area51novel Page 176
Page 176
"Well, Xu Damao, you really don't even bother to think before you start making up lies. I think our marriage is over!"
Upon hearing this, Lou Xiao'e of "537" had completely lost her patience. She picked up a rolling pin and swung it at Xu Damao.
"Xiao'e, be gentle, I'm still injured!"
"Calm down, calm down... This is all because Qin Huairu seduced me!"
"It's all because you went back to your parents' home and left for so long. I missed you so much that I couldn't help myself... I did that because I mistook Qin Huairu for you..."
"Lou Xiao'e, what good will it do you to break me?"
Enraged, Lou Xiao'e really went for the kill with Xu Damao. At this point, she didn't want to listen to Xu Damao continue spouting nonsense. Xu Damao, who was already covered in injuries, was howling in pain.
"You, Xu Damao, are you blaming me now?"
"Couldn't help it? There are so many old ladies in the courtyard, why did you mistake Qin Huairu for me?"
"You're so bored that all you do is think about these trivial matters between men and women. Today, I, Lou Xiao'e, will put an end to your hopes!"
Fortunately, Xu Damao dodged quickly; otherwise, if Lou Xiao'e had hit him with that stick, he would have truly been childless.
"Wow, that was amazing! I'm going back inside now, lest I get splattered with blood!"
He Yuzhu, who was watching from the side, was quite engrossed, but Lou Xiao'e's demeanor was too terrifying, and he was worried that this crazy woman would implicate him again.
After venting her anger at her own home, Lou Xiao'e picked up a rolling pin and went to the Jia family's door.
"Widow Qin, come out here!"
"Lou Xiao'e, have you taken the wrong medicine? What kind of lunatic are you doing, coming to our doorstep in the middle of the afternoon?"
The commotion Lou Xiao'e made when she hit Xu Damao was so loud that everyone in the courtyard heard it, including Qin Huairu. Although she appeared calm on the surface, she was actually very flustered inside.
"Qin Huairu, I'll tear your mouth apart, then you can call me a lunatic!"
"Your own man is dead, and you're always thinking about other people's men. How can anyone in the world be so shameless?"
"As expected, a scoundrel can never be changed. She was pregnant and still messing around."
Lou Xiao'e continued to stand in the middle of the courtyard, shouting and cursing loudly.
"Lou Xiao'e, you...you're making false accusations..."
Qin Huairu's face instantly turned bright red. He Yuzhu, who was watching the commotion from his window, realized at that moment that he seemed to have gotten Qin Huairu into trouble again.
"I'm slandering you? Everyone in the neighborhood knows what kind of person you, Qin Huairu, are."
"Today, in front of everyone, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
After saying that, Lou Xiao'e raised the rolling pin at Qin Huairu.
"Fine, come and hit me! Beating Xu Damao at home is an internal conflict between you two, but if you dare to lay a finger on me today, I'll make you taste what prison food is like!"
Qin Huairu pursed her lips and said this, which indeed made Lou Xiao'e take a half step back...
"See? I knew something bad would happen when Lou Xiao'e came back!"
"Isn't Xu Damao usually quite smart? How come his wife found out about this so quickly?"
"If you ask me, the truth will eventually come out. If I were Lou Xiao'e, I definitely wouldn't stay with Xu Damao."
More and more people gathered in the courtyard to watch the spectacle, and even the courtyard gate was crowded with people.
"You shameful wretch! Today I will beat you to death for my dead son!"
Before Lou Xiao'e could even make a move, Jia Zhangshi stormed out of the house menacingly. She was far more ruthless than Lou Xiao'e, and the gleaming kitchen knife in her hand made one's legs go weak at the sight.
"Mom, don't make things worse!"
Qin Huairu screamed and ran away. She thought her mother-in-law would be more restrained after staying in jail for a while, but she didn't expect her to become even more domineering and shrewish.
Although Jia Zhangshi usually pretended to be old, weak, sick, or disabled, she ran just as fast as Qin Huairu at this moment.
The onlookers held their breath, watching as the sharp blade was about to strike Qin Huairu's body, when Banggeng ran over and blocked it.
"You silly child, you're protecting her again!"
Jia Zhangshi said somewhat helplessly, but seeing Bang Geng's determined and aggrieved eyes, she had no choice but to give up.
"Sigh, this courtyard is getting more and more chaotic every day."
Yi Zhonghai lay listlessly on his bed, taking in the chaotic scene in the yard. Normally, he would have gone out to pretend to uphold justice, but now he really didn't want to see anyone.
Lou Xiao'e and Jia Zhangshi argued for a while but didn't get anything out of it, so they had no choice but to go home in a huff.
Chapter 227 Color Television
The onlookers, seeing that it wasn't interesting anymore, all went home.
