Chapter 35: Qin Min and the First Elder Have Become Involved

"Brother Hai, life is just too hard for me. I’ve only had one steamed bun to eat all day. Could you please help me find a job?"

A seductive voice drifted up from the cellar of Yi Zhonghai’s home, dripping with affection. Yi Zhonghai responded with equal tenderness.

"Don't worry, Xiao Min. I’ll go to the neighborhood committee tomorrow and find a position for you."

"Oh, be gentle."

Wang Lin, having arrived near the cellar early, listened to the intimate exchange below with a wicked grin spreading across his face. Without making a sound, he quietly gathered all the residents of the courtyard. He pointed toward the cellar, and as they approached, the sounds of illicit activity within became immediately clear.

"Oh, you wretched slut! How dare you betray my son? I’ll kill you!"

Jia Zhangshi, upon hearing what was happening, stormed into the cellar. She already detested Qin Min; now that the woman was three months pregnant, to think she was still messing around with Yi Zhonghai—what if something happened to her precious granddaughter?

*Damn her, daring to snatch a man from me. I will surely make her pay,* Jia Zhangshi thought, seething with internal rage.

The Second Master, Liu Haizhong, stood by, beaming with delight. *Heh, it seems that as of today, I am the First Master!*

Liu Haizhong felt more convinced than ever that currying favor with Wang Lin was a stroke of genius. If not for Wang Lin, how could he have become the director of the first workshop? If not for Wang Lin, how could he have become the head of the inspection team? And now, because of Wang Lin, he was about to become the First Master. He practically wanted to set up a shrine for Wang Lin, viewing the young man as his lucky star and the guarantor of his rise to power.

"Yi Zhonghai! As the First Master, you engage in such scandalous behavior! Are you worthy of the trust we placed in you?" Liu Haizhong had learned how to throw moral labels around, a skill he’d picked up from the books Wang Lin had been lending him.

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Min scrambled to pull up their trousers, but in their panic, they only struggled more. Jia Zhangshi rushed over to Qin Min and slapped her hard across the face.

"I’ll teach you to be unchaste! How dare you wrong my Dongxu!" After striking Qin Min, she turned to Yi Zhonghai with a fawning expression. "Old Yi, tell me, were you coerced by this slut, Qin Min?"

Yi Zhonghai never expected Jia Zhangshi to provide him with an out. Unaware of the wager between Wang Lin and Jia Zhangshi, he didn't realize that she now viewed him as her own man.

"Yes! Jia Zhangshi is right! It was that bitch Qin Min who forced me!" Yi Zhonghai seized the opportunity and began to spin his tale. "She wanted to borrow grain from me. I refused, so she pulled down my pants, then her own. She’s a pregnant woman—as a man, I didn't dare fight back for fear of harming the baby. That’s how it ended up like this."

Deep in Qin Min’s eyes, a flicker of hatred ignited; she was not a woman to be trifled with. "Waaah! It was Yi Zhonghai who forced me! He threatened that if I didn't satisfy him, he’d send me back to the countryside! Waaah!" Qin Min sobbed heart-wrenchingly, her red, swollen eyes inviting pity from the onlookers.

Yi Zhonghai glared at her, trying to argue further, but Qin Huairu stepped forward.

"Yi Zhonghai, you can't even come up with a decent excuse. Everyone, think about it: as a mother, what woman wouldn't care for her child? I ask you all, would any of you engage in such acts while pregnant?"

Qin Huairu didn't say much, but her words struck a chord with every woman present.

"That's right, this must be Yi Zhonghai threatening Qin Min."
"This Yi Zhonghai is truly scum."
"Indeed, you can know a person's face but not their heart."

Yi Zhonghai looked at Qin Huairu with resentment. He had become the public enemy of every woman in the yard; how could he possibly explain his way out of this?

Jia Zhangshi’s limited intellect failed her, but she had other methods. If she couldn't argue, she would make a scene. "Oh, Old Jia! Come back! Your daughter-in-law is cuckolding Dongxu! Take her away! She’s even framing your best friend! The First Master has always taken care of our family; he’s Dongxu’s mentor!"

Liu Haizhong, having anticipated this, had long since sent Liu Guangqi and Liu Guangtian—one to the neighborhood committee and the other to the police station. Just as Jia Zhangshi began her "necromancy," the officials arrived.

"Jia Zhangshi, if you keep screaming like that, I’ll have you arrested!" Director Wang’s fury was at its boiling point. She couldn't understand how this model, civilized courtyard had turned into such a mess ever since Wang Lin moved in. And now, this scandal of the First Master with his apprentice’s wife.

Upon hearing Director Wang, Jia Zhangshi fell silent. Yi Zhonghai rushed to the director, begging for help. "Director Wang, you’ve finally come! You must believe me, it really was Qin Min who coerced me! I didn't dare resist because of the baby, and that’s how this happened!"

Director Wang slapped Yi Zhonghai across the face. "Do you take me for a fool? You were 'looking out for the child' by doing such things with her?"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned, his mind reeling. As for Qin Min, knowing where her advantage lay, she didn't offer a defense, choosing instead to weep bitterly, making herself look as wronged as possible.

At this moment, prompted by a gesture from Wang Lin, the First Mistress stepped forward. "Director Wang, you must uphold justice for me. To save Yi Zhonghai from embarrassment, I took the blame for being unable to conceive upon myself. Yet, after all I’ve sacrificed, he still betrays me! I want a divorce!"

Director Wang’s expression darkened. The day’s events were already exhausting, and now a divorce case was being dumped on her. However, as the director, she had to fulfill her duty. "Rest assured, this divorce will go through today. I will oversee it."

"Thank you, thank you, Director Wang!"

Yi Zhonghai was completely shattered. He never imagined his wife would kick him while he was down. Her words made his heart sink. *It’s over. It’s all over. How can I ever live in this courtyard again?* Even though she hadn't said it explicitly, she had made it clear that the infertility was his own fault.

"The illicit relationship between Yi Zhonghai and Qin Min is confirmed. Given Qin Min’s pregnancy, she will not be punished this time. Take Yi Zhonghai away—he is to be paraded through the streets starting tomorrow."