Chapter 26: Alimony (Part 1)

The suspense was unbearable. Just as Madam Wang was about to speak, she glanced at the two children sitting together, happily eating their buns, and remarked, “Look at them, playing so well together.”

“Let them enjoy themselves,” Chen Yufeng quickly redirected the conversation. “I’m guessing this local girl must have made some grave mistake. Did she steal from you?”

She was almost certain that the girl in question was Wang Guoguo. And from Madam Wang’s tone, it was clear that something major had happened back then. Considering how Commander Xu had claimed his jade was stolen, she decided to use reverse psychology—provoking Madam Wang into revealing more.

Of course, she was also cautious. If her questions were too blunt, the other woman might refuse to talk.

But as it turned out, after decades had passed, many of those from the “Old Third Class” and “Old Fifty-Eight Class” generations actually loved reminiscing about their past.

“No, no, of course not!” Madam Wang immediately denied the accusation, thinking Chen Yufeng had misunderstood. She quickly explained, “You young ones wouldn’t know, but back then, the entire country was swept up in revolutionary fervor. Everyone was focused on class struggle and revolution. Her family used to be local landlords, serving under a Tusi^[1]Tusi were local tribal chiefs in ancient China, especially in minority regions, who were granted authority by the central government to govern their people. before the liberation. Someone wrote an anonymous letter exposing this, and since we had Red Guards in our ranks, naturally, they were targeted for criticism and struggle sessions. But then… one night, the cowshed caught fire…”

Fearing she might stop talking again, Chen Yufeng hurriedly handed her another bun.

And to prevent Madam Wang from offering it back and interrupting the conversation, she quickly grabbed one herself, taking a large bite and washing it down with a gulp of tea.

Seeing how eager Chen Yufeng was to learn the story, Madam Wang was encouraged and continued, “That girl was naturally wild and fierce. At the time, she happened to be out hunting wild boars in the mountains, so she escaped the disaster. But when she returned and saw what had happened, she stormed into the cadre school wielding a knife, beat up a whole group of Red Guards, and then fled.”

Chen Yufeng’s heart clenched, and in that instant, everything clicked.

Her mother-in-law had never dared to speak about her past because she had assaulted Red Guards during the revolution.

At that time, attacking Red Guards was a crime punishable by death. If caught, she would have been publicly denounced and likely executed.

“Did you ever find out where she went?” Chen Yufeng asked.

“We had no idea,” Madam Wang replied. “But she was probably dead. We sent people to look into it multiple times over the years, and no one ever heard of her returning to Mengzi.” She sighed, then added, “Looking back, it was all so absurd. The locals provided us with food and drink, treated us so kindly, yet we turned around and cracked the whip on them in the name of revolution. It was a scorching hot day, and who knows whether it was a carelessly tossed cigarette butt or someone secretly roasting a sweet potato—somehow, the cowshed caught fire. Xiao A’mi’s parents and two younger brothers were all trapped inside and perished in the blaze.”

Chen Yufeng sucked in a sharp breath. It took her a long moment before she finally asked, “You mean to say… you were a Red Guard, too? And what about Commander Xu? He seems so refined. Did he really take part in those struggle sessions, wielding a whip and beating people?”

Madam Wang let out a light laugh. “Of course not! Neither was Lao Xu. He, Ma Lin, and Xiao A’mi were the closest of friends—why would they ever harm her? Ah, after Xiao A’mi disappeared, things became incredibly tense at the cadre school. That must have been in ’62. Around that time, Director Ma gave birth to a daughter, but a few months later, the child died. She never told anyone how it happened. Rumors started flying—people whispered that Xiao A’mi had stolen the baby, strangled her, and then dumped the body back. The rumors spread like wildfire, and for years, we were afraid to go out alone at night, fearing that Xiao A’mi would return for revenge.”

Chen Yufeng was completely stunned.

So, Ma Lin and Xu Yongyi’s daughter hadn’t gone missing—she had died. And people suspected that Wang Guoguo, aka Xiao Ami, was responsible?

She remained silent for a while before Madam Wang sighed again. “Back then, people with bad class backgrounds had such a hard time. Xiao A’mi probably died long ago. And maybe that’s for the best—living means growing old, becoming ugly. Look at me now, I’m nothing like I was in those old photos.”

Chen Yufeng glanced at the photos and thought, My mother-in-law isn’t dead—she’s alive and well.

Not only that, but Wang Guoguo hadn’t gained weight, nor did her face sag. She had none of the heavy eye bags that Madam Wang had. She looked much younger, too.

As for the accusation that Wang Guoguo had stolen and killed a child?

Impossible.

She arrived in Guihua Town at the end of 1960, gave birth to Han Feng in 1961, and then to Han Chao in 1963.

Chen Yufeng had been born in 1965 and didn’t remember much from before, but one thing was certain—the town’s entrance still had a faded red-painted inscription from 1961, listing Wang Guoguo as a “model laborer.”

And besides, Mengzi and Guihua Town were separated by countless mountains and rivers. Wang Guoguo had always lived in Guihua Town—how could she have stolen Director Ma and Commander Xu’s child?

Come to think of it, just recently, Chen Yufeng had overheard someone saying that Director Ma’s child had been kidnapped.

If that child hadn’t actually been strangled, then what had really happened?

Director Ma must know the truth. So why had she never explained herself?

Maybe she simply believed that Wang Guoguo was dead and thought it no longer mattered.

At that moment, Madam Wang finally asked, “Have you eaten yet? I can ask the housekeeper to prepare something.”

