The Burden of the 00s (4)

Everyone who lives in this courtyard knows that the old lady Jin, who has always been invincible in scolding, has met her match this time.

Old lady Duan and old lady Wang are both typical rural old ladies, especially old lady Wang. Her husband has been bedridden for a long time, which is equivalent to being a half-widow. She raised her two children alone. How could she be someone who is easy to bully?

The two old ladies moved a stool and sat in front of the door of old lady Jin's house, scolding them all morning.

Occasionally, Duan Qingen, who is so small, would bring tea down to moisten their throats and run up and down to serve tea and water.

Old lady Jin went out at first and tried to scold back, but how could she fight alone? Two people.

She was invincible before, firstly because she was shameless and could say anything. Although people in this small city are generally poor, it is a city after all, and ordinary people really can't bring themselves to scold.

Secondly, everyone is very busy now. The young have to go to work, the old have to take care of the children, and they will also find some odd jobs that can be done at home to supplement the family income. Who has time to get along with this old lady Jin?

But old lady Wang and old lady Duan are different.

Old lady Wang loves her daughter dearly. When her husband was sick and bedridden, she worked hard to raise her two children. She looked at them like the apple of her eye. What she hated most was that people bullied her children.

Otherwise, she would not have tolerated her eldest daughter-in-law all the time. Isn't it because she saw that although the eldest daughter-in-law was a little more meticulous, she was devoted to her son?

Before, it was because Wang Xiuhong didn't want her mother to worry about her at such an old age, so she concealed the fact that her husband abused her. Otherwise, even if there were many shackles, old lady Wang would not let her daughter be bullied like this.

Needless to say, old lady Duan must have feelings for her son, but what her son did at the beginning really made her sad. After breaking off the relationship, she also insisted on not thinking about it again.

But now that a person has died, no matter how bad the son is, the grandson is innocent.

Such a young child, who just lost his father, is being bullied by others. As a grandmother, she must not be able to watch it.

Considering various factors, the two old ladies used 200% of their energy to suppress the old woman from the Jin family who dared to bully their Qingen.

Old Lady Jin reluctantly came out twice, but was scolded back, and finally had to close the door and pretend to be dead.

She was pretending to be dead, but the two old ladies didn't feel tired at all. They drank some tea and took a break and continued to scold.

While scolding, Old Man Hu, who went out to play chess with others in the morning, came back.

As soon as he came back, he saw two old ladies blocking his door and scolding.

His brows immediately frowned, and he was thinking whether he should go home first to hide and see the situation, when a white and clean little boy wearing short sleeves and big shorts came down.

When Duan Qingen came down, he heard Grandma Duan's full-throated curse:

"You are such a bad old woman, your conscience has been eaten by dogs, your eyes have grown on your buttocks and you dare to bully my grandson, you must have a intestine full of shit growing in your brain, I swear, you don't even let a seven-year-old child go, so what if his father died, his father died and knew that you bullied his own son, he would also climb up and kill you, stand by your bed all night long to watch you, and pester your husband and your son and grandson, making your whole family restless!"

After this long curse, she stopped to drink tea, and the old lady Wang next to her Tai continued:

"Did you make trouble yesterday and insist on saying that my son-in-law is possessed by a ghost? I think it's obvious that you are guilty of bullying my grandson who just lost his father and are afraid that my son-in-law will seek revenge on you. You also want to invite a master, your mother's master. I will definitely go to my son-in-law's grave and talk to him properly, saying that there is an old man who has lived enough to bully your son. Let him come up quickly and take your whole family to the underworld. Even if he can't take them away, he will pester you all day long!"

Just as he was scolding, Duan Qingen ran up, holding a large thermos in his hand, which was filled with tea.

The little child unscrewed the lid of the pot and poured water into the enamel cups held by the two people.

While pouring water, she said in a childish voice: "Grandma, grandma, you two should take a break."

Old Mrs. Wang smiled and said: "It's okay, grandma is not tired, this is nothing. When I was young, someone dared to bully your uncle, and I blocked their door and scolded them for three days."

Grandma Duan also smiled, looking at her grandson with eyes full of love: "Grandma is not tired, not tired at all."

In fact, she has not seen her grandson a few times in total, but now she feels closer and closer to him. She feels pity for him for losing his father at such a young age, and she also feels a little emotional.

