Divorce Part 1

When Lin Chengshan saw Liu Shufeng and his group blocking his way, he understood their intentions. Lin Chengshan recognized Liu Shufeng as he was Xiao Man’s cousin.

“Xiao Man is my cousin. Let’s sit down and talk properly,” Liu Shufeng said, glaring at Lin Chengshan menacingly.

Lin Qingqing was frightened by the scene and quickly buried her head in Lin Chengshan’s arms.

A three-year-old child couldn’t be expected to support Lin Chengshan. Lin Qingqing was a timid little girl who, despite learning to do household chores in the countryside, was still just a small, frightened child and couldn’t suddenly become very strong.

“You’ve scared my daughter,” Lin Chengshan said coldly.

“Let me tell you, don’t think that just because you have a daughter with my cousin, you can use her to pressure her into staying with you,” Liu Shufeng said.

“If we’re going to divorce, we can talk,” Lin Chengshan said. He knew that the Xiao Family had some influence in Rongcheng City, especially with the upcoming marriage alliance with the Dong family.

In this lifetime, Lin Chengshan would not sacrifice his daughter for a woman who did not love him.

“Then let’s go,” Liu Shufeng said, surprised by Lin Chengshan’s calm demeanor.

Lin Qingqing was still scared, squirming in her father’s arms. Lin Chengshan gently patted her back to comfort her.

“If you don’t want my daughter to start crying here, you’d better help me with the luggage,” Lin Chengshan said.

Liu Shufeng had no choice but to let his men help with the luggage. They needed to get to the Xiao Family place and handle the matter as quickly as possible.

Mother Xiao did not expect Lin Chengshan to arrive so soon, but she was prepared. She placed the money she had prepared in advance into her bag and went with her husband and daughter. The Xiao Family did not let Lin Chengshan come into their home. Instead, they made him wait outside, as he did not have the right to enter their house.

Lin Chengshan chose a nearby dessert shop, ordering some small cakes and other sweets. Regardless of who would pay, he wanted his daughter to eat something good.

When Mother Xiao and others arrived, they saw Lin Chengshan still feeding Lin Qingqing. Mother Xiao glanced at Lin Qingqing and said, “Let Shufeng look after the child.”

“No need,” Lin Chengshan said, not trusting these people.

“She’s still so young. Are you sure you want her here?” Mother Xiao said, feeling that Lin Chengshan was only using the child to his advantage.

“Mommy…”

Lin Qingqing saw Xiao Man and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Mother Xiao shot her a fierce glare. Terrified, Lin Qingqing stopped speaking and swallowed her words.

“Here’s a thousand yuan,” Mother Xiao said, placing a stack of money on the table. “This money should be enough for you to find another wife. You’d better get a divorce from my daughter quickly. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being rude.”

“Alright,” Lin Chengshan said.

“Don’t push your luck. Don’t think you can use the child to threaten us—it won’t work,” Mother Xiao said. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“Alright, we can get a divorce,” Lin Chengshan said. “This money is for the divorce. As the child’s biological mother, shouldn’t you also provide child support?”

“Child support?” Xiao Man was taken aback. She hadn’t considered that.

“Fine, I’ll give it to you,” Father Xio said. “As long as it can be resolved with money, it’s not a problem.”

Mother Xiao and the others did not sit down.They merely stood by, looking down on Lin Chengshan. They were unwilling to sit with him or engage in much conversation.

“You’re both from the same province,” Mother Xiao said. “We’ll handle the divorce paperwork here. I’ll call someone to make special arrangements.”

These were familiar words to Lin Chengshan, who had heard similar phrases in his previous life.

Back then, he was very angry, thinking that people truly abused their power by calling to expedite matters. They were worried he would make Xiao Man go back to his hometown for the divorce, fearing he might detain Xiao Man.

Lin Chengshan had never considered using such methods to detain Xiao Man.

“The child support should be paid in full at once. You are not allowed to ask for more in the future. You’re settled, and my daughter is settled with you,” Mother Xiao said dismissively. She did not think highly of Lin Chengshan. Though his appearance was acceptable, it did not matter to her.

