Sun Hongmei was stunned when she heard Liu Zhishuang ask her to go back to her room to pack her things and go back to the Sun Family Village with her parents. The noise in the yard that had been suppressed by Liu Liqun's arrival suddenly became louder. Xia Juhua also looked at Liu Zhishuang in disbelief. She didn't expect him to make such a decision.
Liu Zhishuang knew why he said such things. What he said was from his heart. He was really scared - the Sun couple could now push Liu Zhiliang and Liu Hongjuan to the Red Team. If he and Sun Hongmei had children in the future, would they also be taken advantage of if something happened?
"What rights do you have to say that you don't want my daughter? Our beautiful daughter will marry you and become a member of your Liu family. She will grow up in your family. Don't even think of asking me to take her back no matter what!" Sun Hongmei's mother sat on the ground again, howling and refusing to get up.
Sun Hongmei also sat on the ground with her. When Liu Zhishuang said those words, she kept looking at him, and her eyes did not move away from Liu Zhishuang's face even when she sat on the ground.
Liu Zhishuang hadn't looked at Sun Hongmei since he entered the yard, not even when she went to help her mother - he was afraid that if he saw Sun Hongmei look pitiful, he would soften his heart.
When Sun Hongmei's mother said she didn't want to take Sun Hongmei back, Liu Zhishuang turned his eyes to Sun Hongmei for the first time. Sun Hongmei was completely wooden, and her face didn't show the pitiful look Liu Zhishuang imagined. It was as if she didn't hear what Liu Zhishuang said. She stared at Liu Zhishuang with her eyes straight, without any emotion.
To be honest, it looks a bit miserable.
Xia Juhua looked at Liu Zhishuang calmly and found that he started to feel numb after seeing Sun Hongmei. She sighed in her heart and said to Sun Hongmei's mother: "You said you would not take Sun Hongmei back, but our family can't stand your torture anymore." You are such a hindrance.
Sun Hongmei's father seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and said quickly: "Let's go. We two will leave right away and will never come to your house again." He couldn't just take the daughter-in-law home. Putting his reputation aside, the Liu family had given a lot of betrothal gifts, and they had already subsidized their two sons and didn't want to give it up.
Liu Liqun was also in a difficult position. He was a cadre of the brigade and should have stepped forward to persuade them to reconcile, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so - Liu Zhishuang was right just now, the Sun family could now push Sun Guizhi's two children to the Red Team, and they might not show mercy to Sun Hongmei in the future.
After hearing her father's promise not to come to Liu's house again, the dull Sun Hongmei's face lit up a little and she called out again, "Zhishuang."
Liu Zhishuang closed his eyes, and the expression on his face returned. There was reluctance, but more of a determination: "Don't sit on the ground anymore, go back to the house and pack your things." After thinking for a while, he looked at Xia Juhua pleadingly: "Mom, I know I shouldn't say this, otherwise, otherwise, let's not ask for the betrothal gift back."
Wang Caifeng was happy for a moment when she heard Liu Zhishuang asked Sun Hongmei to go back to her parents' home. But she didn't expect that he actually told her mother-in-law that he didn't want to return the betrothal gift. She was upset all of a sudden: "Zhishuang, how can you not want the betrothal gift? This time it's their Sun family..." If he didn't want to return the betrothal gift, what would Liu Zhishuang give to his daughter-in-law?
Xia Juhua glared at her. This eldest daughter-in-law always fails to grasp the key points. It's really worrying. Wang Caifeng was glared at by her mother-in-law and dared not say anything. The expression on her face was still disapproving.
Xia Juhua felt that the most urgent thing was to understand Liu Zhishuang's intentions. She looked him in the eye and asked, "The gift is another matter. I just want to ask you, do you really want to divorce Sun Hongmei, or let her stay at her parents' home for a few days before coming back?"
"...Mom, I want to divorce her." Liu Zhishuang lowered his head, his voice was not loud but very strong.
"Liu Zhishuang, are you still a human being?" Sun Hongmei's hope was shattered again, and she finally revealed her true nature, crying as miserably as her mother: "How have I ever let you down? I dare not even say much at home, and I rush to do all the work, but it still can't warm your heart? If you don't like me, what would you have done long ago? Why did you have to hurt me like this before you said you wanted to divorce me?"
