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Yi Leng respected Du Li and her son's decision to have The perpetrator face justice in court. They would demand every penny of the compensation owed.
This matter couldn't be delayed. Yi Leng imdiately took action. The first thing he did was upload the video to the Jiangwei community forum and post it on a newly registered Weibo account. Once the video was out in the open, it wouldn't be easy to delete.
Even the powerful Gao family couldn't override the law. With ironclad evidence in hand, no amount of interference would help.
Sure enough, the video quickly spread online, sparking public outrage. By the ti Gao Peng tried to seek help, it was too late. The traffic police departnt, from top to bottom, didn't dare touch this hot potato. Anyone who tried to intervene for personal gain risked losing their position.
Wang Jinhai was also caught off guard. He called Yi Leng, accusing him of being underhanded for leaking the video without warning. "Do you not plan to stay in Jiangwei anymore?"
Yi Leng scoffed at the threats. "If I dared to do this, I can handle whatever you throw at . Bring it on. By the way, I've already sent the video files to the Municipal Bureau's Inspection Division and the Procuratorate. I don't believe no one can hold you accountable."
The Gao family, being who they were, had plenty of ruthless tactics at their disposal—thods that were neither illegal nor criminal but could still crush soone.
This matter didn't even require the big boss's direct involvent. Yin Bingsong said to Wang Jinhai, "They're doing this just to extort more money. Go back and set a trap. Transfer the money to the woman's account, then report her for extortion. Once she's detained, she'll be easier to handle."
"That's why you're the best, Brother Song!" Wang Jinhai praised, giving a thumbs-up.
Thus, Wang Jinhai, the middleman, went back to Du Li's ho to negotiate, carrying a hidden cara to gather evidence. His words hinted at one thing: how much money would it take to make this go away?
"Two million, okay? Just say the word, and it'll be in your account right away," Wang Jinhai said. "Two million! Enough to buy a house, a car, and pay for your son's college and wedding."
But Du Li refused to engage with him, not even bothering to say a word. She simply kicked him out.
Faced with soone who wasn't swayed by money, Wang Jinhai was at a loss. He stomped his foot in frustration. "With your kind of stupidity, you'll never have a decent al in your life!"
Then he slunk away.
At this point, the situation was beyond salvage. All the Gao family's earlier arrangents were wasted. Gao Xiaopan was detained, and his girlfriend was also held on suspicion of perjury. They awaited legal punishnt. As for what would happen next—whether it would be a suspended sentence or dical parole—that was another matter.
In any case, Gao Xiaopan's political career was over, and he would have to endure the hardships of prison.
The Gao family continued to busy themselves with hiring lawyers to fight for a lighter sentence, leaving no ti for revenge. But Wang Jinhai, personally aggrieved, sought to make trouble for Yi Leng.
As a middleman, Wang Jinhai's ability to retaliate was limited. He turned to his good friend Yin Bingsong, inviting him to a dinner where he brought up the matter. "Brother Song, there's a cook at Huang Pihu's restaurant on igang Road. Can you arrange for so people to help vent my anger?"
Yin Bingsong's face instantly turned pale as he recalled the forty hours of terror he had endured.
"Wait for the right opportunity," Yin Bingsong said. "I'll help you deal with him, but we can't rush. Haste makes waste."
...
After Li Danfeng's cremation, his ashes were stored in the funeral ho's columbarium. Du Li and her son wore black armbands, but life had to go on. After the accident, only the mandatory liability insurance paid out one hundred thousand yuan. As for the rest, the Gao family wasn't planning to pay a single cent. What awaited the mother and son was a protracted legal battle and various other troubles.
The most pressing issue was housing. The family of three had been renting a place, paying three months' rent upfront with a one-month deposit. The monthly rent was five hundred yuan, with utilities billed separately. The rent was paid through the end of the month, but the landlord suddenly inford Du Li that they had to move out imdiately.
Not even a week had passed since her husband's death, and they were being forced to move. This was beyond cruel. With tears in her eyes, Du Li confronted the landlord, demanding to know why they were being evicted.
The landlord sighed. "I know you're having a hard ti, but we ordinary folks are all struggling. You know who you've offended. Now they're coming after , saying I rented out the place illegally, evading taxes. They're threatening to fine or even throw in jail. I can't afford to cross them."
Du Li understood imdiately. This was the price of refusing to compromise.
