She thought of her parents' home again. She had been married for four years. Although the two villages were not far apart, she only went back once a year during the Chinese New Year. Zhou Hongzhi was right. Her eldest and second brothers had separated, and now her parents lived with her eldest brother. Her eldest brother had three children, and the place was already very crowded. If she were to be added, there would probably be no place for them. Her second brother also had two children, and now the whole family lived in two fenced yards, east and west. If she went back, she would probably have to find another way out. She thought about this and that, tossing and turning in bed for an hour or so, and she didn't even know when she fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was already dawn. She put on her thin coat, got up and went to the toilet, then drew water from the jar to wash. After doing all this, there was a little movement in the next room. If it were usual, she would go to wash clothes and cut grass for the pigs. Now that she had no time to live, whoever wanted to do the work in this room could do it.
She turned around and went back to the house and began to pack her clothes in a cloth bundle. She didn't have many clothes, only two close-fitting pieces that were already old and yellowed, and two thin jackets for winter, both of which she brought with her when she got married. Thinking about what she had gained in the Zhou family in the past four years, she actually had nothing. She had worked hard and happily in the past, but now it seemed like a joke.
"Chunxiao, Chunxiao, I know you are up. Open the door. Mother has something to tell you." Xu's voice came from outside the door.
Chunxiao put down the bag in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally opened the door. "Mom!" She sat at the desk where Hongzhi usually studied. "If you have anything to say, please tell me. I'm listening."
Mrs. Xu looked around the room and saw the bundle on the bed. Her face twitched and she forced a smile. "Looking at you like this, you should be almost well. If you want to eat anything, just tell me and I'll make it for you."
Chunxiao didn't say anything, just looked at her, which made her feel a little uneasy. When did this girl's temper become so hard? She walked closer and said, "Chunxiao, I heard Hongzhi say that you two had a fight. Mother has already scolded him on your behalf. Don't be angry. I also heard what Hongzhi said about the Xu family. From now on, you will live with us. They can't get in your way. He can change his wife, but we won't. We can still be the same as before."
This was an attempt to appease her. "Mother, no one in our village has ever married two wives. Taking concubines is the way of wealthy families, and there is a first-come, first-served system. I have been married for four years, and I don't object to my husband marrying again, but I am the legal wife, and Miss Xu is the concubine. How come my husband doesn't even understand this principle?"
"It's impossible for Miss Xu to be a concubine. She married him because she had her eyes on Hongzhi. What rich girl would rush here to be his concubine?" Mrs. Xu looked at her with a fake smile, "Chunxiao, Hongzhi is a scholar now. There are only a few scholars in this area. You are a little wronged now, but there will be a good life in the future. Just bear with it, and these things will pass. Didn't I say that we should live the same way as before. What does status matter?"
Chunxiao looked at the mother-in-law and was a little speechless. "Mom, if I marry another mother-in-law for our father and let them sleep in the same room every day, would you be happy?"
"How dare you talk like that!" Mrs. Xu was immediately enraged. "I came here with good intentions to comfort you, but you're just not listening!" She had no patience to begin with. "Don't you even consider your own status and worth? Do you think you're worthy of my son? You'll regret it only after you've been divorced and suffered a hard life, right?"
"Who am I? Everyone in this village knows that I'm Zhou Hongzhi's legitimate wife. How dare you say that? If it weren't for me, where would his annual salary come from? Did it just fall from the sky? He's just a scholar, but he's abandoning his wife. He's a Chen Shimei. I'll prove his worth if I sue him."
Mrs. Xu did not expect that her usually obedient daughter-in-law would be so sharp-tongued. She was so angry that her heart ached. "Are you determined to leave? You heartless person, my son said all the good things about you in front of the Xu family, but you still don't know what is good for you. You are really an ungrateful person who can never be tamed." As she spoke, she began to cry and howl in her room. Not long after, Zhou Xingcai and Zhou Hongzhi also came over.
Zhou Xingcai pulled Xu and said, "What's wrong? Why are you still crying?" After saying that, he glared at Chunxiao who was sitting there with an angry look on his face.
"Yan Chunxiao, don't go too far. My mother treats you well. How can you make her so angry? She even gave you pancakes yesterday. It would be better to feed the food to the dog than to give it to you." Zhou Hongzhi also looked at her angrily.
She looked at the three people standing in front of her, not even trying to get up. "What's wrong with me? I just stated two facts. I've already made the conditions. All you have to do is follow my instructions. If my family comes, I'll disappear immediately. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. You don't have to feel resentful towards me."
"Are you really determined to get a divorce?" Zhou Xingcai looked at her.
Chunxiao looked at her father-in-law, the only one in the family who still had some sense, and nodded solemnly.
"Okay, I can ask Hongzhi to give you a divorce letter, and from now on, we will have nothing to do with each other in terms of marriage." Things have come to this point, and it seems impossible to follow their previous arrangements. Let's just divorce. It sounds better than divorcing, and it won't be a problem for them. It's just that the family will lose a laborer in the future, and I'm afraid the old couple will have to work harder.
"There are also five taels of silver and my quilt."
"You want money? You're dreaming." Mrs. Xu almost jumped up when she heard about the money. "You've been living and eating for free in our house for the past few years. How much money have you spent? I don't ask you for money, but instead you want to extort money from us. You can still do this, you ungrateful bastard."
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