Chapter 102 Wei Lao Er Makes a Divorce Proposal; Ming Xi Tilts Her Head to Look…
Mingxi tilted his head and looked at Dong Chunling, making Dong Chunling feel uneasy and giving her goosebumps.
She shrank back and shook her arm: "Why are you looking at me like that? Isn't this what you do? What, you don't want to introduce me to someone?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Mingxi decisively replied, "Yes, I'm not willing."
Dong Chunling stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "What? Are you sure you're not wrong? How could you possibly be unwilling? Aren't you a matchmaker? Isn't your job to introduce people to potential partners? Introducing someone to someone is the same as introducing someone to someone for me. How could you possibly be unwilling?"
Dong Chunling would rather suspect that Mingxi was wrong than believe that Mingxi really didn't want to introduce her to a potential partner.
Mingxi didn't indulge her and shattered her illusions with a single sentence.
"I can introduce people to others, but I can't introduce people to you. You're too much trouble."
Dong Chunling pointed to herself: "Am I fussy?"
Mingxi: "You're not only troublesome, but also unreasonable. You're such a nuisance. Introducing you to someone is too much trouble. I'm not doing it."
Mingxi's words were so matter-of-fact that it took Dong Chunling a while to realize the meaning behind them.
After realizing what had happened, she instantly flew into a rage, her face turning bright red, and she nearly fainted from anger.
Dong Chunling: "How...how could you say that!"
Even if she really is troublesome and unreasonable, Mingxi shouldn't have said it to her face!
Mingxi rolled her eyes. Dong Chunling has had this bad temper for so many years. Does she think she's afraid of being talked about?
She was too lazy to waste words with Dong Chunling and said directly, "If you want to find someone to introduce you to a partner, find someone else. I'm not going to introduce you to anyone."
After saying that, she walked past Dong Chunling.
She came out to use the restroom, and didn't have time to waste words with Dong Chunling.
Watching Mingxi's departing figure, Dong Chunling was truly furious this time.
She was indignant, feeling that Mingxi was jealous of her and targeting her, which was why she was unwilling to introduce her to potential partners.
She snorted loudly, thinking to herself, "Without Zhang the butcher, am I supposed to eat hairy pork? If Mingxi won't introduce me to a partner, then I'll find another matchmaker. A young, beautiful woman like me, with a good family background, has plenty of suitors."
Thinking to herself, Dong Chunling turned and swayed away.
In other words, Mingxi didn't know what Dong Chunling was thinking, otherwise she would definitely laugh at Dong Chunling.
Everyone in the neighborhood knows how difficult Dong Chunling is; what matchmaker would be so blind as to agree to introduce her to a potential partner?
Unless someone as greedy as Qian Jinhua agrees.
But since Qian Jinhua had been arrested and taken to the police station, there was no way she could agree to Dong Chunling's request.
Just as Mingxi had suspected, the next day Aunt He secretly came to her to whisper: "Xiaoming, you don't know, do you? Dong Chunling went to the alley next door to find Matchmaker Wang today with some things. I asked Matchmaker Wang, and she said Dong Chunling asked her to introduce her to a potential partner!"
Mingxi: "I know about this."
Aunt He's eyes widened: "Huh? You know that Dong Chunling asked Matchmaker Wang to introduce her to a potential partner? You're not angry? You're from the same alley. You're the one who arranges marriages. Dong Chunling didn't ask you, but instead went to Matchmaker Wang, which is really unfair."
“You really misunderstand Dong Chunling,” Mingxi said, speaking up. She explained, “Dong Chunling came to me yesterday, asking me to help her find a partner, but I refused. She’s troublesome and unreasonable, and she’s in a hurry to find a partner, probably to spite Yan Zhiwen. If I really agreed to introduce her to someone, there would definitely be a lot of trouble, so I just didn’t agree.”
Aunt He thought about it.
Mingxi is right. With Dong Chunling's personality, no matter what kind of partner she's introduced to, she'll probably find something she's not satisfied with. Rather than waiting to be driven crazy by Dong Chunling, it's better to agree to this from the start.
