The suspect turned out to be the father of a family crime ring, his wife and son had already been arrested, leaving him as the only one still at large. His revenge attack on the police station had nearly succeeded, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief at having survived it.
Lin Wanying repeated what she’d heard the restaurant owner say in her past life, said it had nothing to do with her, and headed home.
Gu Liansheng wasn’t going to die now, she no longer needed to stay at the restaurant. She told the owner that after what happened, she was too scared to keep working there, and quit, using fear as her excuse.
That evening, Gu Liansheng came home for dinner, and Lin Wanying told Lin Huinan to fry up an extra dish, the food had all been made to portion, and one more adult mouth wasn’t as simple as just one more pair of chopsticks.
Lin Huinan, having sold popsicles, candy, and balloons for a month, had a bit of extra money now, and said grandly: “I’ll go buy a roast duck, my treat.”
A roast duck cost eight yuan, Gu Liansheng’s whole monthly salary could only buy seven or eight of them. He laughed and asked, “You two earned enough for a roast duck this month?”
Gu Shuisheng looked at his sister-in-law with great admiration: “It’s all thanks to sister-in-law. Me and Lin Huinan each earned over ten yuan, and we said we’d buy a roast duck for when brother didn’t have to work overtime.”
Those two kids together were earning close to half his monthly salary, not bad at all.
Lin Huinan called out to Gu Shuisheng: “Come on, let’s go buy the duck together.”
Gu Shuisheng said, “I’ll give you four yuan, you go buy it yourself.”
Lin Huinan wouldn’t have it, dragging him out the door, then laughing at how dense he was: “Your brother’s home this early, you really think it’s just about dinner? He can’t wait to talk things over with my sister. Haven’t you noticed they’ve been in a cold war for a while now?”
Gu Shuisheng couldn’t see it at all: “When my brother and his ex-wife had a cold war, they wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t even look at each other while walking past. My brother had to squeeze in with me to sleep. Now they sleep in the same room every day, talk normally, eat together, how is that a cold war?”
Lin Huinan rolled his eyes at him, and whenever Gu Shuisheng tried to talk to him after that, he answered with airy indifference, until Gu Shuisheng got angry and scolded him: “Just because we disagreed, you’re acting like this?”
Lin Huinan laughed: “What I just did to you, that was a cold war. Right now, my sister and your brother are doing the same thing to each other.”
Gu Shuisheng was baffled: “Over what, though? I can’t tell at all.”
“Over how we’re being disciplined. Your brother thinks my sister’s methods are wrong, so my sister doesn’t bother talking to him about it anymore. This time, my sister was the one who started the cold war, so today’s roast duck is on me. Let’s go.”
…
“Where’s Mom?” Gu Liansheng asked. The house wasn’t that big, one glance and you could see everything. If his mother were home, she’d have come out already.
Lin Wanying said, “Your godmother called her out, but I know, Mom’s been missing her granddaughter, and afraid I’d scold her, she had your godmother make up an excuse. The two of them went over to your elder brother and sister-in-law’s place.”
She’d raised that granddaughter from birth, of course she’d miss her. Besides, the elder brother and Shuisheng were her own sons, Gu Liansheng was her nephew. Even though she treated them all equally, blood ties were hard to overcome.
Gu Liansheng sighed helplessly: “Human nature is hard to change, especially at Mom’s age. You can’t expect her to completely let go of my elder brother’s family.”
Lin Wanying understood: “I’ve seen plenty of this kind of thing in the countryside. Mom can’t help it either, you should prepare yourself for the fact that she might soften and go back to your brother’s side any time.”
Gu Liansheng asked cautiously: “Does that make you angry?”
“It does. This kind of advantage can only be taken by your brother and sister-in-law once. If she really goes back, we’ll go to court and get it notarized, she becomes an aunt again from then on. Whatever filial duty we owe, we’ll fulfill, but once she’s old and can’t move, she doesn’t get shoved back over to our side.”
