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A Mother's Desperate Plea for Help
墨書 Inktalez
1
Everyone in the company knew: I, the marketing manager, was finished!
General Qin Mingfa's voice, sharp and penetrating, echoed through the room as he slammed his hand on the table. "I sent you to the airport to pick someone up, not to be a hero! Because of a few unrelated people, you've cost the company a twenty million project! Did you even think about the consequences? The company was counting on this project to thrive, and because of you, over a hundred people will have to scrape by! Starting today, you're suspended without pay, waiting for headquarters to decide your fate!"
Moments later, I received a text from my wife, Jiang Xiaoli: "Let's get a divorce."
Feeling dejected, I returned home only to find my father-in-law sitting in the living room with a face like thunder. As soon as I walked in, he snorted disdainfully.
My brother-in-law was playing with a baseball bat, looking at me with predatory eyes.
Despite my father-in-law's submissive demeanor at work, he had always been arrogant in front of me. "General Qin called me and gave me an earful: You were supposed to pick up a client at the airport and you were over an hour late! This isn't just rude; it's dereliction of duty! If this had happened between two countries, it would be considered a serious diplomatic incident! If we lose this contract, can grinding you into paste make up for the company's losses?"
"Dad, it was like this at that time..."
"What situation could possibly be more important than work? What do those people have to do with you? You're an adult; can't you tell what's priority? Don't you understand who you owe responsibility to? Don't try to explain yourself to me or call me Dad anymore. General Qin is my friend; I expected you to have a stable income and live well, bringing honor to our family. Instead, you've exposed your shortcomings!"
My father-in-law berated me for what felt like an eternity. He took the teacup my wife handed him and continued, "I thought you were young and might achieve something in the future; it seems we were overly optimistic! This house may have been bought with your down payment and monthly payments, but it's under Xiaoli's name and was purchased before your marriage—considered premarital property. Xiaoli says there’s still 150,000 in savings at home; you'll split that evenly—our Jiang family won't take advantage of you! The car cost 500,000; considering depreciation and loans, it's worth about 100,000 now. You can have half of that value; the car will belong to Xiaoli. From today on, you have no ties to this family or to Xiaoli! Today is the weekend; on Monday, you and Xiaoli will finalize your divorce paperwork. You won't even have to pay for the nine-dollar divorce certificate."
Just like that, I was nearly stripped bare and kicked out of my home!? Three years of marriage reduced to nothing?
Before marriage, all my savings went into buying a house, paying for the bride price, and organizing the wedding. After we got married, my salary card was always managed by Jiang Xiaoli. Now I had lost my wife and my home; all that remained was this 125,000 yuan?
In these three years of marriage, I earned around 600,000 annually—there's no way we could only have 150,000 in savings if we lived extravagantly!
I had taken out a loan of 150,000 for a BMW just over a year ago; it would be paid off in two months—how could it only be worth 100,000 now? I made the down payment on the house and paid the monthly mortgage—why did that mean I had no claim to it? This felt worse than being robbed!
I glanced at Qin Xiaoli; she wouldn't even meet my gaze.
As I reflected on the past three years with dawning realization: this family had never truly accepted me! To them, I had always been an outsider.
In the end, my brother-in-law chased me away with his baseball bat. One day I was a marketing manager at an import-export company; the next day I became unemployed—a homeless drifter!
2.
With the 125,000 yuan from the Jiang family—essentially charity—I found a budget hotel on the street and haphazardly settled into this soulless shell of mine.
No more clocking in for work; I’m nestled in bed watching the Paris Olympics. Diver Xiao Quan won a gold medal! Shooter Xiao Xie took home a gold medal! Tennis player Xiao Zheng also snagged a gold medal… They’re just like me, kids from ordinary families.
Should kids from ordinary families be doomed to mediocrity for life?
And am I really in the wrong?
I saved four lives! When the traffic police and paramedics hadn’t arrived yet, I had already pried open the mangled car door and dragged out several bloodied individuals. The Mercedes-Benz Van erupted into flames with a deafening explosion!
