Bullying others
The two returned to the guesthouse, where the clerk who had checked them in earlier said irritably, "Oh, you're back already?"
Xu Tangmian ignored her and watched as Yu Chunsheng took his bag and was about to leave with him.
Unexpectedly, the waiter deliberately raised his voice and said to another colleague who was changing shifts, "Some women these days are really shameless."
Xu Tangmian couldn't take it anymore and immediately walked back to the front desk, slamming her hand on the table: "What did you say?!"
"Did I mention you?" the waiter said dismissively, filing his fingernails. "I'm talking about those shameless women with skin thicker than a city wall, flirting with men in public. Are you one of them?"
Xu Tangmian suppressed her anger and said as calmly as possible, "Call your leader over."
The waiter scoffed and rolled his eyes: "Who do you think you are?"
"I said, call your leader over here," Xu Tangmian said, tapping her hand on the table, enunciating each word clearly.
Yu Chunsheng, who was standing to the side, tugged at her sleeve. "Never mind, let's go."
"Where are you going!" Xu Tangmian said angrily, "You saw it yourself, she provoked me first."
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the leaders, and soon after, the leader who had called the police that morning came out from inside.
"Are you... the woman who was taken away this morning?" The lean, triangular-eyed leader smacked his lips and said, "Oh dear, your influence is terrible. This is a proper guesthouse, not a place for you... cough cough, to have illicit relationships."
Xu Tangmian smiled; she had seen plenty of people like this.
In her past life, her childhood friends worked in various departments. To help them and pass the time, she often pretended to be an ordinary citizen and went to the service window to handle business, but in reality, she was trying to find out what was going on.
This kind of person is a typical bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong, and loves to spout bureaucratic jargon. Ordinary people really don't know how to deal with him.
She straightened her clothes, her expression solemn, and said, "Please watch your words and don't slander me. Who said we were having illicit relationships?"
The lean leader gave an "Oh," looked her up and down, and said with a forced smile, "The eyes of the masses are discerning. So many people saw you like that this morning, and it's a fact that you were taken away by the police. Is that slander?"
With a loud "smack," Xu Tangmian pulled out her newly obtained marriage certificate and slammed it on the table, startling Yu Chunsheng who was standing next to her.
"Open your eyes and look carefully, this is a marriage certificate issued by the state. We are a legally married couple, protected by law!"
The leader opened the marriage certificate, stroked the seal twice, rolled his eyes a couple of times, and said, "So what? I saw it, you just got it this morning, right? That means your marriage was still illegal last night. Saying you were having an affair isn't wrong, it's not slander."
Xu Tangmian chuckled twice, her eyes filled with contempt and disdain. She recalled her grandfather's composed demeanor while dining with his subordinates, then leaned closer, pointing at the marriage certificate with her finger and speaking in a clear but not loud voice, "Your eyesight… maybe you should practice a bit more?"
The leader gave her a forced smile and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Do you think an ordinary person can be arrested as a thug in the morning and then walk out swaggeringly with this legal certificate by noon?"
Seeing her boss's smile freeze instantly, Xu Tangmian pressed her advantage, picking at her nails and casually saying, "Who wrote his letter of introduction? Who handled the paperwork at the police station? Would you like to inquire about that? Or, could I use your front desk phone to have Secretary Wu speak with you?"
"Secretary Wu...?" the leader stammered.
"Whether it was a misunderstanding last night or something, does it matter?" Xu Tangmian chuckled twice, leaning against the front desk without even looking at them, and said confidently, "I'm in a good mood now and I'm willing to present the facts and reason with you. If you're going to keep harping on it, then let's find another place to talk."
"However," she turned around, "who will apologize, who will write a self-criticism, and who will lose their job is anyone's guess."
The lean leader's expression changed repeatedly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he remained silent.
Xu Tangmian was also afraid, but he couldn't back down now that he had already put on a show of force. As a low-level leader, what he feared most were people with unclear backgrounds but extraordinary demeanor who had connections.
She'd said everything she needed to say. Now, all she had to do was gamble!
She bet he would be scared.
Xu Tangmian squinted and smiled at him.
Fortunately, she won her bet.
The lean leader handed her the marriage certificate with both hands, a smile plastered on his face: "I was blind to your greatness! This is a huge misunderstanding. Xiao Li, apologize to this lady!"
The waitress, called "Little Li," was completely stunned. Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, the lean manager shouted again, "Apologize to this colleague! Who gave you permission to gossip during work hours? I'm announcing right now that you're out of bonuses for this month—no, for three months!"
Xiao Li was so frightened that he burst into tears and apologized to Xu Tangmian repeatedly.
“There’s no need…” Yu Chunsheng, who had been silent all along, finally stood up and said.
"It's necessary! Absolutely necessary!" The lean leader stepped forward and took his hand, saying with a fawning smile, "Treating the masses with the warmth of a spring breeze has always been our guiding principle. It's a pity I failed to discipline them properly. Well… I've apologized, and those who deserved punishment have been punished. As for the leadership… what do you think…"
Xu Tangmian smiled and said, "You enforced the law impartially and used both kindness and severity, so of course I will tell the leaders the truth."
