Chapter 39: Liberation
Grandma Pei was shocked when she heard this. She remembered that more than 20 years ago, she had forcibly separated her eldest son and Zhang Yumei.
At that time, he was afraid that the eldest daughter of this high-ranking official was too strong and he could not control her, so he found a wife from an ordinary family.
The next day, she packed her bag and returned to City C.
"Mom, why are you back again?" Father Pei was a little surprised to see her appear at the doorstep, exhausted.
"I heard that Zhang Yumei got divorced?" Grandma Pei went straight to the point.
Father Pei was stunned for a moment: "How do you know..."
"Big brother," Grandma Pei held his hand and said earnestly, "Now your brother's problem can only be saved by Zhang Yumei's father."
"Mom!" Pei's father pulled his hand back suddenly, "What are you talking about?"
"What's wrong with what I said?" Grandma Pei raised her voice, "Your brother is in jail now, can you bear to watch? As long as you marry Zhang Yumei and ask her father to help talk to her..."
"Mom! You are getting old and confused!" Pei's father's face turned pale, "I am a married man now."
"Then let's get a divorce!" Grandma Pei said excitedly, "Your wife hasn't given birth to a second child for you in these years. How can one son be enough? Besides, she comes from an ordinary family. What kind of help can she give you?"
"Mom, please stop talking." Father Pei turned around and was about to leave.
"You dare to leave?" Grandma Pei collapsed to the ground. "If you don't agree, I will go on a hunger strike here! I want to see whether saving your brother is more important to you or that woman!"
From that day on, Grandma Pei found different ways to torture Pei's father and mother every day.
"Look at you, you haven't even been able to give birth to a second child for so many years, and you still have the nerve to be the mistress of the house?" Grandma Pei brought up the past, "If I hadn't been soft-hearted, how could I have let my son marry a useless woman like you!"
Pei's mother endured it silently, and was scolded even when she wanted to pour a glass of water for her mother-in-law.
"Don't be so hypocritical!" Grandma Pei screamed, "If it weren't for you, my son would have been very successful!"
Pei's father couldn't stand the smog at home, so he dared to go home very late every day, and gradually developed a habit of not returning home at night.
Soon, an entertainment news hit the headlines in City C:
"The chairman of the well-known Pei Group had a tryst with his young female secretary in the underground parking lot!"
The accompanying picture shows Pei's father and a young woman hugging each other in a dim parking lot, behaving very intimately.
Although the photo was blurry, it was enough to cause an uproar.
The comments section was filled with ridicule:
"Hey, Chairman Pei usually pretends to be a decent person, but what does he do behind the scenes?"
"The younger brother is corrupt and the older brother is having an affair. They are really good brothers!"
"The Pei family is about to stage a full-scale fight..."
Mother Pei's hands trembled slightly as she watched the news.
Grandma Pei rushed into her room, pointed at her nose and scolded: "Look at yourself, you can't even keep a man, how can you still have the face to stay in the Pei family and be an eyesore? Divorce as soon as possible, my son wants to find someone who is equally matched!"
The phone fell to the ground, making a crisp breaking sound.
Mother Pei covered her face with her hands, tears streaming down her face.
After so many years of hard work, this is the result we got in the end.
She suddenly remembered her dream when she was young.
At that time, she had just been admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts, and her biggest wish was to study abroad.
There are the art halls and world-class museums that she most desires.
Every night before going to bed, she would flip through the picture albums of European art history and imagine herself standing in the Louvre sketching.
She gave up so much for this family, but now it seems so ridiculous.
Looking at the photos of her son studying abroad in Country D, she often thought that if he had persisted back then, perhaps his life would be very different now.
Every time Pei Song video-chatted with her and talked about his study abroad life at M University, her eyes would tear up involuntarily.
The girl who was once full of artistic dreams gave up too much for this unworthy home.
When Pei Song got home from get off work, his mother had already made up her mind.
"Songsong," Pei's mother's face was covered with tears, but she had a relieved smile, "Mom wants to start over."
"Whatever you want to do is fine." Pei Song hugged his mother tightly, "I support you."
Pei's mother moved out of the Pei family that night, and the next day she took Pei's father to submit a divorce application. When Pei's grandmother heard the good news, she smiled happily.
"Boss, this is a good thing!" She excitedly pulled Pei's father's hand, "After the divorce, I will go to the Zhang family to propose marriage. Zhang Yumei is single now, isn't this God's will?"
Father Pei shook off her hand and locked himself in the study.
"Why are you doing this?" Grandma Pei persuaded outside the study room, "Zhang Yumei has a good family background, and her father is now a big shot in the province. As long as you get back together, Pei Cheng's matter will be solved. As a brother, you can't just watch your brother suffer in prison, right?"
After the divorce cooling-off period ended, Pei's father refused to show up
"Songsong, your father still refuses to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau..." Pei's mother called Pei Song with a worried look on her face.
"I'll go talk to him." Pei Song comforted his mother.
That night, Pei Song knocked on the door of his father's study.
"Dad, do you really have to push things to this point?"
Father Pei was sitting at the desk, fiddling with a photo frame in his hand. It was a photo of the family taken on their last outing.
"Your mother..." Pei's father's voice was a little hoarse, "Do you really want to divorce me?"
"Do you think this is fair to Mom?" Pei Song looked at his father. "You can't treat her like this with Grandma and not give her a chance to get out of this."
"I......"
"Your affair with that secretary has spread like wildfire, but you didn't even give Mom an explanation. Even if you don't divorce, do you think she will still be happy in the future?"
There was a long silence in the study.
Finally, it was Pei's father who spoke first: "When do we agree to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau?"
"The day after tomorrow at nine in the morning."
Father Pei nodded: "I will go."
Two days later, Pei's father showed up at the Civil Affairs Bureau on time.
After Pei's father got the divorce certificate, Grandma Pei smiled so hard that her teeth were showing.
"That's good," she began to make arrangements, "I'll ask someone to find out what Zhang Yumei thinks. You two were a perfect match when you were young, so this time it will definitely work out!"
After Pei's mother left the Pei family, she moved into a small courtyard in the suburbs that she owned her own name and started a new life.
The guest bedroom was converted into a tea room, and the spacious study became her studio.
The shackles of being the mistress of a wealthy family were finally removed, and she became herself again.
I paint every morning and occasionally meet up with a few close friends for afternoon tea.
When Pei Song went to see her, he found that his mother was more energetic than before and there was light in her eyes again.
"I feel relieved now," said Pei's mother. "I don't have to look at your grandma's face anymore."