The 99th Divorce

“That’s nonsense! You’ll live to a ripe old age! You still have more than 20 years to go!” Qin Shuhua’s heart ached a little. Upon finishing the last character, she placed the calligraphy brush back on the stand.

“I have the strength to pick up mountains, and my might conquers the world.”

When Old Captain Li was young, that sentence described him to a T. Now, so many years had passed.

Li Xun’s name had become something of a legend. Now, this legend was slowly getting old and withering.

Old Captain Li chuckled. “Our lives and deaths are not up to us.” As he spoke, he clapped his hands and said, “Bring the children over. Now that Dasu has gone to the Capital, I’m sure Ersu will have a hard time getting used to it. Let her come over to play.”

“Alright,” Qin Shuhua said.

Upon hearing the reply, the old man leaned on his walking stick. With measured footsteps, he slowly made his way back.

Qin Shuhua stared at the image of Old Captain Li’s retreating back. It was a long time before she tilted her head down and looked at the paper.

“I have the strength to pick up mountains, and my might conquers the world.”

–

The sound of handcuffs clanging against each other could be heard. Two female prison wardens dressed in black uniform flanked a woman with short hair as they made their way into the prison cell.

The woman was almost 5-foot-5, big-boned, and a little tan. Her features looked hardened. Both her hands were in handcuffs.

Although there were two prison wardens keeping their eyes on her, she continued to defiantly look around at her surroundings. She seemed to be chewing something in her mouth. As she looked to her left and her right, it was obvious that she was looking for something.

As she passed through, many other inmates saw her, but no one made a sound. None of them acted as frivolously as they had when Ye Youyou came in.

Ye Youyou stood among the crowd looking at the woman and inwardly laughed. Even when it came to the fierce criminals in the prison, they only preyed on the weak and remained afraid of the strong.

Before she could complete her unspoken criticisms, she sensed a pair of eyes intently looking at her. Ye Youyou jerked back in shock and looked toward the short-haired woman.

At that moment, their eyes met. There was a subtle ray of light in the eyes of that short-haired woman. An invisible and intrusive chill went up Ye Youyou’s spine. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly retreated into the safely of the crowd.

“Get in! Behave yourself!” the prison warden demanded curtly as she pushed the short-haired woman in.

The woman stumbled upon being pushed so harshly. Inside the prison cell, she straightened up quickly and steadied herself.

The sound of the metal doors clanging shut behind her rang out. Standing upright, the short-haired woman arranged her clothing and flippantly burst out laughing. She rubbed the inner walls of her mouth with her tongue, and her cheeks bulged out. She glanced out at the crowd and did not display the fear and helplessness of a usual convict.

“Hey, Lao Zhou, you’re back in here again!”

Ye Youyou looked over toward the source of the familiar voice. It was Wang Zhuang, who was at the top of the prison hierarchy. Many people were afraid of her. Not only was she burly in stature, she also possessed an explosive personality. Even more terrifying was she was very skilled. Once her moves came out to play, they were almost shadowless.

It was Ye Youyou’s second day in prison. She wasn’t familiar with anyone in the prison. She still knew enough to not get too close to any of them.

When Lao Zhou heard Wang Zhuang bellow her name, she turned her head to look. She laughed and replied, “Why aren’t you out yet? I was out for almost two months!”

“Bad luck. The date was postponed.” Wang Zhuang burst out in guffaws. “What crime did you commit this time around?”

“Oh my god. Don’t mention it,” Lao Zhou replied with a sigh. “I just stabbed a bastard in the gut. By right, it could have been settled with money, but they insisted on throwing me in here.”

As Lao Zhou spoke, her eyes scanned the crowd. Ye Youyou instinctively scooted toward the back.