My Mother-in-Law is Reborn [Seventies]

"Ah!"

A deafening scream rang out again, and everyone immediately knew it was Su Pandi's voice.

The residents of the compound quickly threw on their coats and came out, only to see Yuan Jun grabbing Su Pandi and saying, "Come with me, let's get a divorce."

Su Pandi screamed even louder, shouting, "I won't divorce you, I won't divorce you... I was wrong, I really won't divorce you..."

Despite her bluster, the cold wind had chilled her to the bone all night, and she knew deep down that if she really got divorced, she would never find another man like him. They had been married for years, and though he was a bit timid and never took the lead, he always listened to her. She managed the household, made all the decisions, big and small.

If she divorced him, she would never find such a man again. Besides, as a divorcee, she wouldn't be able to find anyone better. She wasn't as young and fresh as she was during her first marriage. She thought back to her secret meeting with her old flame yesterday, where he had bluntly told her she had aged and lost the youthful beauty she once had.

She couldn't get divorced—absolutely not.

"I was wrong, I only made a tiny mistake, just a tiny one. Can't you forgive me, Yuan Jun? Please, for the sake of the children, forgive me. Please, don't let them grow up without a mother. People will laugh at them, call them motherless bastards, bully them, hit them... Ah!"

Yuan Jun couldn't take it anymore and slapped Su Pandi across the face.

He could tolerate her saying anything else, but she shouldn't have brought the children into this.

What she said was no different from a curse.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

For so many years, Yuan Jun had always doted on his wife. He was a simple, honest man who believed that once you got married, you should live a good life together. He never thought about anything else. But clearly, Su Pandi didn't feel the same way. Over the years, she had constantly been sending money and resources to her family.

Yuan Jun had put up with it. Although he despised his mother-in-law, he thought about how her family was full of elderly and young dependents, relying solely on one woman's income. Though he was unhappy, he never outright stopped Su Pandi from helping her family.

But there had to be limits.

You couldn't drain your own household to the point of neglecting your own children just to help others.

Now, he saw through this woman completely. In fifteen years of marriage, he had never laid a finger on her, but now he wished he could beat her to death. Looking at Su Pandi's face, he felt nothing but disgust.

He punched her again, shouting, "I'll make you talk! I'll make you use the children as an excuse! Having a mother like you is what will make them a laughingstock. I'll kill you, I swear I'll kill you!"

When the neighbors came out, they saw the fight escalating.

Aunt Su didn't dare to intervene; she had already been beaten badly last night.

Yuan Jun continued to hit her while yelling, "If it weren't for the fact that I don't want the children to have a mother in jail, and I don't want this to affect their future lives, jobs, or political backgrounds, I would've sent you to the police station last night! And now you dare to bring them into this? It's because of a mother like you that their childhood is miserable. You shouldn't have gotten married at all. You should've stayed at your parents' house, slaving away for your vicious mother, and never married anyone. Getting married was just you ruining someone else's life!"

"How can you say that..." Su Pandi burst into tears.

But as her husband, Yuan Jun remained unmoved. He dragged her and said, "Come with me now, let's get the divorce papers. Whether you agree to it or not, if you don't divorce me, I'll make sure you're a widow!"

"You... you... you don't care about the children..."

"If the children have a mother like you, that's when I truly don't care about them. If my children suffer, I'll make sure your whole family suffers. I'll make sure the Su family line ends with you!"

This was no longer the warning from last night. Back then, he had whispered it in her ear, but now he was shouting it openly.

He hated Su Pandi to the core.

"You won't get away with this, don't even think about it."

Su Pandi cried, "You're threatening me, you're threatening me... Did you all hear that? He's threatening me, he..."

She shouted a few times, but no one backed her up. Instead, everyone looked at her with contempt. She stared at them in disbelief and said, "Why aren't any of you saying anything? Why are you siding with him? I'm your old neighbor!"

Zhou Qun was the first to step forward and say, "Stop yelling. I saw everything clearly yesterday. Everything you're going through now, you deserve it!"

"Shut up! What does this have to do with you? I know you slept with Wang Xiangxiu!"

Su Pandi knew this because her mother had told her.

Zhou Qun's face turned red, but he shouted even louder, "Stop slandering me! Everyone here knows I can't perform!"

Uh...

Everyone looked at Zhou Qun with mixed feelings, thinking, if you can't perform, why are you shouting so loudly? Is this something to be proud of?

Zhou Qun continued loudly, "Even if I could perform, I'd rather be with a man than with Wang Xiangxiu!"

Everyone: "..."

Uh, this was even more awkward.

Everyone silently turned their gaze to Bai Fendou, who immediately flared up and shouted, "Why are you all looking at me? What does this have to do with me? Whoever Zhou Qun likes has nothing to do with me! Damn it, if you keep looking, I'll gouge your eyes out!"

The crowd responded with blank faces: "...Oh."

Aunt Zhou looked at her son with a pained expression and tugged at him, "Please, stop talking."

It was over, truly over. Of all people, her son had to take a liking to Bai Fendou.

