Returning to Yard No. 18, Aunt Wang immediately pulled Old Madam Li into her home.

“Shuping, it’s really over, huh?”

She wasn’t home at noon, but when she came back, she heard people in the courtyard say that Shuping and her husband had divorced.

She knew Shuping was serious, but she didn’t expect it to actually happen—and so quickly, too.

“It’s really over,” Old Madam Li said with great relief.

They say it’s better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage, but since her old sister had already divorced, there was nothing left to advise.

“So, what are you planning to do now?” Aunt Wang only worried about her old sister’s life, especially since her work had been transferred to Lin Jianshe, that ungrateful guy.

If she hadn’t transferred, she would still be a garment factory employee and might have gotten housing arranged by the factory.

Now, even a place to live was a problem.

Old Madam Li said, “I was lucky—I already rented a place from the housing authority. It’s at Yard No. 23. I’m moving there tomorrow.”

“Oh right, isn’t your eldest son-in-law working at the furniture factory? I want to buy some furniture.”

Aunt Wang didn’t expect she’d moved so fast, even renting a house already.

Fortunately, it was nearby, so they could still meet often.

“Alright, I’ll take you to the furniture factory tomorrow to see him. You can even get the employee discount.”

…

Back home, Lin Xiaoyu had already packed her things.

She didn’t have much, just wrapped in an old bedsheet.

Old Madam Li had packed some of her own things but hadn’t finished yet.

Old Madam. Li said, “Mom already rented the house at Yard No. 23, in our lane. After dinner, we’ll go clean it up. Tomorrow I’ll get someone to help move. When you come home from school tonight, just go straight to Yard No. 23.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded in agreement.

Old Madam Li went into her and Lin Yongnian’s room to pack and saw Lin Yongnian lying asleep on the bed.

She didn’t bother him and quietly opened the closet to pack her things.

Nowadays, everyone’s belongings were few, and Old Madam Li was particularly thrifty.

She only had two or three sets of clothes per season to change and wash, so packing didn’t take much.

She didn’t plan to take the old bedding with her—those blankets had been used for many years, and the cotton wasn’t warm anymore.

She planned to buy new ones tomorrow.

Listening to Old Madam Li packing, Lin Yongnian felt uncomfortable, but as a man’s pride and dignity stopped him from speaking up to try to keep her.

After packing, it was almost dark.

Old Madam Li took Lin Xiaoyu to the state-run restaurant for dinner.

Just as they reached the yard’s gate, they bumped into Lin Jianshe and his wife coming back from outside.

“Mom, it’s already dark—where are you taking little sister?”

Old Madam Li ignored him and pulled Lin Xiaoyu along.

Liu Qin curled her lips, mocking Lin Jianshe: “She don’t even see you as a son anymore, and you still call her ‘Mom’? Never seen such a mother.”

Lin Jianshe frowned.

Even if his mom treated him badly, she was still his mom, right?

His mom was heartless, but he couldn’t be unfilial.

The two returned home and saw two large packed bundles already on the floor.

Liu Qin said, “They really are moving. If they’re capable, they should move out tonight.”

Who knows where they’ll end up?

If the old lady was still a garment factory employee, the factory might arrange housing.

But city housing was so tight, it wasn’t easy to rent.

At that moment, Lin Yongnian came out of the partition room, his face very gloomy.

“Dad, where is Mom moving to?” Lin Jianshe asked.

“To Yard No. 23. She’s already rented the house and will move tomorrow,” Lin Yongnian said, sitting down on the cool bench.

Liu Qin was speechless.

She couldn’t believe the old woman was lucky enough to rent a place.

Lin Jianshe said, “The people living in Yard No. 23 are a mixed bunch, none are easy to deal with. I heard there are even thieves living there, and things keep getting stolen. The residents aren’t as kind as the neighbors in our yard who’ve lived here for decades. Mom is an old woman bringing little sister with no man to back her up—she’s bound to be bullied.”

“When she gets bullied, she’ll realize how good she had it here and will come back crying soon enough,” Lin Jianshe said confidently, folding his arms.

