Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

The cold wind howled into his collar, but Wang Zhihe felt no chill at all; the fire in his chest burned so intensely that his internal organs ached.

We arrived near the Qiao family's residence.

From afar, one could hear pig-like screams coming from the Qiao family's courtyard.

"Oh dear. I'm injured, that's why Wang Zhihe dared to bully my sister. I'll stand up for her when I'm healed." Qiao Yaozu lay on the recliner, tilting his head back and cursing the heavens and the earth.

Yang Xiaohong peeled an orange and handed it to him.

His mouth was also busy:

"Wang Zhihe will definitely offer money to beg Fourth Sister to go back. Baogen can't leave his mother, and Xiaoya is so young."

Qiao's mother was making breakfast in the kitchen.

She'd chime in every now and then, "It's always good to have family. Zhao Di, now you know that only your own family is on your side."

Wang Zhihe pushed the cart into the yard, and the ladder of the cart was pushed onto the ground with a loud "bang".

The sounds in the courtyard suddenly stopped.

The Qiao family members all turned to look at them, their faces instantly darkening.

Yang Xiaohong's eyes darted around, and she greeted him with a forced smile:

"Oh, it's my fourth brother-in-law. I thought someone had come empty-handed."

"Our fourth sister has been working like a slave for the past few years since she married you. She's done her job well, even if she hasn't done anything particularly meritorious. Look at how you beat her! We can't let this go without an explanation."

Wang Zhihe ignored her.

His gaze was fixed intently on the tightly closed door of the main room:

"Qiao Zhaodi, come out."

"Mother Qiao rushed out of the kitchen with her face covered in bruises, carrying a dirty enamel basin in her hand."

Before Wang Zhihe could react...

With a "splash," a basin of wash water with rotten vegetable leaves floating on it was poured over my head.

The cold, dirty water flowed down Wang Zhihe's hair and into his neck, instantly soaking his cotton-padded jacket and giving off a sour smell.

"What are you doing here? You think you can coax Zhao Di back empty-handed? Dream on!"

Mrs. Qiao slammed the basin on the ground and, hands on her hips, cursed:

"You heartless bastard. You're smearing Zhao Di's reputation everywhere. Is it wrong for her to have your child?"

From inside the house came Qiao Zhaodi's tearful cry:

"Mom, don't waste your breath on him. Wang Zhihe, if you're a real man, we'll get a divorce. If you don't, you'll walk around Xiaoquan Brigade three times with my underwear on your head."

Wang Zhihe wiped the dirty water off his face, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Fine, let's get a divorce. I've brought my household registration book; I'm leaving now."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Qiao Zhaodi seemed surprised that Wang Zhihe agreed so readily.

stunned for a moment.

Then he started cursing even more fiercely through the window:

"Well, Wang Zhihe, you were up to no good after all. Have you been wanting to divorce me and marry that vixen for a long time?

Qiao's mother also panicked.

What if we really get divorced?

We can't afford to lose our money tree.

Qiao's mother rushed up and shoved Wang Zhihe, "You beat someone up like this, and you think you can just walk away? There's also compensation for Zhao Di's losses and nutritional expenses, not a penny less."

Mr. Qiao came out wearing a tattered overcoat, coughing so loudly it shook the heavens and earth.

"Cough cough... Zhihe, I've treated you like my own son, and you've really disappointed me."

How can you be human if you join outsiders in bullying Zhao Di?

And Xiaohong, she's family. Why can't she work with that woman from the Song family doing transport work and earning money? You're cutting off your own family's livelihood."

"Qiao Zhaodi chimed in from inside the house, her voice shrill:

"Wang Zhihe, don't be so arrogant. I've already reported Song Xianglan to the commune for engaging in speculation and undermining socialism. Let's see what kind of good days she'll have left."

Wang Zhihe suddenly raised his head.

He stared intently at the window, his eyes bloodshot.

Reporting Song Xianglan?

The godmother helped their family a lot.

What an idiot.

Wang Zhihe's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

The last thought that I wanted to back down for the sake of my child completely vanished.

