Chapter Eighteen Divorce

The Xiong family's old house at the foot of the mountain is low but kept clean.

The adobe walls have been worn smooth by the years, and several thick beams have been stained dark brown by smoke.

Xiong Zixiang, familiar with the place, led Zhang Yili and Xiong Zijuan, who was holding a child, into the main room.

It was a bit chilly inside, but much warmer than outside.

Xiong Zixiang quickly moved a few tree stumps to use as stools, then went to the kitchen to light a fire and ignite the remaining firewood scraps in the stove hole.

Soon, a warm feeling spread from the kang (heated brick bed) hole, dispelling the chill in the room.

Xiong Zijuan put Xiaobao on the kang (a heated brick bed) and let him play with a small cloth tiger by himself.

She sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. The courage she had shown on the ice seemed to have vanished in the familiar yet somewhat strange old house, replaced by a deep sense of unease.

She glanced at Zhang Liuyi, then quickly lowered her eyes again.

Although Xiaoyu is an easy person to get along with, she was the one who wronged her, and she didn't know how Xiaoyu would react.

Xiong Zixiang stood in front of the stove hole, poking at the flames to make the fire burn brighter.

The firelight illuminated his sharply defined profile. He remained silent for a moment, seemingly preparing himself, before finally deciding to speak first.

His voice was low and hoarse: "Keep an eye on the girl."

He turned around and looked directly at Zhang Liuyi, his eyes filled with composure and solemnity.

"I invited you here today because I want to talk to you about something. This matter... involves my sister, and it also involves my Xiong family. In the future... it may also involve you."

He paused, seemingly considering how best to put it.

"It's just that... my sister Xiong Zijuan... can't make a living in Liushutun anymore."

Zhang Liuyi sat on the tree stump, his back straight, looking intently at Xiong Zixiang.

She nodded, signaling Xiong Zixiang to continue.

I already had a few guesses in my mind. For the Xiong siblings to take this so seriously, it must be something important.

Xiong Zixiang took a deep breath, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed anger.

"Her husband... that guy surnamed Sun, he's a scoundrel. He loves to drink, and when he's drunk he... he gets reckless and starts hitting people."

He tried to be as straightforward as possible, “Before… I kept it from my family, afraid that my parents would worry and get upset. Later… the beatings got worse, and I couldn’t hide it anymore. My mother and I went to Liushutun to find him and warned him. He admitted his mistake then and swore that he would never do it again. But… a leopard can’t change its spots. There were many drinking parties at the end of the year, and he did it again. This time… he beat my sister… quite badly, and almost hurt Xiaobao.”

He pointed at Xiong Zijuan.

“Look at her face, it looks better now. Those bruises took more than half a month to heal. There are still some on her arms, back and so on.”

Xiong Zijuan seemed to recall that scene; her body trembled slightly, her head drooped even lower, and she rubbed her sleeves with her hands, tacitly agreeing with her brother's words.

Little Bao, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), seemed to sense his mother's emotions and began to fidget restlessly.

As Zhang listened intently, he felt a chill creep up from the soles of his feet, mixed with indescribable anger and frustration.

Looking at Xiong Zijuan's lowered head and trembling shoulders, and then at the bewildered Xiaobao, she felt a tightness in her chest, as if something was blocking her heart.

She clenched her hands on her knees, her nails digging into her palms, barely managing to suppress the urge to curse.

She took a deep breath, her voice filled with concern: "Sister Zijuan...this...this is too much suffering! What about Xiaobao? Was he frightened?"

Xiong Zijuan raised her tearful eyes, glanced gratefully at Zhang Xiaoyi, shook her head, and choked up.

"Xiao Bao... he's alright, just a little frightened. I... I protected him..."

"So... what do we do now?"

Zhang Liuyi turned to look at Xiong Zixiang again.

"We can't... let Sister Zijuan go back and suffer again, can we?"

She knew in her heart that since Xiong Zixiang had called her here to confront him, he must have made a decision.

Xiong Zixiang met her gaze, his eyes resolute.

“She can’t go back. My sister is determined to divorce him this time and take Xiaobao back to her parents’ home.”

He paused, his expression filled with deep apology.

“Miss, I need to make this clear to you. Our Xiong family will definitely handle the divorce.”

“But… once my sister and Xiaobao come back, they’ll be part of the Xiong family. From now on… there will be two more mouths to feed in the family.”

He spoke very frankly, without embellishment.

“My parents are getting old, and I only have that little bit of salary. This burden... will fall on our shoulders if you marry into the family.”

Zhang Liuli understood. This was a decision made to see her attitude, fearing that she would feel wronged about having two more mouths to feed as she was about to enter the profession. No wonder Constable Xiong was so anxious just now; it was indeed something he had to tell her.

Xiong Zixiang's seriousness stems from the fact that this represents a real change in the family's burden.

The Xiong family has only one son, so when she marries into the family, they will naturally not separate and will live together.

Originally, it might have just been the young couple and their parents-in-law, but now suddenly there's an older sister and a toddler. The expenses and energy involved are no small matter.

She remained silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over Xiong Zixiang's open yet slightly nervous face and Xiong Zijuan's face, which was full of hope and unease.

Her hesitation was quickly suppressed by a thought: life is something people have to live, and she couldn't just watch her loved ones jump into a fire pit.

