Free Web NovelChapter 52: Chapter 52: He
Though the weather slowly warmed after the New Year, it was still winter. The mornings and evenings, in particular, were cold enough to make one shiver.
Su Li was still wearing a cotton-padded jacket, but Tang Yuanxiao was only in a T-shirt, its back soaked with sweat. His stiff figure paused for a moment before he turned to face Su Li, feigning nonchalance.
His face and head were covered in sweat. His muscular body radiated heat, so much so that Su Li felt like she could feel it from two or three meters away.
Su Li coughed, her gaze avoiding his body. She looked straight into his eyes and gave him a deadpan reminder.
"Divorce."
Tang Yuanxiao was speechless.
’First thing in the morning...’
The moment Little Tang Mo saw Su Li, he immediately abandoned Tang Yuanxiao and threw himself into her arms, leaping toward her while still in mid-air.
"Be careful," Su Li said, rushing to catch him.
"Don’t worry." With his other hand, Tang Yuanxiao easily caught Little Tang Mo and placed him in Su Li’s arms.
"Mama." Little Tang Mo threw his arms around Su Li’s neck, then glanced back at Tang Yuanxiao.
Tang Yuanxiao grabbed a towel from a nearby tree, wiped the sweat from his head, and went inside first.
Su Li followed behind, holding Little Tang Mo, who whispered to her.
"Mama, Papa is so strong! He can lift me with one hand, and he can toss me really high."
Little Tang Mo’s voice was full of excitement, his eyes sparkling.
"Brother Gousheng’s dad isn’t as strong as Papa at all, and he’s not as tall. Papa’s muscles are so hard, totally different from ours..."
Little Tang Mo had secretly poked Tang Yuanxiao’s arm. Tang Yuanxiao’s muscles, honed by years of exercise, were certainly no joke. They were rock-solid, completely unlike the soft build of a young woman like Su Li.
And of course, Little Tang Mo’s own soft, fleshy hands and body, with their still-soft bones, were no match for Tang Yuanxiao’s at all.
Little Tang Mo chattered on to Su Li about his new discovery as if he had found a new continent. When Tang Yuanxiao came out, having quickly tidied up and put on a shirt, the boy’s eyes grew even brighter.
"Go play with your papa."
Su Li looked at his adorable expression, patted his back, and encouraged him to go to Tang Yuanxiao.
"Okay." Although Little Tang Mo was shy, he still trotted over on his short little legs.
He didn’t go right up to Tang Yuanxiao. Instead, he stood behind a pillar to watch him. Su Li was very familiar with that cute little expression and his shy movements.
When she first married into the Tang Family and wasn’t yet close with Little Tang Mo, he used to be just like this. He would trail after her every day like a little shadow, never getting too close, too shy to speak to her, often hiding and peeking at her from a distance.
Watching Little Tang Mo, Su Li held back a laugh and decided not to intervene, walking over to Tang Yuanxiao instead.
Tang Yuanxiao stood ramrod straight, feigning composure with a mask of indifference. Yet, he didn’t dare to meet Su Li’s eyes. As she approached, he rushed to explain.
"Mom said she was going to mill the flour. She’ll be back at noon."
Back then, there were no electric mills. Instead, they used a water-powered one built in the fastest-flowing part of the river not far from the village entrance. It was the only mill for the entire village, so everyone took turns using it. You even had to stay overnight to watch over your flour. ƒrēewebnovel.com
The Tang Family’s flour supply was nearly gone. Since Tang Yuanxiao loved noodles and steamed buns, Mrs. Tang had woken up before dawn to prepare the wheat for milling.
Tang Yuanxiao, with his great strength, had helped Mrs. Tang carry the wheat over. The remaining tasks were light work, so he had come back.
"Mm," Su Li hummed noncommittally, then lowered her voice and asked, "So, have you thought about the divorce?"
Tang Yuanxiao’s face stiffened. "Not good."
