Lin Jingwen grabbed her mother’s hand, using enough strength to stop her from moving. Her gaze turned cold, and her voice hardened: “Don’t even think about hitting me again!”
Ma Xiaocui glared at her, her slightly hunched body trembling with rage. Unable to hold back, she began cursing loudly. This time, she didn’t lower her voice, drawing the attention of many people nearby.
Lin Jingwen released her mother’s hand, stepped back a few paces to put distance between them, and said icily: “Don’t make a scene here. If you keep it up, I’ll go to Lin Xuetao’s factory and cause trouble there—make sure he loses his job. I’m a woman getting divorced; I’m not afraid of anything.”
Her son Lin Xuetao was Ma Xiaocui’s weak spot. Hearing Lin Jingwen’s words, she stopped cursing, though her eyes were full of venom. Pointing at her, she spat out: “I dare you! If you cause trouble again, don’t ever think of coming back to your parents’ home. Your father and I won’t recognize you as our daughter anymore!”
Lin Jingwen burst out laughing. “Perfect. I don’t want to come back, and I don’t want to recognize you as my parents either. Let’s cut ties completely. If you want to make it official, I’ll even pay to publish a notice in the newspaper declaring we’re no longer family.”
Honestly, hearing her mother say that, she almost wanted to applaud.
The sooner she severed ties, the better. More than leaving her in‑laws, she longed to break free from her own parents. All the harm she had suffered came from these so‑called relatives, who drained her and hurt her without restraint. In contrast, the warmth, tolerance, and help she had received always came from outsiders.
“You—you… I think you’ve gone mad!” Ma Xiaocui shouted.
Ma Xiaocui was trembling all over with rage, but when she met Lin Jingwen’s cold gaze, she couldn’t come up with anything else to say—she could only spit out that her daughter was “crazy.”
Lin Jingwen turned and walked away, unwilling to waste another word. Her feelings of filial affection for her parents had long been exhausted.
She knew they would only ever scold her for being shameful, accuse her of being unworthy, and never give her a shred of genuine care.
Back when she graduated junior high, she was lucky enough to pass a recruitment exam, which meant she didn’t have to be sent down to the countryside.
But after only a year of work, when her younger brother graduated junior high, the policy required that anyone without a job be sent down. Her parents forced her to give up her job to him and pushed her into the countryside to suffer. She stayed there for eight years—went at seventeen, nearly worked herself to death, and only returned to the city at twenty‑five.
Once back, since her brother was already married with children and the family home was too crowded, her parents immediately arranged a blind date and married her off.
Later, when the college entrance exams were reinstated, Li Anping got into university. Her parents were overjoyed, convinced they had found her a “good match.”
They expected her to be grateful, to stop mentioning the eight years of hardship in the countryside. In their eyes, they hadn’t wronged her—this marriage was supposed to make up for everything.
But they ignored Li Anping’s lectures and coldness toward her. No, they didn’t ignore it—they saw it, but considered it natural, even justified.
Because she couldn’t bear children, her father personally forced her to kneel before her husband and mother‑in‑law to apologize, stripping away every last shred of her dignity.
Thinking back on all this, Lin Jingwen still felt pain in her chest. She resented them—and herself—for being too weak, too blind, for not escaping her parasitic family sooner.
And in her nightmare past, when her in‑laws kicked her out and she had nowhere to go, her parents told her to get lost too.
When she was diagnosed with breast cancer and asked them to lend her money for treatment, they told her to hurry up and die.
Lin Jingwen knew she could never change her parents, nor make them love her. Hating them wouldn’t help—what could she do, kill them in revenge?
So now, she only wanted to reconcile with herself. She refused to let their cruelty make her angry anymore. She wanted to protect her own health, to spare her body further harm.
Ma Xiaocui’s shouting earlier had been heard by many in the restaurant. As a result, Lin Jingwen was scolded by Manager Fang: “Lin Jingwen, your personal life problems must not affect the restaurant’s work. You’d better watch yourself from now on!”
Manager Fang had already been dissatisfied with her for these past few days. He disliked that she no longer seemed as obedient, that she didn’t rush to grab every task like before. Sometimes she even talked back, leaving him embarrassed. So when her divorce troubles spilled into the workplace two or three times, creating a bad impression, Manager Fang seized the opportunity to criticize her harshly, trying to suppress her.
“Manager, I wasn’t the one shouting. I can’t control other people’s mouths—just like I can’t stop a mad dog from barking.” Lin Jingwen replied calmly.
“I’ll get back to work now. If I keep standing here talking, you’ll just scold me again for delaying.” With that, she turned and went back to the kitchen.
Manager Fang glared at her back, so angry he nearly jumped. Under his breath, he cursed: “Crazy woman—no wonder she’s getting divorced.”
After finishing the busy lunch shift, Lin Jingwen finally had some free time, just waiting until four o’clock to clock out.
Since she would get off work early today, she planned to go to a farther market, buy more vegetables, and pick up some pork belly to stew in the evening. She was craving that rich flavor.
Back when she lived with the scumbag, even if she spent her own money to buy meat and cooked pork belly, she never got to eat a single piece—only dipping steamed buns into the broth to taste the aroma of meat.
As for her employer, Mr. Qiu? Lin Jingwen figured he wouldn’t mind at all.
