If there were any disagreements, she would address them face-to-face, resolve conflicts directly, and never used Qian Lisheng as a mediator.

But Qian’s mother said she was being disrespectful to her mother-in-law.

She replied calmly, “Auntie, if you don’t believe me, We can go to the hospital together and do another test.”

Qian Lisheng’s face darkened even more.

They weren’t even divorced yet, and she was already calling his mother “Auntie” instead of “Mother-in-law”!

Qian’s mother snapped, “You’ve bribed…”

Lin Xia interrupted her, “I don’t have much money, so who could I bribe? How about you choose the hospital? How about the big hospital in Qizhou? We can go right now and get the tests done tomorrow. We’ll keep a close watch to make sure there’s no cheating.”

Qian’s mother hesitated for a moment.

She felt a strong urge to tear the smug expression off Lin Xia’s face!

This country girl, how dare she call her ‘Auntie’ now?

When she was spending their money, she called her ‘Mother-in-law,’ but now that she’s more independent, she dares to use ‘Auntie’!

Qian Lisheng, in distress, pulled his mother aside and said, “Mom, let’s not make a fuss. It’s my fault. I can’t have children. Let’s leave it at that. Since she’s found a better path, we should be happy for her. We were married once; I don’t want things to get too ugly, and I don’t want you speaking badly of her.”

Qian’s mother started to cry, “You fool! She never respected me. Whenever I said something, you always told me to be more tolerant, saying it wasn’t easy for her to move from the countryside to the city, and that we should be more understanding. But you fool, you were tolerant of her, yet she never tolerated you.”

Old Lady Jiang was shocked and thought to herself, “Wow, they’re really good at twisting the truth.”

She said, “Then why do I always hear you, the mother-in-law, badmouthing your daughter-in-law whenever you get the chance? I heard it clearly. Hey, Mrs. Tong, come over here…”

Mrs. Tong had been watching the drama unfold but quickly turned away when she was called.

Tong Ailian quickly pushed her mother back to their home.

Old Lady Jiang sneered, “You think you can bully others? Not while I’m around. No one can falsely accuse someone without knowing the truth.”

She was disgusted by how Qian Lisheng was pretending to be sincere, acting like he was the one being wronged, while in reality, he was the one who had faked everything.

“Ugh!”

As Lin Xia left those two small rooms, she didn’t feel any sadness; instead, she felt a sense of relief.

After five years of marriage, she left with nothing, but she had gained valuable skills and wasn’t completely empty-handed.

As they were moving her belongings out, Qian’s mother sat on a stool, crying and hitting her thighs in despair.

Qian Lisheng felt a lump in his throat as he looked around the half-empty home.

He was filled with dread.

If he had confessed earlier that he couldn’t have children, would she… have been less heartless?

She couldn’t leave.

He loved her so much.

She was the only woman he had ever loved.

She couldn’t leave him!

Lin Xia was grateful to Old Lady Jiang for her support and help.

Besides taking her clothes, bedding, and other daily necessities, she gave the pickles, preserved vegetables, and salted duck eggs that her sister Lin Shu made to Old Lady Jiang.

For now, she would stay at the factory secretary’s house.

…

Han Yun, the wife of the factory secretary and the chairwoman of the trade union, knew about the situation between Lin Xia and Qian Lisheng.

Although she believed that young couples should communicate and be more tolerant of each other, and that divorce wasn’t always necessary, she also felt that Qian’s mother had gone too far.

Due to her job, Han Yun often interacted with the factory workers, especially the retired workers who were often idle.

She had previously heard Qian’s mother complaining to others, saying that her daughter-in-law was a country girl with a bad temper, who didn’t know how to please others, showed no respect to her mother-in-law, and often sent money to her family back in the countryside.

However, Han Yun had personally interacted with Lin Xia and asked other workers about her.

They all described Lin Xia as a very open-minded and easygoing person who never made a fuss about minor issues unless it was a matter of principle.

In a place where everyone sees each other regularly, who wouldn’t know what was happening in someone else’s family?

