Between Liu Cuihua and Mingxi, everyone naturally believed the ‘honest’ Mingxi more.
Splashing her daughter-in-law with cold water first thing in the morning, then taking her anger out on her after bumping into her herself—this was just too vicious.
Seeing the reproachful and disgusted looks from the crowd, Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei were both stunned.
But everything they said was true! They really had been beaten!
Mingxi lifted her head slightly and gave them a triumphant smile.
Seeing Mingxi’s triumphant smile, Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei’s tempers flared up again. They raised their hands to strike her.
Mingxi dodged backward in terror, and the crowd immediately moved to block Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei, shielding Mingxi.
“You still want to hit someone now? Someone, hurry and get the Brigade leader! Let the Brigade leader teach them a good lesson.”
How could a promising young man like Jianguo have such a mother and sister?
With this mother-daughter duo being so malicious, the Lin family was bound to have problems sooner or later.
Some of the more farsighted people had already decided to slowly distance themselves from the Lin family.
Before, everyone thought Lin Jianguo was promising, so they all wanted to be on good terms with his family, believing he could keep his mother and sister in check.
But looking at the situation now, it was clear no one could control this mother-daughter pair.
The moment the Brigade leader arrived, Liu Cuihua became much more subdued.
Mingxi seized the opportunity and quickly knelt before the Brigade leader.
“Brigade leader, I truly can’t go on living like this. I want a divorce. If I don’t get a divorce, I’ll surely die.”
The word “divorce” struck everyone’s hearts like a clap of thunder.
The Brigade leader’s wife subconsciously wanted to persuade her against it. After all, few people divorced these days, and while it affected men, the impact on women was far greater.
The Brigade leader stopped his wife, shaking his head at her.
Every family had its own struggles. Marriage was for the sake of living a life, but what kind of life could one live if one’s very life was at stake?
The Brigade leader had been educated before and had met people who had returned from abroad; his thinking wasn’t so feudal and rigid.
“Uncles, aunties, everyone, you all know what it was like when Lin Jianguo and I got married. He left on the very first day and hasn’t been back since.”
“I’ve been at home taking care of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and I’ve done my best, but they’ve been tormenting me to death.”
“You’ve all seen how I’ve lived these past two years. I know getting a divorce carries a bad reputation, but if I could survive, why would I ever want a divorce?”
Mingxi knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she spoke. Her beautiful face added many points to her pitiful image.
Seeing her like this, many people felt a pang of sympathy.
“Fine, a divorce it is! My son is so promising, he might even marry a leader’s daughter after the divorce. Once you’re divorced, let’s see how you survive out there.”
Liu Cuihua’s sharp, piercing voice made many people frown.
Even those who had initially disapproved of Mingxi’s divorce wavered upon hearing her words.
Although mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships were tense in many families, under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t incite their sons to divorce their wives.
It was difficult to find a wife in the countryside. After a divorce, they would have to find another wife for their son, and where would the money come from? So it was better to just make do.
Even if they said some unpleasant things during arguments, it was usually just talk.
Hearing her mother’s words, Lin Hongmei was also swayed. If Jianguo really married a leader’s daughter, wouldn’t her job and marriage prospects be secured?
Lin Hongmei couldn’t help but start fantasizing, and she too became very much in favor of Mingxi getting a divorce.
“Go ahead and divorce. She’s just a freeloader anyway. Her family is gone, so she can’t help Jianguo. A divorce will just free up the spot.”
Lin Hongmei’s excited tone made many people clench their fists, especially the women present.
If a wife’s family couldn’t provide support, she had to “free up the spot”? How many of them had families that weren’t well-off? Did they all have to free up their spots too?
Even the Brigade leader’s face showed disapproval. The Lin family was going too far.
Mingxi said in a deliberately heartbroken tone, “You’ve all heard them. I must get this divorce. Even if I have to blow this matter up, I will get a divorce. At worst, I’ll go find Lin Jianguo and let his leaders know what kind of life I’ve been living all these years.”
“I believe the leaders will be on my side.”
Mingxi’s words were practically a declaration of her resolve. Hearing that she would “blow this matter up,” the crowd’s expressions changed.
If this blew up, the ones who would suffer would definitely be the Lin family and Lin Jianguo.
Lin Jianguo’s good impression with his leaders might be ruined.
Panic flickered across Liu Cuihua’s face. “You can’t blow this up! A divorce is fine, but don’t you dare affect my son!”
The Brigade leader sighed and asked Mingxi sternly, “Have you really thought this through?”
Mingxi nodded firmly. “I have. That’s why I’d like to ask you, Brigade leader, to write me an Introduction Letter and a certificate. I plan to go find Lin Jianguo to get a divorce.”
When Lin Hongmei heard she was going to find Lin Jianguo, she immediately said, “You can’t go find Jianguo! What if you complain to his leaders?”
Mingxi replied, “It would be fine if you could call him back, but he hasn’t been back in two years. He certainly won’t come back now, so my only choice is to go find him.”
Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei stomped their feet in anger.
Mingxi lowered her head, trying hard to suppress the upward curve of her lips.
She had originally thought it would take some time and argument to get others on her side to support the divorce, but she hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly.
She really had Liu Cuihua and Lin Hongmei to thank. If they hadn’t been so outrageous and detestable, most people would probably have tried to talk her out of it.
These vicious, pig-headed opponents were indeed quite useful.
That very day, Mingxi moved out of the Lin family home.
The Ming family only had one dilapidated house, but it was enough for Mingxi to live in.
The Brigade leader quickly wrote the Introduction Letter and certificate for Mingxi. He also slipped two yuan into her hand.
“It’s a long way to go. Take some money with you. The Lin family certainly won’t give you any. Your father helped me when he was alive, so take this money.”
The Brigade leader left after stuffing the money into her hand.
Mingxi paused for two seconds before accepting the money.
She was indeed very poor right now. The original owner had been secretly saving money for the past two years, but had only managed to save five or six yuan.
Five or six yuan was a lot in this era, but for a long journey, it was still not enough.
Mingxi began to tidy up the house. While sorting through the original owner’s old childhood clothes, she felt a bulge.
Tearing open the bulge, she found some scattered money, various ration tickets, a set of silver needles, and a medical book.
Looking at these items, Mingxi fell silent for a moment.
She quickly put the items away. This money must have been left by Father Ming.
He had passed away from a serious illness, leaving the original owner as his only daughter. If anyone else had known about this money, it certainly wouldn’t have been left for her.
So he had sewn all the money into the old clothes. He had probably passed away before he had a chance to tell the original owner.
“Thank you, Father Ming,” Mingxi said, kowtowing three times sincerely toward the old clothes.
That night, Mingxi counted the money. The scattered bills added up to over 100 yuan, which was quite a lot.
With this money, she wouldn’t have to worry on the road.
But what made her happiest were the silver needles. Perhaps she could pick up her old profession again.
Mingxi couldn’t help but smile. Since she was here, she would make the best of it. As long as she knew which path to take next, everything would be fine.