"Oh, that's good, that's good..."
——
Xu Tangmian was in high spirits after the great victory and walked on tiptoe, while Yu Chunsheng pushed the bicycle behind her without saying a word.
As the joy of victory gradually subsided and the road stretched further into the distance, Xu Tangmian, thinking of the man behind her, once again fell into a state of uncertainty about the future.
“You shouldn’t have done that just now.” Yu Chunsheng’s voice came from right behind her.
"What did you say?" Xu Tangmian stopped in her tracks, unable to believe what she had just heard.
"They bullied me first, so I can't even fight back?"
“It’s not that I don’t want you to fight back.” Yu Chunsheng’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment as he looked at her. “You can just present the facts and reason with them. There’s no need to… bully them with your power.”
"Bullying others by relying on your power?" Xu Tangmian laughed angrily. "I can't even get a letter of introduction. What 'power' do I have to rely on?"
When the letter of introduction was mentioned, Xu Tangmian felt an overwhelming grievance that she wanted to pour out.
In total, she only ate those two steamed buns at the police station during the two days and one night she spent there, and she's still hungry. First, she tried to buy a ticket to see her grandfather, but was told she couldn't buy a ticket without a letter of introduction.
Then, after working like a slave for a month, the money she earned was lost or stolen and could not be found. She found someone else's wallet, kindly returned it to him, and inexplicably got married to him.
Getting the marriage certificate is one thing, but being slandered as shameless, and when she fought back, her new husband not only didn't stand up for her, but now he's accusing her of abusing her power.
Seeing Yu Chunsheng's sullen face, Xu Tangmian became even angrier. She had nowhere to vent her grievances, and now that she had found an outlet, she decided to pour them all out.
She yelled at Yu Chunsheng, "What do you know? Do you think I wanted to come to this dump? What kind of place is this? You need tickets to eat, tickets to buy things, tickets to do everything!"
"I want to go home! I just want to buy a ticket home! Who wants that damn letter of introduction? Who wants to stay in a guesthouse with you? Do you think I want to marry you?"
The more she talked, the angrier she became, and then she couldn't hold back her tears.
Xu Tangmian's tears and snot flowed like water, and when she was extremely angry, she couldn't help but take out her marriage certificate from her pocket and tear it up.
Startled, Yu Chunsheng grabbed her hand and hissed, "Don't cry, don't cry! Lots of people are watching!"
"I don't care if they look at it or not, I don't want it to have anything to do with you!" Xu Tangmian was determined to tear up the marriage certificate.
But Yu Chunsheng was too strong; he pried her hands off and snatched the marriage certificate back, angrily yelling at her, "Are you crazy! How can we get a divorce if we tear up the marriage certificate?"
Xu Tangmian thought again, he really is a hypocrite. He says he is an innocent young man and even tells her boyfriend to find a place to cry, but behind her back he is always thinking about divorce.
She was determined not to let him have his way!
Xu Tangmian wiped her snot on Yu Chunsheng's clothes with the back of her hand. Seeing his disgusted face, she instantly felt better, grabbed his wrists with both hands, and gritted her teeth, saying:
"You want a divorce? Fine, I won't. You just wait, I'll be clinging to you for the rest of my life!"
Yu Chunsheng looked helplessly at the crowd and shouted, "Everyone disperse, everyone disperse! Haven't you ever seen a couple arguing before?"
Looking at the white sticky substance on his sleeve, he frowned and reached into his pocket, but Xu Tangmian gripped his wrist tightly.
With a little effort, Xu Tangmian was completely helpless against him and could only let him pull her toward his pocket.
She finally couldn't help but let go. Yu Chunsheng's lips curled into a smile as he reached into his pocket, but then his smile faded.
There wasn't a single piece of paper in my pocket.
The girl opposite him kept smiling, and she seemed even happier to see him embarrassed, her eyes and brows filled with laughter.
A strange flutter rose in Yu Chunsheng's heart. Suddenly, a mischievous urge struck him, and he grabbed her arm to wipe the snot off his sleeve.
Xu Tangmian laughed and raised her hand to dodge, but he succeeded. She was so anxious that she wanted to hit him, and the two of them started chasing each other in the street.
The bicycle was carelessly abandoned on the roadside, and the two ran quite a distance before stopping.
Xu Tangmian, panting, punched his arm repeatedly, but Yu Chunsheng didn't fight back. He just stared at the bicycle in the distance, letting her hit him.
"Alright, alright, you've hit me enough, are you calm now?" Yu Chunsheng said with a smile, looking down and grabbing her arm.
"Not enough!" Xu Tangmian pouted. "This is nothing!"
"Really? You've got quite a temper." Yu Chunsheng replied with a smile, but then glanced ahead and his expression suddenly changed. He shoved her away, saying, "If you want to fight back, then fight back."
As Xu Tangmian was saying, "Where are we going?", Yu Chunsheng dashed out in a flash.
Looking in the direction he was looking, I saw two people carrying his bicycle away!
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