Chapter 87 Changed her personality? Mingxi inquired about it...
Mingxi inquired and found out that Dong Chunling had been missing for several days. Ever since she returned with her bundle and then stormed off in anger, no one had seen her again.
After leaving the Dong family, she did not return to the Yan family, nor did she go to work the next day.
Logically, everyone should have noticed her disappearance long ago. But coincidentally, her supervisor and colleagues knew that she was going through a divorce with her husband and assumed that she hadn't been to work because of family matters. So when she didn't come in for several days, they didn't report it or go to her home to look for her.
As for the Yan family, they assumed that Dong Chunling had returned to the Dong family and didn't think anything was wrong.
The Dong family all thought she had returned to the Yan family and didn't notice anything amiss.
Through a series of coincidences, no one noticed that Dong Chunling had disappeared.
The reason we discovered Dong Chunling's disappearance today is because Yan Zhiwen gave her an ultimatum: he had to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with her today to complete the divorce procedures. However, Dong Chunling did not show up at the appointed time.
Yan Zhiwen, impatient, went to the Dong family to look for someone. When he met the Dong family, he learned that Dong Chunling had not been at either the Yan or Dong family for the past few days.
Yan Zhiwen and the Dong family rushed to Dong Chunling's workplace to inquire, only to find out that Dong Chunling had not been to work for the past few days.
The Dong family panicked instantly. Although they were completely disappointed in their daughter, Dong Chunling was still their biological daughter/sister, and they shared the same blood.
When Dong Chunling's mother learned that she had been missing for three days, and that neither her family nor her workplace had seen her, and that there had been no news of her for the past three days, Dong's mother broke down.
Mr. Dong managed to get his older brother to report the incident to the police, but he couldn't take the shock anymore and collapsed.
Mrs. Dong cried and screamed, "What can we do? Chunling has been missing for three days! Three days! Even if Chunling is immature, she has never played disappearing act before, never tried to scare us with something like this. She has been missing for three days now, without a single word. Her colleagues at work all say they haven't seen her since she got off work that night..."
Hearing what Mrs. Dong said, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.
There's been no news for three days. Could something have really happened to Dong Chunling?
There was a robbery in the north of the city not long ago. What if Dong Chunling was robbed at night? The robber might have been merciless and killed her on the spot...
Or perhaps you encountered human traffickers?
Don't think that human traffickers only abduct children. They also abduct young women and wives. There are some despicable human traffickers who abduct women to remote mountainous areas and sell them to old bachelors who can't find wives.
The crowd couldn't help but murmur, "Please don't let it be human traffickers. Three days is a long time. If they had been abducted by human traffickers, they would probably be taken somewhere by now."
"It will be hard to find once it's taken out of the city."
"If you encounter human traffickers, you might survive, but if you encounter robbers, you might not even be alive right now."
"That's really hard to say..."
Hearing the whispers of the crowd, Dong's mother grew even paler.
So, it seems her daughter is in grave danger...
Mrs. Dong's vision went black for a moment, and she almost fainted.
"My daughter!" She slapped her thigh and cried her heart out. Mr. Dong reached out and patted his wife's back to comfort her. When Mrs. Dong turned around and saw Mr. Dong, she immediately grabbed him by the neck and started yelling.
"It's all your fault! If you hadn't locked our daughter out and refused to let her come home, she wouldn't have been driven away, and she wouldn't have disappeared. It's all your fault! Why did you argue with our daughter? If she didn't want a divorce, she didn't have to. Why did you force her to do that?"
Mrs. Dong broke down and vented her anger on Mr. Dong, who was also filled with remorse.
If he had known it would turn out this way, why did he insist on kicking Dong Chunling out?
Seeing Mr. and Mrs. Dong break down, Aunt Ma stepped forward: "Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Dong, stop blaming each other. It's useless. Your daughter is just missing, but it doesn't mean anything bad has happened to her. The most important thing is to find her."