She cautiously glanced at Jiang Lu, who remained expressionless. Aunt Zhou quickly said, "Su Pandi, you little wretch, don't you dare slander my son. My son's reputation is not something you can tarnish!"

Zhou Qun also composed himself. Although he had indeed had an affair with Wang Xiangxiu in the past, they had broken it off long ago. Besides, he had no interest in her now. As long as there was no evidence, it was all just baseless accusations.

Moreover, the fact that this woman had dragged him and Wang Xiangxiu into this made him even angrier and more ruthless.

"Bai Fendou and I are completely innocent. We both saw what you did yesterday!" he shouted. "Comrades, neighbors, yesterday when Brother Yuan Jun came looking for his wife, we noticed something was off and followed him, fearing something might happen. Bai Fendou and I followed him together. We saw Brother Yuan Jun go to the hospital, and Aunt Su still refused to admit what Su Pandi had been up to. It was me! It was me, the good comrade, who bravely stepped forward and bribed Tonglai with fifty cents. Tonglai then told us everything his grandmother had said!"

Everyone: "...???"

Tonglai?

What a fine grandson he was.

Fifty cents was all it took to buy him off.

"So, Aunt Su had sent Su Pandi to offer herself to her old flame to plead for leniency."

"Shut up, you sissy, you freak! Stop talking nonsense. This has nothing to do with you. Who asked you to blabber on?" Su Pandi was furious, and so was Aunt Su.

She had always been so adept at handling these situations.

But now, her secrets were being exposed. She had spent all last night thinking about how to salvage her reputation and get out of this mess. But it was too cold, and she was in too much pain, leaving her mind in chaos.

And now, Zhou Qun was here, blabbering nonstop.

She pretended to cough weakly and said, "Zhou Qun, are you trying to kill me? I know my relationship with your mother isn't good, but you can't just slander me like this. Are you trying to drive me to my grave?"

Aunt Zhou wasn't having any of it and screamed, "Stop with your nonsense! Don't you dare try to pin this on my son. I won't let you, you old hag! The filthy things you've done, why can't they be exposed? My son found out and exposed you for the sake of justice. Are you saying my son is lying? Bai Fendou, tell them, did Zhou Qun lie?"

Bai Fendou: "No."

Aunt Zhou immediately perked up, feeling even more confident, and said, "Old Su's son-in-law, tell me, did my son Zhou Qun lie?"

Yuan Jun: "No."

Aunt Zhou: "Did you all hear that? Everyone, did you hear that? Our Zhou Qun didn’t lie at all. You think you can silence him by smearing his reputation? Let me tell you, no way! Absolutely no way! We’re telling the truth, and we have every right to speak! We have every right to expose your true colors!"

Everyone fell silent at this moment, not doubting Zhou Qun’s words in the slightest.

Of course not. After what happened last night, it was clear to everyone that Zhou Qun couldn’t possibly be lying now.

As for Aunt Su, she was still trying to play the victim.

Everyone looked at Aunt Su with disdain.

Zhou Qun: "We were on our way to the slaughterhouse when Aunt Su suddenly caught up with us..."

"Enough! This is our family's business. What does it have to do with you? How dare you spout nonsense here? What does any of this have to do with you?" Aunt Su, seeing that her daughter was no help and with no one else to back her up, could only snarl in response.

She shouted, "This has nothing to do with you. If you keep running your mouth, be careful of the hell where tongues are ripped out!"

"Stop spreading your superstitious nonsense. What hell where tongues are ripped out?"

"Exactly!"

"If you dare to do it, why are you afraid of people talking? Yuan Jun hasn’t even said anything yet. Why are you jumping in? What’s it got to do with you?"

"Zhou Qun, tell us, what did you see?"

Everyone looked at Zhou Qun curiously, eager to know the details of what had happened.

Zhou Qun glanced at Yuan Jun and didn’t dare to say more.

Though he was a gossipy busybody, he didn’t dare to talk about someone else’s wife in front of her husband, especially since they weren’t even divorced yet. Besides, Yuan Jun looked downright terrifying. He glanced at Yuan Jun, who remained expressionless, and felt slightly reassured, but he didn’t dare say anything more.

He shut his mouth and stayed quiet.

Yuan Jun then looked around at everyone. Without saying a word, he grabbed Su Pandi and started dragging her outside. Su Pandi cried out, "Ah, what are you doing?"

Yuan Jun: "Divorce!"

"No, no, I don’t want to..."

Yuan Jun sneered, "If you don’t want a divorce, fine. Let’s go home."

His sudden change in demeanor sent a chill down Su Pandi’s spine. She remembered how he had threatened to kill her more than once, and fear immediately gripped her. She trembled, "No, I don’t want to go home..."

Yuan Jun ignored her protests and continued dragging her away.

Aunt Su, who had clearly seen her daughter being dragged off, remained silent. In fact, she even let out a small sigh of relief.

The crowd: "???"

Aunt Wang didn’t hold back: "Aren’t you going to do anything?"

Aunt Su replied softly, "They’re a young couple. They’ll fight and make up. There’s no need for me to interfere. I’m just a mother, and I can’t control everything. I’m tired and need to go home to rest."

She hadn’t rested at all last night, and now that the trouble had finally left, she headed straight home.

