Chapter 82

Chapter 82

He Jianjun's mother was escorted out by two soldiers, one on each side. Her legs had turned to jelly, knees buckling, her whole body sagging—only the two soldiers holding her up kept her from collapsing to the ground.

She twisted her head around and screamed desperately at He Jianjun: "Son! Save me! Go find your superior! Mom didn't do anything, I just accepted a few remittances from my brother, he said he'd made a fortune in Yucheng and wanted to send his sister some money to spend—how was I supposed to know his money came from illegitimate sources? Son! Are you listening!"

He Jianjun stood frozen in place, his face white as a ghost, lips trembling, both hands clenched into fists at his sides. He wanted to rush forward and stop them, but the two military officers stood blocking the doorway, glancing at him with cold, indifferent looks.

He Jianjun started to step forward, then stopped himself. His throat was dry, his voice hoarse, he asked: "Officer, is there some misunderstanding here? My mother—she's just a housewife, she doesn't understand anything..."

The lead officer turned to look at He Jianjun. His gaze held no warmth, but his tone was still polite: "Comrade He Jianjun, this matter is still under investigation. We're simply bringing Comrade Liu Changhua in for questioning. As for whether her financial dealings with Liu Changgui involve any illegal activity, the authorities will get to the bottom of it. Stay home for now and wait for further notice. If we need your cooperation, we'll come find you."

The words were airtight—neither convicting nor reassuring, simply cutting off any hope He Jianjun had of pleading for leniency.

He Jianjun's lips moved as if to say something more, but the officer had already turned and signaled the two soldiers to take his mother away. Her cries trailed out through the courtyard and down the alley, piercing the quiet of the night. A light clicked on in the neighbor's house, someone half poked their head out, then ducked back inside.

The courtyard gate closed. The footsteps gradually faded, and the wailing grew faint, then inaudible.

He Jianjun stood in the middle of the living room. The bare bulb overhead cast a dim yellow light, throwing his shadow long and crooked across the floor. He stared at the closed gate for a long time, fists clenched, his face ashen.

Meng Li stood at the bedroom door watching his back. Her heart sank—she knew she couldn't stay in the He household any longer.

With He Jianjun's mother taken away and him being such a mama's boy, something was bound to happen. She needed to divorce him now, before he faced any consequences. In this era, if your family background was tainted, you could be exiled to remote border villages—she absolutely couldn't let that happen!

Without another word, Meng Li walked into the bedroom, locked the door from the inside, and began going through her dowry and bankbook.

As she counted, Meng Li started to panic! Why was there so little money left in her account? Where were the five thousand-plus yuan she'd brought from the Meng family? What about the gold she'd hidden away? Over the years, she'd spent most of the money the Meng family had given her. Back when the Meng family was wealthy, they'd sent her one or two hundred yuan a month in spending money.

The Meng family had once been prosperous, and Meng Li had never known hardship while living with them. But what good was money when even slightly expensive purchases required ration coupons? And with so many people in the Meng household, she only ever got the coupons for big-ticket items or food stamps after Meng Chongwen and Meng Yunzhen had already taken what they needed. She couldn't even buy a new watch once a year—how was that living well?

At least Meng Guangze and Wang Wanru had been generous with her, giving her another two thousand yuan and a set of jade jewelry when she married, plus the gold she'd swiped from Meng Chongwen's private stash. Too bad gold could only be carried on you in this era—she couldn't take much. Otherwise, all that gold Meng Chongwen had stashed away should have been hers! And what a pity about the gold that had been confiscated after she reported it—she couldn't have it, but the Meng family wouldn't keep it either!

Gold was the most valuable asset. When the country opened up and started rebuilding, she'd been counting on converting that gold to cash and buying several properties in Beijing and Shanghai!

But where was her gold now? She'd told no one, keeping it locked in her trunk, hadn't she?

Meng Li searched frantically through everything. Her expenses had been high over the years, and He Jianjun would sometimes take money from her accounts when he was short. She'd figured that since he'd eventually earn good money, it was an investment, so she'd let him spend it freely. Besides, He Jianjun could always get his hands on more ration coupons—buying clothes and big-ticket items was much easier than it had been in the Meng household. But why had her money disappeared so fast?