"You two think carefully about whether Dong Chunling has any close friends who could take her in. Also, think about whether you have any distant relatives who live nearby. Dong, go find some paper and write down the names and addresses of the people your parents mentioned. We can then split up and go find them for you."
Aunt Ma has been in charge of the management of the school for many years, so her words carry some weight in this area.
Upon hearing this, the Dong couple immediately seemed to regain their composure, forcing themselves to stay alert. The eldest son of the Dong family also obediently followed instructions and went inside to fetch paper and a pen.
Soon, the Dong couple wrote down all the people and addresses they could remember.
Aunt Ma turned around and said, "Everyone, please help us out. We all live in the same alley, so please help us out. Let's split up and go to the address written on the paper to see if Dong Chunling is there."
The disappearance of a living, breathing person is a major event. Even though everyone usually dislikes Dong Chunling, they are still willing to lend a hand at this time.
Everyone present went up and received a piece of paper from Aunt Ma, Mingxi was no exception.
Aunt Ma then turned to Dong's family and said, "Don't just sit around, go to Chunling's workplace and her in-laws' house and ask around. Although they all say Chunling hasn't been home these past few days, it's possible she's been to the neighborhood. Maybe Yan's neighbors or someone near her workplace saw her. Go and ask around."
"Yes, the Yan family. I'll go to the Yan family right now and ask their neighbors..."
Mrs. Dong swayed and dragged Mr. Dong out. When Aunt Ma saw her back, which looked as if she had aged more than ten years in an instant, she couldn't help but sigh.
Then, Aunt Ma also joined the others in the search.
The police are searching, the Yan family is searching, the Dong family and the residents of the alley are all searching for Dong Chunling.
But after a busy night, there was still no trace of Dong Chunling.
Mingxi: "Aunt Ma, we've searched the homes of Dong Chunling's friends, high school classmates, and close colleagues, but we haven't seen her anywhere."
“Aunt Ma, we’ve also gone to look for Dong’s relatives, and they all said they haven’t seen her.”
"We went to her workplace, but we couldn't find her there either."
As everyone reported their findings, Mr. and Mrs. Dong's hearts sank. So many people had searched everywhere, but they couldn't find their daughter. Could she possibly be alive...?
Just then, a young man in the crowd raised his hand: "I just went to the Yan family's place to look for her. A neighbor of the Yan family said that she saw Dong Chunling at the entrance of the alley on the night she disappeared."
Mother Dong immediately exclaimed, "I knew it! I knew Chunling must have been hidden by the Yan family! Yan Zhiwen still won't admit it! Old man, let's go to the Yan family and settle accounts with Yan Zhiwen. We'll make him return our daughter to us right away..."
Mingxi felt something was off.
Yan Zhiwen had absolutely no reason to hide Dong Chunling.
Yan Zhiwen is now focused on divorcing Dong Chunling and getting rid of this burden. Under these circumstances, there is absolutely no need for him to hide Dong Chunling and stage such a disappearance.
Not to mention that he was the one who proactively reported Dong Chunling's disappearance to the police. If he really did it, even if the police find out, he won't get away with it.
So what is he trying to achieve by going through all this trouble?
Mingxi couldn't help but feel that the logic in this was flawed.
The young man who had spoken earlier quickly explained when he saw Dong's mother's agitated state: "No, ma'am, you've misunderstood. Yan Zhiwen's neighbor saw Dong Chunling near his home, but Dong Chunling didn't go back to the Yan family."
Everyone cast puzzled glances at them.
He said, "Yan Zhiwen's neighbor said that Dong Chunling wandered around the alley for a while, but left without going inside."
The hope that had just glimmered in Dong's mother's eyes was instantly shattered. Her body went limp, and she collapsed onto Dong's father behind her, her voice hoarse, covering her face in utter despair.
"She didn't go back to the Yan family, so where did this girl go? Why is she running around everywhere without telling her family? If she's lost, we don't even know where to look for her..."
