novelraw Chapter 46 was even more lively than the opera performance at the commune.
Chapter 46 was even more lively than the opera performance at the commune.
The sun shone brightly, baking the yellow earth in front of the Zhao family's house until it seemed to be steaming.
More and more villagers gathered to watch.
The men who were still foraging in the fields, the old men slurping noodles from large bowls against the wall, and the women sewing half-finished shoe soles all dropped what they were doing and rushed to the Zhao family's door when they heard the commotion.
In the blink of an eye, they surrounded the Zhao family's courtyard, which already lacked a gate, with layers upon layers of people.
Several teenagers even climbed onto the wall on millstones, craning their necks to peer inside, afraid of missing a single glimpse.
The Zhao family has been really something lately, putting on a show every day, making it even more lively than the opera in the commune.
Zhao Cuifen stood on the steps, still clutching the empty bowl in her hand. After hearing Niu Guihua's asking price, her triangular eyes darted around, and the trace of panic she had shown was instantly replaced by calculation.
Two hundred yuan?
She wants a divorce too? Why doesn't this old hag just rob a credit union?!
Zhao Cuifen has been running rampant in the village for so many years, and she's shrewd enough to manipulate things better than anyone else.
She immediately spotted Li Xianglian, who was tied up like a dumpling on the cart, and Li Dabao, who was cowering in fear beside her.
This situation clearly indicates that the Li family is in a hurry to get rid of the person and has found a buyer to sell them!
Having figured this out, Zhao Cuifen's previously weak back straightened instantly, as if she had grasped the other party's vital point.
"Pooh!"
Zhao Cuifen spat on the ground, crossed her arms over her chest, and adopted a defiant, "Niu Guihua, are you still asleep? Two hundred yuan? Do you think my family owns a mountain of gold or silver? You want a divorce? Let me tell you, no way!"
Niu Guihua was stunned for a moment, not expecting this stubborn woman to be so defiant. Her fat face trembled with anxiety: "You...you won't divorce me? Don't you care about Gangzi's reputation?"
"Reputation? Who are you trying to scare!"
Zhao Cuifen took a step forward, her spittle almost landing on Niu Guihua's face. "My Gangzi is a very busy man in the city, he has a lot of important things to do. How could he have time to come back and play house with you? It's you two who are in such a hurry to get a divorce, are you trying to sell Xianglian to some random guy?"
This sentence directly pierced through that layer of paper.
The surrounding villagers who had come to watch the spectacle immediately erupted in uproar, their pointing and whispering like a swarm of wasps.
"I knew it! Something was off about the Li family's behavior."
"They're selling their daughter twice, what a terrible thing to do."
Hearing the gossip, Zhao Cuifen became even more smug. Pointing her finger at Niu Guihua's nose, she cursed, "You want to sell someone for money? Fine, try selling one! As long as I don't give in and don't divorce you, Xianglian is a member of the Zhao family! If you dare to sell her, I'll immediately go to the commune police station and sue you for trafficking women! I'll sue you for abducting women!"
"You...you old shrew!" Niu Guihua trembled with anger. She wanted the money, but she was even more afraid of the word "law".
The confidence that Li Xianglian had just emboldened her was largely dissipated by Zhao Cuifen's shout.
"Have you no shame? Believe me or not, I'll burn this house down!" Niu Guihua roared, her voice trembling with fear.
"You order! Go ahead and order if you dare!"
Zhao Cuifen stiffened her neck and buried her head in Niu Guihua's chest. "You burn this house down, and you burn my old bones down too! I'll just go down to my dead old man and complain! Someone's been killed, let's see who in the Li family gets away with it! I'll drag your son to the shooting range and make him eat peanuts!"
This "tantrum" tactic perfectly counters Niu Guihua's "money-grubbing" nature.
Upon hearing "eat peanuts," Li Dabao's legs trembled so badly he clutched Niu Guihua's clothes, stammering, "Mom...Mom, what should we do? What if this old woman really calls the police..."
Time passed second by second, and the sun grew increasingly scorching.
Niu Guihua was sweating profusely with anxiety, as if Zhang the butcher's boning knife was hanging over her head.
If they can't get a divorce and can't get that piece of paper, their whole family will die in three days!
The situation suddenly froze. Zhao Cuifen wore a smug, confident smile, while Niu Guihua was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Just then, Li Xianglian, who had been lying slumped on the cart without making a sound, suddenly moved.