She remembered what the matchmaker Wang had said and whispered gossip to Mingxi: "You were right not to agree. The matchmaker Wang agreed to introduce a partner to Dong Chunling, but she regretted it the moment she did. You have no idea how troublesome Dong Chunling is."
When it came to gossip, Mingxi became interested, and her eyes lit up: "Aunt He, tell me, why is Dong Chunling causing so much trouble?"
Aunt He: "Hey, you don't know, didn't she ask Matchmaker Wang to introduce her to a potential partner? When Matchmaker Wang asked her about her requirements, she said the man must be under 28 years old, over 1.8 meters tall, and have a decent appearance."
Mingxi scratched his head. This was a legitimate request, wasn't it...?
Although Dong Chunling made a few more demands, each one was still reasonable, so it was alright.
Aunt He: "That's not all. She also requires that the man be getting married for the first time. When the matchmaker, Wang, told her that she was getting married for the second time and it would be difficult to ask the man to be getting married for the first time, she was unhappy and said that Yan Zhiwen's second marriage was for the first time."
That's a bit hard to judge.
Mingxi pursed her lips, her expression somewhat complicated.
Is Dong Chunling wrong to think this way? Not really.
They're both divorced, so why can Yan Zhiwen find someone for their first marriage while she can't?
But that's how the matchmaking market is; it's even more demanding on women. She insists on comparing herself to Yan Zhiwen, and she shouldn't make things difficult for the matchmakers who introduce people to each other.
Aunt He said, "No matter how much the matchmaker Wang tried to persuade her, she insisted on finding a man who was getting married for the first time. In the end, the matchmaker Wang had no choice but to say that finding a man who was getting married for the first time was possible, but the man's family conditions might be relatively average."
This wasn't Wang the matchmaker making things difficult for Dong Chunling; it was just the reality.
Aunt He: "And guess what? Dong Chunling wasn't happy about it."
Mingxi was not surprised at all.
Dong Chunling is determined to compete with Yan Zhiwen, so she certainly won't be lax in her criteria for finding a partner.
"Dong Chunling requires the man to own a house, a car, and a job. The house can't be one he lives with his parents; it has to be one he was allocated a house to himself, because she doesn't want to live with her in-laws after marriage. Oh, and yes, she also wants a dowry of 200 yuan. She's heard that Yan Zhiwen gave his new wife a dowry of 200 yuan, so the man she's looking for can't give less than what Yan Zhiwen offered."
That's truly wishful thinking.
A man who owns a house, a car, and a job, and can afford a dowry of 200 yuan, is considered to be above average in the entire northern part of the city.
With such qualities, what kind of partner couldn't someone find? Why would they choose Dong Chunling?
Mingxi complained: "After being fooled once, Dong Chunling's brain is still full of water."
Aunt He slapped her thigh: "That's for sure. Matchmaker Wang didn't want to do it at the time. She said that finding a suitable partner for Dong Chunling was as difficult as picking stars from the sky."
She added, "That's not all. Dong Chunling also requires the man to be a college student. She said that Yan Zhiwen is a college student, and if her new boyfriend doesn't find a college student, it would be too embarrassing in front of Yan Zhiwen."
Mingxi is not surprised; it's something Dong Chunling would do.
But for Aunt He, it was truly an eye-opening experience.
She couldn't help but mutter, "I've never seen anyone like her before. I don't know if she wants to find a partner or if she's just trying to spite Yan Zhiwen. Even the matchmaker, Wang, said she'd never seen anyone like her before and advised her that finding a partner and getting married is a lifelong commitment, and she shouldn't act impulsively just to spite someone. But Dong Chunling turned around and scolded the matchmaker for meddling. This angered her so much that she threw all of Dong Chunling's belongings out the door, kicked Dong Chunling out, and said that she wasn't capable of introducing Dong Chunling to anyone and that Dong Chunling should find someone else."
Mingxi shrugged; she wasn't surprised.
Not surprising at all.
Given Dong Chunling's promiscuous nature, few matchmakers could tolerate her.
Aunt He said, "I heard that when Dong Chunling left, she was still indignant, saying that there were plenty of matchmakers out there, and if Wang the matchmaker didn't introduce her to anyone, she could find another matchmaker. Then she left in a huff, saying that she was going to find another matchmaker to introduce her to someone."