It was already past ten o'clock at night. The night was as dark as ink, and the alley was quiet except for the chirping of birds and insects, as well as the desperate cries of Dong's mother.
Hearing her heart-wrenching cries, everyone felt bad and couldn't find the words to comfort her.
Because comforting words is too futile, everyone knows that Dong Chunling's current situation is probably not good.
Finally, it was Aunt Ma who stepped forward and advised Mr. and Mrs. Dong not to worry. She said that the police were still investigating, and that the police were definitely more professional than them. Maybe the police would find Dong Chunling tomorrow.
After much persuasion from Aunt Ma, Mr. Dong finally calmed down. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you all for your hard work tonight. It's getting late, so let's not keep you here any longer. Everyone should go home and rest. Thank you all for your help tonight."
Mr. Dong was still upset that he hadn't found her all night, but he was already very grateful to the neighbors who had been searching for her without eating or resting all night and helping him look for his daughter. He couldn't very well ask them to stay up all night and continue searching for her.
Mr. Dong thanked everyone politely, and they all waved goodbye.
"We've been neighbors for years, how can you say something like that!"
"That's right, why are you being so polite!"
“Chunling is a girl who grew up right under our noses. We’re worried about her not seeing us…”
It was indeed getting late, and it would be a bit difficult to ask everyone to keep searching, so no one really refused. As they were talking, they all dispersed.
Mingxi followed the crowd back to the courtyard. She had also been searching for people all night and was starving. The first thing she did when she got home was to look for Zhao Sulan: "Mom, Mom, I'm starving! Is there any food left at home?"
Zhao Sulan: Yes, I saved it for you.
That evening, everyone in the alley went out to help look for the person, but Zhao Sulan didn't go. It wasn't that Zhao Sulan was unwilling to help look for the person; she stayed at home to look after the house.
Although it's unlikely, what if Dong Chunling comes back while everyone is out looking for her?
So someone was still left in the alley to watch over the place, so that if Dong Chunling came back, someone could notify the people outside who were looking for her.
Zhao Sulan was assigned to stay at home and look after the house.
She stood up, went to the kitchen to bring out the dinner that had been kept warm in the pot, and Mingxi quickly grabbed the bowl and chopsticks, sat down, and wolfed down her food.
Zhao Sulan poured a glass of water and pushed it towards her: "Eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you. Gobbling down your food is bad for your stomach."
Mingxi nodded like a chick pecking at rice, took a sip of water from her cup, and asked Zhao Sulan, "How's it going? Are you finding anyone? Any news about Dong Chunling?"
Mingxi shook her head: "No, nobody knows where she went. There's only one person who said he saw her outside Yanjia Hutong the night she disappeared, but he said she didn't go into the Yan family and nobody knows where she went in the end."
Zhao Sulan frowned: "Strange, so many people, but none of them have found Dong Chunling. Where did she go? Could she have gone to stay at a guesthouse?"
In fact, Zhao Sulan didn't quite believe that Dong Chunling had gotten into trouble.
Even though things haven't been peaceful lately, Dong Chunling is a living person; it's impossible for her to just disappear without a trace.
As for human traffickers, there are human traffickers these days, but very few are bold enough to kidnap people directly on the street.
Therefore, Zhao Sulan is more inclined to believe that Dong Chunling hid herself.
Isn't Yan Zhiwen divorcing her? Given her personality, she's capable of hiding away so Yan Zhiwen can't find her and using that as an excuse to avoid divorce.
But that's the strange thing. Even if Dong Chunling is hiding, she must have somewhere to hide, right? They've searched all her relatives' and friends' homes, but she's nowhere to be found. So where could she have gone? Could she be staying at a guesthouse?
Mingxi shook her head: "She can't possibly stay at a guesthouse; she has no money on her."
Some guesthouses are not strictly managed and do not check letters of introduction, but you need money to stay in a guesthouse. Dong Chunling didn't have a penny on her, so which guesthouse would let her stay for free?
Zhao Sulan: "Where could she have gone? Could something have really happened to her?"