If Qian’s mother went around belittling her daughter-in-law, what kind of person could she be?

Han Yun told Lin Xia to stay at home and not let it affect her work, assuring her that everything else would be fine.

Lin Xia was grateful for their help, and since the factory leaders were also supportive of her, not discriminating against her for being from the countryside or for requesting a divorce, she felt even more determined to work hard.

She set her sights on advancing to the fourth level as an electrician.

At first, Lin Xia had trouble falling asleep at night.

Divorce was a big deal, and it was impossible for her not to be affected emotionally.

After all, she and Qian Lisheng did have some feelings for each other.

Although rationally, one could argue that without children, there were no ties to bind them, and that feelings could be severed quickly.

But the truth was, those feelings still existed.

However, they weren’t strong enough to outweigh her rational decision to move forward.

When he failed to pass the exam for the sixth-level fitter, she comforted and encouraged him.

Yet, when she passed the exam for the third-level electrician and became a team leader, instead of being happy for her, he gave her the cold shoulder and sulked.

What more was there to say?

Furthermore, the matter of Aunt Jiang accusing him of falsifying documents only made Lin Xia feel even more disheartened.

His outward honesty was just a façade; once there was a matter of interest, his true nature would immediately show.

Thinking of this, any remaining feelings Lin Xia had for Qian Lisheng quickly dissipated like a retreating tide.

If she thought more negatively about him, why was he treating her this way?

Was it because he was infertile, and knowing that he wouldn’t have any children of his own in the future—even if they adopted, the child wouldn’t be his biological offspring—he feared she would give her job to her relatives in the countryside?

She let her mind wander for a while but then felt she was overthinking and being paranoid.

Anyway, since they were divorced, they would live their own separate lives. Whatever he had in mind was no longer her concern.

Thinking this way, she felt much better and soon fell asleep peacefully.

The next day, Lin Xia went to work as usual, without letting the divorce affect her work performance at all.

The team members…

Many people admired Lin Xia for her resilience and determination, and they understood why the leaders had promoted her.

She truly deserved her position.

However, there were also many in the factory who mocked her, rolling their eyes and thinking she was ungrateful.

They believed she had used the Qian family to get into the steel plant, and now, after getting promoted, she was divorcing—how ungrateful!

This was especially true for people like Fu Xiumei and her group.

They would say, “Master Qian treated her so well! To protect her from his mother and others, he even admitted that he was the one who couldn’t have children, just to avoid causing her trouble.”

One day, while Lin Xia was leading her team to inspect and repair the workshop’s electrical wiring, Fu Xiumei couldn’t resist making a snide comment.

“Team Leader Lin, how does it feel to be divorced?”

Lin Xia replied coldly, “Why don’t you try getting a divorce and find out? Oh, wait, sorry—you haven’t even gotten married yet.”

Although Fu Xiumei’s name means “delicate and beautiful,” she wasn’t delicate at all.

She had always been a tomboy, and the young men in the factory treated her like one of the guys, refusing to marry her.

She didn’t want to marry someone from outside the factory either, so she remained single.

Fu Xiumei was furious at Lin Xia’s remark and clenched her fist, saying, “If it weren’t for… hmph!”

She was implying that she would have hit Lin Xia if not for certain circumstances.

Lin Xia was relieved that she hadn’t run into Qian Lisheng all morning.

He was probably preparing to transfer to the branch factory.

Although Lin Xia wasn’t afraid of Qian Lisheng’s troublemaking or taunts, meeting him would naturally make her tense up. Avoiding him was the best option.

She wondered if she should call her third sister, but then decided against it.

Her third sister would be happy for her about the divorce, but others might not see it that way.

Their younger brother had just gone through a divorce, and now she, the second sister, was divorcing too.

Their parents, eldest sister, and third sister would likely face judgment from others.

It wouldn’t be good if someone overheard the phone call, so she decided to quietly write letters to her third sister and eldest sister instead.

Meanwhile, Lin Shu and Sister Lu Da arrived at the entrance of the steel plant, carrying their bundles.