RIRW – Chapter 128

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Because there were so many of them, Liu Cuicui and her group didn’t even bother taking a vehicle — they marched aggressively toward the Education Bureau on foot.

Along the way, several women chatted among themselves.

“I told you, Cuicui could never do something like that. Su Yidao was such a family man. There’s no way those two would do something so scandalous.”

“Exactly! I always felt something was off. That Guo Caiping always acted like a smiling tiger, looking down on everyone except the slaughterhouse leaders.”

“I heard weird things too. The neighbor next to her said that even before she got divorced, Guo Caiping already treated everyone coldly — she wouldn’t even pay attention to her own son!”

“Heartless woman. Must’ve had her heart stolen by some man outside. She didn’t care about her kid at all.”

“The worst part is she slandered Liu Cuicui. Truly a black-hearted witch!”

…

Liu Cuicui’s anger built with every word she heard. By the time they arrived at the Education Bureau, she was seething — she wished she had a knife in hand so she could rush inside, drag out that Li Wenchang, and go down together with Guo Caiping.

The group of women were broad-shouldered and tough-looking, and they had just come from the slaughterhouse, so they still had traces of blood on them. They looked downright terrifying — passersby didn’t dare get close.

A few young guards at the entrance of the Education Bureau were so frightened they didn’t dare approach, only yelling from the gatehouse, “What do you want?! This is the municipal Education Bureau, a government institution!”

“We’re looking for someone from the Education Bureau!” Liu Cuicui shouted angrily, then pulled out a rope and started tying it to the main gate. Once secured, she yelled inside, “Bring out Guo Caiping’s husband, or I’ll hang myself right here in front of your gate!”

The other women followed her lead and began pounding on the gate. “Who’s Guo Caiping’s husband? Get out here, you shameless man! We’re here to demand justice. No one’s leaving until we get it!”

Zuo Dan had already taken a car to the area and was watching from nearby. Seeing the scene unfold, she swallowed hard with excitement.

She had been worried these women wouldn’t know how to cause a proper scene. But they were doing great — not charging in recklessly, but going for the classic: cry, shout, and threaten to hang yourself.

The guards in the gatehouse were terrified. Who does this kind of thing right off the bat? On the first day of the new year, no less — how unlucky!

Also… who the hell was Guo Caiping?

Regardless, the matter had to be reported to the higher-ups.

This was too much for them to handle.

Inside the Education Bureau, people were cheerful — it was the first workday of the year. Li Wenchang, in particular, was feeling great. Sitting at his desk, he felt like he had rediscovered the ambitious self of his younger days.

The only bitter part was that he was now just a minor section chief in the curriculum office, while his peers from back in the day had risen to become bureau directors.

Still, he had confidence in himself. When he first came here, the leadership praised him for his knowledge and talent, saying he would eventually shine in educational research.

Li Wenchang took a deep breath, savoring his present life and hopeful future. Energized, he bent down again to study recent research materials.

Just as he was getting into it, a commotion started outside.

Then, a young man in uniform rushed into the deputy director’s office. Moments later, the deputy director came storming out, his face visibly angry.

Li Wenchang considered going to take a look but ultimately decided not to meddle and kept his head down, working.

Outside, the deputy director saw four or five women gathered at the gate, hands on their hips, yelling loudly. One small-framed woman was standing next to the gate, and a rope had already been looped through the iron bar overhead, forming a noose — she could stick her head through it at any moment.

Oh no, what a wretched way to start the year!

Furious, the deputy director shouted, “What do you women think you’re doing? This is the Education Bureau — a place for education, not for you to make a scene!”

“Who’s making a scene? We’re here to demand justice!” one loud-voiced woman bellowed.

The nearby onlookers, hearing that someone was here for “justice,” instantly perked up and gathered to watch.

The deputy director felt a headache coming on. How humiliating!

“You all need to leave immediately. If you don’t, I’ll call the police to arrest you!”

The women paused — call the police?

