Bai Xiaoyue was speechless. If this were in later generations, it would be absurd and unbelievable, but in this world, it was commonplace.
In this era, in most families, the mother-in-law was in charge of the food, and she decided how much each person got.
The mother-in-law has a lot of power, so her favoritism is very important. Just look at my cousin's pale and thin appearance; you can tell that her mother-in-law definitely doesn't like her.
Ding Xiuhua is only 20 years old this year, a beautiful age, but she looks like a 30-year-old woman. Even if she gets pregnant, she may not be able to keep the baby.
Bai Xiaoyue asked, "Xiuhua, what are you thinking? Can you even go on living like this?"
Ding Xiuhua was conflicted: "My mother-in-law is not nice to me at all, but Deming is very good to me."
Bai Xiaoyue was even more speechless and turned over to go to sleep.
If a person cannot stand up on their own, no amount of help from others will be of any use.
The next morning, as soon as Bai's father went out, he saw Yan Ci standing at the door and hurriedly asked:
"Xiao Ci, where are you going so early?"
Yan Ci smiled shyly: "Uncle, I'll go with you. More people means more help."
Mr. Bai was very pleased to hear this and repeatedly said yes.
My uncle also gathered a few people from his village to go to the Ma family to demand justice.
A large and impressive group of people followed, and Bai Xiaoyue, holding Chang Le's hand, went to see what was going on.
As a result, they ran into Ding Xiuhua's husband, Ma Deming, a very thin man with a wound on his forehead, as soon as they stepped out.
Knowing that Ding Xiuhua wanted to divorce him, Ma Deming panicked and shouted:
“I’m not getting a divorce, honey. I’ve already asked my parents to separate the household, and we’re living on our own now. Really, I asked them to separate after you left yesterday.”
Ding Xiuhua didn't believe it: "How could my parents possibly agree to separate the family?"
Ma Deming stammered:
"They initially disagreed and even beat me up. I told them I only wanted the house, not money or food, and only then did they agree."
I'll work hard to earn work points so I can give you a good life. Please don't divorce me, okay?
Seeing Ma Deming and Ding Xiumei crying in each other's arms, Bai Xiaoyue felt very sad and returned to the Bai family home dejectedly.
Yan Ci looked at her and asked:
"Xiaoyue, why are you unhappy that other couples aren't divorced?"
Bai Xiaoyue was speechless: "I was doing that for my cousin and her husband. I was just lamenting how hard life is these days."
Especially for women, if they're unlucky and marry the wrong person, they have nowhere to turn for help.
As Yan Ci watched Bai Xiaoyue chatter away, listening to her voice, he felt calm and comfortable all over.
Knowing that I'm deeply involved, very little else matters to me.
Now that I've taken a liking to this little woman, I need to find a way to bring her back to my nest.
The regimental commander once said: "As long as you find the right target, be quick, accurate, and ruthless, and you can take it down in one fell swoop."
He was still lost in his own thoughts when he heard Bai Xiaoyue say:
"Yan Ci, if I take this opportunity to tell my parents that marriage is risky and that I don't want to get married in the future."
I want to break off our engagement. Do you think my parents will agree?
Upon hearing this, Yan Ci immediately became displeased. "I was just about to take you home, and you're already trying to run away!"
He subtly attacked Bai Xiaoyue:
"Xiaoyue, I don't know what Uncle and Aunt are thinking. However, I ran into Grandma Bai a few days ago, and she asked us when we're getting married."
Bai Xiaoyue was shocked:
"What did you say? She came to see me too. It's so annoying. This old lady doesn't only have me as her granddaughter, so why is she always keeping an eye on me?"
Yan Ci remained calm and composed.
"I said I'd be right away. You know how difficult the old lady is."
Bai Xiaoyue sighed as she pulled Yan Ci along:
"What should I do? Should I go somewhere and become a man to get married? This is so worrying."
Yan Ci looked at her clear eyes and felt a sense of helplessness. He gently coaxed her, saying:
"Why don't you think about the people around you?"
Bai Xiaoyue stared at him with wide eyes:
"The men around me? Where are the men around me I can marry?!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Ci's handsome face contorted slightly, and he stood there silently for a long time.
Finally, he gave Bai Xiaoyue a cold look and went home, thinking to himself, "I'll just worry you to death."
Bai Xiaoyue had no idea what Yan Ci was thinking. This novice with absolutely no experience in love had no idea what Yan Ci was implying!
In her heart, Yan Ci was like a younger brother. Although she liked his face, she idolized him.
Yan Ci was angry, so when Bai's mother brought up their marriage again, he remained silent, leaving Bai Xiaoyue to perform a solo act.
After getting off, Bai Xiaoyue found an opportunity to angrily question:
"Yan Ci, you're so unfair! You promised to help, couldn't you have said you wanted to wait a few more years to get married?"
Yan Ci remained silent, only glancing at her before continuing to smoke.
Bai Xiaoyue asked suspiciously:
"Yan Ci, do you have someone you like? Who is it? I haven't seen anyone looking for you."
Yan Ci looked at her as if she were an idiot, and only spoke after finishing his cigarette:
"You can't keep dragging this on. Why don't you want to get married?"
Bai Xiaoyue said very seriously:
"I have my own money and children, why should I be so foolish as to marry into another family and suffer, be criticized by others, and have to serve their whole family?"
I prefer a simple life and can't handle complicated relationships.
When I worked at a magazine, I read too many social news stories, which scared me so much that I never dared to date.
In this day and age, look at all those women who suffer. How can they live as freely as I do?
"That's a cage. It's easy to get in, but hard to get out. Don't you agree?" Bai Xiaoyue finished speaking and looked at Yan Ci, hoping to get his support.
Yan Ci thought what she said made a lot of sense and was about to nod when he stopped himself. This was just pushing her away.
He thought he should lure her home first, so he patiently coaxed her:
"Xiaoyue, you don't want to get married, and neither do I. How about we just make do for now and talk about the future later?"
Bai Xiaoyue waved her hand in disagreement:
"Yan Ci, this won't do. It's fine to be engaged, but marriage is protected by law."
It doesn't matter that I'm a widow, but you're different.
When you meet the person you love in the future, she will look down on you because you were previously married.
Yan Ci continued his efforts:
"Nowadays, weddings in rural areas are simple and straightforward; there's no need to get a marriage certificate, and separating is also very easy."
Bai Xiaoyue was somewhat tempted; it only required a simple procedure and didn't require a marriage certificate.
Yan Ci seems quite reasonable, so if we have to separate, it shouldn't be too troublesome.
Seeing that Bai Xiaoyue was tempted, Yan Ci continued to entice her:
"These days, big celebrations aren't common. We just need to invite our relatives for a meal. Life after the wedding is no different from life now."
We'll continue as before, each living our own lives. You can do whatever you want; nobody will interfere, and your elders won't be watching over you every day anymore.
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