My sister-in-law wants to sever ties with me?

Lee Soo-man forced back the tears that were about to fall and continued, "From now on, let's go back to being sisters-in-law."

"Back to being sisters-in-law?" Zhang Chunfeng sneered. "How can you say it so easily, sister-in-law? A few words erase everything between us!"

“My dear sister-in-law, let’s go back to being sisters-in-law. What sister-in-law gets bullied and played with by her sister-in-law? What sister-in-law gets made to cry again and again by her sister-in-law? Sister-in-law, have you really forgotten? What’s done is done. Once something starts, it will never end!”

Zhang Chunfeng grabbed Li Xiuman's waist with such force that he almost broke Li Xiuman's body.

Lee Soo-man still turned his face away from Zhang Chunfeng.

"I don't know what it means to spill water and not be able to recover it. I only know that we should pull back from the brink now. You have a bright future ahead of you, while I am destined to be poor all my life. I will spend the rest of my life waiting for spring. Let's break up completely."

"Ha, sister-in-law, you've read so many books, how could you be so infuriating?" Zhang Chunfeng laughed. "Sister-in-law, I've said it many times, I will take care of both you and my brother, you don't need to push me away!"

"I'm not pushing you away, I just feel that there's a world of difference between us, and we're really not suitable for each other." Lee Soo-man distanced himself from Zhang Chunfeng again. He spoke these words calmly, but to Zhang Chunfeng, it sounded like he really had the idea of ​​severing all ties with her.

Zhang Chunfeng closed his eyes. "I don't believe it. I love my sister-in-law, and she loves me too. If what she said is true, why doesn't she dare to look me in the eye when she says it?"

Li Xiuman's hands, hidden in his sleeves, were almost crushed from gripping his palms. He thought and thought, and truly felt that he should not get entangled with Zhang Chunfeng. Although he had lived a life of poverty, he had learned a great deal from Shen Shi.

What Zhang Chunfeng said was too far removed from reality. If she went to high school, she would be powerless to control her own destiny. One wrong step in the officialdom leads to another, and from then on, she would have no control over herself. She was also so beautiful; if someone took a liking to her, she wouldn't be able to protect him and Zhang Chuntian, let alone herself. Even if Zhang Chunfeng could protect both of them, he was still her sister-in-law, and having an affair with her sister-in-law was unthinkable.

If this one thing were to become known, the gossip would be devastating, let alone if Zhang Chunfeng were an official in the court, he might even be in danger of being beheaded.

The reason why his mother, Madam Shen, ended up in such a tragic state was because they were not of equal social standing, and the same was true for him and Zhang Chunfeng.

Having figured this out, Lee Soo-man finally looked directly at Jang Chun-feng and said, word by word, "I have never been in love with you; I only wanted you because you were young and beautiful, nothing more."

"Ha." Zhang Chunfeng released Li Xiuman, a bleak smile on his lips.

"Looking at it this way, I really am young and beautiful. Every time my sister-in-law is in so much pain, she still endures it to give it to me. I should be satisfied." There seemed to be tears glistening in Zhang Chunfeng's eyes as she looked at Li Xiuman again.

"As I said before, sister-in-law, don't be so quick to judge our relationship. I don't like having my feelings toyed with. Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. If you want to break up with me, then it's really over!"

Lee Soo-man could no longer hold back and hurriedly turned his back.

"Yes, I thought it through before telling you. You can go now." Lee Soo-man walked over and opened Zhang Chuntian's door.

Zhang Chunfeng looked at Li Xiuman in disbelief.

But then Lee Soo-man said, "It's late, my husband and I need to rest."

Husband.

Without lingering any longer, Zhang Chunfeng stepped out the door and said, "In that case, I wish my sister-in-law and brother a long and happy marriage."

She had just stepped out when Lee Soo-man slammed the door shut, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the floor against the door. He seemed unable to breathe, his mouth agape as he tried to gasp for air. Lee Soo-man clutched his chest with both hands; although his heart was unharmed, he felt an intense pain in his chest, as if the pain was tearing him apart from the inside out.

He couldn't cry; his face turned bright red, but he still couldn't shed a tear.

As soon as Zhang Chunfeng left, he couldn't wait to peek through the crack in the door, just to catch a glimpse of her clothes or her back.

There was no one in the courtyard, and he still couldn't see him.

Lee Soo-man then burst into tears. He dared not cry out loud, covering his face with his hands and letting the tears flow.

In the past twenty-six years of his life, he has never felt that life was difficult. Even when he was extremely poor, even when he was bullied, even when his mother was sick, he still gritted his teeth and kept going.

Sometimes he only felt that life was difficult, but not that it was hard.

For the first time in his life, Lee Soo-man couldn't understand why his life was so difficult and unfair. What was the difference between living like this and being dead? He collapsed to the ground, terrified by the thoughts that had arisen within him.

Zhang Chuntian slept for another five days before waking up. When he woke up, Li Shi and Li Xiuman both burst into laughter, but Zhang Chunfeng was nowhere to be seen.

Madam Li turned to Li Xiuman and asked, "These past few days, Chunfeng has been staying at the Zhou residence. She comes home late at night, and I go to bed early. When she comes home tonight, tell her that Chunfeng has woken up, and also, don't let her work so hard; she should rest instead."

Lee Soo-man silently agreed. Since that night, he and Zhang Chunfeng hadn't seen each other for five days. The two avoided each other, absolutely not having any contact at home.

