Mrs. He had no patience for her. They were complete strangers now, so there was no need to show her any courtesy.
Guo Jinfeng had no choice but to leave the He Family’s ho resentfully, but she didn’t want to go back to her own house.
Her stepson and stepdaughter didn’t treat her like family, and she still had to serve that large household. The man she had married was even older than Mr. He, yet he was still full of vigor. Every night, he would climb on top of her and paw at her, wasting half the night. Guo Jinfeng felt like throwing up whenever she slled the old-man scent on him. But since she depended on him to survive, she forced herself to endure it. Whenever those monts ca, she would imagine the man was He Nan, and it would beco less sickening.
She truly regretted divorcing He Nan. She still had feelings for him.
Now, she woke up every day to an old man with one foot in the grave and a pack of stepchildren who antagonized her at every turn. Her life was utterly hopeless.
Guo Jinfeng returned to the Guo Family ho in a daze.
When Wang Guihua saw Guo Jinfeng return empty-handed, her expression soured instantly. Her tone was sharp. "Why are you back at this hour? We didn’t make any food for you. And you co back to your parents’ ho empty-handed?"
Guo Jinfeng no longer had the energy to speak. She just sat down in a corner of the courtyard with her head bowed, looking as if her soul had left her.
Seeing her daughter like this, a calculating look entered Wang Guihua’s eyes. She stepped forward and asked, "What’s wrong? Did your husband hit you? Or yell at you? If you ask , it’s no big deal for a man to hit or yell at you a little. Just bear with it. Besides, in a few years, your husband will kick the bucket. Won’t you be the one in charge of the house then? When that ti cos, you have to help out your brothers. Their lives aren’t easy."
Guo Jinfeng looked up at her mother and mumbled, "My life isn’t easy, either."
A flicker of sothing passed through Wang Guihua’s eyes, and her tone softened considerably. "You’re right, your life isn’t easy. But isn’t that how it is for all of us? Just serve your husband well and win his heart. In a few years, when he’s gone, your life will be much smoother."
Guo Jinfeng said faintly, "Will it? Even if he dies, his sons are no pushovers. I can’t deal with them now, so how could I possibly handle them in the future?"
Wang Guihua snorted. "What are you afraid of? You still have us, don’t you? When the ti cos, we’ll all be there to back you up."
Guo Jinfeng fell silent.
’Do I have any other choice? The road back to the He Family is closed to . I can only hope things turn out the way Mom said they would.’
By unspoken agreent, no one ntioned Guo Jinfeng’s dayti visit to He Nan.
That evening, however, He Ziqing couldn’t resist asking He Nan, "Dad, it’s been a few years since you and Mom got divorced. Do you still have feelings for her?"
He Nan looked at He Ziqing in surprise. "Why the sudden question?"
He Ziqing smiled. "It’s nothing. I just think you seem lonely. Dad, do you regret divorcing Mom?"
He Nan shook his head. "I don’t regret it. I just feel like I’ve let you and your brother down. You lost your mother at such a young age and had a tougher life than other kids."
He Ziqing pursed her lips. "Dad, we don’t think our lives have been hard. We have you, and we have Grandpa and Grandma. We don’t feel like we’re missing anything. It’s just... Dad, you don’t always have to put us first. If you want to remarry soday, we won’t object."
He Nan smiled. "I know. I know you’re just worried about . But honestly, I have no interest in that right now."
Before He Ziqing’s sumr vacation was over, trouble struck He Ze’s family again: Gu Yuwei had disappeared.
One morning, He Ze woke up and couldn’t find Gu Yuwei. The courtyard was empty, so he assud she had just stepped out. But when she still wasn’t back by noon and Xiao Yu started crying for his mommy, He Ze began to panic. He started searching around the village and even ran to the He Family’s ho to ask about her.
When everyone said they hadn’t seen her, he figured Gu Yuwei must have gone to town. ’She still hasn’t given up,’ he thought. ’Maybe she’ll be back tonight.’ He Ze deluded himself like this until the next morning. Gu Yuwei hadn’t co ho all night.
The more He Ze thought about it, the more he felt sothing was wrong. He opened a cabinet, and just as he’d feared, all of Gu Yuwei’s belongings were gone. She had even taken the last bit of money the family had.
He Ze went to the production brigade office to ask and found out that Gu Yuwei hadn’t even requested an introduction letter. He Ze wasn’t foolish enough to believe she had simply gone out for a stroll. ’But her household registration is here,’ he wondered. ’Where could she possibly go?’
When Mrs. He found out, she stood in the courtyard, pointed a finger at He Ze’s head, and railed, "How could a humble place like ours ever hold a wild bird like her? Look, she’s flown the coop! And you! How could you be so dense? You can’t even tell good from bad. You had a perfectly good life, but you just had to go looking for trouble. Well, great. Now your job is gone, your wife is gone. I’d just love to see what kind of damn ss you make of your life now!"
He Ze sat on the doorstep, head in his hands, the very picture of dejection. He never imagined Gu Yuwei would just leave in secret without saying a word. He felt like a complete fool who had been played.
’But given her situation,’ he thought, ’by leaving Da Liushu Village, she’s essentially beco an undocunted person. No one would dare take in soone like that, no matter where she goes.’
"Mom," He Ze said, still trying to make excuses for her, "do you think maybe Yuwei couldn’t handle the shock... and did sothing drastic?"
Mrs. He shot him a cold look. "I don’t know. Think whatever you want." She then turned and walked away without a backward glance. ’This good-for-nothing,’ she thought. ’I can’t stand the sight of him.’
There was still no word from Gu Yuwei. Rumor had it that He Ze, refusing to give up, even went to town to search for her. When that failed, he had no choice but to report her missing to the police. But by the ti He Ziqing was due to return to Beijing City, there was still no news.
At the end of August, He Lang returned. His introduction letter had expired, so he was back to get it renewed.
This ti, however, he wasn’t planning to go back to Beijing City with He Ziqing. He was going to head to Yangcheng instead.
During his ti in Beijing City, He Lang had spent a lot of ti wandering the streets and alleyways. He slowly noticed that people were beginning to set up stalls on the street, mostly selling food. He watched for a while and saw that no one from public security ca to stop them. He Lang sensed a clear shift in policy, so he decided he would also try his hand at running a stall.
As for what to sell, he wasn’t sure yet. He decided to go to Yangcheng to scout things out first. This trip ho would let him take care of his introduction letter at the sa ti.
Before the school term began, He Ziqing returned to Beijing City. This ti, she took a bus to Xue Yue’s place by herself.
Xue Yue was astonished when Ziqing told her about Gu Yuwei running away.
After all, traveling anywhere required an introduction letter. Take He Lang, for instance. When he left, he had obtained a letter from the production brigade with a six-month ti limit. Once it expired, he had to return to get it renewed. Otherwise, he could be forcibly sent back, and in serious cases, even be held legally accountable.
Gu Yuwei’s actions were a truly terrible strategy. And she was ruthless enough to abandon her husband and child just like that.
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