Chapter 20

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Li Xiulan was slapped by Wang Zhanggen, her head whipping to the side, disheveled strands falling onto her stunned face; she slowly turned back, looking at the man who had shared her bed for many years with utter astonishment.

She simply could not believe that the man she deeply loved would slap her across the face in front of so many people.

Everything seemed like a nightmare.

She wasn't quite sure when this nightmare had specifically begun.

Right now she only wanted this nightmare to hurry up and pass.

But the scorching, stinging sensation on her face reminded her at every moment that this was not a dream, but a reality that truly existed.

Tears, like pearls, slid down her cheeks.

"Even you think I'm promiscuous?"

Li Xiulan asked Wang Zhanggen, choking with sobs.

At this moment her heart ached terribly.

Even if everyone in the world slandered her, threw mud at her, called her promiscuous and lascivious by nature, she wouldn't care; the only thing she cared about was her husband's opinion — as long as her husband believed her, everything would blow over!

But now, she could no longer blow it over.

She felt the world collapsing.

"I really want to believe you, but how can I believe you! Liao Chunhua even called my unit to file a complaint!"

Wang Zhanggen roared.

He was also on the verge of collapse.

He slaved away outside, working himself to the bone, all so this woman before him could have a good life in the future, yet the hardship and toil had brought him a fire in the backyard — his wife cheating and betraying him.

"Then let's get a divorce……"

Li Xiulan, utterly despairing, finally blurted out those words in a fit of pique.

Wang Zhanggen fell silent.

A sharp stab in his heart; his heart was bleeding.

Divorce was definitely not what he wanted.

But if he didn't divorce, now the whole village knew he wore a green hat on his head — was he still a man?

"Divorce then, who's afraid of who!"

Wang Zhanggen also said those words in a fit of pique.

Liao Chunhua on the side, her heart full of the satisfaction of successful revenge, couldn't help revealing a barely concealed joy on her face; she spoke with sarcastic irony to mediate:

"Wang Zhanggen, how can you divorce your wife? Just make do and get on with it! If you divorce her, wouldn't that be fulfilling her and He Dazhu's adultery? Anyway I'll never divorce He Dazhu; if I can't have a good life, that pair of adulterers won't have a good life either!"

Yang Dafu, meanwhile, had the corner of his mouth hooked up, and said loudly to everyone:

"You all saw it, Li Xiulan is indeed promiscuous. That night when I went to find Li Xiulan, she was indeed somewhat unwilling, but before that, she did indeed seduce me — I'm actually the innocent one here, fellow villagers!"

A crowd of villagers all nodded in agreement, all feeling Yang Dafu was indeed somewhat innocent.

Same old saying: flies don't bite seamless eggs; Li Xiulan definitely has a problem herself, is improper, otherwise how could Yang Dafu possibly have the audacity to barge into her house to rape her?

Guo Fuqiang couldn't help slapping his forehead; the situation before him really gave him a splitting headache; he couldn't help sighing — the development of events had already exceeded his control.

"Li Xiulan, I really want to help you, but with the situation like this, how can I help! You hurry up and explain clearly what exactly is the situation between you and He Dazhu!"

Guo Fuqiang was anxious like ants on a hot pan.

Judging by his experience as a Police Station Chief, with years of contact with grassroots masses, Li Xiulan should be innocent; she loved Wang Zhanggen so deeply that to keep him out of prison she even willingly bore the infamy of seducing Yang Dafu — how could such a woman possibly get together with another man behind her husband's back?

But if Li Xiulan doesn't explain the whole story clearly, no one will possibly believe her!

"That night, He Dazhu said he'd kiss me once, only then would he agree to help me look after the livestock at my home……" Under Guo Fuqiang's guidance, Li Xiulan began to regain calm, patiently explaining.

However, Wang Zhanggen was still emotionally agitated:

"He Dazhu said he'd kiss you once, and then you agreed?"

Wang Zhanggen pressed aggressively.

Li Xiulan hesitated for a long time; in the end she chose not to lie, but nodded:

"I thought it was just one kiss; I didn't expect He Dazhu to hold me and not let go, and right then Sister-in-law Chunhua happened to come back……"

However, as soon as she spoke these words, He Dazhu retorted:

"You're talking nonsense! Clearly it was you who said let me kiss you once; how did it become me wanting to kiss you?"

He Dazhu lied with eyes wide open; the person he once loved was now worthless in his eyes; to protect his own reputation, to keep people from knowing he was impotent and premature, he went against his conscience, spouting black-and-white-reversing, false-accusation lies.

"He Dazhu, didn't expect you to be this kind of person!"

Li Xiulan, despairing to the point of a cold laugh.

She was very glad now that she hadn't chosen to be with He Dazhu back then.

Her parents were right; He Dazhu simply wasn't a man who takes responsibility!

And Wang Zhanggen on the side was still tangled up over the kissing issue:

"Li Xiulan, how could you agree to let He Dazhu kiss you; do you still have lingering feelings for He Dazhu!"

Li Xiulan couldn't answer this question.

Because at that time, toward He Dazhu, there indeed still remained a trace of old feelings in her heart; after all, the two were each other's first love, and both had left deep regrets because of reality.

Under such circumstances, saying there were no old feelings — that was impossible!

But she didn't want to lie either, so she could only stay silent.

Seeing Li Xiulan's reaction, Wang Zhanggen felt his heart twist like a knife even more.

"Slap!"

Wang Zhanggen slapped Li Xiulan across the face again.

"Divorce, we must divorce, tomorrow we'll go get the divorce certificate!"

Wang Zhanggen exploded on the spot like a powder keg, completely losing his reason, jumping and shouting in a towering rage.

Wang Dashan and Wang Erhai, the two children on the side, were so frightened they cried incessantly.

Many years later, when they had grown into adults, their father's every action on this one night remained a shadow in their hearts that could never be erased.

"Wang Zhanggen, be reasonable, Li Xiulan has borne you two children, and right now she's still pregnant with your third child in her belly, how can you lightly divorce Li Xiulan at a time like this!"

The only one on the scene who still had a bit of rational judgment was Guo Fuqiang, this Police Station Chief.

Seeing the situation was bad, he hurried over to persuade Wang Zhanggen not to be impulsive.

For this kind of family dispute, he generally only mediates for reconciliation, not for divorce.

Because after divorcing, it won't benefit either side of the couple, and for the children it will cause irreversible psychological trauma.

"Chief Guo, don't persuade me anymore, this life simply can't be lived, being poor I can endure, being bitter I can endure, but my wife giving me a green hat, that I absolutely cannot endure!"

Wang Zhanggen's attitude was extremely resolute, not waiting for Li Xiulan to speak again, he flung his sleeve and turned to leave the Village Committee Office.

Li Xiulan watched Wang Zhanggen's decisive departing back, her heart like a glass bottle smashed on the ground, shattering into pieces.

She knew, her marriage with Wang Zhanggen, I'm afraid, had truly reached its end.

……