Her behavior left everyone speechless. They had never seen anything like it.

Aunt Su entered her house, closed the door behind her, and stumbled to the kang (a heated bed). She lay down, cursing bitterly, "You heartless people."

The neighbors exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Someone finally spoke up, "Should we follow them or not?"

"Follow what? We have work to do."

"Oh, right."

It was Monday, after all. They couldn’t just skip work to watch the drama unfold.

Aunt Wang: "I’ll go to the neighborhood committee. This matter needs to be reported."

Zhao Guihua: "You all go to work. I’ll follow Yuan Jun and Su Pandi to see what happens. We can’t let this escalate into something serious."

Wang Zhaodi: "Aunt Zhao, I’ll go with you. We can keep each other company and watch out for each other."

Zhao Guihua: "Alright."

Aunt Zhou opened her mouth to say something but ultimately stayed quiet.

The crowd quickly dispersed. Zhao Guihua and Wang Zhaodi followed Yuan Jun and Su Pandi at a distance. Su Pandi was crying uncontrollably, "I don’t want a divorce..."

Yuan Jun, however, was beyond caring about appearances.

He said bluntly, "You should’ve thought about this the day you slept with someone else. I’m not staying married to you."

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was wrong..."

"You’re not wrong. I’m the one who’s wrong. For over a decade, I’ve been too lenient with you."

Yuan Jun sneered, "If you don’t want a divorce, fine. I’ll just beat you three times a day. Hah."

He dragged her along without a care, saying, "You owe me, and you owe our children. I’ll make you pay for everything!"

Su Pandi: "Please, don’t do this. I’m scared..."

"Scared now? Too late. Hahaha." He continued dragging her, and passersby stared at them. It was morning rush hour, and someone who couldn’t stand it stepped forward and said, "Comrade, you can’t treat a woman like this. If you don’t stop, we’ll call the police."

Yuan Jun: "My wife cheated on me. Can’t I deal with her?"

"Uh..."

Yuan Jun: "My wife stole all the money from our home. Can’t I drag her to get a divorce?"

"Uh..."

Yuan Jun’s retorts silenced the onlookers, and he continued dragging Su Pandi away.

This was not something ordinary people could interfere with.

Wang Zhaodi whispered, "Is this really okay? I’ve never seen anything like this before."

Zhao Guihua: "Neither have I."

They followed the couple all the way to the lumber factory. Zhao Guihua vaguely remembered that Yuan Jun worked there. If he wanted a divorce, he would need to get a reference letter from the factory.

The two women didn’t enter the factory but stood at the gate.

The gatekeeper, seeing them tailing Yuan Jun and Su Pandi, approached them warily.

Zhao Guihua explained straightforwardly, "That woman’s family lives in our compound. They’ve had some trouble, so we’re following them to make sure nothing bad happens."

Gatekeeper: "What kind of trouble?"

Zhao Guihua: "It’s complicated. You’d better ask Yuan Jun directly."

She added, "Once we’re sure he’s not going to do anything rash, we’ll leave."

Just then, Yuan Jun dragged Su Pandi out of the factory, followed by several workers. Without hesitation, Yuan Jun headed straight for the neighborhood committee. Zhao Guihua hesitated for a moment and said, "Let’s follow them a bit longer."

They weren’t sure if following would help, but at the very least, they could try to calm Yuan Jun down if he lost control. If Yuan Jun ended up committing murder, his children would be the ones to truly suffer.

The gatekeeper, seeing the commotion, asked, "What’s going on?"

"Yuan Jun wants a divorce."

"What?"

Zhao Guihua and Wang Zhaodi continued trailing them as they went to the neighborhood committee and then to the marriage registration office.

Divorces were handled there.

Su Pandi, who didn’t have a job, had to get her proof from the neighborhood committee. By this point, they were followed by several people from the committee. Everyone’s expressions were a mix of shock and discomfort. Such a large group arriving at the marriage registration office was quite a sight.

"Ah, what happened to this woman? Why is she so beaten up? It’s the modern era. Men and women are equal. How can you still hit a woman?"

Yuan Jun: "We’re here to get a divorce."

"Wait, comrade..."

Before the clerk could finish, someone from the neighborhood committee pulled them aside and whispered a few words.

"Oh, I see..."

"Just process it for them."

"Alright, but even so, you can’t hit people like this. What if you seriously injure her?" After a few more words, they quickly started the paperwork. Su Pandi was in a daze. How had it come to this?

Just yesterday, everything had been fine. Her husband had gone to work as usual, and there had been no signs of trouble.

In just one day, everything had turned upside down. She hadn’t even had time to process what had happened. She stammered, "No, I don’t want this. I don’t want a divorce..."

Everyone looked at her. Yuan Jun let out a cold laugh and said ominously, "If you don’t want a divorce, then..."

"No, I want a divorce!"

Su Pandi was like a chameleon. One moment she was adamant about not divorcing, and the next she was insisting on it.

Her mood swings were baffling.

And she herself was just as conflicted.

She didn’t want to get a divorce, but she was also afraid that Yuan Jun might really harm her. In the past, she had been confident about him, believing she could control him. But now, he seemed like a madman, completely unpredictable.

