"That's right," Liu Xiangru said, "Have you and Han Chen's father ever thought about moving to Dongjiang after he retires? You three haven't lived together for decades, right? Do you want to live with him?"

Liang Xinyun hesitated for a moment, and stopped picking beans. "I originally planned to divorce Han Chen's father after he got married."

"Ah?" Liu Xiangru was shocked. "Why... do you have this idea..."

Zhou Mo, who was helping out by washing vegetables, heard the noise and quickly turned off the faucet. "Mother Liang, does Han Chen know what you're thinking?"

"He doesn't know," Liang Xinyun said, "He wanted me to divorce his father a long time ago, even before he came to Dongjiang to start high school. Later... firstly, the Han family wouldn't agree, and secondly... I felt Han Chen was still young, so I wanted to wait until he was older."

"Where's Han Chen's father?" Liu Xiangru asked, "Have you discussed this with him as well?"

"Well," Liang Xinyun said, "I talked to Han Chen when he was studying abroad. He said he would try his best to cooperate with me, but that period was a critical period in his career, and it was also a time when various domestic spacecraft were frequently launched into space. The technology was not mature, so he couldn't leave his work easily and could only come back during the Chinese New Year. Going to get a divorce during the Chinese New Year is not only unpleasant, but the Civil Affairs Bureau is also closed. So it has been delayed until now."

"You... really can't go on?" Liu Xiangru asked.

"It's not about whether we can continue, it's about... actually, we should have divorced a long time ago, but due to the authority of Han Chen's grandfather, we never dared to mention it. Besides... marriage or divorce is the same to his father and me. His father is completely focused on his work, and Han Chen was the child I 'begged' for. To be more selfish, Han Chen was the bargaining chip that Han Chen's grandfather and I exchanged for freedom. I gave birth to the Han family's child, and Han Chen's grandfather will no longer interfere in my affairs. We have always lived separately, and whether we have a marriage certificate or not has no effect on our respective lives."

"There's no affection between you two?"

"If I had feelings, why would I have considered IVF?" Liang Xinyun said. "His father and I, both the youngest in our families, were very spoiled and had a strong rebellious nature. We both felt that this marriage was a shackle for us, so...no one of us liked to be trapped in it, even if we didn't have someone we both loved."

Love cannot be born from forced disgust. The fact that they can understand and respect each other is already beyond ordinary people.

How many couples who loved each other before marriage ended up having constant disputes and living in a mess after marriage.

Liang Xinyun was very grateful that she and Han Zhen had such a relationship of mutual respect, mutual understanding, and a friendship that was neither.

Although they did not have love between husband and wife, at least, whenever she encountered any difficulties, as long as she mentioned it to Han Zhen, Han Zhen would help her if he could.

Not to mention how much he fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband and father, and how much care and love he showed. At least he was not like those men in unhappy families who were incompetent and made their wives angry to death.

Han Zhen would still occasionally ask whether Han Chen and she had enough money.

In Liang Xinyun's eyes, they were more like two reconstituted families that had just met. She and Han Chen were one family, and Han Zhen was another.

There is a family feel, but not much.

Han Chen came to Dongjiang to buy a house and renovate it, and emptied all her savings. When Han Zhen learned about this, he asked someone to buy Han Chen a car.

In Liang Xinyun's view, this is enough.

Originally, Han Zhen didn't want a child, but was "forced" by her.

When Liang Xinyun raised Han Chen alone, she never expected Han Zhen to help.

Han Zhen's behavior was quite unexpected to her.

At least he acknowledged Han Chen as his son.

"Why don't you think about it carefully?" Liu Xiangru advised, "To be frank, if you divorce and look for someone else, you might not be as happy as you are now. Han Chen's father cares about you and your son. He even bought Han Chen a car and said he would help lobby the Han family to get him and Momo married. Why don't you think about it again?"

"I've been thinking about this for years," Liang Xinyun said. "I'm someone who desires freedom more than love. You might think I'm a bit different, and sometimes I wonder if it's because I'm heartless that I'm different from the average person. But... I can't change it, it's just the way I am. I like to be alone, to try new things, to travel and see the sights of different places, and then to stay where I feel comfortable, read a book, and do what I enjoy. For me now, getting married or getting divorced probably doesn't make much of a difference; it's just a matter of whether it sounds good to others. But... my marriage to Han Chen's father was unhappy from the start, and it's a shared grudge between us. Life is all about perfection. I hope to be free and happy in this life, and I don't want to be constrained when I grow old."

"I understand, Mom," Zhou Mo smiled, not calling her "Mother Liang" this time. "We support any decision you make, as long as you feel happy, just like you unconditionally support Han Chen and me."

"You should talk to Han Chen and get his opinion on this matter," Zhou Zheng said. "Although I can't understand your mother Liang's thoughts, she must have her reasons for doing so, but you still have to consider Han Chen's attitude. What if he doesn't think the same way as he did when he was a child?"

"I'll definitely ask him," Liang Xinyun said. "We're just talking about this, and I just brought it up. You can just listen to it as a topic for conversation. Or... if you don't mind, and you don't want Han Chen's divorced parents to attend his wedding, then we can just not divorce and wait for now."

"Marriage is ultimately a matter between you and Han Chen's father. We can't influence it. Just think it over carefully. You love Momo so much, we will definitely not have any prejudice against you because of this." Zhou Zheng said.

"Your family has a great atmosphere. You always speak and act from other people's perspectives. You're considerate and gentle." Liang Xinyun felt more and more at ease. She smiled and patted Zhou Mo's hand. "Han Chen is so lucky to marry a girl as good as Momo, and I am so lucky to have such a good family like you."

Eight o'clock in the evening.

The New Year’s Eve dinner officially begins.

This has also been the Zhou family's tradition.

New Year’s Eve dinner and Spring Festival Gala are at the same time.

Four people, ten dishes, meaning perfection.

There were supposed to be five people, but Han Chen was not there, which was a pity.

Liang Xinyun raised her glass and said, "Never mind him. It was his own decision to become a doctor in the first place. Now that he's decided to pursue this profession, he should be prepared to not be able to celebrate the New Year with his family. The rest of us are enjoying ourselves. I envy him to death."

These words made Zhou Mo and his family of three burst into laughter.

This year's Spring Festival Gala was very bad, and the TV sound was just the background music of the New Year's Eve dinner.