Upon seeing the photo, Jiang Shuya took a deep breath and glanced at Tangtang, who was on the sofa playing with a jigsaw puzzle, chattering away.
She unconsciously smiled. The two in the photo looked very close, with Huang Minghao holding Ren Jing from behind and looking at her affectionately.
The girl was pretty and delicate, with a charming smile and a shallow dimple. She was very approachable and completely different from me.
Although Jiang Shuya doesn't care much about her appearance, she believes she is as beautiful as anyone she knows. Obviously, the woman in the photo is not as outstanding as her in terms of looks. This also suggests that Huang Minghao's criteria for choosing a partner may not be based on appearance.
What exactly caused this couple to break up? The girl's family is from Anhui Province, so her parents might not come to Jiangdao to investigate. Or perhaps it was because of the exorbitant bride price.
With questions lingering in her mind, she smiled with relief, once again feeling deep regret for her past self. It was truly not worth sacrificing her life for someone so ephemeral.
In the kitchen, the mother-in-law was busy, constantly complaining. The old man sat at the kitchen doorway, scalding the chicken he had just killed with boiling water, preparing to pluck its feathers. Huang Minghao sat leisurely on a wooden chair in the backyard, smoking a cigarette. The atmosphere of the family seemed exceptionally harmonious.
"Hey Hao Hao, what are you thinking? Do you want a divorce or not? I don't want to serve your wife anymore."
Look, it's almost Chinese New Year, and she hasn't even bought anything decent for the house. I'm busy preparing a table full of dishes, and she doesn't even come out to lend a hand. She's like a hands-off manager, not even bothering to pick up a fallen oil bottle.
My family doesn't need someone like that. You'd better find a way to get a divorce right away. Every day I see her, I feel like I'm living another day.
Li Yuxiang kept complaining, and then recounted the story of Zheng Jia and Li Xiaohua giving her gifts a few days ago.
The old man chimed in, recounting how he had spent the night outside in the freezing cold.
Huang Minghao exhaled wisps of smoke, his eyes remaining expressionless. He recalled having dinner at his grandfather's house yesterday, where his grandfather mentioned that Jiang Shuya had given him a gift.
Uncle, Third Uncle, and Second Uncle all praised their granddaughter-in-law for being filial and sensible, and for bringing honor to Hao Hao. A look of joy involuntarily appeared in their eyes.
"Mom, I know about the gift-giving. She did the right thing. Grandpa has worried about me a lot since I was a child. Those few things are nothing. Don't complain about her."
As for not cooking, I'll talk to her about it later and ask her to help out more in the future. You can patiently teach her; she's not good at cooking anyway.
Upon hearing this, Li Yuxiang jumped up, glancing sideways, and brandished a kitchen knife, making exaggerated gestures:
"Hehe, you want your wife to cook? It's harder than climbing to heaven. When she first came to my house, she seemed so obedient and docile, so delicate. But in just over a year, she's changed so much!"
She's always contradicting me. What kind of wife is like her? When I ask her for money, she makes all sorts of excuses and refuses. It's like she'd kill me if I asked her for money.
The little money she scrapes together isn't even enough to cover the household expenses. What's most infuriating is that she laid down three rules with me: she wouldn't let me go to the gambling den, but she'd interfere with my card games too. She's incredibly arrogant and makes me suffer, even ordering me to go to work while she stays home and enjoys herself. What, does she expect me to support her?
The more she talked, the more outrageous it became. Li Yuxiang's skill in exaggerating was truly remarkable. Seeing her son, her powerful backer, return to her side, she was determined to find a way to vent her long-suppressed dissatisfaction.
Upon hearing this, Huang Minghao irritably threw down his cigarette butt and said impatiently:
"Mom, I've only been married for less than two years, and you're telling me to divorce her during the Lunar New Year? Does that sound good to people?"
Others only think my family can't tolerate her. Besides, you should know better than anyone that Grandpa won't agree either. Even if you're unhappy, you have to put up with it for now. You said you didn't have money, so I gave you all my salary and bonuses this time. I didn't send any to Grandpa either.
Sure enough, the son always puts his mother first, handing over all his money to her the moment he gets home, ultimately ignoring the person he doesn't love.
Jiang Shuya was standing on the second-floor balcony above them, and she could see everything they were saying.
Li Yuxiang launched into another rebuttal without giving a chance to argue:
"Why do you only think about that old geezer's feelings! I'm your own mother, do you know what it's like to be penniless? You know what kind of person your father is, he doesn't give the family a single penny every month, he goes out to gamble every day after get off work, and he often doesn't come home at night, he doesn't care about my life or death at all."
After saying that, he pointed the knife in his hand at the old man menacingly and launched into another round of complaints:
“Ask him how much he owes now. A few days ago I went to the market to buy New Year’s goods, and the mahjong parlor owner there asked me for money right away. How am I supposed to get through the New Year? I’m worried about the 10,000 yuan you gave me, afraid that he’ll use it.”
Upon hearing this, Huang Minghao frowned, glared, stood up, and pointed at Huang Guohua, who was plucking feathers from a chicken:
“I’m warning you now. If you’re capable, you can fill the holes you’ve made outside. If you’re not, you can stay in jail and don’t cause trouble for the family. If I find out that the creditors come to the door, I’ll be the first to break your arm.”
Unexpectedly, the old man stretched his neck, his eyes filled with anger, and roared at his son:
“Come on, take that knife from your mother’s hand and point it here. I want to see how the child I raised will turn on his own father. Is it the father who controls the son, or the son who controls the father?”
Huang Minghao stood there stubbornly, and after a moment, he tried to take the knife from Li Yuxiang's hand. Li Yuxiang struggled and stomped her feet, refusing to give it to him no matter what, and said anxiously:
"You little brat, you actually laid a hand on me! I'm just angry that he's so useless and brings trouble to the family. You dare to lay a hand on your own father? You won't get away with this either. Are you stupid, son?"
From childhood to adulthood, his father never put any effort into him. In Huang Minghao's memory, his father was rarely home, and it was mostly his mother, Li Yuxiang, who provided him with warmth and companionship.
As Huang Minghao grew older, he discovered that his father's behavior drew even more contempt from others, which made him feel inferior and ashamed of having such a father.
Seeing that Li Yuxiang was tightly clutching the kitchen knife in her hand, Huang Minghao went upstairs in a fit of rage.
When we got upstairs, we saw Jiang Shuya holding Tangtang and gently telling her a story. She was holding a children's storybook with comics in her hand, and the little one was listening intently with her big eyes blinking.
Seeing this, Huang Minghao suppressed his anger, went into the second bedroom, closed the door, lay on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
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