blenderwars Chapter 78 The Scumbag's Self-Inflicted Injury Scheme
Chapter 78 The Scumbag's Self-Inflicted Injury Scheme
For Zhao Gang, this night was longer than any winter night he had endured in that dilapidated cowshed.
He didn't dare go back to that little home that was filled with Wang Lili's presence.
He spent the night on a park bench outside the county government compound.
It felt like there were two saws pulling back and forth in my mind.
On one side is the mess back home, her younger sister who was sold off, and her abandoned mother.
On the other hand, there was the wealth and honor that was about to be his: the son-in-law of the section chief of the Finance Bureau and the deputy director of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
As long as we get through today's ordeal and appease Yan Xiujuan and Wang Lili, all the sacrifices will be worthwhile.
Zhao Xiaoyun was just unlucky; no wonder her brother was so heartless.
Just as dawn was breaking, the rustling sound of sanitation workers' brooms sweeping across the ground woke him up.
Zhao Gang got up from the bench. Fortunately, the weather wasn't cold, but the aches and pains all over his body still made him feel uncomfortable.
He ran to the public toilet by the roadside, scooped up some icy water and rubbed his face hard, trying to wash away the dejection and exhaustion on his face, but he couldn't hide the dark circles under his eyes and the bloodshot eyes.
He looked down at himself; his once-proud white shirt was wrinkled like a dried plum, and the collar was still stained with mud from last night's journey.
But there's no time to be picky now. This miserable state makes him look more like a lovelorn soul suffering for love.
Zhao Gang took a deep breath and practiced his facial expressions in front of the blurry mirror in the public restroom.
First came guilt, then deep affection, and finally, the resolute determination to go even if it meant facing a million people.
After calming himself down, he took heavy steps toward Yan Xiujuan's red brick house.
Just after seven o'clock, there was already some activity in the courtyard, with the occasional sound of bicycle bells.
Like a thief, Zhao Gang turned up his collar to cover half his face, lowered his head, and hurried through the passageway, afraid of running into any acquaintances.
Standing in front of that familiar dark green security door, Zhao Gang took a deep breath.
This is a do-or-die situation.
He raised his hand and tapped the door panel twice with his knuckles.
"Thump, thump".
There was no movement.
He knocked twice more, this time with slightly more force.
The sound of slippers slid across the floor came from inside, followed by the click of the door lock turning.
Zhao Gang held his breath, bent his knees slightly, and prepared to kneel down at any moment.
The door opened a crack.
Yan Xiujuan's face appeared through the crack in the door, her usual refined look gone, her hair disheveled, and her eyes, though slightly droopy, were covered in dark circles, clearly indicating she hadn't slept all night.
When she saw Zhao Gang standing at the door, her face twitched visibly, and a glint of anger shot up in her eyes.
"You dare to come again?"
Yan Xiujuan's voice was extremely low, like a growl squeezed out from between her teeth. She blocked the doorway, her posture suggesting she wanted to smash Zhao Gang against the wall with the door panel. "Get out! Get as far away as you can! We don't serve liars!"
As she spoke, she was about to slam the door shut.
"mom--!"
Zhao Gang's shout was heart-wrenching, with a heavy nasal tone.
Without the slightest hesitation, his legs buckled, and with a "thud," he knelt straight down on the cold cement floor.
The kneecap slammed into the ground with a dull thud, making Yan Xiujuan's eyes twitch involuntarily.
"What are you doing!"
Yan Xiujuan was startled and instinctively peeked out the door into the stairwell, afraid that some early-rising neighbor might have seen the scene. "Don't try that self-inflicted injury trick on me! Are you afraid I haven't lost face enough? Do you want the whole compound to see this?"
"Mom, I was wrong. I was a beast. I'm sorry to Lili, and I'm sorry to you and Dad for raising me."
Zhao Gang knelt on the ground and refused to get up. He clung tightly to the door frame with both hands, tilted his head back, and tears welled up in his red eyes, streaming down his haggard face.
As he cried, he shakily pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket.
That was the divorce certificate, stamped with the red seal yesterday afternoon, which he had held in his heart all night and still carried his warmth.
