Chapter 50: Unexpectedly, a Cracked Skull

How could Wang Hehua stand by and watch her son being bullied right in front of her? Like an enraged lioness, she shoved Leng Yongkang aside and lunged at Leng Hui, intent on fighting to the death.

"You little brat! You dare hit my son? I'll kill you!"

Brothers fight tigers.

Seeing Leng Yongkang nearly fall to the ground after being shoved aside, Leng Yongxing hurriedly stood up to block Wang Hehua. "Sister-in-law, let's talk this through calmly. Let's not bicker with a child."

Unable to break free, Wang Hehua could only glare fixedly at Leng Hui, her eyes looking as if she wanted to devour her alive, her mouth spewing filth.

Leng Hui picked at her ear, pointed at the frenzied Wang Hehua, and asked Old Lady Leng, "My dear grandmother, is this the so-called 'good family' you spoke of? Would the matriarch of a good family behave like this—acting crazy, being arrogant and shrewish? Anyone who didn't know better would think she's a lunatic escaped from a mental asylum."

Leng Yongkang stood up from the ground, brushed the dust off his hands, and stood before the raving Wang Hehua with a dark expression.

He roared, "Enough! I don't know what you and my mother have been plotting or what ideas you've come up with, but either stop this madness, eat your meal, and go back where you came from; or, get the hell out of my house right now!"

Old Lady Leng stepped forward at this moment, slapping Leng Yongkang heavily several times. "I'm not dead yet! It's not your turn to run this household!"

The veins on Leng Yongkang's forehead throbbed. "Mother, if you don't want this family to fall apart, you'd best know when to stop!"

Ignoring the conflict between the Leng mother and son, Wang Hehua lashed out, scratching Leng Yongxing's body and face several times.

"Oh my, how did things turn into such a mess all of a sudden?"

At that moment, Auntie Li from next door was standing at the doorway. She looked at the rampaging Wang Hehua and said, "You must have a grudge against the Leng family; otherwise, why would someone come to visit and start throwing a tantrum like this?"

Having gained the upper hand against Leng Yongxing, Wang Hehua looked triumphant. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at the doorway. "You must have eaten too much salt and have nothing better to do. What business is it of yours?"

"Hah!"

Her temper flared.

Fuming, Auntie Li rolled up her sleeves and pointed at Old Lady Leng, scolding, "You black-hearted grandmother! How can you behave like this? What kind of person are you, actually wanting to marry off your lovely, smooth-sailing Huihui to such a wretched family? What are you thinking?"

As she spoke, she pointed at Leng Yongkang: "Even if she's the grandmother and a generation apart, she might not be close to your daughter. But you are her biological father! How can you have the heart to push Huihui into a fire pit?"

Auntie Li had never gotten along with Old Lady Leng, and she rarely had the chance to stand on the moral high ground and scold her to her face. She wasn't about to let the opportunity slip.

Leng Hui gave Auntie Li a mental thumbs-up; having lived next door for so many years, this was the first time she found her likable.

Seeing another accusation being heaped upon him without explanation, Leng Yongkang resolutely refused to take the blame. "Auntie Li, you've misunderstood. I had no prior knowledge of this blind date; I only found out a few minutes before you did. Since I know now, there is naturally no way I would agree to Huihui dating someone from the countryside."

"Right, it's good that you realize that," Auntie Li nodded, then said earnestly, "Let me tell you, a temporary worker like him—once they marry, the wife will definitely live in the village to help with farm work. Your Huihui grew up in the city; she certainly won't know how to farm, nor has she experienced the hardships of manual labor. She absolutely won't be able to endure that suffering."

Leng Yongkang nodded repeatedly; his daughter had never done farm work.

Seeing Leng Yongkang's agreement, Auntie Li pointed at Wang Hehua and said indignantly, "The hardship of farm work is secondary; she is the real disaster. Being tormented by a mother-in-law is the worst kind of suffering; life would be like living through years in a single day."

As if remembering her own bitter days as a daughter-in-law, Auntie Li's mood soured.

But someone was determined to add fuel to the fire.

Auntie Li intended to turn and leave, but she didn't expect an object to fly from behind.

It struck her directly on the back of her head. Due to the momentum, she stumbled forward a few steps, nearly falling to the ground.

Once she steadied herself, she felt a warm, wet liquid flowing against her scalp. She reached up to touch it; her hand was covered in blood.

The crowd gasped.

Indeed, the ancients did not lie.

Meddling in others' business carries risks.

Looking at the object that had hit her, Old Lady Leng's ceramic cup lay shattered on the floor.

Auntie Li's trembling body was caught by Sun Xiaojuan, who rushed forward to support her.