Regarding this, Mingxi can only say that she hopes Dong Chunling can find it.
Although Mingxi doesn't particularly like Dong Chunling, it must be said that Dong Chunling also has her merits, namely that she never engages in internal strife, only blames others, and never reflects on herself.
These past few days, people in the alley have been gossiping that Li Xiangdong is a liar and making sarcastic remarks about Dong Chunling, but she remains completely unaffected, holding her head high and boldly asking a matchmaker to introduce her to potential partners.
All the matchmakers in the neighborhood rejected her, but she never seemed upset. I only heard that she fought with several matchmakers, which made her reputation in the area even worse.
People in the alley gossiped about Dong Chunling for a few days, but soon, Dong Chunling's affairs were overshadowed by new gossip.
When Mingxi came home from get off work that day, she heard Aunt He and Aunt Ma whispering in the yard. She went over to listen and found that the two were talking about Wu Yue and Wei Lao Er's divorce.
Mingxi: "? Why are these two getting a divorce again? Didn't they just have one recently?"
Last time, Wu Yue was dissatisfied with the Wei family's favoritism. Taking advantage of her pregnancy, she made a fuss about separating the family and said she would get a divorce if they didn't. She even ran away from home because of this.
Speaking of the last incident, Mingxi inquired, "By the way, how did their divorce end last time? I haven't heard what happened afterward."
Aunt He: "Sigh, what else can we do? Wu Yue and Wei Lao Er are eager to separate the family, but whether or not they separate is not up to them. No matter how much Wu Yue makes a fuss, it won't work if Lao Ding and Lao Wei don't agree. Last time, Wu Yue ran away for a day, saying she was going to run away from home, but in the end, she still sheepishly returned home at night."
According to the older generation's thinking, the family should not separate while the parents are still alive.
However, the reason why the Wei family does not separate is not because of this.
The Wei family did not separate, mainly because Wei Ning was not yet married.
The wedding expenses for Wei Lao Da and Wei Lao Er were paid from the Wei family's communal funds, so logically, Wei Ning's wedding expenses should also be paid from the communal funds. Wei Ning doesn't have a partner yet, and if the family divides up the communal funds now, he'll have to pay for his own wedding, which is unfair to him.
Why is it that when his two older brothers got married, he contributed money and effort, but when it's his own wedding, he has to pay for it himself?
No one could agree to that.
Ding Yumei and Old Man Wei already favored their youngest son, so naturally they couldn't agree to the request to separate the family before Wei Ning got married.
So no matter how much Wei Lao Er and Wu Yue quarrel, the Wei family will never split up.
Aunt He: "But this time, Wu Yue and Wei Lao Er's divorce is not because of the division of the family property."
Mingxi asked curiously, "Why is that?"
Aunt He looked up and glanced around, then leaned close to Mingxi's ear and whispered, "I heard that Wei Lao Er discovered that Wu Yue was being unruly."
"hiss--"
Mingxi gasped: "Wu Yue cheated on me?"
Aunt He hurriedly waved her hand: "No, no, it didn't come to that. I heard that Wei Lao Er felt that Wu Yue was not content, and Wu Yue felt wronged, saying that she did nothing but talk to others. The two of them started arguing back and forth, and the more Wu Yue argued with Wei Lao Er, the more wronged she felt, so she said she wanted to divorce Wei Lao Er."
Sigh.
Mingxi thought the two of them were really going to get a divorce.
I never imagined that the two of them were just saying those hurtful things during an argument.
What's so strange about that? In their alley, young couples often argue about how they can't go on anymore, but I've never seen anyone actually get a divorce.
Mingxi didn't take it to heart and went back to her room. But she didn't expect that the next day, as soon as she sat down at work, Wei Lao Er and Wu Yue came to the Women's Federation office, pulling and tugging at each other.
Mingxi looked at the two of them in surprise and asked, "Why are you two here?"
Wu Yue said with a long face, "We want a divorce, but when the people at the neighborhood committee heard why we're getting a divorce, they refused to process it for us and told us to come to the Women's Federation for mediation."
Although Wei Lao Er didn't say anything, he had a sullen face, and Ming Xi was completely confused by the two of them.