Mingxi shook her head: "It's hard to say."
That night, everyone in the alley was talking about it when they got home.
Where did Dong Chunling go, and did something happen to her?
After discussing it to the end, everyone felt that Dong Chunling was likely in grave danger.
Mr. and Mrs. Dong felt the same way. The old couple were anxious and worried, and they couldn't sleep all night. When they woke up the next morning, their eyes were covered with dark circles, and two big blisters appeared on the corners of their mouths.
On the first day of the new day, those who had to go to work went to work as usual, while the elderly women who didn't have to go to work spontaneously organized to help the Dong family continue their search.
When Mingxi arrived at work, she had just entered the office when she heard Director Shen say that there was a meeting.
It turns out that the police believed Dong Chunling's disappearance was most likely due to human traffickers, so they immediately notified the Women's Federation, asking them to remind all units to be on the lookout for suspicious individuals.
Director Shen called a meeting for this very reason.
Director Shen took the anti-trafficking leaflets delivered by the police and assigned tasks. Liu Wenhong and Sister Wang went to the women's federations of various factories, while Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin were assigned to go to various street offices to notify people of suspected human traffickers.
After the meeting, everyone immediately got to work.
Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin walked around for a while and soon notified Jinyu Hutong. As soon as Mingxi came out of the street office, she saw a familiar figure across the street. She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and had short, wavy hair. It was Dong Chunling. Mingxi immediately called out to her.
"Dong Chunling!"
The figure across the street stopped immediately upon hearing the sound. Mingxi knew from this that she hadn't mistaken the person for someone else; it was indeed Dong Chunling.
She couldn't help but curse under her breath. Everyone in the alley was frantically looking for Dong Chunling, but Dong Chunling was just strolling around the streets as if nothing had happened!
Mingxi stormed up to Dong Chunling and said aggressively, "Where have you been these past few days? Do you know that everyone in the alley has been looking for you like crazy? Everyone thought you were missing, that something had happened to you. Your parents have been so worried and scared, they've been on the verge of a breakdown. If this continues, they'll be in the hospital!"
At this moment, the middle-aged women who were searching for the person nearby heard the noise and rushed over.
Upon seeing Dong Chunling in the crowd, Dong's mother immediately rushed forward, crying and patting her back, bursting into heart-wrenching sobs: "Where have you been these past few days, my child!"
While crying, Dong's mother checked Dong Chunling over from head to toe. Only after confirming that Dong Chunling was alright and had no injuries did she feel relieved.
Her face flushed red, she looked at the silent Dong Chunling with a mixture of anger and frustration: "Speak up! Where have you been these past few days? You didn't tell us anything! Your father and I thought you went back to the Yan family. We only found out yesterday when Yan Zhiwen came over. We went to your workplace, but you haven't been to work either. We were so worried! We even called the police, the police searched, the neighbors in the alley searched, the Yan family searched together, we searched all our relatives and friends, but we still couldn't find you! Where have you been?!"
Mother Dong was furious.
She was the most mild-tempered person in the family, rarely getting angry, let alone at Dong Chunling.
Dong Chunling was caught off guard and scolded by Mingxi and her mother in quick succession, leaving her stunned and unable to react.
At this point, the other women also started talking all at once.
“Dong Chunling, you’re not young anymore, you should be more sensible. You don’t know how worried your parents are these past two days, they thought something had happened to you. They’re so anxious and worried.”
"You're not a child anymore, so why do you keep disappearing all the time, making your family worry..."
"Even if you don't want to divorce Yan Zhiwen, you don't need to disappear like this..."
Dong Chunling realized what was happening, and her expression turned sour. She stammered, "I didn't go anywhere. I was just in a bad mood, so I went out for a walk and stayed at a friend's house for two days."
Everyone was furious.
They all thought something had happened to her and were very worried, searching for her everywhere. But she just said, "I'm in a bad mood, so I'm going out for a walk."
