In quarrels, Zhao Xiejie’s logic was razor-sharp. Her words cut deep and relentlessly. Only Shi Lan could match her. Li Tianci was no match—once labeled “unfilial,” he couldn’t reply.
His face reddened with anger, but he said nothing.
At that moment, Zhao Xiejie suddenly looked like Shi Lan’s best ally, speaking every word in her defense.
Seeing Shi Lan stand still, Zhao Xiejie stomped in frustration.
Move! There’s a broom nearby! Grab it and beat that couple senseless!
Zhao Xiejie was ready to act, but Shi Lan didn’t move, so she held back.
Then Shi Lan finally dropped her hands from her face.
“Enough, stop the arguing.” The one wronged spoke. The crowd quieted, all eyes on Shi Lan. Except for the fainted Li Laotai, everyone stared at her.
Shi Lan stood there, looking exhausted—not sure if from blows or heartbreak. She was no longer the fiery woman who would fight and curse. She just stood there like a drenched bird with broken wings, pitiful beyond words.
“Li Jianye, this year, I’ve raised you and cooked for you for so long. I’m not ungrateful.” Shi Lan sighed. “Since you’re involved with someone else, I won’t hinder your affair. Today, we divorce. From now on, you live with Widow Wang.”
“Zhao Xiejie is right,” Shi Lan said. “We’re divorced.”
When Shi Lan said this, the crowd froze. Wang Yulian peeked from behind the quilt, carefully watching Shi Lan, thinking: if they really divorce… wouldn’t that be a big windfall for me?
Everyone else was stunned by the word “divorce.”
Zhao Xiejie was shocked, thinking, “Ah, divorce for real? She’s crazy!”
The villagers couldn’t believe it.
If Shi Lan had taken a kitchen knife to kill Wang Yulian, they’d think that normal, deserved even. But Shi Lan calmly asking for divorce was shocking.
Was she really handing over her excellent husband and all future earnings to a harlot? After all those years of hard work, giving everything to a mistress? Shi Lan must be crazy!
A wife must never divorce. Never let the dog and harlot enjoy victory!
Some rushed to advise, “How can you divorce? Jianye just made a mistake.”
“She’s just a harlot; let’s drive her out of the village!”
“Exactly. Divorce isn’t worth it.”
“Jianye! You owe your wife an apology! Look at what you’ve done! You want to kill your wife?”
The crowd was righteous and furious, condemning Li Jianye, scolding him blue in the face, as if forcing him to kneel and admit his fault to Shi Lan.
But Shi Lan ignored them.
She seemed to have made a decision, shedding a heavy burden. Leaving the mess behind, she walked out without looking back, silencing everyone else.
Outsiders merely watched for entertainment, but the Li family was truly dumbfounded.
Zhao Xiejie thought, “Shi Lan is smart, but she really fell for it. She looks truly heartbroken.”
Nearby, Li Tianci shouted at Zhao Xiejie, “My mom is leaving. Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?”
After saying that, he ignored his indifferent father and pulled his younger brother to follow Shi Lan.
His mom must not leave! If she left and Wang Yulian came in, would he and his brother call a harlot ‘mom’?
Impossible!
Zhao Xiejie stood dazed, then recovered and yelled, “Shi Lan wants to leave. What’s that got to do with me? Did I sleep with another woman? Did I get caught naked? Did I hit my own mother to protect a harlot?”
What does it have to do with her?
Her sharp voice echoed throughout the back west room, piercing Li Jianye’s last shred of dignity and breaking his spirit.
Finally, Li Jianye shouted in anger and jumped off the bed.
Yes, he was still without pants! But he couldn’t hold back anymore!
If he kept going, Zhao Xiejie would tear him apart!
“Shameless woman! Shameless woman! Shameless woman! I’m the shameless one!” Li Jianye slapped Zhao Xiejie’s face, shouting, “What does it have to do with you? What does it have to do with you? What on earth does it have to do with you?!”
Couldn’t Zhao Xiejie just stop talking? Couldn’t she just not call everyone over? Was she born to gossip? The Li family was beaten to a pulp, but what did it have to do with Zhao Xiejie?