When Meng Li stormed out clutching her bankbook, her eyes were red. She slammed it down on the coffee table in front of He Jianjun with a crack, pages scattering to reveal a string of withdrawal amounts.

"He Jianjun, explain this to me!" Meng Li's finger stabbed at the withdrawal entries, her fingertip trembling. "Where did the five thousand-plus yuan in my bankbook go? What about the jade and gold I brought when we married? The gold I had locked in my trunk?!"

He Jianjun was sitting on the sofa. Startled at first by her sudden burst, his surprise quickly turned to irritation. He glanced at the bankbook pages, flicking them aside like scraps of paper: "Money? Spent it. You eat my food, live under my roof—what's wrong with using a little money for household expenses?"

"Household expenses?!" Meng Li's voice was shrill enough to cut through air. "My account is short five thousand yuan! Five thousand! And you call that household expenses? How much do you make in a month? Tell me what household expenses could possibly eat up five thousand yuan!"

He Jianjun crossed his legs, leaned back against the sofa, and even let a careless smile spread across his face: "That's our joint money as husband and wife. I used it, so I used it. Don't come here doing accounting with me. What was that dowry your family gave you anyway? You think greasing palms doesn't cost money? You think promotions don't cost money? You think living in this compound, wearing these fine fabrics, using those scarce ration coupons—that's all thanks to your pretty face? It's thanks to the gifts I've been handing out to build connections!"

"You—" Meng Li was shaking with rage. "All the connections you built were with my money? Those ration coupons came from the Meng family, those connections were my father's—what right do you have—"

"Your father?" He Jianjun let out a cold laugh, rising from the sofa to tower over her. "Where's your father now? Does he even acknowledge you anymore? I said I needed to build connections, and you were the one who handed me the money. You even cut ties with that old man Ji Haiguo over it—you gave it to me with your own hands, didn't you? Now that you see my mother being taken away, you regret it? Too late. The money's long gone."

Meng Li's eyes reddened instantly at his jab at her weak spot. She gritted her teeth to hold back the tears, her voice urgent and vicious: "I don't care! Give me back that money! That was my dowry! How dare you touch my money without my permission!"

"Give it back?" He Jianjun laughed as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Where am I supposed to find five thousand yuan? It's all spent. And your jade and gold—you think I didn't know where you hid them? I found them within the first year you married in. Sold what could be sold, gifted what could be gifted. You think any of it's still there?"

Meng Li's mind went blank with a deafening buzz. She stood frozen, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head, chilling her from head to toe. She'd carefully hidden that gold at the bottom of her trunk, wrapped in three layers of cloth, never telling a soul. She'd thought it was her last resort—when the country opened up, that gold would be her ticket to starting over. But now He Jianjun's casual "sold what could be sold, gifted what could be gifted" had shattered every hope she had.

"He Jianjun!" Meng Li shrieked and lunged at him, nails raking toward his face. "Give me back my gold! You owe me! That was mine! How dare you touch my things!"

He Jianjun caught a scratch across his face, three bloody welts rising immediately. He hissed in pain and backhanded her, sending Meng Li staggering back two steps.

Meng Li lost her balance and slammed into the wall, her knee cracking against the corner of the table, making her gasp in pain. But she seemed not to feel it—she grabbed a ceramic bowl from the table and hurled it at He Jianjun. The bowl missed, smashing against the wall behind him, shards scattering everywhere.

"You lunatic!" He Jianjun wiped at the bloody welts on his face, his temper flaring. He charged forward and kicked her in the waist. Meng Li crumpled to the floor but grabbed the broom beside her and swung it at his shin. The broom handle connected with a dull thud against his leg bone. He Jianjun winced and bent over in pain, and Meng Li scrambled up to claw at his face again.

The two of them tumbled into a brawl, fighting from the middle of the living room to the coffee table. Cups and teapots were swept off the table, porcelain shattering in a cacophony. He Jianjun grabbed Meng Li by the hair and shoved her down to the floor. Meng Li drove her knee into his stomach, knocking him backward. They stared at each other, panting heavily, eyes bloodshot—two beasts trapped in a cage, tearing each other apart.

