"Don't go after him! That kind of bastard should never come back. If you dare to go after him, you'll be just like him and never come back to this house!" Old Wu said, stopping him.
Da Lüshi immediately stopped in her tracks, her face filled with anxiety and worry. "Oh dear, what's going on? Youcai is really something, why did he make his father so angry? You can keep that woman outside, why did you have to bring her home to upset his father? What if your own husband really gets angry and won't let him come home?"
Seeing this, Xiao Lü came up to comfort her: "Mother, don't worry. Eldest brother is the only scholar in the Wu family. The whole family and clan are counting on him. Father won't abandon eldest brother. The most important thing now is to get your sister-in-law's family to come up with the money as soon as possible."
"Mother, you need to quickly think about how much money we'll need for food and drink at home, my eldest brother's tuition, and his daily expenses in the county."
Only then did Madam Lü feel relieved. Xinghua was right; Youcai was destined for officialdom, and her husband certainly wouldn't prevent him from returning. Getting money was the most important thing now. Seeing that Youcai's family already had an oxcart and everyone was dressed in new clothes, she figured she should ask for at least five taels of silver. But no, that wasn't enough. An oxcart alone cost at least five taels of silver, and the ox looked strong enough to cost even more…
As Lady Lü was pondering this in her heart, a sneer suddenly rang out.
"Oh"
Song Anxin looked at the two women, the elder and the younger, with amusement. She said sarcastically, "My sister-in-law is right. You two are really too shameless. You still expect our family to give you money? You're daydreaming in broad daylight. It's true what they say: a tree without bark will surely die, but a person without shame is invincible."
Lin Erxi, standing to the side, thought to herself, "How come my second aunt's cursing is so cultured? It seems I haven't read enough books."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lü glared at her and said, "Who do you think you are?! What right do you have to interfere in our family affairs?!"
Da Lü looked at her and thought she seemed familiar. She seemed to be her second aunt, who had a talented wife, but she didn't feel like her. Her second aunt didn't seem to be this thin or this pretty.
Lin Erxi immediately glared even more fiercely than her: "She's my second aunt, do you think she has any right to interfere? Let me tell you, my second aunt is right. Your family has done such a thing, and Wu Youcai is a scoundrel. You still want our family to give you money? Keep dreaming. My eldest sister is here today to divorce Wu Youcai. From now on, you won't get a single penny from our family!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lü was shocked and her eyes widened. She couldn't understand why her second aunt from the Lin family had changed so much. The Wu family members also had expressions of disbelief on their faces.
What?! They must have heard right, a talented wife wants a divorce. Not to mention Houhua Village, there have been very few divorces in the surrounding villages over generations. Isn't she afraid of being drowned in people's spittle?
Old Wu's voice trembled slightly: "Youcai, is this...is this true?"
Lin Daxi's face turned deathly pale, and he said with a resolute look in his eyes, "Yes, Father, thank you for taking care of me during this time. You just heard what Youcai said. Since his heart is no longer with me, I don't want to live with him anymore."
Wu Youcai's words just now completely extinguished any hope she had for him.
A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the Wu family compound. The farce that had just unfolded had been witnessed by the villagers of Houhua Village. They were all secretly cursing the old woman of the Wu family for being a bad person who always favored her own niece, Youde's wife, making her do all the work. She would often vent her anger by scolding Youde's wife whenever she was unhappy, and even physically assaulting her. She only did this because Youde's wife was easy to talk to.
Now Wu Youcai is bringing other women home, but what man doesn't have affairs? Youcai is a scholar, so naturally he's more attractive to girls. Judging from Youcai's father's attitude, he's still siding with his eldest daughter-in-law. This matter will pass if Youcai just stays home and tolerates it. I thought Youcai's wife had come with her family to demand justice, but it turns out it's a divorce!
When the women who had just informed Erxi of the news heard that he was indeed going to divorce, they quickly tried to dissuade him:
“Youcai, how can a divorced woman live? She’ll be talked about behind her back for the rest of her life. She should just stay with Youcai and live a good life.”
"Yes, you're a talented wife. It's not that bad. What man doesn't like women? In the end, he'll just come home. Once he becomes a high-ranking official, you'll be able to live a good life as his wife."
Some gossipy women said, "Oh dear, how shameless! Still thinking about divorce. Women are born for men. If they leave a man, they might as well just kill themselves."
"That's right. If someone becomes an official, he'll definitely take a few concubines. It's not unusual for someone to have a woman now."
"........"
Song Anxin's brow twitched as she listened. What kind of feudal remnants were these people! And they were all women! No wonder some rotten men were so brazen, not only washing other people's underwear without complaint but also harassing their own female community. She was really afraid that Daxi would be persuaded by these people, but fortunately, Daxi, as expected of the girl raised by her sister-in-law, still had some self-control.
Lin Daxi said to the women who were trying to persuade her, "Aunt Ermu, Sister Nizi... you don't need to persuade me. My mind is made up. I used to think that as long as he was talented and devoted to me, and I studied hard, he would definitely give me a good life in the future. The suffering I am experiencing now is nothing. But his heart has already gone to another woman. There is no point in me staying in this family anymore."
She didn't even glance at the women who were making sarcastic remarks.
Only then did Madam Lü realize what was happening and shouted, "You still want a divorce? Let me tell you, no way! You were born a member of the Wu family and you will die a ghost of the Wu family. You are destined to be our family's slave for the rest of your life, and our family will never agree to that!"
She's not stupid. That Cui Cui is a city girl, and she seems to have money, but if Youcai were to marry her, she wouldn't respect her as her mother-in-law. How could she put on airs as a mother-in-law then? Who would do all the housework?
Once her son becomes a talented official and has someone to serve him, she won't care whether her eldest daughter-in-law wants a divorce or not.
Xiao Lü breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her mother-in-law would definitely not let her sister-in-law and brother-in-law divorce. Otherwise, all the housework would fall on her shoulders, and she would be exhausted.
She softened her voice and said to Lin Daxi, "Sister-in-law, what nonsense are you talking about? We may be joking, but we're still family. Why are you saying such serious things?"
Old Wu also said, "Yes, Da Cao's mother, Xiao Cao and Da Cao are still young. For the sake of Xiao Cao and Da Cao, can you please not divorce You Cai? I will let You Cai come home and live a good life with you."
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