Originally, Sun Xiaojuan had been washing vegetables in the washroom, but when she came over and saw the fight, she had intended to remain a bystander since it didn't involve her.

She hadn't expected Old Lady Leng to crack Auntie Li's skull open.

Leng Yongkang and Leng Yongxing both wanted to facepalm. The thought of having to clean up the mess caused by Old Lady Leng's actions gave them both a headache!

"Hengzi, come out quickly! Your mother's head is bleeding!"

Chen Shumei, who had been watching the Leng family, snapped out of her shock and shouted toward Auntie Li's room.

"How is she bleeding? Did she hit something?"

A voice came from inside, followed by footsteps as Auntie Li's son emerged.

He was startled by the blood on his mother's hand. "Mom, how did this happen?"

"Don't ask, just get her to the hospital!"

What followed was a chaotic scene in the hallway.

After the people had gone downstairs, Leng Yongkang ran back and said to the stunned Old Lady Leng, "Mother, quickly get some money out. We'll definitely have to pay the medical expenses over there."

"Why should we pay the medical expenses? She came here to meddle in our business! I'm lucky enough not to demand compensation from her for my teacup!"

As soon as Old Lady Leng heard the word "money," she began to act unreasonably again.

"Mother, you're the one who hit her. If you don't pay, who will? Just give five yuan, that should be enough. It's just a cut on the back of her head; it'll be fine in a few days once it's medicated."

Fortunately, it wasn't a major injury. If she had caused serious harm, even calling upon their ancestors wouldn't have helped settle the matter.

"I have no money, only my life. Do you want it?" Old Lady Leng put on the attitude of a "dead pig that isn't afraid of boiling water."

If they wanted money, they'd have to take her life. She simply wouldn't give it; what could they do to her?

Leng Yongkang cast a look of disgust at the mother and son, Wang Hehua, who was so frightened that she hurriedly took her leave.

Having caused trouble and being liable for compensation, they couldn't even stay for a meal; it was best to leave this place of strife immediately.

With the family of three gone, only the Leng family remained.

Watching the two arguing, Leng Hui couldn't help but sneer. "Tsk tsk, what kind of relatives are these? They run away the moment they sense trouble."

"This is all because of you! If it weren't for you, would this have happened? I think you're a jinx; the moment you come back, there's no peace in this house!"

Old Lady Leng believed Leng Hui was the culprit and couldn't help but curse her.

"Stop making your schemes sound so righteous. Did I force you to invite relatives here to plot against me? Besides, if Comrade Leng Yongkang hadn't invited me, I wouldn't have come back."

"Then go live with that vixen of a mother of yours! Don't even think about coming back to this house. Let's see how long you can act so high and mighty!"

"Don't worry, we'll certainly live longer than you!"

Hearing her being cursed to an early grave, Old Lady Leng's vision went dark with rage.

"Huihui, say a few less words. Look how much you're upsetting your grandmother."

In response to Leng Yongkang's complaint, Leng Hui gave a cold snort and glanced back at Leng Mei.

Leng Mei hadn't expected to be remembered, and she returned an impeccable smile.

Leng Hui's gaze grew even colder. She had intentionally exposed the truth only to minimize her presence, sitting back to watch the tigers fight—her mind was as full of schemes as a sieve.

People with trypophobia really shouldn't deal with her.

They were incompatible!

"Comrade Leng Yongkang, I am solemnly warning you: do not use my marriage as a bargaining chip in the future, especially by these family members of yours. If I find out you dare to plot against me again, I will make your household descend into absolute chaos."

As she reached the doorway, she turned around, meeting Old Lady Leng's resentful gaze, and curled her lips. "If you don't believe me, you can try!"

Provoked by the junior, Old Lady Leng's chest heaved violently. "You... you bitch! You and your mother will both die a horrible death!"

In the hallway, Leng Hui encountered the grim-faced Sun Xiaojuan. Seeing a tray of cooked sorghum cakes on a nearby stool, she picked up a few.

They felt softer than the ones Tang Lin made; they weren't hard on the teeth, and the taste was decent.

It seemed her and Ms. Tang Lin's culinary skills still needed improvement.

Standing by the roadside waiting for the bus while eating the sorghum cakes, she finished them, but the bus had yet to arrive.

Just as she was considering walking back, a bicycle pulled up beside her, followed by several others.

Her gaze swept across the faces of the young men, finally settling on a face that looked somewhat familiar.

"Mu Bin, do you know this beautiful girl?"

"Yeah! When did you meet such a beautiful girl? How come we didn't know?"

Facing his friends' teasing, Mu Bin gave them a look to settle down, then turned to greet Leng Hui with a smile.

"Comrade Leng, what a coincidence. Are you waiting for the bus here?"