The commotion was too loud. The neighbors first heard the sound of shattering porcelain, then Meng Li's shrill screams and He Jianjun's heavy breathing. They rushed out and pounded on the door: "Comrade Xiao He! Comrade Xiao He, what's going on? Open up! If you don't open, I'm calling the Family Members Committee!"

He Jianjun's fist hung suspended in midair, head bowed, breathing hard. Meng Li lay on the floor, hair scattered across her face, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth again, her knee scraped raw on the ground—blood and grime caked into her pants. She looked at his clenched fist and suddenly grinned, laughing through a face full of tears: "Go ahead, hit me. Beat me to death. Doesn't matter—the money's gone, the gold's gone, I've got nothing left—kill me, and we both go down together."

Something about that laugh made He Jianjun's skin crawl. His fist hung there for a long moment before he slammed it into the wall beside him, splitting the skin on his knuckles and drawing blood.

The door was being pounded furiously. The neighbor outside was already shouting: "Open up or I'm calling the security office!"

He Jianjun caught his breath, unclenched his fist, wiped the blood from his face, and went to open the door. Several neighbors stood outside, craning their necks to look in. When they saw the shattered porcelain everywhere and Meng Li sitting in the middle of it, her face covered in blood, they all jumped in shock.

"It's nothing," He Jianjun said, blocking the doorway, forcing himself to look composed so the neighbors wouldn't think anything was wrong. "Husband and wife quarrel. Broke a few bowls. Nothing to worry about."

But anyone could see something was wrong. Porcelain shards everywhere, blood smears on the wall, footprints on Meng Li's clothes—this was no ordinary marital spat. The neighbors exchanged uneasy glances. Someone quietly slipped away to report it to the Family Members Committee.

He Jianjun didn't want to stay home either. He went to the bathroom, washed his face, made himself look presentable, and headed straight out.

He was too furious to think straight. The most important thing now was his mother—he had to get her out first. That crazy woman Meng Li could wait; what mattered was his mother!

He Jianjun went to see his superior that very night. The superior lived at the other end of the family quarters. His hands were shaking when he knocked. The door opened, and the superior's orderly poked his head out. Recognizing him, the orderly looked apologetic: "Commander He, the chief... he's already asleep."

"I have an urgent matter," He Jianjun said, his voice hoarse and desperate. "Please tell the chief—my mother was taken by the security department. I really didn't know anything about my uncle's situation—"

Before the orderly could respond, the superior's voice came from inside, muffled through the door but clear in its meaning: "Tell him to go home. The organization will handle this according to procedure. At a time like this, keeping distance is paramount."

The orderly shook his head at He Jianjun and closed the door.

He Jianjun stood outside, and the light seeping through the door crack went dark. His mouth hung open, throat clogged as if stuffed with wet cotton—he couldn't speak, couldn't swallow. He remembered what his superior had said when he'd thought highly of him: "Xiao He, you're a sharp one. Know when to cut your losses. Don't let anything drag you down."

Now He Jianjun finally understood what those words meant. When you're useful, your superior sees you as material worth cultivating. When you're tainted with trouble, your superior sees you as a hot potato. All that nurturing, all that appreciation—it meant nothing compared to "keeping distance is paramount."

He Jianjun stood outside his superior's door for what felt like an eternity before dragging his leaden legs back home. The night wind crept into his collar, sending several shivers through him.

The next morning, the Family Members Committee came. Two people sat in the living room—one taking notes, one asking questions. He Jianjun sat on the sofa, the scratches on his face scabbed over like crooked red centipedes. Meng Li sat on a stool across from him, knee wrapped in gauze, lip still swollen, head bowed in silence.

The findings were reported up quickly. He Jianjun and Meng Li were both publicly criticized for severe domestic conflict and disturbing neighborhood order. The notice was posted on the bulletin board outside the cafeteria, visible to everyone coming and going.

He Jianjun stood in front of the bulletin board for a while, his face iron-gray, then turned and walked away. Meng Li went to look too. After reading it, she actually smiled—she no longer cared about anything.

