WBSGVS Chapter 115

Li Lanhua was no longer afraid and decided to directly ask for a divorce. Qingli raised both hands in agreement. After a brief rest in the morning, Li Lanhua went to see Tang Ersong.

This young couple, who had been together since they were sixteen or seventeen, had now reached a breaking point after more than a decade.

Tang Ersong, unaware of Li Lanhua’s intentions, was visibly emotional when he saw her. “Lanhua, please tell the police I didn’t sell our daughter! I didn’t do it!”

Li Lanhua glared at him with disgust. “Do you dare claim you didn’t know your parents planned to sell San Ya? Tang Ersong, you allowed your parents to sell your daughter, and now this is your karma!”

Tang Ersong shook his head, his bloodshot eyes and cracked lips showing signs of a sleepless night. He pleaded, “Please tell the police for me. I know I was wrong, but if I go to jail, what will happen to you and San Ya?”

Li Lanhua replied coldly, “I’m divorcing you. I’ll take San Ya and live a good life without you!”

“Divorce?!” Tang Ersong shouted in shock, shaking his head violently. “No, absolutely not. I won’t agree!”

Li Lanhua’s face hardened. “You were willing to sell your daughter. What right do you have to refuse?”

“Where’s San Ya? I want to see her!” Tang Ersong ignored her and glared, shouting, “If we divorce, how will San Ya survive? Even if not for me, think about her!”

“San Ya can’t wait for me to divorce you!” Li Lanhua snapped.

Tang Ersong didn’t believe her and, enraged, tried to hit her. But his hands were cuffed, and he couldn’t move.

Li Lanhua looked at him with disdain. How had she ever fallen for this man and obeyed him in the past? She must have been blind.

She stepped outside and called her daughter in.

Since Tang Ersong was handcuffed and posed no danger, the police allowed the mother and daughter inside. Ironically, the one they should have been worried about wasn’t Li Lanhua or Qingli but Tang Ersong.

“San Ya!” Tang Ersong’s eyes lit up when he saw his daughter. He choked up, saying, “Dad knows he was wrong. I was at fault before. Your mom wants a divorce—please talk to her. If we divorce, how will you live in the village? Your mom can’t support you!”

As he grew more emotional, Qingli took a step forward and slapped him hard across the face, turning his head to the side.

“San Ya!” Li Lanhua gasped, pulling her daughter behind her. She scolded, “He’s your father! No matter what, you can’t hit him. Do you understand?”

Even if she was divorcing him, he would always be her daughter’s father—a fact that would never change.

Qingli replied firmly, “Mom, he may be my father, but he was wrong. He tried to sell me! Does being an elder mean I can’t hit him when he’s done something so vile?”

Li Lanhua was speechless. She was finding it harder and harder to control her daughter.

Tang Ersong, however, was stunned by the slap. After a few seconds, he came back to his senses and glared at Qingli in anger. “San Ya, you—”

“Don’t call me that! Being your daughter is the worst luck of my life!” Qingli interrupted, staring him down. “If you have any conscience left, divorce my mom. As for how we’ll live afterward, that’s none of your concern. The divorce is happening, no matter what!”

Tang Ersong should have been furious, his teeth grinding in rage. A daughter daring to hit her father was an unthinkable insult. But faced with Qingli’s unyielding stance, he felt utterly powerless.

Fuming, he yelled, “You’ve gone mad! A child daring to hit her father—no wonder I wanted to sell you!”

Qingli replied coldly, “If that’s the case, then enjoy the rest of your life in prison. Refuse the divorce all you want. I’ll have Mom publish a notice in the paper and divorce you without your consent. You won’t even need to show up! After what you’ve done, everyone will support her.”

“Shut up! There will be no divorce!” Tang Ersong yelled, growing more agitated and yanking at his handcuffs, which clanged against the table.

He couldn’t let the divorce happen this way.

But no amount of anger could change the situation. Qingli had already pulled Li Lanhua out of the room.

Divorces through public notices were common during those ten years, with people severing ties with family members or spouses. Once the notice was published, remarrying wouldn’t count as bigamy.

While such notices were expensive, and mostly used by wealthier people, Qingli had just thought of it. There was no need to waste time negotiating with a man unwilling to divorce. A shortcut was always the best option, and money could solve the problem.

As the two women left, Tang Ersong stared at the closed door, cursing in frustration.

A moment later, the door opened again.

A police officer stepped in and warned, “One more curse word, and I’ll add another charge to your record!”

Tang Ersong immediately shut his mouth, too scared to speak. But tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

Qingli had slapped him to stand up for the original owner of her body.

The original Qingli had trusted her father to protect her and her mother, only to be betrayed. While she longed for a new life, she had never been without resentment.

Afterward, Qingli charmed a policewoman with her innocence to arrange a visit with Qian Guiying.

At this time, interrogation rooms lacked surveillance cameras. Once the door was shut, no one knew what Qingli did inside.

