto his shoulder.

"What are you standing there for? Make room! We're going to fill this room to the brim today!"

For the next twenty minutes, Lin Xiu seemed to be in a dream, mechanically directing Zhao Shanhe to move things into the house.

Two bags of high-gluten flour, used for making dumplings during the Chinese New Year, so white it was dazzling.

A whole large pork carcass, weighing forty or fifty pounds, with fat as thick as three fingers, looks so appetizing.

A roll of bright red floral fabric, meant for making new clothes for Niu Niu.

A brand-new transistor radio was placed on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and was blaring loudly.

There were also two bottles of Beidacang baijiu, two cartons of Daqianmen cigarettes, malted milk powder, canned fruit...

When Zhao Shanhe finally pulled a handful of firecrackers from his pocket and stuffed them into Niu Niu's hands, the little girl was so happy that she rolled around on the kang (a heated brick bed), her screams almost lifting the roof off:

"Oh! Firecrackers are going off! We'll get meat to eat!"

Everything has been moved.

The room was piled high with things, and the once spacious room was instantly filled with a warm and lively atmosphere.

Lin Xiu stood in front of the sewing machine, her hands trembling, carefully stroking the cold and smooth body of the machine, tears streaming down her face.

It wasn't a feeling of being wronged, it was excitement, the kind of cathartic release that comes from someone who's been terrified of poverty and suddenly feels empowered.

"Mountains and rivers..."

Lin Xiu looked up at her husband, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "How much money will this cost? Are we... done with this?"

"Silly wife, this is what life is all about!"

Zhao Shanhe walked over, wiped away her tears, took out the remaining stack of "big unity" bills from his pocket, and stuffed them directly into Lin Xiu's hand:

"Here's the rest of the money. Keep it, buy whatever you want. From now on, our family will never be short of money!"

Lin Xiu held the thick wad of money in her hand, feeling its weight, and the last stone in her heart shattered.

Looking at Zhao Shanhe's confident and resolute face, she burst into laughter through her tears.

"Okay! Whatever you say! Let's have a good New Year!"

……

As evening fell and darkness descended, thick, long-absent smoke rose from the chimney of the Zhao family's new house.

An extremely domineering and unreasonable aroma of meat wafted freely on the north wind.

That's the taste of pork stew with glass noodles.

Zhao Shanhe specially asked Lin Xiu to cut large chunks of pork belly, stir-frying it over high heat without skimping on oil, then adding plenty of soy sauce and glass noodles to simmer until it bubbled and simmered. Festive music played on the radio, the room was warm and cozy, and the aroma of meat filled the air.

Just as the family of three had set up the kang table, and Niu Niu was gnawing on a big piece of meat with her mouth full of oil.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The courtyard gate was suddenly pounded on.

The commotion was huge, carrying a sense of urgency and self-righteousness, so loud that the door frame trembled.

The laughter inside the room stopped abruptly.

Lin Xiu's chopsticks trembled, and her expression instantly changed. She glanced instinctively at the fragrant pot of meat on the table, her voice trembling slightly, "Honey... this commotion... they must have come smelling the aroma over there, right?"

"It must be Mom... No one else knocks on the door so aggressively except her."

Lin Xiutai understood that biased mother-in-law very well.

Having suffered such a great loss at the village entrance, now that they smell the aroma of meat, they're bound to come and cause trouble—either by cursing or by forcibly taking the meat to offer as a sacrifice to their ancestors.

Zhao Shanhe frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He also assumed it was someone from the Zhao family.

These vampires really don't learn their lesson.

"It's alright, you guys eat first."

Zhao Shanhe put down his chopsticks, stood up, grabbed the doorstop stick from behind the door and placed it in the corner for later use, and sneered, "They're just itching to get ahead of us because we're doing so well. I'll go and get rid of them."

He strode out the door and across the snow-covered courtyard.

The momentum to drive people out was already fully built up.

He flung open the courtyard gate, the words "Go back to the old house" already on the tip of his tongue.

However, when the door opened, Zhao Shanhe froze. The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.

Standing outside the door was neither the old woman Zhao, whose face was full of scars, nor the third son with a limp.

Instead, they were three "strangers" who were shivering, their faces pale, but their noses were twitching and their expressions were greedy.

The old man at the head of the group, with his hands behind his back, wearing a tattered felt hat and a greasy black cotton-padded jacket, had his triangular eyes staring intently at the light coming from inside the room, over Zhao Shanhe's shoulder.

Beside him was a timid old lady who kept her head down and dared not look at anyone.

There was also a young man in his early twenties, looking nonchalant, who was standing on tiptoe peeking into the yard, his mouth practically watering.

Zhao Shanhe narrowed his eyes.

Good heavens, we were just trying to guard against wolves, and now a tiger has appeared.

These aren't the Zhao family members; these are Lin Xiu's maternal family members—her father-in-law Lin Dapao, her mother-in-law Liu, and her good-for-nothing brother-in-law Lin Qiang.

"Oh, isn't this the son-in-law?"

Lin Dapao looked at Zhao Shanhe, gave a forced smile, and snorted, his demeanor even more self-righteous than that of Old Lady Zhao: "What? You've struck it rich and now you don't even recognize your father-in-law? It's the New Year, don't you even know to come and pick up the two of us old folks to enjoy our retirement?"

"that is!"

Lin Qiang, the brother-in-law, sniffed and shouted, "Brother-in-law! I can smell it! It's stewed meat, isn't it? Let us in quickly! I'm freezing to death!" As he spoke, he didn't care whether Zhao Shanhe would let him in or not, and tried to squeeze in sideways.

Lin Dapao, hands behind his back, stepped inside, saying as if inspecting a task, "I heard from the villagers you brought back a truckload of stuff? A sewing machine too? Perfect, your brother's getting married after the New Year, and the bride's family needs one. Come inside and talk!"

Zhao Shanhe stood at the door, not giving an inch.

His body blocked the doorway like a mountain, his eyes even colder than before.

If the Zhao family came, it would be "robbery." If the Lin family came, it would be "sucking."

He looked at this utterly despicable family and uttered two words indifferently:

"What are you doing?"