This part of the story was in the TV drama, but Jiang Nan didn’t know it would happen today.
In dramas, problems always pop up suddenly, then the protagonist solves them, pushing the plot forward. For example, right now—originally, the matter with the Zhou family could have been settled completely once Cheng Denglin delivered the down jacket. But since Cheng Yixin is the protagonist, how could anyone other than the heroine resolve the issue?
So, naturally, the clothes Cheng Denglin bought could not be successfully delivered.
On one side, Jiang Nan was recalling the plot while watching the scene unfold. On the other, Cheng Denglin already had a feather duster in hand, ready to whip Cheng Hao—but was stopped by his mother.
“I was there when Haohao opened the package. I agreed to it. Clothes in the department store can be tried on, so I let Xiaoxiao try it. Who knew an accident would happen? If you want to blame someone, blame me. Don’t take it out on the child!”
Holding the feather duster, Cheng Denglin said helplessly, “Mom, please don’t make things worse.”
Protected by his grandmother, Haohao dodged left and right. In the middle of it, he saw his mother secretly laughing. He took the chance to glare fiercely at her—only for his father to notice.
Cheng Denglin felt even more that Haohao was unruly. Not only did he repeatedly cause trouble, but he even disrespected his own mother. If he wasn’t corrected while still young, what would happen when he grew up? So Cheng Denglin struck faster and harder. He also had a hidden thought: if his wife saw him defending her, maybe she would soften and stop mentioning divorce.
The commotion was so loud that Cheng Yixin couldn’t pretend not to hear. She opened the door and, together with her mother, stood in front of Hao Hao. Her eyes were red as she looked at her brother. “Brother, it was Xiaoxiao who ruined the clothes. Why are you hitting Haohao?”
Then she made Lu Xiaoxiao apologize and offered money, saying she would pay for it. Of course, Cheng Denglin wouldn’t take her money.
So Cheng Yixin leaned past him and looked at Jiang Nan. “Sister-in-law, the clothes were thirty-something yuan, I forget exactly…”
Tsk. Jiang Nan clicked her tongue. She really never missed a chance to put her down.
But this time, Jiang Nan truly couldn’t pocket the money. So she vaguely replied, “Leave it for the person who bought the clothes.” They probably wouldn’t accept it anyway.
Because the one helping to resolve the matter was one of the heroine’s admirers. For the goddess, he would gladly sacrifice anything. Talking about money would only seem vulgar.
“Mom, what time is it? Aren’t we eating yet?” Jiang Nan asked.
Her mother-in-law, forgetting the daytime quarrel with Jiang Nan, quickly followed her lead. “Yes, yes, it’s time to eat.” She called the children to wash their hands and move away from the “battlefield,” then went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
Haohao rubbed the arm his father had struck, obediently following his grandmother. Rarely, he even turned back and gave Jiang Nan a pleasant look.
Jiang Nan wasn’t interested at all. Out of boredom, she just stared at Cheng Yixin and her mother helping Lu Xiaoxiao out of the down jacket.
Lu Xiaoxiao’s tear-streaked smile carried a secret delight—she clearly loved the new clothes, completely unaware of the adults’ troubles and worries.
Jiang Nan waited until her mother-in-law had set the dishes on the table, then carried her own portion back to her room to eat. Otherwise, aside from the three children, the others probably wouldn’t be able to swallow their food in her presence.
*I really am such a good person!* Jiang Nan praised herself inwardly.
Cheng Denglin truly didn’t know how to face his wife at that moment. He hurriedly stuffed down two bowls of rice, then excused himself, saying he needed to call a classmate about buying clothes, and left the house.
On the other end of the line, his classmate in Shanghai was surprised to hear the clothes had been ruined as soon as they arrived. He promised to check again but told Cheng Denglin not to get his hopes up.
Cheng Denglin understood, thanked him repeatedly, and hung up. After the call, he still didn’t want to go home. He wandered aimlessly around the residential compound, lost in thought. His wife really wanted a divorce—this frightened him, yet he couldn’t make sense of it. Was it because he had someone in his heart, so she no longer loved him?
But he hadn’t crossed any lines with Qu Sijun. She was married too. They were like two parallel lines that could never meet—there was no possibility at all. What exactly was his wife upset about? He couldn’t understand.
What Cheng Denglin didn’t know was that when Jiang Nan said she didn’t love him, she meant herself, not the original “wife.” Simply by being the husband of another “Jiang Nan,” even if he were the best, most perfect man in the world, she could never fall in love with him.
Besides, in the past two years, his wife had willingly helped him support his younger sister. He always felt guilty about it, but she had been understanding, even comforting him: *Once your sister remarries, everything will be fine.*
Now, though his sister hadn’t remarried, she had been admitted to university and was leaving for another city. Just before the New Year, they had even joked together that “victory was in sight.” How had things suddenly escalated to divorce?
Cheng Denglin paced in circles, wandering until late at night when households began turning off their lights. Only then did he slowly head home. At the bedroom door, he hesitated again, afraid to go in.
