"Around the end of the year. Almost close to the New Year days."
"Now the Mei Family canāt do anything, right?"
"If they had a way, I wouldnāt be telling you itās good news now."
The couple listened to this and hugged each other, laughing.
....
In G City, ever since Mei Langchi got into trouble, sheās been staying here, until the verdict came down a few days ago. Ye Qing finally understood, this time Mei Langchi really fell. Four or five years in prison. What will she do in the future?
These days, her father-in-law, Mei Shuping, doesnāt even look her in the eye, practically treating her like a stranger. Theyāre doing just fine, having moved into the compound.
As for her, the daughter-in-law, not even arranged to live anywhere; for these two months, she has been staying in a guesthouse. If it werenāt for her savings, sheād probably have no means for survival.
In this situation, she really couldnāt be of much help. She could only snoop around for information at the guesthouse.
Once the case was over, finally she could visit the prison. Ye Qing hurriedly prepared daily supplies and clothes for Mei Langchi.
Fortunately, the labor camp where Mei Langchi was confined had decent conditions. After seeing Mei Langchi, Ye Qing learned that his daily work was pasting paper boxes, quite a relaxed job.
Ye Qing knew this was definitely because the Mei Family had done a lot of work behind the scenes; otherwise, they wouldnāt have arranged such an easy task for Mei Langchi.
"Langchi, I will wait for you. No matter when you come out, the child and I will be waiting for you at home." Ye Qing always pretended to be deeply affectionate in front of Mei Langchi.
Although Mei Langchi had some grievances about what happened to her last time, he never mentioned it openly. The coldness this past year was not lacking either, but she had no complaints. Even now, when he has fallen into this state, she didnāt disdain him, still saying she would wait for him to come home. At this moment, he couldnāt deny he was moved.
"Ah Qing, thank you..."
"Whatās with the thank yous? Arenāt we husband and wife?"
"At home, in my study, thereās a savings book, with two thousand yuan in it. After you go back, find a house in the city."
Ye Qing nodded in agreement, both knowing that now Mei Langchi had been dismissed from the military, he definitely couldnāt stay with the unit, she had to live elsewhere.
"The factory over there hasnāt fired me, I want to continue working there. You know, your family doesnāt really accept me. Without you around, Iāll have to rely on myself. Otherwise, Iāll have trouble even eating. Donāt worry, Iāll come to see you whenever I can."
"Itās good over there. On this side, I donāt have to worry, the family here is taken care of. Take good care of yourself. If you can, come back often to see the child."
"Hmm, I understand." Ye Qing said, handing the package she prepared to Mei Langchi. "There are several packs of cigarettes inside, and fifty yuan in cash, youāll need them in there." Having done labor reform herself, Ye Qing knew the ropes inside, even though the Mei Family had made arrangements, there might still be oversights.
Looking at what Ye Qing prepared for him, a lump formed in Mei Langchiās throat again.
After chatting for a while, Ye Qing left. Checking the time, she hurriedly tidied up at the guesthouse and went to the train station.
She needed to return to Z City immediately; the factory had already opened over a month after the New Year, if she didnāt return, her position might really be in jeopardy. She couldnāt afford to lose this job now.
Around the end of the year, she earned a sum of money, plus the money in Mei Langchiās savings book. Together, these funds were enough to buy a house in Z City.
Two days later, Ye Qing returned to the compound, went to work during the day, and asked colleagues to help inquire about housing.
On the third day of her return, the commissar from the unit learned about it and asked her to move out quickly. Ye Qing pleaded, explaining she was looking for a house, asking them to give her a few more days.
The leader saw that she was alone in Z City, sympathized, and reluctantly agreed.
Now, when people in the compound saw her, everyone pointed fingers. Some didnāt even bother to hide it, directly pointing fingers in front of her.
"Did you see that? We thought she was a pampered wife, but didnāt expect her man to do something like that. As a woman, sheās going to have a hard time."
"Isnāt she from the Mei Family? Why isnāt the Mei Family taking care of her? Her husband got into such trouble, shouldnāt the Mei Family let her return? Why is she searching for a house here?"
"Who knows? Itās not easy being the daughter-in-law of a powerful family, maybe sheās not favored by them."
"Thatās true. But... a man capable of such actions, I bet, she knew about it. Isnāt there a saying, ābirds of a feather flock togetherā? This couple is probably made of the same stuff."