Lin Wanyi finally got a good, comfortable night's sleep.
On the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, she sent Wang Hao a message: "Wang Hao, we need to bring our situation to a conclusion. There's no point in dragging this out any longer.
"You know perfectly well that your mother doesn't like me. She has always hated me, and there's no meaning in us continuing like this.
"Moreover, I absolutely refuse to give birth to another son for you. Wang Hao, let's just go and get the paperwork done."
Wang Hao stared blankly at his phone, gripping it tightly. Wang Meijuan said,
"Hao Hao, if you really don't want a divorce, just drag it out. Let her throw her tantrums and make a fuss. It's not like she can finalize a divorce all by herself, right?
"Just ignore her. Let's see how long she can keep up a one-woman show.
"If you drag it out long enough, she'll eventually drop it. Trust your sister."
Wang Hao thought the same thing. Drag it out. He would just drag it out.
But then he thought about the child in Lin Wanyi's belly. What if she got an abortion while he wasn't around?
It was so rare and precious for them to finally have this child.
He couldn't let Lin Wanyi abort it.
He had no idea what to do, and he was annoyed to death.
Going to her meant getting a divorce; not going meant the baby might be aborted. Neither option was good.
What on earth was he supposed to do?
While he was pulling his hair out in frustration, Liu Chunlan suddenly answered a phone call:
"What? Big Sister, you're back? Weren't you down south taking care of your grandchild? Why did you come back at a time like this?
"Oh, right, the heavy snow in the village makes it too cold to go back. Don't stay in a hotel; you can stay at Wang Hao's apartment in the city.
"Yes, and while you're at it, help me teach Wang Hao's out-of-towner wife a lesson. You have no idea how terribly she's bullied me this New Year.
"Big Sister, you absolutely have to help me get back at her."
Hanging up the phone, Liu Chunlan beamed with joy.
"Son, your aunt is back! Hahaha, finally, someone is here to help me.
"You guys have no idea how formidable your aunt is. She keeps her own daughter-in-law completely in line. Hahaha, Lin Wanyi, oh Lin Wanyi, just you wait."
Over at the apartment, Lin Wanyi sneezed and immediately heard a knock at the door.
Who would come looking for her so early in the morning? She got up to open the door, only to see an unfamiliar old woman standing there.
Before she could even ask who it was, Liu Xiulan shoved past her and marched into the house with her luggage:
"Are you Lin Wanyi? I'm Wang Hao's aunt, Liu Xiulan.
"My son is in Shenzhen, and I've come back to visit relatives for a few days. Your mother-in-law told me to stay here.
"Hurry up and pour me a cup of hot tea first. It's freezing outside."
Lin Wanyi had never met anyone who acted so entitled and overly familiar. She didn't know Liu Xiulan at all, but she had heard of her.
Liu Chunlan brought her up every other day.
She would brag about how fierce her sister was and how she had disciplined her daughter-in-law into total obedience.
Lin Wanyi found it strange. The New Year festivities weren't even over yet; why had she come back so soon?
"What are you standing around for?"
Liu Xiulan glared at Lin Wanyi:
"Why are you just standing there? Pour me some tea! You have absolutely no initiative.
"No wonder Chunlan says she can't stand you. I can't stand someone like you either.
"If you were my daughter-in-law, I would have slapped you by now."
Originally, Lin Wanyi was thinking that a visitor from afar should be treated as a guest, and she had intended to politely invite her to take a seat.
But now, she didn't want to.
She pulled the door wide open: "Auntie, I didn't invite you here, and it's not your place to lecture me.
"If you want to lecture someone, go find Wang Hao or Wang Meijuan, but don't come to me."
Liu Xiulan hadn't expected Lin Wanyi to show her absolutely zero respect. She stood up and slammed her hand on the table:
"What is that supposed to mean? I am your aunt, do you hear me?
"That means I hold the same status as your mother-in-law. How dare you speak to me like that?
"I think you just need a good beating!"