"Qiao Zhaodi, get out here!" Wang Zhihe roared, veins bulging on his forehead, scaring Qiao's mother so much that she dared not push him anymore.

The door creaked open.

Qiao Zhaodi stood at the door with red and swollen eyes.

Seeing Wang Zhihe's disheveled appearance, I didn't feel any satisfaction.

Instead, she felt even more aggrieved: "What are you yelling about? So what if I reported her? Who told her to side with others instead of us? Even an old hag looks down on me."

"Go to the county." Wang Zhihe took two steps forward, grabbed Qiao Zhaodi's arm, and dragged her out.

"Hey hey hey... What are you trying to do in front of your family?" Qiao Yaozu was so anxious that he tried to get up from the recliner, which aggravated his wound and made him gasp for breath in pain.

Qiao Zhaodi slapped him while shouting:

"Wang Zhihe, I'll make you regret this for the rest of your life. Whoever doesn't get a divorce is a coward."

The two of them pulled and tugged their way out of the yard.

The Qiao family members were left looking at each other in bewilderment.

……

County Civil Affairs Bureau.

The clerk, a middle-aged woman, looked at the two people. One had blood scabs forming on his face, and the other had disheveled hair and a face covered in bruises.

He sighed and advised:

"What couple doesn't have disagreements? You have three children. What will happen to them if you divorce? No stepmother or stepfather is as good as a biological father. Go back and calm down."

"I'm not calm."

Qiao Zhaodi plopped down in a chair, her neck stiff. "I can't live like this anymore. He's a good-for-nothing. He can't protect his wife and children, and he even gangs up with outsiders to bully me."

Wang Zhihe sat opposite him.

His face was ashen, and his voice was hoarse.

"Comrade, please issue us a certificate."

When the clerk couldn't persuade them, she had no choice but to take out a form: "How will the assets and children be divided?"

"I don't want children."

Qiao Zhaodi spoke quickly, afraid that if she was a step too slow, she wouldn't be able to get rid of these three burdens.

"Those three debt collectors all belong to him. I was a virgin when I married him, and I suffered so much by bearing his children."

Compensation for lost youth must be paid. And I must receive ten yuan a month for living expenses from now on.

The clerk's brows were furrowed deeply.

"That's against the rules. The children should all go to the father; how can a divorced woman expect her ex-husband to support her?"

"Why shouldn't you give it to me?"

Qiao Zhaodi's eyes widened. "I'm from a disadvantaged group. I just gave birth to my third child not long ago, and he's already bullying me like this... Waaaaah..."

She definitely can't handle him without him, and then she'll have to beg her to come back.

Zhao Di was making her own plans.

Wang Zhihe is so stubborn; he can't live without her. Within a month, he'll be begging her to come back like a dog.

At that point, wouldn't she be able to set the terms herself?

Wang Zhihe refused.

Finally, pull during the day.

"Just give me a hundred yuan."

Wang Zhihe looked up at the woman he had lived with for nearly ten years and suddenly felt completely unfamiliar with her.

This was the wife he once thought he could spend his whole life with.

Wang Zhihe pulled a cloth bag from his soaked inner pocket and opened it layer by layer.

He specifically borrowed money from Zhou Fang before leaving home.

"Here's a hundred yuan. From now on, the child has nothing to do with you, and you don't need to take care of him."

Qiao Zhaodi's eyes lit up, and she grabbed the money and stuffed it into her pocket.

The two signed the papers in a flash.

The clerk paused for a moment, glanced at Wang Zhihe, shook his head, and then stamped the document with a "snap".

The marriage certificate was taken away.

Two divorce certificates were issued.

I walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

A gust of cold wind blew, and Wang Zhihe shivered.

Clutching the divorce certificate in his hand, he felt empty inside, wanting to cry but unable to.

He squatted on the curb by the roadside, burying his head in his knees. Song Xiangdong risked his life for the country in the southwest, yet he couldn't even protect his own home.

What a damn failure.

Qiao Zhaodi, however, was like a bird that had just been released from its cage, her face full of joy.

She glanced down at Wang Zhihe, who was squatting on the ground, and pouted.

