After finishing work at the university, Li Anping bought a pile of goods and carried them to his in‑laws’ house.
Ma Xiaocui and Lin Dongliang, seeing their college‑educated son‑in‑law, greeted him warmly, smiling with delight.
“Why bring so many things? You could’ve just come!” Ma Xiaocui exclaimed, her eyes narrowing with joy at the sight of his full hands.
“It’s been a while since I visited. With the New Year coming, no matter how much you love me as your son‑in‑law, I can’t show up empty‑handed. Otherwise, people would laugh at me.”
Li Anping spoke with a smile, his words instantly pleasing both Ma Xiaocui and Lin Dongliang.
“See, that’s how cultured people talk! Our Jingwen is blessed to have you. With a college‑educated son‑in‑law, we have face. Everyone says Jingwen married well.” Ma Xiaocui immediately showered him with praise.
Lin Dongliang chuckled, then asked: “And Jingwen? Is she still sulking? If she keeps being unreasonable, I’ll step in and teach her a lesson.”
Li Anping forced an awkward smile and said softly: “Jingwen isn’t just angry at me—she’s angry at Dongle too. She came home yesterday, but she dissolved the adoption arrangement and then left again, insisting on divorcing me!”
“What! That wretched girl! She even abandoned Dongle? How dare she act so high‑and‑mighty now! Tomorrow I’ll go find her and give her a good beating!” Ma Xiaocui shouted angrily.
Hearing this, Li Anping felt a secret sense of satisfaction. *Lin Jingwen, I may not be able to control you—but don’t think your parents can’t!*
Lin Dongliang’s brows furrowed deeply, but he didn’t let Ma Xiaocui continue cursing. Instead, he said to her: “Anping probably hasn’t eaten yet. Go downstairs and buy a bottle of liquor, some peanuts, and braised meat. I’ll drink with him.”
Ma Xiaocui stopped her scolding, turned to Li Anping with a smile again, and quickly agreed: “Yes, yes, I’ll go buy the wine and food right now. Taozi will be back from work soon too, and you can all drink together.”
Taozi was Lin Jingwen’s younger brother, Lin Xuetao. Though already in his thirties, he was still treated as the family’s precious treasure—after all, he was the only male descendant in the Lin family’s next two generations. But his wife had given birth to three daughters and still no son.
Because of this, Ma Xiaocui often looked down on her daughter‑in‑law. Before leaving, she snapped at her daughter‑in‑law, Song Xiangqin, who was busy in the kitchen: “Make two extra dishes tonight!”
Song Xiangqin agreed, continuing to pick vegetables with her large pregnant belly. She was eight months along, hoping desperately that this child would be a boy. With family‑planning policies becoming stricter, she had been hiding at home for months, afraid to go out or be seen, just to ensure the baby’s safe delivery.
Of course, Li Anping was considered family, so he would never report her.
But because she was quiet and reserved—much like Lin Jingwen used to be—she didn’t come out of the kitchen to greet Li Anping.
By the time Ma Xiaocui returned with liquor, braised meat, and peanuts, Lin Xuetao had also come home from work.
“Brother‑in‑law, you’re here! Where’s Third Sister? Didn’t she come back with you?” Lin Xuetao asked as he took off his heavy winter coat.
“Don’t ask so many questions yet. Go wash your hands and face—you reek of engine oil every day,” Ma Xiaocui scolded, then called out to Song Xiangqin:
“Taozi’s back. Hurry and bring out some hot water.”
Song Xiangqin answered, and soon, with her large pregnant belly, carried a basin of hot water to the courtyard so Lin Xuetao could wash up.
“Grandma, I want to eat meat.” Nearby, Song Xiangqin’s youngest daughter, two‑year‑old Zhao Di, smelled the aroma and ran to the table.
“Useless girl! Get out of here—what meat do you think you’re eating?” Ma Xiaocui snapped impatiently, yanking her aside.
Zhao Di immediately burst into loud sobs.
Hearing her daughter cry, Song Xiangqin rushed inside to comfort her.
But the chaos didn’t affect Lin Dongliang and Li Anping at all. They kept drinking and talking, not even glancing over.
“Tomorrow, have your mother go to the state‑run restaurant to find her. She’ll definitely come home,” Lin Dongliang said.
“With your support, I feel relieved,” Li Anping replied.
“What? Third Sister hasn’t come home yet?” Lin Xuetao asked as he finished washing and sat down at the table, overhearing their conversation.
Li Anping gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“Well, well—looks like Third Sister’s really making something of herself this time. That just proves she’s got money in her hands! As long as we drain her of that money, once she’s left with nothing to eat and nowhere to stay, she’ll definitely come crawling back!”
Lin Xuetao tapped his finger on the table, speaking with the air of someone making grand plans.
Li Anping’s heart stirred at his words—he thought his brother‑in‑law made a lot of sense. If Lin Jingwen didn’t have money, she wouldn’t be able to buy chocolate, let alone skincare products or perfume. The way to force her to stay obedient at home was simple: strip her of work and any source of income.
Li Anping immediately raised his glass to his brother‑in‑law, already scheming in his mind.
The next day.
Lin Jingwen carried a small bag of tangerines to work. As soon as she arrived, she handed them to her master.
