The Fat Wife of the 1980s Awakens

Xie Yi sighed and slowly recounted the forgotten past: "It is rumored that the child in his wife's belly was not his, but the blood of another person in the village. After the child was born, day by day, his appearance became more and more like that of the neighbor. At first, facing the whispers of the villagers, he still did not believe it, until one day, in the lush cornfield, he accidentally ran into his wife and that person... At that moment, all his dignity, years of humiliation, and the pain of raising a child for others, drowned him like a tide, and finally, he chose this path of no return."

This straightforward statement fully expressed the bitterness and despair of a strange soul. Xu Xiufang heard this and a trace of pity flashed in her eyes. "It's so sad. If you were in my place and found out that the triplets were not your blood, would you also choose to seek relief here?"

As the night grew darker, Xu Xiufang deliberately brought up this topic to tease, obviously intending to tease.

Upon hearing this, Xie Yi's face changed slightly. He suddenly broke free from her hand, his eyes widened with anger, and an unknown fire rose in his heart.

Without saying much, he took big steps, intending to quickly escape from this annoying entanglement.

"Humph, you are allowed to scare me, but I am not allowed to take a little revenge? You are such a stingy person, your heart is smaller than the eye of a needle!"

Xu Xiufang was not willing to give up. She ran after him while protesting loudly, looking quite stubborn and mischievous like a child.

"You haven't figured it out in your mind yet, whose child is it?"

Xie Yi clenched his teeth, secretly thinking about how to teach this mischievous Xu Xiufang a lesson. He even had a thought of throwing her into the cold river to sober her up.

After bickering all the way, the two finally arrived at Wang Yimin's house.

They were greeted by the warm hospitality of the host family, with hot tea and fresh fruits poured in.

"Oh, look at what you said. You're here now, why bring these things? Leave them to the children. I have a job now, and my family has fields and land, so I don't need these."

Wang Yimin declined the brown sugar that Xu Xiufang brought with a sincere look on his face.

Xu Xiufang was about to open her mouth to argue, but Xie Yi suddenly interrupted: "Why are you dawdling? This is not for you. It's specially given to my sister-in-law for recuperation. Take it quickly. We have something else to do. Do you want to see the design drawings?"

As soon as Xie Yi finished speaking, Wang Yimin readily accepted the gift with a grateful smile on his face.

Wang Yimin's wife always valued her husband's opinions, so when the gift handed by Xu Xiufang fell lightly into her hands, she just smiled slightly, with a hint of curiosity and humility in her eyes.

"I heard that you two can earn thousands of yuan a day. Is this true? To be honest, I'm skeptical. I always feel like it's a story I heard in a dream."

As Wang Yimin's wife spoke, she gently rocked the baby in her arms. The child stared with his black eyes, seeming to be quite interested in the topic.

Xu Xiufang and Xie Yi exchanged glances, and both couldn't help laughing. They touched their foreheads in tacit understanding, and thought to themselves: If this rumor spreads a few more times, it will probably become an exaggerated story about Xu Xiufang making a fortune.

"Oh, it's not that exaggerated. The rumor is getting more and more outrageous, as if we were sitting under the tree and gold coins would fall into our pockets as soon as we opened our mouths."

Xu Xiufang shook her head helplessly, with a bitter smile between her brows. She felt both amused and distressed by the false rumor.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yimin's wife wrapped the child tightly in her arms and echoed, "That's right. In the village, if one or two out of ten rumors are true, it's good. Most of the time, people exaggerate and the stories become distorted in the end."

There was a certain indifference in her words, a calm attitude that came from living in the countryside for many years and having a deep understanding of human nature.

Xu Xiufang was slightly stunned by these straightforward and practical words, and a sense of resonance arose in her heart.

Indeed, if life was not a major concern, who would be willing to start with such a hard and low-profit job as repair work?

While he was thinking, Fang Wenhua was already holding the child and humming a lullaby softly, her movements gentle and skillful.

"If you're interested in doing business, maybe I can show you a way."

Fang Wenhua's words were full of sincerity. Her eyes, which seemed a little tired from working day and night, were shining with encouragement, making it impossible to ignore her sincerity.

Xu Xiufang's heart moved. Although she didn't have too many expectations, she knew that it was always good to have another way out.

So she took the child and signaled Fang Wenhua to continue speaking.

"Let me hold you for a while. As the old saying goes, it's easy to lift a thousand pounds, but it's hard to take care of a child. This little guy really takes the most energy."

Xu Xiufang joked, her face filled with love for this little life.

Fang Wenhua sighed gratefully, and after handing the child to Xu Xiufang, she was able to relax for a moment, "Finally, I can take a break. My husband only knows how to complain about being tired every day when he comes home, as if I can only enjoy a leisurely life at home. In fact, I am also very tired."

There was a hint of complaint in her words, but more of it was understanding and tolerance.

"Men are like this, always talking about how hard they've worked."

As Xu Xiufang spoke, she winked at Xie Yi, who pursed his lips and pretended not to hear. The subtle interaction between the two caused a subtle sense of humor to permeate the air.

Although Wang Yimin and Xie Yi felt mixed emotions, they could not find the words to refute. After all, this was indeed the true portrayal of many families.

Fang Wenhua continued, "My brother opened a lighting store in the provincial capital. The market there has much higher requirements for lighting. Unlike our village, most people still use old transparent light bulbs."

Her eyes revealed a longing for the outside world, as if every detail made her feel fresh.

Xu Xiufang knew very well that it was not easy for this closed little village to learn about these changes in the outside world, and she felt a sense of admiration in her heart.

"My brother suggested that I open one, but I saw people in the village still using kerosene lamps. Who could I sell those novel and unique lamps that shine with soft light to? A lamp costs a few to more than ten yuan. For many people, it is more practical to use this money to buy food than to hang it at home to look good."

Fang Wenhua analyzed carefully, and every word revealed her consideration and helplessness about reality.

Xu Xiufang nodded in agreement. "You have a point. Clothing and food are basic needs. The clothing industry has indeed made money in recent years, but in the long run, we should either build factories for large-scale production or open physical stores for sales. Handmade products, although with unique designs, are far less efficient and less costly than factories."

Fang Wenhua smiled, her smile showing her expectations for the future. "Building a factory is too far away for me. I will consider opening a clothing store in a few years when my children grow up and go to school in the city."

Her dream, though far away, is still visible, but it will take time to slowly approach it.