“Hey, Brother Qin, I was wondering if you’d even make it back today. How was the business trip? No trouble, I hope!”
Qin Shengli gave an awkward smile and shook his head. “Everything went smoothly, everything went smoothly. Listen, Hao, the reason I came today…”
Wang Hao grinned and reached out to put a hand on Qin Shengli’s shoulder. “Oh, don’t say it, don’t say it. I get it, I get it. Come on, let’s go inside. My wife just made some drinking snacks. We can talk while we eat…”
Qin Shengli hurriedly raised his hands to block Wang Hao. “No, no, I’m not going in. I came to give you this. We had an agreement. Take this compensation, and from now on, we never speak of any of this again.”
With that, Qin Shengli finally pulled his hand out of his pants pocket. In his palm lay a roll of banknotes—a neat little cylinder. By the look of it, at least a hundred, maybe two hundred.
Wang Hao saw the money but didn’t budge. “Oh, Brother Qin, bringing up money just hurts our friendship. That ‘compensation’ talk was just my little sister joking with you. She’s just a young girl who doesn’t know any better. Don’t take her too seriously. She’s young and gets fixated on things…”
Hidden around the corner, Bai Lan pricked up her ears and caught every word of the conversation. She also got a clear look at the roll of money in Qin Shengli’s hand.
Wow. She and Xu Jianbei had only followed him for a short while, and the moment they arrived here, they witnessed such explosive drama.
That man called Hao—Bai Lan remembered him. Wasn’t he the one she and Xu Jianbei had seen at the state-run restaurant on the day they confirmed their relationship? The one spewing all that demeaning talk about women.
She had already thought he was no good back then. Now, seeing the scene before her, what else was there to understand?
In short, Qin Shengli had gotten involved with this Hao’s sister in some way, and now the guy was blackmailing him over it.
Watching Qin Shengli’s haggard face, Bai Lan had only one word in her heart: Serves him right!!
—
But no matter how much Qin Shengli deserved it, Bai Lan wasn’t about to let him hand over money that belonged to the marital estate.
“I’m going to get that money back. Are you coming with me or waiting here?”
Without a second thought, Xu Jianbei stepped up beside Bai Lan. “Together.”
He had looked into Wang Hao. The guy was bad news. If he tried anything, Xu Jianbei would make sure he regretted it.
And so, just as Qin Shengli was caught in a dilemma, Bai Lan and Xu Jianbei descended upon him.
“Little… Little Sister… What are you…”
Facing Bai Lan, Qin Shengli was too shocked to speak. What kind of cursed day was this? Why were the Bai sisters popping up one after another?
Bai Lan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. She reached out, snatched the roll of money from his palm, and casually handed it to Xu Jianbei, who was standing protectively beside her.
“Brother-in-law, my elder sister was wondering where this roll of money disappeared to. So you found it! But if you found it, why not give it directly to her? Instead, it looks like you were about to give it to this…”
Bai Lan deliberately let her gaze sweep up and down the man called Wang Hao, her expression full of contempt.
He had a pointy face and a rat-like look—clearly bad news.
And indeed, Wang Hao was exactly that. Xu Jianbei had just given her a quick rundown on him.
Apparently, he lived in the suburbs. Just in his early twenties, he had married into a widow’s family in the city. The widow was five years older than him and had a son. After becoming a live-in son-in-law, he’d used the widow’s connections to get a temporary job at the steel factory.
That alone wasn’t necessarily a problem. The problem was that he was always in the workshop, telling the other men intimate details about the widow.
That was pretty disgusting.
Xu Jianbei’s tone had been a bit vague when he told her, but Bai Lan got the gist. This guy was absolute trash.
The reason he and Qin Shengli hung out together, apparently, was because Wang Hao had a silver tongue. That was also how he’d managed to marry into a city family. Otherwise, with that pointy, rat-like face, who would ever want him?
——
Bai Lan’s sudden interference had already angered Wang Hao. But he was the type to endure, so he managed to suppress it. However, when Bai Lan’s contemptuous gaze swept over him, Wang Hao felt like he was being treated like garbage.
That was something this woman-despising man couldn’t stand.
Xu Jianbei noticed Wang Hao’s clenched fists and said coolly, without any politeness, “What? You want to hit someone?”
Seeing this, Qin Shengli quickly tried to mediate. “Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding. This… Little Sister, how about you and your friend leave first?”