Xia Juhua shook her head, watching the reluctance on Liu Zhishuang's face disappear a little bit, but she didn't interrupt - Liu Zhishuang wanted to marry her, and he wanted to leave her. After all, Sun Hongmei was right in one thing, what had he been doing before? Now he deserved to be scolded by Sun Hongmei.
What's wrong with that?
Xia Juhua's silence does not mean Liu Zhishuang will not speak. He did not say anything when Sun Hongmei started to complain about him. But when Sun Hongmei started to accuse Xia Juhua of being partial to her and not treating her as a daughter-in-law, he spoke:
"How is my mother partial? Didn't she say at the beginning that you and your elder sister-in-law should work for a day? It was you who said that your sister-in-law was pregnant and didn't need her to work. And as for the production team's dividends, you insisted on dividing my earnings with those of your elder brother and sister-in-law. Do you think my mother is partial if she doesn't agree? Don't forget that my elder brother and sister-in-law earn work points, and your work points stay in Sunjiazhuang!"
"You said you didn't dare to speak at home and rushed to work, why don't you know what's going on?" Liu Zhishuang pointed at Sun Hongmei with a shaking finger: "Every day you either complain that my mother is partial to you, or that my sister-in-law is playing tricks on you, and you want to go back to your parents' home when I say a few words to you. If I really want to send you back, you're afraid that you'll just go back to Sun's house and continue to drink porridge, so you won't leave again, that's why you pretend to be honest and capable every day."
"Second brother!" Xia Juhua was really angry. What's wrong with Liu Zhishuang? If he can't live together, just divorce him. Is it useful to say such harsh words?
"Mom, don't hold me back. Since she brought this up today, I'll tell you all why I had to marry her in the first place. Mom, do you remember one day when I came home late and got soaked? I told you that I fell into the ditch, but actually she saw me coming over and pretended to sprain her ankle and jumped into the ditch."
"I knew she was Sun Guizhi's niece, so I usually avoided her when I was doing things. But my mother always taught us to lend a hand when we see someone in trouble. It was a life, and I saw it, so of course I had to save her."
"Who knew that after she was rescued, she started crying and said that I hugged her and that she had no innocence and could not survive. She also said that if I didn't marry her, she would go to the brigade and report me for being a hooligan. I had no choice but to agree to date her first. When we were dating, she said every day that she would be filial to her mother in the future, and that she would never let her mother go hungry no matter when she had a bite to eat. then did I..."
Liu Zhishuang took a deep breath and continued, "Mom, I know I am a coward. I was afraid that the brigade would label me a bad element, so I didn't dare tell anyone that I had her. But she said nice things, so I believed her. That's why you have been angry for so long. But she has been trying to stir up trouble since she got married, and now she's accusing you of being partial. Why?!"
Everyone in the yard was stunned, including the Sun family, who had never expected their daughter to be so outrageous. Sun Hongmei's face was covered with spices, and she was speechless after hearing what Liu Zhishuang said.
"I was wondering why Zhishuang suddenly became disobedient. It turns out that he was a child who listened to Mrs. Liu." The first person in Li Changwang's family to react was: "It turns out that she tricked him."
"It would be fine if she could really live an honest life after marriage, but she makes trouble every day. No wonder Zhishuang doesn't want her anymore." For the first time, Li Changman's family agreed with her sister-in-law's words.
Xia Juhua finally understood why Liu Zhishuang was so upset and said such harsh words that she could not hold back several times. It would be better to say it in front of others. Xia Juhua had known the disadvantages of keeping things to herself in her life, so she let Liu Zhishuang finish his words. such a thing as love after a long time in the world?
I can't figure it out.
No matter how confused she was, Xia Juhua still had to say after hearing what Liu Zhishuang said: "Silly son, why didn't you tell your mother the truth at the beginning." If she had told him, she would never agree to let Sun Hongmei marry into the family.
"Mom, our family has had a very hard life. You have been very careful these past few years, and I have seen it all. If you knew, you would be worried again. I thought, since I have married her, she has to listen to me, and I just need to keep an eye on her."
What kind of theory is this? Xia Juhua shook her head in disapproval: "She is a person, not an object. Can you look at her for a moment or for a lifetime?" If someone keeps nagging you and brainwashing you every day, won't you betray her in the end?