At this moment, Li Jianye seemed to empathize with Shi Lan’s past—he truly hated Zhao Xiejie and wanted to slap her twice.
So he jumped down without pants and furiously beat Zhao Xiejie.
When a naked man raged at someone, it was terrifying. Zhao Xiejie dodged twice but was caught tightly and slapped hard twice.
She screamed loudly, “Li Jianye! How dare you hit me?”
Li Jianye went mad, why hit her?
Zhao Xiejie’s scream matched Li Laotai’s in years of experience, a tacit understanding between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Outside, villagers shouted to stop him.
“Li Jianye, how can you hit your sister-in-law?”
“First your mom, now your sister-in-law. You think you’re great?”
“Stop it!”
When Li Jianye and Widow Wang were trapped naked on the bed, everyone enjoyed the spectacle. But when Li Jianye started hitting people, they couldn’t stand by.
They rushed over and pulled Li Jianye away.
How dare someone who’d done wrong hit others!
They all were relatives and didn’t hit him but just pulled him back, shouting, “Stop wasting time! Go after your wife!”
His wife was about to divorce him!
The two were dragged away—what about the widow? She was blocked on the bed.
Feeling ashamed, she hurried to cover herself with the quilt and tried to leave with Li Jianye.
“Someone help hold her!” Li Jianye was pulled away. Zhao Xiejie thought, if this woman left too, the show would be over. She hurriedly blocked Wang Yulian, shouting, “You’re not going anywhere!”
“What, what do you want!” Wang Yulian hugged the quilt and backed away, frightened. “What does this have to do with me?”
Shi Lan should have been the one blocking her!
“Called you a seducer of men! Today I’ll uphold justice! We must criticize you!”
No, not just criticize. She’d make Wang Yulian write a guarantee not to seduce Li Jianye again.
Zhao Xiejie and Shi Lan were both villagers. Zhao Xiejie came from Liu family village next door, Shi Lan from Shijia village upstream. Everyone had some kinship ties. If they had done wrong, no one would scold them.
But Wang Yulian’s reputation in the village was poor. Both she and her husband were educated youth sent to the countryside, never fitting in. They looked down on the villagers with an urban airs. Villagers weren’t fools—they wouldn’t play with her, so Wang Yulian had no friends. When she suffered, no one helped; they just spat on her and watched her get scolded.
But Wang Yulian was no fool. She wouldn’t lie down and take it. She raised her head and shouted desperately, “This is feudal rubbish! What era is this? Who dares to criticize me? Why do you have the right? You only know how to criticize, uneducated backward rural women! What else do you know besides stirring up trouble? Did Li Jianye’s two slaps hurt?”
Zhao Xiejie was stabbed in her sore spot and jumped up, slapping Wang Yulian twice in rapid succession. “Call yourself a harlot, call yourself a harlot!”
Wang Yulian screamed and twisted under the quilt in the tiny back west room.
Outside the back west room, in the kitchen, Hu Honghua covered her mouth and made a small “wow” sound.
There were already quite a few people in the kitchen. The men had forcefully dragged Li Jianye away, leaving more space for the battle between Widow Wang and Zhao Xiejie.
Hu Honghua didn’t want to hinder the duel and stepped back. Suddenly, she heard a sharp “ouch” from behind, someone cursing, “Who stepped on me without looking?”
She turned and saw Li Laotai sitting up, with Qian Dafu squatting nearby.
During the earlier chaos, Qian Dafu had dragged Li Laotai out of the back west room to avoid her being trampled. Now she had awakened.
“What’s going on inside?” Li Laotai got up swiftly and tried to go back.
Hu Honghua was almost knocked down. Qian Dafu looked on and said, “Oh, Honghua, what happened?”
Hu Honghua’s face flushed red, almost fainting.
“Was she scared?” Qian Dafu asked. “Is she afraid to go back? What are you thinking? It’s no good. Let’s go for a walk; this place is suffocating.”
