Chapter 132: Happy Today

Li Xihua cradled her bedding and told her parents, "There are other things in the cart."

Seeing this, it seemed things had gone successfully. Tang Xin was overjoyed, dancing and gesticulating, "We must have a grand feast tonight to celebrate this properly!"

Although Li Xihua knew her sister-in-law was merely childlike in nature and meant well—and that Tang Xin had been instrumental in helping her escape her sea of misery—she still found it difficult to stomach such behavior. She retorted out of habit, "You aren't treating this like a holiday, are you?"

Celebrating? Celebrating the fact that once she was divorced, she would be seen as a "second-hand" woman if she ever chose to remarry? In most cases, people faced with such situations would keep it quiet, terrified of the shame if news got out. Why was their family’s style so utterly different? Looking at her sister-in-law, it seemed she was one step away from banging gongs and drums to announce to the entire world that the Li family had brought home their eldest daughter, who was in the process of getting a divorce.

Li Xihua had originally felt a lingering sorrow that she had completely burned bridges with the Qian family, and that a marriage had ended in such a fashion. However, her sister-in-law’s antics had left her so exasperated that all her melancholy had vanished.

Although the Li family had sent two men, and the brigade leader had dispatched people to provide support, they had almost lost the upper hand upon arriving at the Qian household. This was primarily because old Mother Qian possessed such a foul mouth, and Li Xihua, having been accustomed to being submissive and servile at the Qian house, was used to being scolded by her.

Yet, once the initial shock passed, the resentment that had built up in Li Xihua’s heart finally found an outlet. Since she was getting divorced anyway and would no longer have any ties to these people, why wait to speak her mind? Thus, Li Xihua summoned the same authority she once used as the eldest daughter of the house helping her parents manage their affairs, and in turn, she unleashed a torrent of abuse upon old Mother Qian. She poured every insult she could think of onto the old woman, and for the first time in her life, Li Xihua felt truly empowered.

Qian Darong, however, remained unaware that his mother—who had always "helped" him so much—had, in this instance, squandered his final chance to save his marriage. In truth, Li Xihua had been somewhat anxious on the way there. Even though she believed she had seen through the despicable nature of Qian Darong, the affection of several years of marriage was not a lie. Li Xihua had been unaware of Qian Darong’s philandering; at home, it was always Mother Qian who was fierce and overbearing, while on the surface, Qian Darong had treated Li Xihua quite well.

Moreover, the man possessed a refined, gentlemanly appearance and was sweet-talking and capable of lowering his posture when needed. If he had been the first to rush out, clutching her legs and weeping, honestly, the eldest Li sister might not have been able to hold her ground. Unfortunately, the first to charge out was Mother Qian, who habitually began shouting insults at Li Xihua. She assumed that, just like in the past, if she could overwhelm the other party with sheer force, she could maintain her dignity as a mother-in-law. She had overlooked the fact that Li Xihua’s personality was the type that responded to softness but resisted hardness.

With both sides clashing, there was no room for pleasantries, and the Qian and Li families lost even the final veneer of civility. Previously, the old man of the Qian family could have summoned the brigade leader and a crowd of onlookers to intervene, but because Li Xihua had broken with tradition and exposed Qian Darong’s secrets, many in the brigade now understood that it was actually Qian Darong and his mother who had acted dishonorably. Everyone had eyes to see and ears to hear how Mother Qian treated her daughter-in-law at home. In this new society and new era, while a daughter-in-law’s filial piety was a matter of basic conscience, a mother-in-law’s deliberate torment of her daughter-in-law was simply wrong.

Furthermore, Li Xihua had not come alone. Not only had she driven an ox cart, but the burly men accompanying her also looked quite formidable. While there were many onlookers as usual, not a single person dared to interfere. Before Qian Darong could even employ his "crying, making a scene, and hanging himself" strategy, Gu Changfu and his men had already loaded all of Li Xihua’s belongings onto the cart.

The process went very smoothly. Before Li Xihua had even had her fill of arguing, she was urged by the third Gu brother to board the cart and head home.

Home? Yes, a home with a father and mother—that was her true home.

Because there were outsiders present, it was naturally inappropriate to discuss private matters, so the Li parents did not ask too many questions on the surface. However, Li Kai was incredibly excited; without anyone even asking, he began gesturing and narrating the entire sequence of events.

The third Gu brother had driven the ox cart directly to the brigade where the Qian family lived; having been there once, the second trip was smooth sailing. Upon arrival, Li Kai had charged to the front without a word, declaring that he had come to bring his eldest sister home so she could divorce that "scumbag." "Scumbag" was a term his sister-in-law had taught him, and Li Kai felt it suited Qian Darong perfectly, so he used it quite fluently now.

The moment Mother Qian heard Li Kai’s words, she began to shriek as if possessed. The eldest sister did not back down, and the two began to trade insults, turning the scene into a heated spectacle.

Even while telling the story, Li Kai interjected with his own observations: "Actually, I think my sister was still a bit soft-hearted at first. When I said we were there to divorce, she still looked pitifully at that scumbag. But then that old woman started swearing, and she even insulted our parents—that was when my sister truly made up her mind."

In this day and age, divorce was not so easy. While the paperwork might be simple, the real challenge lay in the neighbors, relatives, and busybodies. There were also brigade leaders and women’s cadre members who would always try to persuade a couple to reconcile rather than separate. If those women took turns brainwashing you, even a firm resolve might crumble. That was why people said divorce was difficult.

But Li Xihua’s situation was different. In the Harvest Brigade, the brigade leader was openly supportive. If it hadn’t been inconvenient, he would have come himself, rather than just sending two men to offer support. Since the Harvest Brigade agreed and the Li family supported her, the officials in the Qian family’s brigade could hardly object.

The crucial point was that they knew Li Xihua’s sister-in-law was an educated youth who reportedly possessed great knowledge and had connections with the city’s Revolutionary Committee. When the water is too clear, there are no fish; no brigade official dared to guarantee they had never made a mistake during their tenure. More importantly, it wasn't worth offending an educated youth with a powerful background just for the sake of the Qian family.

It wasn't just the officials; few people in the brigade stepped forward to help the Qians, which showed just how poorly they had treated others in their daily lives. And so, the brigade handled the divorce paperwork, issuing a written certificate, and that was that.