Chapter 124 Celebration

Hearing her daughter's words, she nodded repeatedly, her face full of support.

"Change! It must be changed!"

Shen Xuelin slapped his thigh, his tone resolute.

"All three children will take your surname, not one of them can be allowed to live with your lineage! Why should someone of our Shen family live with an outsider's surname?"

Song Qiaoying wiped her eyes and said in a low voice, "My daughter has suffered enough. From now on, the children must be upright people and not carry the burden of their father's bad reputation!"

Guizhen, carrying her bag and holding the youngest child's hand, readily agreed, "Let's go! I'll go with you right now! The name must be changed today, not a single character can be delayed!"

The police station is in the building next door, just a few steps away.

The family surrounded Shen Cuifen and walked away without looking back.

Lu Weidong was left standing alone in the corner of the service hall, clutching the divorce certificate he had just received tightly in his hand.

The bright red cover was already crumpled up by his grip.

"Comrade, is there anything else that needs to be done?"

After tidying up his desk, Zhang Shu looked up and asked him.

Lu Weidong gritted his teeth, his jaw grinding.

Without saying a word, he shoved the divorce certificate into his pocket and turned to leave.

He staggered, but dared not stop.

The moment he stepped out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the people in the office immediately formed a circle around him.

"Oh my, isn't this Lu Weidong? The factory's well-known honest man, who would have thought he'd be so wicked behind the scenes?"

"I heard he's been keeping a mistress for years, and they even bought a house for her! Tsk tsk, if this had come out earlier, the factory would have fired him."

"The worst off is Shen Cuifen, who has to raise three children on her own and work to earn money, and she hasn't uttered a single complaint all these years."

"Now it's all good, finally divorced. Judging from the way that woman looked at me, I'll never suffer for it again!"

"Brother Wu, you didn't try to persuade them today, do you know something about it?"

Because of the divorce certificate as a legal basis, the name change procedure went very smoothly.

The staff asked almost no questions and quickly completed the relevant procedures.

When Shen Cuifen received the brand-new household registration booklet, the red cover still carried a faint scent of ink.

She held it tightly in her hand.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yong'an immediately drove back to the old house to pick up his parents and tidy up the house again.

Shen Yongcai then rode his old, peeling bicycle toward the brick factory to buy some bricks.

Shen Cuifen couldn't help but laugh.

That smile was genuine, carrying a long-lost sense of ease.

From now on, the children will all take her surname, Shen, and will no longer have to live under the Lu family name. They will also completely sever ties with Lu Weidong and have no further connection with him.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going to buy some pork ribs later. Let's have a good meal today!"

"Oh my, you're living such a good life now? Why buy ribs! When you get back, Mom will just cook you two nice dishes."

Although Song Qiaoying said this, a smile secretly appeared in the corner of her eye.

Shen Xuelin waved his hand, interrupting his wife.

"Alright, old woman, don't stop her. Getting rid of those debt-grubbing relatives is something to celebrate! This is no small matter."

As he spoke, he reached into the inner pocket of his cotton-padded jacket, rummaged around for a few moments, and pulled out a crumpled twenty-yuan bill.

He gently dusted it off, then solemnly placed it in Shen Cuifen's hand.

"Come on, Cuifen, this meal is on Dad!"

Shen Cuifen looked at her father's calloused hands and her throat tightened.

Shen Xuelin smiled at her, his eyes full of affection, just like when they were children.

She turned to look at Song Qiaoying, whose mother was glaring at Shen Xuelin, muttering, "You're wasting money again."

But the next second, she decisively pulled the twenty yuan out of Shen Xuelin's hand.

She didn't return it to Shen Xuelin, but instead put it back into Shen Cuifen's palm.

"The old man is right! This really deserves a celebration! Go on, go buy some meat!"

She patted her daughter's hand and raised her voice slightly.

"Let's set up a table, and later your second brother can invite your sister-in-law, your second sister-in-law, and the children over so the whole family can have a lively meal together!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Cuifen couldn't help but laugh out loud, nodding repeatedly, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Okay! I'll do as you say!"

The matter was settled, and the atmosphere was as joyful as if it were Chinese New Year.

It was almost noon, the sun was high in the sky, and the light was just right.

Shen Cuifen and her four children, Shen Guizhen and Shen Guizhen, walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative together, chatting and laughing.

It was still early, and the supply and marketing cooperative had just opened.

There weren't many people inside, and the goods in front of the counter were neatly arranged.

Several fresh pork slices hung in front of the pork stall, their fat and lean meat clearly separated, glistening with oil.

Shen Cuifen and Song Qiaoying stood side by side in front of the meat stall, carefully selecting meat.

They picked out the pork rib with the best balance of fat and lean meat, the marbling of which was clearly visible.

There were still traces of blood on the bones, clearly indicating that it was freshly slaughtered.

This piece of pork rib weighs about five or six pounds; it's quite heavy.

Just looking at it makes my mouth water.

Shen Cuifen didn't even ask the price. She simply waved her hand and said in a clear voice, "Comrade, wrap up this spare rib for me!"

She thought for a moment, then casually grabbed a thick piece of pork belly from the side and threw it onto the pile of ribs with a thud.

"Take this piece of pork belly too!"

The saleswoman was a middle-aged woman wearing glasses; I recognized her immediately.

This girl bought a big bone a few days ago to make soup.

It's only been a few days, and here it is again.

This time, I ordered ribs and pork belly directly, and I was so generous with my money, not even bothering to haggle.

This is a truly major client, a rare sight indeed!

The sales clerk quickly replied with a smile, "Sure! I'll wrap it up for you right away! Please wait a moment!"

The saleswoman beamed and deftly wrapped pieces of fresh pork belly and ribs in oil paper, all the while secretly glancing at Shen Cuifen standing in front of the counter.

He doesn't look like someone in his forties at all.

She looks more like a young girl in her early twenties.

Without thinking, she asked another question.

"Oh my, Auntie, you've bought so much good meat and you seem so happy. Is it because your children have some good news?"

Shen Cuifen grinned, revealing a row of neat, white teeth, and shook her head.

"It's a good thing, but it doesn't belong to my children, it belongs to me!"

The salesperson stopped mid-air, freezing the motion of putting the meat into the bag.

Her eyes widened, her tone filled with disbelief.

"You...are you getting married again?"

"puff!"

Shen Cuifen almost burst out laughing, and quickly waved her hands, her shoulders shaking.

"What remarriage?! I'm divorced today! Officially divorced! I'm free! Shouldn't we celebrate?"

Upon hearing this, the salesperson's face twitched violently, and her lips twitched stiffly.

"Oh...that's really...something to celebrate, really something to celebrate..."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.

Why did you have to say that?

Judging from Shen Cuifen's cheerful appearance, she must have suffered too many grievances in her marriage over the years.

Who can get a divorce and still be all smiles like they've found a gold mine?

The more he thought about her, the worse he felt, as if he had stabbed her in the heart.

A wave of guilt washed over me.

She simply glanced down at the cutting board and casually picked up the thick, bright red pig liver next to her.