“This leader is abusing his authority!” someone shouted from the crowd.

Exactly — abusing authority! They were here to seek justice!

The women’s morale surged again. Liu Cuicui simply stuck her head through the rope. “Go get someone! Just in time to collect my body. I’ve got no way to live anymore — I’ve been ruined!”

The other women quickly chimed in, “Oh my god, how can anyone live like this? A government office shielding bad people and bullying ordinary folks!”

“There’s no justice! The officials are abusing their power! How are we common people supposed to survive?!”

The deputy director: “…” What the hell did he do?

One of the young guards whispered, “Sir, maybe we should go get Director Zhou. Looks like they’ve really been wronged.”

Director Zhou was the top leader at the bureau — normally, no one wanted to bother him unless it was serious.

But now, the deputy director felt like he couldn’t handle it anymore and slunk back into the building.

Director Zhou was in his office reading a recently issued document. There were rumors circulating that higher authorities might resume the college entrance exams (gaokao). Even though it was only unconfirmed talk, it was still very significant for them. If the exams were reinstated, the education bureau would have a lot of work ahead.

He was just focused on reading when he heard loud wailing outside. As he opened the door, Deputy Director Gao, who oversaw admissions, came running up in a panic.

“What’s going on?” Director Zhou asked.

The deputy quickly reported the situation. “Those people outside are making a huge scene. We can’t hold them back much longer.”

“This is outrageous! Let’s go take a look!” Director Zhou hurried outside.

When he saw the chaos outside, he couldn’t keep his composure either. Knowing that force wouldn’t work, he stepped forward and said, “Ladies, what are you doing? Even if you’ve been wronged, you can’t go about it like this.”

The women thought, If we didn’t raise a fuss, who would pay attention to us?

Liu Cuicui, still with her neck in the noose, shouted angrily, “I want to see Guo Caiping! I heard her man works here — tell him to come out and hand her over!”

Guo Caiping… who’s that again? Director Zhou thought. The name sounded so familiar. Then it hit him — wasn’t Li Wenchang’s wife named Guo Caiping? Back in the day, he and Li Wenchang had even worked at the same school.

He tested the waters. “Are you looking for Li Wenchang?”

“Yes, yes, that’s the name!” the women all shouted at once.

Director Zhou’s face darkened. What a mess Li Wenchang’s home life must be! First day back at work and this blows up — who knows how badly the bureau’s reputation would be dragged through the mud after this. He quickly ordered someone to call Li Wenchang out.

Li Wenchang was still buried in paperwork when he heard someone say he was being called — even the director was involved! He stood up and went out immediately.

When he saw the situation outside, he was completely confused. “Director Zhou, is there something you need?”

Director Zhou pointed at the crowd. “These people say they’re here to seek justice from Guo Caiping. They want you to bring her out.”

The words hit Li Wenchang like a thunderbolt. They were here… for him?

“Th-this must be a misunderstanding…”

One of the older women asked, “Are you Guo Caiping’s husband?”

Li Wenchang nodded. “Yes, but—”

Another voice cut in, “When did you get married?”

“We got married twenty years ago,” Li Wenchang said reluctantly. He didn’t want to bring up the fact that he and Guo Caiping had divorced.

But hearing this, Liu Cuicui exploded. “You’re lying! Guo Caiping clearly married Su Yidao from the slaughterhouse in recent years!”

Li Wenchang’s whole body jolted. His face turned pale and he stammered awkwardly, “We… we got divorced before, but recently remarried.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is…” Liu Cuicui’s rage intensified. So Guo Caiping had been married to him before and chose to remarry him — meaning she wanted to divorce Su Yidao. “When did you two remarry?”

“January 8,” Li Wenchang answered stiffly.

The slaughterhouse women burst into shouts.

“Good grief! That fast? She must’ve been desperate for a man!”

“No, not desperate — she was already having an affair! Why else would she marry him the moment she divorced?!”

“That heartless witch! She only remarried him so she could get rid of Cuicui and Su Yidao!”

