Lin Miaomiao understood that between her pregnant sister-in-law and herself, her older brother could only choose one.
She closed her eyes for a moment and said to her son, “A Bao, let’s move out, okay?”
They had endured even harder times before—nothing was insurmountable.
At worst, she could resign and find another job. With her experience at the large factory, things couldn’t possibly be worse than before.
A Bao nodded, his eyes reddening. With his small hand, he wiped away her tears and said in a muffled voice, “Auntie is bad. She made Mom angry.”
Lin Miaomiao smiled and ruffled his hair. “You already know what’s good and bad?”
“I know. Uncle and Ningning are good. Auntie and her brother are bad—they took A Bao’s bed.”
Lin Miaomiao’s fists clenched again.
Suppressing her disgust, she changed all the bedding and turned on the fan to air out the room. After a while, she heard the sound of the door opening—her older brother must have returned—followed by her sister-in-law’s aggrieved complaints. Then, her own door was knocked.
Her brother’s tired and guilty face appeared before her. Though only twenty-seven, he already had gray hairs. Working at the steel mill was no easy job—exhausting and stressful every day.
Since her sister-in-law became pregnant, the pressure had only grown. He had to consider his wife while also feeling torn over her situation.
Suddenly, Lin Miaomiao gave up. She said, “Don’t say anything more, Brother. I’ll find a place to move out in the next few days.”
“Miaomiao, I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know you didn’t, but someone else does, and you can’t refuse. You only know how to apologize.”
“Brother, your apologies don’t make me feel better—they only make me feel more conflicted.”
His apologies represented each compromise he made for his wife.
Lin Miaomiao had had enough.
She was deeply grateful to her brother for once rescuing her from hardship, but she truly couldn’t stay in such an environment any longer.
It wasn’t just her—A Bao would also be affected.
Lin Hai remained silent for a long time before saying, “It’s all my fault for being incapable. I’ve let you down.”
Tired of his daily apologies, Lin Miaomiao slammed the door shut. Once the room was tidied up, she took her son’s hand and said, “A Bao, let’s go out to eat.”
Fortunately, she hadn’t been foolish over the years—she hadn’t handed her money over to her brother and sister-in-law but had saved it herself.
Otherwise, life would have been much harder now.
Lin Miaomiao took An An out and went to the state-run restaurant. She had never been one to shortchange herself. Whenever she got her paycheck, she would reward herself with a new piece of clothing, a pair of shoes she liked, or take A Bao out for a nice meal.
Her sister-in-law had often criticized her for being extravagant, but Lin Miaomiao didn’t care. She was spending her own money—what business was it of hers?
She worked so hard to earn money precisely so life could be a little better. What was wrong with eating well and dressing well?
As usual, Lin Miaomiao ordered stir-fried beef with vegetables and a vegetable soup.
Her and her son’s appetites weren’t large—one meat dish and one vegetable dish were just right.
But just as the food arrived, her sister-in-law and Liu Hang, who were passing by after grocery shopping, spotted them.
Liu Hang immediately stormed in and shouted, “Well, well, Lin Miaomiao! My sister went out of her way to buy groceries and cook for you to apologize, and here you are, dining out on your own! My sister’s money doesn’t grow on trees—how dare you waste it like this!”
“You’re from the countryside too, yet you’ve developed such terrible habits!”
“Return this food right now, get your money back, and go home to eat. What kind of behavior is this!”
“My sister is pregnant, can’t you be more considerate and hurry back to cook for her?”
After saying this, he actually tried to grab her hand.
Go to hell, you bastard.
Lin Miaomiao splashed a cup of hot tea directly onto his face, then raised her hand and slapped him.
“Ah! How dare you hit me.” A slap landed on Liu Hang’s face, leaving a red mark that quickly appeared, followed by his pig-like screech.
Liu Huihui snapped back to reality, furious, and was about to roar when Lin Miaomiao suddenly screamed loudly: “Pervert! Harassing a decent woman! Help!”
The people around immediately stood up, and even the chef from the kitchen rushed out with a knife in hand.
Liu Hang had just wiped the water from his eyes and opened them, only to find himself surrounded by an angry crowd.
He was bewildered and hurriedly said, “I’m not a pervert, I’m her sister-in-law’s brother, I came to ask her to go home for dinner!”
Liu Huihui also quickly added, “This is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I’m her sister-in-law, she’s talking nonsense.”
After saying this, she glared fiercely at Lin Miaomiao. “Aren’t you embarrassed enough? Hurry home.”
Hearing that they knew each other, everyone exchanged glances.
Lin Miaomiao’s eyes reddened, and she immediately burst into tears: “Sister-in-law, even if he is your brother, you shouldn’t have let him sneak into my room, sleep in my bed, and harass me outside… I’m still your sister-in-law, how could you not care about my reputation and let him harass me! I’m going to report him for being a pervert!”
Everyone was stunned for a few seconds, then they all started to condemn him.
“Ugh, I’ve seen shameless people, but never this shameless!”
“Harassing someone in broad daylight, call the police and arrest him!!”
“That’s right, and you’re her sister-in-law? How could you do something so despicable?”
Harassment was a serious crime at the time, and everyone was disgusted by it, especially in such a setting.
Liu Huihui’s face flushed red, and her protests were drowned out by the crowd’s scorn.
Soon, a kind-hearted person even called the police, and officers arrived.
“Who’s the pervert!”
Everyone pointed at Liu Hang.
Liu Hang was immediately apprehended, and Lin Miaomiao tearfully explained the situation to the officers.
Everyone confirmed they had witnessed it and that it was true.
The officers, filled with righteous indignation, also took Liu Huihui away.
Lin Miaomiao was supposed to go with them, but she said she and her child hadn’t eaten all day, and she had low blood sugar and was afraid of fainting. Could she go after eating?
The officers considerately agreed, taking the harassers Liu Hang and Liu Huihui away first and telling her to take her time eating and not to rush.
Once they were gone,
the world finally quieted down.
Lin Miaomiao and her son ate their fill, and the restaurant, feeling sorry for the mother and child, even gave them an extra dish.
Lin Miaomiao gratefully thanked them.
She used to have a fiery temper. Having been spoiled by her parents since childhood, she never backed down, and her straightforward nature had caused her a lot of trouble.
Later, she realized that her face wasn’t suited for a hot temper. As long as she cried and pretended to be pitiful, no one could outdo her.
“Mom, are we going to the police station?”
“Let’s digest our food first.”
Lin Miaomiao waited another hour.
Liu Huihui and Liu Hang, carrying their groceries, were tired and hungry at the station.
Lin Hai had already been notified and arrived. His expression was grim. Upon hearing that Liu Hang had harassed his sister, he rushed forward and punched him.