As he spoke, he headed toward the thatched hut on the other side of the yard. After Old Tang passed away, the Tang Family had no man around, leaving a backlog of repairs. Whenever Tang Yuanxiao came back, he was busy from morning till night.
He was always mending this, hammering that, and taking care of all the heavy labor. This time was no exception.
The hut stored various broken items—tables, chairs, ladders, and so on. Tang Yuanxiao, knowing exactly where everything was, pulled them out and got right to work.
Su Li glared at his back. Seeing that he wasn’t even turning his head, she stomped her foot and followed him.
"Tang Yuanxiao, divorce."
"Tang Yuanxiao, did you hear me? You need to think about this seriously."
Tang Yuanxiao hammered away, each strike louder than the last, as if trying to drown out Su Li’s voice.
Having no other choice, Su Li went closer and stopped Tang Yuanxiao’s hands, looking him seriously in the eye.
"Tang Yuanxiao, don’t avoid this. Please, just think about it seriously, okay?"
Tang Yuanxiao finally raised his eyes to Su Li. Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own.
"Su Li, do you think I’m some kind of good-natured softie?"
"No, of course not," Su Li said, bewildered. "Why are you suddenly bringing that up?"
"You’re so... brazenly chasing after me demanding a divorce. Isn’t it because you think I’m a softie?" Tang Yuanxiao retorted.
’Try that with any other man. A wife so brazenly and openly following him around, demanding a divorce? She’d probably get cursed out or even hit, wouldn’t she?’
Su Li was at a loss for words.
"We’re discussing serious business. What does this have to do with whether you’re a softie or not?"
Tang Yuanxiao shot her a look without a word and turned back to his work.
Su Li glared at his back. After a moment, she walked up beside him again and said, "Tang Yuanxiao, divorce."
She couldn’t be bothered wasting any more words.
"Impossible." Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t be bothered either. His tone was light, but his refusal was absolute.
"Why is it impossible? Divorce," Su Li pressed on.
"I will not get a divorce," Tang Yuanxiao said without looking up.
Su Li: "I want a divorce."
Tang Yuanxiao said nothing.
Su Li gritted her teeth and continued, "Divorce."
Tang Yuanxiao remained silent.
He refused to answer or even speak, simply ignoring Su Li as if she didn’t exist while he carried on with his work.
Exasperated, Su Li said, "...Tang Yuanxiao. Divorce."
Tang Yuanxiao continued to work in diligent silence, occasionally glancing over at Little Tang Mo, who was playing nearby while watching him. If Little Tang Mo happened to be looking his way, he would tease the boy a little.
Having been completely ignored, Su Li was half-dead with anger. "Tang Yuanxiao, stop acting like a block of wood and say something!"
Tang Yuanxiao... no, Tang Moutou, continued hammering away. Once he finished a piece, he simply bypassed her and kept working.
Su Li gritted her teeth. "Tang Moutou, you’d better talk to me! If you keep this up, I’m going to your workplace to find your superior."
Tang Moutou continued to act like a block of wood.
Su Li was so angry her fists clenched and unclenched. "Tang Yuanxiao, your silence won’t solve this. I’ve made up my mind to get a divorce. Your silence is useless."
"I’m dead set on divorcing you, so why won’t you agree? Aren’t you afraid I’ll cheat on you?"
In her anger, Su Li spoke without thinking.
No man wants to be cheated on. At the mention of those three words, Tang Yuanxiao finally reacted, glancing at Su Li.
"Cheat on me?"
Su Li gritted her teeth. "People will do anything when they’re pushed to the edge."
Of course, she had no intention of digging her own grave, but scaring Tang Yuanxiao a little was perfectly acceptable.
Tang Yuanxiao’s gaze was deep and intense as he stared at Su Li, full of pressure. Su Li straightened her back and met his eyes without flinching.
Time ticked by, second by second. Just as Su Li’s patience was wearing thin and she was about to break, Tang Yuanxiao finally spoke.
"Who would dare? I’d kill him."
His tone was light, but his words sent a chill down the spine, thick with killing intent.