How sensible this child is. When she was at home before, those little bastards didn't even pour her a glass of water after working all day.

Duan Qingen pursed his lips seriously and poured water for the two old men who had scolded for almost a whole morning and were in good spirits.

When he turned his head, he saw old man Hu looking over here hesitantly.

The fair|tender|little boy immediately pointed his finger toward him: "He is Grandpa Hu."

The two old men who had just smiled kindly and kindly immediately put down the enamel cups in their hands, stood up, and rushed towards Old Man Hu aggressively.

They are all good at reading people's faces. When they saw Old Man Hu acting like this, they roughly guessed that he was a coward. And seeing how he wanted to run away but stopped in place, they knew he was a face-saving person.

Although the relationship between men and women at this time is said to be equal, in fact, in the eyes of the older generation, men's status in the family is definitely greater than that of women, unless there are special circumstances or something.

If this old man Hu was pretending to be dead like that old lady Jin, they would still find it difficult to deal with. But now that they saw that old man Hu was an old man who was not very good at talking and still wanted to save face, they immediately made up their mind.

They immediately surrounded the people in a tacit understanding.

"That person named Jin is your wife? How did you teach her? Huh? My grandson just lost his father and is only seven years old. At such an old age, how can she, an old woman, say such things to my grandson? Why not? You're scolding me downstairs, why are you bullying my grandson for not having a father? My daughter-in-law doesn't have a man in her family, right?"

Grandma Duan put her hands on her hips, with an astonishing momentum. She just increased the number of her sons several times: "There are eight sons in my family! Plus my nephews, my mother-in-law's family has three sons in total." It’s more than ten years old. You really bullied our children like we have no one at home. You made me angry and brought them to your house to break down the door. Let’s see who is the boss!”

Old Man Hu was frightened by her words. He was already in his thirties, and it had been many years since he moved out of the village. He also had no contact with relatives in the village, so he would definitely not be able to find anyone to help him.

There are only two sons, and they are both civil servants. How can they possibly win?

There was sweat on his forehead, and he quickly squeezed out a smile: "Look, is there some misunderstanding? We are quite old, why are we making such a fuss?"

"What a fuss! You guys came here first. How can it be a misunderstanding for your family to bully others? Look at you like that, with a sinister look on your face. You are not a good bird at first glance. I tell you, I remember You look good, if you don't hold your wife down for me, from now on, if you have the ability, don't go out, otherwise we won't be responsible if a brick is smashed when you go out. "

The two old ladies directly focused their fire on Old Man Hu.

Anyway, isn’t Mrs. Jin pretending to be dead? Can she pretend to be dead to them, and to the person next to her pillow?

This is equivalent to when you go to do something, and an employee with a tough temper slaps you in the face without making any sense.

Slapping her may not be enough to vent her anger, but if you find her boss, slap her in the face, scold her a few times and then leave. Although this method is very damaging, it is guaranteed to be effective, because The boss who was slapped for no reason can't find any trouble with you, so he can only take it out on the subordinates who hurt him.

And the most important thing is that their grandson said that Old Mrs. Jin was yelling at Sang and Huai downstairs, and Old Man Hu didn't even say a word to her. He just watched her, an old woman, bullying orphans and widows.

Now he appears to be easy to talk to and cooperative with, and it wasn't because of their toughness that he changed his face.

There is no need for them to be polite to such an old guy.

Mrs. Wang sneered and said to Grandma Duan on the side: "I know him. He often plays chess with people by the river. Next time we will call our son and nephew. When we go to the river, we will say that he is watching. He looks like a dog, but he is actually disrespectful and bullies orphans and widows. How can he have the nerve to go out!"

Grandma Duan: "Yes, isn't one of your sons a teacher and the other working in a national government unit? I don't want this face anymore, I go to school, I go to work, I sit on the ground and cry, your wife is such an old man Isn’t it just because of my age that I’m bullying my daughter-in-law and my grandson? I’m not much older than her, but my mother is still alive, and she’s in her nineties! If that doesn’t work, I’ll ask my mother to go to the government. Sitting at the door asking for justice, do you really think she is the only one in the world!"

Old man Hu was sweating all over his body.

She is an old lady in her nineties. At such an old age, who can guarantee that nothing will happen to her? If something happens, she will be sued for her life. How can his two sons keep their jobs?