Gu Liansheng thought it over. With his elder brother and sister-in-law, all he could do was leave them no loopholes to exploit, otherwise this would go on endlessly, and even the best marriage would eventually be worn down to breaking.
He nodded: “I agree.”
Seeing his wife willing to communicate sincerely, he struck while the iron was hot [1]strike while the iron is hot (chèn rè dǎ tiě, 趁熱打鐵), Idiom, a blacksmithing image, iron can only be shaped while glowing hot, so a smith works it immediately rather than letting it cool, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3158665_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3158665_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, saying, “That thing happened this afternoon and I got so busy, by the time I rushed to the restaurant, the owner said you’d quit. That must have scared you badly, didn’t it?”
Of course it hadn’t scared her. Lin Wanying had been scolded by Xu Youcheng for not acting ladylike, had gone to the graveyard in the dead of night, had led the charge in disputes with neighboring villages over water sources and land boundaries, was she the type to be scared?
She said, “The market at Lion Bridge set up a management office and asked me to come work there, fifty yuan a month, higher pay than the restaurant. I took the chance today to quit and switch jobs.”
…
That was impressive. In this one month of marriage, household matters had gotten much easier. His ex-wife hadn’t scolded, but she also wouldn’t let his mother move back in, Wanying got fierce and scolded his mother, but took great care of her, only genuine care could produce blunt honesty like that.
And then there were the two brothers. His ex-wife had never once said a bad word to Shuisheng, but also never disciplined him, letting him do as he pleased. Wanying tied up the disobedient brother to make him reflect, but when trouble came, she was the one who stood up for them. He didn’t agree with her methods, but ever since she’d come, the brothers hadn’t caused him trouble again.
Especially today, the destructive power of whatever was in that suspect’s bag, if it had gone off, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Wanying had sensed something wrong and defused it in advance, and then just walked away, never mentioning any of the good things she’d done. Gu Liansheng’s heart ached with tenderness.
He couldn’t help but grab Lin Wanying’s hand: “Wanying, I should think from your perspective. You’ve always handled things this way since childhood, and it’s always worked out fine, there’s no need for you to change yourself for anyone. Let’s not have any more cold wars, I was wrong.”
Such a sudden meeting of hearts, and an apology too, who could resist that?
Lin Wanying hurried to say: “I was wrong too. I didn’t consider your position, you’re a policeman, and I’m your family. Since I’m the one who wanted to marry you, I should think of you too. I’ll think about it more from now on, so you don’t feel bad.”
Wanying was too good, being this considerate, who wouldn’t be moved?
Gu Liansheng also said: “No need. You’ve been disciplining them well. I’ve thought it through, as long as you two don’t break the law, that’s fine. Even if there’s conflict, I can just switch jobs. You married me for a better life, not to suffer through another kind of hardship.”
Those words really warmed her heart, and made her want to consider his feelings even more.
Lin Wanying felt that throwing a small tantrum this whole time had really been uncalled for, and promised: “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t let the two brothers cause trouble.”
This conversation today had really touched both their hearts, and both felt the previous cold war had been unreasonable.
Lin Wanying felt she should reflect on being too self-centered, Gu Liansheng resolved to think more from his wife’s perspective from now on. They were sweet as a pair of newlyweds now.
…
The whole family was happy to have roast duck. Gu Shuisheng paid close attention and compared, noticing how differently his brother and sister-in-law interacted now, they smiled with their eyes at each other. When his sister-in-law was in a good mood, she’d pitch in with housework, tonight she volunteered to wash the dishes, a sign she was in an especially good mood.
His brother was even more obvious, insisting on fighting her for dish duty, breaking a plate in the process, the two of them laughed and picked up the pieces together, without a single scolding word.
Gu Shuisheng was convinced: “They really did dislike each other before.”
Lin Huinan flashed a smug, knowing smile: “Learn a thing or two, little brother.”
