Rebirth of the Fierce, Pampered Wife

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: This Marriage Must End

Even after Gu Nuan Nuan was fast asleep, Zhang Minzhen lay with her eyes open, tossing and turning, not the least bit drowsy...

Finally, she threw on a robe and got up, quietly leaving the room. She saw a faint light still shining from her parents’ room.

To save on electricity, Wen Xiu and Zhang Dazhuang were using a tung oil lamp in their room.

In the dim light, one of them was weaving a fan while the other was weaving cloth.

"Why aren’t you asleep? You have to be up early tomorrow. Don’t worry, your father and I remember. We won’t forget to tell your older brother to wait for you two tomorrow morning," Wen Xiu said, chiding her gently when she saw Zhang Minzhen come in.

"I can’t sleep." Zhang Minzhen’s heart ached as she watched her parents, who were constantly busy yet still frugal to the bone, not even willing to use a ten-watt lightbulb. "Why don’t you turn on the light?"

"We’re used to it after doing it for so long. We can practically do it without looking. A little light like this is enough," Wen Xiu replied, her hands never pausing for a moment.

Zhang Minzhen fell silent.

"This isn’t some insurmountable hurdle. After what happened, your mother and I are going to town tomorrow to have a word with the Gu family," Zhang Dazhuang said without looking up, his hands busy weaving a cattail fan.

"Then I’ll take the day off tomorrow and go with you." Zhang Minzhen nodded. She knew that even if her parents didn’t go looking for the Gu family, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law would come looking for them.

"Your older brother and sister-in-law should be back soon. Since you can’t sleep, you might as well wait and see what he has to say." As Zhang Dazhuang spoke, he finished weaving the fan in his hands.

"Okay." Zhang Minzhen went over, took the finished fan from him, and strung it together with a pile of other completed ones. Then she helped organize the cattail reeds.

A short while later, a faint sound came from outside the small courtyard, and the three people in the room all perked up.

"Why is our little sister home? Don’t you have work tomorrow?" Zhang Wei Qiang was very surprised to see his younger sister greeting them along with their parents. He looked at the three of them with concern, and when he saw their worried expressions, his heart sank. "Did something happen?"

Lin Qin also looked worried, though she had already concluded that something must have happened to her sister-in-law. ’After all,’ she thought, ’in all the years since she got married, she has never stayed the night at her parents’ home except for major family events...’

"You two go get washed up first. I’ll bring the food to the main room in a bit. We can talk slowly after we’ve eaten." Wen Xiu was worried that if she told them everything now, her eldest son would be too angry to eat.

With that, she turned and headed for the kitchen.

"Mom, I’ll go with you," Zhang Minzhen said, hurrying after her.

"I don’t need you. I can carry it all out myself with that tray your father made." Wen Xiu waved her hand dismissively, but Zhang Minzhen insisted on following. In the end, Wen Xiu just let her be.

By the time Wen Xiu and Zhang Minzhen brought the food to the main room, Zhang Wei Qiang had changed into an army-green tank top and shorts and was walking in, water still dripping from his short hair.

A moment later, Lin Qin also came in, refreshed and in a change of clothes.

After the two had finished eating, the family moved to the well in the courtyard, sitting on small stools with cattail fans in hand. By the light of the moon, Zhang Dazhuang lit a small bundle of dried mugwort.

In a low voice, Zhang Minzhen told them everything that had happened during the day, pouring it all out except for the part about the money. This included her desire for the house in Lihua Village and her plan to live there with Gu Nuan Nuan after the divorce.

The more Zhang Wei Qiang listened, the darker his expression became. Lin Qin, too, was filled with shock and anger.

"They’ve gone too far—" Once Zhang Minzhen finished, Zhang Wei Qiang let out a low growl and slammed his fist against the side of the well. "You have to get this divorce."

"Divorce isn’t that easy. What about the child? What happens to the child?" Although Lin Qin sympathized with her sister-in-law’s plight and was furious about Gu Lihui’s actions, her practical side quickly took over, and she asked a realistic question.

"What do you mean, ’what happens’? Of course our sister will take her. After the way that family treated her and Nuannuan, do you think Nuannuan would be well-off if she stayed with them?" Zhang Wei Qiang’s eyes widened.

"Then tell me this: a divorced woman with a child might lose her good job over this. How would the two of them survive? And what kind of good man could she hope to marry later? More importantly, who can guarantee a stepfather would truly treat Nuannuan as his own child?"

Frustrated, Lin Qin shoved Zhang Wei Qiang. "They say you should encourage reconciliation, not separation. Why are you immediately pushing for a divorce? No matter how bad a biological father is, he’s still better than a stepfather, right?"

"Sister-in-law, don’t blame my brother. I’ve already made up my mind. No matter what, I’m going to divorce him and take Nuannuan with me. As for the future... in the future, I don’t plan on remarrying. Even if I lose my job because of the divorce, I still have my own two hands. I refuse to believe I’ll let myself and Nuannuan starve," Zhang Minzhen said to Lin Qin through her tears, seeing her brother and sister-in-law start to argue.

Lin Qin looked up at her, a complex expression on her face as she took in Zhang Minzhen’s resolute look. Then she glanced at Zhang Wei Qiang and suddenly felt that the brother and sister shared a striking resemblance in their stubborn determination. ’No wonder her husband had said more than once that of his two younger brothers and one younger sister, it was the sister who was stronger than the brothers—the one who could really step up when it mattered.’

Her heart softened. She turned to look at her parents-in-law. One of them, at some point, had taken out a long-stemmed pipe and was puffing out clouds of smoke, while the other wore a sorrowful expression. Neither said a word, but their expressions clearly showed they approved of their daughter’s decision.

A jolt went through her. ’Her father-in-law smoked, but rarely. He wouldn’t even take out that pipe unless he was in a terrible mood...’

She suddenly understood. Her parents-in-law and sister-in-law hadn’t told her and her husband about this to ask for their opinion; the decision had already been made. She opened her mouth, hesitated, but ultimately didn’t voice any further objections.

’This is my sister-in-law, not my own flesh-and-blood sister. There’s a difference. My parents-in-law and my own husband both agree, and she’s made up her own mind. If I keep opposing it, they’ll inevitably hold it against me, thinking I look down on her or I’m afraid she’ll become a burden...’

"Then it’s settled," Zhang Wei Qiang said decisively, seeing that his wife was no longer objecting. "Mr. Mu once mentioned that a schoolmate of his nephew’s works at our local police station, and he told me I could find him if I ever needed anything. Tomorrow, I’ll go see him first to get an update on the case and see what the situation is."

"Qiangzi," Wen Xiu began, "your father and I already discussed it. We still need to take the initiative tomorrow and go have a word with the Gu family. Otherwise, I’m afraid they’ll go to the co-op first and cause trouble for your sister." She sighed. ’What a terrible business this all is.’