She Called Me Barren, So I Posted Her Son's Medical Report Everywhere

Over the next few days, the community was in an uproar. The community group chat was full of discussions about the incident. "Did you hear? Zhou Yubai is infertile, and his wife posted the notices!" "Oh my god, I always thought Lin Wantang seemed normal. How could she not be able to have kids? Turns out it was the man's problem!" "Zhang Guifen went too far, scolding that girl for five years for being barren, and it was her own son who couldn't do it!" "I heard they're apologizing at the square on Saturday. I'm definitely going to watch!" "Lin Wantang is so brave. I could never do something like that." "Brave? Anyone would be brave if they'd been scolded for five years. Try being in her shoes." "I also heard that Zhang Guifen knew all along that her son couldn't have kids, and deliberately scolded Lin Wantang to force her into divorcing!" "Really? That's so cruel!" "It's true, Auntie Liu said so. Lin Wantang has recordings." Lin Wantang watched the messages in the group chat, the corners of her mouth always turned up. She was actually looking forward to Saturday. Friday evening, Zhou Yubai sent her a message: "Wantang, can you not make my mom read the apology letter? She's getting old, she can't take this kind of stress." Lin Wantang replied with two words: "Can't." Zhou Yubai sent another: "Then can I read it for her?" Lin Wantang replied: "No, she has to read it herself. And you too — you have to read yours." Zhou Yubai didn't reply again. Lin Wantang tossed her phone aside and continued writing the apology letters. She wrote carefully, weighing every word. The content was simple: "I, Zhang Guifen, knowing full well that my son Zhou Yubai is infertile, have long abused my daughter-in-law Lin Wantang, calling her barren and unable to conceive, and spread rumors throughout the community, with the intention of forcing Lin Wantang to divorce on her own so that Zhou Yubai could find another partner. My actions have caused great harm to Lin Wantang. I hereby sincerely apologize to Lin Wantang, acknowledging that the problem lies with my son, not with Lin Wantang's ability to conceive. I promise never to abuse Lin Wantang or spread rumors again." Below was Zhou Yubai's apology letter: "I, Zhou Yubai, knew I had azoospermia before marriage, but concealed it from my wife Lin Wantang, causing her to be misunderstood for five years, drink three years of useless herbal medicine, and suffer enormous mental pressure. When my mother Zhang Guifen abused Lin Wantang, I knew about it but did not stop her, and even implicitly approved of her behavior. I hereby sincerely apologize to Lin Wantang, acknowledging that this was my fault. I should not have concealed the truth, should not have let her carry the blame, and should not have allowed my mother to hurt her." Lin Wantang read through them and nodded with satisfaction. Not too long, not too short — just enough for them to lose face in front of the entire community. Saturday, three in the afternoon, community square. When Lin Wantang arrived, forty to fifty people had already gathered. Auntie Liu, Auntie Wang, and a few of the old women who usually danced with Zhang Guifen were all there. Even a few people from the next building over, having heard the story, had come specifically to watch the spectacle. Everyone whispered to each other, their eyes darting toward the center of the square. "They're here! They're here!" someone called out. Zhou Yubai was supporting Zhang Guifen as they walked over. Zhang Guifen wore a dark coat and a hat that covered half her face. But you could still see that her face was white as paper and her lips were trembling. Zhou Yubai wasn't much better — head down, not daring to look at anyone around him. The crowd automatically parted to let them through to the center of the square. Lin Wantang walked over and handed them two sheets of paper. "Read." Zhang Guifen took the paper, her hands shaking so badly she could barely hold it. She looked around at the crowd, her lips moving, but no sound came out. "Read." Lin Wantang said. "If you don't, I'll play the recording." Zhang Guifen took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, and began to read. Her voice was small and trembling badly, but the surroundings were quiet, and everyone could hear her clearly. "I, Zhang Guifen, knowing full well that my son Zhou Yubai is infertile, have long abused my daughter-in-law Lin Wantang..." When she got to "knowing full well that my son is infertile," a collective "oh!" went through the crowd. "She knew all along!" "Oh my god, that's so cruel!" "Deliberately scolding her to force a divorce, this mother-in-law is really..." "Shh, don't talk, listen to her." Zhang Guifen's face went red, then white, tears welling in her eyes. But she didn't stop and kept reading. "...with the intention of forcing Lin Wantang to divorce on her own so that Zhou Yubai could find another partner..." Another murmur went through the crowd. "Oh my god, it was deliberate!" "This mother-in-law has a heart of darkness!" "Poor Lin Wantang, being scolded for five years..." "Poor nothing — she fought back, didn't she? So brave!" Zhang Guifen finished reading, crumpled the paper into a ball in her fist, her whole body trembling. She didn't dare look up at anyone, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. People around her whispered, their eyes fixed on her. The few old women who usually danced with her took a few steps back, as if afraid of being tainted by association. Zhou Yubai read next. His voice was a bit louder than his mother's, but also