Before Li Jin could say anything, Old Man Zhang turned around and glared fiercely at Stepmother Zhang, "Shut your stinking mouth!"
Zhang Houniang wanted to retort, but then, as if remembering something, her anger deflated.
Li Lan said to Zhang Yusong expressionlessly, "Go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce right away, don't waste my time!"
Old Zhang looked completely bewildered. He pulled out his pipe from his waist and whipped Zhang Yusong on the head with the pipe stem. "What trouble have you caused now! How come your daughter-in-law wants a divorce from you!"
Li Jin felt a growing unease looking at Old Man Zhang's pretentious act.
I always thought he was an honest man who respected me. Whenever we met, he would greet me from a distance.
He hadn't initially taken a liking to Zhang Yusong, but Li Lan herself was interested, and Old Man Zhang would come to her house three times a day, swearing to the heavens that his whole family would treat Li Lan well.
After two months of this back and forth, Li Jin finally relented and agreed to the marriage.
But this honest man, Li Lan, had only been married to Zhang Yusong for two months when he asked Li Jin to arrange a job for his second son, whom he had with Zhang's stepmother.
Li Jin saw that Old Man Zhang's second son was a decent worker, so he reluctantly agreed to do it.
Another month passed, and Zhang's stepmother's nephew came again.
Time and again, Li Jin refused, since he wasn't the factory manager for his family.
Not long after, Li Jin was reported and forced to return to his hometown.
Over the years, Li Jin sometimes couldn't sleep and wondered if the fact that he was reported had anything to do with Old Man Zhang.
Li Jin said coldly, "Old Zhang, don't you know why we got divorced?! Wasn't it you and your wife who instigated the beating of my daughter?"
Old Zhang was taken aback, a half-smile on his face. "My dear in-law, what are you saying? How could I, Old Zhang, do such a thing!"
Li Jin took a few steps closer, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Old Man Zhang. "Isn't it you who, because I didn't arrange jobs for your whole family, harbors resentment and deliberately retaliates against my daughter?!"
Li Jin spoke each word carefully, and Old Man Zhang looked wronged and helpless, unable to defend himself.
While others didn't notice anything amiss, Li Xiangdong keenly observed that Old Man Zhang's pupils had slightly constricted.
A person can control their facial expressions, but their eyes are generally impossible to hide.
It seems that his father's matter really has something to do with Old Man Zhang!
Li Jin died a miserable death in his past life, and Old Man Zhang must have been partly responsible!
But right now, it's more important to resolve my eldest sister's divorce. As for Old Man Zhang's matter, we'll investigate it slowly, and the truth will come out eventually!
When pressed by Li Jin, Old Man Zhang waved his hand helplessly, "My dear in-law, it's my fault for not raising my son properly. Although it's said that it's better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage, if the two of you really can't live together anymore, then let's get a divorce!"
Knowing that Old Man Zhang was eloquent, Li Jin didn't want to argue with him anymore, so he had Li Xiangchao and a few other young men grab Zhang Yusong and head straight to the Yongxing County Civil Affairs Bureau.
For a moment, only Old Man Zhang and Stepmother Zhang remained in the room.
Old Zhang's face instantly darkened, and he kicked the small stool far away.
Zhang's stepmother was worried. "My husband, if Mopan gets divorced, our family won't have the money to find him another wife!"
She herself has two unmarried children!
Old Zhang's mind wasn't on that; he was pondering the meaning behind Li Jin's words.
Li Jin and his entourage went to the Civil Affairs Bureau in a large group, but Li Xiangdong did not go.
He noticed that the door across from Zhang Yusong's house had also been quietly opened a crack, and a pair of eyes were watching the situation outside.
Li Xiangdong's heart stirred. After Old Man Zhang and Stepmother Zhang hurriedly left Zhang Yusong's house, he knocked on the door across the street.
The person who opened the door was an elderly man, around sixty years old, wearing reading glasses, and in good spirits.
"Sir, I am Li Jin's son. You know Li Jin, right?"
As soon as Li Xiangdong entered, he introduced himself to the old man, wanting to gauge his attitude first.
If Li Jin really did something wrong to be fired, the old man would probably kick him out.
If the old man is nice...
"Hey, come in quickly! I just heard a voice that sounded like Director Li, and I was just about to come out when he left!"
The old man warmly invited Li Xiangdong into the house and poured him a cup of sugar water.
The old man was alone at home. He sat on a stool, his eyes shining. "Dalan is getting a divorce?"
Li Xiangdong nodded.
The old man slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Great! Divorce is good! There are no good people in this family! The man is all talk and no action, the woman is sharp-tongued and mean, and your brother-in-law is all talk and no action! It's good that your sister got divorced. We'll find her a good partner later!"
I never expected the Zhang family to have such a bad reputation.
Li Xiangdong chatted with the old man for a while, then found an excuse to ask, "Grandpa, what was my father's reputation like at the liquor factory back then?"
"Director Li is a good man, and he leads the factory well."
...
After leaving the old man's house, Li Xiangdong found Technician Zhao's house by following the directions he received.
After knocking for a long time, someone finally opened the door a crack. A middle-aged man in his forties glanced at him and then slammed the door shut.
Li Xiangdong could only knock again.
The door opened again, and the middle-aged man asked impatiently, "Who are you looking for?"
Li Xiangdong blocked the doorway. "Looking for you, Technician Zhao! I'm from your hometown of Huichuan!"
The middle-aged man's expression changed drastically. He peeked out and looked around. Seeing that no one was in the hallway, he pulled Li Xiangdong into the house.
Technician Zhao looked at Li Xiangdong with a wary expression. "Who exactly are you?"
Li Xiangdong casually walked to the blue armchair and sat down, looking around at the room's furnishings. "Technician Zhao is living a very comfortable life!"
“I am Li Jin’s son. People say I look like my dad. You can tell, right?”
Technician Zhao clenched his fists tightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to ask why you framed my father back then."
Li Xiangdong's voice was calm and his tone was even, but when Technician Zhao heard it, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning!
"You, you, what did you say?"
"Why did you conspire with Zhang Anguo to frame my father? You were my father's good friend, and Zhang Anguo was his in-law. You were the last people who should have done this!"
Li Xiangdong muttered to himself in confusion, his eyes fixed on the changes in Technician Zhao's expression.
After his initial shock, Technician Zhao had calmed down and sat down on his own. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Let me guess! Perhaps you were afraid that my father would reveal your secret, while Zhang Anguo was after some other benefit. You two hit it off and decided to get rid of my father together."
“Once he has a stain on his record, no one will believe him no matter what he says. Only then will you feel safe.”
Is that so?
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