novellhall Chapter 263 Divorce Proceedings
Chapter 263 Divorce Proceedings
It's been said that once the Laba Festival is over, the New Year is just around the corner.
Time flies by, and the New Year is almost here.
In his spare time, Lu Congyue also started bringing things home, and Zhuang Qingxiang had no idea where he got so many "goods".
Ten pounds of pork, one pig's head, two fish, and two pounds of beef.
Fortunately, the weather is cold, so they can stay warm.
Zhuang Qingxiang looked at the food that was being stocked up in the kitchen and had already planned out the New Year's Eve dinner.
Braised pig's head is a must-do. One pig's head can yield two bowls of pig's head meat. Slicing up a plate of it is perfect for satisfying cravings or as a snack with drinks.
Render the fat from the pork belly, and use the cracklings to stir-fry with chili peppers or dried radish, or to make pies or dumplings.
I'll ask Lu Congyue later whether he prefers pork or beef dumplings; I can make some for him for Chinese New Year...
She can decide everything and eat whatever she wants.
This year will probably be the happiest year of her life.
Just as Zhuang Qingxiang was looking forward to the New Year every day, Sun Yongxian, whom she had been missing for a long time, suddenly arrived.
Zhuang Qingxiang was both delighted and somewhat surprised.
The Little New Year is just around the corner. At this time, apart from going to work and visiting relatives, most people will stay at home, right?
Seeing that Sun Yongxian's complexion wasn't good, Zhuang Qingxiang felt uneasy. She pulled her into the house, poured her a cup of hot brown sugar water, and asked, "Yongxian, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Sun Yongxian drank some hot water, and her complexion improved, but her eyes were slightly red.
Zhuang Qingxiang had never seen her like this before.
Normally, Sun Yongxian is the most cheerful and lively person, carefree all day long.
"What exactly happened?" Zhuang Qingxiang asked anxiously. "Did you come alone? Where's Doctor Shi?"
"Don't mention him!"
Sun Yongxian reacted as if under stress, her eyes reddening as she said, "I want a divorce!"
Zhuang Qingxiang stared wide-eyed in shock.
"Divorce? Why? You two have such a good relationship, and Dr. Shi always goes along with you. Why do you want a divorce? Is it him, is it him who has another woman?" Zhuang Qingxiang asked tentatively.
Sun Yongxian shook her head.
Zhuang Qingxiang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as he doesn't find other women, it's fine; otherwise, they'll really get a divorce.
"Yongxian, did you two have a fight?" Zhuang Qingxiang thought that Sun Yongxian might be throwing a childish tantrum.
Sun Yongxian nodded, then shook her head: "No...it's with my mother-in-law."
Zhuang Qingxiang frowned upon hearing this.
She knows the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. If you encounter an unreasonable mother-in-law, life will be miserable.
Even if a mother-in-law beats and scolds her daughter-in-law because she holds the title of elder, the daughter-in-law has to endure it.
She had been enduring it all along.
Unless she doesn't care about her reputation, if she fights with her mother-in-law, people from all around will say she's an unfilial and wicked daughter-in-law.
She wanted to advise Sun Yongxian to be patient, but felt sorry for her being bullied by her mother-in-law, so she asked, "Your mother-in-law is bullying you? Why isn't Dr. Shi speaking up for you? Yongxian, actually, it depends on Dr. Shi's attitude. If he protects you, your mother-in-law won't dare to bully you."
"I know," Sun Yongxian replied softly, holding the teacup tightly with both hands. After a while, she said, "It's almost Chinese New Year, and my in-laws are coming over. They say I'm a hen that can't lay eggs."
Zhuang Qingxiang was speechless: "Didn't Dr. Shi say that you two had agreed not to have children for the time being?"
"Yes, but my mother-in-law doesn't believe me. She says that other people have babies within a year of getting married, but I've been married for two or three years and still haven't had a baby. She says there must be something wrong with me and she even wants us to get a divorce..."
Sun Yongxian became increasingly angry as she spoke.
They had clearly agreed on it, but Shi Peiran became very weak in the face of her unreasonable parents, and even advised her to be patient.
Sun Yongxian had a big fight with him, and as a result, her mother-in-law rushed over and slapped her, scolding her for being a barren hen who dared to talk back to a man and deserved to be beaten.
"No one has ever slapped me in the face before, so I ran away in a fit of anger."
As Sun Yongxian spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Zhuang Qingxiang hugged her tightly, feeling sorry for her.
Sun Yongxian's personality suggests she was raised in a loving family. If her parents knew she was slapped in the face at her in-laws' house, they would be heartbroken.
"Dr. Shi is going too far! He just stood by and watched?! He always seemed like a cultured person, and I even thought his parents were cultured and polite. I never expected him to be so outrageous!" Zhuang Qingxiang said indignantly.
Sun Yongxian nodded vigorously: "Exactly!"
Zhuang Qingxiang glanced at her, coughed lightly, and said, "But they definitely didn't just become like this. Didn't you notice it before you got married?"
Sun Yongxian pouted and remained silent.
How could she not have noticed? It's just that she liked Shi Peiran too much, and Shi Peiran promised her that he wouldn't live with his parents after they got married, and that no matter what his parents did, it wouldn't affect their little family.
Everything was fine before. They usually only went home for a few days during the Chinese New Year. Even if they heard some unpleasant things, they would just put up with it for a few days.
But this year, for some reason, her in-laws came straight to their house and said they wanted to spend the New Year with them. Then they started to find fault with her and even made fun of her about having a baby.
She complained to Shi Peiran, but he only said that he would explain to his parents and asked her to be patient.
But now she just doesn't want to put up with it anymore!
Zhuang Qingxiang thought for a moment: "Is Doctor Shi an only child?"
"No, he also has two older brothers and a younger sister." Sun Yongxian pouted. "He is the third child. His father and mother didn't love him when he was young. His family didn't care much about him, and he rarely came home."
"They don't lack children and grandchildren, so there's no need for them to force you to have children."
"That's right!" Sun Yongxian immediately said, "Shi Peiran's eldest brother has two sons, and his second brother has a son and a daughter. They already have three grandsons, and they're still coming to urge him to die..."
Sun Yongxian was full of complaints, and Zhuang Qingxiang didn't know how to comfort her.
Her words of comfort were useless; it all depended on Shi Peiran's attitude.
"Alright, since you've run away, stay at my place for a few days. I'll cook you something delicious," Zhuang Qingxiang said with a smile, trying to comfort her.
Sun Yongxian immediately perked up: "What delicious food is it? Sister Zhuang, you have no idea how much my mouth has suffered since you left..."
Okay, you're still thinking about food, which means the situation isn't too serious.
Zhuang Qingxiang felt relieved and asked her to help watch the child while she went to cook something delicious.
Sun Yongxian was also thinking about the children; after all, she had been taking care of them for a long time. She immediately ran into the house with a smile and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) to play with the two little ones.
"I'm Aunt Sun, do you remember me, Xiao Chenglin?"
"Does Donghua still recognize Aunt Sun?"
The two children seemed to really remember her; they didn't cry or fuss, but grinned at her, which made Sun Yongxian extremely happy. She grabbed the two children and kissed them like crazy.
Seeing how affectionate she was with the two children, Zhuang Qingxiang thought for a moment and said, "Yongxian, you stay home and keep an eye on things. I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative."