Chapter 33

Compared to the vibrant spring in Tianjin, the Victory Brigade was still covered in snow, showing no signs of spring.

But Lin Wei had no time to care about the scenery. He had just ridden over 50 kilometers in the cold early spring wind. Arriving at his home, he didn’t even bother placing his beloved bicycle properly—just leaning it against the wall before rushing inside.

Inside, the house was in chaos.

Since yesterday, when the eldest son-in-law, Zhao Kai, was reported for having an affair, Li Taohong and her husband had gathered all their close relatives to intervene. Amid the turmoil, they took their eldest daughter, who had just given birth, along with her three daughters, back home. Fearing retaliation from the Zhao family, they hid their eldest daughter and her mother at a trusted relative’s house.

But the problem wasn’t over. After Zhao Kai’s public humiliation, he was set to be sent to a labor farm for reformation ^[1]a punishment system where offenders were sent to do forced labor..

Unless their eldest daughter divorced him, she would be forced to go with him.

Li Taohong was furious at Zhao Kai for ruining a good life and worried about her daughter and grandchildren. She couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter suffering through forced labor. So, after bringing her home, she immediately called for her second son, Lin Wei, the most resourceful in the family, to help.

Even though she trusted Lin Wei, she was still anxious. Just overnight, two blisters had formed on her lips from stress.

Now that her second son had finally returned, she eagerly asked, “Did that bastard Zhao Kai agree to a divorce?”

Lin Shengli, her husband, though equally worried, remained calmer. He patted her back reassuringly and said, “Pour him some water first, let him catch his breath.”

Only then did Li Taohong notice how frostbitten Lin Wei’s face was and how chapped his lips looked. Her heart ached, and she quickly pulled him inside. “How long has it been since you ate? Sit down, rest, and I’ll make you some noodles.”

Lin Wei, who had barely eaten since yesterday, was indeed hungry. But he knew his parents were worried. So, as he washed his face with warm water, he said, “Zhao Kai refuses.”

Li Taohong, who was scooping flour, was not surprised but still cursed, “That heartless man is worse than an animal! Even if he doesn’t care about Shuangshuang, he should think about his three kids!”

Lin Shengli frowned even more. “What? Does he want your sister to suffer with him?”

Lin Wei remained calm. “It’s not that he wants to drag her down. He just refuses to divorce, thinking our family will use my brother-in-law’s connections to get him out.”

“That scum! What kind of dream is he living in? You didn’t agree, did you?” Li Taohong was furious and slammed the washbasin.

Lin Wei smirked. “Of course not. I checked—if a husband commits a crime, the wife can apply for divorce directly in court. She doesn’t need his consent. As long as my sister writes a letter severing ties and has the kids stamp their fingerprints, she can publish an announcement in the newspaper to legally cut ties.”

“Is that really possible?” Li Taohong and Lin Shengli, who had been anxious all night, were stunned.

Lin Wei reassured them. “Yes. I went to the court, confirmed everything, and even got the application form. We just need to fill it out.” He took out the form from his pocket. “I brought everything back.”

Li Taohong quickly wiped her hands on her apron and carefully unfolded the paper. Although she couldn’t read much, she was overjoyed, feeling hopeful for the first time. “I never knew divorce could be handled like this. Old man, read it out loud.”

Lin Shengli took the paper and started reading. Though he wasn’t fully literate, he could recognize most of the words and guess the rest.

Seeing his parents finally relax, Lin Wei lowered his gaze and sipped his tea.

He had no intention of telling them that Zhao Kai’s downfall was orchestrated by him.

After being reminded by Tingting, he had asked friends from different circles to gather information. Zhao Kai and his mistress, Wang Meimei, had always been discreet. There were rumors, but no solid proof.

But if someone truly wanted to dig up dirt, it wasn’t hard to find.

Lin Wei treated his friends to a meal at a state-owned restaurant, and the matter was taken care of. He didn’t report it himself—he simply passed the information to Wang Meimei’s husband, a man known for his intolerance of betrayal.

