Chapter 3 — The School District House and the Ruined Marriage

Early the next morning, I took Duong Duong to the hospital. When the doctor removed the bandage, she immediately frowned.

“Why is the cut so deep?”

Duong Duong glanced at me and replied softly:

“Grandma made me pick up the bowl.”

The doctor's movements stopped. I quietly opened the phone recording, without interrupting. The doctor continued asking:

“The bowl is broken, why did you force a child to pick it up?”

Duong Duong bowed his head.

“Grandma said I was unlucky.”

The doctor raised his head and looked at me. That look didn't need to say anything more. I took the medical record, took a photo of the payment slip and even a photo of the wound. When returning to the apartment complex, an old white Porsche was blocking the front gate. Chu Khai Hang stood next to the car, wearing sunglasses, holding the car key and swaying boastfully.

“Everyone, look, our Chu family finally has a man who can do something great.”

The mother-in-law stood next to film a short video.

“My youngest son successfully started a business, the whole family supported him wholeheartedly.”

Someone asked:

“Khai Hang, this car is not cheap, right?”

Chu Khai Hang patted the car door.

"It's just a small matter. Men, you have to have some dignity."

I held Duong Duong's hand as I passed by. Chu Khai Hang deliberately honked the horn twice. Duong Duong was startled and quickly squeezed my hand. Chu Khai Minh came down from the stairs, wearing a new shirt. I reminded him:

"This afternoon, Duong Duong has an interview for kindergarten. I promised to go with you."

Chu Khai Minh replied as he adjusted his sleeve:

"Khai Hang is going on a blind date today, you have to support him."

Duong Duong raised her head to look at him. Chu Khai Minh glanced at the time on his phone.

“For the interview, your mother can take you there.”

Chu Khai Hang burst out laughing.

"What's the point of interviewing a girl? Don't miss out on something important."

Duong Duong doesn't call dad anymore. Her small hand slowly left the hem of Chu Khai Minh's shirt, then quietly held my hand. Very light movement. But I felt more pain than when I was hit by a car in my previous life. The kindergarten interview went very smoothly. The teacher squatted down and asked Duong Duong what he liked most. Duong Duong looked at me and replied:

“I like to see mom smile.”

The teacher paused for a few seconds, then gently praised her for her clear expression, delicate emotions, and her need for a stable and loving adult environment. Standing in front of the tuition payment counter, I swiped my credit card. The sound of payment notification of more than 20,000 yuan rang out. I don't feel sorry for the money. What makes me sad... is that before I used to hold money in my hands, but I couldn't bear to buy my daughter a sense of security. In the evening, return to the Chu family. The living room smelled strongly of alcohol. Looks like the blind date was very successful. Chu Khai Hang was lying on the sofa scrolling through his phone.

“The girl asked me if I had school district resources. I said our Chu family has had them for a long time.”

The mother-in-law laughed until her face turned red.

"Having a car and a house, which family's daughter doesn't like it?"

I put the divorce petition on the tea table. Zhou Kaiming was stunned.

“What are you crazy about again?”

I calmly said:

"I want a divorce. Duong Duong follows me. The property between husband and wife is divided according to the law. In addition, the 120,000 yuan you transferred to Chu Khai Hang during the marriage must also be included."

Chu Khai Minh picked up the agreement. The first question he asked was not why.

“Do you want to divide the amount of 500,000 Is that bad?”

Chu Khai Hang immediately sat up from the sofa.

“Sister-in-law, after a divorce, who wants to marry a woman like you? And brought along a daughter who lost money."

Mother-in-law slammed on the table.

“If you want to go away then go away, but Duong Duong cannot be taken away.”

I looked at her. She said with full reason:

"She has the surname Chu, so in the future she can keep it and choose a husband to live in."

At that moment, I almost laughed out loud. She criticized Duong Duong as a loser, but wanted to use her in exchange for a bride price. A rotten person like her, even the abacus smells bad. I pulled Duong Duong behind me and called the case reporting advice line.

“Hello, I would like advice on registering a family dispute file. My daughter was cursed and injured, and I have medical records and recordings."

Chu Khai Minh's face immediately changed. He lowered his voice:

“Tham Tri Y, don't make a big deal out of family matters.”

I looked at him.

“Didn't you say I was an outsider? Why do outsiders have to lose face when it comes to family matters?

The other end of the line started asking for the address. Chu Khai Minh immediately grabbed my phone.

“What do you want anyway?”

“Sign the divorce petition.”

He gritted his teeth.

“Okay, but you have to leave empty-handed.”

I nodded.

“Write it down.”

Chu Khai Minh was stunned. I put the pen in his hand.

“Write it down clearly whatever you want.”

Zhou Kaiming thought I had softened my heart. He bowed his head and quickly wrote a series of words: The wife voluntarily left empty-handed and was not asked to share the money from the sale of the house. I looked at that line, feeling strangely calm. Little did he know... What was truly valuable was no longer in the hands of the Chu family. After signing the divorce papers, he threw the pen down on the table.

“The mediation period is thirty days. You will regret it.”

I folded up the agreement.

“Hopefully you still think that way by then.”