Zhao Faxia cried so hard that tears streamed down her face. She didn't even use tissues, just wiped her tears with her cotton-padded jacket. After wiping, she sniffled and muttered, "Fine, I'll get a divorce if I want. I won't beg her anymore."
Seeing this, Sun Lifang opened the restaurant door and let Jiang Meimei come out to face the situation herself.
No amount of advice from others can compare to firsthand experience.
After calming down, Zhao Faxia wiped away her tears and asked Jiang Meimei, "Are you taking Yuanbao with you in the divorce?"
Jiang Meimei lowered her head and remained silent.
Yes, she never considered that question—
Can I take my ex-husband's children with me after a divorce?
Why did my mother-in-law ask that? Didn't she want to be tied to her eldest grandson even in death?
Seeing that Jiang Meimei remained silent, Zhao Faxia spoke up, "Meimei, let's talk about something serious—"
"You are the child's biological mother, and you have an obligation to raise your son, right?"
Jiang Meimei, still angry from being slapped, finally managed a soft "hmm" after a long pause.
Zhao Faxia then said, "Alright, you can take the child with you. I'm going back to my hometown to retire."
"I'm not stupid or clueless. I don't know the value of money or how to spend it."
Li Zhi has earned quite a bit in the past two years and bought Zhao Faxia a house in the county for her retirement.
"Fallen leaves return to their roots. Do you think I want to stay at home every day, holding a child in my left arm and cooking with my right?"
"Don't I want to go out and have fun? Don't I want to buy new clothes?"
Confined to her small, cramped room all day, Zhao Faxia couldn't bear the monotonous life of a nanny anymore. Her left arm ached from holding the baby, so much so that she had to apply ointment to it.
Jiang Meimei muttered softly, "You're the one who insisted on taking care of the child."
"What did you say?" Zhao Faxia pointed at her. "How many times did you take care of Yuanbao when he was little? Who did all the chores like making formula and changing diapers?"
I can't get a full night's sleep, and all my hard work turns out to be something I did willingly.
ungrateful!
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Sun Lifang pulled the woman back, "Speak properly, what brought you here today?"
Originally intended to mediate, Zhao Faxia no longer sees it that way—
She said firmly to Jiang Meimei, "After the divorce, Yuanbao will be yours to take with you."
"Rather than let his stepmother mistreat him, he'd rather stay with you."
They were now talking about divorce. Jiang Meimei repeatedly checked her mother-in-law's expression and finally couldn't sit still any longer.
How can we let her take her son away?
If they take him away, I'll definitely lose my job, and that man too—
Would someone be willing to raise another person's son?
The answer is no, or there's a small chance that the man will be willing to raise the child and the ex-husband will pay child support, but then the relationship between the woman and the man will be...
It was at this moment that Jiang Meimei finally considered her situation after marriage.
Zhao Faxia was clearly prepared; after saying that, she remained silent.
Jiang Meimei's argument was well-founded and irrefutable.
After an internal struggle, Jiang Meimei couldn't swallow her pride and nodded hesitantly, saying, "Okay, I'll take it with me."
At this point, Jiang Meimei realized that she had no way out.
It was all his own doing.
But Jiang Meimei's belated "rebellious phase" wouldn't allow her to back down in the face of the outcome.
Everyone goes through a rebellious phase; it's just a matter of when.
Jiang Meimei still couldn't let go of the fact that Zhao Faxia had slapped her, so she spoke up, "Why did you hit me? You should apologize to me."
Apologize?
Hearing this, Zhao Faxia almost laughed. Shouldn't people who cheat be beaten?
If a man cheats on his wife, catching him in a hotel with his mistress will likely result in him getting a bruised and battered face – that's the least of your worries.
When it comes to her daughter-in-law, how dare she ask for an apology?
Jiang Meimei held her head high, waiting for an apology. In fact, she had never received any respect. Zhao Faxia always scolded her in the tone of a child.
Even a clay figure has some earthy spirit; Jiang Meimei firmly demanded to be on equal footing with Zhao Faxia.
It was at this moment that Sun Lifang discovered the root of the conflict—
Jiang Meimei longs to be respected like an adult and to have her own privacy, but Zhao Faxia doesn't care.
Because we're family, so close, there's no need for formalities.
They scolded and hit her when they should, but they forgot that Jiang Meimei also had self-respect. She also needed to be loved, cared for, and live in a relaxed atmosphere.
Now, the two sides are at a stalemate, neither speaking, both with stern faces and silent.
Zhao Faxia clearly had a problem with Sun Lifang, and with a "humph," she turned her head to the other side.
The meaning is quite clear: she believes that Jiang Meimei was "corrupted" by Sun Lifang.
After thinking for a moment, Sun Lifang sent a message to Zhou Yunshi, asking him when he would make the arrangements.
The man replied, "Don't worry, I've already spoken to Xiao Li."
After reading the message, the doorbell rang, and Jiang Meimei went to open the door—
In that instant, her heart clenched.
The husband's arm was linked with that of a gentle woman in a pale yellow suit. He greeted her softly, "You are—"
After hesitating for a moment, she turned her head to look at Li Zhi with feigned innocence and asked, "Is she the nanny here?"
The woman had her hair permed with the latest trend of ionic straightening, and it was styled up, revealing her fair shoulders and neck.
Jiang Meimei glanced at them, then sat back down on the sofa without saying a word.
She doesn't want to get entangled anymore; the sooner it's over, the better.
Over here, Zhao Faxia's red eyes still couldn't escape her son's gaze. Li Zhi sat down next to her, picked up his mother's arm, and saw her wet sleeves, and sighed.
He didn't want his mother to suffer anymore; this kind of family life made him feel exhausted, but—
Remembering Mr. Zhou's instructions before he left, Li Zhi still forced himself to speak, "This is my girlfriend, Mengyi. Mom, please introduce her to me."
Mengyi was quick to respond; she immediately sat down next to Zhao Faxia, put her arm around the old woman's shoulder, leaned her head against her, and said sweetly, "Auntie—"
The ending note was sweet and drawn out.
She was someone who knew how to act cute, Sun Lifang thought to herself, admiring how quick-witted the actress was, but she immediately realized something was amiss.
Mengyi leaned against Zhao Faxia on her left, and held Li Zhi's large hand with her right.
This is way too intimate!
Realizing something was wrong, Sun Lifang quickly spoke up, "You're not divorced yet, how can you do this?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly thought of Jiang Meimei's matter, and his confidence instantly wavered.
Mengyi saw through Li Zhi's filial piety towards his mother, so she focused on this aspect, speaking and acting with dignity and generosity.
Now, Mengyi has already started to care about the elderly man's health.
Upon learning that Zhao Faxia had diabetes, she immediately exclaimed, "Oh dear! What should we do? Your mother must be feeling unwell all the time."
This question struck a chord with Zhao Faxia, who nodded and replied, "I'm usually careful, it's alright."
Following up on the topic, Mengyi asked Zhao Faxia what kind of food she usually ate, and even gave an example of a relative who also had diabetes, using this as an excuse to get closer to her.
After hearing the whole set of words, Sun Lifang was left dumbfounded.
Wow, that's the difference!
If you're sweet-talking, even if you don't give anything in return, the elderly will still think you're nice.
Especially considering that Jiang Meimei was the control group in front of us.
When a hothead meets someone with high emotional intelligence, Jiang Meimei is bound to lose.
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