With the Chinese New Year just around the corner, stalls selling New Year's goods are set up from dawn till dusk.
When they were almost at the alley where the Leng family lived, Xia Baozhu asked Leng Minghui to stop. She wanted to buy some paper-cut window decorations and couplets to put up in the shop the next day.
Leng Minghui parked his car in the courtyard across the street, returned to the New Year's goods stall, and paid the stall owner after Xia Baozhu had made her selections.
The two of them walked back to the Leng family home together, carrying their belongings as the sun set.
Leng Minghui was momentarily dazed; such a scene seemed to have only occurred when they had just gotten married.
"Minghui is back. This is Zhaodi. I thought you had a new wife after dressing up like this."
Aunt Wang, the neighbor, was puzzled at first, but after looking her over carefully, she understood and finally opened her mouth to let out a loud, exaggerated laugh.
"Hello, Aunt Wang." Leng Minghui smiled when he heard her praise Xia Baozhu and stopped to greet her.
Xia Baozhu ignored Aunt Wang completely because Aunt Wang usually sided with Wang Aixiang and had bullied Xia Zhaodi.
She kept walking forward without changing her pace, and Leng Minghui quickly followed.
"Zhao Di, why didn't you greet the neighbors? Weren't you very polite when you were in the shop?"
“You’re right, because we’re not in the store right now.”
Xia Baozhu stepped through the door and walked straight to her room.
"With your attitude, won't it be awkward for her to buy things from your store in the future? Harmony brings wealth," Leng Minghui lectured from behind.
"Since you're planning to get a divorce, don't come to this room before the divorce is finalized."
Xia Baozhu put her things down and said something that shocked Leng Minghui. He had thought she would feel the same way he did on their peaceful journey home.
Just like many couples who argue, they say hurtful things, but they still live their lives as usual.
Who talks about divorce all the time like Xia Zhaodi?
"What if I don't get a divorce? Can I then come in?"
Just moments ago, Leng Minghui felt the gentleness of the sunset and the tranquility of life, but now he was consumed by rage.
"That won't work either. Only one of us can be here at a time. Either I am here, or you are here."
Looking into those beautiful eyes, which held only cold impatience, Leng Minghui felt as if his heart was submerged in ice water.
Xia Zhaodi had that ability to drive him half to death with anger, making him so angry that he really wanted to do as she pleased.
"What if I pay?"
"That won't work either."
"Ten thousand, let me sleep here for one night."
"Get out!" Xia Baozhu glared at him with disgust, her eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"One hundred thousand." Leng Minghui remained unmoved, only lust surged within him; he had to experience it once before the divorce.
Xia Baozhu picked up the measuring tape next to the sewing machine, pointed it at Leng Minghui, and her eyes flashed with murderous intent: "This is the last time, get out of here!"
"You're something else, Xia Zhaodi. You insist on getting a divorce, right? Fine, I'll grant your wish. Let's see how well you can live after the divorce!"
Leng Minghui slammed the door and left, and didn't come back all night.
Xia Baozhu went to the shop as usual on New Year's Eve.
A few people were gathered at the store entrance, pointing and talking.
San Gou and Zheng Zhenhao were wiping the wall with buckets and mops.
"What's going on?" Xia Baozhu approached and saw four large black characters crookedly written on the outer wall: "Prostitute" on the left and "Slut" on the right.
San Gou said angrily, "I saw it when I came this morning. I guess it was written last night."
"It's outrageous! We're doing legitimate business, and they're throwing mud at our shop like this."
“It won’t come off with water, go buy some paint, white and reddish-brown.” Xia Baozhu calmed her anger, took out some money and gave it to Zheng Zhenhao, who was riding his bike fast.
"Xiao Zheng, come in." Xia Baozhu called San Gou into the shop and then counted out three thousand yuan from her bag.
“I know you know a lot of people in the underworld. Have them help me find someone to write the letter for me.”
"That's too much, Sister Xia." San Gou felt very reluctant to spend so much money to find someone; it was only his annual salary.
"It's alright, money can be earned back. But if you're bullied and don't retaliate, people will look down on you. If I continue to tolerate things like this in the future, it will only embolden these people."
"Okay, Sister Xia, I'll go right away. I'll go ask Brother Sun for help first; he knows more people."
Xia Baozhu placed the couplets and "Fu" character window decorations in her hands on the counter and calmly began preparing today's ingredients.
Zheng Zhenhao returned quickly, and Xia Baozhu and he painted the exterior walls several times together.
Because it was difficult to cover the black characters, Xia Baozhu first covered them with white paint, and then applied reddish-brown paint.
"Xia, have you offended someone? Quickly find a mediator to mediate. If you have to back down, then back down. Otherwise, there will be many more disgusting things like this."
Aunt Zhao came over to join in the fun and saw those four words. She waited for Xia Baozhu to finish painting the wall before coming over to talk to her.
"Yeah, some people will come up with all sorts of dirty tricks to mess with others. There was an appliance repair shop on Shunfeng Street in the south. Because they couldn't fix a thug's tape recorder, that thug would cause trouble every day, so they couldn't keep their business going and had to close down."
"That Master Xing is quite skilled; my old TV was repaired there."
"Yes, my washing machine had been used for so many years when it suddenly stopped working, so I had Mr. Xing come and fix it. It's such a pity."
"Master Xing is good, but this is different. Look at what kind of disgusting stuff he wrote! If he hadn't done it, why would anyone write it like this?" A woman with an ancestral-looking mouth said with a sneer.
"Guifang, don't talk nonsense. Xia is usually very honest." Aunt Zhao quickly interrupted the woman who had reverted to her ancestral ways.
“Some people look honest. Yesterday I saw her get out of a black car. That man sat in her shop for a long time. His wife must have found out, which is why she had someone write a message cursing her last night.”
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