Don't ask, the answer is always the same: during the pig-slaughtering feast at Chinese New Year, how often does the village not have two or three fights?
I only had a couple more drinks, so I can just apologize when I sober up.
These people claimed they were drunk, but they were actually quite sober. They arranged for two people to drag Jiang Hongyi and Lang Liugu aside, and then specifically targeted their peer Jiang Erming for a beating.
As long as you don't beat up your elders, you haven't made a mistake.
The men were responsible for the physical force, while the women stood by and provided the sarcastic and sarcastic remarks.
"Oh my! In all my decades of life, this is the first time I've ever heard of someone who, after getting divorced, still has the nerve to ask his ex-wife for money to pay off high-interest loans."
"You don't understand, do you? If you borrow money from a bank, you have to pay interest. But if you borrow money from your ex-wife, not only will you not have to pay interest, but some people might even try to renege on the principal."
Some people even pretended to advise Lang Liugu—
"Sixth Aunt, your Erming will be getting married in the future, so you can't borrow money from your ex-wife. Otherwise, people will think that Erming hasn't broken up with his ex-wife yet, and who would dare to marry their daughter into the family?"
They've really made a huge promise out of thin air!
Everyone knows that your Jiang Erming lost his kidney and became a eunuch!
Even if he were to earn 100,000 yuan a year and own a house in the county town, let alone now that he's heavily in debt, no girl would want to marry him and live with a eunuch.
That's just how things are in the countryside. Lang Ying is a divorced woman. If she were all alone, let alone Jiang Erming's family coming to her door to borrow money, even if they came to her door and refused to leave, forcing her to remarry, even if they hadn't registered their marriage, what room would she, a woman, have to resist?
Even if she sought justice from the village, they might still try to persuade her to reconcile rather than separate, encouraging her to live a good life with Jiang Erming for the sake of their two children.
But Lang Ying is no longer brainwashed by Jiang Erming's family. She has a job and a house, and plans to buy an electric four-wheeled vehicle for transportation next year. Only someone with a screw loose would want to continue being a free nanny for the Jiang family!
If she doesn't want to, given her current influence and connections in the village, plenty of people are willing to stand up for her.
Jiang Xiaoman didn't say anything. He didn't even need to take action. As long as he showed the villagers his disgust for Jiang Erming's family, they would never have a good life in the village again.
He certainly doesn't like bullying, but it depends on who he's bullying.
If it were Jiang Erming's family, he would be happy to tolerate the other villagers bullying them.
It's true that he and Lang Ying were both too kind; as long as others didn't provoke them, they were unwilling to take the initiative to retaliate.
Otherwise, given what Jiang Erming's family had done to Lang Ying in the past, how could they possibly stay peacefully in Langshan Village?
Not only did she fail to borrow a single penny, but her son also got a beating. Aunt Lang was furious and resentful, and she went home cursing all the way.
At that moment, this family had no idea that their real misfortune was just beginning...
Before the Chinese New Year even arrived, and without knowing just how powerful the lending platform was, they managed to have a bunch of people in uniform forcibly take away their old house!
However, the Jiang family's old house was not enough to pay off the debt, so the pig, a dozen chickens, and all the old appliances in the yard that had not yet been slaughtered were all sealed up.
This is way more exciting than watching a film crew shoot a movie!
The villagers flocked to the scene, and some who were on good terms with Lang Ying took the opportunity to tell the people from the lending platform that Jiang Erming was the fastest runner when anything happened, and that they should keep a close eye on him and not let him escape...
Before the New Year was even over, Jiang Erming and his family disappeared from Langshan Village. It is said that their house will be auctioned off by the court to pay off their debts.
However, it's uncertain whether anyone will actually buy it.
Lang Ying definitely won't buy it.
The mother and her two daughters live in a pretty good place now. It's close to their workplace at the cooperative, and although the surrounding area is large, they can easily get around by buying an electric four-wheeled vehicle.
