Spicy daughter-in-law and wicked mother-in-law, here they come!
The first rays of sunlight shone on Lin Shaocheng's chin. He moved his numb body, looked at his watch, and estimated that there were still 2 hours left. The dew had soaked his coat.
The iron gate at the entrance finally creaked open, and Lin Shaocheng rushed inside, only to be stopped by two security guards.
"What are you doing up so early in the morning?"
Lin Shaocheng stopped in his tracks. "My wife was arrested as a vagrant, and I'm very worried."
A security guard said, "Even if you're in a hurry, you still have to register."
Lin Shaocheng scribbled his name and workplace on the notebook in a flamboyant manner and hurried inside.
In the middle of the service hall, there was a long table where staff members were picking their eyes and yawning.
Lin Shaocheng sat in the chair in front and said, "Hello, my wife has been detained in a shelter, and I would like to take her home."
The staff member took out the file, slowly turned to the first page, and asked, "What's your name?"
"Li Guorong".
He flipped through the pages unhurriedly. The first page started on January 1st. Beads of sweat appeared on Lin Shaocheng's forehead, and he couldn't help but remind him, "It's probably being delivered this month."
The staff member glanced up at him, said nothing, flipped through the first half of the book, and began to carefully read it page by page. "How could you lose your own wife? Are you mentally sound?"
Lin Shaocheng gripped his pants tightly with both hands. He was so anxious that he wanted to snatch the notebook and flip through it for him, but now that he was asking for a favor, he could only say ingratiatingly, "It's normal. There was a little conflict at home, and he ended up being locked up. I was in the village at the time, and when I heard about it, I came to find him right away."
The staff member turned to the last page. "Li Guorong, from Mengshan Village, Chongchuan, this one?"
Lin Shaocheng nodded. "When can I see her?"
The staff member took a leisurely sip of tea. "Seeing the people isn't difficult, but where are your marriage certificates?"
Nowadays, a household registration book is required for marriage. His household registration book has always been in Lin's mother's hands. Lin's mother has been making excuses and not giving it to him, saying that the household registration book is useful. She has also been very busy these past few months and has not been able to get a marriage certificate. Nowadays, a banquet held in the village is considered a marriage.
Lin Shaocheng could only awkwardly reply, "We held a wedding banquet in the village, but we haven't gotten our marriage certificate yet."
"Then we can only ask for a letter of introduction and a temporary residence permit. I saw on the record that she said she had a letter of introduction and a temporary residence permit, but her mother-in-law hid them." The staff member breathed a sigh of relief. "Even an upright official can't settle family disputes. If you want to take her away from here, you can ask for a temporary residence permit, a marriage certificate, or a replacement letter of introduction."
Lin Shaocheng took out a box of expensive cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to the staff member.
The staff member quickly put the document away. "This situation definitely requires a certificate. Since you've already done it, go ask your family for it. If you really can't get it, go and get a replacement, but getting a replacement..." He quickly twirled his thumb and forefinger.
Lin Shaocheng took out 10 yuan from his pocket and hid it under the paper.
“You’ve had a temporary residence permit before, and there’s a record of it there. I have a relative who works there. Usually, you need a letter of introduction to get a replacement temporary residence permit. Just give him your employment certificate and income certificate to prove that you can support your wife, and I can get you another one.”
Lin Shaocheng bowed repeatedly, "Thank you so much, brother. I'd like to check on my wife now."
The staff member shouted in a loud voice, "Xiao Li, come here and take this person to the women's ward to find someone."
After passing through a long corridor and wire mesh, there was a small door. Inside the door was a table and a stool. Lin Shaocheng entered, and the door was locked from the outside. The other door opened.
Li Guorong had scratches on her face, which had almost healed. Her hair looked like a bird's nest, and her face was covered in grime. Her brand-new red sweater was also torn. When she saw the man in the door, she hugged him tightly.
She cried out, "Lin Shaocheng, I thought you didn't want me. If you had come any later, I would have gone back to Chongchuan and never come to this damned Beijing again."
Lin Shaocheng's eyes were red, and he held Li Guorong tightly. Li Guorong smelled bad, and so did he. They embraced each other like lovers separated by death in a romantic novel. "I'm sorry, I won't leave you again."
A few gurgling sounds rang out, and Li Guorong blushed, saying, "Take me out to eat quickly, I want to eat meat buns, I don't want to stay in this awful place."
Lin Shaocheng wiped Li Guorong's face and tears with his hands. "Not now. You don't have a temporary residence permit, and our marriage certificate hasn't been issued yet. You can't leave."
Li Guorong's face turned pale, and he shouted, "How much longer do we have to stay here? Your mother has hidden my temporary residence permit and my letter of introduction. Get me out of here right now!"
Lin Shaocheng hugged Li Guorong and tried to calm her down. "Don't worry, I've found a solution. I'll go out and buy some of your favorite foods and then I'll get on it right away. Calm down first."
Li Guorong clung tightly to Lin Shaocheng's clothes; how could she let him leave now?
There was a knock at the door. Lin Shaocheng ruthlessly pulled Li Guorong's hand away and said, "Wait for me."
Lin Shaocheng ran wildly down the street, and people going to work or school hurriedly gave way, afraid of being bumped into.
At the Lin family home, Lin's mother rubbed her temples, having not slept well yesterday due to Lin Shaocheng's constant noise. On the table was breakfast prepared by the nanny; the nanny's cooking was mediocre, but it was inexpensive.
The door was slammed open again.