What he was most proud of was that both of his sons had become talented people, and they often boasted to others when they played chess outside.

If his son's job is really lost and his face is lost because of this incident, then he will really have no face to see anyone in the future.

He couldn't care about anything else now, so he could only beg in a low voice: "Sister, don't get me wrong, I really don't know about this matter. Is this okay? I'll keep my guy in custody and talk to you." Can you apologize?"

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Duan looked at each other.

Mrs. Duan immediately sneered: "Apologise? Is an apology useful?! How much harm have you caused to my grandson before? How can you say such heartbreaking words to a child who has just lost his father? Just apologize?"

Old man Hu felt unlucky, why did he get into trouble with these two difficult people.

At the same time, he was angry at his wife in his heart. He had to mess with the orphans and widowers, but it was no good. It also made other people in the yard look at him wrong. Now it's better. Even his son will be implicated. .

But now they are in the wrong, and the two old ladies have made it clear that they are looking for trouble. Old Hu can only be humble: "Then what do you say, we will do it."

Mrs. Wang: "Compensate."

"Yes, pay for it. If you don't pay for it, this matter will never be over!"

Old Man Hu had guessed that they would ask for money, but when he actually heard it, he still felt a pang of pain.

He tried to save his family's money: "Sister, our family didn't do anything. We didn't touch you or be next to you. Why should we lose money? This doesn't make sense."

"If you don't touch or get hit, then you're fine, right?"

Old Mrs. Duan pulled her mother-in-law, turned around and walked to the door of Hu's house. She plopped down on the small bench and said, "Okay, we will scold you here. If not, we will scold you on the street or school. Anyway, we will scold you here." I also know where your son works. Even if we open our mouths to talk, we won’t meet or touch you. Don’t bother us then. "

"Hey! Hey! Wait, we'll pay for it!"

If the voices in the yard were slightly louder, they could be heard by the residents upstairs. When the two old ladies started scolding, many people stood on the balcony to watch the excitement.

Most of them are mothers or elderly people taking care of their children at home.

There were a lot of people, but no one stood up to help Mrs. Jin. This old lady used to have a bad mouth and her age. If anyone didn't get her way, she would scold anyone and stand in the yard every day. The inside refers to the mulberry tree and curses the locust tree.

If her voice is too loud and it disturbs the child, ask her to keep it down, and she can deflect the blame and scold you.

For an old lady, being able to offend most of the residents on her own is considered a skill.

But now, seeing that this old lady was in trouble, it was too late for them to watch the fun, so how could they help.

As for the two old ladies scolding people, what should they be afraid of in broad daylight? Besides, even if they did, Mrs. Jin had been making a lot of noise before.

Now that they see old man Hu giving up and spending money to buy peace, the people watching the excitement upstairs feel a sense of secret joy.

It’s true that things have turned around, and their family has what it is today.

Duan Qingen was held by Mrs. Wang's hand and looked at her and Grandma Duan with their mouths wide open: "Two hundred."

"If you don't give me money, this matter won't be over."

"Yes, anyway, we two old guys don't have to work or take care of the children. If we don't give you money, we will just stay here and scold you. If you are not at home, we will scold you all over the street. You are really an orphan and a widowed mother with no one to support you. , bullying our family members like this.”

Their area is already poor, and the per capita wage level is not high, not to mention the money in the hands of the elderly.

This old man Hu is still working in the factory. Although he only works for half a month at most, it is not easy to make money.

Two hundred yuan is just a cut of flesh for someone of his age.

But looking at the two old ladies in front of them who would never give up until they were given money, what else could they do without cutting off the meat?

Who wants the old woman at home to have a good life and have to provoke them?

He agreed with a livid face, took the key and opened the door to his yard: "Wait for me, I'll get the money."

Two old men and a child were waiting outside the door. From the crack of the unclosed door, one could clearly hear Old Mrs. Jin yelling:

"Isn't this a money grab? No! You can't give money!"

Then there was the sound of Old Man Hu gnashing his teeth, and there seemed to be the sound of kicking his feet on the table: "You are so stupid, you are the cause of all these things, what kind of monster are you doing! Get out of my way!"

You could still vaguely hear the sound of Old Mrs. Jin trying to stop her but was slapped by her husband. Duan Qingen stretched his neck and tried hard to see. The two old ladies looked like they had expected it.