…
Gu Liansheng arrived at work full of spring breeze, energized. Yan Qizong teased: “You and your wife made up awfully fast, didn’t you?”
Gu Liansheng said, “Mostly because my wife is understanding, and also because of your good advice.”
Yan Qizong remarked with feeling: “Your ex-wife was never this easy to coax. You’ve really come out of hardship into sweetness now.”
Gu Liansheng had come to see things clearly: “Maybe not entirely. She was hard to coax because she didn’t like me, she likes my wife’s ex-husband, so she probably wouldn’t even get angry.”
Yan Qizong regretted bringing up the exes at all, and said: “Forget about them. Just live your own life well.”
…
But it wasn’t so easy to forget about them. Wouldn’t you know it, the management office newly established at Lion Bridge Street had the position originally promised to Lin Wanying snatched away by Li Qiuzhen.
He Jinzhi had pulled some strings, and the street office director position that had been promised to Lin Wanying went to Li Qiuzhen instead, with Lin Wanying getting deputy director.
Lin Wanying wasn’t having it. This was the market she’d built up herself, if she was going to do it, she’d do it as the person in charge, someone whose word carried weight. Deputy was just for taking the blame and doing the grunt work, not for fifty yuan a month. Lin Wanying quit on the spot.
The street director tried to smooth things over, but it didn’t help, he sulked and washed his hands of it, thinking the market had already formed, so it wouldn’t matter who managed it.
…
They’d thought it too simple. The reason things had run smoothly so far was because Lin Wanying had beaten every troublemaker into submission, no one dared cause trouble, and naturally the market kept growing healthier.
Li Qiuzhen swaggered around as director for a week, and the Lion Bridge market became more chaotic than it had been a month ago, vendors blocking the road, vicious competition, brawls breaking out, all of it landing at the management office’s doorstep. Li Qiuzhen was scared out of her wits and completely unable to handle any of it.
Gu Shuisheng and Lin Huinan couldn’t sell there anymore either. Lin Huinan told Gu Shuisheng to stay calm: “Don’t you dare drag my sister down. This has only just begun. Trying to steal my sister’s hard-earned success, how is that idiot ex-brother-in-law of hers not trying to talk her out of it?”
Gu Shuisheng didn’t understand, and asked: “Does sister-in-law have another move planned?”
“No other move. It’s just standing firm. The Lion Bridge market took real effort to form, now that it’s falling apart, another market will just take its place. The original vendors will surely resent the ones who barged in and stole it away. He Jinzhi was so smug that day, in a few more days, she’ll be just as desperate, and she’ll definitely come begging my sister.”
Gu Shuisheng was somewhat impressed: “How do you see through all this?”
Lin Huinan said: “I was raised by my sister, of course I know. Work with my sister for a few more years and you’ll understand too.”
…
It didn’t even take a few more days. He Jinzhi had already come knocking, begging Lin Wanying to come back as director of the management office and sort out the market that had turned into a total mess.
“Lin Wanying, you’ve got real skill, the market really does need you to manage it. You can have the director position, and our Qiuzhen can be your subordinate. If you don’t want to see her, she can give up the job at the management office entirely.”
Lin Wanying wasn’t about to fall for it. She blocked her outside the courtyard gate, exposing the lies and stating the truth plainly.
“You’re scared because of the threats from the vendors and hoodlums, aren’t you? The worse Xu Youcheng and Li Qiuzhen live, the happier I am. I’m certainly not going back to bail your family out. You seemed pretty pleased with yourselves when you snatched it away, didn’t you? I thought you had real skills, turns out you couldn’t even hold it together for a week. The fruit you stole, you can’t even swallow it and now you’re spitting it back out, well, I can’t stomach that kind of disgust. Get lost.”
He Jinzhi tried a different tactic, actually willing to lower herself, she dropped straight to her knees in front of Lin Wanying with a thud. “I’m twice your age, and I’m kneeling before you, kowtowing. Surely that’s enough to calm your anger? Please, calm down and come back as director.”
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