Meanwhile—
“What? Jingwen was dismissed?! She’s not working here anymore? But yesterday she was still here, working just fine!” Ma Xiaocui had come looking for Lin Jingwen. Hearing the news, she widened her eyes and exclaimed in shock.
“Auntie, you said it yourself—that was yesterday. Let me tell you the truth: the manager fired Lin Jingwen because her divorce was causing a bad influence. Look, you came here making a fuss yesterday, and now you’re here again today. If we didn’t dismiss her, wouldn’t you be coming every day? How could our restaurant keep doing business then?”
Manager Fang looked at Ma Xiaocui and spoke sarcastically: “Auntie, please leave quickly, don’t come again! Your daughter’s job is gone. In the middle of winter, she’ll surely slink back home.”
Manager Fang thought his words would anger Ma Xiaocui. But unexpectedly, she clapped her hands happily.
“Good, good, good—you’re right, she should have gone home. I didn’t expect that after just one scene yesterday, your manager would dismiss her. Your manager is really wonderful—saved me a lot of trouble!”
Manager Fang: “???”
What on earth?! He wondered if his ears or brain were malfunctioning.
A mother who caused her own daughter to lose her job—yet instead of being upset, she clapped her hands, nearly jumping for joy? This was clearly the behavior of a stepmother!
Compared to Ma Xiaocui, Manager Fang suddenly felt his own morals were far superior. No matter what, he hadn’t cheered when Lin Jingwen was dismissed—at most, he had made a few sarcastic remarks.
So, standing on the moral high ground, Manager Fang began lecturing Ma Xiaocui. “Auntie, at your age, you should accumulate some virtue. I’ve heard that lacking virtue brings no blessings in the next life. Even if you were a stepmother, sometimes you should at least pretend to care.”
“How dare you insult me! You’re the one lacking virtue! I’m her real mother, not a stepmother! I’ll go to your superior right now—you insulted me, and I won’t let you off!”
Ma Xiaocui pointed at Manager Fang, cursing him furiously, then actually went to complain to the higher‑up. Manager Fang tried to stop her, but couldn’t.
In the end, Supervisor Qin, with a dark face, ordered Manager Fang to apologize to Ma Xiaocui.
But to Ma Xiaocui, an apology was worthless—she demanded compensation. If she didn’t get compensation, she would sit at the restaurant’s entrance, slapping her thighs and crying for three hours straight.
Helplessly, Manager Fang gave her two yuan to make her leave.
“With that foul mouth of yours, you’re always stirring up trouble! You’re suspended without pay for half a month. Reflect on yourself. If you make another mistake, expect to be dismissed!”
Supervisor Qin scolded Manager Fang harshly.
Manager Fang’s sharp tongue wasn’t a new problem—it had long made him unpopular. Supervisor Qin seized the chance to punish him severely, hoping to scare him into changing.
This time, Manager Fang truly cried. He lightly slapped his own mouth while sobbing and cursing himself: “Wuwuwu… serves you right for being foul‑mouthed, serves you right!”
When Chef Cai heard about the incident, he was stunned for a moment, then laughed: “Evil people always get ground down by other evil people.”
Ma Xiaocui returned home in high spirits, clutching the two yuan. When she saw her husband, Lin Dongliang, she proudly boasted about her “victory.”
She even pulled out the two yuan to show off.
Lin Dongliang didn’t care about the money. He only asked: “Are you sure Jingwen went back to her in‑laws’ house?”
“She lost her job—if she didn’t go back to her in‑laws, where else could she go?!” Ma Xiaocui shouted loudly.
“To be safe, I’ll make a phone call and check,” Lin Dongliang said, stepping out again.
Ma Xiaocui thought he was being ridiculous—like “taking off his pants just to fart.” Why bother asking?
She had lost her job yesterday afternoon, so she went back to her in‑laws’ house that very night. After all, she had just quarreled with them and even said she wanted to cut ties. There was no way she would return to her parents’ home.
As for this “cutting ties,” Ma Xiaocui didn’t take it seriously at all. In her mind, only parents had the right to drive their daughter away. How could a daughter take the initiative to sever ties with her parents? They gave birth to her and raised her—they were her parents. How could she just say “cut ties” and stop listening to them? It was simply unreasonable!
Not only unreasonable, but Ma Xiaocui was already planning to beat her severely, lock her up at home for a while, and grind down her stubbornness—until she became obedient again.
Jicheng University.
Li Anping was worried about whether Lin Jingwen would return home today. Just like yesterday, he was restless and distracted—he couldn’t focus at all on the professional books his department head had given him.
Suddenly, the office phone rang, startling him. The call was for him.
When Li Anping heard it was his father‑in‑law, he didn’t dare say much over the office line. The phone had multiple connections, and if someone else picked up, they could overhear.
“Dad, I’ll hang up now and call you back from a phone booth outside. Wait a moment.”
After saying this, Li Anping quickly hung up and rushed out.
At that moment, Zhang Aiguo put down his own receiver and let out a dissatisfied snort. So secretive—if it couldn’t even be said over the phone, it must be something shady. Better not let me find out… hmph.
“What?! She’s already been dismissed? And she didn’t go home? She didn’t come back last night, and not this morning either!”