When Old Man Hu came out with the money, they counted it, and when they saw that the amount of money was correct, they said with a stinky face:

"Even if this matter is over today, if your family dares to bully our orphan and widow again in the future, we won't take it even if you give us 20,000 yuan, and we will just go to the street and scream!"

"Yes yes yes."

Old Man Hu could only respond in frustration.

Grandma Duan: "You are such a big man, you can't even take care of your own wife. You are really a coward. Let me tell you, you'd better take care of your wife's mouth, otherwise I will tell others on the street that you are a coward, and you can't even control your own." You can’t even control your wife, it depends on whether you have any shame or not.”

Mrs. Wang also followed: "No, I have never seen such a useless man, bah!"

The two of them spat before leaving, and then, like cocks that had won a battle, they held Duan Qingen's hand upstairs with their heads held high.

When they returned to Duan's house, smiles appeared on their faces. Grandma Duan put the two hundred yuan into Duan Qingen's pocket:

"Qing'en, keep this money for you, remember to give it to you | Mom."

Duan Qingen looked confused: "Grandma, can we really ask for Grandpa Hu's money? When you leave, will they come back?"

"Don't worry, it won't happen." Grandma Duan looked confident and said very confidently: "They don't dare. If they really bully you again, just call me and I will come over and scold them. night."

"Yes." Old Mrs. Wang agreed: "Don't worry, Qing En, their family will definitely not dare to do anything else in the future. We asked for money this time. Seeing how distressed the old man is, next time the old woman dares to act like a monster, Her man can just hold her down."

They didn't ask for the money out of greed, but to make Old Hu feel pain.

If they don't shed any blood, they will learn a lesson and know what will happen if they dare to bully Xiuhong and Qingen. How can they remember not to provoke them next time?

Of course, having more money is quite satisfying.

Mrs. Wang and Grandma Duan walked around the house. When they saw that there were some vegetables in the kitchen and the rice vat was almost reaching the bottom, they had distressed expressions on their faces.

After all, across her belly, Grandma Duan felt sorry for her grandson, but Mrs. Wang felt sorry for her daughter and grandson together.

She knelt down and asked Duan Qingen: "Qingen, tell grandma, how do you and your mother usually eat?"

Duan Qingen answered quickly: "Mom comes back to cook after work."

"Oh, she is so tired from work, and she has to come back to cook." Mrs. Wang felt as if someone had dug a piece out of her heart, and Grandma Duan also looked distressed.

"The child is still so young. How can one person take care of the child while having to go to work and take care of the child?"

Duan Qingen looked at the two old men and sighed. He didn't mention that Wang Xiuhong was like this when Duan's father was not dead.

Widowed parenting requires taking care of the children and even the husband while working. I am so tired that I cannot rest every day, and occasionally I have to endure domestic violence.

In fact, when Father Duan was still alive, the money he earned was not handed over to his family. He was very proud of himself, entertained guests everywhere, and loved to drink. He would come home drunk every time in the middle of the night, and Wang Xiuhong had to go to work the next day. I still have to get up and work hard to take care of him.

Although Wang Xiuhong is still not in good spirits these days, her complexion is indeed getting better day by day.

After all, she no longer has to get up early in the morning to prepare the breakfast he ordered and wash the dirty and smelly clothes her husband brought back last night. She no longer has to rush home to cook at noon. She can also have a good sleep at night.

The two old people didn't know this. They just felt that it was not easy for Wang Xiuhong. She was raising a child alone at a young age and how could she do it without a man in the family.

They sent Duan Qingen to go to the room to do things and play, and while wandering around the room looking at what to pack, they murmured.

Duan Qingen nodded obediently and as soon as the door closed, he lay beside the door and started listening to the sounds outside.

Grandma Duan was harsh to outsiders, but she was kind to her mother-in-law. She asked in a soft voice: "Old sister, I won't beat around the bush. Is Xiuhong thinking about getting married again?"

Without waiting for Grandma Wang to respond, she immediately explained: "I don't ask this because I don't want Xiuhong to marry again. I know that Xiuhong is a good person, but my son is a bastard. She is my son, and I am My son is lucky. Now this bastard is gone. Our family had severed ties with him before, but now we won’t say anything about stopping Xiuhong from remarrying. "

"I just want to say that if she wants to get married again, she can go ahead with peace of mind. I will take care of Qing'en for her. This kid is good and I like it too. If I take him, Xiuhong will still be him | Mom, I am If you don’t want to delay Xiu Hong, it depends on what she thinks.”

