Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Meng Li sat at her desk, the lamplight glaring off the white paper and stinging her eyes. Her hand holding the pen kept trembling, the pen tip hovering over the page, unable to write a single word.

She gritted her teeth and pressed the pen down, writing stroke by stroke—"Reporting that Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng have committed the egregious act of stealing another person's child..."

After finishing three pages, Meng Li read through it twice from beginning to end, and the more she read, the more convinced she became that she was right. Ji Yunshu had been in such a hurry to return to the island—it must be because the pregnancy was fake. The island was so remote; no one would know if she brought back an unwanted child. Those two children looked nothing like Ji Yunshu, especially the boy—when he sat there quietly, there wasn't a single trace of Ji Yunshu in him.

Meng Li folded the letter and tucked it into an envelope without leaving her name. Early the next morning, while most of the compound's families were still asleep and the military cadres hadn't come to work yet, she slipped it into the complaint mailbox. The envelope fell to the bottom of the mailbox without a sound. Meng Li saw the letter go in and felt the heavy weight on her chest finally lift a little. She hurried away from the mailbox.

But she didn't notice that a cleaning worker passing by had spotted her sneaking around.

Two days later, a new face showed up at the He house.

That evening when Meng Li came home from work, she saw a strange man sitting in the living room. He was in his twenties, tall and thin, wearing a crisp new polyester shirt, hair slicked back and shiny. When he saw Meng Li enter, he stood up and grinned: "Sister-in-law, hello. I'm Liu Yuwen, Cousin Jianjun's younger cousin. My mom told me to come crash here for a bit."

Meng Li was taken aback and glanced at He Jianjun. He Jianjun sat on the sofa with no expression on his face, only nodding and saying, "My cousin. He's here for some business, staying a few days."

Meng Li didn't think much of it and went to the kitchen to boil water. But she felt eyes on her back, following her from the living room all the way to the kitchen. She turned around, and Liu Yuwen was sitting at the table holding a cup of water, his eyes trailing over her waist, a hint of a smile still hanging at the corner of his mouth. That smile made Meng Li's skin crawl, like she was being sized up from head to toe. She frowned, and once the water boiled, she carried it into the bedroom.

When they went to bed that night, Meng Li and He Jianjun lay back to back. They had been cold to each other for over a month now. He Jianjun ignored her, and she couldn't be bothered to chase after him either. She turned over, wanting to tell He Jianjun that Liu Yuwen's gaze at her felt off, but she swallowed the words. Given He Jianjun's current attitude toward her, he'd probably just tell her she was imagining things.

Meng Li closed her eyes and pulled the blanket tighter.

But starting the next day, He Jianjun's attitude toward her suddenly changed. When he left in the morning, he asked her, completely out of nowhere, "What do you want to eat tonight after work?" At noon, he even brought her a package of brown sugar cake. Meng Li held the brown sugar cake and stared at it for a long while, a warm feeling spreading through her chest—how long had it been since he'd been this gentle with her? A month? Two months? Ever since their last big fight about children, he hadn't given her the time of day.

Meng Li figured He Jianjun had finally come around, thought their relationship was finally about to improve. Liu Yuwen stayed in the next room, coming and going at all hours, not saying much to her—occasionally nodding and smiling when they crossed paths, but that smile still gave Meng Li the creeps. She didn't take it too much to heart, because He Jianjun's improved attitude toward her was what mattered most.

And since Liu Yuwen had arrived, He's mother's attitude toward her had also improved considerably. She no longer fought with her about the child issue, looked at her with a smile every day, and even told her to get more familiar with Liu Yuwen since they were all family.

Meng Li had no interest in Liu Yuwen, but He's mother said her brother was a cadre on the same level as the mayor of Yucheng, and Liu Yuwen was his most favored son. There might be a time they'd need his help, so it wouldn't hurt to play nice with him.