The scorching heat wave made it almost impossible to breathe, and metal fragments fell around us like meteorites. If it weren’t for me, those four people would surely have perished in the fire!
Looking back, at work, I was cautious and diligent, striving to be responsible to the company while constantly reading my superiors’ moods—fulfilling yet unhappy.
At home, Father-in-law Jiang Huairen loomed over me like a mountain, always adopting the stance of an experienced elder guiding my life.
Mother-in-law lectured my wife on how to manage her husband, manipulating Jiang Xiaoli to impose “economic sanctions” and “movement restrictions” on me.
Perhaps having a child would complete our family and make things better!
But Jiang Xiaoli either said, “Your career is on the rise; a child will hold you back,” or used her “illness” as an excuse.
What have I gained in these three years?
It seems like just this 125,000 yuan in my hands!
Isn’t that laughable?
Isn’t it tragic?
My in-laws’ combined income barely exceeds 10,000 yuan, while my useless brother-in-law Bengzi doesn’t earn anything and spends his days gambling and chasing after women. What gives them the right to live lavishly? They even hired a nanny?
If it weren’t for Jiang Xiaoli transferring 10,000 yuan from my account to support them every month, they’d be left to fend for themselves!
The phone rang.
I no longer had to answer to anyone or watch anyone’s face. The the Jiang Family had “fired” me; those so-called elders could go to hell!
I pressed the answer button and lazily held the phone to my ear. “Who is it?”
“Stop pretending! Can’t you recognize my voice?” It was my former mother-in-law.
“What do you want?” I replied nonchalantly, lacking the previous deference.
“Why did you report your bank card lost?” The old woman was aggressive, as if she wanted to crawl through the phone and bite me.
“It’s my card; why can’t I report it lost? Not only did I report it lost, but I also got a new one. Is there a problem?”
“You… you… give me back the money in that card!” The old woman was furious.
“What money? Your husband said we only had fifteen thousand in savings; we divided that up yesterday.”
“You’re talking nonsense! There are still 500,000 yuan in financial products and over 600,000 yuan in cash!”
“Aside from my salary and bonuses from the company, there are no other deposits in that card. That money is what I earned; it has nothing to do with you! Do you think you’re entitled to it without any justification?”
“I don’t care; you have to return the money to me! Otherwise…”
Otherwise, what a nuisance! I hung up the phone, but she called again. I pressed the button to end the call, and she kept calling. I kept hanging up, infuriating that old hag!
One day, while Jiang Xiaoli was taking a shower, the phone rang. I saw it was my mother-in-law calling and hurriedly took the phone to the bathroom. The moment Jiang Xiaoli pressed the answer button, I heard my mother-in-law's loud voice: "You absolutely must not have children! Once you have a child, you'll be trapped!"
I pretended not to hear, feeling a storm of emotions raging inside me.
My salary card was in their hands, but I could see the transaction information. I even opened mobile banking; it was easy to check the funds on the card!
As they say, even the best-laid plans can go awry, and this time, they were careless.
I immediately reported the card lost and requested a new one.
Buddha bless me; my over a million yuan!
The phone rang again; it was Jiang Xiaoli.
"Transfer the money to me right now!" Jiang Xiaoli demanded, her face flushed with urgency.
"Why should I?"
"Because... I've lived with you for three years; this is compensation for my lost youth!"
I was almost speechless.
"Stop pretending; just transfer the money!"
"Just wait!"
I hung up and blocked her number in one swift motion.
How did I survive these three years of marriage?
For the sake of my persistent love, as long as there were no business trips, even if work left me exhausted, I always took the initiative to prepare meals, do laundry, and handle chores... because Jiang often felt unwell.
What had she done for me in these three years?
She worked three days and slacked off for two, barely earning anything while frequently partying and going out. She wouldn’t even give me a child.
If it weren't for my monthly salary of over thirty thousand yuan along with bonuses supporting us, how could she live so freely?
Her parents never regarded me as anything more than a rural kid. Their wasteful son clung to me like a leech, sucking my blood while looking down on me!
Now, my car has been taken away, and my house has been seized.
What right do they have to treat me this way?
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