Liu Zhishuang lowered his head and was speechless, but Sun Hongmei found a topic to talk about: "Liu Zhishuang, I'm going to report you to the commune for molesting women."
Xia Juhua looked at Sun Hongmei like she was a fool: "How did he tease you? Saving people is teasing you? How about you jump into the canal again, and I will tell him to stop teasing you and watch you drown?"
Liu Liqun couldn't listen any longer: "Liu Zhishuang saved you without caring about his own safety, how can this be considered teasing you?"
"He, he hugged me, so I am no longer innocent." Sun Hongmei brought out her own theory again.
Xia Juhua was amused: "If he hadn't carried you up, you would have drowned long ago. Why are you still shouting here? I'm telling you this. Who will dare to save others next time? It's better to watch people die than to cause trouble to yourself. My son is a hero for saving people, and he is kind and righteous for marrying you and for tolerating you. He is the best person in the world. You are saying that my son is teasing you. Let's go to the commune to seek justice."
"Captain Liu, please come with us to the commune. I still don't believe that my son made a mistake in saving people. Even if he made a mistake, it was because he was too soft-hearted and was easily frightened by Sun Hongmei's words. My son is the victim, and the Sun family should compensate for his losses."
Xia Juhua got anxious and started saying all the words she had heard in her previous life. The people in the yard found it new and after careful consideration they felt that what she said was both appropriate and reasonable. They all urged Liu Liqun to go to the commune with Xia Juhua.
Everyone wanted to go to the commune to seek justice, but the Sun family and Sun Hongmei did not dare to go. Xia Juhua was right. Although according to the rural saying, he hugged Sun Hongmei before they were together, which made her innocent. But he did it to save her! This is also considered molesting women. Next time, no one will dare to save her.
People at that time were still very simple and honest. They had not experienced the shock of concepts that destroyed people's worldviews, such as "Why did you help if you didn't hit the person?" They simply believed that those who saved people were heroes. If Sun Hongmei insisted on saying that she molested a woman, that was slandering a hero.
Liu Liqun, a retired soldier, couldn't bear to see the hero bleed and cry, so he said to the Sun family with a sullen face, "Come with me, let's go to the commune with Xia Juhua and her mother to talk it out."
"Mom, who, who came to our house and bullied you?" Liu Zhiquan came back at this time. The place where the canal was being repaired was far from the village. Liu Zhiquan didn't hear about someone coming to his house and bullying his mother until after work. This was the first thing he asked when he came back.
Wang Caifeng quickly pulled him back, pointed at Sun Hongmei, and whispered, "Sun Hongmei's parents came to our house to make trouble. The second son said he didn't want to live with her anymore, and he also told his mother that he didn't want the betrothal gift."
"That won't work." Liu Zhiquan and Wang Caifeng surprisingly agreed on this point: "Did mother agree?"
"Just now they said the betrothal gift would be calculated separately, but now I think mom has to come back." Wang Caifeng said this with a hint of saccharine.
Xia Juhua was indeed talking to the Sun family about the betrothal gift: "Just now Zhishuang thought that Sun Hongmei had married him after all, and even if they divorced, she would not ask for the betrothal gift back. But you seem to disagree, so let's go to the commune to judge the matter, and let the commune decide whether our family should take back the betrothal gift."
Even Sun Hongmei's father stopped pretending to be reasonable: "My daughter married Liu Zhishuang innocently, and you divorced her just like that, throwing my daughter away and still wanting to get the betrothal gift back? No way!"
Sun Hongmei's mother's voice became even sharper: "It was your son who insisted on marrying my daughter, and we didn't ask for much in terms of betrothal gifts. Why do you want to take back the betrothal gifts now that you two are getting divorced? Is it for nothing that my daughter Hongmei, a virgin, was ruined by Liu Zhishuang?"
Although Sun Hongmei was extremely disappointed with Liu Zhishuang, she still wanted to die after hearing what her mother said. What kind of words are these? Can you say them in front of so many people? Didn't you see that there are more and more people gathering outside the yard because of the off-duty work? If her mother said this, how can she have a good reputation in the future? She will never get married again.
