Xu Chengan pointed to the messy courtyard beside them. “Here’s your home.”
Wen Wan stuck out her tongue sheepishly, turned, and jogged a few steps to Xu Chengan’s side, giving an awkward smile.
“I got so caught up in being upset, I forgot.”
Her eyes were red from crying, but still bright and sparkling; in the sunlight, she seemed radiant, impossible to look away from.
Xu Chengan glanced at her and spoke gently, “Life is long. Parents only walk part of the way with you. The rest of the journey depends on yourself; whether life is good or bad is something you make for yourself.”
Wen Wan widened her eyes and leaned a little closer, staring at him without blinking. “Officer Xu, are you trying to comfort me?”
Actually, she had only been pretending earlier—she wasn’t upset at all.
Of course, she couldn’t tell him that.
Xu Chengan cleared his throat lightly. “Go inside quickly.”
Somehow, word had spread. As soon as Wen Wan entered the courtyard, Wen Qingfeng and Zhao Yan came out of the house, followed by Lin Zhenzhen and Wen Xiaojun.
Wen Xiaojun saw Wen Wan and scowled viciously. “Where the hell have you been? You risked me losing my job! I’ll show you what happens.”
He had been boasting to his classmates that he was going to work at the steel factory, and now Wen Wan had run away from her marriage. Seeing her now, he couldn’t wait to drag her and beat her up.
“Quiet, how dare you speak to your sister like that!” Zhao Yan scolded her son, then smiled at Xu Chengan. “Thank you, Officer Xu, for personally bringing our Wanwan back. Come inside and have some water.”
Wen Wan looked at Wen Xiaojun with disgust. “I’m not marrying anyone to get you a job. If you want a job, do it yourself.”
Wen Xiaojun was Zhao Yan’s son, and Wen Qingfeng treated him as his own. Spoiled, he had bullied the original Wen Wan for years.
Wen Wan’s defiance left him unsettled. “Wen Wan, you shameless girl! Dad said, even if I have to tie you up, I’ll make you marry Wu Er!”
Wen Wan sneered. Just as she was thinking about how to make a big scene, Wen Xiaojun was handing her the perfect opportunity.
Fine, then let’s go big.
Only by completely tearing off the facade could she sever ties with her family.
Wen Wan, eyes red, looked at Wen Qingfeng and cried, “Dad, are you really going to force me onto Wu Er’s bed? When Mom died, you promised her you’d take care of me. How can you treat me like this?”
The messy courtyard had many residents, all waiting to watch the drama unfold. Some weren’t even from this courtyard.
After all, on the way back, Wen Wan had been spreading her story everywhere.
Wen Qingfeng, angry and humiliated, shouted, “I raised you to adulthood, didn’t I? The Wu family is better off than us. Marrying there is a blessing!”
“Do you want this so-called blessing? When I was nine, Mom died saving someone from a fire. My grandparents took care of me until I was twelve. Before my grandmother passed away, she gave you 8,000 yuan. The textile factory gave me 19 yuan a month as a subsidy for being a martyr’s child. Over all these years, you never gave me a penny.”
“You married a new wife, had a son and a daughter, and I no longer had a room in the house. I had to sleep on a small bed in the kitchen. I get up earliest and sleep last, cooking, washing dishes, washing everyone’s clothes—all the housework was mine. What did you raise me for?”
“Uncle Liu originally recommended me for the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University, but you refused. So back then, you had already decided to marry me off to Wu’s youngest son, just to get Wen Xiaojun into the steel factory. Dad, I’m your own daughter! How could you do this to me?”
Wen Wan spoke, voice and tears filled with heartbreak, every word dripping with anguish. Everyone could hear her clearly.
People in the courtyard already knew some things about the Wen family. Zhao Yan appeared kind-hearted but was ruthless and skilled at maintaining face.
But they had all seen Wen Wan washing clothes in winter, braving the cold wind to buy meat and breakfast. Her hands would always be covered in frostbite during winter.
Knowing something is one thing; seeing it said aloud is another.
It was like a veil had been torn away—nothing left to hide.
Neighbors began criticizing Wen Qingfeng, and even Zhao Yan and her son’s expressions changed.
“Qingfeng, Wanwan is your own daughter! How could you treat your child so harshly for all these years, forcing her to marry a fool just to get someone else a job? You’ve really lost your senses,” said Elder Zhao, a senior figure in the courtyard.
Elder Zhao had previously worked in the street office. In recent years, her legs and mobility had declined, so she rested at home.
“Elder, this crazy girl is talking nonsense. You can’t believe her. I haven’t mistreated her all these years. I raised her well,” Wen Qingfeng hurriedly defended himself.
“I may be old, but my eyes aren’t blind. I can see clearly how you treated Wanwan all these years,” Elder Zhao scoffed.
What “raised well”? Wen Wan was naturally smart and healthy, like her real mother. He was just taking credit.
“Elder Zhao, you must speak fairly. Think about how Qingfeng treated you all these years; don’t spread false rumors.”
“You can’t expect others to stay quiet when you do immoral things. Now you start covering your mouth? The Wu family is so good—why not marry off your own daughter?” Elder Zhao wasn’t buying Zhao Yan’s act.
Zhao Yan was speechless, her face darkening with anger.
Wen Wan gratefully glanced at Elder Zhao. If she had escaped, it was thanks to her.
Over the years, the only one who truly helped Wen Wan had been Elder Zhao.
“Dad, you keep saying you did it for me. Was giving me medicine for my own good too?” Wen Wan cried out in anguish.
Wen Qingfeng, hearing this, bristled like a cornered beast: “What medicine? Are you crazy, slandering your father?”
“You bought veterinary medicine from Old Man Sun. You put it in the enamel jug of water I drank. I didn’t drink it, spilling the water under the bed. The remaining medicine was placed in the bottom drawer of my room. Would you dare let everyone check?”
Wen Qingfeng nervously licked his lips and glanced toward Xu Chengan.
Xu Chengan’s cold, piercing gaze made him feel completely exposed.
Lin Zhenzhen had quietly slipped to the door when Wen Wan mentioned the medicine, planning to destroy the evidence unnoticed.
“Lin Zhenzhen, what do you think you’re doing, destroying evidence?” Wen Wan looked at her coldly.