Inside, Jiang Nan had finished her study plan for the day and was soaking her feet. Hearing his footsteps, she called him in directly. He sat down listlessly on Cheng Hao’s small bed, silent. Jiang Nan grew impatient with his indecisive manner and asked bluntly: “What’s there to hesitate about? Divorce means you can go find your sweetheart. Isn’t that better?”
So as not to waste years only to remarry in middle age.
In the TV drama, because of Cheng Denglin’s “resolute refusal,” Qu Sijun married a colleague introduced by her unit leader out of spite. After marriage, she had a daughter, but the divorce came quickly—the man was abusive, and the lawsuit was a huge scandal.
If Cheng Denglin were to appear before Qu Sijun now and take her and her daughter away, in her eyes he would be no less than a savior.
Moreover, the heroine had said Qu Sijun was the only “sister-in-law” she recognized. This would give her an early taste of just how “good” her one and only sister-in-law could be before she rose to prominence. Just imagining the clash between this refined, self-serving “petty bourgeois” sister-in-law pair made Jiang Nan feel delighted.
Unfortunately, someone was not happy.
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Cheng Denglin disliked his wife’s flippant tone. It insulted not only his and Qu Sijun’s character but also the purity of their feelings.
Jiang Nan gave a mocking laugh. Dressing up something sordid with a veneer of sentiment—did that make it noble? Spare her the disgust. Her face hardened. “Cheng Denglin, don’t think I was joking about reporting you. I really would do it.”
“I still don’t understand why?” Cheng Denglin raked his hair in frustration, repeating all the explanations he had thought of while wandering outside.
But Jiang Nan remained unmoved.
All he could do was rage helplessly. “And what about Cheng Hao? Do you want him to grow up without a mother? And me—when I go to the unit for a letter of introduction, how am I supposed to explain the divorce? Everyone will think I abandoned a wife who couldn’t bear children!”
Jiang Nan looked at him calmly. “I’ll pay child support regularly and visit Hao Hao when I can. As for the divorce reason, as long as it doesn’t damage my reputation or interests, you can explain it however you like.”
Whether her “roast pork son” wanted to see her or not was uncertain. She only needed to fulfill the original wife’s duty of support. Education could be left to his beloved grandparents and father. After all, aside from being a little spoiled, Cheng Hao’s life would be fine overall. She wouldn’t interfere further.
As for Cheng Denglin—he was none of her concern.
“Once I finish my postpartum confinement, we’ll go through the formalities. Talk it over with your parents and sister. I don’t want unpleasantness in the final days.”
The original host had endured exhausting three-shift rotations for a few extra yuan of overtime pay. She could withstand her mother-in-law’s care during confinement.
Jiang Nan unilaterally reached an agreement. Regardless of Cheng Denglin’s reaction, she poured out the footbath water, went to bed, and slept dreamlessly.
The next morning, Cheng Denglin was already gone.
Jiang Nan washed up, ate breakfast, and went back to her studies. For once, the Cheng family didn’t stir up trouble.
In the afternoon, Mother Cheng went out to buy things for Cheng Yixin’s upcoming university life. Cheng Yixin sought someone to deal with the down jacket issue. Father Cheng, unwilling to be alone at home with his daughter-in-law, took his grandchildren to play chess with old friends.
Jiang Nan was pacing in the living room, stretching her body after sitting too long, when she heard a knock at the door. Opening it, she saw the compound’s well-known figure—Aunt Guo.
Aunt Guo greeted her with a warm smile. “Xiao Jiang, are you feeling better?”
“Much better. Please, come in and sit,” Jiang Nan replied. Noticing that Aunt Guo hadn’t asked about anyone else in the household, she realized the visit was meant for her. She invited her in, poured a cup of brown sugar water, and said, “What a coincidence—I was planning to visit you in a couple of days, and here you are, saving me the trouble.”
Aunt Guo leaned closer and asked in a low voice, “Is it about work?”
Jiang Nan smiled and nodded. Aunt Guo slapped her thigh knowingly. “I thought so! When you were hospitalized, I figured your husband and mother-in-law were busy, so I didn’t come to ask. Later, when you returned home, I ran into your mother-in-law twice and asked, but she said it depended on you. Since there’s been no news, I thought I’d come check… Lots of people in the compound are asking about your vacancy!”
Aunt Guo was famous as a matchmaker and go-between, earning small fees and red envelopes for her services. Her reputation was solid and well-regarded.
The factory had an unwritten rule: if someone took long-term leave, they could find a temporary worker to fill in. The official worker would deduct ten yuan from their wages, so they wouldn’t be left with nothing, while the temp could earn some income—mutually beneficial.
In Jiang Nan’s case, a week in the hospital could be excused as “busy and forgot,” but more than half a month without arrangements was unusual.
Jiang Nan smiled faintly. Her stingy mother-in-law still expected her to return to work herself, unwilling to part with even that ten-yuan deduction. “I’ve only got half a month left. People are still asking?” she asked curiously.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t they?” Aunt Guo slapped the table. Jiang Nan’s monthly wage was thirty-six yuan, nearly forty with overtime. Even half a month meant a temp could earn over ten yuan—plenty of people wanted the job.
“So, Xiao Jiang, if you’ve decided, I’ll contact someone right away,” Aunt Guo pressed eagerly. Only if she succeeded would she earn her fee.