“No need, we should be going. Oh, by the way, is Wang Jiajia’s forehead injured?” Chen Yufeng pointed at the boy’s forehead with one hand while, with the other, she discreetly slipped a photograph from the pile—the one with the most people in it—and tucked it into her pocket.

With so many photos, if one went missing, Madam Wang would likely assume it had fallen behind the sofa or into the trash.

And even if she suspected Chen Yufeng of taking it—so what?

Many of the former Red Guards who had later risen to power, like Commander Luo and Commander Ma, believed Wang Guoguo had long since died.

But not only was she alive, she was coming to the capital soon.

Who knew what expressions they’d wear when they saw her again?

For now, though, that wasn’t the concern.

Tiantian had dance practice at Teacher Wang Liyuan’s house for an hour every evening. Because Chen Yufeng had spent so long chatting with Madam Wang, it was already seven o’clock. Tiantian had probably been waiting for a while, and Chen Yufeng needed to go pick her up.

After exiting the elevator, Chen Yufeng carefully examined the photograph. There were more than twenty people in it, all young men and women around seventeen or eighteen years old.

Aside from Commander Luo, Commander Ma, and Madam Wang, the rest were unfamiliar to Chen Yufeng.

But Wang Guoguo would recognize them—after all, they were all people she had beaten up before.

Tiantian had a timid and gentle nature. Since Chen Yufeng was half an hour late, the child was probably worried about her.

However, just as she arrived at Teacher Wang’s house, she saw Wang Liyuan holding Tiantian in her arms, talking to a man.

Chen Yufeng recognized the man—it was Wang Liyuan’s husband, Xiao Sheng.

Xiao Sheng was saying, “It’s just a guarantee, isn’t it? If you wanted to go into business, I’d vouch for you. But do you? No. And now Qi Cailing is asking for my help—what am I supposed to do?”

Wang Liyuan pointed toward the main road and snapped, “Get lost!”

“Liyuan, you’re a woman. Can’t you be a little more open-minded like Qi Cailing?” Xiao Sheng pressed.

“Get lost! And don’t come back,” Wang Liyuan repeated firmly.

“This is exactly the difference between you and Qi Cailing,” Xiao Sheng sighed. “No matter what Zhang Songtao does, Qi Cailing always supports him. She told me that the more you try to control a man, the further he will stray.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Chen Yufeng wasn’t particularly close to Wang Liyuan, but since she frequently came to pick up Tiantian, they were at least familiar acquaintances.

As for Xiao Sheng, in the novel, he was Qi Cailing’s devoted admirer—a man willing to do anything for her.

Hearing Tiantian’s soft voice call out, “Mommy,” Chen Yufeng stepped forward to take the child from Wang Liyuan’s arms. Casually, she asked, “Teacher Wang, what’s going on with your husband?”

If Chen Yufeng hadn’t come from the same hometown, Guihua Town, Wang Liyuan probably wouldn’t have bothered explaining.

But because they shared a connection through Qi Cailing—and since Wang Liyuan was still fuming—she decided to vent.

“You know how our military district has been downsizing, right? A lot of office spaces have been vacated, especially the storefronts along the street. Just today, the higher-ups issued a notice: any soldier who has served on the battlefield for at least five years can rent one of these spaces without a security deposit.

“Xiao Sheng served exactly five years—just enough to qualify. The wife of Logistics Director Wang, Qi Cailing, approached him, asking for his help in securing a rental. And he actually agreed to guarantee it for her.”

“What? The military district really has a policy that allows battlefield veterans to rent spaces without a deposit?” Chen Yufeng was more surprised by the policy than by Xiao Sheng’s actions.

“It’s true. The notice is posted right outside the logistics office. I’m guessing they’ll announce it over the radio tomorrow.”

In the novel, Qi Cailing always had incredible luck—she seemed to stumble upon every great opportunity.

Originally, even the smallest storefront in the military district required a 3,000-yuan deposit. The barrier to entry was high, and ordinary people couldn’t afford to rent one.

The upper management must have introduced this policy considering that soldiers’ stipends were too low and often delayed. They probably worried that veterans would struggle to support their families.

Allocating storefronts based on battlefield experience was the fairest way to do it.

Xiao Sheng had served exactly five years, qualifying him to guarantee one rental. So when Qi Cailing asked for help, he agreed.

Then what about Han Chao? He had served on the battlefield for seven years—he could definitely qualify to guarantee a rental as well.

But first, Chen Yufeng needed to respond to Wang Liyuan. She carefully said, “Providing a guarantee isn’t a simple matter. If something happens during the business’s operation, wouldn’t Captain Xiao be held responsible?”

Even though Qi Cailing was from her hometown and they had been childhood friends, Chen Yufeng still had to be objective.

For example, if Han Chao provided a guarantee for someone’s rental, and that person ended up conducting illegal activities in the store, the military district would eventually investigate. And when that happened, the one held accountable would undoubtedly be Han Chao.

Accountability in the military district meant deductions from bonuses or even losing rank.

Either consequence could ruin a soldier’s career.

Wang Liyuan shared the same concern. She sighed, “Let Xiao Sheng do whatever he wants. I’ve been thinking about divorcing him for a long time, but you know how hard it is to get a military divorce. If he gets into trouble, at least I’ll have a reason to finally end things.”

Chen Yufeng suddenly realized—huh, Teacher Wang had quite the straightforward personality.

If Han Chao ever dared to be Qi Cailing’s loyal admirer, she would kick him out without hesitation.

As for the new military policy, it was an absolute windfall for Chen Yufeng.

Han Chao had served a full seven years on the battlefield, which meant he could qualify to lease a restaurant.