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Chapter 453: Chapter 443: A villain gets a villain’s grind.
After Monday, Shen Yunfang couldn’t take any more days off, so she let Wang Dan go out on her own. To prevent her from getting lost, she wrote five small notes—one for each of them to keep in their pockets—so that in case they got separated or lost, they could ask people wearing Dagaimao hats for help; with the address, surely they would be taken home safely.
On Wednesday, when Shen Yunfang finished her class, she hurried off to pick up her kids and buy vegetables and meat. Li Hongxing’s family was going back the next day, and she had to cook them a decent meal that evening as a send-off.
As she walked home, carrying meat and veggies and leading her children, she saw the neighbor, Auntie Sun, opening her door. She was just about to greet her with a smile, but Auntie Sun snorted through her nose and with a loud bang, slammed the door shut right in front of her.
What was that all about? Shen Yunfang was baffled.
She found the answer back home with Wang Dan.
"Yunfang, the people around here aren’t exactly high-class either, not even as good as those in our village," Wang Dan complained as soon as she saw her. She had enjoyed the spat at the moment, but on reflection, she was worried she might have offended someone and Yunfang would be upset.
"What happened?" Still confused by Auntie Sun’s behavior, Shen Yunfang was met with Wang Dan’s puzzling remark as soon as she stepped inside.
"Oh, you don’t know, your neighbor, she has no class at all," Wang Dan began, swinging her hands as she recounted the day’s events.
"My neighbor?" Shen Yunfang suddenly thought of Auntie Sun across the street, "Are you talking about the auntie from across the way?"
"Exactly, that old witch," Wang Dan nodded. "You have no idea, I was getting back from a stroll with the kids today, and she picked a fight with me. Downstairs, I saw her peering over the balcony, looking shady, and as I entered the hallway, she stared at me through her half-opened door. I asked her what she was looking at. Guess what she said?" Wang Dan wasn’t satisfied with just telling the story, she made it into a guessing game.
"I have no idea?" Shen Yunfang wasn’t being uncooperative; she truly couldn’t guess.
"She actually said, ’I just want to see if a country bumpkin knows how to climb stairs without breaking them with their heavy steps.’" Wang Dan was angered again just recalling the old lady’s words from the afternoon. "I mean, can you believe she’d say something like that?"
Shen Yunfang was surprised. Although Auntie Sun was annoying, she had never said anything so offensive to her. It seemed Auntie Sun was singling out Wang Dan as a rural person, deliberately trying to bully her.
Oh dear, that old lady was messing with the wrong person. Wang Dan was not someone to be trifled with—she was the sort who could argue with Empress Dowager Shuping and never lose. It would be a wonder if she let that old lady off easily.
"Oh, so what did you say?" Shen Yunfang was curious, wanting to know how her sister-in-law had responded.
"Hmph, like I would let her push me around. I asked her, ’Who do you think you are, huh? Is this house yours? Are these stairs yours? Call them and see if they answer you. If they don’t, then stop fussing about in front of me—you really are a busybody.’ Tell me, what’s wrong with what I said? Nothing! And can you believe it, the old lady got all worked up and started cussing at me. Ha, I’ve never been afraid of quarreling with anyone back home. She insulted me, and I fired right back. It wasn’t long before the corner of her mouth started twitching," Wang Dan said, glancing at Shen Yunfang. She wasn’t afraid of a shouting match; she just didn’t want to be blamed if she angered someone into having an accident.
"And what happened next?" Shen Yunfang listened, her face full of amusement.
"That old lady thought I had stopped because I was afraid of her, then she spewed some nasty insults. That got me so mad that I ordered Sandan to poop right in front of her door. This hallway isn’t hers; my kid can poop wherever he wants," Wang Dan recalled with satisfaction how she had infuriated the old lady to the point of fainting. Hmph, as if she could outwit me. She’s still wet behind the ears.
Shen Yunfang burst into laughter as soon as she heard her devious plan.
No wonder Aunt Sun had that look on her face when she saw her earlier.
Seeing her laughter, Wang Dan grew bolder and described with a smile, "You have no idea, I had Sandan poop right at her doorstep, preventing her from even closing her door. That old lady just watched Sandan pull down his pants and could only wail, all the way until Sandan was done, and she was still yelling."
Shen Yunfang couldn’t help but laugh heartily; Sandan truly was a talent. Whenever his mom asked him to go, he could go— if that’s not talent, what is?
"Afterward, I took the kids home. Before entering, I even said, ’If you have the guts, you strip down and do it at my doorstep.’ I was just talking tough, sure she wouldn’t dare strip outside. I was deliberately riling her up, and sure enough, after waiting a while and peeking out the door stealthily, I saw no sign of how she dealt with that pile of poop. Anyway, her door was closed, but there was definitely nothing in front of our house."
Shen Yunfang laughed so hard she cried; the wicked deserve to be worn down by the wicked, and Aunt Sun completely met her match with Wang Dan. It seemed Wang Dan’s visit had indeed done some good.
"Yunfang, I didn’t cause you any trouble, did I?" Wang Dan asked cautiously.
"No trouble at all. That neighbor, Aunt Sun, I can’t stand her either, but normally out of consideration for neighborhood relations, I refrain from going too far. You did me a favor by taking her on. Besides, you’re leaving tomorrow afternoon, even if she wanted to make trouble, she couldn’t find you."
"Oh, then I can rest easy. I’m not scared of arguing with anyone; I just didn’t want to cause you city folks any trouble since you have many considerations," Wang Dan said, patting her chest as if relieved.
"Sister-in-law, let’s not bother with her. Since you’re leaving tomorrow, I’ve taken the day off. Let’s go for one more walk in the morning. I want to buy some snacks for the three kids to eat on the road."
"Oh, don’t worry about them. They’re like bottomless pits, reincarnated from starving ghosts," Wang Dan said, dismissively waving her hand.
"They say teenage boys can eat their fathers out of house and home, but the kids are growing right now. If they don’t eat, how will they get taller?" Shen Yunfang was quite fond of her three nephews; perhaps it was because they were inherently good-natured and just a bit greedy with food. They got along well with her own two children, and they were all very fond of Manman, even sparing a little of their treats for her to enjoy.
Shen Yunfang had seen this with her own eyes. Her daughter was treated better by them than by their own parents, so she found these three nephews quite likable.
Naughty kids often meant their parents weren’t watching them properly, and greedy kids typically weren’t fed well at home. Shen Yunfang saw her nephews as good-hearted, and with proper guidance, they could turn out to be fine young men in the future.
The next day, she took them all out for another stroll. In the store, she bought lots of treats for the kids, which made Sandan so happy he nearly laughed his eyes out, clutching a package of rice rolls.
"Second auntie, can we come to your house again sometime?" For Sandan, the idea of visiting his auntie’s house—with its adorable little sister and a bounty of delicious food—imprinted itself as an ideal paradise.
"Of course, you three brothers are always welcome at your second auntie’s," Shen Yunfang said with a smile. "However, next time, you can only come during the winter or summer holidays. If you skip school to come, I won’t open the door for you," she warned.
