Meanwhile, Zhang Lanxiang cooked dinner for herself, ate a few bites, and then went to Lin Jingwen’s parents’ home.
Lin Jingwen’s family lived far away—it took an hour by bus. One family was in the north of the city, the other in the south.
Being stingy, Zhang Lanxiang hadn’t wanted to bring a gift, but she also cared about appearances. In the end, she reluctantly bought two jars of canned oranges to take along.
“Oh, in‑law, you’re here! Come in, come in. Have you eaten? We just finished cooking—join us,” Lin Jingwen’s mother, Ma Xiaocui, said when she opened the door. She was momentarily surprised to see Zhang Lanxiang, then smiled and welcomed her.
“Where’s Jingwen? Has she come back from work yet?” Zhang Lanxiang asked with a smile as she stepped inside.
“The young couple had a little misunderstanding. I came today to bring Jingwen back home,” she added.
“What? Jingwen hasn’t come back!” Ma Xiaocui said in surprise.
“What! Jingwen hasn’t come back!” Zhang Lanxiang was even more shocked, her voice sharp.
“She left our house yesterday with her bag, and even took her bedding. If she didn’t come back here, then where could she have gone?!”
“Oh dear, in‑law, don’t panic. Tell me clearly what happened first!” Ma Xiaocui quickly said.
As they spoke, Lin Dongliang came out from inside, his voice cold:
“What’s going on? Jingwen ran away?”
“Yes! In‑law, here’s the situation. Anping’s old friend came back from Harbor City. She’s a widow with a child, no relatives here. Anping wanted to let her temporarily stay in the apartment that the school is about to allocate. But Jingwen disagreed. She said the housing quota was hers, so it should be her decision, and she refused to lend the apartment. The two quarreled. And just over this small matter, Jingwen ran off, even saying she wanted a divorce. I think she’s gone crazy…”
Zhang Lanxiang told the story half true, half false—no matter how she spun it, everything was Lin Jingwen’s fault.
“Aiya, she really hasn’t come back!” Ma Xiaocui exclaimed. “Where could she have gone!”
“Tomorrow, you go to the state‑run restaurant and look for her. She’s probably staying in the staff dormitory. Tell her to hurry back home—don’t make a fool of herself outside!” Lin Dongliang immediately said to his wife.
Lin Dongliang was a retired elementary school teacher—vain, patriarchal, obsessed with family lineage, fond of lecturing, and full of fatherly authority.
Because Lin Jingwen couldn’t bear children, he had personally gone to his in‑laws to apologize, forcing Lin Jingwen to kneel and admit fault to Zhang Lanxiang. She had to confess she wasn’t worthy of being their daughter‑in‑law and even thank Zhang Lanxiang for her tolerance in not divorcing her son, Li Anping.
For eight years, Lin Jingwen had worked like a beast of burden in her husband’s family, enduring hardship and submission. Alongside the scumbag and Zhang Lanxiang’s verbal control and oppression, her father Lin Dongliang had also “contributed greatly.”
Back then, when Lin Jingwen refused to adopt Li Dongle, it was Lin Dongliang who stepped in, beating and scolding her until she agreed.
Zhang Lanxiang especially liked dealing with such a “reasonable” father‑in‑law. This was the kind of in‑law she could work with!
“Fine, I’ll go to the state‑run restaurant tomorrow to find her,” Ma Xiaocui said, obedient to her husband—whatever he said was law.
“No need to trouble you, in‑law. Tomorrow I’ll go myself,” Zhang Lanxiang said angrily.
“I’m her mother‑in‑law. If I call her back, it looks better than if you do.”
“I’m so sorry, Jingwen has caused trouble for your family again,” Ma Xiaocui said, holding Zhang Lanxiang’s hand, apologizing profusely.
Lin Dongliang also apologized to Zhang Lanxiang, promising that he would find time to give Jingwen a harsh lesson, make her behave, and stop causing problems for her husband’s family.
Hearing her in‑laws apologize and continually criticize Lin Jingwen, Zhang Lanxiang’s anger eased a little.
“In‑law, take these canned oranges back with you. And here’s a basket of eggs I just collected from the countryside—take them home to eat.”
When Zhang Lanxiang left, Ma Xiaocui, wanting to make amends, not only let her take back the canned oranges she had brought, but also added a basket of eggs as a gift.
This made Zhang Lanxiang feel much more satisfied.
Still, one thing didn’t change—Lin Jingwen hadn’t returned to her parents’ home. Instead, she was staying at the restaurant’s staff dormitory, making the divorce matter public. That infuriated Zhang Lanxiang!
And the thought that she would have to go to the restaurant tomorrow to fetch her back only made her angrier.
A basket of eggs wasn’t enough to cool her rage.
Zhang Lanxiang returned home, seething.
“Mother, where’s the third daughter‑in‑law? Didn’t she come back with you?” Huang Juan asked in surprise when she saw her return alone.
“Aiyo, the third daughter‑in‑law is really something. Didn’t her father throw her out?” Gao Qin also exclaimed in shock.
