Lin Jiajun wasn't about to humor her:
"Whoever gave the ten bucks is the poor one."
Liu Chunlan was furious:
"Lin Wanyi, is this the kind of manners your brother has? Is this how your family raised him?
"Going out to visit someone's home without even the most basic courtesy?"
Lin Jiajun wanted to retort, but Li Suhua stopped him.
She said, "It seems my dear in-law doesn't really like Keke. That's fine. If you don't like her, I do.
"I've always adored my little granddaughter. Why don't I take Keke back with me in a few days? I'm quite bored at home every day anyway, so looking after the child would be nice."
Liu Chunlan hadn't expected Li Suhua to be so blunt. She immediately panicked:
"No, no, she is a child of our Wang family, so she should stay in our Wang family.
"She can't go anywhere else."
Li Suhua wanted to say more, but Wang Hao hastily interrupted:
"Let's not talk about this now. Honey, hurry up and give Mom and Jiajun some more food so they can taste our local flavors."
The meal proceeded with everyone harboring their own thoughts.
For Li Suhua in particular, the food tasted like ashes in her mouth.
After just a few bites, she put down her chopsticks, returned to Lin Wanyi's room, and closed the door.
"Wanyi, tell Mom, what kind of life have you really been living these past few years?
"I could tell at a glance that Liu Chunlan doesn't treat you well, and she doesn't like Keke either, does she?"
Lin Wanyi could no longer hold back her tears; they fell in large, heavy drops.
Ever since she returned from her parents' home, she had been hanging on by a thread.
Every day, she wanted to turn the Wang family upside down and make everyone miserable.
But this process was also agonizing for her.
She wasn't happy either.
She buried her face in Li Suhua's embrace and wept silently.
Li Suhua felt as if a massive chunk of her heart had been carved out.
Her daughter was so heartbroken and sorrowful, yet she had never once mentioned it over the phone.
Just how much injustice had she suffered over these eight years?
She shed tears alongside Lin Wanyi.
After an indeterminate amount of time, she finally wiped the corners of her eyes:
"Tell Mom the truth, can you still go on living like this?"
Lin Wanyi, her face streaked with tears, shook her head:
"Mom, I want a divorce. I've wanted a divorce ever since I came back from visiting you.
"I've been waiting for the civil affairs bureau to open on the eighth day of the New Year. I actually wanted to tell you a long time ago, but I was afraid you would only worry, being thousands of miles away.
"Now that you're here, and Jiajun is here, I finally have the courage.
"Mom, I have to get a divorce, and I have to take Keke with me."
Li Suhua wiped Lin Wanyi's tears away with the pads of her fingers:
"Okay, as long as you've thought it through, as long as this is your decision, Mom supports you.
"This time, we will take you back home with us."
Outside the window, heavy snow began to fall once more.
Wang Hao was making awkward small talk with Lin Jiajun:
"It's a good thing you arrived early. Any later, and the heavy snow would have blocked the roads, and you wouldn't have been able to get into the village."
Lin Jiajun thought to himself that in a place like this, you couldn't even escape if you tried.
Wang Jianguo told Liu Chunlan to tidy up a room for Li Suhua and Lin Jiajun.
Liu Chunlan was reluctant:
"Where am I supposed to find a room for them? This isn't a hotel where they can just show up whenever they please.
"You've got to be kidding. There isn't any room. They can either sleep on the floor or get the hell back to where they came from."
Wang Jianguo almost crushed his cigarette butt directly into Liu Chunlan's face:
"You embarrassing fool, they are guests. You have to at least put on a good show.
"Don't you dare embarrass me, understood?"
As Liu Chunlan begrudgingly went to prepare a room, their neighbor Zhang Cuihua dropped by.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she said loudly:
"Chunlan, what big occasion is it today? I heard firecrackers going off earlier."
Liu Chunlan replied in a bad mood:
"What big occasion? It's just two uninvited guests."
Wang Hao quickly stopped her from saying anything more:
"Mom, say less."
