Chapter 24 Liu Tian's Control
No one in the Hu family welcomed the people from the neighborhood committee, so Song Lubai and her two companions found benches and sat down on their own.
Although the furniture in the house was all old and worn, it had all sorts of furniture, so it didn't look like a family that was so poor they couldn't afford to eat.
The other courtyards were crammed with several families, but the Hu family lived in a small courtyard by themselves. Although there were only four rooms, it was more than enough for four people.
When you visit other people's homes, the host will offer you water. But don't expect that at the Hu family's house; those two old folks have expressions that say they owe them money.
After organizing his thoughts, Liu Tian said, "You two have been married for so many years. Even if you break bones, the tendons are still connected. Shen Lingyu couldn't have children because your family beat her. What will happen to her after the divorce? You're the ones who ruined her like that, so you have to take responsibility."
Song Lubai's lips itch.
She, who is unmarried, can empathize with Shen Lingyu, so why does Liu Tian, who has a family, continue to support Shen Lingyu's life?
If the Hu family were willing to take responsibility, why would they have resorted to violence? Holding such scum accountable is a joke.
Shen Lingyu is an adult with her own thoughts and actions, and she can take responsibility for herself.
Granny Li: "What does it matter to us what she does? All I know is that if things continue like this, my Hu family line will end."
Song Lubai interjected, "You keep referring to the Hu family, but your surname is Li. You have your own surname. Just because you're married doesn't mean you become someone else's family."
Granny Li glared at her: "What do you know, you little brat?"
Liu Tian glanced at Song Lubai, giving her a look that warned her not to speak.
Zhao Lei also gave Song Lubai a disdainful look.
Song Lubai shut her mouth in frustration.
Liu Tian continued, "The child is not a problem. We can just find a relative of your Hu family to adopt one. If we don't have any relatives, we can just go to the countryside and bring one back."
“You’ve seen the attitude of your neighbors. Your family has a bad reputation, and Hu Xiaoqing is not young anymore. She won’t be able to find a partner in the city.”
Seeing that Granny Li was about to retort, Liu Tian raised his voice, "You want to say that you can go to the village to find someone, right? But if you get divorced, where will your family live? This courtyard used to be Shen Lingyu's ancestral property. Although it doesn't belong to her now, she still has the right to live here. If you get divorced, as long as she applies to move out, the housing management bureau will definitely agree. She can't live in such a big courtyard by herself, so the housing management bureau will definitely arrange for other families to move in. You know how tight housing is in the city. They'll arrange for three newly married young couples without a house to move in and kick you out. Your life won't be so comfortable then."
"Even if a child is not your own, if you raise them from a young age, what's the difference between them and your own children?"
"Where can you find a daughter-in-law as good as Shen Lingyu?"
These words left the Hu family elders speechless.
Liu Tian's words struck at their Achilles' heel.
Originally, if they had just moved Shen Lingyu to the village and transferred her household registration, the courtyard would have been theirs to live in.
But now that things have escalated to the police station, the police can't do anything to them without evidence, but they certainly can't use the same trick again.
If they get divorced and can no longer live in the courtyard, where will they go? They won't be able to live in such a spacious courtyard again after all the fuss.
The Hu family elders remained calm, but Song Lubai could no longer stay calm.
How could things be done like this?
Shen Lingyu's demand is for a divorce; if she cannot get one, she will continue to be beaten.
Life is no different from before.
No, there are still differences.
If she has another child who isn't her biological child, she'll have to take care of another child with no blood relation.
Wouldn't that be even worse?
No!
In the silence, a tall, thin man entered, accompanied by a strong smell of the toilet.
The person who came was none other than Shen Lingyu's husband, Hu Xiaoqing.
Liu Tian saw him and said, "You must be Shen Lingyu's husband?"
Hu Xiaoqing nodded with a frown, his expression showing displeasure.
Liu Tian continued, "The situation is like this..."
She repeated what she had said earlier, and finally asked, "What are you thinking? After all, you're the one who's been living with Shen Lingyu for so many years. No matter what, you're family. Blood is thicker than water. You can't just get a divorce impulsively..."
Liu Tian rambled on and on, only to receive a muffled reply from Hu Xiaoqing: "I listen to my parents, whatever they want to do."
After saying that, Hu Xiaoqing took the basin and towel to the tap to wash.
Song Lubai: "..."
Damn it, marrying him is worse than marrying a pig; at least a pig will grunt.
Hu Xiaoqing remained silent, while Liu Tian turned his attention to Old Man Hu and Granny Li.
“You two need to think this through. If you get divorced, you won’t be able to stay in this house. If you don’t believe me, go ask around. If you don’t want a divorce, you can adopt someone and live a good life as a family. Stop hitting people. Although Shen Lingyu has no relatives to stand up for her, she has been driven to a dead end, and you won’t get away with it.”
Old Mrs. Li sneered, "She should be grateful if she doesn't get a divorce. If she does, with her body unable to have children, who would want her!"
Song Lubai rolled her eyes: "Didn't you guys want to sell her off to be a stepmother? How come nobody wants her now!"
She didn't mean to say something, but it just came out as soon as she opened her mouth.
Those two old geezers are absolutely infuriating.
Granny Li was speechless.
This little courtyard was so important that the two old men's arrogance had diminished considerably.
Liu Tian continued earnestly, "Shen Lingyu is still very weak. She should still be in the hospital. Why don't you make something nutritious and send it to her to ease the tension and show her some care? You've lived together for so many years, why make such a fuss?"
Granny Li rolled her eyes, "Giving it to her would be worse than feeding it to a dog."
Liu Tian raised his voice, "Fine, then let her keep making a scene. If she insists on getting a divorce and we can't stop her, your whole family will be sleeping on the streets! She's really getting too cocky after having too many good days and has to cause trouble. You're a woman too, and you have a daughter. What will you do if your daughter gets beaten to death by your in-laws?"
Granny Li turned her head away, clearly still unconvinced, but ultimately said nothing.
Liu Tian stood up and said, "I've said all I have to say. If you can still live together, then continue. If you can't, then break up. If you push her too far, and we can't stop her from insisting on a divorce, you'll have to bear the consequences yourselves. From now on, the Women's Federation and our street office will come to visit from time to time to see if you'll still hit people. If you continue like this, we'll arrange for two more families to move into this spacious courtyard. Housing is very tight right now. There are plenty of married couples who have nowhere to live. We think you're just bored and resort to violence because you have too much space in your home."
Granny Li was anxious. "No, no, we can't arrange any more people. There are only a few small rooms, how can that be enough? If we have children later, it will be too crowded."
Liu Tian snorted coldly, "If you don't live a good life after coaxing them back, it's a waste to let you stay here."
Once outside the courtyard, Zhao Lei praised, "Sister Liu, you really have a way with things, and you're very experienced."
Liu Tian sighed, "What can I do? I just have plenty of experience. I've mediated countless family conflicts over the years. Every family has the same issues, right? As long as the Hu family is willing to humble themselves and coax people, this divorce won't happen!"
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