"Give us a few days to find a new place," Du Li pleaded.
The landlord shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you have to leave now. Otherwise, they'll co after tomorrow."
Without another word, Du Li began packing. The family didn't have many possessions—just two sets of bedding, so clothes and shoes, kitchenware, and their son's textbooks and awards.
The awards covering the walls were Du Li's last source of pride. Her upright and intelligent son was her final pillar of support.
Carefully, Du Li removed the awards from the walls, stacking them neatly and placing them on top of their luggage.
Mother and son calmly accepted their fate. They carried their belongings out the door. Even the landlord couldn't bear to watch, refunding the full deposit before fleeing as if chased by ghosts.
Du Li left her son to watch over their luggage while she went to nearby real estate agencies to look for affordable, imdiately available housing. But every agency she visited claid to have no available properties, except for expensive ones with rents in the thousands.
In the dead of winter, this was a ruthless attempt to drive them to the brink. Du Li walked back, only to see her son sitting beside their luggage, engrossed in his studies. A wave of sorrow washed over her. She stepped into a secluded spot and let her tears fall freely.
Her husband was gone. She had to grit her teeth and bear the hardships alone. Her son was still young, with a future ahead. She could endure suffering, but she couldn't let her child suffer.
Du Li called her husband's boss for help. After all, Li Danfeng had been involved in the accident while on the job. Morally, the boss couldn't just stand by. But the boss didn't even answer her call.
In desperation, she turned to her own boss, Wu Yui. "Boss, we've been evicted. We have nowhere to go."
"Boss, I just started working here, and I shouldn't trouble you, but..." Du Li broke down in tears at the thought of her son diligently studying.
Her crying moved Wu Yui to tears as well. "Stay where you are. We'll be there soon."
Five minutes later, Chef Huang and Wu Yui arrived in their Wuling minivan. Together, they loaded the luggage into the car. With no other options, they decided to let the mother and son stay at the restaurant for the ti being.
...
At five in the afternoon, before the dinner rush, Wu Yui was discussing with Xie Wenxia how to help Du Li find a new place when Ma Junhou walked in. The loud, boisterous voice of the working-class man bood, "Who's looking to rent a place?"
Wu Yui explained the situation with Du Li and her son. Ma Junhou had heard about the incident—the Gao family's son drunk-driving and killing soone, and the family refusing compensation to ensure justice was served. He deeply admired such resolve, knowing he might not have been able to do the sa.
"If they don't mind, they can stay at my place," Ma Junhou said. "I live alone, and the house is too big for just . I often work night shifts, so the air conditioning is wasted anyway."
Wu Yui shot him a sideways glance. "And where will you live?"
Ma Junhou replied, "I have a three-bedroom apartnt. People in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai rent out rooms all the ti. Why can't we? Besides, my rent is cheap—free. They just need to help with cleaning, cooking, and laundry."
Wu Yui chuckled. "Brother Ma, you're not looking for tenants. You're looking for a wife."
Ma Junhou, rarely one to blush, turned red and said earnestly, "Honestly, I just feel sorry for the mother and child. The kid is so young..."
Wu Yui, considering the situation, called Du Li over and explained the offer, asking her to think it over.
To everyone's surprise, Du Li agreed imdiately. When people face hardship, they often discover hidden reserves of strength, both physical and ntal. Du Li, who had never been particularly decisive before, had always relied on her husband to make decisions. But from the mont her husband died, she had grown stronger, capable of making quick decisions on her own.
As a widow with a child, Du Li needed to save money, so cutting down on rent was essential. Having a kind-hearted man around to help might not be a bad thing.
As for any ulterior motives Ma Junhou might have, Du Li didn't care. She wasn't a naive young girl worried about n coveting her. She was a mother, and motherhood had made her strong. She feared nothing.
Besides, Ma Junhou seed like a decent man—tall, burly, and often seen in his shipyard uniform. He frequently drank at the restaurant but had never caused a scene. His drinking habits reflected his character, and Du Li felt he was trustworthy.
Du Li's quick agreent caught Ma Junhou off guard. What had started as a half-joking offer had suddenly beco real. Now, he had to follow through. He went out to a key-cutting shop and made two copies of his house keys, which he handed to Du Li upon returning.
"Building 25, Unit 1, Apartnt 501, Shipyard New Village. East-facing, with a window in the living room," Ma Junhou said. "The place is fully furnished—just move in. You'll pay for the utilities you use. Here are the keys."
