Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44: Unresigned
"It’s good that you’ve been able to think it through. You’ll face so many things in your life; what really matters is your own happiness." Seeing his younger sister happy, for whatever reason, Zhang Wei Qiang was pleased.
"You’re right," Zhang Minzhen said, wholeheartedly agreeing with her older brother.
Zhang Wei Qiang was pleased to see his sister so receptive, and the two of them began to chat about one thing and another.
Due to their age gap of several years, Zhang Wei Qiang and Zhang Minzhen had never really had the chance to sit and chat so informally.
Once they started talking, both siblings discovered that they saw eye-to-eye on many things. Even when discussing current events, the conversation flowed effortlessly.
Both had been to high school and had kept up with reading books and newspapers over the years, taking any chance they could to learn something new. As a result, they were both quite knowledgeable, which made their conversation all the more engaging.
Time passed without them realizing it. Before long, they saw Zhang Dazhuang, Wen Xiu, and Lin Qin walking toward them.
"Have you been waiting long?" Zhang Dazhuang and Wen Xiu felt a wave of relief seeing their eldest son and youngest daughter chatting and smiling together. Their other two sons and their wives had been disdainful of their sister’s situation, looking down on her and fearing she would become a burden. Although the parents never said anything, it had deeply saddened them. Now, seeing that their eldest son didn’t share that sentiment, a great weight was lifted from their shoulders.
"Not long. Oh, Mom, Dad, we just ran into some of the Gu family in front of the supply co-op. I told them we’d go to the Gu Family’s home at ten to discuss the divorce." Zhang Wei Qiang didn’t elaborate on the Gu family’s behavior, only mentioning it in passing.
"What did the Gu family say? Did they give you any trouble? I bet they went to the co-op specifically to corner Minzhen. They’re not the type to be easily dismissed, are they?" Wen Xiu asked with concern. She’d been dealing with her daughter’s in-laws for more than a day or two; she knew exactly what they were like.
Zhang Dazhuang and Lin Qin also looked over, their faces etched with worry.
"It was all thanks to my brother," Zhang Minzhen said, unable to hide her excitement as she recounted the entire encounter with the Gu family. Then, she stole a worried glance at her sister-in-law, Lin Qin. She quietly sighed in relief when she saw that Lin Qin didn’t seem particularly annoyed.
"Those people are such shameless bastards. We always treated them well, and they thought we were pushovers, easy to bully. Now they can have a taste of what it’s like to bite off more than they can chew; that’ll teach them a lesson." Wen Xiu was filled with a mix of fury and relief. ’If my eldest son hadn’t been with her today... and he’s so capable, too. I can’t even imagine how they would have degraded my daughter.’
"No, besides the house, we have to demand financial compensation. We can use that money as startup capital for Minzhen to start a small business... I was wrong before. I thought that backing down would make everything better, but I never imagined that one step back would nearly cost Minzhen her life." Wen Xiu recalled what her daughter said about the broken shoe tied to a string that Gu Jinhua was holding. She instantly understood the Gu family’s vicious plan. ’They were going to frame her, to push my daughter to the brink with false accusations!’ The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. And the more she considered all the years of her daughter’s devotion to the Gu Family, the more indignant she felt.
"But, Mom..." Zhang Minzhen thought of the money she had secretly taken. ’If that gets out, who knows what will happen? How could we possibly ask the Gu Family for the house and more money on top of that?’
"I understand them now," Wen Xiu explained, patting her daughter’s hand. "That family is just shameless. If we don’t ask for money, they’ll just think we’re fools. In fact, they’ll probably think it’s more normal if we make a lot of demands."
"In addition to the house and compensation, we can’t give an inch on custody and child support for Nuannuan," Zhang Wei Qiang added. "If we can get the child support in a lump sum, we can even ask for a bit less. That way, we won’t have to have any more dealings with the Gu Family. If that’s not possible, we need to get it yearly at the very least. That will prevent them from making excuses month after month. The constant haggling and delays would be even more infuriating."
"Your brother is right. We’d rather take a little less for the child support to get it all at once and save ourselves the trouble. Also, you should buy a bicycle. Once you’re living in Lihua Village, it will make things much easier, whether you’re traveling to town or coming home to visit."
Zhang Dazhuang chimed in as well.
His wife had told him the previous night about how their daughter and granddaughter had taken his son-in-law’s secret stash of money, and he’d found it immensely satisfying. He’d been mulling it over on the walk from the village to town today. ’That money is a windfall, anyway. Rather than just letting it sit there, she should use it to buy a bicycle. Spending it will be a weight off her mind.’
More importantly, if something happened in the future—say, the child came down with a fever in the middle of the night—a bicycle would give the mother and daughter a way to get around. Even if his family didn’t live nearby, his daughter wouldn’t be in such a panic.
’Yes, when she gets the bike, I’ll have to attach a wooden bracket to the handlebars—the kind that can hold a flashlight or even a small kerosene lamp. That way, if she ever has to ride at night, she’ll be safer and less afraid—’
Zhang Dazhuang’s thoughts had drifted far ahead.
"Your dad’s right. You definitely should buy a bicycle. It’s easy to get one nowadays, not like years ago when you needed a special bicycle coupon. So it’s settled. We’ll have your brother go with you to the city to buy one."
Wen Xiu agreed with her husband.
She hadn’t thought that far ahead. Her idea was to make the Gu family pay for the bicycle as compensation for all the wrongs her daughter had suffered with them over the years. ’When I married my daughter off,’ she thought, ’I figured that even though I have three sons, I only have one daughter, so I didn’t ask the Gu Family for a large bride price. Not only that, but when she married, we let her take all the bride price money with her, and my husband and I even added a significant amount to her dowry. We thought that would make her in-laws value her more.’
’But in the end, her in-laws didn’t respect her at all. In fact, they seemed to think we were practically paying them to take her. Because the dowry was so generous, Chen Suxiang grew greedy. She tried several times, both overtly and subtly, to get my daughter to hand that money over to her.’
’When she saw that her daughter wouldn’t yield, she actually started to hate her.’
’In the end, she got her way, forcing Minzhen to "buy" two dilapidated houses in Lihua Village just to get her hands on that dowry money. But she never forgot my daughter’s initial "ingratitude," and that’s why she’s been so relentless in bullying her all these years.’
Wen Xiu thought viciously, ’So you’re a money-grubber, are you? Fine. I’ll make you bleed money. I’ll make you suffer a loss so great that the memory of it will make your heart ache for the rest of your life.’
"Does my brother really need to come with me? I’m not a child," Zhang Minzhen said. She wasn’t so thoughtless as to ignore that her brother had been using his spare time to help out at his in-laws’ place. "I can go by myself and take Nuannuan to the city. It’ll be a good chance for her to see a new place. She’s gotten so big and has never even been to the city. It’s perfect. Once I buy the bike, I can give her a ride home. Wouldn’t that be great?"