Bai Lan let out a cold laugh and gave Wang Hao one more contemptuous glance. Then she said flatly, “I’m taking this money back to my elder sister.” She didn’t want to say anything more. Regardless of whether there were other secrets behind Qin Shengli’s infidelity, it was basically confirmed that he had an improper relationship with this Wang Hao’s sister.
What to do about it and how to handle it—she needed to discuss that with her elder sister. The money naturally had to go to her sister as well. Today’s events had reminded her of something: before the divorce, her sister had to keep a firm grip on the family’s money and ration tickets.
—
After leaving that place, Bai Lan and Xu Jianbei no longer felt like shopping. They went straight to catch the bus home.
On the bus, Bai Lan finally learned more details from Xu Jianbei about what he had uncovered.
“The reason I asked you to meet me there today was to take a look at this Wang Hao along the way. The widow’s house he married into is right in that area. According to people at the steel factory, he’s completely shameless and especially good at flattery. Your brother-in-law probably got mixed up with him because of that. But recently, I heard the two have been spending even more time together—coming and going from work together as well.”
Xu Jianbei slowly laid out all the information he had gathered.
“I also heard that whenever they’re together, a young woman is often with them. Some people at the factory have seen your brother-in-law acting a bit inappropriately with her.”
He put it euphemistically, but it wasn’t hard to imagine what that meant. Cao Changsheng had even heard that once, Wang Hao had stood guard at the door for them.
In short, it was all dirty business. Just talking about it made Xu Jianbei feel like he was soiling his mouth.
“So Wang Hao is bad news. Your elder sister needs to prepare herself as soon as possible.”
Bai Lan understood what Xu Jianbei was saying. If his friends could dig up this kind of information, it meant these things weren’t all that private.
This made Bai Lan think even more. Judging by how Wang Hao had refused the money earlier, he probably wasn’t after just money—there was something more he wanted.
—
The bus soon arrived at Apricot Blossom Alley.
On the weekend, quite a few people were sitting around at the entrance of the alley chatting. When they saw Bai Lan and Xu Jianbei walking over together, they started teasing them.
Bai Lan forced a smile, exchanged a few words with them, and quickened her pace, pulling Xu Jianbei along back into the courtyard.
Sure enough, when she got back, she saw her elder sister sitting in the yard with her two daughters, snacking on sunflower seeds.
After her elder sister had come to the family for help that day, the two nieces had been staying at the house. The neighbors just thought the granddaughters were spending their summer break at their grandparents’ place.
“Why don’t you go home for a bit? I’ll talk to my sister.”
Xu Jianbei nodded, signaling for Bai Lan to take her time. Then he headed back to his own home.
Over on her side, Bai Lian saw her younger sister and Xu Jianbei coming back at this hour and assumed they had changed their plans and were coming home for lunch.
But as Bai Lan finished recounting what had happened and showed her the roll of money, Bai Lian trembled all over with rage.
Seeing this, Bai Lan hesitated, then decided not to mention Bai Ping’s “good deed” for now. Of course, she would definitely tell their parents about it later.
As if fortune had decided to smile on the Bai family, that very afternoon, the people Father Bai had sent out came back with concrete information.
The news included not just the various dealings between Qin Shengli, Wang Hao, and Wang Hao’s sister—but even photographs.
They weren’t photos of being caught in the act, but by the standards of this era, they were damning enough. In one photo, a woman was clinging tightly to Qin Shengli’s waist, refusing to let go.
When Father Bai brought back the photos, he was furious. And when he heard from his youngest daughter about what had happened that day, his anger only grew.
——
“Daughter, no matter what decision you make, your parents will stand by you one hundred percent.”
With these photos in hand, there was nothing the Qin family could do. If his daughter gave the word, Father Bai would fight for everything she deserved.
Perhaps it was the toll of all the events over the past few months, but when Bai Lian saw the photos, she felt only a sense of finality.
“Let’s divorce.” Though she felt a twinge of reluctance emotionally, spiritually she felt that Qin Shengli had become tainted. A man who’s been tainted isn’t something you can just wash clean. Even if she went through with the divorce, her younger sisters and her two daughters would likely face plenty of gossip and pointed fingers.
Thinking of this, Bai Lian covered her face with her hands, feeling rather selfish. Her parents often told her she was too good as the eldest sister and could afford to be a little willful now and then. What had she thought back then?
