Lian Hai only wanted to make big matters small and small matters disappear, so he also chimed in to persuade.
“You should change that temper of yours. Always shouting and making a fuss—what man could stand you? Once you’re married, settle down. A prodigal son’s return is more precious than gold.”
Wang Yuzhen watched her own daughter threatening to die, and her anger flared up.
“No way! Lian Rou is still an untouched maiden, and she’s been ruined just like that! Marry Lian Rou!”
If word got out, Lian Rou wouldn’t be able to marry anyone else.
So what if they got the marriage certificate? The wedding ceremony hasn’t been held yet, so it doesn’t count.
Lian Qiao knew Zhao Hongbin’s intentions—he was afraid she’d cling to him and refuse a divorce, which was why he’d stirred up all this trouble.
She never expected this shameless man would still want to go ahead with the wedding.
Wang Yuzhen pointed at Lian Hai’s nose and cursed.
“I was blind to marry you! You’re so biased!”
Lian Hai was caught in a dilemma. What a mess this was!
Lian Qiao didn’t waste words either. She stood up and walked over to Zhao Hongbin, looking at his face as he tried to feign composure.
“You won’t divorce? Fine, then I’ll go report you to the police and charge you with hooliganism!”
Zhao Hongbin was truly panicked this time.
“Qiao’er, you’re trying to drive me to the wall!”
“I’d like to leave you a way out. Will you divorce or not?”
Zhao Hongbin clenched the quilt corner, his anger finally ignited for real.
“Divorce! Lian Qiao, you’re really ruthless!”
Lian Qiao chuckled lightly. “Put your pants on right now and head straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau!”
Zhao Hongbin was genuinely scared.
Because Lian Qiao meant what she said. If he stubbornly refused to divorce, he’d be the one to suffer in the end.
If he got locked up in jail, his life would be ruined.
He gritted his teeth in hatred.
Sooner or later, I’ll deal with you! Marrying either one is still marrying, but the arm can’t twist the thigh. There’s plenty of time ahead.
Only then did Lian Rou feel satisfied. Breaking free from Wang Yuzhen’s grip, she nestled up to Zhao Hongbin’s side. “Hongbin, let’s live well together from now on.”
Zhao Hongbin only felt threatened, and her enthusiasm disgusted him.
Rushing against time, they managed to complete the divorce just before the Civil Affairs Bureau closed.
Zhao Hongbin took the green divorce booklet and went next door. When he came out, he held a red marriage booklet in his hand.
Lian Rou was overjoyed. Clutching the marriage certificate, she looked provocatively at Lian Qiao, who was waiting for a bus at the intersection.
But her attempt to flirt with a blind man only made the two bruised and battered individuals seem even more ridiculous.
Lian Qiao had no time to waste. She boarded the bus directly.
She was the one who had paid for his job back then, so of course she wouldn’t let him off easy.
She wasn’t foolish enough to storm straight into the chemical fertilizer factory. Instead, she stood at the phone booth below the bridal chamber and made a call to the factory office.
She anonymously reported that Zhao Hongbin had used connections and money to buy his position, and that he had committed adultery in the bridal chamber the night before his wedding, causing a terrible scandal. If the chemical fertilizer factory continued to employ him, she would write a complaint letter to the commune’s disciplinary committee.
After hanging up, she looked at the small shop owner’s wife, who was cracking sunflower seeds and listening to gossip, and smiled with curved eyes.
“Auntie, do you want brand-new ‘Three Rounds and One Sound’?”
…
“If you ask me, Lian Qiao just wasn’t meant to be with Zhao Hongbin. She wasn’t fated to live in this new house.”
Wang Yuzhen stroked the brand-new quilt cover, finally feeling a bit better.
Zhao Hongbin was quite willing to put on a show. This bridal chamber had everything it should have, so he hadn’t treated that wretched girl Lian Rou too badly.
Lian Hai smoked heavily, still troubled about tomorrow’s banquet.
All the neighbors and relatives had been notified, but the bride had been swapped.
The couple waited for the two who had gone to get their marriage certificate to return, then planned to invite the in-laws over to discuss how to handle tomorrow’s banquet.
Each lost in their own thoughts, they were startled when a crowd suddenly poured into the room and immediately began moving things out.
