“If you want to, Mom will change your name for you!”
Jiang Yan held her daughter close, looking at the cramped, suffocating house and her son, who was fast asleep.
She drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out. Her gaze grew resolute. She was no longer lost.
……
Day broke in the blink of an eye. The factory dormitory woke to the sound of an argument.
The usual quarrel had broken out in the communal kitchen: someone had used someone else’s gas, or someone else’s cooking oil.
Jiang Yan was used to it. She put her cup, toothbrush, and towel in a washbasin and went to wash up at the communal sink.
“Oh, no! Jiang Yan, something terrible’s happened!”
An older woman came hurrying over, her voice carrying like a loudspeaker. She grabbed Jiang Yan by the arm.
“Something’s happened to your Wang Xuezhong…”
She paused deliberately and glanced around. Then, with a solemn air, she leaned close to Jiang Yan’s ear and whispered,
“Your Wang Xuezhong was caught having an affair and got beaten. He’s in a terrible state!”
After saying that, she watched Jiang Yan carefully for a reaction, only to find that Jiang Yan didn’t react at all.
How could she not react?
She must be in shock!
The woman nudged Jiang Yan and tried to comfort her.
“Don’t take it too hard. Hurry up and get ready, then go with the Party Secretary to the station and collect him. They’ve been locked up in there all night!”
It turned out that it had been too late the night before for the police station to reach anyone at the factory. The leaders had already gone home, and no one answered the office phone. Wang Xuezhong, Liu Yingying, and Liu Yingying’s husband, Tu Zhi, had been taken to the station by the police and held overnight.
“I understand, Sister-in-law.”
Jiang Yan calmly went back inside.
“Chuanzhi, get up. Quickly! Xiaoya, stop doing your homework and come with me!”
Seeing this, the woman hurried to stop her.
“Oh, dear, why take the children along for something like this? You’ll frighten them. How will they face their father after that?”
“It’s fine, Sister-in-law.”
As if she hadn’t understood, Jiang Yan pulled her son out of bed and dragged him outside.
“Hey, hey! Oh, honestly, what are you doing?”
The woman sighed helplessly. Neighbors immediately crowded around her, asking what had happened.
“Listen, but don’t go spreading this around: Jiang Yan’s man was caught having an affair and got beaten! Oh, if only you’d seen how badly he was hurt!”
At that, the neighbors abandoned their breakfast and flocked over, crowding around her in layers.
Every one of them pricked up their ears, relishing the story.
Seeing how many had gathered, the woman got even more animated. She told it in vivid detail, as if she’d seen it all herself.
At the end, she shook her head and sighed.
“Oh, what a tragedy. How’s Jiang Yan supposed to live after this?”
The neighbors were hungry for more. Someone egged the others on:
“Hey, go find out if Jiang Yan’s going to make a scene and get divorced!”
“Divorce? She’s been laid off, and her whole family’s dead. Does she dare get divorced?”
“She can’t even raise her voice. And she’s going to get divorced?”
“Just you wait. When Jiang Yan gets back, she’ll still treat Wang Xuezhong like an emperor and wait on him hand and foot!”
“You men are all the same—you’ve got a good woman at home and still have to go fool around!”
“That’s not fair…”
The men and women in the courtyard gradually got into a fierce argument.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan brought her children to the factory. The Party Secretary was waiting for her. He didn’t say much, only asked her again whether she really intended to take the children with her.
When she gave him a firm answer, he sighed and drove them to the police station in a factory car.
They hadn’t even seen the three men yet when a police officer explained the situation.
“You can’t take him home just yet. Liu Yingying says she was forced. If that’s true, this is a criminal case.”
Jiang Yan nearly laughed when she heard that.
So neither of them had really loved the other!
She hoped Wang Xuezhong would go to prison. She wouldn’t have minded if he were executed. But she couldn’t let that bastard ruin her daughter’s future.
“May I go see him?”
Jiang Yan looked at the officer, her expression calm.
The officer studied her several times, then cautioned her:
“Please stay calm. Don’t hurt anyone at the station, and don’t do anything foolish yourself!”
They had handled too many cases like this. The ones who didn’t cry or make a scene were often the ones most likely to do something drastic, so they had to be careful.
The officer led her to the temporary holding area. Behind the iron bars, she saw the three people involved.
Tu Zhi was leaning against the bars, fast asleep and snoring thunderously. Liu Yingying was squatting nearby, nodding off. Only Wang Xuezhong was lying on the floor without sleeping.
He was curled up, looking as if he were in great pain.
“Dad!”
Seeing his father locked up, Wang Chuanzhi cried out in excitement.
His shout made Wang Xuezhong scramble over to the bars. Gripping them, he waved at Jiang Yan in pain.
“Tell them… I… I need to go to the hospital!”
Then, to everyone’s surprise, he passed out from the pain.
With a thud, he slid down from the bars. His head hit the ground and bounced, but he didn’t react at all.
Tu Zhi, just jolted awake, was startled and hurried to explain to the police.
“I didn’t do that! I didn’t hit him!”
No one paid him any attention. The station erupted into confusion as the officers hurriedly carried Wang Xuezhong away to the hospital.
The examination revealed a ruptured corpus cavernosum.
There were two options: operate immediately, with a good chance of a full recovery, or treat it conservatively, with a very high risk of lasting complications.
“Time is critical. The family needs to decide quickly!”
The doctor’s voice was cold behind his mask, adding to the pressure.
Jiang Yan pushed her son forward.
“You’re fifteen now. You’re old enough to decide this. But you need to know: your father gave all the money in the house to that woman. The family can’t afford the operation.
“If you choose surgery, the family will go into debt, and you’ll be responsible for paying it back. If you refuse surgery and your father is left with complications, he’ll blame you, and you’ll have to live with that!”
Whoever chose would bear the responsibility.
In her previous life, her son had resented her for the rest of his life because she chose to divorce and take the children with her.
He blamed her for being useless and taking away his father’s love, for making him suffer and grow up poor!
This time, Jiang Yan gave her son full authority to choose his own future.
“Why should I decide?”
Wang Chuanzhi quickly jumped away, looking at Jiang Yan in anger and confusion.
“I’m still in school. How could I take responsibility for this? This is obviously your responsibility!”
Responsibility wasn’t exactly a good thing. Wang Chuanzhi was fifteen; he understood enough. He wasn’t stupid.
The Party Secretary spoke up, trying to persuade her.
“Jiang Yan, you really should make this decision. Just go ahead with the operation. This affects Xuezhong’s whole life. As long as he’s all right, you can earn the money back!”
Money could be earned again, sure—but was earning it easy?
How much hardship and exhaustion would it take? And who would have to bear it?
“Party Secretary, why don’t you make the decision?”
Jiang Yan turned and smiled at the factory’s Party Secretary.
“Wang Xuezhong has a son and a daughter. Whether he has surgery or not, how could it affect the rest of his life? His ability to fool around with women again?
“Of course, you’re a leader. You have the authority to make the decision, and you can afford to cover the cost of the operation.”
She gestured invitingly.
“Here’s the consent form. You sign it!”
“Why are you being like this?”
The Party Secretary waved his hand in exasperation. “Fine, fine! I’ve got plenty to do at the factory. Deal with your own affairs yourselves!”
He turned to leave, but Jiang Yan immediately called after him.
“Party Secretary, I want to divorce Wang Xuezhong. Please issue me a ‘Certificate of Consent.’”
“You want a divorce?”
The Party Secretary stopped and looked at Jiang Yan in surprise.
“Choosing to divorce him at a time like this isn’t right, is it? Wang Xuezhong is so badly hurt. This is exactly when he needs someone to look after him!”