“Lin Jingwen, Supervisor Qin wants to see you,” Manager Fang came over to inform her, his expression barely hiding his glee. He was certain that because of her divorce drama affecting work, Supervisor Qin would also criticize her. He was practically delighted at the thought of seeing her humbled.
“Oh, got it,” Lin Jingwen replied calmly, not giving Manager Fang the satisfaction of a reaction.
For petty people like him, there was no need to argue. She simply ignored him in daily life and focused on doing her job. If he made unreasonable demands, she would refuse outright. Other than getting angry, he couldn’t do anything to her. After all, he didn’t control her wages, nor could he fire her. Since he was the one picking fights, she saw no reason to give him extra respect.
Manager Fang could feel her disdain, which only made him angrier. He eagerly awaited the moment she would come out of the supervisor’s office in tears.
“Ah, Xiao Lin, you’re here. Sit down,” Supervisor Qin said, setting down his enamel mug and gesturing for her to take a seat.
“Leader, did you call me in because of the pastry chef matter?” Lin Jingwen asked.
“Yes, that’s exactly it.” Supervisor Qin, seeing her ask so directly, spoke plainly:
“The restaurant near Liberation Bridge does need a pastry chef. I can put in a word and recommend you. But whether you get the position depends on your ability—you’ll have to pass their management’s assessment.”
“If you’re willing to recommend me and give me this opportunity, I’ll be deeply grateful. If I don’t make it, that’s my own problem,” Lin Jingwen said sincerely, her face showing gratitude.
“You mentioned last time that you wanted a divorce. These past few days, I’ve seen your husband and in‑laws come looking for you. Just now, was it your mother‑in‑law shouting?” Supervisor Qin asked.
“No, it was my mother,” Lin Jingwen admitted awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Leader, for causing trouble at the workplace.”
“Divorce or not—that’s your personal matter. I won’t pry. But if you insist on divorcing, while both your in‑laws and parents oppose it, then this family dispute won’t be resolved anytime soon. Who knows how long it will drag on? If they keep coming here every day to make a scene, the impact is very bad.”
Supervisor Qin’s expression darkened as he spoke. He had his own calculations. He could offer Lin Jingwen this recommendation opportunity, but her current kitchen position had to be vacated. He already planned to arrange for one of his relatives to take over her job.
Lin Jingwen understood the hidden meaning in his words—she could hear clearly that he was trying to push her out.
So, the recommendation for the pastry chef position required her to resign from her current kitchen helper job first? It wasn’t that this job would serve as a fallback—if she failed the pastry chef assessment, she couldn’t return here.
Lin Jingwen quickly understood her supervisor’s meaning and spoke up:
“Leader, you’re right. With them coming here every day to cause trouble, it really does affect things badly. How about this—I’ll resign from here directly. Publicly, we’ll just say I quit. You don’t need to mention that I have a chance at the pastry chef position, since that’s still uncertain. For me, the Liberation Bridge restaurant is both an opportunity and a challenge. If I succeed, that’s wonderful. If I fail, it’s my own lack of ability, and I can’t blame anyone else. Now that the country allows private businesses, worst case, I’ll set up a food stall selling breakfast. If I work hard, I can still earn enough to support myself.”
Supervisor Qin listened to her sensible, determined words and couldn’t help but look at her with admiration. Smiling, he said: “Xiao Lin, with such clear thinking, such spirit, and the courage to try boldly without fear of failure—you’re truly impressive. From what you just said, I can clearly feel your positive change. You’ve made me see you in a new light.”
“Leader, you’re too good at praising. I don’t have much brainpower or courage—I’m just holding on to a stubborn determination not to be looked down upon because of divorce,” Lin Jingwen said with a laugh.
“But since this is the first time you’ve acknowledged my ability, I’m so happy I feel dizzy—like I’ll walk out the door and lose my way home.”
Supervisor Qin laughed heartily at her words: “Haha! You’re doing very well now—very well indeed. You can talk, you can work, and wherever you go, you’ll do fine!”
Lin Jingwen chuckled foolishly twice, then added: “I’ll also need to trouble you, Leader, to write me a recommendation letter. That way, when I take it to the interview, they’ll believe me. Otherwise, with nothing in writing, I’m afraid they’ll just throw me out.”
For something like this, a recommendation letter was essential. Not having one would be the biggest mistake.
She had suffered losses in this area before—in her nightmare past, she had once been badly disadvantaged by lacking proof. That experience had taught her thoroughly:
When doing things, always leave a trace.
Supervisor Qin, now seeing her in a new light, naturally agreed. He even praised her again, saying her mind had become sharper.
Once the recommendation letter was written, Supervisor Qin told Lin Jingwen to go to the accountant to collect a month’s wages. After that, she wouldn’t need to come to work tomorrow.
In fact, it was only mid‑month, so by rights she should only receive half a month’s pay. But Supervisor Qin made the decision to give her a full month’s salary—an act of kindness.
Lin Jingwen was, of course, grateful. Before leaving, she bowed to him, then opened the door and walked out.
News of Lin Jingwen collecting her wages and leaving spread quickly among the restaurant staff.
Many whispered that it was because of her divorce drama—that she had stirred up trouble until she lost her job.
As a result, those who had already disapproved of her divorce secretly mocked her even more, saying she must be crazy.
“Throwing away a perfectly good life, only to suffer by her own hand. Now she’s got no man, no job, and I hear even her parents don’t want to recognize her anymore. How’s she supposed to survive like this?”