◎ First update ◎ 

“Did you smash it?” Zhou Guoping thought he must have misheard. How could Liu Nianhua have smashed the plaque that was given to them as a Model Family? 

And why was there something strange in her tone just now? It felt colder than the weather. Her cold expression was uncomfortable to see at night. 

Liu Nianhua seemed not to be in good condition again. She picked up the broken plaque on the ground and threw it into the trash basket next to the stove. There were a few rotten vegetable leaves on it. “Oh, it’s not really smashed. I don’t know when the plaque fell to the ground. I didn’t pay attention when I came out, and I stepped on it and broke it into two pieces.” 

“Why did you it throw away?” Zhou Guoping watched the plaque fall into the basket with a clang, feeling extremely distressed. He didn’t have time to care about Liu Nianhua stepping on it and breaking it. He quickly went forward to pick up the plaque, rubbed it a few times, and muttered, “I’ll stick it back up tomorrow.” 

This ‘Model Family’ plaque was his pride. In Crescent Alley, who didn’t know their family? Who didn’t know he was a good man? 

Zhou Guoping put the plaque in his trouser pocket and went inside their house. 

Liu Nianhua looked at Zhou Guoping’s cautious movements indifferently and became more and more disappointed. It seemed that this plaque was more important to him than she was. 

*** 

Liang Baozhen lay on the bed, lost in thought. 

What Liu Nianhua said today shocked her greatly. It was true that one could not only judge a person by their appearance. Could Zhou Guoping really be this kind of person? She was sure no one would believe it if she told them now. 

When Xu Shengjie returned to the room, he saw his wife with a serious expression and staring off into space. 

“What’s wrong?” After closing the door, Xu Shengjie also lay on the bed and touched Baozhen’s cheek, but Baozhen was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t respond at all. “What are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought.” 

Liang Baozhen finally came back to her senses after being called several times. She was still thinking about what Zhou Guoping had done, and blurted out, “Why are men like this?” 

Xu Shengjie: ? 

“What happened?” Xu Shengjie had never seen Liang Baozhen like this since he met her. Her face was frowning, and her eyebrows were knitted together. It was obvious that something was wrong. “Did someone bully you?” 

Xu Shengjie sat up straight instantly. Could it be that Chen Siming was bothering her again? 

“No, it has nothing to do with me.” 

Hearing this, Xu Shengjie relaxed and leaned back against the headboard. “Then why are you so upset?” 

Liang Baozhen turned around and told Xu Shengjie what Liu Nianhua had said. It was not for any other reason but because the two of them had discussed it today and decided to ask Xu Shengjie for help! 

Liu Nianhua was determined not to continue living with Zhou Guoping, but she wanted to keep the job and the children, and she had no one to help her. Liang Baozhen was there to help but if they have Xu Shengjie that’s much better. 

As a retired soldier, Liu Nianhua trusted him. 

Liang Baozhen recalled the information in the book and felt that Liu Nianhua was quite similar to herself in the book, and she could empathize with her because of that. That’s why she needed to help, there’s no guarantee that Zhou Guoping might be the next Chen Siming. 

After discussing Zhou Guoping’s behavior, Liang Baozhen looked at Xu Shengjie while checking his expression. “Look at this. Is this something a person would do?” 

Xu Shengjie didn’t have much contact with the neighbors in the courtyard. It had not been long since he returned from the military. He had met Zhou Guoping several times. This man was always polite to him, and he didn’t expect that he would do such a thing as messing around outside. 

“He’s definitely not a good person.” Xu Shengjie thought of Liu Nianhua, who worked very hard to take care of her family, but he didn’t expect her to end up with a man like this. “Do you mean you want to help Sister Hua get a divorce?”  

“Yes, she doesn’t want to live with Zhou Guoping anymore. But back then, Zhou Guoping took over her father’s job, so now she needs Zhou Guoping to voluntarily give it up.” Liang Baozhen had been thinking all night. “And there are Xiao Long and Xiao Hu. They are still young, and Liu Nianhua doesn’t want Zhou Guoping to take them away.” 

Liang Baozhen expressed Liu Nianhua’s concerns. 

She had no one to rely on. Now that she knew the place where Zhou Guoping and his affair Wang Fang had their meeting, she could either go to their house and make a scene or better yet, report the matter to the bus team. Now that work style issues were being strictly enforced, Zhou Guoping’s job would be at risk, and he would definitely be fired. But if Zhou Guoping and Wang Fang were caught in an affair and was only taken to the policed, Liu Nianhua wouldn’t get the job back. 