“Old man, you better toughen up too. Don’t go soft just because she cries and agree to let her come back home. Otherwise, she’ll keep causing trouble,” Lin Jianshe patted Lin Yongnian on the shoulder.

Lin Yongnian said gruffly, “No need for you to say that.”

Li Shuping, this old lady who wouldn’t live a good life, insisted on making things this bad.

Let her go live that hard life and get bullied; only then will she know how good things were at home and how good Lin Yongnian treated her.

…

“Ah-choo, ah-choo…” Old Madam Li sneezed twice just as they were about to enter the state-run restaurant.

“Mom, are you catching a cold?” Lin Xiaoyu asked worriedly.

Old Madam Li rubbed her nose, gritting her teeth, “No, it’s definitely your dad and your second brother cursing me.”

Lin Xiaoyu was speechless.

…

“Dad, what are we eating tonight?” Lin Jianshe was hungry.

Lin Yongnian glanced toward the kitchen, “There’s rice and noodles in the kitchen. Just cook it.”

Lin Jianshe nudged Liu Qin to go cook, but Liu Qin was unhappy, pouting as if she could hang an oil lamp from her mouth.

Lin Jianshe pushed her again, and she stomped to the kitchen.

Lin Yongnian frowned—he spent so much on the bride price and yet she was unhappy about cooking a meal.

He wondered how her parents had raised her.

Liu Qin used a kerosene stove to cook three bowls of egg noodles. Lin Jianshe took the noodles to the main room.

“Dad, try Qin Qin’s cooking.”

Lin Yongnian was very hungry and picked up his chopsticks to eat, but after one bite, he frowned, saying, “Not as good as your mom’s noodles.”

Liu Qin was immediately upset by that and sat heavily beside Lin Jianshe, placing the bowl down hard.

Lin Jianshe thought it wasn’t as good as his mom’s cooking either but didn’t want to upset Liu Qin, so he ate heartily and said, “It’s good. I think it’s even better than Mom’s.”

Lin Yongnian was speechless.

His tongue must be broken; he couldn’t tell good from bad.

…

Old Madam Li and Lin Xiaoyu ate braised pork at the state-run restaurant.

After eating, the mother and daughter went to clean Yard No. 23.

Since everyone in the yard was cooking at home, they didn’t run into anyone.

The room was small and cleaning was quick. In less than half an hour, it was spotless.

At 7:30 pm, the Zhang family still hadn’t started dinner.

The reason was that Zhang Daqiang and Zhang Erqiang, who worked at the shoe factory, were still working overtime and hadn’t returned.

Lin Guodong sat on a stool holding his son Junjun, who rubbed his belly and said, “Dad, Junjun is hungry.”

Lin Guodong was hungry too. “Wait a little longer; uncle and second uncle aren’t back yet.”

Zhang Jiao didn’t want her son to go hungry and said to her mom, “Mom, why don’t we eat first and save some for big brother and second brother?”

Before Zhang’s mother could respond, Zhang’s eldest sister-in-law sharply said, “Da Qiang and the second brother are the pillars of the family. We eat when they get home. That’s the rule and it can’t be broken. Didn’t Da Bao and Er Bao also wait?”

Da Bao and Er Bao were Zhang family’s two grandsons, one from each branch.

Zhang Jiao was speechless and glanced at the two nephews who had just eaten some biscuits.

Her son Junjun hadn’t had anything.

When the eldest sister-in-law gave the kids biscuits, Junjun looked on longingly, but she only gave two pieces and didn’t break one for Junjun.

Zhang Jiao often took things for her maternal home, yet her own child couldn’t even get half a biscuit there.

She felt deeply heartbroken.

Zhang’s second sister-in-law also said, “That’s just the rule in our family, set by our parents. Jiao Jiao, if you don’t want to wait, you can take Junjun and your brother-in-law back to your own home.”

They’ve eaten at her maternal home several times already and still haven’t left?

And they bring the husband and child along?

Never seen anyone so shameless.