Chapter 11: Too Wronged

Pu Xiang's mother's name is Li Xiaocao. Her life is not much more noble than grass. She has five brothers and two sisters in her family, and she is the youngest. Poor families have many children, so boys are not worth much, let alone girls.

Li Xiaocao is the youngest and most neglected child in the family. She grew up like a weed and then got married.

In the countryside of that era, the only person who could get married was a farmer.

Li Xiaocao has been timid and cowardly all her life. The man she married is Pu Xiang's father, who has a similar personality to her, both are honest men.

The honest man went to the street to buy some things after the autumn harvest. On the way, he met the neighbor next door to his son-in-law's house. He heard from her that her daughter was quarreling with the husband at home and said she wanted a divorce.

He didn't buy the thing, but changed direction halfway and headed straight to his daughter's in-laws' house to ask what had happened.

When Pu Xiang heard her mother talking about the quarrel and divorce, she knew that it must have been Aunt Lin next door who spread it.

The autumn harvest season is over and everyone has some free time. Not to mention the lack of entertainment activities in the 1990s, even a few decades ago, gossip about couples quarreling and getting divorced would always have a market.

She just didn't expect the news to spread so quickly. She had just gotten up in the morning and her mother was already at the door.

Pu Xiang tried to speak calmly: "Mom, I didn't go back to my parents' home. Doesn't this mean that it's nothing serious? Those who gossip about other people like to exaggerate."

Mo Jingjing looked back and forth between the mother and daughter's faces curiously, and Pu Xiang reached out and touched her head.

Huh?

When Li Xiaocao heard this, she felt that her daughter's words made sense. If the quarrel really led to a divorce, could she not go back to her parents' home?

If someone in the east of the village says that someone's sheep has died, then when it gets to the west of the village it becomes someone's mother has died. This kind of outrageous rumor has happened more than once or twice.

"Hey, hey, hey...Okay, okay, just don't get divorced. It's normal for couples to quarrel. You're already a mother, don't act like a child. All men have tempers. You should be more tolerant. The Shi family's conditions are among the best in the entire Shijia Village. You are so lucky to marry into their family."

Li Xiaocao spoke quickly as he entered the Shi family's house, listened to the noise and walked towards the back room, preparing to say hello to his in-laws first.

Shi Hai went out after breakfast. Most people did the same. After the busy farming season, they would go to the town to stroll around and buy some things. He made an appointment with several men in the village to go together.

As for Shi Dafu, he had disappeared long ago and no one knew where he was all day long.

The only one left at home was Mo A'mei, the mother-in-law, taking care of her eldest grandson. When Li Xiaocao met her, Mo A'mei's eyes narrowed. She was already very angry early in the morning.

Seeing that the person's mother was coming, I couldn't hold back my anger.

Li Xiaocao walked forward with a smile: "My in-laws are at home, have you had breakfast?"

Mo Amei: "Third sister's mother is here, how can I eat? I am so angry about your daughter. It's just right that you are here. Tell me, a daughter-in-law who doesn't feed the pigs or cook, and asks her father-in-law to do these things and sleeps until the last one in the family wakes up. Is this unreasonable? What kind of daughter-in-law did we marry? We married a female bodhisattva. If she continues like this, I, as her mother-in-law, will have to bring her foot washing water one day! That's fine, I can't even say a word to her. We finally killed a chicken at home, and she ate it all by herself. This is going to be a big deal. She even said she wants a divorce! We can't live like this anymore!"

Li Xiaocao, who had been smiling, was stunned after hearing this.

"Hey, this, this..."

She turned around and looked at Pu Xiang. Was this talking about her little daughter?

Her little daughter, she didn't say anything, was well-known for being hardworking and capable, with a good temper, and she had never quarreled with other children since she was little.

The person her in-laws were talking about now seemed like a stranger she didn't even know.

Seeing her father-in-law's face change suddenly, Mo A'mei spoke even more fiercely, but she still remembered what her man said, and although his words were unpleasant, she did not curse at him.

In front of Mo A-mei, Li Xiaocao had no fighting power at all. Her face flushed and she just stood there and got scolded.

It was as if her daughter had done something terribly wrong and she, as a mother, felt ashamed of herself.

Pu Xiang knew her mother's temper very well. It was impossible for her to protect her daughter and fight back. In her mind, she could only bow her head and seek perfection.

And no matter how Li Xiaocao listened to what Mo A'mei said, she felt that there was something wrong with her daughter.

Pu Xiang sighed inwardly. She had originally wanted to get a divorce quietly, but now it seemed that was not possible.

"If you can't live like this, then don't live like this. Shi Dafu dislikes me, and my mother-in-law dislikes me too. It's just right for us to get divorced. You can marry someone you both like, and you can have another grandson."

Li Xiaocao: "...Are you crazy? What's the point of getting a divorce? Why are you talking to your mother-in-law like that?"

She didn't believe it just now, but now she believes it completely. Her little daughter is crazy.

We can't even enjoy our good days anymore, why?

"Look, look, I didn't make up rumors about her. She just went crazy for no reason. As a mother, you should take care of her. As a mother-in-law, I can't say anything to her. Once I open my mouth, I will become a wicked mother-in-law."

Mo Amei's back straightened up as if her hair was pulled into a braid.

Shi Jiajie had been crying since early morning, and now he was still pouting in anger. He didn't call his grandmother when he saw her, and when he heard his grandmother getting angry, he started shouting "Mom is bad, beat her".

Pu Xiang didn't even look at her son, nor did she want to say much to her mother-in-law. The key to the divorce was Shi Dafu. As for other people, saying too much would only tear her face to pieces, and it would be useless otherwise.