trembling. "I, Zhou Yubai, knew I had azoospermia before marriage, but concealed it from my wife Lin Wantang..." When he got to "I knew about it but did not stop her, and even implicitly approved of her behavior," Zhou Yubai's voice cracked. He paused, took a deep breath, and finished reading. After finishing, he handed the paper back to Lin Wantang, head still down. "Is that enough?" "It's enough." Lin Wantang put the papers away, then pulled a divorce agreement from her bag. "Sign." Zhou Yubai looked up at her, his expression complicated. "You really want to go through with this?" "I really do." Lin Wantang said. "The apology is the apology, the divorce is the divorce — two separate things." Zhou Yubai was silent for a long time. Then he picked up the pen and signed the divorce agreement. Zhang Guifen watched from the side, wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing. Where would she even find the face to say anything? After signing, Zhou Yubai put down the pen and looked at Lin Wantang. "You really won't give me the apartment?" "No." Lin Wantang said. "My parents paid the down payment. You paid the mortgage, but with your fraud during marriage, you'd get nothing in court. With this agreement, you get half the savings. That's already generous." Zhou Yubai gave a bitter laugh. "You really don't take any losses." "I took losses for five years. That's enough." Lin Wantang said. "I won't be taking any more." Zhou Yubai said nothing more and helped Zhang Guifen away. The onlookers slowly dispersed. Auntie Liu walked over and patted Lin Wantang on the shoulder. "Wantang, you're amazing." Lin Wantang smiled. "I have to go, Auntie Liu. I have things to take care of." The thing she had to take care of was putting the apartment up for rent. After the divorce, she didn't want to live here anymore. This community held too many bad memories. She planned to rent it out, use the rent to pay the mortgage, and go live in Dali for a while. She had wanted to go to Dali for a long time, but never had the chance after getting married. Now, finally, she had the chance. A week later, the divorce was finalized. Zhou Yubai moved out, and Zhang Guifen never came to the community again. They said she had moved to another district, and that Zhang Guifen no longer dared to go out for walks, staying home every day scolding her son. But she didn't dare scold too loudly — the neighbors in the new building already knew her story and looked at her strangely. Zhou Yubai's work was also affected. People at the company had found out, and they looked at him differently too. But none of that had anything to do with Lin Wantang anymore. She rented the apartment to a young couple, the rent just covering the mortgage. Then she bought a plane ticket to Dali. On the day she left, Auntie Liu came to see her off. "Wantang, are you really leaving?" "Yeah, going to stay in Dali for a while." Lin Wantang said. "Maybe six months, maybe a year. We'll see how I feel." "Will you come back?" "Don't know." Lin Wantang smiled. "Maybe, maybe not. If Dali is nice, I'll settle down there." Auntie Liu sighed. "With you gone, the community loses one fierce lady." Lin Wantang laughed and said nothing. She pulled her suitcase and walked into the airport. As the plane took off, she watched the city shrink below her, and felt a profound peace. Five years. She was finally free. No more listening to Zhang Guifen's nagging, no more drinking bitter medicine, no more being pointed at by strangers, no more carrying the label of "barren." She could finally live for herself. In Dali, she rented a small courtyard by Erhai Lake. The courtyard wasn't big, but it had flowers and grass, and a stray cat. She slept until she woke up naturally every day, then went to the market to buy groceries, came back to cook, and spent the afternoons sunbathing, reading, and petting the cat in the courtyard. Sometimes she'd wander into the old town, buy little trinkets, or sit in a café for an afternoon. Life moved slowly, and it was wonderful. One day, she was sunbathing in the courtyard when her phone rang. It was Auntie Liu. "Wantang! Guess what? Zhou Yubai got married!" Lin Wantang was taken aback. "Married? To who?" "To a divorced woman with a boy. The woman's family is apparently pretty well-off. Zhou Yubai is living in her house, driving her car — basically a live-in son-in-law." Lin Wantang laughed. "Good for him. He finally got his son." "And Zhang Guifen," Auntie Liu continued, "now she stays home every day taking care of the grandson. But the kid isn't close to her — calls her grandma, and she's thrilled. But that woman is fierce. Zhang Guifen is completely under her thumb now, doesn't dare say a word about anything." "That's good." Lin Wantang said. "Bad people get what's coming to them." "Oh, and one more thing," Auntie Liu said. "Zhang Guifen's old friends don't hang out with her anymore. They say she's too cruel, deliberately scolding her daughter-in-law to force a divorce — they're afraid of being associated with her. She doesn't have anyone to talk to now." Lin Wantang smiled and said nothing. She had it coming. After hanging up, Lin Wantang tossed her phone aside and went back to sunbathing. The cat jumped onto her lap and purred. She stroked the cat's head, looked at the flowers in the courtyard, and the corners of her mouth turned up. What happened to Zhou Yubai, what happened to Zhang Guifen — none of it mattered to her anymore. Her life was good right now. The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle, the cat was on her lap, and the flowers were in the courtyard. This was the life she wanted.