“Oh dear, I don’t dare accept such gifts from you. Take them home for my grandson instead—if he eats them and something happens, I’ll be in trouble,” Chef Cai said with a laugh.
“Just don’t say they’re from me. Tell him you bought them,” Lin Jingwen replied with a smile. “These tangerines are sweet but sour—I can’t eat them.”
“You’re always eating chocolate or tangerines these days. You’re treating yourself better than before. But still, you should save a little. If you keep some money in hand, you won’t feel anxious.”
Chef Cai kneaded dough as he spoke, gently advising her.
“Neither the chocolate nor the tangerines were bought by me—they were given by my employer,” Lin Jingwen whispered back, sharing her joy at having found such a good boss.
Other than her master, she had no one else she could confide in. He was discreet, and he had always supported her against that scumbag. There was no need to hide the truth from him.
Besides, if you have no one to share your joys with, the happiness really feels cut in half.
“What employer?” Chef Cai asked in surprise.
“My neighbor across the hall is a genius professor at Jicheng University. He’s very well‑off. I cook meals and clean for him, and he pays me monthly.”
Lin Jingwen raised four fingers and waved them at her master.
“Forty?”
Lin Jingwen gave him a speechless look and whispered, “If it were only forty, what would I be bragging about?”
“Four hundred?” Chef Cai’s eyes widened. He glanced around, then whispered in shock, barely making a sound.
Lin Jingwen grinned and nodded repeatedly.
“Well, well!” Chef Cai clicked his tongue in amazement, unable to hide his happiness for her.
“You really should have left that scumbag’s family sooner. Look at you—just a few days after leaving, and you’ve already stumbled into great fortune. I’ll tell you, trees thrive when transplanted, and people thrive when they move. That’s the truth!”
Lin Jingwen nodded vigorously, wholeheartedly agreeing.
For women, if they married into the wrong family and didn’t think about escaping—without even a shred of resistance—they could truly be drained of life.
After the breakfast rush ended around eight o’clock, Lin Jingwen finally had some free time. She sat down to eat the staff meal provided by the restaurant: one egg, one vegetable bun, and a bowl of millet porridge. It was already quite good.
One egg, one vegetable bun, and a bowl of millet porridge—it was already quite good.
Not long after finishing breakfast, Lin Jingwen heard someone say that someone was outside looking for her. She frowned, wondering if it was Li Anping’s family again, trying to drag her back home.
How ironic.
In her nightmare of a past, she had desperately refused divorce. Now that she was the one insisting on divorce, the scumbag refused—because of the house and the “Outstanding Teacher” title—and kept begging her to return.
But in the end, it was all for his own benefit. He wanted her back only to serve as a money‑losing housekeeper.
When Lin Jingwen stepped outside, she saw it was her mother, Ma Xiaocui—not anyone from the Li family. She wasn’t surprised.
Li Anping knew he couldn’t control her anymore, so he had enlisted her parents, hoping to pressure her into submission.
The moment Ma Xiaocui saw her, her face twisted with fury. She dragged Lin Jingwen to a corner against the wall, lowered her voice, and unleashed a torrent of scolding: “Your mother‑in‑law came to us a few days ago, saying you’d moved out. Your father and I couldn’t believe you’d do something so shameful! All this fuss over a house—what’s Anping ever done wrong to you? You can’t have children, but he never said he’d divorce you. Even if he found another woman to give him a son, you should endure it! We thought you’d already gone back to your in‑laws, but yesterday Anping came to us again, saying not only did you not return, you even dissolved the adoption. Are you insane? You raised that boy for six years, and now you just throw him away? How will you get back all the money you spent on him? After work today, you go straight back home, you hear me?! And take Dongle back to raise again. When he grows up, he can support you in your old age!”
Lin Jingwen already knew her mother would say these things—after all, it was the same refrain she’d heard for years.
Because she couldn’t bear children, not only Li Anping and Zhang Lanxiang, but even her own parents had nailed her to the pillar of shame, constantly beating her down, forcing her to be grateful to her in‑laws and willing to work like a beast of burden.
Those words no longer touched her. But when she heard her mother say she should take Li Dongle back and rely on him for future support, Lin Jingwen couldn’t hold back and snapped: “Rely on Li Dongle for old‑age support? Ha! More like he’ll drain me dry, then kick me aside when I’m old.”
“And you and Dad better watch out too. With Lin Xuetao being the useless man he is, when you’re old and unable to move, don’t expect him to serve you, feed you, or clean up after you. He’ll just leave you lying in bed, wetting yourselves.”
“You—you’re talking nonsense! Your brother is filial!” Ma Xiaocui’s eyes widened in fury and disbelief. She couldn’t comprehend how such words could come out of her daughter’s mouth.
Lin Jingwen sneered coldly: “Filial? Has he given you a single cent in the ten‑plus years he’s been working? You never ask your son for money. At the end of every year, you demand money from me and my elder sisters, saying it’s for your retirement. Then you take that money and hand it over to Lin Xuetao. Your hearts are so biased, it’s like they’ve hit a brick wall!”
“You—you… you wretched girl! Say that again! I really haven’t beaten you enough!” Ma Xiaocui raised her hand, ready to slap Lin Jingwen across the face.