"Ugh, you rotten old hag! Raising a little hussy like that, and you dare yap at me like a stray dog? If your granddaughter Zhou Xiaomei wasn't mixed up with Zhao Tiezhu, what was she doing at my house yesterday? Answer me that!"
Cai Shufen's eyes bulged with rage, and she lifted her hand to strike back—only for her wrist to be clamped tight in an iron grip.
Zhao Tiezhu flung her hard enough that she landed sprawled on the ground, and spat out a single sharp word:
"Get out."
The second Cai Shufen saw Zhao Tiezhu, she immediately started wailing at the top of her lungs, slapping her thighs for dramatic effect.
"Zhao Tiezhu, you heartless brute! Admit it, you and that Zhou Xiaomei have been carrying on behind my back for ages, isn't that the real reason you want to divorce me?"
Zhao Tiezhu felt utterly drained. It was like talking to a brick wall—no matter what he said, she was trapped in her own delusional little world, making up whatever nonsense she wanted to believe.
He took a deep, steadying breath. His tone wasn't furious or agitated, it was as calm as if he was commenting on the weather.
"Cai Shufen, stop making a scene. My divorce from you has nothing to do with anyone else. The truth is, I'm just so, so sick of you now. The sight of you makes my skin crawl, the sound of your voice clogs up my chest. I handed over every penny of my salary to you, and you spent all of it propping up your family on your mother's side. I've had more than enough of that life."
He wiped a hand over his face and continued. "You kept throwing tantrums day in and day out over Xiran's mother's money. What right did you have to do that? That money was left to Xiran by her own mother, for her daughter. I've never understood what you were even throwing such a fit over. Is there a single person in this village you haven't yelled at and insulted? You'd even curse a passing child to drop dead just for running past your window. I can't go on living a single day longer with someone like you."
Right then, a woman suddenly shoved her way through the crowd. It was Zhou Xiaomei's own mother, Mother Zhou. She marched up and pinched Zhou Xiaomei hard twice on the arm.
"Look at you, getting all high and mighty just because you got divorced! Why do you have to stick your nose into other people's business all the time? You're already a divorced woman, and now you're acting all improper with Zhao Tiezhu. Your second brother still hasn't found a wife! If people keep talking about you, how's he ever going to get married? He can't be stuck single for the rest of his life just to take care of you and your grandma, can he?"
Earlier that day, Zhou Xiaomei's former in-laws had come to visit, wanting to take her back home. They'd promised that if she agreed to remarry their son, they'd give her another fifty yuan as a betrothal gift. Remarrying with a cash bonus, that was a show of good faith if there ever was one. They'd also sworn they'd treat her right from now on, and never lay a hand on her again.
Mother Zhou had thought that if the two exes got a chance to talk things over, maybe they could patch things up. She never expected to run straight into this mess. If Qian Gang heard all those rumors and changed his mind, what then?
Just as she was panicking over that, Qian Gang pushed through the crowd himself. He was surprised to see how much Zhou Xiaomei had changed. Her face was much fairer, she'd put on a little healthy weight, and her whole complexion glowed.
Zhou Xiaomei winced at the sharp pinch from her mother. She bit her lip, looked up, and locked eyes with Qian Gang. She was so scared she stumbled back, nearly falling, but Xiao Mandong caught her from behind.
"Don't be afraid. Everyone's watching," Xiao Mandong whispered softly in her ear to soothe her.
Zhou Xiaomei grabbed Xiao Mandong's hand, squeezing it hard. She told herself over and over that she had nothing to do with Qian Gang anymore. But the beatings he'd given her had left her so terrified that she couldn't stop the fear from bubbling up in her chest.
Granny Zhou had also spotted Qian Gang. She stepped forward at once, positioning herself firmly between Zhou Xiaomei and him.
"What are you doing here? You two are already divorced. We told you clearly last time, my granddaughter will never agree to remarry you."
Before Qian Gang could even open his mouth to speak, Mother Zhou cut in first.
"Mom, do you think getting remarried is as easy as walking through a door? I'm her own mother, how could I ever harm her? She's been married for years and still can't have a child, that's going to be a problem no matter who she marries later. A couple is always best off being the original pair, don't you get that? Qian Gang has come over so many times already, he's genuinely here to apologize. What couple doesn't fight? They bicker at the bedside and make up before the night's over. It's totally out of line for an elder like you to meddle in this, isn't it?"