He held the thin piece of paper in both hands as if it were his own life, raising it high above his head and shoving it directly under Yan Xiujuan's eyes.
"Mom, please take a look. Just one look." Zhao Gang's voice was terribly hoarse. "I went back to my hometown last night and got this all sorted out. That woman and I are divorced! Clean and simple, with absolutely no connection whatsoever!"
Yan Xiujuan's hand, which was about to push the door open, froze in mid-air.
Her gaze fell on the paper, and the bright red official seal made her pupils shrink.
Divorced? Just like that?
Yesterday, Li Xianglian made such a scene at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, revealing her past and demanding money. How could such a difficult person give in so quickly?
Although Yan Xiujuan hated Zhao Gang for deceiving her into marriage, she was still calculating her options carefully.
Wang Lili is carrying twins. If she really dumps Zhao Gang, getting her arrested is easy, but her daughter's reputation will be completely ruined. How will she ever hold her head up in this county town, pregnant and raising two fatherless children? Where will Old Wang put his face?
She grabbed the divorce certificate and opened it.
The date was indeed yesterday, and the names were those two people's names. The official seal was bright red; it couldn't be faked.
Yan Xiujuan's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but the frost on her face remained. She snorted coldly, took a half-step back in disgust, and turned aside to make way for him.
"Come inside! Don't embarrass me at the door! If the neighbors hear a sound, I'll skin you alive!"
Zhao Gang was overjoyed; the weight that had been hanging over him was now half lifted.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, ignoring the dust on his knees, and hunched over like a schoolchild being punished by the teacher, shrinking his neck as he crawled into the house.
The curtains in the living room were still drawn, making the room dim and gloomy. The air was filled with the smell of stale, leftover tea and a faint scent of mentholatum.
As soon as Zhao Gang entered the room, he saw Wang Lili curled up in the corner of the sofa.
She was wearing that loose nightgown, clutching a pillow in her arms, her eyes swollen like peaches, clearly having cried all night.
That shout was truly heartfelt. After all, it was his golden ladder to wealth and glory, his last hope for a turnaround.
He rushed over and tried to take Wang Lili's hand.
"Stop right there!" Yan Xiujuan shouted from behind him. "You reek of filth, don't stink up my daughter! Just stand there and talk!"
Zhao Gang stiffened, quickly withdrew his hand, and stood awkwardly by the coffee table with his hands hanging at his sides, head bowed, looking like a submissive grandson who would take any beating or scolding.
When Wang Lili heard his voice, her body trembled violently, and she slowly raised her head.
When she saw Zhao Gang's shirt, which looked like dried plums, and his stubble-covered face and swollen eyes, half of the resentment and hatred she had been harboring dissipated.
He was, after all, the man she had loved, the father of the child in her womb. Judging from his miserable state, he must have suffered terribly last night.
"What...what are you doing here..." Wang Lili sobbed, her voice filled with deep grievance and lingering tears. "Don't you have a wife? Aren't you a liar? Why are you here looking for me...why don't you go back to your rural hometown and live a peaceful life..."
"Lili, hit me, scold me."
With a thud, Zhao Gang knelt down again on the carpet in front of Wang Lili.
Without arguing, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.
The slap landed solidly, and blood instantly seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Wang Lili trembled in fright, instinctively reaching out to stop him, but then pulled back.
"I'm such an idiot! I shouldn't have kept it from you!"
Zhao Gang said between sobs, "But I had no choice! That woman... that Li Xianglian, she's a madwoman! It was an arranged marriage by my elders, I didn't acknowledge it at all! These past few years she's been in the countryside, and I've been sending money back every month. I thought that supporting her financially was more than enough. Who knew... who knew she was so greedy? When she heard I was going to be the deputy director, she brought her whole family to extort money from me!"
As Zhao Gang spoke, he placed the divorce certificate on the coffee table, pointed to the red stamp, and began to write the script he had already prepared.
"Lili, Mom, you have no idea how I got through last night. That family of bloodsuckers held a knife to my throat and demanded money. If I didn't give it to them, they threatened to cause trouble and ruin Lili's and Mom's reputations! I, Zhao Gang, may have a worthless life, but I can't let you suffer even the slightest injustice!"