Meanwhile, word of his mother's detention had spread throughout the compound. Ji Yunshu heard it from He Qiuxia at breakfast. He Qiuxia had just come back from borrowing soy sauce from next door. Setting down the bottle, she sighed: "Liu Changhua's been taken away. Word is her brother's in trouble—treason. His wife's family has already fled the country."

Ji Yunshu paused, bowl of congee in hand, startled: "He Jianjun's mother?"

"Who else would it be." He Qiuxia shook her head. "That family..."

Ji Yunshu didn't ask further, just lowered her head and drank her congee. He Qiuxia didn't say more either, turning to feed Nian Nian. This matter had nothing to do with their family—she didn't want to spare it another thought.

But by the afternoon, new news was circulating through the compound—last night, He Jianjun and Meng Li had gotten into a fight, blood drawn, and the neighbors had reported it to the Family Members Committee. Both had been publicly criticized.

Ji Yunshu heard the news while wiping Sheng Sheng's hands in the courtyard. Sheng Sheng had just finished studying ants on the ground, his little hands covered in dirt. She carefully wiped the mud from between his fingers with a towel, her face expressionless, only a soft "mm" to acknowledge she'd heard.

He Qiuxia was picking vegetables nearby, tugging at the leaves several times before dropping them into the basin. She said nothing, but Ji Yunshu noticed her movements were much slower than usual.

By evening, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Ji Yunshu went to open the door, and Meng Li stood outside. Her hair was disheveled, a dark bruise on her left cheekbone, a split in the corner of her mouth, the scab still fresh. She wore a crumpled jacket, the collar pulled askew, looking utterly haggard—all the life drained out of her.

Seeing Ji Yunshu at the door, Meng Li's lips moved, her gaze drifting past Ji Yunshu's shoulder, into the courtyard.

"I'm here to see Mom." Meng Li's voice was very low, and she brushed past Ji Yunshu and barged into the yard.

Ji Yunshu stepped aside but said nothing. Meng Li walked in with her head down. He Qiuxia came out of the kitchen, still holding a basin of half-washed vegetables. Seeing Meng Li's state, she paused mid-step, the basin wobbling in her hands, splashing a few drops of water on her shoes.

"Mom," Meng Li said, standing in the middle of the yard, her voice trembling, "I want a divorce from He Jianjun. He hit me—look what he did to me."

Meng Li rolled up her sleeve, revealing bruises and pinch marks covering her arm. He Qiuxia's gaze landed on those wounds, her lips pressing tight. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but the words rolled around on her tongue before finally coming out as a low murmur: "If you want a divorce, then get one. Mom... can't handle your affairs anymore."

Meng Li froze, as if she hadn't expected that reaction from He Qiuxia. She stepped forward: "Mom, I'm not here for you to handle things. I'm here for you and Dad to help me—He Jianjun won't agree to the divorce, he won't sign, so I can't get one. I really want this divorce this time. Have Dad talk to him—he's so scared of Dad, he'll definitely agree—"

He Qiuxia set the vegetable basin on the nearby table and looked up at Meng Li. Her eyes held exhaustion, heartache, but above all, a worn-down helplessness.

"Lizi, your dad is still in the military—about to retire, but not yet. If you get him to pressure He Jianjun, and He Jianjun turns around and accuses your dad of interfering in military affairs or abusing his power, your dad's whole career would be over." He Qiuxia sighed, speaking slowly, word by word. "Last time your dad warned He Jianjun on your behalf, what did you say when you got back? You said, 'Who asked him to meddle? That's between the two of you.' Now you come asking him to intervene again—how am I supposed to ask him?"

Meng Li's lips trembled. "But back then I... I didn't know he'd treat me like this..."

"You didn't know then, but you know now." He Qiuxia sighed. "But your dad doesn't want to get involved in your marital affairs anymore. It's not that he doesn't care about you—it's that he's afraid. He's afraid that after he steps in, you'll turn around and blame him again."

Meng Li stood in the yard, the evening breeze tangling her hair even more. She turned to look at Ji Haiguo, who was sitting under the grape trellis. His gaze rested on the tender new leaves sprouting from the vines in the corner, not on her.