So Meng Li also acted as warm and enthusiastic as He Jianjun and He's mother. In this day and age, your "class background" was everything. The Liu and He families had good status, which meant they could walk all over everyone in the compound. Even if she had no children now, didn't those people in the compound still not dare to talk shit to her face? Unlike Ji Yunshu, who after her status became that of a capitalist's daughter had caught no end of sneers and ridicule—that was something she absolutely couldn't go through again.

After getting familiar with Liu Yuwen, Meng Li also learned the purpose of his trip to the capital. Apparently He Jianjun's uncle on his mom's side was about to be transferred back to the central government. Liu Yuwen had come to check on the situation and hang around the capital for a while to see how things work. Since they were all family, staying at home was way better than some guesthouse, so he simply moved into the compound.

Meng Li was thrilled to hear this. Before she transmigrated into this book, she only knew that He Jianjun's family would definitely weather the "Great Movement" without a scratch. She never expected that not only was He Jianjun himself capable, but He's mother's relatives all held important positions as well... So she needed to live well with He Jianjun, and after the "Great Movement" ended, she'd still be the top official's wife in the compound!

Thinking of this, Meng Li became even more attentive to He Jianjun and Liu Yuwen, going out of her way to make sure Liu Yuwen felt at home in the compound. He's mother saw this, and her attitude toward Meng Li grew better and better.

Another four or five days went by like this. One evening, He Jianjun came home carrying two bottles of liquor and said to Meng Li, "My cousin pulled off something big today. Let's crack open a bottle as a family to celebrate."

Meng Li rarely saw him in such a good mood. Thinking about the little details Liu Yuwen had let slip earlier, she figured the uncle was about to be transferred back to the capital from Yucheng. She was happy too, so she didn't decline.

The three of them sat down in the living room, and He Jianjun poured a full glass for everyone. Meng Li didn't usually drink much, but He Jianjun kept pushing her, saying "Come on, we're celebrating, drink up," and Liu Yuwen also kept toasting her, saying "Sister-in-law works so hard" with every glass. After three or four glasses, Meng Li was already dizzy, and things before her eyes began to blur. She braced herself on the table to stand up, but her knees buckled and she plopped back down. He Jianjun grabbed her arm and said, "Let me help you lie down for a bit," then half-dragged, half-carried her into the bedroom.

Meng Li flopped onto the bed, the ceiling spinning. She vaguely heard He Jianjun and Liu Yuwen talking outside, the door left ajar, their voices coming in fragments. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep, but a sentence slipped into her ears that made her whole body jolt.

"Brother, don't worry. I'll take good care of sister-in-law from now on." Liu Yuwen's voice had a laugh in it that made her skin crawl.

"Your sister-in-law has a temper. If she doesn't go along with it, just force it. She's drunk enough that she won't even know what's happening." He Jianjun said coldly.

"Got it. Leave it to me, bro. I'll make sure you're happy." Liu Yuwen let out another sly chuckle.

The sound was too sharp. Meng Li's mind felt like someone had thrown ice water on it, and she sobered up halfway. She heard He Jianjun lower his voice and say, "Go on. She won't wake up tonight." Then came the scrape of a chair, then footsteps, heading toward the bedroom.

The footsteps grew closer. The door creaked open a crack, and someone squeezed in, standing by the bed and starting to unbutton his shirt.

Meng Li's eyes flew open and she shot upright.

Liu Yuwen stood by the bed, half his buttons undone, his smile freezing on his face. In the instant their eyes met, Meng Li saw a flash of panic in his. She didn't give him time to react—throwing off the blanket, she jumped off the bed and charged barefoot toward the door. She threw the door open, and He Jianjun in the living room clearly hadn't expected her to wake so soon. He was clutching a stack of papers, scrambling to shove them into a drawer, the corner of the papers poking out.

"What are you hiding?" Meng Li's voice cut like a knife.

He Jianjun's hand paused, his face flickering for a second before settling back into an annoyed look: "You're drunk. Go back to sleep."

