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“Also, talk some sense into your daughter. She should just go back to the village—Jiangcheng isn’t the place for people like you. What, does she think she can keep her job if that crippled husband of hers dies one day?”
With that, Zhao Yumei stepped around the broken glass shards in her high heels and left.
Chen Shuyun’s body gave out. She braced herself against the table, bowed her head, and silent tears dripped onto the tabletop. Her shoulders trembled slightly. She couldn’t understand—just couldn’t figure out why things had come to this.
Back when she married Su Jianshe, he had promised her a good life. He’d told her she was kind, that she was the only one who treated him well in Shangyang Village. Even when he left for the city, he said he’d come back to get her and their daughter, Yingying. So why had he changed? Was it just because that other woman looked better?
She thought and thought, but her mind was a mess, and no answer came.
After a few deep breaths, she crouched down to clean up the broken glass. Some tiny shards pierced her fingers and drew blood, but she didn’t feel a thing.
That woman had said to go finalize the divorce tomorrow. Chen Shuyun was always someone who put others before herself. Now that Su Jianshe had a new family and clearly didn’t like her anymore, if he insisted on a divorce, she wouldn’t cling on. But she did think it was something she should discuss with Su Ying first.
Only… she didn’t know where Su Ying was anymore. Where exactly had she married into? All she knew was something about a military family housing complex. She figured she should go out and try to find it.
But in the end, she didn’t find anything.
A rural woman, unfamiliar with Jiangcheng, timid by nature—she didn’t even dare ask people for directions. By the time it got dark, she still hadn’t found the family housing area and could only return to the shared housing unit.
That evening, Su Jianshe came home to find Zhao Yumei already telling him to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau the next day for the divorce paperwork.
He looked at her in surprise.
“Tomorrow? That soon?”
Zhao Yumei paused folding clothes and looked up at him.
“What, you don’t want to divorce her? Planning to go back and live with her now?”
Su Jianshe sighed helplessly.
“Oh come on, don’t say that. You know you and Xiaohan are who I care about the most—you two are my real family. I just find it hard to believe that stubborn Chen Shuyun actually agreed to a divorce.”
Zhao Yumei snorted disdainfully.
“And why wouldn’t she agree? Has she even looked at herself? Does she look like a factory director’s wife? Isn’t she just an embarrassment to you? And her daughter went and married a cripple, for god’s sake. Besides, now that we’re in with the state-run textile factory, we don’t need her anymore. Better to get them out of sight quickly.”
Su Jianshe nodded.
Indeed, Su Ying was no longer of much use. Still, he was worried. Given Su Ying’s troublemaking personality, what if she caused a scene at the textile factory in defense of her mother?
Zhao Yumei knew him too well. After all these years together, she understood his cautious, hesitant nature. She smiled and reassured him:
“Don’t worry. That wild girl from the countryside is now living in the military family housing. If she dares stir up trouble, she won’t just be embarrassing us—those old soldiers won’t let her get away with it.”
Su Jianshe thought about it and found her reasoning sound, so he relaxed.
“Alright, I’ll go after my morning meeting tomorrow. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get married and give Xiaohan a proper family.”
In her room, Su Xiaohan overheard everything and couldn’t hide her joy. She was eager to become Su Jianshe’s real daughter. And she needed to secure his position as factory director—only then would she have the social standing to marry someone like Zhou Xubei in the future.
Thinking of this, she set down her pen and opened the door.
“Dad, did you know Su Ying is working at a hospital now?”
Su Jianshe’s face softened the moment he saw Su Xiaohan. His expression was filled with affection, clearly showing how much he favored this stepdaughter.
“Oh? A hospital? That’s not bad. Makes it convenient to get her medicine too.”
Su Xiaohan gave Zhao Yumei a glance.
Zhao Yumei instantly caught on, put the folded clothes into the wardrobe, and turned to Su Jianshe.
“What’s good about it? She’s never studied medicine. What if she gives someone the wrong prescription or makes a mistake? Who’s going to take responsibility? That’s exactly why I want you to hurry up and divorce her mother. If she causes any trouble, it won’t be your problem anymore, right?”
Su Jianshe’s expression darkened. After a moment of thought, he realized she had a point.
Su Ying was just some village girl who’d gone to school for a bit. She hadn’t even attended university. Hospitals weren’t the kind of place just anyone could work. Even if she got in through connections, if something happened, no one could protect her—and it might implicate others.
The idea that he might one day get dragged down because of Su Ying made him uneasy. He needed to talk to her—and he had to finalize the divorce with Chen Shuyun soon. Even after that, he’d still have to convince Su Ying to quit her job. It was too risky.
Zhao Yumei noticed his change in expression and exchanged a satisfied glance with Su Xiaohan.
Then she put on a stern face.
“Xiaohan, you have to study hard. Your father and I are counting on you. No matter what you do, don’t be too impulsive. People who aim too high usually fall the hardest.”
Su Xiaohan obediently nodded.
“Yes, I understand, Mom. I’ll get back to my studying now.”
The more Su Jianshe looked at her, the more satisfied he felt. This daughter would definitely go far. Unlike Su Ying—who was like a ticking time bomb. He had made up his mind: if she didn’t listen, he’d force her to quit. He was her father, after all—surely he had the final say?
At the family compound.
Su Ying had come home that afternoon planning to help Gu Jinghong bathe—only to be shooed away by him and told to let Du Feng handle it.
She stood in the living room, speechless. Was this man really turning on her that quickly? Before Du Feng came, she’d been the one washing him, and he had been quite cooperative.
Although he didn’t let her help with baths, he had been meticulous when she helped him wipe down.
Du Feng carried Gu Jinghong into the bathroom. Su Ying offered to help with undressing, but Du Feng politely closed the door.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll take care of it. The commander is shy.”
Su Ying’s lips twitched. Shy?
Come to think of it… every time she had wiped him down, Gu Jinghong’s face would flush, and his ears would turn red. He was shy.
Fine then. Du Feng seemed like a decent guy. After returning, she’d checked the sheets and Gu Jinghong’s clothes—everything was clean and dry. Clearly, he was changing frequently.
Perhaps because he’d been too busy taking care of Gu Jinghong, Du Feng hadn’t managed to cook dinner yet.
Su Ying rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen. She kneaded some dough to make hand-pulled noodles. There were eggplants, eggs, and tomatoes in the house—enough to make two different noodle sauces. Surely the commander would like at least one of them?
Although from what she’d seen the past few days, he did seem a little picky.