Wang Da'an was from Wangjia Village, which wasn't far from Zhangjia Village. Before marrying Wang Da'an, during her university winter and summer breaks, Zhang Xiaoxiao would often visit Wang Da'an's family to chat and build rapport. Over time, Zhang Xiaoxiao and Li Lanhua became close friends despite their age difference. This strong bond between them was undoubtedly a factor in Zhang Xiaoxiao's decision to marry Wang Da'an immediately after graduation. She understood that marriage wasn't just about marrying a person, but also about marrying their family.
Zhang Xiaoxiao couldn't understand how her mother-in-law, Li Lanhua, who had treated her like her own daughter before marriage, could turn on her so suddenly, as if their past relationship and interactions never existed.
The longer it went on, the worse Li Lanhua's attitude towards Zhang Xiaoxiao became. From initially giving her a cold shoulder and occasionally mocking her, she started resorting to hitting and verbally abusing her, unleashing a 360-degree twisting and turning technique. Li Lanhua's actions became increasingly outrageous.
Initially, Zhang Xiaoxiao had complained to her husband, Wang Da'an, pleading with him to speak up for her and tell Li Lanhua not to be so vicious. But the moment Zhang Xiaoxiao uttered the word "vicious," Wang Da'an slapped her across the face, leaving her cheek swollen and red. Before Zhang Xiaoxiao could react, Wang Da'an, in a fit of rage, unleashed a torrent of abuse on the stunned girl. Afterwards, perhaps still not satisfied, he smashed up the room and stormed off, leaving Zhang Xiaoxiao alone, heartbroken and weeping.
Zhang Xiaoxiao, being a scholar, was not a woman of the old days, and she disdained the traditional virtues of obedience to her father at home, to her husband after marriage, and to her son after her husband's death. Her married life was unhappy; her mother-in-law abused her, and her husband indiscriminately bound her. Zhang Xiaoxiao resolved to divorce Wang Da'an. However, just as she was preparing to divorce him, she discovered she was pregnant, and her resolve wavered.
Considering her unborn child, Zhang Xiaoxiao chose to continue living with Wang Da'an. Perhaps Li Lanhua and Wang Da'an had many faults in the past, but for the sake of the Wang family bloodline in her womb, the situation should change, Zhang Xiaoxiao thought to herself. In the end, Zhang Xiaoxiao only still had a sliver of lingering affection for Wang Da'an.
Zhang Xiaoxiao told Wang Da'an and Li Lanhua about her pregnancy. Although Li Lanhua didn't react much, Wang Da'an was so excited he didn't know what to do, which finally brought a smile to Zhang Xiaoxiao's face after a long period of unease. After the joy subsided, Zhang Xiaoxiao, carrying the weight of two lives, was carefully coaxed to sleep by Wang Da'an. She vaguely heard Wang Da'an and Li Lanhua whispering among themselves.
Zhang Xiaoxiao didn't know what Wang Da'an had said to Li Lanhua. The next morning, when the pregnant and sleepy Zhang Xiaoxiao woke up, her little nose twitched, clearly smelling the aroma of breakfast. When she learned that Li Lanhua had prepared breakfast, Zhang Xiaoxiao felt a mix of sadness, bitterness, and joy. Li Lanhua's previous beatings and verbal abuse were probably just a widowed mother's revenge against the woman who had taken away her only son. Li Lanhua simply hadn't come to terms with it yet, but now, with Zhang Xiaoxiao's pregnancy, her kind-faced mother-in-law had finally returned.
The good times didn't last long. The conflict between Li Lanhua and Zhang Xiaoxiao, who were mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, erupted again. Because of the negative impact of Li Lanhua's previous repression and silence and her son's warning, Li Lanhua became even more ruthless and showed no mercy, completely disregarding the child in Zhang Xiaoxiao's belly.
Zhang Xiaoxiao's habitual tolerance of Li Lanhua didn't earn her forgiveness, concessions, or apologies; instead, it provoked ruthless treatment from Li Lanhua's subordinates. Zhang Xiaoxiao was pregnant, and pregnant women's emotions are inherently unpredictable and uncontrollable. Li Lanhua's words and actions went too far, and Zhang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but retort, leading to an unforeseen and irreversible tragedy.
Li Lanhua raised Wang Da'an alone to adulthood. Her son was filial, and she had no in-laws, so Li Lanhua's later life was remarkably smooth. Now, her daughter-in-law dared to disrespect her! Li Lanhua was enraged, her eyes blazing with fury as if she wanted to devour Zhang Xiaoxiao alive. In the ensuing scuffle, Li Lanhua, unaware of the force of her movements, pushed Zhang Xiaoxiao to the ground. Predictably, Zhang Xiaoxiao miscarried.
Zhang Xiaoxiao only stayed with Wang Da'an out of reluctance because of the child. When the child was miscarried due to her mother-in-law, Li Lanhua, Wang Da'an, instead of comforting Zhang Xiaoxiao, berated her for yelling at his mother and disrespecting her elders. At that moment, Zhang Xiaoxiao felt utterly heartbroken and resentful towards Wang Da'an; the love she once had was now replaced by hatred. After recovering and being discharged from the hospital, Zhang Xiaoxiao resolutely divorced Wang Da'an.
After the divorce, Zhang Xiaoxiao returned home. Her parents, knowing of their daughter's unhappiness after marriage, felt sorry for her and loved her dearly. However, Zhang Xiaoxiao was unaware that Wang Da'an had visited Zhangjia Village during the time she was hospitalized.
Unaware that their daughter had miscarried and was hospitalized, Zhang's parents warmly welcomed Wang Da'an. Respecting him as an elder, Wang Da'an refrained from directly criticizing Zhang's parents for their lack of discipline. Instead, Wang Da'an coldly instructed Zhang's parents to invite the village head of Zhangjia Village. Once the village head arrived, Wang Da'an embellished the facts, twisting the truth to portray Zhang Xiaoxiao as a disrespectful, unreasonable, and shrewish woman.
The truth and the lies, the deception and the confusion, left the villagers, who already harbored resentment towards Zhang Xiaoxiao, utterly disappointed. Zhang's parents wept bitterly, but uttered not a single bad word about their daughter. Instead, it was the honest and simple-minded mother who berated Wang Da'an, her sharp words driving him away.
After being discharged from the hospital and completing the divorce proceedings, Zhang Xiaoxiao returned to her hometown. Her parents cared for her warmly, but she couldn't stand the constant pointing fingers and gossip from the villagers.
Zhang Xiaoxiao, who had experienced few setbacks, was at a loss and blindly followed her parents' advice to marry a widower whose eldest child was ten years old, in order to escape the gossip in the village.
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