The Fat Wife of the 1980s Awakens

Regardless of the upcoming increase in electricity bills, Xu Xiufang laboriously pulled out the Camel brand electric fan covered with thick dust from the corner of the room.

After wiping it, the fan returned to its normal state. When it was plugged in, the familiar buzzing sound unexpectedly did not come.

Faced with the fan's strike, Xu Xiufang could only resort to the most primitive method. She brought a basin of cool well water and sprinkled it evenly on the scalding ground, hoping to bring a little coolness to the stuffy room.

She slowly sat down next to the bed, gently caressing Xiaobao's sweaty face, and said in a gentle voice: "Do you feel cooler now, baby?"

Xiaobao's face was pale, revealing a bit of sickly weakness. There was both fear and dependence in his eyes as he looked quietly at Xu Xiufang.

Although he was a little afraid of this "evil woman" in his heart, the gentle care she showed at this time made Xiaobao feel unprecedented peace of mind.

He nodded cautiously, with a barely perceptible hint of gratitude in his eyes.

Xu Xiufang had a faint smile on her lips. She knew very well that no matter how naughty the children were, they were still children who needed care in essence.

So, she wiped Xiaobao's body patiently and carefully. Xiaobao did not resist. On the contrary, he immersed himself in the warmth from his mother.

After a morning of hard work, Xu Xiufang managed to transform the small room that was originally filled with strange smells into a space that exuded a faint fragrance.

Xiaobao silently watched his mother's every move. Although he did not express it in words, he was secretly surprised at the transformation of this "evil woman", as if she had become a different person overnight.

Holding an old palm-leaf fan, Xu Xiufang gently waved it, gently coaxing Xiaobao into sleep.

Afterwards, she carried the fan to the yard, screwdriver in hand, ready to try to repair it again.

Just as she was checking whether the fan could not start due to aging wires, a burst of fierce abuse suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

"I really don't know who raised this wild child!"

Along with the cursing, there was a villager's angry complaint about his child being bullied. He pointed directly at the village party secretary and demanded an explanation in an emotional manner.

When Xu Xiufang heard this, she realized that the two little troublemakers were causing trouble outside again. Her brows couldn't help but frown, but she didn't stop what she was doing.

At this moment, Xie Yi's brother Xie Fei, the village party secretary, rushed into the yard with a serious face. Seeing Xu Xiufang fiddling with the electric fan attentively, his face became even angrier.

Xie Fei pointed his finger directly at Xu Xiufang, and said sternly and threateningly: "Old Third's family, I heard that your kid hit my stone today. You either have to pay me money, or I, your uncle, will help you 'discipline' these three kids and keep them out of your way!"

Facing Xie Fei's aggressiveness, Xu Xiufang appeared unusually calm, unwilling to even give him a hint of contempt.

She just calmly found a stool and sat down, then called out calmly, "Dabao, Erbao, come and tell mom, what happened today?"

Dabao and Erbao's eyes were filled with panic and fear as they stared at Xu Xiufang.

In countless experiences in the past, she always punished them with thundering means without asking the reasons.

Xie Fei strode over quickly, and with his sturdy hands he lifted up Dabao and Erbao effortlessly.

"You two little guys, do you have a fish bone stuck in your throat? Why are you touching a stone? Don't you know what's going on?"

His eyes swept across the two young and stubborn little faces.

His eyes seemed to be burning with anger, flashing with a fiery and dangerous light.

"These two troublemakers are clearly asking for a beating, aren't they? It's fine if you don't say anything!"

As the words fell, Xie Fei suddenly pulled out a leather belt from his waist.

Although the two children did not cry, they bit their lower lips tightly and their cheeks turned red.

Dabao and Erbao are already painfully familiar with this kind of confrontation.

Dabao used his thin body to shield Erbao behind him as much as possible, without any sign of retreat in his eyes.

Xu Xiufang's heart felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles.

Her fingers turned white from tightly gripping the screwdriver. She turned around abruptly and snatched the stone from the village party secretary's arms. Her voice was trembling with determination: "If you dare to touch my son, I will do the same to him! Just try it!"

Her eyes were burning with anger as she stared at Xie Fei, and every word she spoke seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

Xie Fei seemed righteous, with a cold smile on his face.

"Old Third, are you out of your mind? It was obviously your son who caused the trouble first, and you didn't discipline him, so I had to do it for you. Either you pay me twenty dollars, not a cent less!"

His plan was obvious. He knew that the third brother's family was poor and could not afford to pay, so he just wanted to find a high-sounding excuse to use his power to squeeze Xu Xiufang out and thus achieve his goal of seizing the blue brick house.

Faced with Xie Fei's aggressiveness, Xu Xiufang showed a disdainful sneer on her face, and her heart was full of contempt for such hypocritical behavior.

She looked directly at Xie Fei: "If my son is really wrong, I will naturally teach him. Who do you think you are? You want money? Dream on! Get out of here!"

Dabao mustered up his courage, puffing out his cheeks, and spoke timidly: "Actually, it was Shitou who started it. He said..."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes involuntarily drifted towards Xu Xiufang, as if seeking some confirmation.

Erbao's eyes were clear and firm. He looked up at his mother, his young chest rising and falling slightly. "I can tell you, but if he dares to touch us, we won't let him off easily."

Xie Fei was so angry at the two children's stubbornness that he swung his belt in the air, "You little brats, you know you're wrong but don't change. You're such cowards. I don't dare to say anything to your face!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to Xu Xiufang, his eyes almost filled with sarcasm: "You don't love yourself, even your children don't recognize you as their mother, and you still shamelessly protect them? Go somewhere cooler as soon as possible!"

Xu Xiufang was dismissive of this, her eyes were only focused on her children: "Don't be afraid, Mom won't do anything, just tell me."

Her words were like warm sunshine, bringing an unprecedented sense of security to Dabao and Erbao.

Hearing this, Erbao's face showed a resolute look. He clenched his tender but powerful fists and said in a loud voice, "Shitou said that if you get close to others, you will be forced to leave the Xie family in the future, and then we will have to move to that dilapidated mud house."

"Why should we move because of other people's gossip? We won't! If he dares to talk nonsense again, I will not show mercy!"

Erbao's eyes were wide open, and his little hand pointed in the direction of the stone. His momentum seemed to shake even the air.

Xu Xiufang witnessed this scene and couldn't help but smile: "That's right, a man with backbone is a child of our Xie family!"