When Li Anping called back and heard his father‑in‑law’s words, he was stunned. He nearly lost control of his temper, wanting to roar in frustration.
Lin Dongliang, hearing his son‑in‑law’s reply, also frowned in surprise.
“She didn’t go back to her in‑laws, and she didn’t return to her parents’ home. Now she’s unemployed—where could she possibly have gone?!”
Li Anping rubbed his forehead, irritated enough to curse. He wanted to know too! Where exactly had Lin Jingwen gone?
“Anping, don’t worry for now. Your mother and I will go look for her, ask your elder sisters as well,” Lin Dongliang reassured him.
“You just focus on your own work.”
“Alright, Dad, I’ll leave it to you and Mom. Best if… forget it, let’s just find her first,” Li Anping replied. He still had classes to teach, so he really couldn’t leave.
Originally, Li Anping wanted to insist that Lin Jingwen must come home that evening. But then he thought—if she returned full of anger and ended up saying something inappropriate to the department head, that would be worse than not showing up at all.
If she didn’t come back, at least he could invent a reason for her absence.
After teaching two classes, Li Anping finally made it to noon. Even while eating, he was absent‑minded, worrying about the department head’s visit to his home that evening.
At that moment, the excited voices of two teachers at the next table caught his attention.
“This afternoon they’re announcing the housing allocation list. I wonder if I’ll be on it?”
“I’m hoping too! I’ve been at the university seven or eight years already. I missed out last time—surely this time my name will be there.”
“Not necessarily. The number of houses is limited, everyone’s scrambling for them.”
Hearing this, Li Anping’s expression brightened. He had almost forgotten—today was the day the housing allocation list would be announced.
Thinking of the new apartment soon to be his, Li Anping’s gloomy mood lifted considerably. But then he remembered—it was precisely because of this housing issue that Lin Jingwen had quarreled with him and demanded a divorce. His heart sank again.
These past few days, his emotions had been on a rollercoaster, all because of Lin Jingwen. She was constantly on his mind.
Before, Li Anping had always felt that Lin Jingwen wasn’t worthy of him. Deep down, he despised her and couldn’t be bothered to pay her attention. Yet, she had kept the household perfectly in order. He never had to worry about anything at home—he only needed to focus on his work, and life was comfortable.
But now…
Li Anping didn’t even want to recall the chaos of the past few days at home. He no longer changed clothes daily, because there was no one to wash them. Doing laundry himself was unbearable. He poked at his lunch absent‑mindedly, eating only a couple of bites. He had no appetite, and the food tasted awful.
Before, he hadn’t thought Lin Jingwen’s cooking was anything special. But now, after days of eating bland cafeteria meals at noon and his sister‑in‑law’s even worse dinners at night—the difference was glaring.
Lin Jingwen’s cooking was actually quite good. It was one of the few skills she could truly showcase. When she was around, he had taken it all for granted. But once she was gone, those little things he had overlooked suddenly became painfully noticeable.
After finishing his meal in the cafeteria, Li Anping went to the school’s bulletin board.
By then, many teachers were already waiting there—mostly younger ones.
After finishing lunch, Li Anping went to the school’s bulletin board, where many teachers were already waiting—mostly younger ones.
“When will the housing allocation list be posted? Why isn’t it up yet?”
“Wait a little longer. I asked just now—they’ll post it at two o’clock.”
“It’s already one‑thirty. Why wait until two? Just post it now!”
Everyone was restless, braving the cold wind without complaint. Especially people like He Shangjin, whose heart was burning with anticipation—he didn’t even feel the chill on his face.
Li Anping had nothing else to do, so he waited as well. Some teachers who knew him struck up quiet conversation: “Teacher Li, everyone says your housing spot is guaranteed. Your wife took care of Director Yang’s elderly mother for three months—everyone knows about it. We’re all envious. Your wife is really capable; not just anyone could handle that.”
“Oh, it was nothing, just doing our part,” Li Anping replied modestly, no matter what he was really thinking inside.
“I’m still young, so nothing is certain about the housing yet.”
“You’re being humble, Teacher Li.”
With chatter and laughter, the difficult half‑hour passed. Then two staff members from the housing office arrived, carrying a big red list.
“Don’t crowd! Let us paste the list first. Hey, stop pushing—if you keep shoving, the glue will come off…”
After a noisy struggle, the list was finally posted.
Everyone surged forward. The shorter ones couldn’t see, jumping up and craning their necks to catch a glimpse.
“Hey, those in front—check for me! Is my name there? He Shangjin!”
“And mine too—Zhang Aimin!”
“Alright, stop shouting! There are only twenty‑odd names. Listen, I’ll read them out!” someone at the front called.
Gradually, everyone quieted down to hear the names being read.
When He Shangjin heard his name, he jumped high with joy, pumping his fists several times, nearly pounding his chest and shouting in triumph.
Other teachers whose names were on the list reacted similarly—so excited they were almost delirious. Those who hadn’t heard their names yet grew impatient, telling the others to stop yelling so they could hear the rest being read.
The twenty‑plus names were quickly announced. At first, Li Anping felt relaxed, but as the list went on and his name never appeared, he grew increasingly tense. When the reading ended, he realized—his name wasn’t there at all!
How could his name not be on the list?! Something was wrong!