But Jiang Nan shook her head. “Aunt Guo, I don’t want a temp. I want you to help me find someone to *swap jobs*.”
“Swap?” Aunt Guo had never heard of such a thing. “What do you mean by swap?”
Jiang Nan explained: “I’ll sell my current job for just two hundred yuan. But in return, the other party must secure me a substitute teaching position at Hongshan Commune—elementary or middle school is fine. They must guarantee I can transfer my household registration there and arrange a dormitory.”
Hearing this, Aunt Guo immediately thought of the gossip she’d heard yesterday about the Cheng family quarreling over divorce. Could Xiao Jiang really be planning to leave?
To be honest, no one had taken it seriously yesterday. People assumed it was just noise—after all, which couple or in-laws didn’t shout “I can’t go on” during fights? But how many truly meant it?
“Aunt Guo?” Jiang Nan called when she saw her visitor frozen in thought.
Aunt Guo snapped back to attention and leaned closer, whispering, “Are you really getting divorced?”
Jiang Nan smiled. “Please keep it a secret for now.” She didn’t mind people knowing, but she worried that the aunties and grannies in the compound would come knocking one after another—either to pry for details or to persuade her to reconcile—disturbing her studies.
Aunt Guo agreed. In her line of work, being well-informed was essential, but if you couldn’t keep your mouth shut, no one would trust you. Professional ethics mattered, and she had them. Still, secrecy aside, her surprise remained. She sipped her brown sugar water to steady herself.
Looking at Xiao Jiang—calm, not crying or making a fuss, even able to clearly arrange matters of work—it was obvious she was the one determined to leave. What had the Cheng family done to her?
“If you can help me settle this before my confinement ends, I’ll give you an extra ten-yuan red envelope on top of whatever the other party pays you,” Jiang Nan said.
At once, Aunt Guo lost her gossiping mood. She thumped her chest in assurance. “Don’t worry. Those leaders’ families have plenty of relatives.”
Their own children might already be arranged, but nephews or cousins—there were always some without jobs or stuck in the countryside. Teaching required education and qualifications, while factory work wasn’t so strict. If someone’s family managed to secure a teaching post, their child might not be able to handle it. Swapping with Xiao Jiang would be perfect. The only catch was that it had to be at Hongshan Commune—she’d have to think carefully about who had connections there.
But…
“Xiao Jiang, you’re taking a loss here,” Aunt Guo hesitated.
With so many educated youths returning to the city, jobs were becoming more valuable. A factory position could sell for five or six hundred yuan. Substitute teachers earned very little, and the work wasn’t stable. Trading a permanent worker’s post for a temporary teaching job was hardly worthwhile.
Jiang Nan shook her head. “The workshop is too exhausting. After this hospitalization, the doctor said my health is weak and I need to take care of myself. Teaching is much easier and suits me better. Besides, even if I wanted to swap for a formal teaching post, no one would agree.”
Her frail health truly made factory work impossible. Another reason was that she didn’t want to stay too close to the Cheng family. Just like how the clothes Cheng Denglin bought last night had ended up ruined, she worried her college entrance exam might be sabotaged too.
The original host had also planned to take the 1977 college entrance exam, but unfortunately she became pregnant at that time. The pregnancy symptoms were severe, preventing her from studying peacefully, so she gave up.
But in the TV drama, even after losing the child, the “sister-in-law” still didn’t take the exam—which was abnormal.
Jiang Nan could first rule out the possibility that the original wife failed.
Because the original host had excellent grades and strong learning ability. Though she only had a junior high education, after Cheng Denglin entered a worker-peasant-soldier university, she felt she couldn’t fall behind. Through self-study and asking for guidance, she completed her high school coursework and passed the factory’s high school exam with high marks, successfully obtaining a high school diploma.
Compared to educated youths who had left their studies for years, she had a clear advantage. With nearly half a year of review time, there was no way she couldn’t pass.
Jiang Nan carefully searched her memories. In the drama, the scenes during this period focused mainly on the heroine’s university life. The only plotline involving the Cheng family was the “sister-in-law” asking the heroine for child support for the twins.
If there was a causal link, then it was that the “sister-in-law,” unable to secure child support because of Mother Cheng and the twins’ interference, feared that once she entered university, the family would lose a wage, leaving her husband unable to support everyone. So she gave up the exam.
But based on Jiang Nan’s understanding of the original host, this was unlikely. She might have forced herself to work despite poor health for Cheng Denglin’s sake, but she would never give up on university. First, because she was naturally studious and dreamed of higher education. Second, because she was ambitious.
Cheng Denglin was a living example: before university, his salary was only thirty-something yuan. After graduation, he was assigned to a government department, and his salary rose to over fifty.
Spending four years on the studies she had long desired could secure a light, well-paid, respectable job. Jiang Nan believed the original wife could calculate this clearly, so she was even less likely to give it up.
There was only one possibility: some accident occurred that the drama never showed.
Although she would move out of the Cheng household by next month at the latest, to completely avoid the influence of the plot, Jiang Nan felt it safest to stay far away from the agricultural machinery factory.