Of course, before doing so, Lin Wei ensured Wang Meimei’s husband was someone who wouldn’t turn a blind eye.

And so, everything unfolded.

Lin Wei wasn’t a particularly kind man, but he hadn’t planned to be so ruthless—until he found out his sister had been beaten.

Zhao Kai not only had an affair but also abused his wife, even when she was still recovering from childbirth.

A man like that didn’t deserve a second chance. If they didn’t take this opportunity to sever ties, would he really ever change?

But… his sister probably knew it was him who set everything in motion.

Thinking about how she never cried or complained throughout the ordeal, Lin Wei’s lips curled into a knowing smile.

By the way, with Tingting’s intelligence, she will definitely find a way to contact me once she hears the news.

Thinking of this, Lin Wei felt much better.

The only thing to worry about now is how to protect my eldest sister and her three children from all the gossip…

Indeed, that was the case.

When Lin Ting received a call from home while at school and learned from her mother that her eldest sister had successfully divorced, she immediately guessed that her second brother had a hand in it.

She wasn’t surprised by the divorce, especially since her eldest sister took the children with her.

What was surprising was that most people in this era saw divorce as something shameful. Many held conservative views and believed divorce was a disgrace. However, the Lin family was different from the majority. Unlike those who valued reputation above all, their parents cared more about their children’s well-being.

Although both the original owner of the body and Lin Ting herself never had a close relationship with Lin Shuang, she couldn’t ignore this matter now that she knew about it.

So, when she returned home from school in the evening, Lin Ting spoke with her mother-in-law while looking for some supplies. She planned to send some necessities to her eldest sister and her three children as a gesture of support.

Hu Xiu was surprised. “I saw Zhao Kai at your wedding. He looked refined, but how could he be so cruel? Your eldest sister is such a beautiful woman—what more could he want? Does he think Wang Meimei is a goddess?”

“It has nothing to do with beauty,” Lin Ting replied. “For someone as shameless as Zhao Kai, even if Wang Meimei were hideous, he would still think she was better than his wife.”

Men like Zhao Kai, who are willing to cheat, believe that no matter how beautiful their wife is, they will eventually get bored. They think cheating a few times is no big deal.

To Lin Ting, this was pure irresponsibility. If he truly felt they couldn’t live together anymore, he should have just divorced. But no, men like him want to have it all—they are greedy and selfish.

Hu Xiu smacked his lips and sighed. “People like that ruin their own happiness by being unfaithful. In the end, they hurt themselves too.”

“Mom, where did you put the shampoo and soap we bought at the department store last week? I want to send some home,” Lin Ting asked as she searched through the drawers in the living room.

Hu Xiu came out of the kitchen with a bowl of porridge. Upon hearing Lin Ting’s request, she placed the bowl on the table and led her into the bedroom. Then, she picked out a key from a bunch and unlocked a large wooden box.

Lin Ting laughed. “Why did you lock it up?”

Hu Xiu sighed. “I forgot to tell you—Ding Feiyan came by again two days ago. Her son is so troublesome. He treats our house like his own and rummages through everything.”

Lin Ting frowned. “Why didn’t you say something to her?”

“At first, I didn’t want to embarrass her. After all, he’s just a four-year-old. But then he found the soap, probably liked the smell, and took a few bites! I was terrified! I had to rinse his mouth out with water. After that, I decided to lock everything up.”

Even though it had been two days, Hu Xiu was still speechless when recalling the incident.

What frustrated her most was Ding Feiyan’s reaction. She cried and made such a scene that anyone who didn’t know better would think Hu Xiu had poisoned her child.

Why didn’t she stop her son from going through someone else’s home in the first place?

However, Hu Xiu didn’t want to bring it up with Lin Ting and her son because Fang Shuigen, Ding Feiyan’s husband, worked with her son. As for Lin Ting, Hu Xiu had noticed that while she was usually polite and kind, she was also fiercely protective and wouldn’t tolerate being taken advantage of.

Even though her mother-in-law didn’t explain the situation clearly, Lin Ting could easily guess what had happened.