Chapter 5

In this era, no one would associate divorce with good news. People believed that “divorce brings disgrace,” and that divorced women were considered unlucky.

But Ye Ermei clearly wasn’t one of these people. After processing what was said, her face lit up with joy, and she clapped her hands, praising, “Good! Yang Ligang is a piece of trash. You should have divorced him earlier.”

Seeing Ye Ermei, Ye Xiaoyu’s memory of her second sister became more vivid. She smiled, her eyes narrowing, and said, “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad for now. Help me keep it a secret until it’s finalized, then we can tell them.”

“Knowing Mom, she’ll definitely cry when she finds out you’re getting a divorce,” Ye Ermei sighed deeply. “Fine, I’ll help you keep it a secret. Once it’s all done, and the rice is cooked, they won’t be able to do anything about it!”

The Ye family had four children: the eldest, Ye Dashan; the second, Ye Ermei; the third, Ye Sanying; and the youngest, Ye Xiaoyu. Except for Ye Ermei and Ye Xiaoyu, who had married into the city, Ye Dashan was the village chief, and Ye Sanying worked as a driver in the county.

Yes, Yanjing (Beijing) wasn’t all rich. In the 1980s, there were still fields in the second and third rings, and some counties hadn’t been upgraded to districts. The suburbs still had poor towns and villages. However, the Ye family’s future prosperity was secure.

Not to mention the farmland in the village, which would provide for Ye Xiaoyu’s parents for the rest of their lives.

But that’s another story. Their parents, like most families of that time, had traditional values.

If they knew Ye Xiaoyu was getting a divorce, they would definitely not approve. In their generation, divorce was rare, and they stubbornly believed that any problems between a married couple could be worked out, “even for the sake of the children”—thinking things would improve when the kids grew up.

In addition to their traditional beliefs, Ye Xiaoyu’s parents were good to their four children. Otherwise, Ye Ermei and Ye Xiaoyu wouldn’t have been able to go to school. The eldest, Ye Dashan, had the lowest education, only finishing elementary school, mainly because he was poor at learning and didn’t want to go to middle school.

They raised their daughters in what they thought was the best way, making the “I’m doing this for your own good” mistake.

As they got older, it was harder to change their outdated thinking.

Seeing that Ye Ermei was supportive, Ye Xiaoyu seized the opportunity to ask for help: “Sister, there’s one more thing I need help with today. Yang Ligang committed adultery during the marriage, and I have all the evidence. Even if we can’t make him leave with nothing, we need to make sure he suffers. I need your and your husband’s help.”

Ye Ermei immediately pledged to help without hesitation.

Ye Xiaoyu briefly explained her plan, and most of it was ready. The only thing left was to ask her second sister and brother-in-law to find a few strong men to help her confront Yang Ligang and force him into a divorce in a few days. The stronger and more intimidating, the better.

Ye Xiaoyu had considered hiring others, but for something like a quick divorce, she didn’t trust strangers. If she couldn’t find reliable people through her second sister, she would have to carefully choose from trustworthy strangers.

“No problem. That soft shrimp Yang Ligang? Your brother-in-law will scare the hell out of him with a straight face.”

Ye Xiaoyu’s brother-in-law, Zhao Qing, worked as a machinist in a state-owned factory. He was cheerful, loyal, and had many friends. He and Ye Ermei were from the same place and had been high school sweethearts, which made him very good to her, especially caring for their precious daughter, Tian Niu.

Zhao’s parents had many children and weren’t lacking in sons or daughters. Once Zhao Qing found a job, he was sent away, and they didn’t interfere with their small family. Over the years, Ye Ermei (Second Sister) had lived a relatively smooth life.

At lunch, Zhao Qing returned.

Upon seeing Ye Xiaoyu, he greeted her warmly. After hearing about her situation from Ye Ermei, he was very indignant, cursing several times: “The crackdown is so severe now, and they’re not even distinguishing between men and women. Five years ago, this would have been reported to the police.”

After a pause, he continued, “Since the law no longer has the charge of hooliganism, we can’t do anything illegal either.”

Ye Xiaoyu understood what he was emphasizing and nodded. “Of course, I won’t do anything extreme like murder or arson, just need your help to intimidate him a little.”

Zhao Qing replied, “We’ll take care of it in two days. Leave this to me.”

Ye Xiaoyu thanked him profusely.

“This is your brother-in-law. Why are you two being so polite?” Ye Ermei smiled and handed Ye Xiaoyu a large chicken leg. “Eat more.”

“Your cooking skills are getting better and better,” Ye Xiaoyu said, biting into the tender chicken leg, her eyes sparkling.

“If anyone else says that, I’d believe it. But when you say it, I don’t,” Ye Ermei teased, laughing. Afterward, she reminisced about Ye Xiaoyu’s childhood.

There’s an old saying, “Poor children grow up early.” Children like Ye Xiaoyu, who grew up in the countryside during the 70s and 80s, were all capable workers.

Ye Xiaoyu was good at many tasks, but when it came to cooking, she was quite clumsy, often forgetting ingredients. Even simple tasks like roasting beans with friends in the wild, she sometimes messed up.

“I can cook a lot of home-style dishes now,” Ye Xiaoyu retorted. “Compared to when I was living at the Yang family’s house, I’ve definitely improved.”

The food was delicious and easy to swallow.

Ye Ermei and Zhao Qing both laughed. Ye Xiaoyu’s personality had become much brighter, and it was clear she had let go of Yang Ligang. She seemed to have more energy than her rebellious daughter, Tianniu.

“Go ahead and laugh,” Ye Xiaoyu said helplessly. Once they stopped, she asked, “Is Ermei working this afternoon?”