His erratic behavior terrified Su Pandi.

She didn’t want to lose her life.

Amid this back-and-forth struggle, the divorce was finalized.

Only then did Yuan Jun let go of Su Pandi. She collapsed to the ground, weak and defeated. Yuan Jun spoke coldly, “Everything in this house has nothing to do with you now. Don’t ever come back.”

“But my clothes…”

Yuan Jun sneered, “Your clothes? You took all the savings from the house yesterday. You took all the fine grains, and even the last bit of oil. What else do you want to take? Su Pandi, what you’ve already taken is enough to buy yourself clothes! Don’t ever come back. This is my first and last warning. I don’t want to see you again, and I don’t want the children to see you either. From now on, we’ll act like you don’t exist. Whatever dirty, rotten things you do, we don’t want to know. Get out!”

Yuan Jun didn’t bother to hide what Su Pandi had done. He knew it was impossible to keep it a secret anyway. Not only had several people at the slaughterhouse seen it, but many at her parents’ home had also witnessed it.

Given that, he saw no point in hiding anything.

In truth, Yuan Jun was filled with hatred. Last night, he had even considered calling the police, but her family had stopped him. Although her family held a high position at the slaughterhouse, they weren’t foolish or biased.

They were equally furious.

But at the critical moment, they stopped Yuan Jun because, no matter how despicable the two were, they couldn’t go to jail.

If they did, it would affect their children’s future political background checks. Both families had children, and they were all thinking about their kids.

Su Pandi remained slumped on the ground, unmoving. Yuan Jun had already walked out the door. He saw Zhao Guihua and Wang Zhaodi standing nearby and, after a moment of thought, approached Zhao Guihua and bowed to her.

He looked up and said, “Auntie, thank you for staying with me. I know you were worried I might do something I’d regret.” He understood that she had no personal ties to him and had acted out of kindness.

Zhao Guihua quickly waved her hand, saying, “You haven’t been home all night. Go back and check on the kids. Some things need to be explained to them properly. Life must go on.”

Yuan Jun replied, “I know.”

Though he had been terrifyingly violent when he hit her, now he looked utterly desolate, his figure lonely and bleak. In the end, he was just another victim. If he hadn’t been pushed to the brink, he would never have done such a thing.

Zhao Guihua watched his retreating figure and sighed.

She said, “Let’s go back. We’ll see what happens next.”

This incident wasn’t going to be easily brushed aside. What would happen next was anyone’s guess. Zhao Guihua led Wang Zhaodi away. Su Pandi called out, “Auntie Zhao, wait for me. Help me up.”

She had been dragged around and had no strength left. Zhao Guihua glanced back at her, seeing her disheveled state.

The once well-put-together woman now had a bruised face, her red dress in tatters, looking like a ghost. In her hand, she clutched the divorce certificate.

Zhao Guihua took a deep breath and said, “What were you thinking?”

She didn’t go to help her, just shook her head and walked away with Wang Zhaodi.

Wang Zhaodi whispered, “Aren’t we going to help her?”

Zhao Guihua replied, “It’s broad daylight. Nothing will happen to her. Let’s go.”

Truth be told, it was only someone like Zhao Guihua, a kind-hearted older woman, who would bother with such matters. Even after being reborn, she still had the same caring personality. A younger person wouldn’t have gotten involved. It was thankless work.

Getting involved wouldn’t gain her anything, and she might even end up in trouble.

Only women of her age tended to have such a warm heart.

But Zhao Guihua felt at ease now that she had seen Yuan Jun hadn’t done anything irreversible.

She said, “Let’s go. We’ve been walking for a while. Let’s take the bus back.”

Wang Zhaodi whispered, “I didn’t bring any money.”

Zhao Guihua smiled, “I’ll cover it.”

Wang Zhaodi bit her lip, feeling a bit embarrassed. Zhao Guihua said, “Let’s go.”

The two of them left Su Pandi behind and boarded the bus. It was mid-morning, and there were still empty seats. Wang Zhaodi rested her chin on her hand and said, “I really don’t understand.”

“Hmm?”

Wang Zhaodi said softly, “Life was already so good. Why wasn’t it enough? Life in the city is so much better than what we have in the countryside.”

Zhao Guihua knew how hard life was for farmers at this time. This wasn’t like decades later when some rural areas were wealthier than cities. Right now, rural life was tough, far less comfortable than city living. Especially for someone like Wang Zhaodi, who came from a poor family with many children.

Looking at Wang Zhaodi’s confused eyes, she said, “They’re never satisfied. They’re never content.”

Zhao Guihua spoke earnestly, “Everyone wants a good life. I do, you do, we all do. But as people, we must have our limits. It’s fine to strive for a better life, but we can’t cross the line. We must have our own principles and not blindly believe everything others say. You need to learn to discern what’s right and what’s wrong. Some wrong ideas aren’t even worth listening to.”

Wang Zhaodi nodded solemnly.

Zhao Guihua smiled and said, “We’re here.”

Wang Zhaodi exclaimed, “Oh!”

