I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Han Dan returned home exhausted after a long day, only to find Hao Hao had already been picked up – it was the first time for him again.

Today was the first time Lin Jie dropped off and picked up his child.

Han Dan, ignoring her fatigue, washed her face and went to the kitchen to get busy.

A bowl of shredded potatoes, a bowl of cabbage, and without fail a bowl of steamed egg with minced meat.

"Han Dan, even if you don't have meat coupons, you should at least have tofu coupons, right? You don't have to eat only two side dishes every day."

With a monthly salary of 78 yuan, seven jin of meat coupons, as well as egg coupons and tofu coupons, he could give it to his mother. With a family of seven, they wouldn't have to eat side dishes every day.

"Meat and egg coupons were mostly spent on the kids. Your workplace has meat for lunch, so it's a good way to cleanse your stomach in the evening."

"What about your salary? With your standard of living, you managed to save up a hundred or so yuan a month for two people?"

"Where can we save money? The kids need clothes, snacks, coal, oil—everything costs money. You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. Do you think I'm stealing food? I eat the same things as you every day!"

Han Dan was a little angry.

Lin Jie really wanted to flip the table, but remembering he had important business to attend to later, he decided to hold back.

After eating a few bites, Lin Jie said, "Some colleagues are coming to my house later. You take Hao Hao to the bedroom."

"What are my colleagues doing at my house?"

"Work-related matters."

"Work-related matters should be discussed at the workplace. Hao Hao is very active; how can I possibly keep him confined in one bedroom?"

"It's only two hours, why don't you take Hao Hao out for a walk?" Lin Jie's patience had reached its limit.

"Where are you going to go tonight? What if the kids get scared? I mean, you're being so attentive today, it seems you're treating home like your office."

Han Dan curled her lips and rolled her eyes, exuding an arrogant air as if she had caught Lin Jie red-handed.

Lin Jie couldn't hold back any longer. His anger surged to his head, and he suddenly raised his hand, overturning all the food on the ground.

"Han Dan, do you even understand what you're doing? You eat my food, drink my drinks, live in my house, and now that a few colleagues have come over, you're acting all high and mighty?"

Han Dan was no longer the submissive wife she once was. She screamed, "Lin Jie, do you think I want to eat and drink your food? If it weren't for me, who would want to marry a useless man like you? You good-for-nothing, you eunuch, all you do is yell at me, what kind of skill is that? Go yell at my workplace, let others judge, I'm a grown woman living a life of widowhood with you..."

A sharp slap landed on Han Dan's face. Hao Hao was already screaming in terror, repeatedly calling out, "Mommy, Mommy, don't hit me..."

"Han Dan, I'm the one who's held you back. You're a pure and innocent young woman; you should be living a good life. Let's get a divorce..."

"Let's get a divorce then. Whoever doesn't is a bastard."

Lin Jie kicked the stool away and left without looking back, leaving Han Dan behind in painful wails.

Hao Hao stumbled and crawled to Han Dan's side, calling out, "Mom, Mom..."

Han Dan pushed Hao Hao hard, and Hao Hao fell to the ground, crying even harder.

"Cry, cry, all you do is cry. You men are all the same."

Han Dan shook Hao Hao, making the child dizzy and so frightened that he forgot to cry.

She didn't love the child much either; Hao Hao was just a fig leaf to cover up their shameful behavior as a couple.

Lin Jie and others waited downstairs. Around eight o'clock, Luo Jianming arrived with several comrades from the security department.

"Section Chief Lin, why are you standing outside?"

Lin Jie threw away his cigarette butt and said, "Tonight we're going to catch a thief. Now that you're here, you're all my trusted confidants."

"Yes, Section Chief Lin."

"This is how the tasks will be divided tonight... You all do your own thing, and don't alert the enemy."

"yes!"

Luo Jianming was relieved. Catching the coal thieves was indeed none of Brother Zhao's business; he wouldn't even bother with a little bit of coal.

The group split into several teams. Some people guarded the factory gate 500 meters away, while others guarded the boiler room. Just after 10 o'clock, large trucks entered the chemical plant in an orderly manner.

The coal for the chemical plant is delivered at night because environmental inspections are strict. If it were delivered during the day, it would cause dissatisfaction from the environmental protection department due to excessive pollution.

All ten vehicles were weighed on the boiler factory's scales and then entered the coal storage warehouse before leaving the chemical plant.

An hour and a half later, the last car also left the factory. Old Wang from the boiler workshop put away his notebook and prepared to close the warehouse door when Lin Jie came in with two security guards.

Old Wang was startled, but immediately greeted him with a smile: "Section Chief Lin, what brings you here so late?"

"How many tons of coal will arrive tonight?"

"4...400 tons," Old Wang stammered.

"Old Wang, are you sure you've unloaded all the coal from the truck?"

"Yes, I'm sure. They unload the coal automatically, and it's very clean."

"Well, if they leave one ton of coal, then ten trucks would be ten tons of coal," Lin Jie said seriously.

"No, no, absolutely not!" Old Wang exclaimed in shock.

Soon, a comrade from the security department arrived on a bicycle: "Section Chief Lin, ten trucks are blocking the entrance. The coal on the trucks hasn't been completely unloaded; each truck carries at least a ton of coal."

Old Wang's face turned ashen: "Section Chief Lin, I didn't know! I watched them finish unloading."

"Old Wang, if you have any grievances, let's talk about it at the police station. Call the police..."

Lin Jie waved selflessly, and Old Wang slumped to the ground.

Soon, Lao Wang, the gatekeeper, and the truck driver were all taken to the police station.

Initial investigations suggest this was a theft committed by collusion between insiders and outsiders. Old Wang is a repeat offender, and he insists that the head of the security department tacitly approved the crime and received substantial benefits in return.

Lin Jie once again sensed Zhao Weiguo's cunning; he had killed two birds with one stone, catching both the thief and the section chief.

Lin Jie understood. They all had their own network. Old Wang's network was different from the gatekeeper's and Zhao Weiguo's network. They only dared to steal when their own people were at work.

Lin Jie felt a chill run down his spine. Today, the section chief had fallen into a trap; would he be the one tomorrow?

It was past midnight when Lin Jie finally returned home exhausted. When he opened the door, the dishes on the floor were still there, and Hao Hao was asleep next to a pile of food.

Lin Jie quickly picked up Hao Hao, whose mouth was bloody; Han Dan had hit him.

Lin Jie kicked open the bedroom door and asked frantically, "Han Dan, what are you doing? You're letting the child sleep on the floor?"

Han Dan turned her head, her eyes red and swollen, and sneered, "Is he my child? He's not your child either, so why are you so worried?"

It's clear that Han Dan cried all night.

"Are you even human? Even if you raise a dog, you'd develop feelings for it, wouldn't you?" Lin Jie was furious.

"If you like raising children, then go ahead and raise them. I like raising my own children, but you're not capable of that, are you?"

"You, you're really crazy."

Lin Jie was furious. He opened Han Dan's bag to look for meat coupons and money, but only found one pound of meat coupons and two yuan. He didn't care anymore and carried the bewildered Hao Hao back to his parents' house.

Han Dan felt no fear whatsoever. She was certain that Lin Jie would not divorce her and that he would obediently hand over his salary, meat ration coupons, and egg coupons.

After the New Year, Han Dan saved 400 yuan by living frugally, which was meant for her mother's medical treatment.

Since you've given up your youth, you should get something in return, right?

Han Dan needs money, a lot of money, to treat her mother's illness and to support her younger brother's education.