Chapter 32: A Taste of One's Own Medicine

Lin Qin paid the deposit and agreed with the shopkeeper to return in five days to pick up the items, then left with the children. Although this trip had cost twenty-five yuan and thirty cents, both children were quite happy, and Chen Ping'an, who usually didn't dare to hold his head up in public, seemed much more cheerful. Lin Qin felt the money was well spent.

Walking along the road, Liu Yaya saw another child eating malt candy. Tempted, she tugged at Lin Qin’s hand and asked cautiously, "Mom, can I have some of that candy?"

"Malt candy? Where would one find that around here?" Lin Qin looked around but saw nothing of the sort.

Liu Yaya hopped on her toes, excited. "Granny Jinhua knows how to make it."

Lin Qin felt a brief moment of daze. The "Granny Jinhua" Yaya referred to was an elderly woman living near the street where the Liu family resided who specialized in selling malt candy. Besides boiling malt sugar, she was also renowned for her exceptional rice cake dumplings. Lin Qin hesitated for a moment, then agreed and led the children toward that street.

Granny Jinhua did not have a storefront; her customers were all regulars. Lin Qin led the children inside and called out, "Is Auntie Jinhua in?"

"Coming!" Jinhua emerged from the backyard. She paused upon seeing Lin Qin. "Is that you, Lin Qin? And Yaya? Oh my! I haven't seen you in a while, I barely recognized you! What brings you here today?"

Lin Qin patted the children’s heads and smiled. "Auntie, the kids wanted some candy, so I came to buy some. Do you have any rice cake dumplings left?"

"Yes, yes, I do! I made a batch early this morning and haven't sold out yet. Besides the rice cake dumplings, I also have some savory cakes—there’s one left, I'll give it to you for a discount if you want it!" Jinhua beamed, quickly leading Lin Qin to see them.

Seeing that the savory cake was indeed small, Lin Qin took it all, bought an equal portion of rice cake dumplings, and asked Jinhua to fill a jar with malt candy.

Seeing how generous she was, Jinhua immediately praised her, "I heard you and Liu Yongming divorced, and I was worried about you, but seeing how spirited you look now, I feel relieved."

Lin Qin lowered her eyes. "Thank you for your concern, Auntie. The Liu family was a pit of fire; no matter what, I couldn't possibly be worse off than I was before."

Jinhua agreed wholeheartedly. "Let me tell you something quietly: as soon as you divorced, Liu Yongming brought home a woman with a big belly. He claimed she was a relative, but what kind of relative comes to stay for a long time while heavily pregnant? I think that woman is Liu Yongming’s lover. They were together behind your back. Now, whenever their family goes out, everyone behind their backs mutters about what a piece of trash he is!"

Lin Qin met Jinhua’s inquisitive, gossiping gaze and intentionally stammered, "I've long been used to it. Liu Yongming only married me for my dowry. Once I was married and serving his entire family, he cast me aside. That woman is different—they’re from the same school. She’s a high-achieving student, an intellectual, and she’ll be assigned a government job in the future. It’s what you call... well-matched. I can't compare to that."

"What? They’re from the same school? Shouldn't students be busy studying? How did she end up pregnant?" A burning fire of gossip ignited in Jinhua’s eyes.

Lin Qin shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know the details, but I've run into Liu Yongming at the hospital accompanying her for prenatal checkups several times."

Jinhua quickly committed these details to memory. After sending Lin Qin and the children away, she immediately ran to the street corner to gossip with the neighbors who were cooling off in the shade.

"Do you know? That woman Liu Yongming brought back isn't a relative of the Liu family at all. She’s his lover, and they’re from the same school. I heard she’s still a student!"

Jinhua’s announcement shocked the neighbors. Old Mother Li San stretched her neck and tugged at Jinhua, "Who did you hear that from? You can't just go around saying things like that!"

"Oh! Am I the kind of person who talks nonsense? Lin Qin just brought Yaya and a little boy to my place to buy things, and I got it out of her!" Jinhua shook her head triumphantly, looking quite pleased with herself.

Old Mother Li San gritted her teeth and jumped up, looking exceptionally excited. "What exactly did Lin Qin say? Tell us!"

Thus, Jinhua vividly recounted the sordid business between Liu Yongming and "Fang Ying." While mostly based on her own imagination, it was close enough to the truth.

Ma Cuihua had originally intended to go out to chat, but as soon as she stepped onto the street, she heard people whispering about her family. When she got closer and heard what they were saying, she immediately flew into a rage and began brawling with them, eventually drawing the neighborhood committee director to the scene.

Seeing it was Ma Cuihua again, the director sighed, feeling hopeless. "Can't you old women just stay calm for once? What are you arguing about now?"

Ma Cuihua pointed angrily at Old Mother Li San. "This shameless woman is spreading lies about my son!"

"What lies?" the director asked, looking at Old Mother Li San.

Old Mother Li San shouted at the top of her lungs, "Liu Yongming cheated on Lin Qin and got someone pregnant! The ink on his divorce papers wasn't even dry before he brought his pregnant mistress home, claiming she was a relative. Bah! They’re from the same school. They’re intellectuals, my foot—they’re just dirty, shameless hooligans!"

The director’s face darkened immediately. "Hey, hey, hey... you can't just say things like that! Be careful of being sued for defamation!"

"Let them sue! I dare them! I’ve passed their house several times and heard that woman calling Ma Cuihua 'Mom.' What's that about? Did Ma Cuihua conceive a daughter behind the back of her late husband?"

Old Mother Li San’s words were truly vicious. Ma Cuihua, furious, lunged forward to tear at her.

The director’s temples throbbed as he scrambled to stop them. "Enough! This is all groundless talk, stop spreading these rumors!"

Old Mother Li San refused to back down. "Fine! The director says it’s groundless, right? Everyone heard that! The woman Liu Yongming brought back has no relation to the Liu family. Don't let me hear that woman calling Ma Cuihua 'Mom' again, or I’ll say she’s having an affair with Liu Yongming, and the child in her belly isn't his seed either, you hear me!"

"You dirty bitch, I’ll fight you to the death!" Ma Cuihua acted like a shrew; the director couldn't hold her back, and his glasses were knocked off.

He had no choice but to send someone to the Liu family to fetch Liu Yongguo and Xu Manzhi for help. Ma Cuihua was dragged back the whole way, cursing and swearing.

The director followed them into the Liu house with a dark face. Seeing "Fang Ying" sitting in the main hall eating fruit, he gave her a cold look before turning his angry gaze toward Ma Cuihua. "Can't you talk things out properly? Do you have to resort to violence?"

"Talk properly?" Ma Cuihua was livid. "She’s spreading such lies about my son; do you expect me to offer my face for her to slap?"

The director took a deep breath. "So, are the rumors outside true? Ma Cuihua, let me tell you something! Liu Yongming is a junior college student with a bright future ahead of him. He cannot have any moral issues that might affect his prospects! Think carefully before you answer me!"

"I..." Ma Cuihua panted, her eyes flickering as she avoided the director’s gaze.

The director’s heart sank, his face turning pale. "So what Old Mother Li San said is true? Is that woman really Liu Yongming’s lover?"