After Xia Juhua finished speaking, she stopped talking and just stared at the Sun family members, taking in their expressions. It must be said that compared to the shameless Sun couple, Sun Hongmei still had some sense of shame, otherwise she wouldn't have such a regretful look on her face.
It's too late to regret. Xia Juhua sighed in her heart. She knew how much damage divorce would cause to women, but she couldn't help but agree with Liu Zhishuang's decision.
It was precisely because she knew the harm that divorce could do to women that Xia Juhua gave Liu Zhishuang the decision on whether to send Sun Hongmei back to her parents' home last time. She thought that if the two were in love, she would not be the one to break them up.
It is obvious that Liu Zhishuang has no feelings for Sun Hongmei now, so there is no need to force the two of them together.
"Sun Hongmei, can you please have some shame?" Liu Zhishuang listened to the Sun family's repeated claims of innocence, and the first thing he thought of was why he had to agree to follow Sun Hongmei around.
After hearing what his mother and the militia captain said just now, Liu Zhishuang realized how stupid he was at that time. He was trying to save people and do good deeds, but he was blamed. There was no one as stupid as him in the whole Ping'an Village.
No, he couldn't be stupid anymore. The betrothal gift was saved by his family, why should it be given to the flattering Sun Hongmei? So he shouted at Sun Hongmei, "Your family accepted the betrothal gift and gave two bags of brown sugar as a dowry, but you treated it like a treasure and started trouble the next day after the wedding. OK, you want to keep the betrothal gift, right? I have no shame, let's go to the commune and make it clear together."
How could the Sun family dare to go to the commune? The Red Team was still holding Liu Sizhuang and his family. So Sun Hongmei's father became polite again: "Zhishuang, Zhishuang, even if you want to divorce Hongmei, you can't let Hongmei jump into the river after leaving Ping'an Village."
"If she jumps into the river again, no one will dare to rescue her." Li Changwang's family suddenly said this, making everyone who was watching the excitement laugh.
Not only could the Sun family not laugh, even Xia Juhua's family couldn't laugh either - mentioning this incident would not only remind people of Sun Hongmei's treachery, but also Liu Zhishuang's stupidity.
When Li Changwang's wife saw Xia Juhua glaring at him, she knew she had said something wrong, so she shrank her neck and hid behind others, not daring to say a word.
"Anyway, our family has accepted the betrothal gift, and Hongmei has married into the Liu family. Even if you want to return the betrothal gift, we Hongmei will not divorce." Sun Hongmei's mother was responsible for playing the good guy, and she still used the same nonsense and nagging tactics.
Sun Hongmei didn't say anything, so Xia Juhua had to let her speak: "Sun Hongmei, after you came in, I felt that I treated you and Caifeng the same. Even if you made trouble again and again, I let Zhishuang and you two solve it. But every time you said you would change, you would make the same mistake again. Think about the days you have lived these days. Are you really happy in your heart?"
Can it be happy? Sun Hongmei looked at Xia Juhua who was talking to her calmly, and suddenly realized that after such a long time since she came in, she actually didn't know this mother-in-law at all. Yes, Xia Juhua didn't talk much, but every word she said made people unable to refute.
When it comes to the Liu family's affairs, Xia Juhua would always ask her son and daughter-in-law to discuss it together. In reality, because Xia Juhua had drawn the bottom line from the beginning that took into account the interests of both sons, Sun Hongmei's several attempts to challenge them ended in failure, and she ended up in a situation where she was neither fish nor folly.
This kind of life was different from what Sun Hongmei had imagined before she got married, and it was not pleasant at all.
Isn't life all about having a good time? Sun Hongmei gritted her teeth and said in a hoarse voice like a broken tin sheet, "I'm not happy, and you guys aren't happy either."
Everyone who heard Sun Hongmei's words was stunned. Was this the daughter-in-law he married? She must be an enemy. The words she said did not sound like she was living a normal life. It was clear that she was here to seek revenge.
Xia Juhua didn't join in the daze. She looked at Sun Hongmei calmly and said, "So now we don't want to be unhappy anymore. You and Zhishuang have to get divorced."
"Xia Juhua," Sun Hongmei stopped calling her mother and pointed at her by name, "You are a widow, so you can't stand your son and his wife getting along so well, so you are urging me to divorce Liu Zhishuang. Bah, you are shameless."