Qian Guiying was surprised to see her granddaughter, San Ya, but before she could say anything, Qingli rushed at her. Without a word, she covered Qian Guiying’s mouth, pressed her against the table, and began striking her in painful spots with precision.

Qian Guiying struggled desperately, her face and neck turning red with veins bulging, but despite being up against her ten-year-old granddaughter, she couldn’t break free.

“Mmm! Mmm!” she whimpered as Qingli landed a blow on her lower back. The pain was so intense her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Another strike landed in the same spot, triggering pain that seemed to radiate through her entire body.

After Qingli had her fill, she grabbed Qian Guiying’s hair, pulling her face upward so harshly that her eyes turned into a glaring stare. Leaning close to her ear, Qingli whispered menacingly, “You dare hit my mom? I’ll make you regret it!”

Qian Guiying whimpered in terror, her breathing ragged and her eyes filled with fear.

Once Qingli was done, she let go. Qian Guiying collapsed to the ground, trembling in pain and crying out, “Help! Someone, help me—”

The police rushed in. A female officer checked on Qian Guiying but found no serious injuries, only some redness and disheveled clothing. Meanwhile, Qingli stood innocently by the wall, pretending to be frightened.

The officer frowned at Qian Guiying. “If you keep pretending, we’ll add another charge to your record.”

Qian Guiying, realizing she had no choice, swallowed her complaints and stayed silent.

When Qingli left the room, Lanhua, who had been listening outside, smiled knowingly. “You didn’t have to bother with her. I wasn’t even hurt. I remembered what you said and kept my cool.”

“But revenge is necessary. If they hit us, we hit back,” Qingli replied firmly.

Lanhua’s smile grew brighter.

Wanting to lift her mother’s spirits further, Qingli borrowed a bike and took her to the newspaper office to file for a divorce notice.

In the 1960s, while marriage certificates existed, many people didn’t bother to get them. A wedding feast often signified a marriage, and divorces were similarly informal. However, public divorce announcements had been recognized since the Republican era.

After taking care of the paperwork, they returned home.

As victims, they were free to leave after giving their statements. But Qian Guiying and her accomplices had to stay in custody, awaiting their sentences.

Lanhua rode the bike with her daughter, happy at first, but as they neared the village, her anxiety grew. “San Ya, what if people find out we reported your grandparents and father to the police? What if they try to retaliate?”

“Mom, don’t worry. If that happens, we’ll go to the police. You handled things perfectly yesterday,” Qingli reassured her.

Encouraged, Lanhua nodded. “You’re right.”

After a pause, she asked, “But what if my parents find out?”

Qingli grinned. “Don’t worry. If they do, let them talk to me. I’ll handle it.”

Lanhua hesitated before nodding again, though a part of her hoped they wouldn’t come. She didn’t want her daughter to face her parents’ wrath.

News traveled slowly in those days. When they returned to the Tang household, no one knew the full details of Tang Dashun and the others being detained. They only heard rumors about the arrest for selling a granddaughter. A group of villagers surrounded them, bombarding them with questions.

Lanhua stayed silent, refusing to share any details. Frustrated by her reticence, the villagers eventually dispersed.

The other Tang family members weren’t as easily deterred. Tang Dashun’s eldest son hurried over. “Why didn’t Father and Mother come back with you? And what about the second son?”

This time, Lanhua didn’t stay silent. “If you want answers, go to the county police station. They’ll tell you everything.”

“They’re still at the police station?!” Tang Dashun’s eldest son was shocked.

The youngest son opened his mouth as if to speak but stopped when he noticed San Ya. Realizing something, he kept quiet.

Tang Tiantian, hiding in her room, hopped out on one foot at the commotion. Seeing Qingli, she shouted, “San Ya, bring my parents back! Now!”

Qingli grabbed a stick, pointing it at her coldly. “Do you want another beating?”

Tang Tiantian glanced around nervously. Aside from her eldest brother muttering, “San Ya,” no one intervened. Realizing she was on her own, she backed down, eyes reddening as she retreated to her room.

Tang Dashun’s eldest sons tried to ask more questions, but Lanhua repeated the same answer, refusing to elaborate. Frustrated, the brothers decided to go to the police station the next day to investigate.

With the troublemakers out of the house, Qingli felt the air was fresher. Noticing her mother fidgeting despite her smile, she asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Although things were nearly resolved, with only the police’s paperwork left and the divorce announcement pending publication, Lanhua still seemed uneasy.

“It’s nothing,” Lanhua replied, forcing a smile. She didn’t want to burden her daughter with her worries, preferring to deal with them herself.

But her peace didn’t last long. That same afternoon, after finishing work, Lanhua’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law arrived at the Tang household in a hurry.

“Lanhua!” her mother-in-law called out from the yard.

Lanhua flinched and ran out of the house, forcing a smile. “Mom, Sister-in-law, what brings you here?”

Her mother-in-law scolded her, “How could we not come? We heard your in-laws were arrested! What kind of trouble have they gotten into? Is it serious?”