Aunt He's expression immediately changed: "How old are you? You go out for a walk without telling your family. Are you happy to know that we were worried sick because of you?"
"That's right, you have no heart at all. You're having fun outside and don't care about your family at all. It's a good thing you're not my daughter, or I would be furious."
"Your parents still spoil you too much. If I were them, I'd slap you the moment I saw you..."
Dong Chunling's face fell: "What's it to you? I didn't beg you to come to me. Why are you meddling? My parents haven't said anything. Who do you think you are?"
Several middle-aged women were so angry they nearly fell backward.
Aunt He: "Dong Chunling, how can you talk like that? Aren't we all worried about your safety?"
Dong Chunling: "You don't need to worry about my safety. I'm doing just fine on my own. Even if you don't look for me, I'll be perfectly fine!"
She didn't appreciate the concern shown by the people in the alley at all; she only felt that they were meddling and annoying.
These people actually dared to point their fingers at her and curse her. These old bastards have nothing to do with her, so why are they pointing their fingers at her and cursing her? Who do they think they are?
Dong Chunling flung her arm away, her tone harsh: "Get out of my way, all of you!"
"Hey, how dare you talk like that!" Aunt He was furious. She rolled up her sleeves and slapped him across the face. "Your parents didn't teach you how to speak properly at home, so I'll teach you now!"
She raised her hand and slapped several times, the sound of "slap slap slap" echoing out. Those who didn't know better thought it was firecrackers and turned to look.
Aunt He slapped him hard: "This slap is for your lack of manners. You disappeared without a word to your family, causing your parents to live in fear."
Then came another slap. "This slap is for your ungratefulness. We were worried about your safety as neighbors, so we searched for you all night in the dark, and we haven't stopped looking for you since this morning. And you don't appreciate it at all, you have the nerve to say we're meddling. Ha, do you think we helped because of you? We only helped because of your parents."
Slap after slap, "This slap is for your lack of respect for elders. We are all your elders here. We don't expect you to be filial to your elders, but you should at least be polite. Who gave you the audacity to spout nonsense in front of all of us?"
Aunt He slapped Dong Chunling three times, stunning her completely. It took Dong Chunling a while to realize what had happened, and she screamed while pulling her hair.
"Aaaaah, how dare you hit me!"
Dong Chunling bared her teeth and claws, about to pounce on Aunt He, but Mingxi stepped in front of Aunt He and glared at her, scolding, "What are you doing? You want to fight Aunt He?"
She rolled up her sleeves, her meaning clear: if she wanted to fight Aunt He, she'd have to fight her first.
Dong Chunling was furious. Regardless of whether it was Aunt He or Mingxi, she immediately pounced on the other person. Mingxi kicked her, and with a "thud," Dong Chunling was sent flying and landed on the ground.
"Aww!"
Dong Chunling cried out in pain, her eyes bloodshot as she stood up and charged at him again. Mingxi didn't waste any words, raising her leg and kicking him again, sending Dong Chunling flying once more.
Dong Chunling's fall this time was obviously more severe than the last, and she didn't recover for a long time after landing on the ground.
It must be said that Dong Chunling has a very strong will. After finally recovering, she was ready to rush forward again with great momentum.
However, before he could make a move this time, Dong's mother stopped him.
Madam Dong's face was ashen, so black it looked like ink was about to drip from it: "Enough!"
Dong Chunling turned around, her eyebrows raised, her face full of indignation: "Mom, why are you pulling me? Didn't you see me being beaten? Didn't you see Mingxi kicking me?"
She retorted indignantly, "Are you still my mother? If you were my mother, you should stand by my side and help me fight back, instead of holding me back and preventing me from taking action!"
Mrs. Dong gave her a cold look: "If I weren't your biological mother, why would I care about you right now?"
She said, "You deserve to be hit. Aunt He is right. Your father and I didn't raise you well, which is why you are so ignorant, ungrateful, and don't understand respect for elders. You deserve to be hit!"
Dong Chunling: "Mom?!"
