Watching the Show

"Zhiwen had no choice but to register his marriage to Liu Chunlan. This is a new society now, and people can divorce whenever they want. As long as Panpan agrees, we'll pay a bride price of 500 yuan..."

Father and Mother Chen were about to explode with anger. It had only been a blind date, yet they'd stirred up such a stink. The family was trying to latch onto theirs.

"Get lost. We don't agree."

"Keep spouting nonsense and I'll rip your mouth apart."

Chen Haichao frowned hard enough to crush a fly between his brows. He stepped forward, grabbed Wang Zhiwen by the clothes, and hoisted him up.

"You're fucking married now. Coming here to pester my sister for no reason makes you a hooligan. Get a rope! Tie him up and take him to the Public Security Bureau. A few days in jail will clear his head."

Zhao Guilan hurried forward in alarm to stop him. "Hey, don't, don't! Let's talk this out. We just came over for a visit and a chat..."

"If you dare come back and talk about a bride price for my sister again, I'll break your legs."

Seeing so many neighbors pointing fingers and gossiping, Chen Panpan heaved with anger. "I don't know him well. Someone introduced us on the first day of the holiday, and we met for a blind date. I told them that same day that we weren't suited."

"Exactly. If going on one blind date stirs up a stink like this, who would dare go on one again?" Chen Sitian said angrily. "Don't eat from your bowl while eyeing the pot. You should be living a good life with your wife, Liu Chunlan."

Eldest Aunt called out in agreement, "That's right. Now that you're married, you should live a good life together. Liu Chunlan is only thirty-nine and has given birth to two sons. She's very fertile, and she's sure to bear your family another couple of sons. Our Panpan is still an unmarried maiden. She has a good family to marry into someday; she can't marry a divorced man."

"That's right. Since you've registered your marriage, live a good life together. I heard Liu Chunlan is still living at her own home. With the New Year here, you should bring her back so the family can reunite..."

"If a woman is three years older, you gain a gold brick. Your family has gained six gold bricks, so you've made a profit..."

"Who gets divorced right after getting married? And a bride price of 500 yuan? Is this human trafficking?"

"Liu Chunlan is here... Liu Chunlan is here..."

The crowd parted of its own accord.

When Chen Haichao saw the person at the heart of it had arrived, he quickly let go, leaving them to fight like dogs.

Liu Chunlan wore a red floral padded jacket and had clearly dressed up. She looked aggrieved.

"Zhiwen, we registered our marriage the day before yesterday. We're husband and wife now. I wanted to give your family time to accept it, so I didn't move in right away..."

Wang Zhiwen's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and he clenched his fists.

Zhao Guilan's face was ashen too. "Shut up. Who's husband and wife with you? Our family doesn't accept you."

"Mom... I'm perfectly fine, and I can still have children..."

Chen Haichao had already burst out laughing without the slightest restraint.

The people around them couldn't hold back either and began to laugh.

Zhao Guilan felt her vision darken in waves and gripped Wang Zhiwen's sleeve tightly.

"Don't call me Mom."

Mother Chen's expression had changed from fury to roaring laughter. "She's supposed to call you Mom. She's already registered her marriage to your son, so she's your daughter-in-law. Of course she should call you Mom. She'll be calling you that for the rest of her life."

Eldest Aunt joined in, enjoying the show. "When they get old, who knows whether the mother-in-law will look after the daughter-in-law or the daughter-in-law will care for the mother-in-law? Who'll get old first?"

Chen Panpan was about to speak, but Mother Chen shot her a glare and whispered, "You're an unmarried young woman. Don't get involved in this; it has nothing to do with you. Both of you, shut your mouths. Don't say a word, just watch."

"If you ask me, since they're already married, they should live a good life together. New Year's Eve is tomorrow, so hurry and bring Liu Chunlan's family home for the New Year and reunite the family."

"Exactly. Liu Chunlan has two sons, and from now on they'll be Wang Zhiwen's sons too. You're all one family. Nothing matters more than living a good life together."

"Liu Chunlan didn't even ask for a bride price. Your family didn't spend a cent and got a daughter-in-law for free, and she's someone your son likes and wanted to marry. What have you got to complain about?"

Zhao Guilan's face grew more ashen by the moment. "Zhiwen, help me home, quickly."

Liu Chunlan immediately stepped forward. "Mom, let me help you..."

"Get lost."

"Guilan, that's not right of you. Chunlan is your daughter-in-law, and she's kindly offering to help you..."

"Let's all see your family home. Stop making a fuss. Now that you're married, live a good life together. Don't think about getting divorced and marrying someone else, ruining another good girl..."

The helpful villagers gathered around them and escorted them home.

Mother Chen watched them leave, then spat viciously at the gate and immediately swept it away with a broom. "Bad luck."

"If we didn't have all this going on at home, I'd really want to follow them over and have a look." Chen Sitian craned her neck, itching to follow.

She wondered whether Liu Chunlan would go straight through the Wang family's door that very night.

Mother Chen glared at her unhappily. "What is there to see? You'll only stir up a stink for no reason. Get any closer and they might latch onto you instead, spending 500 yuan to marry you as their daughter-in-law."

Chen Sitian hastily waved her hands in fright. "I won't watch. I won't watch."

"That shameless mother and son still want a divorce so he can marry someone else. Dream on! They even came here hoping to ruin a girl in our family. Why don't they just die?"

Eldest Aunt Chen comforted her. "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Give the entrance a good sweep so none of that bad luck sticks around. Once the New Year is over, find Panpan a good match."

"I'm furious. We were sitting at home minding our own business, and they came knocking. It's all that unreliable matchmaker's fault. What kind of filthy thing did she introduce to us?"

Mother Chen and Eldest Aunt stood at the gate, cursing them...

Chen Haichao had already calmed down. Wang Zhiwen's family couldn't stir up much of a storm. The wicked would have their own kind to deal with them, and there would be no end of spectacles to watch in the village.

"Mom, I'm going to the threshing ground to bring in the dried shrimp."

"Wait for me. We'll all go together and crush the shells and bring them in before bed. Then we won't have to bother with it on New Year's Eve tomorrow."

They had sold 123 jin that afternoon. Once the rest was completely dry, there would probably be another forty-odd jin. After drying until evening, it should be ready to shell and put away.

They could keep it and sell it next time. They had half a month, so they could surely get even more by then.

Fortunately, they made their deals at night. Otherwise, their family wouldn't know how to explain sending out several more sacks.

After locking the door, the family headed to the threshing ground again. It was already dark, and just about everyone had gone to the Wang family's home to watch the show, so there were hardly any people on the road.

The twins carried the bird's nest with Xiao Ba in it and scrambled eagerly onto the cart to sit, wanting to go along too.

Their mother got a headache just looking at the two of them. "Why won't you stay home with Grandma?"

"We're going to the threshing ground to find Xiao Ba's mom and dad."

"Once we find its mom and dad, we'll have three birds, one for each of us!"

"You still need someone to take care of you, and you want to raise three birds?" Seeing how they treasured it, Mother Chen went on to scare them. "Tomorrow's New Year's Eve. Just in time to put it in the pot and stew it for the meat."

"No!"

"No! Bad Mommy!"

"No new clothes for you."

Chen Xiaoqi changed course as quick as the wind. "Mommy, I was wrong. You're a good mommy..."

Chen Xiaoliu reluctantly gave in too. "You're only a good mommy if you don't eat Xiao Ba."

Mother Chen rolled her eyes and stopped teasing the two of them.