Lin Chengshan was just a powerless, poor country bumpkin. The Xiao family could easily produce such a sum of money, but could Lin Chengshan?

“The child support…”

“Let’s say it’s two thousand,” Father Xiao interjected before Mother Xiao finished. He didn’t want the amount given for Lin Chengshan’s new wife to exceed what was offered for Lin Qingqing. If they were to sever ties, it should be done cleanly, and the appearance of fairness mattered. “Young man, with the thousand you’re getting plus the two thousand for your daughter, three thousand in total—you should be able to live comfortably.”

“Do you want a written agreement?” Lin Chengshan asked calmly.

“…” Xiao Man looked at Lin Chengshan’s calm demeanor and felt uncomfortable. Didn’t he care about her? Was he pretending? Was this calm before a storm?

“Yes, of course we need one. We’ll give you half of the money before the divorce, and the rest after the paperwork is done,” Mother Xiao said.

“No problem,” Lin Chengshan said.

Though Lin Qingqing didn’t fully understand what a divorce meant, she knew that ‘divorce’ wasn’t a good word. She noticed that no one wanted her, that they didn’t even let her call them Mommy or Grandpa and Grandma.

With red eyes, Lin Qingqing resolved to study hard in the future. She needed to become strong and prove to these people that she didn’t need them—they were the ones who didn’t want her.

The Xiao family did not pay much attention to Lin Qingqing. Seeing his daughter in such a state pained Lin Chengshan deeply. However, he knew this was something his daughter had to endure. If they were to live in Rongcheng City, Lin Qingqing needed to understand that the Xiao Family weren’t nice people—they didn’t like her.

Lin Chengshan had considered moving to another city, but in his previous life, he had mostly been in Rongcheng City. Even if he expanded his business nationwide, his familiarity was with other cities years later, not the present ones.

The reform and opening-up had not been long, and many places were still chaotic.

Lin Chengshan did not want to risk taking his daughter to another city and preferred to stay in Rongcheng City.

“We’ll stay in Rongcheng City,” Lin Chengshan said. “Don’t worry, we’ll be independent.”

“You’re staying in Rongcheng City?” Xiao Man couldn’t help but exclaim loudly.

“Rongcheng City has good education,” Lin Chengshan said. “With the money you provided plus some of my savings, I should be able to buy a relatively good house.”

“You don’t have a household registration here,” Xiao Man said through gritted teeth, clearly not wanting Lin Chengshan and Lin Qingqing to remain there.

“Do you want your future husband to think you can’t tolerate your own daughter? If you treat your biological daughter this badly, how would you treat children from other women?” Lin Chengshan sneered.

“Stay in Rongcheng City if you wish,” Father Xiao said.

“I’ll buy a house near Rongcheng University,” Lin Chengshan said. There is a very good kindergarten near Rongcheng University, and there are elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools—all well-equipped. Lin Chengshan wanted to provide his daughter with a good learning environment and also planned to set up a stall nearby.

It would be best to set up a stall near the university, where students were more likely to spend money on food. Students of other ages were not as likely to buy, as they were more discerning and their parents more controlling.

University students, recently away from home, were curious about the outside world and enjoyed various kinds of snacks.

After buying the house, Lin Chengshan would have little money left. He needed to start working soon and not delay, as he had his daughter to support as well.

“Regarding the child’s schooling, I will talk to the school,” Father Xiao said.

Father Xiao glanced at the timid Lin Qingqing, who was indeed his granddaughter. He knew what his wife and daughter were worried about—they were concerned that Lin Chengshan might use the child to coerce them. As long as Lin Chengshan quietly took care of the child, Father Xiao would not make things difficult for him.

“Fine,” Lin Chengshan said, “I won’t mention that your daughter is the child’s mother anymore.”

“It’s still early. Let’s go get the divorce certificate now,” Mother Xiao said. “I’ll talk to them, and it can be done quickly.”