"Dad," Meng Li's voice cracked with tears, "help me. I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have said those things to you before—but I really can't live with him anymore. He hits me, and he had his cousin come..." She couldn't finish, and the tears finally fell.

Ji Haiguo finally lifted his head to look at her. His face was deeply lined, his eyes clouded with a murky weariness in the dusk light.

"Lizi," Ji Haiguo's voice was low and heavy, "you're my daughter—that will always be true. But I can't get involved in your marriage anymore. If you really want a divorce, go through the proper channels. Take it to court, or go through official channels. I can't help you beyond that."

Meng Li's tears fell faster. She stood in the middle of the yard, clutching the hem of her jacket, shoulders heaving. Suddenly she whipped her head around to glare at Ji Yunshu, her eyes burning with barely concealed venom.

"You only care about Ji Yunshu." Meng Li's voice turned shrill. "She was raised by you from childhood. I wasn't. When she came back, you were overjoyed. When I come back, you push me out the door. I'm your real daughter! She has no blood relation to you! Why do you only treat her well?"

The yard fell silent for a few seconds. The wind rustled the grape leaves. He Qiuxia stood at the kitchen door, wringing the dishcloth in her hands.

Ji Yunshu stood on the steps, watching Meng Li without anger. She simply looked at her quietly—at this person standing in the yard, face bruised, hair wild, crying out in accusation. She felt a flicker of pity for her, but it was more than that.

"Meng Li," Ji Yunshu finally spoke, her words framed as a question but her tone full of compassion, "ask yourself—have Mom and Dad ever treated you wrong? When you first came back, Mom washed your clothes spotless, folded every piece you wore and put it neatly in your room. Dad pulled strings to find you the most respectable job—I never even asked them to pull strings for me. The Meng family raised you from childhood; they gave you more than they ever gave me... Haven't they been good enough to you?"

Meng Li's mouth opened, but no rebuttal came—because she couldn't rebut it.

"You're the one who pushed them away," Ji Yunshu said. "You mocked Dad to his face for meddling, and you let He Jianjun and his people pressure him into retirement. You said those things when Grandma was gravely ill and sent her to the hospital. You wrote letters reporting me for stealing a child—which of these didn't you do? Now you blame them for not helping you—have you ever thought about what you've done for them?"

Meng Li stood there, tears streaming endlessly, lips trembling, but unable to utter a single word. She wanted to argue, to say there were reasons for everything, but every excuse that came to mind crumbled to dust before Ji Yunshu's plain, level words.

He Qiuxia finally spoke, her voice soft and hoarse: "Lizi, go. If you want a divorce, I won't stop you, but Dad and I won't handle your and He Jianjun's affairs anymore. But coming here like this, demanding to know why we won't help you—go home first and think about what you've done."

Meng Li stood for a long time. The evening wind blew her hair across her face, tears mingling with the dried blood, leaving her face dirty and disheveled. At last, she moved, turning to leave. She paused at the gate but didn't look back, pushing the door open and stepping out.

The door closed with a soft click.

He Qiuxia stood still, staring down at her hands, tears falling silently. Ji Haiguo rose from under the grape trellis, walked over, and patted her shoulder without a word.

Ji Yunshu watched the closed door, silent for a moment, then turned and went back inside. Nian Nian was lying on the living room sofa, blinking her big eyes, asking in a baby voice, "Mommy, who was crying?"

Ji Yunshu walked over, picked up Nian Nian, and pulled Sheng Sheng, who had come closer, into her arms, encircling both children together. She kissed Nian Nian's forehead, then Sheng Sheng's cheek.

"It's nothing," Ji Yunshu said. "The wind blew some sand into Grandma's eyes."

Nian Nian nodded, half-understanding, and turned to play with Sheng Sheng. Ji Yunshu sat on the sofa, watching through the window as the branches in the compound swayed gently in the evening breeze, leaves rustling softly.

Ji Yunshu didn't feel sad for Meng Li, nor did she feel sorry for her. She just felt that some things, some people, had reached a point where there was no turning back.

Author's note:

Thanks for reading, still compensating qwq. Also, there are probably fewer than ten chapters left before the main story ends, so I'll be a bit slow with updates during this period. If I don't update by 12:30, I'll compensate. Thanks for your patience.