She is currently saving money to buy a school district house in the county town. If her two daughters are successful and can get into good high schools in the county town, she will go to the county town to accompany them.
Having started a business with Jiang Xiaoman, Lang Ying has come to fully understand the importance of education to a person.
It's not that a university diploma is particularly valuable, but rather that only by going to university can a person broaden their horizons and see places that rural people cannot.
A person's vision is the key to determining how far they can go in the future.
She doesn't expect her two daughters to get into top universities; as long as they get in, even a vocational college would be fine. Girls should always be educated.
Therefore, even if the villagers hadn't helped her drive Jiang Erming away, she would never have lent him money to pay off his debts.
This was money she had painstakingly saved up, penny by penny, to fund her two daughters' college education!
The crew knew about the big incident involving Lang Ying. Everyone liked the kind and simple-minded Yingzi, but after learning about Lang Ying's unhappy marriage from the villagers, the men were alright, but the women were furious.
They had never seen such a shameless person!
You were the one who cheated on me and found a mistress, weren't you?
You're the one who abandoned your wife and daughter, aren't you?
Worried that your ex-wife and children would harass you, you're the one who bought out the child support for your two daughters for 20,000 yuan, right?
That's it? How dare you come to your ex-wife to borrow money to pay off your debts?
Does Lang Ying have the words "sucker" written all over her face?
Unfortunately, they were too late. By the time they found out, Jiang Erming had already been beaten up and kicked out by Lang Ying's friends, and it was too late for them to make their move.
After all, although they're currently filming a rural poverty alleviation drama, everyone in the industry knows that these extras in the entertainment circle can do anything. One day they're playing villager A in a poverty alleviation drama, and the next they're playing assassin B in another production…
There are several extras and supporting actors in the crew who used to work on war films or martial arts films. Their skills may not be the best, but beating up a weak villager is a piece of cake for them.
"Alright, even if you beat him to death, what good will it do for Lang Ying?" Director Hu stubbed out his cigarette and, at a later time, asked Lang Ying if she would be willing to go to the city and find a job at a company.
"Yingzi, I think you have a good understanding of acting. With your looks and temperament, it's not difficult for you to become a big star in the entertainment industry, but it shouldn't be hard for you to play some supporting roles that fit your image in modern dramas."
“I heard that your ex-husband’s family has been harassing you repeatedly. Now they are in debt to loan sharks, and if they don’t have any other way to make money, they may continue to harass you.”
"If you want to avoid them, why don't you just find a brokerage firm to work for? That way, your basic salary and social insurance will be guaranteed, and I can also try to introduce you to more jobs."
“In our line of work, the competition gets fiercer the higher you go. It’s actually better at the bottom, especially for supporting actors like you with a strong personal style. You’re quite popular.”
“In that case, if you only take on 1-2 TV series a year, you should earn just as much money as the villagers.”
"Moreover, not to brag, but in today's society, there are probably few industries that are as willing to spend money as our entertainment industry security. I can't guarantee anything else, but if your ex-husband's family dares to cause trouble for you on set, the crew's security guards can take care of them without you even having to show up."
"This... thank you, Director Hu, but this is a huge matter. I have two children. Could you let me go back and think about it?" Lang Ying said with shame.
She felt incredibly ungrateful; a big-name director was being so considerate of her, yet she hesitated and dared not take that step.
Unexpectedly, Director Hu nodded understandingly, perhaps worried that she might have other concerns, and couldn't help but add in a low voice—
"Don't feel embarrassed. I'm helping you because seeing you reminds me of my mother."
"My mother also went through a lot of hardship raising my older sister and me after divorcing my father. She didn't get to enjoy a single day of happiness herself... Sigh! Anyway, you can come to me if you have any difficulties. Don't feel burdened. If I help you, I will feel at ease."
Lang Ying was indeed very worried that Jiang Erming's family would bother her again.
She herself wasn't afraid, but what if they went mad and harmed the two children?
But finding a job in the city is easy, what about the two girls?