Facing the scrutiny of the group, Leng Hui frowned slightly.

Mu Bin tossed his hair arrogantly and asked, "Where are you headed? How about we give you a lift?"

With a face as cold as frost, Leng Hui refused: "No need!"

*Hiss!*

The young men sighed inwardly; what a cold beauty.

If they had to use a phrase to describe her, they felt "cold as ice" was very appropriate.

"Comrade Leng, right?" Chen Zhiming couldn't help but step forward to strike up a conversation. "It's not quite time for work yet, so there are usually fewer buses. Sometimes you might wait an hour and still not see one. We happen to be free right now; we can give you a ride for a bit."

After saying this, he didn't forget to glance at his bicycle's back seat.

"I wipe my back seat every day; it's very clean. Besides, I'm in good shape; carrying you won't be a problem at all."

Leng Hui found his arrogance eye-straining.

"Do you not understand human language?" Leng Hui pointed to a stray dog by the roadside and asked, "Do I need to call it over to act as your translator?"

Chen Zhiming followed her finger to the scruffy dog and took a moment to realize that the cold beauty had just called them dogs.

Instantly, Chen Zhiming's face turned the color of pig liver. "You are unreasonable!"

With that, he pedaled away in a huff.

Seeing this, the others also left dejectedly.

Watching their crooked retreating figures, Leng Hui snorted and continued waiting for the bus.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long this time; the bus arrived.

Upon returning home, she gulped down a large glass of water and, without resting, began measuring the dimensions of the doors and windows, intending to make them herself.

Five rooms meant five windows and five doors, plus a smaller door and window for the bathroom; it was a significant amount of work.

In her space, she had previously collected some doors and windows, but the dimensions and materials of modern doors differed from those of this era.

Modern doors were heavy solid wood, and while windows came in various sizes, they were made of aluminum alloy with hollow or explosion-proof glass—unsuitable for installation in this simple house.

Windows were simple; she could saw wooden planks to the required length, secure them with a nail gun, and install them in the original window positions. Later, she could find period-appropriate glass to install, which would serve to block wind and rain.

The doors would similarly be assembled from ready-made wooden boards, though the main entrance to the hall would require thicker boards and the installation of locks.

By the time Tang Lin returned from work, Leng Hui had already finished making the wooden doors, waiting only for her to help install them.

"I've noticed you're getting more and more capable. You finished all the doors and windows in just one day."

While installing the hinges, Leng Hui said, "The doors can be used once installed, but the windows are only semi-finished; they won't be done until the glass is in. Tomorrow, ask your colleagues how to get some glass."

"Alright, leave that to me."

Tang Lin held the wooden door, waiting for Leng Hui to finish tightening all the hinge screws before letting go to test the door. It fit the frame perfectly.

"Not bad! Do you have any stone slabs or cement boards in your space? The septic tank is missing a cover."

"I collected some marble from a marble factory. Once the doors are installed, I'll find a dark gray piece to cover it."

Once the septic tank was covered, the bathroom could be used, meaning they wouldn't have to run to the public toilet at night anymore—how convenient.

After all the doors were installed, Leng Hui packed up her tools, left the room, washed her hands, and sat in the courtyard to eat the food Tang Lin had brought back from the factory.

"The house is basically done. What are your plans for tomorrow?" Tang Lin asked.

A habit brought from the apocalypse, the mother and daughter would discuss their upcoming tasks or recount the day's events while eating.

"Tomorrow, I'll select some simple and practical furniture from the space to put in the rooms, and then I'll fix up the kitchen by building a wood-burning stove."

In the city, burning coal required coal coupons. Tang Lin had a fixed monthly ration from the machinery plant, but it wasn't enough for their daily consumption.

On the days they ran low on coal, they could use the wood stove.

To avoid being choked by smoke when burning wood, Leng Hui needed to build the stove properly tomorrow, using a pipe to lead the chimney outside.

She would also bury an iron cauldron by the stove for hot water; in the future, they could have hot water whenever they lit a fire to cook, which was much more convenient than burning coal.

Tang Lin pointed toward the courtyard entrance. "I brought back an old bicycle frame from the scrap yard today. After we eat, get me a bicycle from your space, and I'll modify it."

Without a bicycle, commuting would be too inconvenient, especially since their house was far from the machinery plant.

Leng Hui nodded.

Tang Lin remembered Leng Hui had gone to the Leng house at noon and asked, "How was it at the Leng house today?"

"Tsk, don't even mention it. I realized today that the Leng family's 'free lunch' isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Leng Hui then recounted what had happened at the Leng house, not forgetting to remind Tang Lin: "In the future, if they ever bring up marriage arrangements, don't agree to anything. They spend all day thinking of ways to scheme against me; they are completely unreliable."