Meng Li rushed over and snatched the papers from his hand. He Jianjun hadn't expected her to move so fast; by the time he reached to grab them back, it was too late. Meng Li looked down at the words on the paper—black ink on white paper, clearly saying "Comrade He Jianjun, diagnosed with azoospermia, unable to father children naturally," with the hospital's official stamp below, dated last autumn.

That was the test they'd done in the second year of their marriage. He Jianjun had known the whole time...

Meng Li's hands began to tremble. Those words, those curses, He's mother's daily "barren hen" routine—three years. She'd endured three years of scolding, put up with all the disdain and pity from the compound. So she wasn't the one who couldn't have kids—it was He Jianjun.

But why was it He Jianjun who couldn't have kids? Wasn't it supposed to be Ji Yunshu?

"The one who can't have children is clearly her?!" Meng Li's voice shot up, half sobbing, half screaming. "How is it you?! You've been lying to me for three years—"

He Jianjun's face turned ashen. He stepped forward and slapped his hand over her mouth: "Shut up! Do you want the whole compound to hear?"

Meng Li fought desperately, clawing at his hand and leaving bloody scratches on the back. He Jianjun winced, let go, and backhanded her across the face—a sharp, stinging slap. Meng Li's head snapped to the side, ears ringing, and she hit the floor.

The slap startled He's mother out of the back room. She came out wrapped in her coat, saw Meng Li standing in the middle of the living room, holding her face, Liu Yuwen beside her with his shirt half unbuttoned, and the bloody scratches on He Jianjun's hand. She probably figured out right away what was going on. Her expression flickered, but she quickly put on a stern face and said to Meng Li: "What are you yelling about? Do you want the neighbors to hear at this hour? Haven't you shamed us enough?"

Meng Li held her face, tears leaking through her fingers: "Mother, it's your son who can't have children! You've been cursing me for three years—it's your son who can't have children!"

He's mother was momentarily speechless at these words, but then her face darkened again: "So what? If he can't have kids, can't you find a way to work it out? Liu Yuwen came here to help. If you don't appreciate it, fine, but why cause a scene?"

Meng Li felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart. She finally understood what Liu Yuwen was here for. He Jianjun couldn't father children, so Liu Yuwen had come to "help." All that sudden niceness from He Jianjun lately, all the encouragement to get familiar with Liu Yuwen—it was all to sweet-talk her into going along with it. What was she to them? Just a womb, a baby-making machine?

"Your whole family—" Meng Li's lips were shaking, "You're all animals!"

When He Jianjun heard that, his face turned bright red. He stormed over and kicked her in the shin. Meng Li hit the ground again, her knee slamming into the concrete floor with searing pain. He's mother watched coldly from the sidelines, not lifting a finger to help, only waving at Liu Yuwen: "You go inside. Don't just stand there."

Liu Yuwen shrank back into his room, the door slamming shut behind him.

Meng Li sat on the floor, blood seeping from her knee, soaking into her pants. She looked up at He Jianjun's rage-twisted face and suddenly felt like she didn't know this man at all. Why had she married him in the first place? Right—because he had power and connections, because he was bound to go places, because she thought following him would lead to a good life. She'd turned her back on the Ji family, on He Qiuxia and Ji Haiguo, on the Meng family that raised her. And what did she get in return?

She suddenly remembered Ji Yunshu crouching on the ground yesterday wiping their daughter's mouth, remembered Pei Yufeng picking up both children one in each arm, remembered the smile on He Qiuxia's face as she held Shengsheng. Those images collided with what was happening right now, stabbing her until her whole body hurt.

Her life was a mess—so why should Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng get to be happy? No, she had to wait until Ji Haiguo retired. Once Ji Haiguo retired, she'd make sure Ji Yunshu got kicked out of the compound and suffered on that island forever.

Why should Ji Yunshu live better than her?

--

Meanwhile, Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng had gotten a complaint letter too.

Two cadres from the Political Department showed up at the Pei house with the anonymous complaint letter.