The two of them walked home together. As they neared their destination, they unexpectedly ran into Hu Huihui. Zhao Guihua was surprised, “Why are you back?”

Hu Huihui had moved out after staying for a month in August. Her sudden return was unexpected.

Hu Huihui wasn’t alone. She was accompanied by several others, all wearing red armbands, including herself.

Hearing Zhao Guihua’s voice, she turned and said, “Oh, it’s Auntie Zhao. I’ve changed jobs. I’m here on official business.”

She tilted her arm slightly to show her armband, observing Zhao Guihua’s reaction.

Zhao Guihua pursed her lips, “That’s good. You’ve got some skills.”

Hu Huihui chuckled softly. She had initially thought she could quickly uncover the whereabouts of some jewelry, which was why she had kept her identity hidden. But since it wasn’t something that could be resolved quickly, and everyone would find out eventually, she decided to reveal her identity early to gauge people’s reactions.

Zhao Guihua’s reaction wasn’t unusual.

Zhao Guihua’s focus wasn’t on her identity.

She asked, “Are you… Are you heading to our courtyard?”

Hearing this, Hu Huihui gave a bitter smile, “Yes, I’m going to your courtyard. We’ve received reports of inappropriate relationships and improper conduct there.”

It didn’t take much to guess this was about the Su family.

Zhao Guihua knew these things couldn’t be hidden. She didn’t know what to say, only adding, “You can go ahead, but our courtyard has probably already informed the neighborhood committee.”

Hu Huihui said, “I’ll go take a look.”

As they walked, she asked Zhao Guihua, “Auntie Zhao, you’ve lived in the courtyard for a long time, right?”

Zhao Guihua nodded, “A very long time. My three children were all born in this courtyard.”

Hu Huihui said, “That’s quite a while.”

“Indeed. I’ve lived here since before liberation. Back then, my husband worked at the machinery factory, and they provided housing. We paid rent monthly. After liberation, the factory was nationalized, and this area was allocated to the workers. We stayed put, and the house was assigned to us. We didn’t have to pay rent anymore.”

“What about Auntie Su? Did she move here around the same time?”

Zhao Guihua replied, “She’s been here longer than me. She’s older and married earlier. Her eldest daughter, Su Zhaodi, is already 38. My eldest son, Zhiyuan, is only 28. Her youngest son is several years older than my eldest. When I married into this courtyard, she was already a wife here.”

“Do you know where she’s from? Is she a local of the capital?”

Zhao Guihua: "Actually, no. I heard she came here as a refugee and then married Old Su."

"Refugee?"

Zhao Guihua nodded: "That's what they say, but we don't know where she came from. She never mentioned it herself."

Zhao Guihua wondered why Hu Huihui suddenly brought this up, but then it hit her—was Hu Huihui questioning Aunt Su's background? The thought made her glance at Hu Huihui again, thinking to herself, this girl really has something going on.

No one had ever thought about it before, but now that Hu Huihui mentioned it, even Zhao Guihua couldn't help but wonder—what exactly is Aunt Su's story? How could she stoop so low? It's been so many years since liberation.

Under normal circumstances, no one would resort to such things just because life got a little tough.

There's definitely something off about her.

Thinking this, Zhao Guihua couldn't quite figure her out.

Zhao Guihua slowed her pace, and Hu Huihui, noticing her deep in thought, didn't wait for her. She walked ahead into the courtyard, where, coincidentally, Director Wang and Director Zhang from the neighborhood committee were already there, looking utterly distressed.

"How could something like this happen?"

"Hello, I'm here from the committee to investigate the recent complaint."

Aunt Wang: "..."

She stared at Hu Huihui in shock, unable to believe that Hu Huihui, who had only left a few days ago, had already climbed so high in the ranks. She must be doing well if she's leading the investigation now. But... the trouble this time involved her cousin's family.

Aunt Wang pursed her lips: "This family..."

She pointed, and Hu Huihui said, "I know, it's my cousin's family. But even though they're my relatives, I treat everyone equally. We handle things impartially. You all, go and bring them out."

Aunt Wang: "Only Aunt Su is home. When the committee came to investigate, she refused to open the door."

She explained: "Wang Xiangxiu is at the hospital taking care of the kids. Su Jinlai and Su Yinlai are still in the hospital. Su Tonglai wasn't hurt, but he's staying there too."

Hu Huihui: "Spoiling her, just kick the door open!"

Several men stepped forward and, after a few heavy kicks, the door creaked open.

"Take her away for questioning!"

The neighborhood committee members breathed a sigh of relief. They were more than happy to have someone else take over.

Otherwise, this would have been a mess to deal with.

It wasn't that they wanted to shirk responsibility.

It's just that this situation was too complicated.

And no matter how you looked at it, without concrete evidence, they really didn't want to get involved. Dealing with the adults was one thing, but what about the kids? Where could they send them? Normally, they could be sent to an orphanage, but Su Jinlai was seriously injured, and Su Yinlai was still in critical condition.

They couldn't just abandon them, could they?

So, no matter how you looked at it, they were in a tough spot.

Whether it was the police or the committee handling the complaint, they had more authority to deal with this than the neighborhood committee.

