Chapter 129: Buying Meat for the Celebration

At that time, Qian Darong had never even met Tang Xin; he had only ever spoken ill of her behind her back to Li Xihua.

And yet, when Tang Xin arrived with her parents, the moment Qian Darong first saw her, he was... stunned? Was it because Tang Xin was simply too beautiful? A man like that had the audacity to claim he was truly devoted to his wife and treated her well?

Coming to her senses, Li Xihua looked at Qian Darong’s face again and saw the ugliness within his heart. She felt incredibly foolish. No wonder her sister-in-law called her a simpleton, and her mother scolded her too. Was she not a fool? To have been so blindly loyal to such a man, enduring the relentless torment of her parents-in-law for his sake?

This time, Li Xihua was truly reborn. She looked up and said firmly to Qian Darong, "No matter what, I am going home. I am going back to my parents' house."

With that, she turned and climbed onto the ox cart, ignoring Qian Darong's wailing and pleading from behind. Qian Darong could hardly believe it. Had his usual tactic failed against his wife? Seeing that Li Xihua was truly leaving with her parents, he instinctively started to chase after them, but Tang Xin stepped in to block his path. Standing beside Tang Xin was Gu Changfu, holding a sturdy wooden stick.

Tang Xin had already coordinated this with Li’s parents when it became clear that the situation had reached a breaking point. They were elders and kind-hearted folk, making it inconvenient for them to take the lead, so she had volunteered to play the villain. The elders' influence was best saved for the most critical moments; using their trump card now would be a waste. Li Zhirong agreed, knowing that since Gu Laosan had come along with them, he would ensure his daughter-in-law wasn't easily bullied.

Thus, before Qian Darong had even approached, Li Zhirong and Mother Fang had already climbed onto the cart and sat firmly, following their daughter-in-law’s plan. Having finally moved their eldest daughter, they could not let her return to that dreadful Qian household. Regardless of the final outcome, they had to bring her back to the Li family for a few days first.

As Qian Darong continued his pathetic crying and shouting, Tang Xin grew impatient and snapped, "Shut up! Instead of wasting your breath crying, you’d better start thinking about how to settle this."

Seeing that he was about to lose his wife, Qian Darong could no longer care about the fact that the woman standing before him was a beauty. Instead, he whined, "Sister-in-law, Xihua is a member of our family. You cannot take her away."

Suddenly, Tang Xin flashed a smile at Qian Darong—a smile filled with malice. "Brother-in-law, didn't you say before that you wanted to adopt a child? That works out perfectly. Since you can't have children of your own, you can take one back, raise it, and it will be there to show filial piety to you and your parents later. As for my eldest sister, you can stop dreaming about her. She’s perfectly capable of having children. Why not go find another woman and have a child of your own? Wouldn't that be better?"

Qian Darong finally stopped his blubbering, his eyes flashing with rage. "She wouldn't dare! She is my wife. If she tries to have a child with another man, she’ll see what happens!"

But he only dared to say it through gritted teeth. With the tall and sturdy Gu Changfu standing there—especially with a weapon in his hand—Qian Darong did not dare to do anything but flap his gums.

And so, the group successfully drove the ox cart away, heading for home. On the cart, Tang Xin said to Li Xihua with a grin, "Eldest sister, I still have two meat coupons. I’ll go to the commune tomorrow and buy two pounds of pork."

"What for?" Li Xihua asked testily. Although she knew deep down that her younger sister-in-law was a good person, she couldn't help but speak harshly. Eating meat, eating meat—always just thinking about eating meat and wasting money! It pained Li Xihua deeply. Even knowing Tang Xin meant well and that the meat would be shared by the whole family, she still felt like scolding this spendthrift sister-in-law. Even if Tang Xin had a little money of her own, she shouldn't squander it. Wouldn't life be better if a woman kept some private savings? Of course, she wouldn't say this to Tang Xin’s face; if she were capable of such understanding, she wouldn't be Li Xihua!

"We're buying meat to celebrate your divorce, of course," Tang Xin said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

As it turned out, divorce was a joyous occasion worth celebrating with meat? Li Xihua was speechless. However, because of Tang Xin’s antics, the last bit of sadness she felt about the divorce vanished. She habitually complained to Mother Fang, "Mother, look at your daughter-in-law. She only knows how to bully an honest person like me."

Mother Fang sat on the cart, her mouth wide with a smile. Even Father Li looked pleased, though he was not one to show his emotions openly.

Hearing her eldest daughter’s complaint, Mother Fang chimed in with a laugh, "Just listen to Tang Xin. She’s always had a good head on her shoulders." She then warned her daughter, "Since you’ve decided to divorce, you will live at home from now on. But remember, the head of our household is now Tang Xin."

Li Xihua was stunned again, though not because of the new head of the household, but because— "Mother, when couples fight, isn't everyone supposed to advise them to reconcile rather than divorce? I act on impulse to get a divorce, and you all are actually happy about it?"

Tang Xin nodded and told her sister-in-law, "Of course we're happy. You're escaping that sea of misery! Don't think I don't know—you used to get up earlier than the chickens and go to bed later than the dogs at your in-laws', and your mother-in-law still berated you every single day. Is that any way for a human to live? If it were me, I would have left that hellhole long ago."

Li Xihua fell silent. She had thought she was the abnormal one, but it turned out she was perhaps the most normal person in the family? Though Tang Xin’s words were blunt, they rang true. Life after marriage had been far harder than her days as a maiden, especially with the constant toil, little food, and daily verbal abuse. Thinking about it, perhaps divorce really was a good thing.

It didn't matter that the eldest sister remained quiet; Tang Xin could just talk to her mother-in-law, and the two of them began to plan:

"Mother-in-law, let’s borrow the ox cart from the brigade leader again in a few days."

"Alright, daughter-in-law, what for?"

"To go and fetch my eldest sister’s things. Since she’s divorcing and returning to her maiden home, we shouldn't let that old hag benefit from Xihua’s dowry."

"That’s only right. Mother, think back to what your eldest daughter brought with her. We are going to take it all back."

Gu Changfu, driving from the front, chimed in, "Think carefully. Even if it’s just a board or a pillowcase, we’re taking it back. We absolutely cannot let those Qian people get anything out of this."

"Yes, yes, yes," Mother Fang added, remembering, "Your eldest sister’s embroidery is excellent. I'll have her embroider a pair of beautiful pillowcases for you later."