They sat in the living room, each holding a cup of tea, their attitude polite, no sign of wanting to start an investigation. The older of the two cadres asked Ji Yunshu about her pregnancy and delivery. Ji Yunshu answered truthfully—the pregnancy had been confirmed at the military district hospital, with full medical records and files from back then; the childbirth had taken place at the military hospital on the island, and the doctors and nurses who delivered the babies could all vouch for it. The cadre nodded and scribbled a few notes.

Afterward, the cadre showed the letter to Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng, asking them to confirm whether the contents were true.

Pei Yufeng read a few lines and frowned. He handed the letter to Ji Yunshu, who took it and read it from beginning to end. When she finished, she was quiet for a long moment before letting out a long breath.

"Who wrote this? This is complete nonsense!" Ji Yunshu rebutted forcefully. "Comrade cadre, from pregnancy to delivery, every checkup was registered at the military district hospital with full records. Everything in this letter is completely made up!"

The letter was written with a straight face, full of detail, claiming Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng were "suspected of stealing someone else's child," with the reasoning that "leaving the capital to give birth on a remote island during pregnancy is suspicious, and the kids don't look like their parents." Pei Yufeng folded the letter and put it back in the envelope, his expression shifting from an initial frown to sheer helplessness.

"This letter..." Pei Yufeng shook his head, finding the whole thing utterly ridiculous. "Niannian looks like you, Shengsheng looks like me. How the hell don't they look like us?"

"We've already checked with the military district hospital. The doctor who confirmed Comrade Ji's pregnancy has confirmed that she was indeed pregnant at the time, but he couldn't confirm whether they were twins. We've sent a telegram to the military hospital on the island to verify. This visit is just to let you know officially," one of the cadres said.

"Of course, we'll fully cooperate with your work," Ji Yunshu said immediately.

Sheng Sheng and Nian Nian were both babies she had carried for ten full months and given birth to. Now someone was claiming they weren't her biological children? Absolutely absurd! Utterly unreasonable!

The two cadres conducted a further review of Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng, confirming that there were no issues with either of them. As they were leaving, the older cadre patted Pei Yufeng on the shoulder and lowered his voice: "Xiao Pei, have you offended someone recently? This kind of accusation letter is obviously fabricated, but per regulations we had to make a visit. Don't worry though—this ends with us. It won't be reported up the chain."

Pei Yufeng walked them to the door and thanked them. The older cadre took a few steps before turning back: "Oh, and we've already verified who filed the accusation—it's someone from your family compound. Just keep that in mind. Don't make a big scene."

But within two days, news of Meng Li's accusation letter had spread throughout the compound. No one knew who had leaked it first—maybe a postal worker, maybe someone who had seen the letter. Either way, overnight everyone in the compound knew: Meng Li couldn't have children herself, and she'd gone to her sister's place to stir up trouble, writing a letter accusing Ji Yunshu of stealing children.

The news grew wings and flew to every corner.

By the time Ji Yunshu found out, the rumor had already spread across the compound—even He Qiuxia knew. He Qiuxia was furious; the last shred of sympathy she'd had for Meng Li was completely worn away by her behavior. She was so angry she wanted to go confront Meng Li directly, but Ji Yunshu stopped her.

"Mom, it's no big deal. She's the one panicking now that her lies are exposed. If Sister Li Shu were here, she'd curse her out six ways to Sunday—too bad she's not. Let's just not get involved." Ji Yunshu couldn't be bothered to give someone like that any attention.

"I was truly blind. I actually thought she was just... just..." He Qiuxia slapped her thigh. "From now on, I don't care what happens to her! How hard was it for you to carry Sheng Sheng and Nian Nian? The island was so harsh—how could she say such things?"

Ji Haiguo was also furious, but he had long since been completely disappointed in Meng Li. In this matter, he was as calm as Ji Yunshu—because it was so absurd that no reasonable person would believe it was true.

And the wives in the compound had sharp enough tongues already.

"How can someone be so disgusting? She can't have kids herself, so she's jealous of other people's children."