Grandma Duan's words obviously made Mrs. Wang very happy, and her tone became warmer: "I know you are a caring person. Our family Xiuhong has such a good mother-in-law like you, which is really a good thing for her in her previous life. "

She sighed: "Xiuhong couldn't let go of Qingen. She was afraid that Qingen would suffer if she remarried, so she told me that she didn't want to remarry. But, sister, I say this from the bottom of my heart. Xiuhong is a piece of flesh that has fallen off of me. I I must love her. She is still so young. If she stays like this for the rest of her life, how will she live in the future? "

Grandma Duan agreed and sighed: "Yeah, it's not like we were children now. Women have to be pointed out when they remarry. Now the leaders have said that men and women are equal and marriage is free. I can't bear to see Xiuhong working so hard." Taking care of the kids alone.”

What's more, during the previous phone call, her love for Duan Qing'en was simply because this was her grandson who was bullied just after losing his father.

But when I met him, and saw that my grandson was so well-behaved and sensible, that he could speak clearly at a young age, and that he was fair and tender, my love for him started to grow.

Although it is better for the child to have his mother by his side, the current situation is that Wang Xiuhong needs to make money to support the family and take care of the child. If her own body cannot support it, Duan Qingen will receive less care.

It's better to let Xiuhong go and get married again, and let her take care of her grandson. Both sides will be better off.

Mrs. Wang is still very satisfied with Grandma Duan's attitude. Although her daughter said she was unwilling to remarry before, she still thinks it is better to remarry. But before she can remarry, she must first settle Duan Qingen. Now with Grandma Duan's attitude, she feels Wang Xiuhong felt relieved when she saw it.

However, they are both in-laws. Although they have not had much contact with each other, Mrs. Wang still knows what is going on with the Duan family. She hesitated and said: "If Qing En is taken back, it will not be the child of his uncles. Will they be happy? This kind of thing still needs to be discussed."

Grandma Duan paused before speaking: "My old man and I make our own money and don't spend their money. We have nothing to discuss with them."

What he said was no longer as tough as before.

There are three sons in the Duan family. Duan's father is the eldest, followed by two younger brothers.

However, the relationship between Duan's father and the two younger brothers has never been good. When Grandma Duan received a call to come, the two daughters-in-law didn't look very good. It was obvious that they were afraid that Grandma Duan would start visiting the eldest son's house again.

A family that has lost its backbone, doesn’t it need subsidies from the old Duan family?

Lao Duan's family is just an ordinary farmer's family. They can't blame them for being unhappy just because they give extra energy and money to others for free.

Mrs. Wang guessed it when she heard her tone. She sighed, which was quite understandable.

It's not easy now. Her family is not the same. She has a daughter-in-law at home. Every time she comes to see her daughter, her daughter-in-law's face looks bad. It's because she takes things from home to see her daughter and doesn't get anything back. Come.

Mrs. Wang can still understand that it's not that her daughter is unfilial, but that her husband is a bad person and is preventing her from giving things to her mother-in-law, but her daughter-in-law doesn't care about that.

She only saw that her mother-in-law always gave things from home to her daughter without getting much in return. She also wondered in her heart whether the old lady secretly used money to support her daughter.

The more this happens, the more she rejects her mother-in-law visiting her daughter.

But Mrs. Wang feels sorry for her daughter, so how could she come to the door empty-handed? It's a big deal if she doesn't take anything. If she doesn't take anything, her son-in-law will think she looks down on him, so what should he do if she gets angry at her daughter?

If I don't come to the door, I feel uneasy. I am afraid that my child will be bullied and I miss my child.

To put it bluntly, it’s something caused by poverty.

Duan Qingen lay down beside the door and waited quietly for a while. The two old men stopped talking. It was obvious that this topic made them a little sentimental.

He sat back at the desk again and began to write fairy tales that children loved to read.

As he wrote, he looked at the calendar on the table and drew a circle on today's date.

Calculating the time, the letter should have arrived at the publishing house. Since the editor's name was written on it, the letter should be sent directly to the editor.