That's why the committee members felt relieved.

Aunt Su was quickly dragged out. She was shocked to see Hu Huihui leading the charge and cried out, "Hu Huihui, let me go! We're family! How can you treat me like this?"

Hu Huihui: "Don't try to play the family card."

She said, "Work is work, personal is personal. We're distant relatives at best—you're just my cousin's mother-in-law. Don't act like we're close. Even if we were, I'd still handle this impartially. I'm not the type to show favoritism."

"How can you talk like that? Have you forgotten how our family took you in, fed you, and gave you a place to stay? You can't just turn your back on us like this!"

That comment only made Hu Huihui sneer: "I paid for it."

Unlike others who might have shouted and screamed during an argument, she calmly instructed her team: "Take her away first. And send a few people to find Wang Xiangxiu and the others."

Normally, they wouldn't get involved in such matters.

There was no profit in it, and it was really the police's job.

But someone had filed a complaint, and now they were stuck dealing with it.

The higher-ups saw an opportunity—apparently, the second-in-command at the slaughterhouse was involved? Perfect, they couldn't pass up a chance like this. So, they got involved. As a relative of the Su family, Hu Huihui was assigned to the case by her fiancé.

Deputy Director Zheng, who was about to become Director Zheng, was quite impressed with Hu Huihui's cousin's family. They had a knack for causing trouble—first taking down Vice Director Cai, and now the second-in-command at the slaughterhouse.

They were like a curse for men in power.

A few more incidents like this, and the small-time leaders in the city would think twice before stepping out of line.

People might not admit it out loud, but deep down, they couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to the superstition.

Maybe Wang Xiangxiu really did have a knack for bringing bad luck to her husbands.

That's why Deputy Director Zheng kept his distance, afraid of being tainted by her misfortune. He left the whole matter to his fiancée. Hu Huihui was capable, and more importantly, she was someone he could trust.

Hu Huihui showed no mercy to Aunt Su. Hearing the old woman wailing, she ordered, "Gag her. Her crying is unbearable."

"She's the only one here. Her daughter and daughter-in-law aren't around."

"Where's her daughter?"

"Probably went back to her own place? We'll send someone to look for her..."

Zhao Guihua hesitated, then said, "She'll probably be back soon. She's divorced."

"What!"

Everyone was shocked. No one expected Su Pandi to actually get a divorce. Though yesterday's situation had made it seem inevitable, divorces were rare in those days. You hardly ever heard of one happening.

So, no one really believed it would happen.

But who would have thought it would happen so quickly?

"Take Aunt Su away first. I'll stay with a couple of people to wait for her daughter."

Even though Aunt Su had been taken away, Hu Huihui stayed behind. She chatted casually with Aunt Wang, saying, "Aunt Wang, even though I've changed jobs now, you can still treat me the same as before. No need to be too formal."

Aunt Wang forced a smile.

Was it really the same?

She said, "Let's talk about Aunt Su. You need to tell me what exactly happened here."

She spoke softly, with a smile: "If you don't tell me, someone else will. It's not like everyone will stay silent, right?"

Aunt Wang: "It's not that we don't want to tell you, it's just that we don't really understand it ourselves. Yesterday was just chaos."

Hu Huihui raised an eyebrow: "Then tell me what you do know?"

She already had some idea but pressed on: "I heard Aunt Su came here as a refugee. Where did she come from?"

Hu Huihui kept asking because she wasn't like the ordinary folks in the neighborhood. Having spent time around higher-ups, she had a sharper intuition. She felt that Aunt Su's ability to come up with such shady money-making schemes suggested she wasn't from a respectable background.

If her cousin's family and the slaughterhouse could come to an understanding, this matter might be dropped. Normally, they weren't the type to stir up trouble without reason.

They had better things to do, like going after capitalists, where there was real profit to be made.

They wouldn't get involved in something like this without a good reason. If they were really targeting Wang Xiangxiu, it wouldn't be for no reason. They'd have to consider the practicalities—like the fact that her children were still in the hospital.

They had to think about the real-world consequences.

That much was true.

But Hu Huihui still wanted to dig deeper into Aunt Su's background. If she could uncover something, it would be a feather in her cap.

She felt there was something off about her cousin's mother-in-law. She didn't seem like a decent person. But since she'd been living here for decades, digging up her past wouldn't be easy. She turned to Aunt Wang and also called over Aunt Zhou and some of the older women.

She asked, "When you married into this neighborhood, was she already here?"

"We all came a few years after her."

Hu Huihui was surprised: "So she's quite old, then."

"She is."

Aunt Zhou, a straightforward woman, chattered away, "If anyone in our courtyard knows her best, it's Old Man Bai. He's been pursuing Aunt Su for years, so he's particularly clear about her affairs."

Hu Huihui replied, "Really? Then I must have a chat with him. Thank you, Auntie."

Aunt Zhou beamed with pride, "Of course, I'm a good comrade. Over the years, I've worked alongside Aunt Wang on so many tasks in the courtyard. I..."

Aunt Wang quickly interjected, "I'll recommend you for the courtyard management position at the end of the year."