Dong's mother didn't look at her, but turned to face Aunt He and Mingxi and said, "I'm sorry everyone, it's my fault and my husband's fault for not teaching our child well. She's spoiled and made everyone unhappy. I apologize on her behalf. Please don't hold a grudge against her for being so ignorant."
Mrs. Dong bent down and bowed to everyone in apology.
Her body was hunched over, and her gray hair and haggard face made her look pitiful no matter how you looked at her.
Everyone knows how tough things have been for her. She was worried sick all night yesterday, and now that she's finally found her daughter, this is what happens...
Considering the hardships Dong's mother had endured, no one continued to hold a grudge against Dong Chunling.
Aunt He only said one sentence: "Old Dong's daughter, you have to teach her a good lesson when you get back, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble she will cause in the future."
Mrs. Dong nodded repeatedly.
Although everyone was furious, they all breathed a sigh of relief that Dong Chunling had been found.
Mingxi returned to her workplace immediately to report the situation. At the same time, the Dong family went to the Public Security Bureau to withdraw the case.
The police officers were very responsible. After learning that Dong Chunling had been found, they made a special trip to her home to inquire where she had been these past few days.
No matter who asked, whether it was the police or the Dong family, Dong Chunling wouldn't say where she went. She only said that she was in a bad mood and went out to clear her head. As for where she stayed or how she had been living these past few days, she only said that a friend had taken her in.
But if you ask, which friend is it?
She hesitated and was unwilling to speak.
Finally, seeing that she couldn't escape the police officers' questioning any longer, she casually mentioned a friend's name. The officers recorded it and then quickly left.
When Mingxi heard about this after getting off work that evening, she realized something was wrong.
The friend Dong Chunling mentioned was the person that Aunt Ma had assigned her to find last night.
She went to the other party's house in person to ask, and the other party had not seen Dong Chunling for the past few days, let alone taken her in.
Mingxi couldn't understand why Dong Chunling would lie about something like this.
But Dong Chunling herself is abnormal; it's hard for normal people to understand her thoughts.
So Mingxi didn't investigate further. She went home, greeted Zhao Sulan, and then went out again to head towards Lü Ping's house.
Lu Ping had just finished get off work and gone home. Mingxi went to the Lu family home and briefly explained his purpose.
"Comrade Lü, I've found a way to introduce you to someone. I have a female colleague who is quite interested in you and is a good match. Let me tell you about her. If you're also satisfied, you can meet her in person."
Lu Ping was taken aback for a moment. Hearing that the other person was interested in him, he blushed and stammered, "Oh, oh, okay."
Mingxi: "This woman's name is Wang Na. She works in a garment factory and is an only child. Her father works in an electromechanical factory..."
Mingxi explained Wang Na's qualifications. She was straightforward and told everything that needed to be said, including the fact that Wang Na had a previous boyfriend.
"There's something I need to tell you. Comrade Wang used to date someone, and the two of them were even talking about marriage. But the other party wanted to control Comrade Wang's dowry, and the two of them broke up because of this."
Hearing this, Lu's mother, who had been listening nearby, couldn't help but frown.
"Comrade Xiaoming, could you explain what happened in more detail?"
She was afraid that Wang Na's family was asking for a high dowry. Her family was well-off, and even if Wang Na's family asked for a dowry of a thousand or eight hundred, they could afford it. It was just that she disliked families who treated their own daughters like objects and made their fortunes by selling their daughters.
Seeing Lü's mother's reaction, Mingxi knew that she must have misunderstood, so she quickly explained that Wang Na's ex-boyfriend had kept the betrothal gifts on the day he proposed.
Upon hearing this, Mother Lü's expression relaxed.
To be honest, a dowry of 66 yuan is really not high. It's basically the average level in Beicheng. People's conditions are not as difficult as before. A family with two employees can afford to spend more than 60 yuan. It's really not that difficult.
The Wang family had communicated with the other party beforehand; it wasn't something that was brought up suddenly.