She struggled to sit up straight; the rope dug into her flesh, causing excruciating pain, but her face remained expressionless, as wooden as a stone.
"Mom, Da Bao, you two take a rest."
Li Xianglian's voice was terribly hoarse, as if she had a handful of sand in her mouth. She raised her head, her dark eyes staring intently at Zhao Cuifen on the steps.
Zhao Cuifen felt a chill run down her spine under that sinister gaze, and instinctively wanted to yell, "You jinx! Who gives you the right to interrupt when adults are talking..."
"Mother-in-law."
Li Xianglian interrupted her, her tone frighteningly calm, "You're not letting Gangzi come back to get a divorce because you're planning to wait until my mother sells me, then you can go to the commune to sue them and send my mother and brother to jail, right?"
Zhao Cuifen's expression suddenly changed, and she stammered, "What...what nonsense are you spouting! I don't understand!"
"Don't understand? Let me translate it for you."
Li Xianglian sneered, her lips twitching at the still-swollen bruise. "Do you think that as long as the marriage isn't over and the marriage certificate is still in place, I'm still a member of the Zhao family? And if the Li family dares to sell people for money, you can stand on the moral high ground and sue them for human trafficking. They'll go to jail, and you'll get a good reputation, not only without spending a penny, but also gaining a submissive daughter-in-law to continue serving you?"
With her thoughts laid bare and exposed to the light of day, Zhao Cuifen's face turned a deep purplish-red.
Niu Guihua, who was listening nearby, broke out in a cold sweat, her back instantly soaked with sweat.
Zhao Cuifen's heart is more venomous than a snake!
"What a pity, Mother-in-law."
Li Xianglian leaned forward, her voice light and airy, yet each word was like a knife: "Your plan is clever, but you've overlooked one thing. And it's a huge one."
"Wha...what's wrong?" Zhao Cuifen's heart skipped a beat.
Li Xianglian stared into her eyes and said, word by word, "Whether you divorce me or not is your business. But if we don't divorce, legally, I am Zhao Gang's rightful wife. The national law stipulates monogamy. If Zhao Gang lives with other women in the city, that's called having an affair, that's indecent assault!"
At this point, Li Xianglian suddenly raised her voice, which became sharp and piercing, echoing throughout the alley.
"What if that woman gets Zhao Gang pregnant again..."
Zhao Cuifen's body trembled violently.
Li Xianglian caught this movement, her eyes flashing even colder. She seized on this sore spot and stabbed it in hard: "That's bigamy! It's a crime punishable by imprisonment! Not only will Zhao Gang lose his job and go to jail, but that vixen who seduced him will also go in! As for that unborn 'grandson'..."
Li Xianglian deliberately dragged out the words "eldest grandson," because that was Zhao Cuifen's most cherished lifeline.
"That child was born a criminal's offspring! A bastard unwanted by anyone! An unregistered illegitimate child! When Gangzi goes to jail and his future is ruined, your precious grandson will be talked about behind his back for the rest of his life, unable to even get a household registration, destined to be a rat in the street, never able to hold his head up high!"
With a loud "boom!"
These words were like a bolt from the blue for Zhao Cuifen.
What did she gain in her life? Wasn't it just that her son was successful and she wanted a grandson to carry on the family line?
She knew that Gangzi had someone in the city, and she also knew that the woman was pregnant.
That's why she was so eager to drive Li Xianglian away, and even tacitly allowed the Li family to cause trouble, just to get rid of this "main wife" who was occupying the toilet without doing anything, so as to make room for that "golden grandson" from the city.
But she never dreamed that if this matter escalated, she would actually go to jail.
And will it also cause her eldest grandson to become an unregistered resident?
"Who...who are you trying to scare!"
Zhao Cuifen's lips trembled, her face was ashen, and she swayed, almost collapsing to the ground. "Gangzi... Gangzi has a legitimate job in the city. What bigamy? Don't try to smear me! My Gangzi is innocent..."
"Completely innocent?"
Li Xianglian gave her no chance to breathe, pressing her relentlessly, "Gangzi hasn't sent a single penny home in three years. Where did all that money go? Did he feed it to the dogs? Those two Dacron shirts he bought at the supply and marketing cooperative in the city, and that imported malted milk powder, they must have been quite expensive, right? Do you really think the whole village is blind?"