"Let's work hard together then."
Zhang Liunian kissed his wife's forehead, prompting her to playfully punch him with her small fist.
After a moment of affection, the couple got down to business.
One tended the fire, the other stir-fried the shrimp.
"Liunian, since we want to make money from this, I'll save all the shrimp shells from now on. You can help me dispose of them far away."
Jiang Qingqing looked at the man, who was sweating profusely from exertion, and her heart ached.
Zhang Liunian flicked the short hair sticking to his forehead and smiled, "That's the way."
The couple exchanged a smile, and the next moment, their daughter's cries echoed in the courtyard.
"Wah... give it back to me, give it back to me! Those are the steamed buns my dad bought for me,呜呜…"
Hearing the commotion, Zhang Liunian dropped the spatula and walked out.
As soon as he reached the courtyard, he saw Zhang Datou, the son of his cousin Zhang Liuhuo next door, pushing Hua Bao to the ground and eating the steamed buns he had bought for her.
Zhang Liunian was furious. His daughter was not to be bullied by anyone, not even another child.
"Slap!" Zhang Liunian immediately spanked Datou and reprimanded him, "Zhang Datou, if I ever see you bullying my Hua Bao again, I won't just hit your butt."
After speaking, Zhang Liunian picked Hua Bao up from the ground. "Hua Bao, don't cry. Don't be sad. Daddy will buy you two more meat buns this afternoon."
Hua Bao, who had been sobbing uncontrollably, saw her father standing up for her and hitting Datou, and heard him promise to buy her buns. She instantly hugged Zhang Liunian's neck, calling him "Daddy" affectionately.
Zhang Liunian was amused by her. He stroked his daughter's head and smiled.
"Wah! Mom, the lazy bum hit me, the lazy bum hit me!" The next moment, Zhang Datou's sharp, ear-piercing voice rang out.
Tu Meili, who had just finished her meal, heard that her precious son had been hit by Zhang Liunian. Enraged, she threw down her bowl and rushed out, grabbing a broom from by the door.
"Zhang Liunian, you beast! You can't even spare a five-year-old child! Let me show you what's what!" Tu Meili charged forward aggressively, swinging the broom at Zhang Liunian's head.
Zhang Liunian, holding his daughter, caught the descending broom with one hand.
"You..." Tu Meili hadn't expected Zhang Liunian to catch it. No, he had caught her broom with just one hand.
She was known for her strength in Zhangjia Village.
How could Zhang Liunian, a lazy bum supported by his wife, catch her blow?
She really couldn't see it, but he actually had some strength.
"No wonder you failed the college entrance exam every time; all your books ended up in the dog's belly." Tu Meili said, tugging at the broom, but it seemed welded to Zhang Liunian's hand. No matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge.
"Tu Meili, you need to understand. Your son bullied my Hua Bao first. You are in the wrong."
"Isn't it normal for children to fight and play? Haven't they been like this for years?"
"If I had known your son was bullying my daughter like this, stealing things and pushing her, I would have intervened long ago."
"Nonsense! Why haven't you seen it before? I think you've taken the wrong medicine and are looking for trouble for no reason."
"Today, I'm making myself clear: no one can bully my daughter, not even a child a few years old."
"Oh, really? Has your daughter suddenly become precious? Is my son worthless then? My son is the apple of our eye. Hitting him is like hitting us. We're not done with you."
"Fine! I'd like to see how you're going to finish this!" Zhang Liunian gave a powerful swing, throwing both the broom and Tu Meili about two meters away. With a "bang," she hit the ground.
"Wah, Mom!" Zhang Datou cried out in fright when he saw Zhang Liunian throw his mother away and then rushed to Tu Meili's side.
"Zhang Liunian, you lazy bum, you coward, you beast who lives off your wife, how dare someone like you hit me?" Tu Meili, having fallen to the ground, tried to get up, but due to the weight of her son, she couldn't get up for a while.
"He is the best husband in the world. You can't talk about him like that." Jiang Qingqing stood behind Zhang Liunian, unaware of when she had arrived.
Hearing Jiang Qingqing's words, Tu Meili chuckled through tears, "One is blind and foolish, the other is lazy and gluttonous. You two are truly a perfect match!"
Zhang Liunian was unhappy to hear this. He put his daughter next to his wife and said, "We don't need you to judge what kind of people we are. You'd better manage yourself and your son with this time."
"Heh, perhaps you've forgotten that your family still owes us two yuan. Return the money, and pay me another two yuan, and this matter will be settled.
Otherwise, I'm not done with you."
As soon as Tu Meili said this, Jiang Qingqing stepped forward and threw two yuan at her. "From now on, our family owes you not a single cent."
It had been like this before too. Every time Hua Bao was bullied by Datou, Tu Meili would bring up these two yuan.
Now that she had two yuan on her, Jiang Qingqing couldn't wait to repay it.
This way, she wouldn't have to watch her daughter be bullied by their son anymore.
Tu Meili hadn't expected Jiang Qingqing to actually have money to repay her. Weren't they starving and drinking water to fill their stomachs?
How could they possibly have two yuan?
"Did you steal money from our house and use it to pay me back? I never realized that you, an educated youth from the city, would do such a thing.
Jiang Qingqing, you're something else!" Tu Meili picked up the money, glanced at it, and immediately decided it was theirs.
Jiang Qingqing was choked with anger. Zhang Liunian quickly stepped forward and hugged her. "Let me."
Some people just needed to be taught a lesson.
"What do you want to do? Pay the money? The price has gone up. It's a total of six yuan now. Pay up!" Tu Meili, as if having grasped the lifeline of Zhang Liunian and his wife, got up and reached out her hand to Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liunian laughed in exasperation and kicked out, immediately sending the smug Tu Meili flying back to where she was.
"Bang!" Another thud, and dust flew.
Tu Meili's vision went black from Zhang Liunian's kick. She took a long time to regain her senses. It was only then that she realized she was no match for Zhang Liunian in terms of physical strength, so discretion was the better part of valor.
"Zhang Liunian, you bastard! Hitting your sister-in-law while your cousin is away! When Liuhuo returns, I'll make him deal with you." After spitting out threats, Tu Meili, nursing her injuries, left with her son.
She conceded defeat this time.
Just you wait, she, Tu Meili, was not an easy person to bully.
Seeing Tu Meili leave, Zhang Liunian took his daughter back inside and instructed, "Hua Bao, don't play with Datou anymore. He's not a good child."
Zhang Datou had been unlikeable since childhood and always loved to bully his Hua Bao. He wouldn't turn out to be a good person either.
In later generations, he became a vagrant in Datang County, harming many girls, and had several lives on his hands.
Such a boy should not be allowed to have too much contact with his daughter.