Hu Honghua stood still, dizzy. After a moment, she suddenly asked, “Aunt Zhao said she wanted to criticize Aunt Wang. What about Uncle Li? Is Uncle Li going to be criticized too?”
Why wasn’t Uncle Li around?
Qian Dafu smiled and said, “What era is this? Criticism was before the Reform and Opening—”
But before he could finish, Li Laotai heard it and quickly turned back.
She had only taken two steps before turning and yelling at Hu Honghua, “What does my son have to do with this? It’s all because of this shameless woman seducing him! As long as we get rid of her, everything will be fine! Why criticize my son? My son has always been a good student and still teaches at school! If not for this woman, how would my son be like this?”
Li Laotai seemed to have completely forgotten her son pushing her earlier. All her hatred turned toward Widow Wang.
If not for this unchaste widow, how would her son have become like this? Her son was a decent teacher!
The light in the back kitchen was pale, making Li Laotai’s face look terrifying. Hu Honghua was so frightened she dared not speak and ran out.
She rushed down the long corridor, panting, and when she stepped into the courtyard under the sun, she seemed to come back to life.
The courtyard was still bright noon sunshine, cicadas chirping. Her uncle sat at an empty table and glanced at her.
Little Honghua’s face was flushed like a rabbit that had just come out of the mountains—excited by the spectacle.
Qian Dafu’s chest rumbled with elder words to the child, but it felt heavy. In the end, he said nothing, just gave her two yuan and said, “Go buy an ice cream at the village store.”
Children should have treats.
Hu Honghua was still dizzy. Part of her wanted to keep watching the drama; another part feared entering and seeing Li Laotai’s face.
“Forget it, just go buy an ice cream.”
She took the two yuan from Qian Dafu and staggered away from Li old man’s courtyard onto the village road.
The afternoon sun was scorching; cicadas and dogs barked endlessly. Hu Honghua, sweating profusely, walked on and almost collided with a figure.
“Hu Honghua!” the person called out. “Have you seen my mother?”
Hu Honghua looked up and saw Lin Xinran, just released from school.
Lin Xinran was dressed very nicely today.
A pure white cloth shirt paired with a grass-green flared skirt, white cloth shoes. Her black hair was not braided but tied back with a matching green ribbon, shimmering like satin.
She carried a small backpack, sewn by Wang Yulian.
Oh right, Hu Honghua thought, Lin Xinran was still in school.
Originally, Lin Xinran should be in her first year of high school, but when Lin’s father left, he insisted she skip ahead to third year to take the college entrance exam.
In the countryside, families generally didn’t let girls study. They wouldn’t even buy new clothes for them unless during festivals.
But Lin’s family was different. Lin’s father encouraged his daughter to study hard, and Wang Yulian often made clothes for Lin Xinran.
Wang Yulian’s taste was better than most village women, so Lin Xinran’s clothes were nice. Wang Yulian carefully paired each blouse with different skirts and made her matching hair accessories. Unlike others who favored sons, Wang Yulian loved and valued her daughter, making them stand out in the village.
Her daughter grew into a beautiful young woman.
Lin Xinran inherited an egg-shaped face and almond eyes from Wang Yulian, and the refined, educated manner of her father, an intellectual youth. She was wrapped in a scholarly aura, with youthful and fresh vitality, like morning dew on a branch. Approaching her, one could feel the refreshing coolness.
“Hu Honghua?” Lin Xinran asked again, not waiting for a reply. “Have you seen my mother? I just got home from school, but she’s not there.”
Although Hu Honghua was engaged to Li Tianci, they had reportedly broken off their engagement recently, so Lin Xinran did not dislike her much.
Meanwhile, Lin Xinran looked puzzled and asked, “Why do you look so strange?”
Hu Honghua wore a white blouse, with a blue-and-white plaid shirt over it and jeans. Though still somewhat tanned, she looked much better than before—when had she started looking better?
Lin Xinran stared at Hu Honghua thoughtfully.
Hu Honghua met Lin Xinran’s gaze and shivered.
In her mind flashed Li Laotai’s sharp screams. She took two steps back, hesitated silently for two seconds, then whispered, “Aunt Zhao is hitting her.”