Yesterday she was still thinking that the two of them wouldn't really get divorced, but she didn't expect that today they would be going to file for divorce?
Sister Wang, who was mainly responsible for mediation, heard what the two people were saying and came over. She asked them to sit down and said, "Xiaoming, go and pour two glasses of water for these two comrades."
Mingxi agreed and quickly poured a glass of water for the two of them. Sister Wang pushed the glass in front of them and said, "Here, have a drink of water first."
Neither Wu Yue nor Wei Lao Er made a move.
Sister Wang smiled, not paying much attention to it. She said, "Since you two are here for mediation, let me ask you first, why are you getting a divorce?"
"What else could it be? Of course, it's because we can't make ends meet anymore!" Wu Yue covered her face and sobbed, "When I was going to marry Wei Lao Er, my family disagreed. They said he was from the city and would definitely have to go back to the city. I thought it would be fine. He wasn't the kind of person who would abandon his wife and children and not take me with him when he went back to the city. I didn't expect I was too naive."
Upon hearing this, Wei Lao Er immediately objected. He slammed his fist on the table and glared at her, saying, "Wu Yue, how can you say such a thing without feeling guilty? When did I abandon my wife and children? When I came back to the city, didn't I bring you with me? I even regret it. My parents didn't agree to me marrying you back then, saying there were so many good girls in the city, and they would introduce me to other girls after I returned. But I didn't agree to any of them. I was only thinking about you. Isn't that enough?"
Wu Yue was equally imposing, glaring and shouting.
"So now you want to divorce me? I'm pregnant with your child, and you're already saying you want a divorce. Isn't that abandoning your wife and child? You bastard, you heartless bastard!"
Wei Lao Er: "Didn't you say you couldn't live like this anymore and wanted a divorce?"
Wu Yue: "I said I wanted a divorce, so why don't you try to coax me? You're still angry and yelling at me. I think you just look down on me, your country wife, after you went back to the city and want to dump me!"
Wei Lao Er was extremely aggrieved. He didn't care that there were outsiders present and shouted, "You and Li Xiangdong were having an affair behind my back, keeping me in the dark, and I can't even be angry? I said a few words to you, and you said you wanted a divorce and expected me to appease you. There's no such logic in the world!"
Wei Lao Er felt more and more aggrieved the more he thought about it.
When news of Li Xiangdong's arrest spread, he recalled how Li Xiangdong had taken Wu Yue home, and remarked that the man seemed quite kind-hearted; he had thought Li Xiangdong was a good person. During dinner at home, he couldn't help but mention it, and his family gave him strange looks.
It's hard to describe Wei Lao Er. If I had to say, his eyes held a mixture of pity, sympathy, and a hint of unspoken words.
Just as Wei Lao Er was wondering what his family meant, his eldest brother spoke up, saying that perhaps Li Xiangdong was after Wu Yue and wanted to swindle her money.
Although Wei Lao Er didn't think that way, he still couldn't help but ask Wu Yue if Li Xiangdong had said anything when he took her home that day.
Wu Yue stammered and spoke incoherently, and he could tell at a glance that something was amiss. He pressed her for answers, and Wu Yue finally couldn't hold back any longer and confessed that Li Xiangdong had seduced her that night.
This infuriated Wei Lao Er. No wonder he sensed something was off between Wu Yue and Li Xiangdong when he saw them at the alley entrance that night. Wu Yue had even covered for Li Xiangdong, and he had sincerely thanked Li Xiangdong for taking his wife home.
hehe.
Li Xiangdong was practically being cuckolded, yet he was still thanking the man.
Looking back now, Li Xiangdong must have thought he was a complete idiot!
Wei Lao Er was both angry and aggrieved. Most importantly, everyone else in the family had heard what Wu Yue said, and he felt he had lost face and couldn't save face. In the end, he couldn't help but argue with Wu Yue in his anger.
It was called an argument, but really it was just him yelling at Wu Yue a couple of times with his face red. Unexpectedly, Wu Yue was the first to object, saying that he didn't want to live with her and was deliberately causing trouble. She even said that if he really didn't want to live with her, then they shouldn't, and they should get up first thing tomorrow morning to get a divorce certificate.
Let's get a divorce!