Liu Cuicui pulled her head out of the noose, her eyes bloodshot. She pushed toward the building, crying and screaming, “Hand over Guo Caiping! You pair of dogs! You had your affair and then framed me! What did I ever do to you? Why ruin me?! I’m going to kill you!”

No one expected her to suddenly charge in like that. Before they could stop her, she had rushed in front of Li Wenchang and grabbed him with both hands.

Director Zhou, standing next to Li Wenchang, was startled by the chaos and shouted, “What are you all standing around for? Pull her off him!”

The young guards hurried forward to break it up, while the slaughterhouse women jumped in to “rescue” Liu Cuicui.

After all, they were expecting compensation later. If they didn’t put in effort now, people would say they didn’t earn their share.

The women lunged forward, clawing and scratching. The moment the young men tried to push them away, they started yelling, “Molesters!”

The guards were completely overwhelmed, nearly in tears. “Director, what should we do?!”

Director Zhou pulled the dazed Li Wenchang aside and said, “Comrade Li Wenchang, why are you just standing there? Go get Guo Caiping — no, take them to find her yourself!”

This kind of messy personal drama? The education bureau wasn’t going to deal with it!

Now that Director Zhou realized it was a private matter, he raised his voice and announced, “Ladies, stop making a fuss. Comrade Li Wenchang will take you to Guo Caiping. Go with him and find her.”

The women immediately surrounded Li Wenchang.

Li Wenchang’s face turned pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and his lips trembled so much he could barely speak.

Liu Cuicui pointed at him. “Hurry up and take us to Guo Caiping!”

“Yeah, take us to Guo Caiping!” the others shouted. As long as they found Guo Caiping and got the money, they could get their share.

Li Wenchang, frightened, nodded quickly. “Okay, okay, I’ll take you to her.”

Director Zhou said, “Just go, don’t worry about work. Take care of your personal matters first. We’ll handle things here.”

But Li Wenchang didn’t catch the hidden meaning behind those words. Dazed, he led the group out of the education bureau.

As soon as he left, Director Zhou immediately called for a meeting.

…

In the family housing building of the provincial university, Guo Caiping was arranging flowers at home. She no longer needed to work and now spent her days around clean, well-dressed people—not like those in the slaughterhouse, always reeking of blood and filth. Plus, Li Wenchang was now a small official in the education bureau; people looked up to him. Life couldn’t be better. The only thing she worried about was her daughter, Li Xue. They needed a child in the family to serve as a bond between her and Li Wenchang.

She still fumed at how Li Hui hadn’t fallen for her threats that day. If she had, things would’ve been easier. Just thinking about it made her angry. That daughter of Li Hui’s was ill-mannered and loud-mouthed.

After placing the flowers in the vase, she picked it up to take it into the bedroom.

Just then, the door was knocked loudly. Outside, Li Wenchang called, “Caiping, open the door, quick!”

Back so early? Guo Caiping, still holding the vase, walked over and casually opened the door. “Coming, coming—”

As soon as she opened it, a forceful rush of people barged in. Before she could react, several people had grabbed her.

“Guo Caiping, I’m going to fight you to the death!” Liu Cuicui charged in again, slamming her to the ground. Although Liu Cuicui was smaller than her, she had the advantage of momentum, and with the others holding Guo Caiping down, she couldn’t fight back. The vase smashed to the floor.

Liu Cuicui slapped her hard, the sting burning her cheek. She felt like her face had been scratched as well. Terrified, her face went white. “What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!” She tried to push Liu Cuicui off.

“You still dare to fight back?” Someone grabbed her wrist.

Li Wenchang, seeing how badly Guo Caiping was being beaten, mustered his courage to pull people away, but two women blocked him before he could get close.

He couldn’t get through—he could only hear Guo Caiping screaming.

After a while, someone persuaded Liu Cuicui to stop. If they hurt her too badly, she might not be able to pay.