“What?” Lin Xinran was stunned.
“Aunt Zhao is hitting her,” Hu Honghua said through clenched teeth. “In the Li old man’s kitchen.”
After saying that, she hurried away.
Lin Xinran stood frozen for a moment, then quickly ran toward Li old man’s courtyard.
She didn’t think Hu Honghua would lie; sometimes slow, but never a liar.
As Lin Xinran ran toward Li old man’s courtyard, Hu Honghua saw a crowd gathering in front of Li old master’s courtyard.
Yes, things were unbearable on Widow Wang’s side, but Li Jianye’s side wasn’t better.
She had caught a big show.
At that moment, Li Jianye was dragged out of the back west room by a group of men and ran straight into the wheelchair-bound Li Laoye.
Seeing his father, Li Jianye’s fighting spirit drained immediately. He hung his head in silence.
Li Laoye had heard about Li Jianye’s wicked deeds inside but, hindered by his crippled legs, couldn’t enter. Yet he could imagine the scene.
His son doing such a thing made Li Laoye’s nose and eyes seem useless; he almost fainted. Sitting in his wheelchair, he scolded Li Jianye, demanding he apologize to Shi Lan immediately.
If Shi Lan divorced Li Jianye, the Li family would lose face forever.
Worried his son might do something crazy, Li Laoye personally came, ordering a group to escort Li Jianye to the Li old master’s courtyard to beg Shi Lan for forgiveness.
After Shi Lan left Li old man’s courtyard, she went directly to Li old master’s next door. Her two sons followed, entering the house.
Unexpectedly, Shi Lan locked the door with a heavy padlock, leaving everyone outside.
The Li old master’s door was a thick iron door with no patterns, solid. Those outside couldn’t see inside, only hearing Shi Lan shout, “Li Jianye did such disgusting things! I must divorce him.”
She was deeply hurt and seemed determined not to let Li Jianye in.
The crowd outside urged, “Sister-in-law, why? Jianye already knows his mistake.”
“A prodigal son who returns is a treasure.”
“Marriage is about mutual tolerance.”
“Don’t throw your own man out. Life must go on.”
Shi Lan ignored them all and left Li Jianye, who was left outside without even one piece of clothing. Some villagers gave him their sweatshirts to cover up, but they only covered the top half. He had to hold the shirts waist-high, with half his buttocks exposed.
The crowd kept urging him to apologize to Shi Lan and calm her down.
“Why aren’t you apologizing? Do you want a divorce?”
“Alright, men just admit when they’re wrong.”
“Apologizing to your wife isn’t shameful.”
Their words made sense, and Li Jianye could only shout hoarsely, “Lan, open the door! I know I’m wrong!”
Inside, Shi Lan didn’t respond at all.
Li Jianye shouted louder and louder.
Eventually, Li Laoye sighed from his wheelchair and said, “Eldest daughter-in-law, Jianye has wronged you. Open the door and I’ll go in and handle this.”
“Family discipline” meant punishing Li Jianye until he was obedient and wouldn’t act foolishly again.
Shi Lan still didn’t move.
Li Laoye seemed to have lost hope. Even if he weren’t crippled, he couldn’t control Shi Lan today. He said again, “Tianci, Tianfu, why are you just standing there? Go open the door for your father.”
Standing beside the door, Li Tianci and Li Tianfu glanced at each other, neither willing to move.
Li Tianci gave Li Tianfu a look, telling him to open the door, but Li Tianfu pretended not to see. Mom was still angry. If he opened the door, he’d be in trouble for not cooking. Better to keep the door shut.
Li Tianci, however, was more thoughtful-if they kept going on like this, they’d lose face.
After all, he was educated, so he considered things more comprehensively than Li Tianfu.
His mom, provoked by his aunt, was constantly making noises and h er mind was clouded.
He had to suppress this matter.
So, Li Tianci took two steps forward to open the door and let his dad in.
Shi Meilan yelled loudly: “What are you doing? Why did you let him in? Don’t you feel ashamed?”