Chapter 204
Lang Ying never considered herself a smart woman, but she was very good at listening to other people's opinions.
In Lang Ying's opinion, Jiang Xiaoman is the most capable person in their village.
So, Lang Ying, who was racking her brains but still didn't know what to do, went to Jiang Xiaoman.
"Going to the city to find work? Are you going to bring two children with you?" Jiang Xiaoman asked, frowning.
"Of course I'm going to take my eldest daughter and second daughter with me. There's no one back home who can take care of them, and besides, I don't trust them to do anything about it."
“But a full-time job isn’t what you think. Filming outside is very demanding, and I’ve heard that many production crews work around the clock to save costs. If you’re alone with your child, what will happen to him/her when you join the crew?”
"There's an even more troublesome thing: both my eldest and second daughters are about to start school, and school places in the city are very scarce. Even if you buy a house and transfer your household registration there, you still have to go through a lottery to get into a public school."
"If I can't get into a public school through the lottery, I'll have to go to a private school. The tuition fees for private schools are beyond what ordinary people like us can afford."
“If we don’t have a house, we’ll have to send our two daughters to a school for migrant workers’ children. I’m not saying these schools are bad; even if they’re not the best, they’re definitely much better than our village primary school. It’s just that the student turnover is very high, and all sorts of people come from there. Our two daughters don’t have a father, so they’re more likely to be bullied…”
Lang Ying's face turned pale after hearing those words.
Jiang Xiaoman looked reluctant. He knew that these words were somewhat cruel, but there was nothing he could do. No matter how much Director Hu took care of Lang Ying, the difficulties she, a woman with two children, would encounter in a strange city were probably far more than this.
Putting everything else aside, just the safety of the two children is a concern. Lang Ying often has to go to film sets. What if she takes a job that requires her to be away from home for a month? Who will take care of the two children?
Do you need a nanny?
These days, there are news reports of nannies stealing and selling children.
Bring it to the film set?
Putting aside whether the production team would agree or not, even if they reluctantly agreed, wouldn't those two children be out of school?
Which school allows students to take a month's leave without any reason?
"I'm not going." Just thinking about how her two daughters would have to suffer made Lang Ying firmly shake her head.
"Sister Yingzi, if you're worried that Jiang Erming's family will bother you again, there's actually a way to solve this once and for all," Jiang Yu suddenly said from the side.
"What method?" Lang Ying looked at him hopefully.
"Just agree to Qingshan's request! Once you're married and have a man, what right does Jiang Erming, a mere washed-up ex-husband, have to bother his remarried ex-wife?"
Most importantly, if that bastard dares to bother us again, Qingshan and his gang will have a legitimate reason to beat him up.
Lang Ying: "..."
This was a rare opportunity! Seeing that Lang Ying seemed somewhat tempted, Jiang Yu pretended to go to the toilet while clutching her stomach, and immediately opened the chat box to inform Qing Shan.
"What? I...I...I'll go ask Sister Yingzi for her hand in marriage right now?"
"No, no, no, I'm nervous! I'm not ready yet, Brother Fish."
Poor Qingshan, his voice was trembling with tears.
"Are you coming or not? If you don't come, your sister Yingzi is going to work in the city!"
"I've heard the entertainment industry is very chaotic. What if your Yingzi gets seduced by some pretty boy..." Jiang Yu threatened him in a low voice.
Qingshan: "!!!"
He didn't even need to look in the mirror to know that he was no match for the handsome male stars in the entertainment industry. Putting aside the question of whether Lang Ying would be seduced by pretty boys if she entered the entertainment industry, he would be dazzled by the endless variety of handsome men of all styles every day.
Once his aesthetic sense improves, when we see him again in the future, his shortcomings will probably not just be "too young".
At this moment, Qing Shan's family had just finished eating, and the family members were sitting around the fire pit, some watching TV and others playing on their phones.
Qingshan gritted his teeth and knelt down in front of his mother with a thud.