Today, Li Xiangdong said that he was too busy at the factory and asked Yu Li to come back first. As usual, she bought a lot of dishes that Li Xiangdong liked to eat, and went straight into the kitchen as soon as she got back.
A short while later, Li Xiangdong returned carrying a large cardboard box. The kitchen was filled with the clanging of pots and pans, so Yu Li didn't notice anything amiss.
Sweet and sour pork ribs, shredded pork with green peppers, twice-cooked pork slices, and steamed buns—Yu Li prepared them all in no time.
"Dong-ge, when did you get back? Didn't you say you were going to be busy at the factory today and would be back later?"
Yu Li hurriedly carried the food into the house, only to find Li Xiangdong sitting in a chair, smiling at her.
"Work at the factory is important, but I think having dinner with you is also very important."
"I made a quick and simple meal today because I was short on time, so eat it while it's hot!"
Yu Li greeted him somewhat shyly, but Li Xiangdong still had the same expression as before, which made Yu Li feel strange.
"Hey, where did this huge box come from?"
After setting out the food, Yu Li turned around to go to the kitchen to get chopsticks when she suddenly noticed a huge box behind her.
"Hmm, this box is quite large. Take a good look and see what's inside."
Li Xiangdong spoke in a deliberately mysterious manner.
"Is this... a television?"
"Ah, this really is a television!"
Yu Li first looked at the picture on the box and tentatively spoke, then opened the box and screamed when she saw the real TV.
In those days, it was considered quite good for an ordinary family to have a small black-and-white television set. The one Li Xiangdong bought was a large-screen color television set, which the people in this courtyard had probably only heard of but never seen.
Yu Li was no exception; after all, she had always envied her neighbors who used cash registers at home.
“It’s really boring for us to just stare at each other and chat about trivial things every day during meals, so I thought we might as well buy a TV to relieve the boredom.”
Li Xiangdong said casually.
"The screen is so big, and it's in color, it must be very expensive, right, Dong Ge?"
"Just tell me if you like it?"
"Of course I like it!"
"Why bother with expensive or cheap when you like it?"
Li Xiangdong smiled slightly, and with Yu Li's help, the two took the TV out of the box, assembled it, switched channels, found a good TV series, and then leisurely watched it while eating.
"What is this sound?"
The television in Li Xiangdong's house was very loud, and the others in the yard soon heard the noise. Yan Bugui, who was always a busybody, pricked up his ears and asked.
"It must be that old man is listening to the radio at home again. He just got out of jail and doesn't want to see anyone, so he keeps himself at home listening to the radio to relieve his boredom."
Yan Jiecheng spoke while gulping down mouthfuls of thin porridge.
"No, no, no, this sound doesn't sound like a radio. Finish eating and come out so I can take a look!"
Yan Bugui shook his head and gave orders to Yan Jiecheng. Yan Jiecheng impatiently put down his bowl and swayed as he walked into the courtyard.
"Dad, your ears are amazing! That sound definitely isn't from a radio, it's Li Xiangdong's family buying a TV!"
A short while later, Yan Jiecheng, having gathered information, hurried home to report back.
"Ha, this kid really does get his hands on whatever's new and interesting. I just heard that Director Yang of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill bought a TV not long ago, and this engineer is already following suit?"
Yan Bugui curled his lip, his face full of jealousy.
"I know the TV in Director Yang's house, it's just an ordinary black and white TV, but Li Xiangdong's is a big-screen color TV!"
Yan Jiecheng shook his head and sighed.
"What? A big-screen color TV? I heard people talking about it before and thought it was just hype, but I didn't expect it to actually exist!"
"No, I need to go and see for myself right away!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's glasses were so shaky they almost hit his nose. He quickly got up and followed Yan Jiecheng to Li Xiangdong's window.
"This color TV is really great! You can even see what color clothes the people on it are wearing!"
"Yu Li is such a lucky girl. She eats and drinks well every day with Li Xiangdong, and she doesn't have to do any dirty or tiring work at work. Now she even has a color TV to watch when she gets home from get off work every day. I'm so envious!"
By this time, a large crowd had gathered in front of Li Xiangdong's house to watch the commotion, discussing among themselves. When they saw the Yan father and son approaching, they lowered their voices. After all, if it weren't for Li Xiangdong's appearance, Yu Li would probably already be Yan Jiecheng's wife.
"Uncle, aren't you quite familiar with Yu Li? Could you go in and talk to them about moving the TV out into the yard so everyone can watch it together?"
Some people joked about it.
"It's possible, but let me make this clear first: it's not that Yu Li doesn't want to be with our Jiecheng, it's that our Jiecheng doesn't like her type!"