Although Li Xiuman verbally agreed, he didn't actually intend to tell Zhang Chunfeng. Now, just hearing Zhang Chunfeng's name made his heart tremble, and he no longer had the strength to say a single word to him.

Zhang Chuntian has indeed become a bit more mentally challenged than before. He used to understand Li Shi's words, but now, because Li Xiuman serves him every day, Zhang Chuntian only recognizes Li Xiuman. He really is like a child, following Li Xiuman no matter what she does. Before, Zhang Chuntian could talk and laugh, but now he laughs often, though his speech is incomplete, only repeating a few words.

Li consulted a doctor again, who shook his head directly, "I said long ago that given his original level of mental retardation, he would have remained like this for several years. This injury has brought the symptoms forward."

Li was heartbroken. Li Xiuman remained silent. He noticed that Zhang Chuntian used to only soil her pants when she couldn't hold it in, but now it had become a regular occurrence. She would soil her pants during the day and wet the bed at night, just like an infant.

Originally, Li Shi felt sorry for her son, and she would gently teach him when Li Xiuman went to work in the fields. However, the saying "there are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill parent" also applies to the relationship between parents and children.

Zhang Chuntian repeatedly soiled his pants. Every day, Li had to endure this filth, taking off her grown son's pants, washing them, and wiping his bottom.

Li's aging face became more and more wrinkled day by day. Finally, one day, Li could no longer hold back and slapped Zhang Chuntian on the back.

“My son, from the time you were born until you were three, your mother had to wash your pants and wipe your bottom. Finally, you turned ten, and for the next sixteen years, it was still occasional. Now your mother has to do it again!” Li Shi covered her face. “My son, you’ve truly come to beg from your mother; when will this ever end!”

She hit Zhang Chuntian, who then lay on the ground naked, crying incessantly.

Having no other choice, Li hugged Zhang Chuntian again, and the old woman and the young girl burst into tears.

When Li Xiuman returned home after a busy day and saw this scene, he panicked and tried to pull Li Shi away while comforting Zhang Chuntian.

Because of this incident, Li Xiuman no longer allowed Zhang Chuntian to stay at home. Although Zhang Chuntian was mentally impaired, his physical health recovered well. Li Xiuman then took Zhang Chuntian to work in the fields again. As long as he gave instructions, Zhang Chuntian could still take care of the fields properly.

Life went on like this. Li Xiuman used a lot of work to hide his bitter heart, while Zhang Chunfeng buried himself in books to forget Li Xiuman.

In just a few days, she had almost finished reading all the books in the Zhou family's collection. Seeing that Zhang Chunfeng was getting thinner and thinner every day, Zhou Zhengdu insisted on taking Zhang Chunfeng to Zuixianlou for drinks.

Even after drinking the warm wine, Zhang Chunfeng's mind was still filled with the image of Li Xiuman.

These past few days, she had been working so hard, yet she found herself still unable to forget Lee Soo-man. She kept telling herself, why should she like Lee Soo-man? He was uncultured, tasteless, and all he knew was how to work. He was just a little better looking, with fairer skin, softer, more delicate flesh, and a somewhat charming mole on the tip of his nose, its curved arc in the darkness extremely beautiful.

What's so special about that? Just this little bit?

Zhang Chunfeng joked to herself, "Maybe I'm after his body too. Well, I'm still young. What kind of person can't I have in the future?"

“Chunfeng, this is the top courtesan here, several times more expensive than Qingyue last time. Do you think he dances well?” Zhou Zhengdu pointed to the men dancing in front of him. The one in the lead was dressed in a pink robe, with an oval face, a delicate and graceful figure, and bright, beautiful eyes. He was truly a celestial being.

Zhou Zhengdu didn't want to invite these people. It's foolish to spend money to send men to the women you love.

But since it was just him and Zhang Chunfeng eating, he was worried that Zhang Chunfeng wouldn't have an appetite. Zhang Chunfeng had already eaten very little these past few days. Zhou Zhengdu remembered that the male courtesans here were good at feeding people; last time he'd been forced to eat three Longjing cakes, and he was still feeling bloated by evening. Whatever the method, he was willing to try to get Chunfeng to eat something.

After the top courtesan finished her dance, she sat obediently next to Zhang Chunfeng and said, "This humble servant, Qinse, greets our honored guest."

She's good-looking, and her voice is really nice too.

Anyone sitting next to Qinse would be overjoyed and unable to resist looking at her truly beautiful face.

Zhang Chunfeng also saw her and agreed that she was indeed good-looking.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a mole on the tip of his nose, his lips were painted with rouge instead of Lee Soo-man's natural rosy color, and he smelled too strongly of perfume, not a natural scent.

"Useless and vulgar." Zhang Chunfeng waved his hand, dismissing the woman.

Zhou Zhengdu was immediately at a loss. He heard Zhang Chunfeng suddenly sniff, "What's that smell?"

Zhou Zhengdu sniffed; the air was indeed filled with the sweet aroma of food. This aroma was different from the dishes on the table; it was more like the fragrance of freshly steamed buns or pastries.

"It was originally rice cake from a street stall downstairs." Zhou Zhengdu had a refined taste and always wanted his private room to be by the window with a balcony. This time, just like last time, he could see the street right downstairs.

Zhang Chunfeng also went to see, and there he happened to see Li Xiuman.