“Comrade Geng Xiangyang, hello. Aunt Qian asked me to come find you and help her take something…”
As soon as Lin Wan came out, she saw a young kitchen apprentice standing alone and quickly smiled as she called out to him.
Geng Xiangyang was one of the “fish” in the original owner’s “pond”… cough… one of her acquaintances.
He worked at the Guanghua Street state-owned restaurant.
This was the West Street state-owned restaurant branch.
Geng Xiangyang scratched his head awkwardly. “Comrade, I’m not Geng Xiangyang. My name is Zhang Jun.”
This female comrade was really pretty—his tone softened unconsciously.
Hearing this, Lin Wan quickly apologized.
“Sorry, sorry, I got the wrong person!”
“I even remembered the wrong place.”
“He’s at the Guanghua Street state-owned restaurant.”
“Look at my memory.”
Having confirmed the name, time to slip away!
Comrade Huang Guixiang was already looking over.
Lin Wan deliberately slowed her pace and walked back with her.
But when they reached the entrance of the residential compound, they still ran into Guo Xuyang and Zhang Qin carrying luggage.
Zhang Qin instinctively hid behind Guo Xuyang.
Lin Wan couldn’t help rolling her eyes all the way to the sky.
To someone who didn’t know better, it would look like she and her mother were some kind of flood monster family, constantly abusing her.
Guo Xuyang took her hand and looked coldly at Lin Wan.
“Qin Qin, don’t be afraid. You already have nothing to do with this family.”
After saying that, he pulled Zhang Qin away.
Zhang Qin staggered from the pull and bumped into him. Guo Xuyang quickly wrapped an arm around her to steady her.
“Public displays of affection like this—what kind of behavior is that? Be careful or I’ll report you!”
Comrade Huang Guixiang was extremely displeased with their attitude.
Guo Xuyang gave a cold laugh and ignored her completely. After confirming Zhang Qin wasn’t injured, he continued to leave with her.
Zhang Qin looked back at Lin Wan and Huang Guixiang with tearful eyes, as if she wanted to say something—but in the end, she said nothing.
All her grievances were contained in the tears she refused to let fall.
Lin Wan was speechless.
She had really met two absolute oddballs.
“Mom, let’s go home.”
She pulled Huang Guixiang away, unwilling to waste time with them.
These two people lived in their own world. No matter what others said or did, they had their own logic.
To put it nicely, they were stubborn.
To put it bluntly, they were blind in both heart and mind.
“Look at them, just look at them! I’m their elder after all…” Huang Guixiang was furious.
Being ignored by a stepdaughter and son-in-law would break anyone’s temper.
Lin Wan hugged her arm and coaxed her.
“Mom, what kind of elder is she? I’m your real daughter!”
“Alright, alright, don’t get angry over irrelevant people. Getting angry makes you sick and no one suffers but you.”
“Think about me instead—doesn’t that make you feel better?”
Just like that, Huang Guixiang was quickly soothed.
Back home, the atmosphere was quiet and oppressive.
Zhang Hongqiang and Zhang Hongbing were sitting across from Zhang Aimin.
The table had already been cleaned.
On it lay 500 yuan and a severance agreement signed by Zhang Aimin and the Zhang brothers.
Guo Xuyang had used money to sever Zhang Qin’s ties with her family. The agreement clearly stated that from now on, whether Zhang Aimin lived or died had nothing to do with Zhang Qin.
Seeing them return, Bao Yanzhong and Zhong Meilan—who had been washing dishes and sweeping—immediately put down their work and stood beside their husband.
Lin Wan also stood behind Huang Guixiang.
Looking at the severance agreement, Huang Guixiang sneered.
“So that’s why I ran into Zhang Qin and her man downstairs—they couldn’t even look at me properly.”
“So they’ve found a backer and cut ties with the family, huh?”
“Tsk tsk.”
Lin Wan also hadn’t expected this. Zhang Qin, who looked so gentle and fragile, actually dared to sever ties.
Without a job and now without her family, she would become nothing more than a vine clinging entirely to Guo Xuyang for survival.:::
If it were her, given that her maternal family was the Zhang family, even if she wanted to sever ties, she wouldn’t say it so openly.
She would simply keep her distance.
In an era where communication basically relied on letters and telegrams, and even making a phone call was difficult, it wasn’t hard at all to disappear from someone’s reach.
There was no need to make things so ugly.
Not only would it cost money, but it would also leave both sides embarrassed.
More importantly, relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in this era were even harder than in modern times. With Zhang Qin acting so recklessly, where was her backup plan?
She just hoped Zhang Qin would be smart enough to have Guo Xuyang help her find a job later.
It seemed that the army could arrange some jobs for military family members.
As for finding a job on her own… it wasn’t that Lin Wan looked down on her, but in this era, jobs were extremely scarce.
Otherwise, the country wouldn’t have sent so many young people “down to the countryside” to be re-educated.
Zhang Aimin hung his head low, looking completely deflated. “I’ll just pretend I never had this daughter!”
“Guihua, what should we do with this money?”
What should they do?
Of course she wanted to keep it—what else?
Huang Guihua instinctively reached for the money on the table, but Lin Wan stopped her and shook her head.
“Mom, let Uncle Zhang and the older brothers decide this.”
“Otherwise, if people find out a stepmother took her stepdaughter’s ‘breakup compensation money,’ your reputation will be ruined!”
“And Hongqiang shouldn’t take part in this either.”
There wasn’t much money anyway. Even if it were divided, Zhang Hongqiang wouldn’t get much—only trouble would come of it.
“Go on, Hongqiang, go to my room and practice writing.”
“Mom, you also come to my room.”
Huang Guihua suddenly realized: right!
Wanwan was now a glorious postal worker, and her boyfriend was a deputy regiment commander. Her reputation had to be protected at all costs—she couldn’t hold her daughter back!
She nodded firmly.
“Fine. Old Zhang, you and your sons decide how to handle the money. Don’t ask me!”
“You could split it all between the eldest and second sons for all I care—those two fools—I won’t interfere!”
Eldest and second branch: “…”
They wanted money, but they did NOT want to be called fools.
Bang.
Lin Wan’s door closed.
Zhang Aimin suddenly understood.
Got it!
He would just keep the money himself and secretly give it to his wife later.
He immediately grabbed the cash. “Split what? We’re not even separated yet!”
“Besides, I’m her father!”
“The severance agreement already said clearly that this 500 yuan is for cutting off my retirement support—that’s my pension money!”
Bao Yan and Zhong Hongmei looked disappointed.
Zhang Hongqi didn’t think much of it; he felt this arrangement was reasonable.
Zhang Hongbing wanted some of it, but since his father refused, there was nothing he could do.
He definitely wasn’t going to be the one to speak up.
Inside Lin Wan’s room.
Zhang Hongqiang sat at the desk, writing with a troubled expression.
Lin Wan gave him a condition: “If you write well enough to satisfy me, I’ll reward you with a White Rabbit candy.”
White Rabbit candy?
Zhang Hongqiang swallowed hard. He felt like he could do it again.
Lin Wan pulled Huang Guihua aside and persuaded her, “Mom, let’s split the family.”
“When a biological mother holds the family finances, the children will still feel resentment—let alone a stepmother.”
“Look at Zhang Qin—she got married and immediately cut ties with her family. And her father is her biological father.”
First, divide the family.
Then find a way to get a job for Huang Guihua.
If she had no money, that was one thing.
But now that she had money and supplies, there was really no need for Huang Guihua to squeeze money out of the Zhang family to support herself.
Sigh—she just didn’t know if Comrade Huang Guihua would agree.