"Pa——" Liu Zhishuang couldn't help himself and finally slapped Sun Hongmei in the face. This time, there was no Xia Juhua to stop him from the side, and the slap was solid. After the slap, Liu Zhishuang looked at Sun Hongmei with anger in his eyes and said:
"If you keep talking nonsense, fine, I won't divorce you. I'll beat you eight times a day until you dare not spray shit all over your mouth!"
Sun Hongmei was stunned by the beating, but her mother was not. She went forward and tried to tear Liu Zhishuang apart. Although Xia Juhua did not approve of Liu Zhishuang beating people, she could not bear to see him suffer, so she directly stopped Sun Hongmei's mother.
"What's going on? Do you people from Sunjiazhuang really want to cause trouble in Ping'anzhuang?" Liu Liqun spoke up at this time, and with the aura of a militia captain, he shouted to the crowd: "Where are the grassroots militia? Basic militia, stand up, tie up these two troublemakers, and send them to the commune's Red Team."
Several people stood up from the noisy crowd, each with a bad look on their face, and grabbed the Sun couple. They went to Sun Hongmei, not knowing whether they should tie them up together, so they looked at Liu Liqun, waiting for his further orders.
The Sun family was terrified. Sun Hongmei's mother, who had just arrogantly insisted on not returning the betrothal gift, burst into tears and said, "My dear, please tell the captain that we can get a divorce if we want one, and return the betrothal gift if we want one. We will take Hongmei home now, and please don't tie us up and take us to the commune, dear."
"Mom, I was just talking nonsense just now. My parents are so old. They can't stand the suffering of being in the Red Team." Sun Hongmei panicked when she saw her parents being tied up. She knew that Liu Zhishuang couldn't make sense now, so she knelt down and begged Xia Juhua for mercy.
Liu Liqun wondered if he, as the militia captain of the brigade, was looked down upon by others, as why did the people of the Sun family not ask for help from him but instead ask for help from Xia Juhua?
But I understood it after thinking about it. After all, Xia Juhua was a woman and had always been soft-hearted. The Sun family had never dealt with me before, so asking me for help would not be as effective as asking Xia Juhua for help.
Seeing Sun Hongmei coming to her for help, Xia Juhua did not feel proud at all. It was not because she was kind, but because as a woman, she knew that Sun Hongmei's future would not be easy.
"Captain Liu, you see..." Liu Liqun had called out the basic militia, so Xia Juhua could only seek his opinion.
Liu Liqun certainly didn't want to bring people to the Red Team again to be laughed at by the furry kids, so he nodded to Xia Juhua, meaning that she should handle it. Xia Juhua knew what was going on, and asked Sun Hongmei, "Do you agree to divorce Zhishuang?"
Sun Hongmei was speechless. Of course, she didn't want to get divorced. But Xia Juhua's question to her was still ringing in her ears. She would definitely be even more unhappy if she stayed. The slap Liu Zhishuang had just given her and the words he said with hatred also made Sun Hongmei afraid that she would be beaten even harder in the future.
She didn't say anything, but her mother nodded anxiously: "Divorce, of course divorce. Speak quickly, you silly girl, do you want your father and I to be locked up in a small dark room?"
Wang Caifeng quietly approached Xia Juhua and reminded her in a low voice: "Mom, there is still the betrothal gift."
Xia Juhua was a little helpless. She glared at her and asked Wang Caifeng to step back. She then looked at Liu Zhishuang and said, "Zhishuang, I'll ask you again, do you really have to get a divorce?"
Liu Zhishuang nodded without hesitation and said in a buzzing voice: "Mom, just because she said that about you, I can't live with her anymore."
Sun Hongmei heard Liu Zhishuang's answer without hesitation and spat at him: "You don't want to live with me, but I don't want to live with you either. A grown man in his twenties, you listen to your mother in everything. You can't even make decisions with the money you earn. You'll be single for the rest of your life!"
Oh, Xia Juhua, who was not easily angered, also lost her temper: "Sun Hongmei, you don't have to worry about whether my son will remain single or not. But as for the betrothal gift, I thought it was not easy for you to move in and out of the family, so I wanted to leave some for you. Now it seems that it is not necessary."
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