Mother Zhou simply couldn't wrap her head around this mother-in-law, who was dead set on forcing her daughter to get a divorce, and she had no idea what ulterior motives the old woman could possibly have.
"Don't you spew that nonsense at me! The signed separation papers you personally marked your fingerprint on down at the brigade office are still filed there. From now on, Qi Chuan and my youngest daughter will be the ones taking care of me in my old age, and the two of you have no say whatsoever in our kids' marriage matters."
"What are you butting in for now? Did that rotten good-for-nothing promise you some benefits again? Are you trying to peddle your own daughter off for quick cash? Pfft, you shameless piece of work."
Granny Zhou had two daughters-in-law, and neither of them was any good, both were full of selfish schemes. The elder one was a little better, but this one would even scheme her own daughter to the bone, always trying to leech every last thing she could from her new family to give to her birth family.
"Xiaomei, look, Gangzi knows he was wrong now. We came here specially to bring you home. I swear to you, if he ever dares lay a hand on you again, I, as his elder sister, will never let him get away with it." Qian Yan reached out to take Zhou Xiaomei's hand as she spoke.
*Slap.* Granny Zhou swatted Qian Yan's hand away hard.
"Don't think this old fool doesn't know exactly why your family keeps coming over again and again to beg my granddaughter to go back. Old Man Qian is sick, lying flat on his kang and can't even get up, he has to eat and relieve himself right there on the bed. Your family just wants my granddaughter to go back to wait on that old dying thing of yours."
"And you, you're her own mother, you're a woman too! Why can't you ever put yourself in your own daughter's shoes and think about what's best for her?"
Qian Yan had no idea the old woman knew all about that, her face immediately darkened.
"We already paid the full bride price, Granny Zhou. Xiaomei still has her own mother to speak for her, so why are you, a grandmother, always poking your nose into other people's business?"
"Mom, no matter which family a girl marries into, she's expected to take care of the elders, isn't she?" Mother Zhou had known Old Man Qian was sick long ago, and she'd already guessed what the Qians were up to. It was the perfect chance for Xiaomei to go back and put on a good show of being a dutiful daughter-in-law, and once she'd seen Qian Gang's father through his final days, she'd come out of it with a spotless reputation.
Just then, the village chief hurried over. He'd just gotten back to the village and heard there was a ruckus going on here, and the second he laid eyes on the Qians, his expression turned fierce.
"What are you all doing here? Who gave you permission to step foot in this village? Did you forget what happened last time? Shunzi, go call the police."
Qian Gang had already been warned by the police once before, told he'd be detained if he ever came back to harass anyone again. He was the type who only acted tough in front of his own family, and now he was so scared his face went completely pale.
"Got it, I'm going right now!" Shunzi turned to run, but Qian Gang grabbed him to stop him.
"Village chief, we're leaving right now, we're on our way." He grabbed Qian Yan by the arm and dragged her straight toward the village entrance. Qian Yan was seething with rage, she couldn't believe how spineless her brother was acting in front of outsiders.
Cai Shufen glanced over at the village chief, her heart pounding. She knew he'd gone out of his way to help her get out of trouble with the police last time. She'd originally come here to drop her son off, but Zhao Tiezhu wasn't home, and she didn't feel safe leaving the little boy all alone at the house by himself. But after hearing what Aunt Liu had said earlier, she'd lost her head and acted out.
She glanced down at Huzi, gritted her teeth, and said, "He's your son, from your Zhao family. You raise him yourself now." She turned and walked away without a single look back.
Her mom had said she couldn't keep the baby, and that she should send the child back. With two little ones to look after all by himself, Zhao Tiezhu would have to juggle work and childcare, and he'd definitely be swamped. Once he was so busy he couldn't catch his breath, he'd realize just how much he needed her, and before long, he'd be the one begging her to come back.
Once the crowd broke up and the commotion died down, Xiao Mandong headed home. The toasted flour paste had gone completely cold by then. She mixed in the sugar properly before pouring it all into the earthen jar, then stowed the jar away in her space.
She also gathered some tomatoes, cucumbers, and apples, and wrapped up all the medicine she'd gotten from the hospital. After she dusted her exposed skin with snake and insect repellent powder, she headed out with Diandian.
She knew this route so well by now that she reached Qingshigou Village in no time.
She did things the way she always did, leaving the stash of items under the window before making her way back to the front yard. But the second she stepped up to the entrance, the door swung open, and their eyes locked.
It was Gu Jianghan...
Both of them froze in surprise.
They spoke at the exact same time, "What are you doing here?"