Liu Cuicui finally got up, her eyes red and glaring. “Guo Caiping, what grudge do I have against you? Why did you have to harm me like this?!”

Guo Caiping, beaten and scratched, had a swollen cheek and deep red marks.

She panted heavily, and when she looked into Liu Cuicui’s eyes, she flinched. She had thought Liu Cuicui was the quietest and smallest one—an easy target. She never expected her to go this far when enraged.

“How did I harm you?” Guo Caiping denied through clenched teeth.

“You still won’t admit it? Just so you could remarry your ex-husband, you framed me and Su Yidao. You wrote that letter! You think we’re all idiots?” Liu Cuicui said through gritted teeth.

Another woman chimed in, “Exactly! You think you’re so clever, but we knew something was off!”

“I didn’t do it!” Guo Caiping flatly denied it. Even though she wasn’t sure how they figured it out, she knew better than to confess.

“Get out! This is my home! You broke in and caused a scene—I’ll call the police!”

Liu Cuicui snapped back, “Go ahead. Let the police investigate what happened to me and Su Yidao. You seduced your ex, wanted a divorce, and slandered us. If anyone’s getting arrested, it’s you, you heartless snake.”

Li Wenchang, still confused until now, suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Guo Caiping. “Caiping, is what she said true?”

A woman added, “Of course it’s true. She wrote the letter herself to accuse Liu Cuicui and Su Yidao, then made a scene in the director’s office to push for the divorce. Classic case of a thief crying ‘thief’!”

Guo Caiping gritted her teeth in silence. She knew the matter couldn’t withstand scrutiny. Back then, she counted on the slaughterhouse not wanting to make a big fuss. She was desperate for the divorce and had written the letter accusing Su Yidao.

If they really investigated…

She bit her lip and composed herself. “How would I know if you and Su Yidao had something going on? I just thought something wasn’t right.”

“You’re still trying to throw mud at me? Even if I die today, I’m dragging you down with me!” Liu Cuicui’s eyes turned red with rage.

Guo Caiping, seeing this, tried to dodge, but the others had her surrounded. There was nowhere to run.

Someone held Liu Cuicui back and warned Guo Caiping, “You better stop slandering people. Liu Cuicui’s dead serious—she already bashed her head on a wall once.”

“Yeah, just pay some compensation, and we’ll take her back.”

“Five or six hundred yuan should do.”

They had heard that Guo Caiping had easily handed out three hundred yuan for some issue with her daughter before—clearly, she had money.

Guo Caiping hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from Liu Cuicui. Her chest heaved with panic.

Seeing her hesitate, the one holding Liu Cuicui loosened their grip. “We’ll really let go. If she beats you to death, that’s on you.”

“Pay up, and we’ll leave.”

Li Wenchang couldn’t think about anything else anymore. He just wanted these people gone. “Caiping, just pay them.”

“I don’t have money,” Guo Caiping bit out. She had never been humiliated like this in her life.

“How can you not? My back pay from work—I gave it all to you!” Li Wenchang shouted, his frustration boiling over. He felt like he had been in the dark the entire time, like a fool.

Liu Cuicui struggled harder. “Let go of me! She ruined my life—I’ve got no dignity left! I’ll drag her down with me if it’s the last thing I do!”

“Hand over the money already! We can’t hold her much longer!” someone shouted impatiently.

Li Wenchang urged too, “Caiping, hurry and give them the money!”

Left with no choice, Guo Caiping went inside to get the money. The others, not trusting her, followed right behind. When they saw her pull out a thick wad of cash, they all thought to themselves—it’s no wonder Guo Caiping wants a divorce. She’s clearly found someone richer.

What a shameless woman!

She counted out 600 yuan, gritted her teeth, and handed it over. Just as she extended her hand, someone snatched it from her.

Once they had the money, the group started dragging Liu Cuicui out. “Cuicui, let’s go. We’ll go find someone to report this to. That woman just admitted it was her who reported it. Let the authorities investigate!”

“Yes, yes, we’ll testify for you. You’re innocent. She’s the wicked one.”