The family turned around, and Lin Shaocheng stood at the door with a gloomy face.
Lin's father said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Why didn't you bring the person back?"
Lin Shaocheng walked step by step toward the desk, the thumping sound of his footsteps striking people's hearts. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "Where are Li Guorong's letter of introduction and temporary residence permit?"
Lin's mother seemed not to hear and continued eating her sandwich.
Lin Shaocheng was furious and slapped the sandwich away, leaving it in pieces on the ground.
Lin's mother turned her face away and asked, "What are you doing? You're making a scene as soon as you get home. What's so good about that wild girl? She broke my tableware and didn't even apologize. She even hit me with a sense of entitlement. You're not a decent person either, just like her."
Lin Shaocheng sneered and slammed his fist on the table. "Who doesn't act like a human being? Do you even have the demeanor of a mother? Sending a broken piece of tableware to a shelter, where's the certificate?"
Lin's mother curled her hair and said, "You know, business hasn't been good lately. If you could give half of the profits from selling goods to the family, I might be able to remember where to go."
Lin Shaocheng finally felt relieved. His father was willing to give his mother advice, and his purpose was definitely not as simple as getting rid of Li Guorong. It was still about money. This family only knew how to spend money and couldn't make any.
Lin Shaocheng sneered, "How much do you want?"
Lin's mother turned to look at Lin's father.
Mr. Lin smiled warmly and said, "Give me 10,000 first."
Lin Shaocheng couldn't help but laugh out loud. These days, people with ten thousand yuan are rare. This ten thousand yuan is enough for him to buy hundreds of temporary residence permits. He exerted force with both hands, and the sound of porcelain shattering and wood hitting each other startled people. The table was overturned on the ground. "Dream on."
Lin Shaocheng rushed into his parents' room and searched around, but found no letter of introduction or temporary residence permit. He found the household registration booklet and put it in his pocket.
Lin's parents watched from afar, while Lin's grandfather and Lin Yicheng hid in their room. Having heard the noise earlier, the two, who were having dinner, didn't dare to go to the living room.
Lin Shaocheng left again like the wind. After he left, his mother started singing, reciting, and beating, determined to let the whole building know that she had suffered a great injustice.
Inside the shelter, Li Guorong ate a freshly baked meat bun from a state-run store, while the other vagrants sniffed and drooled.
The woman from the same hometown scoffed, "Even if someone thinks you're something, they still won't want you."
Li Guorong rolled her eyes. She could leave right away and wouldn't bother arguing with such a person. She was someone who was loved and cared for.
Another woman looked on with envy. Her husband had been admitted to university and had never written a letter since. Her children missed their father, so she came to Beijing to look for him, only to find that her luggage had been stolen and her husband was nowhere to be found. Another woman found her husband, but he refused to acknowledge them. He was truly a heartless man.
The woman from the same village said, "The most righteous are often butchers, while the most ruthless are scholars. Just wait and see what happens to you."
Li Guorong didn't graduate from elementary school and later studied on her own in the village, but she didn't achieve anything academically. She knew they were just jealous of her. "I don't understand. My husband earns money, treats me well, and cooks and does laundry. I'm so envious of you all."
The girl from the same village stood up, ran over quickly, and kicked away the steamed buns, soy milk, and baked flatbread in front of Li Guorong. The others rushed forward and scrambled to grab them.
Li Guorong stepped forward and grabbed the woman from his hometown, and the two began to fight.
Hearing the commotion, the staff at the gate whistled, "Separate immediately!" They pounded the gate with iron bars; if they didn't separate, the next blow would hit someone.
The two had no choice but to separate, and neither of them benefited.
The woman from the same village glared at Li Guorong with hatred. Why was someone so lucky? She was sure she would live a better life than Li Guorong.
Another staff member came in and said, "Li Guorong, come out. Your family has come to pick you up."
Li Guorong ran his hand through his messy hair, straightened his sweater, and gave the girl from his hometown a haughty look.
Lin Shaocheng stood at the door, carrying a basket in his hand, his eyes fixed on the small door.
The moment Li Guorong appeared, Lin Shaocheng rushed over to greet him, his smile faltering. "Why do you have so many wounds on your face? Did someone beat you up?"
Li Guorong looked completely unconcerned. "We've run into a silly old woman. Let's fight her and get out of here."
Lin Shaocheng rode his electric bike, and the two sped to the workers' bathhouse, where they handed over two bath tickets and could soak in the bath.
Li Guorong's eyes shone; he had been staying here for half a month and his body was covered in mud. Being able to take a bath was so wonderful.
There weren't many people in the bathhouse in the morning. She lay comfortably in the water, thinking about the suffering she had endured over the past two weeks, determined to get her revenge.
After changing into new clothes, Lin Shaocheng was already waiting at the door. Lin Shaocheng had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well for a long time.
Li Guorong's heart ached and throbbed. Someone cared about her so much, what was she still worried about? It wasn't like she only had money in her past life.
Lin Shaocheng turned around and said, "Let's go get our marriage certificate." He was holding his household registration booklet in his hand.
Li Guorong stepped forward and took Lin Shaocheng's hand, saying, "Okay, we'll be together forever."
The two people on the marriage certificate are standing close together, their eyes full of smiles. Li Guorong holds up the marriage certificate, feeling a happiness he has never experienced in his past life.
Lin Shaocheng said, "Let's go back to the dormitory."
Li Guorong stopped in his tracks. "No, I haven't settled accounts with your mother yet. I'm going back to the villa."
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