Jiang Banyue took a bus back to Chuan’an County, planning to buy a shop and do a simple renovation so it could become a future home for her and the babies. Just now, she had checked the bankbook Shen Yunhe gave her—it had a full 15,000 yuan.
She walked along the streets of the small county town, asking shop by shop. Even a shop under 80 square meters cost over 5,000 yuan. After buying a place, she still needed money for renovation, and if the shop didn’t make money, she would also need funds to raise three children.
Jiang Banyue hesitated again and again. Was there anything cheaper?
While she was troubled, a middle-aged woman approached her and asked, “Girl, are you looking to buy a shop?”
“Yes!” Jiang Banyue scratched her head in distress. “Shops are too expensive. I can’t afford them.”
The woman said, “Girl, I actually have a shop. It’s right on this street. If you like it, I’ll sell it to you for 2,000 yuan.”
Jiang Banyue looked at her suspiciously. “It’s that cheap? There’s nothing wrong with it, right?”
The woman waved her hand. “Ah, it’s not really a big problem. When it was built, we just made it taller than usual. Who knew it would end up too tall? The building is six meters high but less than sixty square meters in area. My family didn’t want to live in it, and shop owners didn’t want to buy it either, so it’s just been left there.”
Jiang Banyue’s eyes lit up. Being tall was actually good—she could build a two-story layout during renovation, living upstairs and running a shop downstairs.
“Is it really only 2,000 yuan? You won’t ask for more later, right?”
“No, no!” the woman said happily. It was just a useless little building anyway—getting 2,000 yuan was already a great deal.
Jiang Banyue also smiled happily.
“Auntie, please take me to see it. If it’s suitable, I’ll take it!”
“Alright, follow me.”
The woman led Jiang Banyue to the building. The surrounding area was filled with two-story houses, and from the outside, this one looked no different from the others. Inside, however, it was empty, less than sixty square meters, with a pile of clutter in one corner. Looking up, the ceiling was very high, like standing at the bottom of a well.
The woman said awkwardly, “I’ll clear all that clutter later.”
Jiang Banyue was very satisfied with the place. That same day, she paid and completed the transfer procedures. The woman happily took the 2,000 yuan home, while Jiang Banyue took the property certificate back, changed the lock, and secured the shop.
She decided to go home first. She needed to tell her family about the divorce.
Jiang Banyue’s parents were factory workers living in a cramped dormitory building. She was the second child in the family.
She had an older brother, Jiang Chenggong, 25 years old, also working at the factory. His wife, Li Mei, and they had a son and a daughter, living in factory-assigned housing.
She also had younger twin siblings: a boy named Jiang Qingfeng and a girl named Jiang Qingyue, both 18 and attending university.
Jiang Banyue herself was just 20. She had finished high school at 18 but failed to enter university. Her family was worried and planning to find her a job when her grandfather arranged a marriage for her.
It turned out Shen Yunhe’s grandfather and Jiang Banyue’s grandfather were old comrades-in-arms. At a veterans’ reunion, they talked about their families.
Shen Yunhe, already 25, was still unmarried. People his age already had children running around, which worried the Shen family greatly.
Jiang’s grandfather was also troubled—his eldest granddaughter hadn’t gotten into university and was trying to find work.
As the two old men chatted, they exchanged a knowing look with smiles—and just like that, the marriage was arranged.
Neither of the two people involved had any say in it. They were married in confusion.
And now, just over a year later, they were already divorcing. Jiang Banyue could already imagine her family’s reaction.
Forget it—either way, it would hurt. With determination, she headed home quickly.
As she reached the stairs, a neighbor carrying a child came down. Jiang Banyue stepped aside. The stairwell was narrow, the whole building shabby and at least over ten years old. Every morning, it was filled with noise—bangs, chatter, and loud voices from every household.
She stopped at her door, took a deep breath, and knocked gently.
“I’m here!” came her mother’s voice.
The door opened, and her mother joyfully shouted, “Oh my, Banyue is back!”
Her nickname was “Banban.”
Jiang Banyue walked in. Only her grandfather and father were home; her twin siblings were staying at school.
Her grandfather sat on the sofa wearing reading glasses, reading the newspaper, while her father was watering plants on the small balcony. When they saw her, they all stopped what they were doing.
Her mother asked, “Banban, why did you come back alone? Where’s Yunhe?”
Jiang Banyue lowered her head guiltily. Everyone was waiting for her answer. She quickly said:
“I got divorced!”
Her mother stood up in shock. Her father sat rigidly on the sofa, expression serious. Her grandfather didn’t hear clearly at first, but from their reactions, he realized something was wrong.
“What? What did you say? I didn’t hear you—say it again. What happened?”
“Grandpa… sorry. I divorced Shen Yunhe.”
The three elders exchanged looks, unsure what to say.
Her father asked heavily, “Why did you divorce?”
“Because I didn’t trust him. I thought he was getting close to another woman. We argued a lot, and he couldn’t take it anymore, so we divorced.”
Her grandfather looked at her angrily, disappointed.
“You’re being foolish! Yunhe is a responsible good boy. He would never do anything to wrong you. How could you divorce so casually?”
Her mother, angry and upset, retorted:
“If Shen Yunhe were really a responsible good man, why would he be getting close to another woman and making Banyue jealous? A married man should keep distance from all women. In the end, it’s his fault!”
Well said! Jiang Banyue almost applauded her mother.
The three elders reluctantly accepted the situation. At worst, she could remarry later. Their daughter was so pretty—how could she not find someone?
But Jiang Banyue didn’t give them any time to breathe before dropping another bombshell.
“I’m pregnant. Triplets. One month along.”
“What!” The grandfather and parents immediately jumped up.
“You’re pregnant and still got divorced? This is nonsense!”
“No, you must remarry! The children can’t be born without a father!”
Jiang Banyue quickly calmed them.
“Grandpa, Dad, Mom, listen to me. I bought a shop in the county town and plan to open a cake shop. I can earn money and take care of the babies myself.”
“It sounds easy,” her mother said anxiously. “How will you manage? Forget earning money—you won’t even have time to take care of three babies!”
“I can hire a nanny!”