“Old Lin and his wife haven’t come back yet. Could it be that they really got divorced?” Aunt Zhao, who was pouring the dishwater into the drain, looked up at the gate of the yard and said.

“Can’t be, maybe they’ve reconciled and gone to the state-run store for a meal,” Xiaochun’s mother said.

“That’s possible.”

As the neighbors were talking, they saw Li Shuping, full of energy, walking into the yard, looking as if she had received some great news.

Then came the dejected Lin Yongnian.

Xiaochun’s mother smiled and said to the neighbors, “Looks like Old Lin had to lower his head to Guodong’s mother first. Old Lin is still being controlled by her.”

The others agreed, and Ma Gong, who worked in the same factory as Lin Guodong, teased him first, “Old Lin, one divorce, and you’re already scared of her. You look like you’ve been forced to pay a hefty price for the land!”

Other neighbors also laughed.

“Lin Master, it’s okay. Lowering your head to your own wife isn’t shameful.”

“Exactly.”

Lin Yongnian lowered his head and said nothing, passing Old Madam Li and heading back home.

“You shouldn’t joke like that, look, now Old Lin is upset,” Ma Gong’s wife hit his arm.

“Guodong’s mother? How did your Old Lin lower his head to you? Tell us,” Xiaochun’s mother, who loved to stir up trouble, asked.

Old Madam Li pulled out a green booklet from her pocket, “Comrade Lin Yongnian and I are officially divorced.”

Everyone was stunned.

“Really… really divorced?” Aunt Zhao stammered.

Old Madam Li nodded. “Freshly issued divorce certificate, still warm.”

The neighbors were shocked, they had originally thought Old Madam Li was just making a fuss to get Old Lin to lower his head, but unexpectedly, she had really divorced him and even called him “comrade.”

Lin Xiaoyu, sitting on the bed reading, saw her father come back and quickly stood up, calling out, “Dad.”

“Where’s Mom?” she asked.

Lin Yongnian gave her a glance and sat down on the cool chair without saying a word.

“Dad,” Lin Jianshe, hearing his father had come back, came out with Liu Qin from their room.

“How did it go? Did Mom change her mind?” Lin Jianshe asked with a smile.

Lin Yongnian glared at him impatiently.

It was he who said his mom was just scaring him, and that’s why he followed suit and mentioned divorce.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Lin Jianshe felt that his father’s expression seemed a bit off.

Lin Yongnian took the divorce certificate out of his coat pocket and slammed it down on the long table in front of him.

Lin Jianshe and Liu Qin stared at the big words “Divorce Certificate” on the green booklet, stunned. “I… You really divorced Mom?”

Lin Yongnian angrily slammed the table and said, “The divorce certificate is right here. How can it be fake?”

Lin Jianshe knew his dad was blaming him, but how could this be his fault?

His mom seemed like she was just trying to scare them, and he never expected she would really go through with the divorce.

Liu Qin, who had been waiting for her mother-in-law’s joke, now found herself in the position of laughing at her father-in-law. It was obvious he didn’t want the divorce.

Lin Xiaoyu looked at the divorce certificate on the table.

Mom and Dad had divorced.

Mom had said that as long as she had her, she would leave with her.

Did that mean she was going to leave this home with Mom?

She had heard people say that once a couple divorces, they are considered two separate families and should live apart.

“Dad, don’t worry, Mom will definitely regret it. It won’t be long before she comes back to remarry you,” Lin Jianshe said confidently.

Lin Yongnian stared at his second son without speaking.

He had said the same thing not long ago.

“This house is allocated to you by the steel factory. Since Mom and you are divorced, she should move out. She has no job and nowhere to go. In a few days, she’ll come crawling back to apologize and remarry you.”

Lin Jianshe still believed that his mom didn’t really want the divorce.

She probably just wanted to pressure his dad, but things had gone too far, and now she was stuck with the divorce.

Old Madam Li stood at the door, listening to Lin Jianshe’s speech, wishing she had thrown him into the latrine when she gave birth to him.

When she gave birth to Lin Jianshe, she was on the toilet.

At that time, food was scarce, and they ate a lot of grains, which caused constipation.

She was straining when her water broke, and the baby had to come out.

She feared the baby might fall into the toilet, so she endured the pain and got up to leave the bathroom.

If she had known, she would have just pushed him into the latrine.

“Mom,” Lin Xiaoyu called out to the door.

“Mom?” Lin Jianshe turned his head and saw his mom with a mocking smile on her face, gazing at him with a half-smile.

He nervously swallowed and called out again, “Mom.”

Liu Qin didn’t call her mother-in-law.

Since she hadn’t given her any red envelopes, she wasn’t going to call her.

If she had given her a hundred-yuan red envelope, maybe she would have considered it.

Old Madam Li sneered, “You don’t need to chase me out. I’ll go to the housing office this afternoon to rent a place. I definitely won’t stay in your house.”

Lin Jianshe rubbed the back of his neck, “Mom, what are you saying? This is still your home.”

Old Madam Li replied, “Not anymore. Now that the marriage is over, we are two separate families. Xiaoyu and I are one family, and you are another.”

After saying that, Old Madam Li went inside, taking out the money she had hidden earlier.

She sat at the table, unfolded a handkerchief, and said, “According to the divorce agreement, the savings in the house are to be split evenly between us.”

“Here’s eight hundred and twenty yuan. We’ll each get four hundred and ten.”

Old Madam Li was about to push Lin Yongnian’s share toward him when Liu Qin spoke up, “The money can’t be divided like this. It’s just you and Xiaoyu, but Dad has a whole family to support.”

There are more of them, so how can it be split evenly?

“Then how do you suggest we split it?” Old Madam Li asked, looking at Liu Qin with interest.

Liu Qin cleared her throat, “This money belongs to the family, so it should be divided equally by headcount.”

“Bah.” Old Madam Li spat at Liu Qin’s face. “You’re talking nonsense. This money was saved by me and Lin Yongnian from our hard-earned wages over the years. When did it become yours or anyone else’s?”

Liu Qin wiped her face with her eyes closed, then grabbed Lin Jianshe’s sleeve to complain, “Jianshe, look at your mom.”

Lin Jianshe was about to speak, but Old Madam Li interrupted, “Shut up, you ungrateful little wretch.”

She pointed at his nose and cursed.

“…”

Lin Jianshe angrily closed his mouth.

“This money is from me and Lin Yongnian’s marital property. Now that we’re divorced, the money, whether by law or by reason, belongs to us to split. The number of people doesn’t matter, and you have no share of it!” Old Madam Li tapped the table with her finger.

Liu Qin disagreed, “Don’t the wages of big brother, his wife, and Jianshe count in this?”

“Of course not.” Old Madam Li said, “Lin Guodong and his wife didn’t even contribute to my work. They’ve only worked for two months, and they haven’t even paid any living expenses.”

“Really?”

Liu Qin looked at Lin Jianshe, and he nodded.

At home, it seemed his mom was the one who handled everything, buying groceries and cooking.

Both his mom and dad had high salaries, so there was no lack of money, and his older brother and his wife never contributed any living expenses.

“…”

Liu Qin was silent.

She didn’t know the Lin family was in such a situation.

In their own home, no matter who earned the money, it was all managed by her mother, and she only got to keep three yuan out of her eighteen yuan monthly salary.