"Divorce...it's time for a divorce!"

"What's the point of staying with a man who beats his wife and children? Get a divorce as soon as possible! It's only natural that Sister Zijuan brought Xiaobao back! In our Zhuoshui Village, surely they, mother and child, will have nothing to eat?"

When she said "us," she naturally included the Xiong family and herself.

When Xiong Zixiang heard her answer without hesitation, his tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and a hint of gratitude flashed in his eyes.

Xiong Zijuan was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes again, and she said repeatedly.

"Keep an eye on the girl... Thank you... Thank you for saying that..."

Zhang waved his hand, a helpless smile on his face.

"No need to thank me! It's nothing! It's just..."

She changed the subject, looking at Xiong Zixiang, and her tone became more pragmatic.

"Brother Xiong, we need to get this straight: we're the ones who have to live our lives. With a new member in the family, expenses are bound to increase."

"You know my business, it's just starting out. It makes a little money, but not much. We need to think of ways to earn more money in the future."

Looking into Zhang Xiaoyi's clear and open eyes and listening to her words, Xiong Zixiang felt as if the gloom brought on by family matters had been mostly dispelled by the sunshine, and he felt much more at ease.

He nodded vigorously, his tone solemn: "Yes! Keep an eye on the girl, don't worry! I, Xiong Zixiang, am not an irresponsible person! I'll take care of my sister and Xiaobao to the end! From now on... let's work hard together! Things will get better!"

He reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to shake Zhang Xiaoyi's hand to show his determination, but halfway through, he felt it was abrupt and instead slapped his thigh hard.

"With my salary, plus the income from your stall, and if we find some other way to make a living, we can manage to get by!"

"right!"

Zhang Liuyi's face also broke into a smile, as if sharing a secret: "I haven't told my dad the details yet, but I've already made up my mind. Once this braised offal stall is stable and I have some income, I'll buy some equipment, a heater, tables and chairs, and set up a stall at the docks selling tripe and lung soup! There are a lot of people there, and the laborers need something hot to stave off their hunger, so it's perfect!"

As she spoke, her gaze turned to Xiong Zijuan, her eyes sparkling with a sincere invitation.

"I'm sure I'll be swamped with work at both stalls. Sister Zijuan, you absolutely have to come and help me! I'll feel much more at ease if you lend a hand."

These words clearly showed that he treated Xiong Zijuan as family, giving her a clear place to integrate and share the burden.

As Xiong Zijuan listened to her younger brother's solemn promise, and looked at her future sister-in-law's warm and unreserved manner, even taking the initiative to arrange tasks for her, she felt a surge of emotion.

She forcefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and finally a genuine, relaxed smile appeared on her face, the first one she had shown in days, as she responded repeatedly.

"Okay! Okay! I'll listen to you! I'm very capable! I can do sewing, mending, cooking, taking care of children... I promise I won't be a freeloader!"

Her tone became much lighter.

The atmosphere in the small main room instantly became relaxed and bright.

Looking at his sister's long-lost, heartfelt smile, and then at Zhang Xiaoyi's energetic and bright eyes, Xiong Zixiang felt a warmth in his heart, and even the slightly old house seemed to become brighter and warmer.

He scratched his head, and a rare, relaxed and satisfied smile appeared on his usually serious face.

Zhang Liuyi had a private chat with Xiong Zijuan for a while, comforting her before getting up to say goodbye.

Xiong Zixiang offered to see her off, but she politely declined: "No need to see me off, Brother Xiong. Why don't you stay and talk to Sister Zijuan and Xiaobao? I'll go back after I get the ice."

Leaving the Xiong family's old house and returning to the cool riverbank, Zhang Xiaoyi's mood was not as cold as the weather.

She picked up the small hoe and continued chiseling through the ice.

The ice was thick; when the hoe struck, it made a dull "clang" sound, and ice shards flew onto my face, carrying a bone-chilling cold.

As she worked hard at chiseling, her mind kept replaying what had just happened.

The unseen but undeniably present scars on Xiong Zijuan's face, Xiao Bao's innocent eyes, Xiong Zixiang's heavy and apologetic tone...

"Captain Xiong... has a fearsome reputation and is quite a figure in the county..."

Zhang Xiaoli muttered to himself, his hands moving non-stop.

"But his sister... even after marrying into the family, she still has to endure this kind of humiliation... If she hadn't been driven to the brink, who would be willing to take their child back to their parents' home and have to put up with other people's attitudes?"

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside her, including deep sympathy for Xiong Zijuan and an indescribable sense of frustration.

"Although Brother Xiong is a good man, in the end... a woman still has to be able to stand on her own two feet."

She looked at her blurry reflection in the ice cave.

"Having some money in your hands gives you confidence. Otherwise... if something unexpected happens, you won't have a way out and will just have to suffer. Relying on others... even your own brothers, there will always be times when they can't help you."

While Xiong Zixiang was indeed reliable, this incident made Zhang Yili realize more deeply that relying on others is unreliable, and only when you have food and money in your own hands can you feel at ease.

She forcefully chipped off the last piece of ice, watching the crystal-clear block fall into the bucket with a crisp, clear sound.

These days are tough and difficult, but as long as you stand firm and put in the effort, you can always find a way to survive.

She carried the wooden bucket full of ice and went home, braving the biting wind.