Awaken: I See Tags, I Rewrite My Life-Chapter 34: A Dilemma, the First Case

Behind Lixin Primary School, there are a few low old buildings that are remnants of former classrooms and offices the school didn’t fully demolish.

Over ten years, because no one used or lived in them, those buildings have collapsed or crumbled, falling into ruin.

Feng Rui was looking for someone who lived in a half-collapsed old classroom.

The three of them hadn’t yet reached the destination when a small head peeked out from the rundown wooden house and smiled upon seeing Feng Rui.

Feng Rui waved hello, "Dongzi, is your mom home?"

The child nodded and turned to call inside the house, "Mom, Uncle Feng is here."

Soon, the wooden door, unlatched, was moved open from inside, and a woman, looking about twenty-four or twenty-five, bent down and emerged, smiling at Feng Rui, "Mr. Feng, you’ve come."

Feng Rui chuckled and introduced Tian Xiang and Chen Yong, saying the woman was Yan Xiaomai, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Huang family from District Nine.

"Comrade Xiaomai, these are two new junior staff members in our office, Tian Xiang and Chen Yong. If you have any needs in the future, you can also approach them."

Yan Xiaomai rubbed her hands, smiling somewhat nervously, her eyes filled with envy as she looked at the two.

So young, and already with jobs, and that too at the Mechanical Factory.

"Dear Comrades, it’s a mess inside, nowhere to even step, so I won’t invite you in. Next time, if there’s a chance, I’ll treat you both to tea."

What Yan Xiaomai said seemed forced, clearly something that couldn’t be realized anytime soon.

Tian Xiang glanced inside through the doorway, seeing a lot of matchboxes piled on the ground.

It seemed she too was part of the matchbox making group.

But as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Huang family, why was she living alone with her son in this dilapidated house?

The three of them didn’t stay there long, as there wasn’t even a place to sit, making it inconvenient to talk. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

Feng Rui briefly asked about her and her son’s recent life, then left with Tian Xiang and Chen Yong.

Outside, the three stood under a tree chatting.

Soon, Feng Rui shared the relevant situation of Yan Xiaomai and her son with the two.

Yan Xiaomai’s husband, Huang Wenhua, used to be a technician in the workshop at the Mechanical Factory and passed away from a brain tumor nearly a year ago.

Six months ago, Yan Xiaomai and a loader from the Textile Factory, Du Zhiqiang, developed feelings for each other.

Du Zhiqiang, through a matchmaker, proposed marriage to bring Yan Xiaomai into his home.

Yan Xiaomai’s father-in-law, Huang Hongyun, the father of Huang Wenhua, firmly opposed the plan and instead wanted Yan Xiaomai to marry his younger son, Huang Wenbiao.

With the elder brother gone, the younger brother marries the sister-in-law, treating his nephew as his own son; it doesn’t sound right but doesn’t violate any rules, and in some places, there are even such customs and habits.

However, Yan Xiaomai wished to marry Du Zhiqiang, not Huang Wenbiao.

The idea of a sister-in-law marrying her brother-in-law was something she couldn’t accept.

Each person involved had their own ideas, leading to arguments and quarrels.

Yan Xiaomai refused to marry her brother-in-law, and though the street committee and resident committee intervened, with Huang Wenhua deceased, there was no reason to force her to marry the brother-in-law, especially since she has the right to marriage freedom.

Huang Hongyun knew his reasoning was unconvincing, so he withheld the grandson and drove Yan Xiaomai out of the house.

She could remarry, but the grandson couldn’t be taken away.

He couldn’t allow his family’s lineage to become someone else’s son.

If Yan Xiaomai had married into the Du family, this could have ended there, but she couldn’t bear to part with her son. Huang Qidong had been raised by Yan Xiaomai from a young age, and the son, likewise, couldn’t bear to be without his mother, making the situation untenable.

