Chapter 70 Think about it, who do you want to live with after the divorce?

He went to spend time with his old flame.

He went to ride a horse with his old lover's son.

She couldn't count on him.

Her children couldn't count on him either.

She actually wasted her whole life on a man like that.

Li Banxia gripped the fire tongs tightly, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Her expression returned to calm, and she nodded to everyone in thanks, "...After I get the divorce certificate, I'll treat everyone to a drink."

The crowd looked at each other, their eyes filled with sighs.

"Comrade Li, please reconsider. You've been married for so many years..."

"Yes, let Secretary Su apologize to you."

Li Banxia smiled faintly, said nothing, turned around and entered the courtyard, closing the gate behind her.

Old Man Su instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.

Many people pointed fingers at him and said, "Su Youfu, you have no conscience. Look what you've done to Comrade Li!"

"Li Banxia has been working like a slave in your Su family for so many years, and you not only don't appreciate it, but you actually said such things to mock her. No woman could stand that!"

"...You really have no sense of propriety at all. You want to help out, isn't half enough? The other party only has a mother and child, while your wife has to support three adults and six children by herself. You really are..."

"Absolutely! They gave everything to the other party. What are they thinking?"

"The last time I heard Comrade Li say that at the factory, I thought it was just the couple arguing and he was saying things he didn't mean. Now it seems there really is something to it!"

"Hey, do you think the pretty widow that this couple is talking about could really be Widow He?"

These words successfully drew the attention of a group of people, who all looked at Old Man Su.

Old Man Su's face turned ugly. "No! Don't talk nonsense! If Li Banxia is crazy, are you all crazy too?"

"Why can't you tell your wife?"

"Your wife treats you so well, and you give her money, but you're still seeing other women. Aren't you shameless!"

Old Man Su suddenly looked up and glared at the person who said it, but unfortunately there were too many people watching, and he couldn't find out who had said it after looking around.

Someone else defecated on his head and said, "What's the difference between this and keeping a mistress? This kind of person will get his comeuppance sooner or later!"

"Yes! If God lets people like this live a carefree and happy life, then it would be truly unfair."

"Shut up!"

As these people's words became increasingly absurd, Old Man Su, fearing they would shift the blame onto He Taohua, angrily shouted to stop them and chase them away, "You know nothing! If you keep spouting nonsense, believe me, I'll call the police and sue you for fabrication and defamation..."

The path was quiet for a few seconds, and many people looked embarrassed.

"Why are you afraid of people talking about it? Could it be that there really is a ghost?"

"Let's go, let's go further away and talk about it. Be careful he gets desperate and calls the police..."

The group dispersed, whispering amongst themselves.

Old Su could still hear those people saying, "...It was Old Su who introduced Widow He to this place to rent a room back then, and she even studied at our factory's affiliated school, didn't she?"

"The woman surnamed He is such a good friend. Back then, she was always following Li Banxia around, calling her 'little sister.' We thought she was Li Banxia's distant cousin..."

"Hey, tell me, we haven't seen Widow He work all these years, where does she get so much money to support her and her son?"

"Right? I was wondering the same thing. Do you think Li Banxia would be so angry if it weren't for Widow He? And why is Su Youfu refusing to say anything?"

"...Su Youfu has been giving him money for so many years, and Li Banxia has never mentioned it. Suddenly, she's making such a fuss. Did you all see Li Banxia hitting Su Youfu with fire tongs? How upset must she be to be willing to hit him?"

A group of people nodded in agreement.

Li Banxia's affection for Su Youfu was truly consistent in word and deed, as witnessed by most of the long-time employees.

The fact that Li Banxia was so angry that she hit Su Youfu shows that she was truly heartbroken.

Many people lamented, "It's not good to like someone too much..."

Li Banxia didn't hear the people's chatter. She closed the gate and returned to the yard. The eldest son and his wife immediately went to greet her. The eldest son, Su, looked worried, "Mom..."

"Mom, are you alright?"

The eldest daughter-in-law reached out and took the fire tongs from Li Banxia's tightly gripped hand, tossed them aside, and then gently stroked Li Banxia's stiff palm.

Slightly sweaty fingers traced her fingers one stroke at a time.

Li Banxia glanced at her eldest daughter-in-law, smiled with relief, and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Mom's alright, don't worry."

"Mom, were those things you said outside just in anger?"

Su Laosan poked his head over and asked, "You're not really going to divorce my dad, are you?"

Li Banxia shook her head.

Su Laosan was overjoyed, "I knew Mom, you were just trying to scare Dad. Serves him right, he should have given all the money to that widow and her daughter..."

"...I wasn't bluffing him, this divorce is definitely happening."

Li Banxia glanced at Su Laosan, who was standing there blankly.

Her gaze swept across the faces of her children. Apart from the eldest son and his wife, the others reacted differently, but none of them seemed worried about her.

Li Banxia's eyes were calm as she spoke softly, "You all think about it. After I divorce your father, who do you want to live with?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened.

"Mom, have you... made up your mind?"

Su Laoda didn't know how to persuade his mother, but his wife tugged at his sleeve, and he quickly said, "No matter what decision Mom makes, Yao Yao and I will support her."

He's the eldest son, and he's seen all the hardships his mother has endured over the years.

If his parents divorce, he will definitely choose his biological mother.

As an outsider, the eldest daughter-in-law saw things more clearly. Her mother-in-law treated her well, and when her mother-in-law wanted a divorce, she didn't hesitate at all and firmly stood by her mother-in-law's side.

She disliked the way her father-in-law spoke to He Taohua; his face was all smiles, and he was even more affectionate with her than with her mother-in-law.

It's disgusting to look at.

"No, Mom, are you really going to divorce Dad?" Su Laosan scratched his head.

Su Lao Er's expression was complicated, his brows furrowed as he looked at Li Banxia.

Su Hongmei's mouth was slightly open, seemingly not expecting that her parents' quarrel would escalate to the point of considering divorce.

Getting divorced at such an advanced age, doesn't her mother feel ashamed?

She still has to go to school. What will she say if her teachers and classmates find out?

Su Xiaosi gritted her teeth and threw down her pen. "I disagree."

The group of people turned to look at Su Xiaosi at the same time.

Su Xiaosi stared at Li Banxia with a stern face, "Mom, you can get a divorce if you want. I won't interfere with what you do after summer vacation, but not before summer vacation!"

"Little Four!"

The eldest son, Su, immediately spoke up to dissuade her, "How dare you talk to your mother like that? What's the difference between before and after summer vacation?"

"Of course there's a difference!"

Su Xiaosi's chest heaved with anger. "I'm about to participate in a math competition. Although my teacher said that Tsinghua and Peking Universities don't care about my ranking in this exam, if I don't get a ranking, they can replace me in a heartbeat! I can't let anything affect my participation in this competition! If Tsinghua and Peking Universities don't want me because of my parents' divorce, will Mom take responsibility for that?"