As far as they were concerned, everything was fine now that they’d gotten the money.

Guo Caiping’s face darkened at their words. So even after taking the money, they were still going to make a scene?

And sure enough, she soon realized they weren’t just making a scene—they were going to blow this up. The slaughterhouse women started shouting from downstairs as soon as they got outside with Liu Cuicui.

“Guo Caiping, you shameless woman seducing men!”

“Guo Caiping, you schemed against your man for some other guy, you’re despicable!”

“Guo Caiping, you abandoned your husband and child to run off with another man, you heartless dog!”

…

Upstairs in the Li household, Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li were reading. When they heard the commotion, they frowned. Listening more carefully, they realized the shouting was aimed at Guo Caiping. They immediately put down their books and went out to the corridor, only to see several women downstairs pointing up and cursing.

After hearing enough, Grandfather Li returned to the room with a dark expression. Grandmother Li pursed her lips and followed him back inside.

Just from what they’d heard, they could guess what was going on. It was probably someone from the Su family, and clearly this divorce of Guo Caiping’s wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

“What a disgrace to the family,” Grandfather Li sighed as he picked his book back up.

Elsewhere, Li Wenchang stood expressionlessly, staring at Guo Caiping.

Guo Caiping had her ears covered. She’d long known those people from the slaughterhouse had no manners—but she hadn’t expected them to be this shameless.

When the yelling finally stopped, she dropped her hands. As she looked up, she was met with Li Wenchang’s pale, furious face.

“Wenchang…”

“What’s really going on?” Li Wenchang asked coldly. “What those people were saying just now—is it true? You wrote a letter accusing Su Yidao and then tried to divorce him?”

Eyes red, Guo Caiping said, “I didn’t falsely accuse them. I saw them making eyes at each other.”

“If what you said was true, would they have the nerve to come make a scene at our home?” Li Wenchang asked. He wasn’t great at reading people, but he wasn’t stupid either. If it were him, he would be too ashamed to show up.

“They’re just uncultured. Look at what they did to me! My face is all scratched up,” Guo Caiping cried, pointing at her swollen face. She didn’t need a mirror to know how bad it looked—it still stung like fire.

Li Wenchang rubbed his face hard, unsure if he should believe her or not.

“I’m going back to the office,” he said, getting up.

“Wenchang, don’t go. Just hear me out—” Guo Caiping said anxiously.

But Li Wenchang lowered his head and pretended not to hear. He opened the door and walked out.

Guo Caiping, her face a mess, stepped outside but was immediately met with judgmental stares and whispers from those who’d been watching the drama. She paused, then quickly turned back and shut the door.

She no longer cared about Li Wenchang. She rushed into the bedroom and looked in the mirror—what she saw shocked her.

Her face wasn’t just swollen. From her cheeks to her neck, there were scratch marks everywhere.

Liu Cuicui was vicious!

Guo Caiping trembled with rage.

Meanwhile, at the Education Bureau, Li Wenchang had just arrived when Director Zhou called him into the office.

Several deputy directors were there too, and when they saw Li Wenchang enter, their expressions were complicated.

Li Wenchang stood there awkwardly.

Director Zhou said, “Comrade Li Wenchang, how did things go at home?”

“It’s all been handled,” Li Wenchang replied with his head down.

Director Zhou nodded. “Good, good. So, here’s the thing—we’ve discussed your situation. We believe you may not be fully familiar with your current duties. We think it’s best if you take another break for a while. We’ve reassigned your work to someone else.”

Li Wenchang was stunned. “But—but I’ve started to understand the work now. It won’t affect my duties.”

Deputy Director Gao spoke up, “Comrade Li Wenchang, perhaps you didn’t understand. The Bureau will be conducting a preliminary investigation into your personal matters. Right after you left, the director of the slaughterhouse called us asking about you. We’ve learned some things, and we’ll need to look into them further.”

_{OMG, what a scoop of drama. I love it. I LOVE IT.}