Wang Yuzhen rushed forward to stop them, “Hey, hey, hey! Don’t touch that! What are you doing?”
Lian Hai also blocked the radio closest to him with his large hands, “How dare you! If you move another thing, I’ll call the police!”
The aunt from the small shop beamed with delight, directing who should take the bicycle and who should carry the sewing machine. Seeing the couple trying to stop them, she turned to look at Lian Qiao, who had just entered.
Lian Qiao stood by the door and spoke calmly.
“Everything in this room was bought with my money. Since the wedding is off, I’m selling it all.”
Wang Yuzhen threw her entire body onto the sewing machine in desperation, “Even if you’re not getting married, Lian Rou is still marrying into this family. This is the wedding room—how can you just sell everything?”
“Because it’s not yours!”
Lian Hai was so angry he wanted to slap the wretched girl, but Lian Qiao took a step back, positioning herself behind the aunt from the small shop.
“You’ve already bought it all! Your sister isn’t an outsider—you can’t sell it!”
Lian Qiao curled her lips into a faint smile. What a “family” they were.
If she hadn’t overheard Lian Rou revealing the truth on her deathbed, she would have truly believed that Wang Yuzhen had remarried into the family with her daughter. It turned out this mother and daughter had long been kept by Lian Hai on the side.
The aunt from the small shop quickly stuffed a roll of bills into Lian Qiao’s hand, then turned to Wang Yuzhen with a smile that radiated defiance.
“Little sister, you can’t stop this. I’ve bought all these things from Lian Qiao. The money’s paid, the goods are mine—it’s a done deal. Everything here belongs to me now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the men and women in the room moved swiftly, carrying things out. Not just the “three rounds and one sound” (bicycle, sewing machine, wristwatch, and radio), but even the bedding, pots, and bowls were taken away.
Unable to stop them, Wang Yuzhen simply sat on the floor, loosened her hair, and began throwing a tantrum, rolling around and wailing.
“You’re bullying us! This is the wedding room! Lian Qiao, you’ll die a horrible death!”
Lian Hai tried to grab Lian Qiao but was firmly blocked by several men. He could only glare furiously, panting heavily.
“Do you have a death wish? How did I end up with a thing like you!”
Lian Qiao tucked the money into her pocket and turned to leave.
Behind her lay a scene of utter chaos, with only the bright, intact “double happiness” character pasted on the window remaining.
With the money in hand, Lian Qiao picked up the bundle she had left at the small shop, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the train station.
She had long planned her escape route. Given a second chance at life, she had no intention of staying in this muddy pit.
Evil people would be dealt with by other evil people. She had vented her anger in her previous life; this time, she would simply watch the show.
As for this family in name only, she should have stayed far away long ago.
As for where to go, she had already decided—she would head to her cousin’s home in Man City, where her cousin had married a military man and followed him to his post.
Everyone knew that in the early 1990s, the Soviet Union officially dissolved, and Chinese people traded daily necessities for fur, steel, and cars.
Becoming an overnight millionaire was no longer just a dream.
Her destination was the border city of Man.
In those days, people couldn’t just go wherever they pleased. For formal accommodation or renting, a letter of introduction from one’s work unit was required; otherwise, they would be treated as vagrants.
This was especially true in border areas.
She first obtained a letter of introduction for visiting relatives from the neighborhood office, then went to the public security bureau to apply for a border pass. Only then was she able to board the train smoothly.
She now had only the three hundred yuan she had just received, which was her entire savings. In her previous life, she had been blind and tried to keep up appearances. When Zhao Hongbin’s parents moved out to rent a place, freeing up their house for their younger son’s wedding, Lian Qiao had used all her savings to furnish her own wedding home.
This money had to be used carefully. She needed to establish herself firmly before gradually making it grow.
Amid the clattering of train wheels against the tracks and the mingled scents of sweat and body odor filling the carriage, Lian Qiao, having stayed awake all night, finally arrived at her destination.
Unfamiliar with the place and carrying her luggage, she was jostled by the crowd exiting the station and pushed out onto the platform.
Naturally, no one was waiting for her outside the station, as her cousin had no idea anyone was coming to visit.