It can be said that the Wang family did everything perfectly, without any problems.
Especially after hearing Mingxi say that Wang Na decisively broke up with him and didn't soften her heart when the other party begged for reconciliation, Lu's mother felt even more favorably toward her.
She likes girls who are clear-headed and decisive.
Mother Lü: "Then, does Comrade Wang know about our Lü Ping..."
She really liked Wang Na, but she was afraid that Wang Na would dislike Lü Ping for not being able to speak properly.
Mingxi: "Don't worry, I've already spoken to Comrade Wang about Comrade Lü's problems."
Relieved, Lu's mother realized that Wang Na, knowing Lu Ping's flaws, still agreed to meet, indicating that she didn't care much about the issue.
Now it was up to Lü Ping to decide what to do. Both Lü's mother and Mingxi's eyes were fixed on Lü Ping.
Under the watchful eyes of the two men, Lü Ping nodded: "Okay, Comrade Ming, I'd like to meet with Comrade Wang."
Mingxi laughed: "Okay, Comrade Lü, tell me when you're available. I'll ask Comrade Wang when I get back and find a time that's convenient for both of you to meet."
Lü Ping: "I'm available anytime, how about this week..."
Mingxi made a trip to the Lü family and then to the Wang family to arrange a time and place for the meeting before returning home.
When they returned to the courtyard, Aunt He was still angrily berating Dong Chunling.
"You guys don't know, the Dong family's daughter is really useless. We helped the Dong family find someone, and do you know what she said? She said she didn't ask us to find her, and that we were just meddling! Hey, that made me so angry. I've never seen such an ungrateful person. I'm telling you, I'm putting this out there today. From now on, if Dong Chunling has any problems, I won't help her anymore, so that people won't say I'm meddling!"
Aunt He was in a bad mood, and her words were tinged with anger.
The neighbor who had been at work during the day had just returned home and didn't know about this. Upon hearing this, her eyes widened: "No, Dong Chunling really said that?"
Aunt He: "That's right, this girl is really hopeless now. If we say something to her, she'll give us the cold shoulder and tell us to get lost."
"Hey, she even said that? She's so ungrateful! If I had known she'd be like this, I wouldn't have cared about her at all!"
"We've learned our lesson. Next time Dong Chunling gets into trouble, we'd better stay far away, lest she scold us for meddling again."
"Don't call me next time the Dong family needs something. I don't want to work for nothing and not even get a thank you..."
No one in the courtyard had a good look on their face; Dong Chunling had really gone too far this time.
Mingxi listened in the courtyard for a while, but not a single person spoke up for Dong Chunling, not even one to smooth things over.
This shows just how infuriating Dong Chunling's actions were.
Later that day, Mr. Dong came from door to door with gifts to express his gratitude, saying that he was thanking everyone for helping to find the person the day before, and also to apologize to everyone, saying that Dong Chunling was not good at speaking and had made everyone unhappy during the day, and he hoped that everyone would not mind.
No one made things difficult for Mr. Dong. They treated him with respect and accepted the gifts politely.
However, he still intended to keep his distance from Dong Chunling, and not to ask for her help in the future.
Mr. Dong wasn't stupid; he understood everything when he saw everyone's polite but distant gazes.
He smiled weakly, unable to say anything.
After all, his daughter went too far this time, so it's normal for people to lock him out and ignore him.
At least they let him in, which is already considered very kind and generous.
Mr. Dong carried his belongings and walked around the alley, apologizing to each household before finally returning home.
He stepped into the house and saw Dong Chunling, who looked indifferent and didn't seem to care about the matter at all, which made him furious.
Mrs. Dong: "Old man, you're back. What did everyone say? Are they still angry?"
Mr. Dong waved his hand irritably: "How could I not be angry? They put in so much effort and worried all night, and then they got scolded. Of course they'd be happy."
Mrs. Dong lowered her head: "It's also my fault for not stopping her. If I had stopped Chunling from speaking, it would have been better."