In that incident, the mother was banging her head against the wall outside the door, and the son inside cried until he developed a fever, which eventually led the street committee to contact the factory union, where Chairman Jiang intervened to reunite mother and son.

However, the conflict was not resolved.

Huang Hongyun resorted to obstinacy, not letting the mother and son into the house, nor allowing Yan Xiaomai to take her son to the Du family. Unless she married his younger son or left the grandson behind, nothing would work, and no one could make a difference.

Yan Xiaomai, having no other option, brought her son to live there.

Tian Xiang: "Does Yan Xiaomai not have a natal family?"

In such matters, why hadn’t her natal family intervened, allowing the married daughter to be bullied by her in-laws to this extent?

Feng Rui: "Yan Xiaomai’s natal home is in a village over two hundred miles away, about half a day’s drive from here. Also, with so much time having passed, it’s unlikely they aren’t aware; not coming means the natal family isn’t willing to accept the mother and daughter and can’t intervene."

That too seems plausible.

Tian Xiang: "But still, why is Yan Xiaomai the only one trying to leave the Huang family? What about Du Zhiqiang, who wants to marry her? Hasn’t he thought of any ways or made any efforts?"

Feng Rui: "It’s not that Du Zhiqiang hasn’t tried. He has a blind old mother to care for and few family members, and Huang Hongyun is adamant against letting them succeed, withholding the household register and blocking the street committee from issuing a marriage certificate for them. If Du Zhiqiang brought Yan Xiaomai over, Huang would go to their house and slit his wrists."

Feng Rui emphasized, "He really did slit his wrists! Such a deep cut..."

Feng Rui, with intense expression and emotion, demonstrated to the two.

"Originally, the street committee and Chairman Jiang planned to handle this privately, by letting the police station transfer Yan Xiaomai’s household registration back to her place of origin, allowing her to marry from her natal place, while the street committee would testify for them and issue proof to forcefully conclude the marriage. Huang Hongyun’s antics deterred everyone from taking any action."

"After all, if a life was genuinely lost, no one could bear the responsibility!"

The situation has since reached a stalemate. Yan Xiaomai has been living in that rundown house with her son for several months now.

Feng Rui sighed, "It’s rather pitiful, but for now, there’s no better solution."

The three of them pushed their bicycles back to the factory.

Feng Rui needed to head to the factory office first, so he left.

Now that she’s an employee at the factory, Tian Xiang no longer needed to leave her bicycle outside and could park it directly in the shed.

As she went with Chen Yong to park their bikes, Tian Xiang asked, "Did you hear about Yan Xiaomai’s situation at the time?"

This was the first time Tian Xiang proactively spoke to Chen Yong, even though it was purely about work, yet Chen Yong felt quite pleased.

He, feeling rather self-assured, flicked his hair, "It caused such a stir, of course I heard."

Tian Xiang: "Aside from what Mr. Feng just said, do you know anything different or additional?"

Tian Xiang was quite curious why Old Huang was so insistent on having Yan Xiaomai marry his younger son.

It was said that after Huang Wenhua’s death, his job was transferred to his brother, who is now an employee at the Mechanical Factory, so there shouldn’t be any issue finding a wife!

Chen Yong scratched his head, "I’m not really sure, it’s something that happened on the other side of the settlement area. But I’ve seen Huang Wenbiao a few times; he’s got a pointy nose and a cunning look, used to loiter around, just being a street wanderer before he started working."

Tian Xiang thought to herself, aren’t you embarrassed to call someone else a street wanderer, weren’t you one too?

Tian Xiang opened her notebook and jotted down what Chen Yong had just said.

Chen Yong was quite puzzled, "Why are you writing this down too?"

"This might be one of the clues."

Chen Yong found it amusing, "Are we solving a case here? Clues and all."

Tian Xiang glanced at him, "What do you know?"

"Alright, alright, I don’t know anything."

Chen Yong didn’t argue with the beautiful lady.

Tian Xiang: "By the way, do you know Aunt Peng’s son?"

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