Xiao Long and Xiao Hu would also be known throughout the courtyard and even the entire school as the children of someone involved in an affair. 

Liu Nianhua was a person who needed to think things through clearly. She was in a difficult situation now, and a small misstep could lead to disaster. 

That night, Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengjie discussed the matter for a long time. After work the next day, they went to Liu Nianhua to discuss the solution. The three of them waited for Zhou Guoping to go out again. 

*** 

Recently, Zhou Guoping had been feeling pleased. Wang Fang’s man wouldn’t be back for another seven days, so he used any free time to sneak out at night to fool around with Wang Fang. 

His “Model Family” plaque was put back up, and although there was a gap in the middle, it didn’t matter much. 

At night, everyone in the courtyard had gone to bed. The weather was getting colder, and it was getting dark earlier than usual, so everyone rushed to bed and went to sleep early. 

“Nianhua? Nianhua?” Zhou Guoping called his wife softly while lying on his side. 

There was no movement and no response. 

Zhou Guoping smiled with satisfaction, got out of bed, put on his shoes, and walked out. 

Wang Fang was his aunt’s cousin. They knew each other before, but they were not very close. After being married for two years and growing increasingly frustrated with the repetitive work of driving a bus and watching his once young and beautiful wife gradually lost her youthful vitality, Wang Fang suddenly came in. 

Wang Fang wasn’t as beautiful as Liu Nianhua before marriage, but she had a certain allure, especially in recent years after marriage. Her man wasn’t home much. At first, it was fine, but over time, loneliness became unbearable. When they met on the street—one irritated by his aging wife at home, and the other waiting alone—there was an undeniable connection. 

Over time, they started an affair. 

The two of them had cooperated very well. When Wang Fang’s husband went out for a long-distance trip, Zhou Guoping would come to her house in the middle of the night. For convenience, Wang Fang simply gave him a key. 

The key was inserted into the lock and with a click, the door opened. 

Zhou Guoping entered the room, closed the door, and went straight to the bedroom. 

Wang Fang’s soft voice came through, “Why did you come so late?” 

“I got delayed a bit.” As he spoke, Zhou Guoping unfastened his belt, moved quickly through the cold air, got to bed, and warmed up. 

*** 

As soon as Zhou Guoping left the house, Liu Nianhua opened her eyes. Her heart was in agony. She calculated that he should have left the courtyard by now, so she hurriedly went to Xu’s house to inform Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen. 

The three of them decided to catch him in the act that night. 

Arriving at the tube-shaped building, the three of them went upstairs quietly. The door of Wang Fang’s house was closed. Xu Shengjie took out a piece of wire from his pocket and aimed it at the keyhole. This skill was taught to him by Hong Saner. 

Hong Saner was mischievous as a child and often got into trouble. His family would lock him in the house when they went out to work. As a result, he figured out a way to open the lock with a piece of wire so he could go outside. 

With a click, the door opened. 

Liu Nianhua looked at the darkness in the room and heard a faint flirtatious sound. She closed her eyes and opened them again; her hands were clenched so tightly that blood marks appeared on her palms.

 

Xu Shengjie shone the flashlight they brought towards the bedroom, but he was worried that it might defile their eyes, especially his wife’s. 

“Who’s there?” 

Zhou Guoping was hugging Wang Fang tenderly when suddenly a bright light came in. Both their faces changed instantly, and they dared not to make a sound. 

“Could Zhao Qiang be back?” Wang Fang was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat and grabbed Zhou Guoping’s arm. “What should we do?” 

“Shh, let me take a look.” Seeing Wang Fang panicking, Zhou Guoping immediately put on his manly attitude, picked up the cotton trousers that had fallen on the ground, and hastily put them on. 

Just as he put on his pants, Zhou Guoping was startled when someone appeared. 

Liu Nianhua stood at the door of the bedroom, pushed Zhou Guoping down and furiously hit him with anything she could find, “Zhou Guoping, are you worthy of me?” 

The kerosene lamp in the living room then lit up, and Zhou Guoping saw his wife Liu Nianhua through the dim light! 

“Nian…Nianhua?” His voice trembled. Zhou Guoping saw her looking at him coldly, and there was despair and numbness in her eyes.  

“Zhou Guoping, is this how you treat me?” Liu Nianhua had thought for a long time about how to scold this man at this moment, but when the time came, she found that even speaking was difficult. 

“So it’s your wife?” Wang Fang looked up when she heard the noise and finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as her man didn’t find out, everything would be fine. 