Wei Lao Er couldn't stand this insult. He thought he had been very good to Wu Yue. Other educated youth who went to the countryside with him had also married people from the village, but when they returned to the city, how many of them brought their wives back with them?
He led Wu Yue back to the city!
Ever since Wu Yue returned to the city with him, she has been arguing with his family every few days, and he always sides with Wu Yue!
In the years since returning to the city, Wu Yue has not worked, and he is the only one in the family who earns money. But he has given Wu Yue everything she wants. Isn't that enough?
Wei Lao Er felt that he had done more than enough!
It's all because Wu Yue is being unreasonable, even threatening to divorce him. If it were someone else as his wife, they would be so happy!
Wei Lao Er complained incessantly, pouring out all his innermost thoughts.
Mingxi listened from the side and couldn't help but purse her lips.
Don't be fooled by what Wei Lao Er says; in the end, isn't this just what he should be doing?
He married Wu Yue, and they were a legally married couple with a marriage certificate. Bringing Wu Yue back to the city wasn't because he had a conscience; it was something he should do.
Furthermore, after Wu Yue returned to the city, she argued with her family every few days. Ming Xi did not deny that Wu Yue was partly to blame, but she had heard that every time Wu Yue caused trouble at the Wei family, it was always related to Wei Lao Er.
It's not that I want Wei Lao Er to work, it's that I feel the two elders of the Wei family are biased.
In the end, it all comes down to Wei Lao Er.
As a beneficiary of the existing system, Wei Lao Er never intervened whenever Wu Yue argued with her family. Instead, he stayed behind the scenes and waited until the argument had subsided before stepping in to smooth things over. This way, he preserved his reputation while also reaping the benefits.
How dare he stand up and boast about his achievements now?
That's utterly shameless.
Even Mingxi, an outsider, was unhappy to hear this, let alone Wu Yue. She slammed her hand on the table, stood up, grabbed Wei Lao Er by the collar, and started tearing at him.
"Wei Lao Er, do you have any conscience? Now you complain that I'm unreasonable and argue with your family every day. Have you ever thought about why I argue with your family? It's all for you. Your parents are biased. They only care about their eldest son and their youngest son, but they don't care about you, the mediocre second son. If I hadn't fought for you and fought for you at home, they would have forgotten about you, the unlovable second son, long ago!"
Wu Yue's words struck a chord with Wei Lao Er, whose expression instantly darkened as he glared fiercely at her.
But he still maintained a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor: "Wu Yue, don't talk nonsense. Our argument is between the two of us and has nothing to do with my parents!"
Wu Yue: "How can it not be related? Your parents are two old hags, they're no good either. They didn't approve when I was dating you. Don't think I don't know, they look down on me, they think I'm from the countryside and not good enough for your family. Ha, anyone who didn't know better would think you're some kind of amazing family!"
"That's enough! I've already said, our argument is between the two of us, don't drag my parents into it!" Wei Lao Er raised his hand high, looking as if he was about to attack Wu Yue.
That won't do!
Wu Yue is pregnant, after all, and Ming Xi can't just stand by and watch Wei Lao Er lay a hand on her.
She immediately stepped forward, grabbed Wei Lao Er's arm, and said with a stern face, "What are you doing? Just talk, do you want to hit me?"
Mingxi was extremely strong, and Wei Lao Er felt as if his hand was being clamped in a pair of pliers and he couldn't move.
His face darkened, feeling extremely embarrassed to be overshadowed by Mingxi, a woman, in front of so many people. But before he could say anything, Wu Yue had already reacted and started shouting.
"Well, Wei Lao Er, you've really got some nerve now. You even want to lay a hand on me? I'm carrying your child in my belly, and you still want to lay a hand on me? I can't live like this anymore!"
Wu Yue plopped down, slapping her thigh and wailing, "Waaah, I can't live like this anymore! I'm pregnant, and he's already trying to hurt me. What if he beats me to death after the baby is born? If I'd known that marrying into the city would mean this kind of life, I shouldn't have agreed to marry him!"
Wu Yue's shout drew the attention of several people in nearby offices, who peeked over to see what was going on.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Sister Wang quickly advised, "Comrade Wu, please don't get agitated. Let's talk things out..."
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