She had been excited for a while, thinking, ’That wretched old man is finally dead. From now on, I’ll be the one in charge.’

But to her surprise, the old man’s four children used the excuse that she had killed their father to try and kick Guo Jinfeng out. Forget about splitting the money, they wouldn’t even give her the grain rations she had just been allocated.

Guo Jinfeng was no match for the old man’s sons, but she still had her own family, didn’t she? The moment she went back and told them, the Guo Family started getting ideas. With the old man dead, Guo Jinfeng was the head of that household, so wouldn’t the grain and money be hers to control?

So, the entire Guo Family went over in a great procession to demand justice for Guo Jinfeng. Unfortunately, that family wasn’t like the He family, who would at least try to reason with them. The moment they heard the Guo Family’s purpose, they weren’t having any of it and immediately started throwing punches.

The two families fought viciously. Guo Fugui’s leg was broken in the brawl. When the two Guo sons saw this, they lost it. Guo Erzhu grabbed a brick and repeatedly smashed it over their opponent’s head, and in the end, someone was killed.

Guo Erzhu killed a man and went straight to prison. Guo Fugui’s leg was crippled. Because the Guo Family had killed someone, they not only had to go to prison but also pay compensation. This was a death blow to them. Not only was Guo Jinfeng kicked out without a single cent or a grain of rice, but the Guo Family also had to pay a huge sum.

Now they had not only lost money, but their second son’s life was also ruined. Wang Guihua blamed it all on the source of their troubles. The first thing she did when she got home was grab a door bolt and break Guo Jinfeng’s leg. Then she threw her out, claiming to have disowned her. Guo Jinfeng dragged her broken leg and crawled around the Guo Family’s gate for three days, but no one paid her any mind. She finally fainted from hunger. In the end, some villagers who couldn’t bear to watch any longer gave her a bite to eat.

But Guo Jinfeng now had nowhere to go. And because her leg didn’t receive timely treatment, she was left with a permanent limp.

He Nan was silent for a long time after hearing the story. ’No wonder her leg looked a bit off when she was running at the train station,’ he thought. ’So she’s crippled.’

Aunt He sighed. "The Guo Family are simply inhuman. But Guo Jinfeng deserved it, too. She valued her own family more than anything, and now look—they’ve kicked her out. She’s homeless. She had a good life, but she just had to throw it all away to end up like this."

True enough.

Shagen’s wife had also said that because Guo Erzhu killed someone, his own wife ran off. The villagers all avoided his family and refused to have anything to do with them. They were treated like a plague no one would touch.

The villagers didn’t know that Guo Jinfeng was begging at the train station, but it was easy to guess why. With a crippled leg, it would be hard for her to remarry. Without a household registration in the village, she couldn’t get work points, which meant no grain rations. City jobs were hard to find, and if no one would hire her, she’d have to either beg or starve to death.

After Aunt He saw Shagen’s wife off, He Nan got ready to leave as well.

Aunt He advised him, "You two divorced a long time ago. I suggest you stay out of her business. Even if she is the mother of your children, you have to draw a line. Otherwise, what will your wife think?"

He Nan nodded. "I know. Don’t worry."

Wang Hui Fang waited at home for a long time. When He Nan didn’t return, she guessed he had probably gone back to the village. She had Xiao Nian eat first, then kept the rest of the meal warming in the pot.

Hearing a noise at the main gate, Wang Hui Fang went out and, sure enough, saw He Nan wheeling his bicycle in.

"You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"

He Nan shook his head. "Not yet."

His uncle and aunt had asked him to stay for dinner, but He Nan came back, thinking that Wang Hui Fang would definitely be waiting for him at home.

Wang Hui Fang went into the kitchen and brought out his meal. He Nan came in after washing his hands and saw the steaming food on the table. He asked Wang Hui Fang, "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. I had Xiao Nian eat first."

He Nan glanced at her and said, "From now on, if I’m late, just eat with Xiao Nian. You don’t have to wait for me."

Wang Hui Fang smiled. "It’s alright. I’m not hungry anyway."

As the two of them sat down to eat, Wang Hui Fang looked up at He Nan, who was eating heartily, and asked hesitantly, "You went back to the village?"

He Nan grunted in affirmation and continued eating.

Wang Hui Fang thought for a moment but decided not to ask what was on her mind.

「A few days later.」

He Nan was inspecting a vehicle at the transport depot when someone called out to him, "He Nan, someone’s at the gate for you."

He Nan stood up, washed his hands, and walked toward the gate.

When he got outside the main gate, He Nan didn’t see anyone. Just as he was about to turn back, someone darted out from behind a tree to the side.

He Nan jumped in surprise. A closer look revealed it was Guo Jinfeng.

Although she was wearing the same clothes as before, she had clearly tried to tidy herself up. At least her hair was no longer a disheveled mess; it was neatly combed behind her ears, and her face looked clean. He Nan hadn’t seen Guo Jinfeng in years, and she had aged so much he almost didn’t recognize her. They were about the same age, but Guo Jinfeng’s eyes were already lined with wrinkles.

"He—He Nan, it’s—it’s me, Guo Jinfeng," she said, her voice trembling as she stood a short distance away from him.

He Nan blinked. "Yes. Is there something you need?"

Hearing his words, Guo Jinfeng lowered her head, as if the last of her backbone had just been crushed.

She said in a low voice, "I just came to see how you were doing."

Then she added, "Seeing you like this, I can tell you’re doing well. That woman the other day, was that your wife? She seems... seems nice. The two children... they don’t reject her, do they?"

He Nan didn’t speak; Guo Jinfeng was just talking to herself.

"Xiao Nian has gotten so tall. Is Ziqing still in Beijing City? I haven’t seen them in years. The children are all grown up now. They probably don’t even remember me, their mother. I’m all alone now. I never remarried."

People were coming and going from the transport depot’s gate, and some were glancing at them curiously.

He Nan frowned. "Wait here a moment."

After saying that, he went inside. Guo Jinfeng immediately grew flustered. She clutched at her clothes, looking after him, at a loss.

After a little while, He Nan returned. He held out a wad of cash to Guo Jinfeng.

"I borrowed this from a colleague. Take it. Go buy a winter coat, and use the rest for food."

Guo Jinfeng stared at the money in He Nan’s hand, slightly dazed, but she took it.

Seeing that she had taken it, He Nan turned to go back inside, but Guo Jinfeng called out to him.

"He Nan, if only we hadn’t divorced back then. It would have been so wonderful. I would be so happy right now."

He Nan’s brow furrowed. "Don’t talk about that. You should go. And don’t come back here again."

He Nan strode away. He didn’t want to bring up the past. His life was good now, and he didn’t want any more involvement with Guo Jinfeng. For the children’s sake, this would be the last time.

In the canteen, Wang Hui Fang was chopping vegetables when Xiao Chen, the young man who helped move goods for the canteen, came running in.

"Sister Wang, guess who I just saw at the gate?"

Without looking up, Wang Hui Fang continued her swift work. "Who did you see?"

"Your man! And he was with another woman. She looked really shabby. I saw your man give her money, too. They didn’t seem like strangers."

When Wang Hui Fang heard this, her concentration slipped. "HISS~"

Seeing a bead of blood well up on her hand, she finally stopped.