Zhang Cuihua asked him, "Who exactly is it that you needed to set off firecrackers to welcome them?"
"It's my mother-in-law and brother-in-law. They came to see Wanyi."
"Oh my goodness!"
Zhang Cuihua exclaimed:
"Lin Wanyi's family? My goodness."
She slapped her thigh in surprise:
"They came from so far away just to see her? Those are truly honored guests.
"Where are they? Where are the people? Let me go see."
As she spoke, she shouted from the ground floor:
"Wanyi! Lin Wanyi! I heard your family is here? Hurry and bring them down to hang out.
"They came from so far away!"
Liu Chunlan rolled her eyes at her:
"Are you crazy? What does this have to do with you? Honored guests? How honored can they be?
"Zhang Cuihua, I didn't see you being this enthusiastic when your own in-laws visited."
Zhang Cuihua retorted:
"How is that the same? They came from so far away, and in such freezing weather too. It's not easy for them to make this trip."
She then shouted toward the upstairs again:
"Wanyi! Have your mom come down for a chat!"
Lin Wanyi heard her, and Li Suhua took her hand to lead her downstairs:
"She called for us, it's only polite."
As soon as Zhang Cuihua saw Li Suhua, she quickly grabbed her hand:
"Oh my goodness, Wanyi's mother, coming from so far away, it must have been an exhausting journey for you.
"It seems you really missed your daughter. Usually, daughters go back to their maiden homes on the second day of the New Year. Since your daughter couldn't make it back, you came as a mother instead.
"Wanyi, your mother is so wonderful."
She deliberately placed a heavy emphasis on the words couldn't make it back.
As she spoke, she also gave Li Suhua's hand a firm squeeze.
She wanted to let Li Suhua know that her daughter was suffering.
Li Suhua's heart sank, but she kept her expression calm and breezy:
"Yes, what mother doesn't miss her daughter? Since Wanyi didn't have the time, I had to come myself.
"She is all alone here in an unfamiliar place. I'm so grateful to you all for taking care of her. Thank you."
Zhang Cuihua felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
Because she knew exactly what kind of life Lin Wanyi had been living all these years.
But ultimately, it was someone else's family matter. She could only drop hints; she couldn't say too much.
Sure enough, Liu Chunlan coughed loudly:
"Are you really that bored at home? Hasn't your eldest grandson come back yet?
"Zhang Cuihua, stop poking your nose into other people's business and go home. We need to rest."
Upon returning home, Zhang Cuihua sighed:
"Sigh, the love of a parent is truly boundless. Look at Lin Wanyi's mother, coming from so far away just to see her.
"It makes sense. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to rest easy either. It's been eight years, and she hasn't gone back once for the second day of the New Year.
"Anyone would want to come and check on her."
Wu Qin came back holding her son and asked Zhang Cuihua:
"Did you find out anything about what I asked you to look into the other day? What exactly are Liu Chunlan and Wang Hao up to?"
Zhang Cuihua hadn't figured it out yet. She only knew that it was most likely some folk remedy to get Lin Wanyi pregnant.
But as for the specifics, she still had no idea.
Liu Chunlan had prepared a small room. It was cold and damp, without even an electric blanket, let alone a space heater.
Naturally, Lin Wanyi wasn't about to let Li Suhua and Lin Jiajun sleep in there.
She had Lin Jiajun sleep in Wang Keke's room, while she slept with Li Suhua and Wang Keke.
As for Wang Hao, she kicked him out to sleep in that freezing little room.
Liu Chunlan was furious all over again.
She stood in the room with her hands on her hips:
"Why should you be the one sleeping here? Haohao, go back and sleep in your big bed. I prepared this room for that Lin Jiajun.
"How could she make you sleep here? I told you Lin Wanyi was no good. Look at her, saving all the good things for her own family and leaving the worst for you.
"Go on, go back there right now."
Wang Hao refused to go, so she grabbed him and tried to drag him along:
"What are you afraid of? You're in our Wang family's house now. Straighten your back; I'll stand up for you."