“I need to go in, but it’s not a big deal,” Ye Ermei responded, sounding a little deflated. It wasn’t that she was lazy, but the work schedule had been set up with a lot of rest time. If she didn’t follow through, the factory director’s daughter would keep her busy.

“Not just in our department, but other departments are also much quieter now. The only department that still has a lot of work is the security team,” she added.

Ye Xiaoyu immediately realized the factory’s future didn’t look bright. Many factories went bankrupt in the 80s and 90s. Even though the world she was in wasn’t identical to her past life, the overall trajectory was similar, and she didn’t have much hope for the survival of the state-owned cotton mill.

She thought for a moment and said, “I know this may sound harsh, but Ermei, Brother-in-law, you should start making better plans for the future. Maybe try something else?”

Newspaper headlines frequently reported on factories closing down, and Ye Ermei and Zhao Qing had seen it happen time and again. But finding another way out wasn’t easy. Others had tried, some got scammed, and others lost all their savings.

“Ermei’s job is pretty easy, and Brother-in-law’s job is also not too busy, though it takes up more time. You could start small, no need for big investments,” Ye Xiaoyu said, pointing to the food on the table. “Ermei, you’re a good cook, you could start with a small stall.”

“Starting a stall is way more common now than a few years ago. Everyone’s skills are good,” Ye Ermei replied.

Ye Xiaoyu continued, “Ermei, Tianniu’s in middle school now, right? The school has a good graduation rate. The elementary and middle schools are together, and the high school isn’t far. There are a lot of students nearby. You could sell something small near the school gate, like breakfast. Brother-in-law can help too. Just spend an hour in the morning selling breakfast, or you could sell toys, stationery, snacks, whatever. An hour in the morning, and an hour in the evening.”

What mattered most was securing a shop across from the school. Just the rent from the shop could bring in a good profit. Owning a shop for retirement was far better than relying on children.

Ye Xiaoyu didn’t voice the last two points.

Once her sister and brother-in-law tasted the benefits, they would move on to the next step. As for the shop’s funds, she knew they must have some savings. The only issue was that they hadn’t considered inflation.

To be honest, Ye Xiaoyu herself was interested in buying the property, but her wallet was empty.

Ye Ermei and Zhao Qing exchanged a look, clearly intrigued. This idea seemed feasible.

As they talked about work, Ye Ermei grew concerned for her younger sister again. “After the divorce, do you think that jerk will try to make things hard for you at the factory?”

Ye Xiaoyu honestly replied, “After the divorce, I definitely won’t be working at the factory anymore.”

Ye Ermei frowned. “Why should you leave just because he messed up? That’s a permanent job at the Mechatronics Factory!” If it were ten years ago, having this kind of job would have ensured no worries about a second marriage.

“But his position is higher, what if he finds an excuse to make me do something demeaning? And so what if it’s the Mechatronics Factory? Times have changed. The so-called ‘iron rice bowl’ isn’t a big deal anymore,” Ye Xiaoyu said with a shrug, not wanting to be pressured into remarriage right after her divorce. She quickly changed the subject. “Sis, the outside world is thriving, and there are so many opportunities. Anything is better than being stuck at the factory.”

“True. If you can’t find a job, you can always come sell breakfast with me at the school gate,” Ye Ermei said.

“…I don’t have your skills,” Ye Xiaoyu replied.

After lunch, Ye Ermei went to work, and Zhao Qing took the afternoon off to accompany Ye Xiaoyu as they went to visit old friends.

They visited six places, three of which had time to meet, and set up a meeting for three days later.

Once everything was arranged, Zhao Qing invited Ye Xiaoyu to stay for dinner. Ye Xiaoyu, however, was thinking of her son and promised to invite her sister, brother-in-law, and Tianniu to a big meal next time.

On her way back, Ye Xiaoyu didn’t walk but took a taxi. While the taxi fare was not visible, there were also rickshaws, which were even more expensive than buses, but there was no direct bus nearby.

After some bargaining, two dollars and eighty cents were needed.

Ye Xiaoyu got into a human-powered rickshaw. Instead of heading directly home, she went to her son’s kindergarten.

There were many kindergartens in this era, but they mostly functioned more like daycare centers.

The management was relatively loose.

After Ye Xiaoyu reported her child’s name, the security guard immediately let her in.

The children inside were all in the same class, and there were about four or five teachers.

One teacher recognized her and greeted her warmly, mentioning that her child was very well-behaved and obedient. She pointed to the children’s playground, where the kids were playing.

The so-called children’s playground was a small yard with several classic play facilities, such as a seesaw, slide, and swing.

There was also a circle made of several airplanes that kids could sit in, and they would go around in circles. Unlike an amusement park, this wasn’t motorized, but rather manually pushed by the teachers or other children.

Ye Xiaoyu crouched behind a big tree, quietly observing. She was usually calm no matter what happened.

But not this time.

There were about thirty children in the yard, and Ye Xiaoyu had once seen a video where parents mistook other children for their own. She was afraid she might be the same, but she was relieved to find her son at a glance.

He was a small figure sitting on an airplane, playing with his fingers. While other children were jumping, laughing, and even crying, nothing disturbed him, as he focused on playing with his fingers or simply staring blankly.

Unlike the other children who were constantly climbing up and down, he seemed content to sit there all day.

“Yang Lexuan.”

When the teacher called his name, he slowly lifted his head, gave her a confused look, then slowly turned to look at the teacher, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He smiled, revealing two sweet dimples.

He quickly crawled down from the airplane.

“Mom!”

A cute little child ran towards Ye Xiaoyu, his eyes full of trust and dependence.