"Mom, come upstairs with me."

She reached out and pulled Li Xiaocao. Li Xiaocao had never had anything to do with the word "independence" in her life, so she followed her daughter's pull. What she was thinking in her heart was - even if they went upstairs alone, she had to persuade this silly girl.

Mo Amei immediately stopped him: "Why go upstairs? What can't be said here? It's just right that your mother is here, so let's talk about it in front of your mother!"

Li Xiaocao thought about it and agreed. If there is any problem, it is better for everyone to talk it out. After all, we are a family.

When Pu Xiang pulled her mother, the middle-aged woman refused to leave. She was used to working in the countryside. She was only in her forties, and although she was not very timid, she was very strong.

"You have to tell me, right? That's fine. Then I'll tell you that I worked so hard in the Shi family, while Shi Dafu was having affairs outside. I slept with him twice when we got married, and he hasn't touched me since I got pregnant and had a child for five years. He just wanted me to be a widow until I die in my seventies or eighties. Do you understand how much he despises me?"

As she said this, she reached out and covered Mo Jingjing's ears.

Pu Xiang actually didn't have any idea about the things between husband and wife. Shi Dafu looked down on her and she also looked down on Shi Dafu. She lived to the age of 65 and had heard a lot of dirty talk. Some people said all kinds of good things about him, but she thought it was fine if there was no such thing.

But this does not mean that Shi Dafu is only concerned with human resources. He treats people as free labor and machines for bearing children. He also wants to show how wronged he is by marrying a woman he does not like.

Although he was so reluctant, he never mentioned divorce in the following years.

Every time she thought of it, Pu Xiang would curse this bastard, saying that he was more calculating than anyone else. It would be such a loss for him if he divorced her. Anyway, if the marriage didn't end in divorce, it wouldn't affect his messing around outside.

If he had another wife, she might even cry and make a fuss with him if he continued to do such a mess. But Pu Xiang was so good. She didn't say a word and would work hard to make money to support the children and the family.

Li Xiaocao was even more confused now.

She was less than 20 years old when she got married, and now she is only 25 years old. What kind of life is she living?

Rural people are conservative, but when it comes to things in bed, they are not as conservative as you might imagine.

At least someone like Li Xiaocao thinks that when a woman marries a man, it's just about this. If that's not the case, are they still husband and wife?

"How could the son-in-law do this? Why would he do this?"

There is also the matter of having a mistress. This is too embarrassing. He has a wife, but he goes out to find a woman outside.

Her little daughter is so wronged.

Mo A'mei was also stunned after hearing this. Although she was in poor health, she had a normal married life when she was young. Although she was sometimes harsh in words, she never did anything to gossip about her son and daughter-in-law.

Nor will she be like some mothers-in-law who don't allow their sons and daughters-in-law to get close to each other.

The one who had nothing to do with anyone else's business was her own son. After Mo A'mei finished speaking, she immediately started to speak harshly.

"How shameless of you to quarrel over such a thing. You blame men for your own incompetence. I think there might be something wrong with your body! Look at you now. You don't look feminine at all. It makes me sick to see you, let alone men."

Pu Xiang: "That's great, get a divorce and let your son marry someone who's more attractive."

Later in life, she learned a lesson: don't prove yourself. It doesn't matter whether she has a physical problem or whether men are turned off by her. What matters is that since the other party said so, she can just use it as grounds for divorce.

She originally had only one goal, which was to get a divorce.

No matter whether it's reasonable or not, she won't have a good reputation as long as she gets divorced, and she doesn't care about that now.

Pu Xiang even had the energy to pat her mother's arm to tell her not to get excited.

Li Xiaocao was so angry that her lips trembled. She couldn't utter a word and just trembled there.

Her poor daughter, what should she do?

…

There was a quarrel in the Shi family. Zhou Xiaorou lived next door, and her adopted daughter was still being held by Pu Xiang. She had not slept well all night, and she woke up early this morning. She was thinking of finding an excuse to get the child back when she heard the noise.

She didn't know what happened at the Shi family the night before, and she hadn't seen anyone this morning, so naturally she didn't hear any gossip. She didn't know that Pu Xiang wanted to divorce.

She thought it was just an ordinary quarrel, so she went over to listen for some gossip.

But Pu Xiang's voice was not loud, and Mo A'mei was always weak.

Zhou Xiaorou couldn't hear clearly from the distance, so she wanted to get closer. The stoves at the back of the two houses were facing each other, separated by a row of hibiscus trees, so anyone walking past could see them at a glance.

Seeing that everyone was in the kitchen, she went around to the front room and went straight into the house.

The stove room and the main room in front each have a door, which partially blocks the view. If you stand against the wall, you won't be noticed even if you get closer.

Zhou Xiaorou leaked a little bit in the front part, but the "explosive" part in the back was not lost at all.

Tsk, Shi Dafu is such a shameless man, he cheated on his wife outside but only slept with his own wife twice.

Pu Sanmei is so stupid. For a man like this, she still gets up early and works hard every day to be a free farmhand for him?

If it were her, there would have been a huge uproar.

Just as I stretched my neck and bent my waist, trying to listen further, a voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Zhou Xiaorou, what are you doing?"

Zhou Xiaorou was concentrating intently and almost jumped up at the sound. She patted her chest and turned around. Seeing that it was Shi Dafu, she immediately rolled her eyes at him unhappily.

"Why are you so scary!"

Shi Dafu's eyes followed the movements of her hands, and after two seconds he looked back, saying, "I'm not scaring you, it's you who's timid. What would you female comrades do if you didn't have a man to protect you? You probably wouldn't dare to go home if you walked at night."