She had always thought: I’m the eldest sister. I need to take good care of my younger sisters. But now, the first time she was being willful—the responsible, steady one acting out—it was on this scale.
Her youngest sister had secretly told their parents about the third sister tipping off Qin Shengli, and Bai Lian was aware of it. But she didn’t blame her third sister. After all, her own actions would indeed cause trouble for her sisters.
But somehow, this time, a voice inside her kept insisting: You must divorce him! You must divorce him! If you don’t, you will die…
This thought lingered in her heart. Bai Lian didn’t know where it came from. But she decided to follow that inner voice.
—
With the person involved giving the word, and the photo as evidence, Father Bai personally escorted his eldest daughter back to the steel factory that very night.
The Qin family happened to have everyone at home that evening. Father Bai was a man of decisive action. Without even giving Qin Shengli’s father, Old Qin, a chance to speak, he slapped the photo onto the table.
Old Qin was struck speechless. Zhao Dama, the mother, didn’t react as strongly to the photo. In fact, she felt a secret pride that her son, already in his twenties, was still being clung to by a young woman.
Qin Shengli, however, recoiled several steps at the sight of the photo, his heart trembling.
He remembered what Bai Ping had said earlier that day. She had said his wife wanted a divorce.
With that thought, he stared wide-eyed at Bai Lian, who stood there coldly.
She was still as beautiful as ever—as beautiful as she had been when he first saw her as a child. But in the next moment, his mind could no longer dwell on the past.
Because Bai Lian said directly: “Let’s get a divorce.”
The word “divorce” exploded like a bombshell, leaving the Qin family stunned. Old Qin, who hadn’t spoken a word, clutched his chest as if about to pass out.
But Father Bai had known him for years and knew perfectly well that Old Qin was as sturdy as an ox.
“There’s no need for theatrics. Marriage is supposed to be mutual consent. Now that your Qin Shengli has found someone new, our Bai family won’t hold him back. Divorce him, and he can go pursue his true love—that’s the dignified thing for everyone.”
With that, Father Bai pointed to the photo now lying on the table.
“You’ve all seen the evidence. A divorce is happening. Your family doesn’t like daughters—both children will belong to our Bai family. As for the couple’s earnings over the years, we won’t take advantage. Split it evenly. And the child support moving forward…”
“In your dreams—”
—
Before Father Bai could finish, Zhao Dama began to lose her mind.
Father Bai gave a cold laugh. “Louder. Go ahead, get louder. I’m not afraid at all. After all, my little Lian isn’t the one who did anything wrong.”
At those words, Zhao Dama clamped up like a screaming chicken whose neck had been squeezed. The curses on the tip of her tongue were forcibly swallowed back, leaving her face red and swollen with fury.
Having lived in this massive factory town for years, Zhao Dama understood better than anyone the destructive power of that photo.
If it leaked out, let alone her son’s future—the entire Qin family would have to walk with their heads bowed for the rest of their lives.
Old Qin saw that no one in his family was being of any use and stopped clutching his chest. He wanted to salvage the situation, but seeing the look on Father Bai’s face—one of burning the boats—he held his tongue.
As the father, Old Qin could only slap his chest and lament that his family was cursed.
As for Qin Shengli, the man at the center of it all, he fell to his knees and crawled to Bai Lian’s feet, hugging her legs and pouring out his repentance.
“Xiao Lian, Xiao Lian. I still love you! I don’t want a divorce! This whole thing was a mistake. I was drunk. It was just once—really, just once.”
Countless thoughts swirled in Bai Lian’s heart, but she didn’t utter a single word. She wasn’t cold-hearted. They had lived together for years, and seeing him beg like this—she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, her resolve would soften.
She knew that in this moment, Qin Shengli’s repentance was real. But afterward, he wouldn’t change. He had always been arrogant. He always thought that if he left the house, the conflicts between her and his mother would disappear. He always thought that without being at home, the children would somehow turn out fine on their own. He always thought that if he did something wrong, a simple kneeling apology could make it all go away.
A man like that—what was the point of having married him in the first place?
“Tomorrow’s Monday. I’ll come back tomorrow and personally take you both to the factory to get the letter of introduction and the divorce certificate.”
Leaving those words behind, Father Bai gathered some more of his daughter’s belongings and walked straight out of the Qin family home.
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