"Brother Ma, thank you," Du Li said, bowing deeply. She then called her son, who was doing howork at the counter, and had him bow to Uncle Ma as well.
The boy bowed deeply.
"Ah, no need for that," Ma Junhou said, feeling awkward. Any lingering ulterior motives he had vanished in that mont.
Everyone trusted each other, and Ma Junhou even skipped his usual drink to help with the move. The mother and son didn't have much, so everything fit in one trip. The three-bedroom apartnt was indeed spacious, much larger than their previous ho, though it was a ss from years of bachelor living.
"I'll take the master bedroom. You two can have the other rooms. The kid can have his own study," Ma Junhou said. "Feel free to use the fridge, TV, and the water heater. I'll show you how everything works." Ma Junhou was unusually enthusiastic. His ho had never had a woman in it before, and Du Li, though in her thirties, was attractive, kind, and capable. He even felt a bit unworthy, thinking he might be imposing on her.
Ma Junhou worked rotating shifts at the shipyard and had a fondness for drinking. He was straightforward and warm-hearted, making him easy to get along with.
Du Li, now living under his roof, did everything she could to make Ma Junhou feel that this arrangent was worthwhile. In one day, she cleaned the house until it sparkled. She waxed the floors, scrubbed away years of gri from the tiles, bleached the yellowed toilet until it was spotless, and cleaned the grease from the stove and range hood. She even washed all the windows, leaving Ma Junhou wondering if he had walked into the wrong apartnt when he returned.
She washed all the clothes Ma Junhou had stashed in his closet and even nded his holey socks and boxers, leaving him blushing. These were tasks a wife would do for her husband. Did Du Li have such intentions?
But when he saw the black armband on Du Li's arm, he dismissed any improper thoughts. Instead, he handed her a thousand yuan, asking her to cook for him.
In the past, Ma Junhou had lived alone, eating whatever he could scrounge up. After work, he would just drink, with nothing else to do. Now, he could co ho to a hot al. The fridge even had yogurt. Most importantly, when he went to the restaurant for a drink, the Boss Lady gave him a hefty discount.
Three days after Du Li and her son moved in, Ma Junhou attended a colleague's full-month celebration for their newborn and got thoroughly drunk. Staggering ho, he fumbled with his keys and opened the door, feeling a sudden chill. Looking around, he saw Li Chen doing howork in the study, with what seed like an adult standing beside him.
At this hour, Du Li should have been at work. Rubbing his eyes, Ma Junhou took a closer look. It appeared to be a man, who turned and smiled at him.
"Who are you?" Ma Junhou asked, stumbling forward.
The man walked over and nodded. "Thank you. Please take care of them," he said before vanishing into thin air.
Ma Junhou, dizzy and disoriented, wondered if he was hallucinating or losing his mind.
Just then, Li Chen brought him a cup of hot tea, saying, "Uncle Ma, you're drunk again. Have so tea to sober up."
Ma Junhou asked, "Did you see that?"
Li Chen shook his head, confused.
Suddenly, Ma Junhou realized—it was Li Danfeng's seventh-day morial.
The next day, Ma Junhou received a call from a long-lost middle school classmate, inviting him to a reunion.
anwhile, Liu Ping, the mother of i Xin from "A Plum Blossom," was driving her BMW one-handed, answering a call via Bluetooth. A man's voice, unfamiliar but warm, ca through.
"Liu Ping, hello. Happy New Year. Can you still recognize my voice?"
"Sorry, my phone's speaker is a bit distorted. Who is this?" Liu Ping found the voice sowhat familiar but couldn't place it.
"It's Zhuang Teng," the man said. "We were middle school classmates. Rember? I'm organizing a gathering the day after tomorrow. Our old classmates will be there, including our horoom teacher, the principal, and even Ma Xiaowei. I'll send a car to pick you up. Don't miss it."
Liu Ping and Ma Xiaowei had been middle school classmates, though Liu Ping had transferred in and only spent three months there before graduating. Zhuang Teng had been a short, chubby boy with average grades and a modest background, but he had always been enthusiastic about group activities, so Liu Ping rembered him.
In fact, Zhuang Teng had been one of Liu Ping's admirers back then.
Liu Ping wasn't particularly fond of class reunions, but she wasn't one to refuse outright. She agreed for now, planning to make an excuse later and skip the event.
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