"I heard He Jianjun used to call her a hen that doesn't lay eggs. Turns out it was him who had the problem. And the Ji family parents are still her own parents—that woman is practically her adopted sister—and she spreads rumors like that about them... utterly shameless."

"So why did she report Ji Yunshu? What did Ji Yunshu do to her?"

"Seems like her husband can't father children, and she was desperate for a baby—she's gone twisted..."

"Her husband? He Jianjun? So it's actually He Jianjun who can't have kids?"

"I heard it from someone—when he went to the district hospital for a checkup, I knew someone who worked there, and they said He Jianjun was diagnosed as infertile..."

"She's just jealous. Look at how great those two kids are—chubby and healthy, one boy and one girl, a perfect pair. Her belly's been empty for three years, and seeing someone else's kids made her eyes turn green."

These words reached He Jianjun's ears while he was eating at the unit cafeteria. The people at the next table spoke at a moderate volume, but every word landed clearly in his ears, and they kept glancing at him.

He Jianjun's chopsticks hovered over his bowl for a long time, his face flushing and paling by turns. Finally he pushed his bowl aside, stood up, and walked out. His fists were clenched so tight the whole way that his knuckles went white, hatred for Meng Li burning through him—if she hadn't written that stupid letter, how would word of his infertility have gotten out?

By the time He Jianjun got home, it was already dark. His mother was sitting in the living room, and burst into tears the moment she saw him: "Son, something's happened to your uncle! You have to help him—can you find someone to get your cousin released? Isn't your leader pretty powerful..."

He Jianjun froze: "What happened?"

His mother sobbed, barely able to catch her breath: "This afternoon some people came and took your cousin away! They said your uncle was secretly in contact with the Americans, and your aunt's family has relatives overseas who'd already transferred assets and fled the country. They said your cousin has to be taken in for questioning too..."

He Jianjun's face went white. Liu Yuwen had only been there a few days! He hadn't even touched Meng Li, and now he'd been taken away? Then what about his plan? Word of his infertility was already all over the compound, and now even this path with Liu Yuwen was cut off...

He Jianjun stood in the middle of the living room, his head buzzing. Then he heard the bedroom door creak open. Meng Li stood in the doorway, her face still swollen from yesterday's slap, but her eyes cold as she looked at him.

"He Jianjun," Meng Li said, her voice utterly flat, "I want a divorce! You can't even father a child and you've dragged me down with you! You useless rooster! You animal!"

He Jianjun whipped around, eyes bloodshot, fists clenched as he took two steps toward her and raised his hand to strike.

His hand hung in midair, about to come down, but Meng Li tilted her face up and didn't back away an inch, her voice sharp and piercing: "Hit me! Go ahead! After you do, the whole compound will know tomorrow that Commander He can't father children and beats his wife! Hit me!"

He Jianjun's hand froze. He held that raised palm, hovering three inches from Meng Li's cheek, and couldn't bring it down. He knew exactly what would happen if he did—yesterday's slap could be passed off as a marital quarrel, but with all the gossip already swirling through the compound today, if he laid a hand on her again, it wouldn't be something they could settle behind closed doors.

"You—" He Jianjun ground out a single word through his teeth, lowering his hand and clenching it into a fist. "Shut your mouth!"

"Why should I shut up?" Meng Li's voice rose even higher. She took half a step forward, pointing at He Jianjun's nose. "You lied to me for three years! You and your mother called me names for three years! 'A hen that doesn't lay eggs,' 'married a useless waste'—who said those things? You did, He Jianjun! And it turns out the one who can't have kids is you! You, He Jianjun!"

"The report was wrong!" He Jianjun shouted, his neck stiffening.

"Wrong?" Meng Li pulled the crumpled papers she'd been clutching all day out of her pocket and slapped them onto the tea table. "Black and white, your name on it, the hospital's official stamp—and you're telling me it's wrong? If it's wrong, why didn't you dare show it to me? If it's wrong, why did you hide it for over a year? Do you take me for a fool?"