"This is your own choice. Don't come begging me anymore. I'm going to find a city person and live a good life. Don't forget to bring the rest of your luggage back to me tomorrow."

"Wang Zhihe, this hundred yuan is proof that you're a coward."

Wang Zhihe didn't look up; his voice came through muffledly:

"I know. I'll send your luggage to you tomorrow."

Qiao Zhaodi snorted and walked away without looking back, not even glancing at Wang Zhihe.

Instead of going home, Wang Zhihe turned around and disappeared into an alley in the county town.

……

"Here's ten yuan." Wang Zhihe handed over a ten-yuan note. "I'll give you another fifty after the job is done."

Da Peng took the money, flicked it, and grinned nonchalantly:

"I didn't expect you to be this ruthless. Tell me, how are you going to do it?"

"Qiao Yaozu," Wang Zhihe spat out the three words through gritted teeth, "Don't kill him, break his good leg too. You have to get my five hundred yuan back."

Dapeng whistled:

"Alright. I'm good at breaking legs. But are you sure? That's your brother-in-law."

"My ex-brother-in-law," Wang Zhihe said with a sinister look in his eyes, "doesn't he like to extort money? Let him extort as much as he wants this time. Do it cleanly, don't let anyone see his face."

"Don't worry, we're professionals." Da Peng pocketed the money, turned around, and disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

Wang Zhihe stood there, looking at the gray sky in the distance, and exhaled a long breath.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

……

Qiaojiazhuang.

Qiao Zhaodi entered the room humming a little tune, carrying half a pound of pig's head meat in her hand.

"Divorced?"

When Qiao's mother saw her return, she rushed to greet her, "Where's the money? Did you get it?"

Qiao Zhaodi looked smug. "One hundred yuan. That good-for-nothing must have borrowed the money."

When Qiao Yaozu heard that there was a hundred yuan, his eyes lit up.

"Sis! Give it to me now."

Qiao Zhaodi slapped his hand away and quickly put the money away before her mother could take it.

"We need to be careful with this money."

"A hundred yuan is useless." Mr. Qiao sat on the bench, smoking his pipe, his face full of displeasure. "We could have gotten several hundred more yuan, but you've squandered it all."

Yang Xiaohong fanned the flames from the sidelines:

"Fourth Sister, you're too kind. It's only a hundred yuan. How are we going to live in the future? Our whole family needs money for food, drink, and everything else."

Qiao Zhaodi's smile froze:

"When he can no longer take care of the children at home, he'll definitely come begging to me again. It won't be too late to ask for them then."

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

Qiao Yaozu stuffed a piece of pig's head meat into his mouth and mumbled:

"Sister, if you ask me, we shouldn't leave Baogen to the Wang family. You should find a way to trick Baogen into coming here."

"Why did you trick them into coming here?" Qiao Zhaodi was taken aback.

"Sold him." Qiao Yaozu said matter-of-factly, "That kid is strong and has a penis. He can easily fetch three or four hundred yuan by selling him to those sonless families in the mountains."

Qiao Zhaodi's expression changed:

"That won't do. I still want to remarry Wang Zhihe in the future. How can I go back if I sell my son?"

Qiao's mother chimed in from the side:

"Just say the child got lost. Anyway, it's the Wang family's fault for not keeping an eye on the child."

Mr. Qiao tapped his pipe and said slowly:

"If Baogen can't bear to part with her, then Da Ya will do. She's eight years old and can work. She can be sold to a family in the mountains as a child bride, and you can get a dowry of a hundred or eighty yuan."

Qiao Yaozu slapped his thigh.

"That brat is a waste of money; keeping her around is just a waste of food. Sister, you can have a few more children later, it won't matter."

Qiao Zhaodi suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

She was biased towards her own family, but selling her children...

"no."

Qiao Zhaodi suddenly stood up. "Don't even think about it. Although Wang Zhihe is a coward, he loves his children. If he finds out that I hurt the child, he might take a knife and kill me."

"Tch, look at you, such a coward." Qiao Yaozu rolled his eyes. "With money, why are you afraid of him? Just find a few people to cripple him, and that's it."

Qiao Zhaodi bit her lip and remained silent, feeling inexplicably flustered.