Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 165 Mao Leng 3 Guang's Brother-in-Law

Zhang Changyao was skeptical of Liao Zhi's words and curled his lip in disbelief.

"This is an unspoken rule within the organization that you wouldn't understand; it's also known as 'when there's a policy, there's a countermeasure.'"

Besides, with your inflexible, blockheaded mind, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you.

Just do as I say, and then come back and live freely.

"Don't worry about anything else. Even if the get-out-of-jail-free card isn't very effective, it's still better than a piece of iron."

Fearing that Zhang Changyao might not go, Liao Zhi confidently gave Zhang Changyao a guarantee.

The next morning, Zhang Changyao got up to heat the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and cook.

Yang Deshan pushed Zhang Changyao aside, tore off Zhang Changyao's apron, and tied it on himself.

Clean up the stove that Zhang Changyao had just messed up, with basins upside down and bowls on the ground.

Yang Wuni knows her uncle well; he's a capable person both at home and outside.

She didn't need to constantly remind him like she did with Zhang Changyao.

She lay peacefully beside her child, enjoying her postpartum period with peace of mind.

"Zhang Changyao, where's your father-in-law?"

Having just finished eating, Qi San, this old man who had seemingly risen from the dead, cautiously peeked into the courtyard.

A smile graced his wrinkled face, and his little green bean eyes darted around the yard.

She was so thin that her clothes looked like they were hanging on her skeleton; she was wearing faded blue clothes.

The cigarette dangling from his mouth had burned down to just a butt, but he still couldn't bear to throw it away and kept sucking on it.

"Third Uncle, my father is rolling cigarettes inside. Let's go inside and sit down."

Zhang Changyao's back hurt so much that he couldn't swing a bamboo broom. He could only use a small broom, supporting his back with one hand to sweep the yard.

A few old hens were wandering around the yard, and their droppings couldn't be wasted.

Chickens eat broken grains and insects, and their composted droppings are the best.

Zhang Changyao threw the broom in his hand into the corner of the doorpost against the wall.

They welcomed Qi San into the east room, onto the kang (heated brick bed) where Yang Deming and Yang Deshan were staying.

Yang Wuni gave birth to her child in Liao Zhi's room, so her body was not moved.

Yang Deming was placing the crumpled tobacco on a piece of paper, about the length of two matchboxes, covered with writing.

It curls up diagonally, sticks out its tongue, and shakes its head.

Moisten the remaining paper with saliva, flatten one end, and twist the other end into a rope shape.

There were already more than ten cigarettes rolled up in front of me, enough for a day's worth of smoking.

"Hey bro, we're one short for mahjong, wanna go?" Qi San's first words were an invitation to Yang Deming to gamble.

"I can't go. My uncle said his father is going to hang himself."

"I was thinking of going to his house later to check on him. If he's dead, we can have a proper funeral so he doesn't stink at home," Yang Deming said without even looking up.

"Ha, ha, ha! Brother, your in-law didn't die today."

I just saw him walking back with the manure basket on his shoulder.

Behind him followed his precious wife, the two of them walking and cursing each other.

Judging from your tone, it sounds like you're cursing his daughter-in-law's father. Is that you?

Qi San was known for his cleft nose and his sharp, protruding nose.

"Hmph! Old white hair, don't let me hear that, or I'll beat his mouth into a third wheel."

Yang Deming threw the last cigarette into the pile of rolled cigarettes, and the goatee was shaking with anger.

Zhang Changyao glanced at Qi San, but dared not say anything to him, so he went out of the house to sweep up his chicken droppings.

"Brother, let me tell you, Zhang Kaiju isn't afraid of being beaten."

His biggest fear is that you'll get rid of that woman; that old hag is his lifeblood.

"Haha! Old White Hair, watch how I grab his manhood."

After Qi San finished speaking, he had a wicked grin on his face, and the two of them left the courtyard one after the other.