Aunt Zhou's expression stiffened, and she decisively said, "I think my moral character still needs some improvement. I'm not suitable for such a position, really, I'm not. Besides, my daughter-in-law is pregnant with her first child, and I can't afford to be careless. Such an important position should be left to someone more capable."

Her gaze shifted to Zhao Guihua, and she immediately added, "Zhao Guihua is suitable. Although she's sharp-tongued and a bit harsh, she's responsible and commands respect in our courtyard. She can handle things well."

Zhao Guihua sneered, "Oh, so I'm sharp-tongued and harsh, huh? How dare you say that about me? Compared to you, I'm the most warm-hearted and kind old lady around. I'm upright, kind, and always eager to help."

"How can you say that..."

"How can you say that..."

Seeing that the two old ladies were about to start bickering, Aunt Wang quickly intervened, "Enough, enough! We have guests here. Hu Huihui, come, I'll take you to Old Man Bai's place. Both of them are too selfless and always want to leave the best for each other."

Hu Huihui thought to herself, "Do you think I haven't lived in this courtyard before? Don't I know that none of them want to be in charge of the courtyard? What are they acting for? Do they think I don't understand?"

She smiled and said, "Let's get back to the main topic."

She followed Aunt Wang into the Bai household. Bai Fendou had already gone to work, and Old Man Bai was left alone, uncared for. The room smelled strange and pungent, so strong that it made one stagger upon entering. It was summer, and the windows were open. If it were winter with the windows shut, who knows what it would be like.

The room might become uninhabitable.

Hu Huihui had originally planned to buy a room in their house to settle down, but now she hesitated.

Nevertheless, she forced herself to enter.

Aunt Wang decisively said, "Old Bai, do you recognize her? Little Hu has a new job now and is here to investigate yesterday's incident. You saw it too, didn't you, when you climbed up to the window?"

How could he not have seen such a spectacle? His window faced the courtyard, and he had propped himself up to watch the entire scene unfold. His heart turned cold as he watched. Of course, he had already felt a chill when Aunt Su ignored him after he became paralyzed.

This time, his heart turned cold again.

Ice-cold!

He said, "Of course, I saw it. It was truly shocking. I had no idea she was that kind of person. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. All these years, she's been deceiving me."

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much he had been taken advantage of.

Decades of being taken advantage of! It was enough to make him hate her to the core.

He continued, "How could she be so cunning? All these years, I loved her deeply, and she seemed to care for me too. But who would have thought it was all fake? As soon as something happened to me, her true nature was revealed."

Old Man Bai was in agony. He said, "When she walked past the window, I called out to her, but she didn't even respond. How could she be so heartless? Ever since Old Su passed away, and my wife died two years ago, I suggested we live together. She agreed. She said she had fallen in love with me at first sight back then, but fate had intervened. She had already agreed to marry into the Su family, and she couldn't be ungrateful. Old Su had helped her, and she couldn't forget his kindness. Such a good woman, where else could you find one like her? In fact, I had fallen for her at first sight too. We had agreed to live together, but she said that since Aunt Zhou, also a widow, hadn't remarried, if she did, people would accuse her of being unfaithful. They might even speculate that we had been involved before. She couldn't do that. She even swore at the factory that she would live and die as a member of the Su family. So, we could only see each other in secret and not live together openly until her children were grown and married. I agreed. When her eldest daughter got married, I gave 20 yuan as a dowry. When her second daughter married, I gave another 20..."

"You're lying!"

At that moment, Su Pandi returned, panting heavily. She had overheard Old Man Bai slandering her mother and immediately retorted, "Don't you dare lie! My sister and I never received 20 yuan as a dowry. When we got married, we had no dowry at all, just a few pieces of clothing."

Old Man Bai shouted, "Who says so? I gave it! I did give it! Go ask your mother. Ask her if I gave it or not. I didn't want to give the money at first, but your mother said that even though we hadn't officially become a couple, emotionally, we were already like husband and wife. So, it was only right to contribute something for my stepdaughters' weddings. Otherwise, you'd have a hard time settling into your new homes. I secretly gave 20 yuan, hiding it even from Bai Fendou."

"You're lying, lying!"

Hu Huihui thought to herself, "It's clear that he did give the money, but Aunt Su didn't pass it on to her daughters."

She looked at Su Pandi and said, "Someone has reported you. You'll need to come with us later."

Su Pandi exclaimed, "What?"

Her face instantly turned pale.

"They... they said they wouldn't pursue it anymore," she whispered.

Hu Huihui replied, "It was someone from the slaughterhouse who reported you."

This matter wasn't stirred up by someone from their courtyard. Ordinary folks usually avoid getting involved with such units. Despite their imposing presence, their reputation isn't great. People fear them, but they also genuinely dislike them.

Usually, in such cases, people might complain to the neighborhood committee, but they wouldn't go as far as involving the police station.

This was the norm for most people.

However, the slaughterhouse operated differently.

This, of course, was related to some power shifts.

Hu Huihui understood this well. Having worked alongside Old Zheng for two years, she had seen plenty of such situations.

She said, "You'll need to come with us later to clarify things. For now, let's get back to Aunt Su."