He Jianjun was struck speechless, his face turning the color of pig's liver. He opened his mouth to retort, but his mother rushed over and grabbed Meng Li's arm: "Haven't you made enough of a scene! Jianjun's been busy and stressed at work—as his wife, can't you be a little understanding? Spreading this around helps no one. Put that paper away right now—"

"Shut up!" Meng Li shook off his mother's hand. "Your son can't father children, so you brought in his cousin to sleep with me? You think I can't see what your family was planning? You know exactly why Liu Yuwen was here! And you have the nerve to tell me to be understanding? Haven't I been understanding enough? Your son is the one who can't produce!"

His mother staggered back from the shove, her face losing composure, her voice turning shrill: "How dare you talk to me like that?! I'm your mother-in-law! Once you married into the He family, you belong to us—you eat our food, live in our house—"

"Eat your food? Live in your house?" Meng Li let out a cold laugh, tears filling her eyes but none falling. "Do you know what dowry I brought when I married your son? That rosewood furniture was bought by my parents! The jade and gold came from the Meng family! Your son can't father children and you still expect me to carry on your family line—dream on! I'm telling you right now, He Jianjun, this divorce is happening! My father is Ji Haiguo! You can keep your useless body and live out your days with your mother!"

"Meng Li!" He Jianjun roared, his chest heaving violently, eyes red as if about to spit fire, lips trembling. "Don't think I'm scared of you just because your father is Ji Haiguo! He's about to retire—how much longer can he protect you? Say one more word—"

"So what if I do?" Meng Li showed no weakness. She wiped at the swollen mark on her face and gritted her teeth. "He Jianjun, you think I married you for nothing? You think I wanted your handsome face? I wanted your promising official career! You used to mock Ji Yunshu as a capitalist's daughter, and now your uncle is charged with treason—do you expect me to suffer with you? I'm meant to be an officer's wife! You can't even give me a child, and you still have the nerve to hit me!"

He Jianjun finally lost it and raised his hand again. This time Meng Li didn't even flinch—she tilted her face up and met him head-on: "Hit me! Do it, and we'll go file for divorce tomorrow! Don't think I don't know—you've been making eyes at those female comrades outside, and everyone knows you can't father children, so they're all avoiding you! Only stupid Meng Li would let you fool her for three years!"

"You're talking nonsense!" He Jianjun's slap never landed, but the fury in his chest made his whole body shake. He spun around and kicked over a stool, which crashed against the wall with a bang, rattling the cups on the table.

His mother was startled by the noise and grabbed at Meng Li again: "Say less! Jianjun just made a mistake in a moment of confusion! Nothing happened with Liu Yuwen anyway—you haven't lost anything—"

"Nothing happened because I woke up!" Meng Li whipped around to glare at his mother. "What if I hadn't? What if I'd been too drunk to wake up? Your son would've let his cousin rape me, and then I'd be pregnant with God knows whose child, and the He family would have their heir, wouldn't they? You—all of you—"

Before she could finish, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard gate. Someone pounded on the front door—hard and urgent. His mother froze, muttering "Who could that be at this hour," and went to open it.

The door swung open to reveal two cadres in military uniform, followed by a young man in glasses holding a folder. The lead cadre's face was expressionless. His gaze swept past his mother's shoulder into the living room, then he spoke: "Comrade Liu Changhua, we're from the Military Region Security Department. There are some matters we need you to accompany us for—to assist with an investigation."

His mother's face went white: "Wh-what? I haven't done anything—"

"Your brother Liu Changgui is suspected of treason and collusion with the enemy. Your sister-in-law's family has already transferred assets and fled the country. According to our investigation, you and Liu Changgui have had frequent financial dealings in recent years." The cadre's voice was calm, but every word landed like a hammer on the hearts of all three people in the room. "Please cooperate with our work and come with us for questioning."

Author's note:

Finally here!!!! This chapter is a bonus for nearing the end.