"Who are you saying needs a beating?"
Li Suhua pulled Lin Wanyi behind her and stood right in front of Liu Xiulan:
"You come into my daughter's home and say she needs a beating? I should be the one asking you what you mean by that."
Liu Xiulan looked Li Suhua up and down, finally saying with contempt:
"You're her mother?"
"That's right." Li Suhua puffed out her chest. "I am her mother. What are you going to do about it?"
Liu Xiulan suddenly pointed her finger right at Li Suhua's nose:
"Hahaha, I was wondering who it was! So it's the mother of this worthless baggage. I must say, your whole family is truly shameless. This is my nephew's home.
"How does her maiden family have the nerve to move in? My own sister isn't even staying here, yet you are?
"What a disgrace. Do you not have a house of your own? Do you not have your own home?
"Pfft!"
Li Suhua wasn't intimidated by her in the slightest:
"This is my daughter's home! Why shouldn't I be here?
"This isn't just Wang Hao's home; it's my daughter's home too.
"I'll come whenever I want. You got a problem with that?
"As for you, you're merely an aunt. Who gave you the right to come here and lecture my daughter?"
She pointed at the front door:
"Get out. Get out right this instant! Leave my daughter's home!"
As she spoke, Li Suhua grabbed Liu Xiulan's luggage and tossed it out the door:
"Leave! You are not welcome here!"
A flash of panic crossed Liu Xiulan's eyes as she grabbed tightly onto the doorframe:
"I'm not leaving! This is my nephew's home. He told me to stay here, so I will stay here.
"None of you can drive me away."
Lin Wanyi sensed that something was off.
According to Liu Chunlan, this Liu Xiulan was a wealthy woman from a big city. So why was she shamelessly squatting in her apartment today?
Could it be that Liu Chunlan had deliberately sent her here to deal with her?
She didn't care.
Right now, she would curse out anyone who crossed her. She was no longer the meek and submissive Lin Wanyi of the past.
She had changed. She wasn't going to take anyone's crap anymore.
Keeping one foot inside the door, Liu Xiulan made a call to Liu Chunlan:
"Chunlan, what kind of daughter-in-law is this?
"I traveled thousands of miles to see her, and she's trying to kick me out?
"Tell me, how should I teach her a lesson?"
Liu Chunlan gripped her phone viciously:
"Beat her, Big Sister! As long as you don't harm the baby in her belly, beat her as much as you want!"
Having received the green light, Liu Xiulan suddenly lunged forward and slapped Lin Wanyi across the face:
"You little bitch! Today I am going to properly discipline you on behalf of my sister.
"Let's see if you dare to go against my sister again."
Lin Wanyi hadn't expected her to suddenly get physical, and was caught completely off guard by the slap.
Li Suhua's heart ached terribly for her daughter. Driven mad with rage, she backhanded Liu Xiulan with two fierce slaps in return.
"What gives you the right to hit my daughter?
"Who do you think you are to strike my daughter, and right in front of me no less!
"Do you think I'm dead?"
Liu Xiulan hadn't expected Li Suhua to be so fierce.
She actually hit back?
She remembered Liu Chunlan always saying that Lin Wanyi's entire family were pushovers who could be molded like dough.
Why did things seem so completely different today?
It was as if she were seeing her own aggressive, vicious daughter-in-law all over again.
Why were modern daughters-in-law getting more and more detestable?
She had fled back to her maiden family just to avoid her own, so how was she now facing another seemingly wicked creature?
She started to panic. What should she do? She had nowhere else to go but here.
Her house in her hometown was long gone, and she had divorced her husband.
Her son and daughter-in-law didn't want her. She had originally thought that by seeking refuge with Liu Chunlan, they could bully Lin Wanyi together.
But now it seemed things weren't going the way she had imagined.
What should she do?
At this thought, she suddenly threw herself hard onto the floor:
"Ouch! My heart condition is acting up! Lin Wanyi, you've caused me to have a heart attack!
"Take me to the hospital right now!"