She really didn't want to hear any more about this elderly love story. Old Man Bai, despite his age, was still so dramatic. She steered the conversation back, asking, "You were already living here when she married into the courtyard, right? So, you must know where she came from?"

Old Man Bai replied, "I've been working at the machinery factory since I was a teenager, renting a place here. I'm an old resident. When she married into the courtyard, I was still single. Of course, I knew her. She was a refugee from another province, claiming that her family had all perished, and she was the only one left. She encountered some bad people who tried to sell her into a terrible situation, but she was alert and escaped through a window before they could capture her. Several people chased her. During her escape, she ran into Old Su, who hid her under a coal cart and saved her. Then she married him out of gratitude. Didn't I mention earlier that Old Su had done her a favor? That's what it was. After being rescued, she barely left the house for a year or two, hardly even coming out to chat in the courtyard. She said she was traumatized by what had happened. Only after a long time did she gradually start coming out again."

"Where did she flee from? Could you tell by her accent?"

Old Man Bai said, "She didn't have much of an accent. It was similar to ours, the local dialect."

"No accent at all?"

"It's been too long, and I can't say for sure. But now that I think about it, she might not have been entirely truthful." Old Man Bai's love had turned to bitterness. He said, "When she married into the courtyard, she claimed to be a refugee, but her clothes were clean and made of good fabric. She even had jewelry. Who would believe that a refugee could have so much?"

"Did she ever explain that?"

Old Man Bai: "She did mention it. She said her family wasn’t poor, and her father was a scholar. But since she was a girl, she didn’t get much education, though she came from a scholarly family. Unfortunately, the family fell into decline, her parents passed away, and her brother and sister-in-law couldn’t tolerate her. So, she had no choice but to pack up her belongings and come to the capital to seek refuge with relatives. But after arriving, she couldn’t find her relatives and instead ran into some bad people."

"So, you’re saying you don’t actually know where she’s from? She never mentioned it?"

"She never did."

Old Man Bai cursed: "Look at her behavior. She’s no good person. I think she’s probably some shady character from who knows where, now pretending to be decent..."

"Ugh, Old Man Bai, you shameless old fool! You’re just bitter because you couldn’t have my mother, so now you’re slandering her. She’s a good person, and you’re spouting nonsense! Everyone knows you’ve been following her around like a dog, but she never liked you. You’ve been trying to win her over, and now that she’s not with you, you’re throwing mud at her. You’re the worst kind of man—if you can’t have something, you want to destroy it! No wonder you’re in this state, you old scoundrel! Do you know why your family line is dying out? Because you’re such a jerk! Do you know why your son is useless? Because you’re such a jerk! Do you know why your family keeps getting worse off? It’s all because you’re such a jerk! This is karma, big karma!"

"Pfft!" Old Man Bai spat out a mouthful of blood.

He was so hot-tempered that he actually coughed up blood from sheer anger.

"Oh my God!"

"Holy crap, he’s spitting blood!"

"Su Pandi, are you cursing him or destroying his soul?"

"What do we do now?"

No sooner had they spoken than Old Man Bai fainted.

"Oh no, oh no!"

"Quick, take him to the hospital!"

"Go call Bai Fendou!"

Hu Huihui was also panicking. What a mess this was! She said, "Aunt Zhao, please go and call Bai Fendou. I’ll arrange for someone to take him to the hospital. You all take Su Pandi back. Su Pandi, Su Pandi, have you lost your mind? The old man’s health was already bad. Why did you provoke him? Look, he’s spitting blood now!"

Su Pandi was also scared. Her mother was frail, her older sister was hopeless, and she had always been the strong one in the family, the tough and fiery one who had to hold things together.

But in all her years of being tough, this was the first time she had seen someone spit blood and faint just from being scolded by her.

How could Su Pandi not be terrified?

She stared blankly at the scene before her.

"What are you staring at? Take her away!"

Hu Huihui: "Everyone, lend a hand. Help me carry him out and borrow a tricycle to take him to the hospital."

"Alright!"

Everyone hurried about. Just then, a big, burly man who had been following Hu Huihui came running over and shouted, "Sister Hui, something’s happened!"

He rushed in and was stunned: "Ah, you’ve got this too..."

Hu Huihui: "Su Pandi made this man spit blood. Hurry up and help."

"Oh, okay."

Being a strong man, he easily carried Old Man Bai out and placed him on the borrowed cart. Then he remembered: "Oh no, Sister Hui, something’s happened. Aunt Su fainted halfway. What do we do now?"

Hu Huihui nearly lost her breath. Another one fainted? She said, "Take her to the hospital too."

They couldn’t just drag the unconscious people back. If something happened to them, they’d face some public criticism, especially since the matter hadn’t even been investigated yet. So Hu Huihui decisively said, "Take them to the hospital."

Wake them up first, then take them back.

"Got it."

"This works out perfectly."

Hu Huihui: "Let’s go."

The neighbors didn’t know how things had escalated like this. They exchanged glances, quickly scurried home to lock their doors, and then just as quickly ran out to follow. They had never seen such a big commotion before.

Fainted, everyone’s fainted!

Follow them!