Duan Qingen was still very confident about whether the editor-in-chief could keep his manuscript. Before writing, he went to the library to research the children's books issued by this publishing house.

The written content and drawings are all in accordance with the publishing style that this publishing house likes to publish. Unless this letter fails to reach the editor-in-chief, he is 100% sure to pass the manuscript.

While Duan Qingen was counting the time, in the next door not too far away, in a city that was developing not a little faster than the city where the Duan family lived, a middle-aged man wearing glasses also received a letter from his assistant. .

"For me?"

The editor-in-chief's surname is Ma, and everyone calls him Editor-in-Chief Ma. He is a good person. Both his superiors and subordinates think that he is very good. Even the people who ask for articles treat him seriously and responsibly.

The more this happens, the more strict Editor Ma is on himself to maintain his good reputation. After all, only if his reputation is good can he attract a steady stream of manuscript submissions.

However, usually letters written to him by others will include his name. Unlike this letter, it was written directly as the editor-in-chief. This shows that he has not cooperated with him before and does not know him. of.

The assistant thought so too. When he saw Editor Ma looking a little surprised, he suggested: "Otherwise, I'll send it outside. Someone should want to submit the article."

Editor Ma, who is always meticulous in his work, shook his head: "Forget it, you told me everything, let me take a look, it only takes a little time, it's okay."

As he said that, he opened the letter and saw that it was actually the kind of notebook used by a child. His face was full of black question marks.

Although their publishing house welcomes submissions from everyone, this was the first time he had seen submissions using primary school students' homework books.

Just as doubts and laughter arose in his heart, Editor Ma's eyes were attracted by the picture book beside him.

"This phoenix is ​​so beautifully painted."

He couldn't help but take it out and appreciate it carefully. While reading, he commented: "It's a pity that it was drawn in such a simple book and not colored. Otherwise, it would look better."

The assistant also came over curiously: "This picture book looks familiar. It seems to be the one sold by my brother's school."

"Not only are the picture books like that, but the notebooks used to write manuscripts are also used by children. Maybe the person who submitted the manuscript is a child."

Even though he said that, Editor Hu was still looking forward to it because of the beautiful phoenix flying in the nine heavens.

He felt that the person who could draw such a beautiful phoenix was most likely not a child.

When he started reading the manuscript, Editor Ma became even more convinced of this idea.

He finished reading it in one breath, feeling a little unfinished: "Xiao Zhang, come and take a look. This is really well written. Not only can children read it, but adults can also read it well. Even I was hooked. Want to see what’s below.”

The assistant took it over and read it, and nodded after reading it: "Yes, it is really well written, the suspense is well laid out, and it is also very relaxing to watch. Moreover, the subject matter is very innovative, and it is about a child becoming smaller. If the book is published, it will be popular with children. "

Editor Ma nodded, "I now feel that this was not written by a child. It should have been written by someone with children at home, who simply took a child's notebook to save trouble."

Assistant: "Then are we going to ask for a manuscript? He obviously hasn't finished writing this."

Editor Ma took the notebook and turned to the last page: "Look, he wrote at the back. If we want this manuscript, he can illustrate his own manuscript."

"In this way, we will first buy the manuscripts he sends based on a thousand words, and then see if his next manuscripts are still of the same quality. If so, I think we can cooperate for a long time."

The assistant nodded and went out to continue working on other things.

Editor Ma was the only one left in the room, holding these ten pieces of paper and reading them over and over again.

When he finished reading it for the fifth time, he picked up the phone and dialed a number: "Old Zhou, I have a good manuscript here. When can you come over to take a look and help me estimate the sales volume if it is published."

****

At noon, Wang Xiuhong came back.

When she arrived at the yard, she felt something was wrong. Why did people look at her so strangely? Old Lady Jin, who would have opened the door and beeped loudly at this time, also stayed indoors.

Or someone she knew whispered to her what happened in the morning.

Wang Xiuhong was shocked. Qingen asked her for money yesterday, but he actually called the two old ladies over.

She hurried upstairs, and as soon as she opened the door, she saw a clean house with steaming hot meals on the table. The two old ladies were sitting on chairs and talking with a smile. Next to them, Duan Qingen was sitting on a small stool, concentrating on doing homework.