Zhao Qiang wasn’t as good-looking or as considerate as Zhou Guoping, but he was capable of making money. 

Wang Fang was still reluctant to lose such a man who could give her a good life. 

Besides, Zhao Qiang is definitely much more ruthless than Liu Nianhua, who was useless. 

“Then you can talk outside. Bring your wife back yourself. I’m going to bed.” Wang Fang knew Liu Nianhua well—she was someone who struggled to stand up for herself. To put it kindly, she had a good temperament, but bluntly speaking, she was a coward. 

Zhou Guoping naturally had ways to handle his wife. 

After this interruption, Zhou Guoping calmed down. Although it was troublesome that Liu Nianhua discovered him, he knew that if he comforted her a few more times, it would be fine. 

A woman who depended on him cannot make too much trouble. 

“Nianhua, listen to me. Let’s go home and talk.” The most urgent thing is to take her away first and never let the people nearby find out. As long as this didn’t escalate, everything would be fine! 

When Liu Nianhua heard Wang Fang’s contempt for her, she felt that her life was indeed miserable and that she had been truly blind! 

“Whatever needs to be said can be said here.” Liu Nianhua looked at Zhou Guoping’s disheveled appearance and sneered. “Since you dare to fool around with Wang Fang, are you afraid of being seen? Should I wake everyone else in this building to have a look?” 

“Don’t!” Zhou Guoping was not afraid of Liu Nianhua making a scene, but he was afraid of being discovered by others. If she made a scene, he would probably lose his job. 

So, as long as he could calm Liu Nianhua down, everything would be safe. 

“Nianhua, this is a misunderstanding. Wang Fang’s man went out to drive, and her water pipe broke, so I came to fix it. We ended up drunk and did something foolish. You know that I have nothing to say to you. I work so hard just because I want you and the children to live a good life.” Zhou Guoping’s face was full of regret, and he was almost crying. 

“Repairing the water pipe in the middle of the night?” Liang Baozhen asked suddenly, her words full of sarcasm. 

Zhou Guoping glanced at Liang Baozhen next to Liu Nianhua and Xu Shengjie standing at the door. He didn’t expect that his wife had become so capable that she even knew to find help. 

“Xiao Liang, this is our family affair, it’s not appropriate for outsiders to interfere. You and Xiao Xu should head back now.” 

“Zhou Guoping.” Liang Baozhen felt sick when she saw him pretending. Liu Nianhua’s body was shaking slightly, and she was obviously angry. “Sister Hua and I are as close as sisters. If something is wrong with her family, how can I be an outsider?” 

“You!” Zhou Guoping didn’t want to waste words with outsiders. The most important thing was to calm Liu Nianhua. 

Turning to look at Liu Nianhua, his expression changed again, “Nianhua, think about it, we have been married for so many years, haven’t I treated you well? Who in the courtyard doesn’t praise you for marrying a good man? You should know it yourself! This time, we were really drunk and confused… Please, just forgive me this once.” 

“Just once?” Liu Nianhua couldn’t believe how Zhou Guoping could lie so easily. He wasn’t like this before. “Didn’t you just come here five days ago?” 

Zhou Guoping’s eyes widened, and his face turned pale. He immediately understood that his wife had discovered it long ago. 

Liu Nianhua thought about how they had been married for many years and how good her family had been to him. Her father used his connections to help him get a driving license, a skill that many people want to achieve. Then he gave him his job, and Zhou Guoping, a man with nothing, became a bus driver that everyone envied. 

Her mother was also very kind to him. She often worried about how tired her son-in-law was from driving and would buy him some meat and ribs to stew from time to time. 

As for herself, she lived frugally for the sake of this family. Knowing that he worked hard, she spent every penny carefully. But this guy ended up spending ten yuan to buy a silk scarf for Wang Fang! 

Smack! 

Liu Nianhua slapped Zhou Guoping in the face and said viciously, “Zhou Guoping, are you worthy of me? Are you worthy of my parents?” 

It was the first time in Liu Nianhua’s life that she hit someone, and she didn’t expect that she would hit her own husband in the face. 

Seeing Zhou Guoping’s stunned look, she wiped away her tears and said coldly, “Let’s get a divorce.” 

“Nianhua! No, how can we get divorced?” Zhou Guoping was stunned by the word “divorce” and didn’t care about the burning slap. 

However, Liu Nianhua had not finished speaking. 

“The job and the kids belong to me. Just get out of here!”