Zhang Lanxiang’s face darkened further, and she vented her fury on her two daughters‑in‑law: “She didn’t go back to her parents’ house at all. She’s really getting bold now—she’s driving me mad! Just wait until tomorrow when she comes back, I’ll beat her good…”
She continued with a stream of foul curses, filled with references to body parts and filth, crude and vulgar.
Huang Juan and Gao Qin exchanged shocked glances. Suddenly, they felt that the third daughter‑in‑law’s talk of divorce might not just be idle words. If she hadn’t gone back to her parents’ home, then where could a woman like her live?
Lin Jingwen didn’t really have any friends.
Zhang Lanxiang, still cursing, returned to her own room and shouted outside: “Bring me a basin of hot water! I need to soak my feet—I’m freezing to death!”
“Mother, there’s no hot water left. Wait a bit, I’ll boil some now,” Huang Juan called back.
Zhang Lanxiang’s anger flared again. These past two days, the thermos hadn’t been filled properly even once. Last night she had to wait until late to boil water for soaking her feet and filling the thermos to warm the bed. She didn’t get to sleep until after ten—it was outrageous.
When the third daughter‑in‑law was around, things had never felt this chaotic.
Just then, a sudden exclamation came from outside: “Aiyo, third brother, what happened? Did someone beat you up?!”
Hearing this, Zhang Lanxiang quickly slipped her shoes back on and rushed out, only to see her son’s face bruised and swollen. She cried out in alarm: “Aiyo! Who did this!”
“Mother, keep your voice down, stop shouting!” Li Anping snapped irritably, trying to suppress his anger. “I fell off my bike, that’s all—not from a fight.”
“How could that be from a fall?” Huang Juan muttered, unconvinced.
“Shut up! Go get the red medicine,” Zhang Lanxiang barked, unwilling to scold her son, so she turned her fury on her eldest daughter‑in‑law instead.
Huang Juan reluctantly went to fetch the medicine, fuming inside—she was the eldest daughter‑in‑law, yet now she had to serve her brother‑in‑law too.
Huang Juan reluctantly went to fetch the medicine, fuming inside. As the eldest daughter‑in‑law, she now had to serve her brother‑in‑law too. Her own husband was off playing cards again, and when he came home, he just collapsed into bed like a dead man, never lifting a finger. Now she had to run around doing laundry, cooking, and even taking care of Li Dongle. She was exhausted. No—this couldn’t go on. The third daughter‑in‑law had to come back!
“Third son, tell your mother the truth. Who have you offended lately? Could this be because of the housing allocation, making someone jealous?” Zhang Lanxiang asked in a low voice.
“That’s impossible. The housing list hasn’t been announced yet—outsiders don’t even know we’re on it,” Li Anping shook his head, then added angrily: “Maybe someone doesn’t want me to compete for the assistant lecturer position. Hmph, how sinister!”
“What assistant lecturer?” Zhang Lanxiang immediately asked.
“Today our department suddenly announced that a young professor had arrived—his name is Qiu Ze, only thirty‑one years old. He studied abroad in America, comes from a powerful family background, and researches fluid dynamics, basically missile technology. Now the school wants to recruit an assistant lecturer for him. Whoever gets selected will work on his projects. The monthly stipend alone is 200 yuan, plus all kinds of benefits—not to mention future career prospects. All the teachers in the department are eyeing this position, both the older ones and the younger ones.”
“Aiyo, an extra two hundred yuan a month? Of course, everyone will fight for it!” Zhang Lanxiang exclaimed excitedly.
“My son, you’re just too outstanding—that’s why others are jealous and playing dirty tricks. Tomorrow, you must go to the department head and report this situation.”
None of them even considered Lin Jingwen. Even if someone directly accused her of arranging for Li Anping to be beaten, they wouldn’t believe it!
On the contrary, they would laugh out loud and say: “Ha! Lin Jingwen, with her timid nature? She’d never have the guts.”
“Mother, this is just speculation. There’s no evidence. How can I report it to the leadership?” Li Anping told his mother to drop the matter. Then he suddenly realized and asked: “Where’s Jingwen? Mother, didn’t she come back with you?”
At the mention of Lin Jingwen’s name, Zhang Lanxiang immediately flew into a rage, cursing as she recounted the whole situation, once again dragging Lin Jingwen through the mud.
“Mother! This is a critical time. Calm down. Even if you have to swallow your pride, smile, and coax her back, you must do it. Tomorrow, go to the state‑run restaurant to find her. Don’t argue with her face‑to‑face, and don’t say anything harsh. Do you understand? If you fight or curse, then we’ll be the ones in the wrong!”
Li Anping put on a stern face and lectured Zhang Lanxiang: “As for the apartment, we can temporarily go along with her wishes. No need to rush giving it to Xinping. And under no circumstances can we divorce right now. We can’t let people think my personal life is a mess. Otherwise, the apartment, the ‘advanced worker’ title, and the assistant lecturer position will all slip away from me!”
Hearing her son speak so seriously, Zhang Lanxiang realized the matter was indeed grave. She suppressed her resentment and agreed: “Fine. Tomorrow I’ll definitely coax her back!”
She bit down hard on the word *coax*, her hands twisting with barely contained fury.