Mr. Dong waved his hand, saying that this was not Mrs. Dong's responsibility, but rather the fault of Dong Chunling.
Dong Chunling sensed her father's resentment, pouted, and felt wronged herself.
She didn't say anything wrong. She didn't ask anyone to look for her. She wasn't in any danger, and she didn't ask anyone to look for her. It was those people who were nosy.
And that Aunt He, she actually hit her over such a small thing and slapped her. Her parents haven't even said anything yet, so why did Aunt He hit her?
That Mingxi is the same. Relying on her strength, she acts lawlessly, ruling the alley and bullying men and women. She is utterly despicable!
Dong Chunling cursed inwardly. Just wait and see. She couldn't do anything to Aunt He and Mingxi now, but she would definitely get her revenge on them when she had the chance!
Dong Chunling swore!
What are your plans?
While Dong Chunling was still immersed in her indignation, she heard her father's words and looked at him, saying, "What do you mean, 'what plans'? Dad, what are you talking about?"
Mr. Dong: "I'm asking you, what are your plans regarding your divorce from Yan Zhiwen?"
Although Yan Zhiwen wants to divorce Dong Chunling, the two haven't gone through the divorce proceedings yet. The police notified Yan Zhiwen immediately about Dong Chunling's return, and Yan Zhiwen even went to Dong's house tonight.
He told Dong Chunling that hiding from him was useless and that she should go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with him tomorrow to complete the divorce procedures.
Yan Zhiwen's meaning was clear: he felt that Dong Chunling's disappearance was a pretext to avoid going through the divorce proceedings.
Mr. Dong: "Are you planning to disappear again tomorrow? Just keep hiding like this and not divorce him?"
Upon hearing Yan Zhiwen's words, Dong's father couldn't help but suspect that Dong Chunling's disappearance was a way to avoid getting a divorce.
Dong Chunling suddenly stood up: "Dad, how come you're just like Yan Zhiwen? I already told you, I'm not avoiding him, I'm just in a bad mood and going out for a couple of days!"
Her words carried no credibility with Mr. Dong, who nodded perfunctorily.
Knowing that her father didn't believe her, Dong Chunling shouted angrily, "It's just a divorce, right? I'll get a divorce! Dad, you wait, I'll go and get a divorce from Yan Zhiwen tomorrow!"
She spoke so decisively that Mr. Dong couldn't help but become suspicious.
"Are you serious? You're really going to go and get a divorce from Yan Zhiwen tomorrow?"
Dong Chunling: "How could it be fake, Dad? I've thought about it. Yan Zhiwen isn't really that great. He's just average-looking, his circumstances are so-so, and he's dishonest, full of tricks. Someone like him doesn't deserve me at all. I deserve a better man!"
God knows how much Mr. and Mrs. Dong wanted to cry when they heard this.
For so many years, Dong Chunling has been obsessed with Yan Zhiwen, as if she were possessed. No matter what they say, Dong Chunling just can't let go of him.
Now, Dong Chunling has finally come to her senses!
Mother Dong's eyes reddened, and she said excitedly, "My daughter, you've finally figured it out!"
Mr. Dong was still a little suspicious, fearing that Dong Chunling was just trying to fool them.
Dong Chunling: "Yes, I've thought it through. I'll go get a divorce from Yan Zhiwen tomorrow!"
There are no secrets in the alley. What Dong Chunling said at night spread the next morning. When Mingxi got up in the morning and was still half asleep when she came out to wash up, she heard everyone talking about Dong Chunling's divorce. Her sleepiness vanished instantly.
Curious, she inquired, "Really? Dong Chunling is really going to get a divorce?"
Aunt He: "It's true, Old Wang from their courtyard heard it with his own ears. He said that Dong Chunling is going to divorce Yan Zhiwen today. Dong Chunling also said that Yan Zhiwen is no good and is not good enough for her."
Mingxi scratched his head. Did Dong Chunling really say that?
Has this person changed their ways?
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