Hearing the door open, the fair-skinned little boy raised his head and called out sweetly, "Mom!"

"Xiuhong is back."

Grandma Duan stood up and said, "Oh, you must be exhausted. Come eat quickly."

"Mom."

Wang Xiuhong called out a little stiffly, after all, she and Grandma Duan had not interacted much before.

But Grandma Wang also came over: "You said that you, your child, didn't say anything when you were wronged. You are worse than Qingen, a child. If Qingen hadn't told us, we would have known that you and your son would have been bullied to death."

It was this sentence that sounded like a complaint that made Wang Xiuhong's eyes red all of a sudden.

When you are most helpless and wronged, it feels really different when your family can stand up to protect you.

The family had a lively meal. In the afternoon, the two old ladies repeatedly told Wang Xiuhong to tell them if there was anything, and then left the Duan family.

When Wang Xiuhong was cleaning up at night, she found a bag of money stuffed into the quilt, all of which were one, five, and ten yuan, carefully wrapped in a handkerchief.

She knew that her mother had no money in her hand. After all, every time she got paid, her sister-in-law would urge her to take the money, so the money could only be left by Grandma Duan.

Wang Xiuhong looked at the money wrapped in the handkerchief in her hand and cried again.

After dinner today, Grandma Duan said that if she remarried, the Duan family would definitely have no objection and would raise Qingen.

But she still refused.

She would rather be tired and suffer a little, and she didn't want Qingen to become a burden in the eyes of others, nor did she want him to live under someone else's roof.

Duan Qingen saw the young mother squatting on the ground crying, ran over and hugged her head, with a childish and crisp voice.

"Mom, I will earn a lot of money to support you, and I will also be filial to grandma and grandma."

Wang Xiuhong wiped her tears, raised her head and forced a smile to her son: "Mom knows, Qingen, you are good, when you grow up, you must be filial to grandma and grandma, understand?"

Duan Qingen nodded seriously, and five days later, he began to run to the post office on time.

The post office is close to the vegetable market, and he always runs there. Some acquaintances would tease him when they saw him, asking him why a child always runs to the post office.

No one told Duan Qingen when he submitted his manuscript before, but after watching Wang Xiuhong cry last time, he changed his mind.

For this young mother, being tired is nothing, what she needs is to be affirmed by others.

And what else is more proud than having a genius son.

So every time someone teased Duan Qingen about what he was doing at the post office, the little boy would straighten his chest and raise his head to say that he had submitted his manuscript to the publishing house and he was waiting for a reply.

At this time, those who got the answer would laugh.

After all, no one would believe that a child of this age could really get his manuscript accepted.

After Wang Xiuhong knew about this, she did not blame Duan Qingen for wasting money. She felt guilty for her son because she always left him at home during the day. Since the child had this dream, she did not want to discourage him.

But the neighbors would occasionally say a few words with a smile, saying that Qingen was a very imaginative and courageous child who actually dared to submit his manuscript to the publishing house.

Mrs. Jin was now controlled by Mr. Hu, and she did not dare to scold loudly, but she continued to gossip as usual.

After hearing this, she insisted: "Publishing houses want great writers to write. Duan Qingen is just a kid. He can't publish a manuscript."

Someone would say something fair: "Qingen said that he submitted a fairy tale he wrote. It is originally something for children to read. He is a kid, so maybe other children will like it too."

"Tsk."

Since she suffered a loss last time, Mrs. Jin's malice towards Duan Qingen has skyrocketed. Not to mention imagining him publishing a book, she almost wished that this little guy would die on the spot and make Wang Xiuhong miserable.

"He is just wasting money. If he can publish a book, I can swallow the ladle alive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the fair-skinned little boy jumped and hummed a song, and entered the yard with a look of happiness.

He has always been quiet, and it was rare to see him like this. He seemed to be holding an envelope in his hand, so someone stopped him and asked, "Qing'en, what are you so happy about?"

Duan Qing'en stopped, his fair face full of joy, and he shook the envelope in his chubby little hand.

"The story I wrote was accepted, and the publisher gave me the money."

He opened the envelope and showed the money inside to the people in the yard: "I have to go home quickly to tell my mother and give this money to him. Auntie, I won't say anything else. I'm going home first!"

Everyone in the yard was stunned, just watching the handsome and clean little boy skipping away again.