Zhang Changyao listened from outside and let out a long sigh.

He thought to himself, "These old men really won't stop until they've made a huge mess of things."

After thinking for a while, Zhang Changyao was still uneasy.

Go inside and tell the three people in the room what Qi San and Yang Deming had said.

"What? Zhang Changyao, are you afraid that Zhao Xiulan won't live with your father?"

He doesn't care whether you live or die, so why should you care about him? It's good that the old fox is gone.

"Without her meddling behind the scenes, your father might not have almost brought disaster to our family."

Yang Wuni changed the baby's diaper and handed it to Zhang Changyao, telling him to go wash it.

"Changyao, don't worry, your father-in-law isn't the type to meddle."

As long as your father stops provoking him, he'll continue gambling recklessly and won't actively seek out your father.

If your dad doesn't learn his lesson and keeps messing with your father-in-law, then he deserves it.

Yang Deshan used a small rolling pin to press down on Liao Zhi's body.

"Zhang Changyao, don't worry about them, let them fight it out."

When elderly people have nothing to do, they worry about their children. But once they find something to do, they won't even bother to talk to you.

Liao Zhi wasn't naked anymore; he was dressed, and his voice was much louder.

Yang Deshan found him a pair of baggy floral pants from the package and put them on, with a large hole cut out in the back.

She wore a floral blouse with the sleeves cut off, making her look exactly like a flower butterfly.

Liao Zhi couldn't see it, but he felt quite pleased with himself, saying it was better than being naked and having no privacy.

Zhang Changyao thought Liao Zhi's words made sense; it was really not good for a living father to have nothing to do.

My small frame can't withstand a few of his benches.

"Get out of the way... get out of the way... the brakes aren't working."

With a shout, two people on bicycles turned in from the uphill side of the gate.

Zhang Changyao dodged the attack, along with the two men and the car.

They all huddled together in the yard among the stacks of sorghum stalks that were half a person's height.

It took a while before it struggled to peek out from the stack of sorghum stalks.

"Hey! You two didn't brake and dared to ride downhill? Are you tired of living?"

Zhang Changyao glanced at the two people, but didn't recognize either of them, so he didn't go over to help.

"Yang Dianjun, can't you be a little more careful? I told you which restaurant it is, why are you turning this way?"

Du Qiu, with her oval face, short hair, and two dimples even when angry, pointed at Yang Dianjun.

"Du Qiu, your butt is sticking out, and you're rubbing it so hard. Can I hold it up?"

We had to go back to this little brother's house; there was a woodpile in the yard.

Otherwise, we'd both have to put big pancakes on his walls.

Yang Dianjun's square face drooped into a long oval face, and he glared at Du Qiu with his big eyes.

Both of them had scratches on their hands, looked at their hands, and glared at each other.

"Young man, tell me, is Zhang Changyao's house in the east?"

Du Qiu pulled the bicycle out of the woodpile, clamped the front wheel, and straightened the handlebars.

"Huh? You're looking for Zhang Changyao? I am Zhang Changyao!"

Zhang Changyao carefully examined the two people, but he had no recollection of them whatsoever.

"Oh! Brother-in-law, I'm your older brother-in-law."

This is Du Qiu, our neighbor, and one of my cronies.

My sister-in-law said your family built a new house, and I thought she was joking.

When Yang Dianjun heard Zhang Changyao say that he was the one, he immediately perked up.

He went up and put his arm around Zhang Changyao's shoulder, then pulled Du Qiu's arm and led her into the house.

"Dianjun, can you and Du Qiu be serious for once?"

He's all brash and doesn't act like a proper brother-in-law.

Look at Changyao, he's younger than both of you, but he's not like you two.

Yang Deshan glanced at Yang Dianjun and Du Qiu, and helped them remove the sorghum leaves from their clothes.

"Wu Ni, what's that thing lying on your kang (heated brick bed)? It looks like it has venereal disease."