Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 389 'Assist'

"divorce?"

Lu Wenli thought she had misheard and stared at Zhang Zhao with wide eyes, saying, "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again."

Zhang Zhao glanced coldly at Lü Wenli, and said calmly again, "Let's get a divorce!"

"You little bastard, have you grown wings?"

Before her daughter could say a word, Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law got up, took a few quick steps to Zhang Zhao, pointed at his nose, and said something reckless:

"What right do you, a person who has been discharged from the army, have to bring up divorce with my daughter? If anyone should bring it up, it should be my daughter bringing it up with you, a former convict, so that you don't drag our whole family down with you."

It's not that I'm afraid of bad things happening, it's that I'm afraid of a lack of good people.

It's true that Zhang Zhao harbors resentment towards Lü Wenli at this moment, but after living together for nearly ten years, he still has feelings for her and has no intention of truly getting a divorce.

But his mother-in-law's words deeply hurt him, making him feel that he had been a joke for the past ten years, a complete clown, and he instantly had the idea of ​​getting a real divorce and leaving this family.

Lu Wenli was a little dazed after hearing Zhang Zhao's words, her mind went blank, and she only came back to her senses when she heard her mother shouting.

She thought Zhang Zhao was just trying to scare her about money and didn't take it seriously at all, defiantly retorting:
"You're really something, Zhang. You want to divorce me for just five hundred yuan? Fine, I agree, but don't regret it. Don't come back begging me like a grandson."

After saying that, she ignored the people inside the house and turned to walk out. She was confident that Zhang Zhao would come back to beg her after he calmed down.

"Wenli, stop right there! What are you doing?"

Lu Zhenbang shouted, but Lu Wenli ignored him. He then looked at Zhang Lide with a worried expression and said, "Hey! Brother Lide, what's going on here?"

What does it mean to throw a tantrum?

Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law rolled her eyes at Lü Zhenbang, not giving Zhang Lide a chance to speak, and interrupted, "They're about to divorce their daughter, so what, does that mean Wenli has to greet them with a smile?"

After criticizing Lü Zhenbang, Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law didn't stop talking. She turned to Zhang Lide and continued:

“My dear in-law, you saw what happened today. It’s really not my Wenli’s fault.”

You tell me, we didn't say anything! Xiao Zhao is acting like he's the one who's wronged our family, by resorting to violence and divorce.

"My dear in-law, you have to give me a fair answer about what happened today. Can the two of you even continue living together?"

At first glance, Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law's words seemed to be in defense of her daughter, but upon closer examination, they were clearly aimed at escalating the conflict.

Lu Zhenbang understood what his wife meant, and his face darkened. He scolded her, "What nonsense are you spouting, you troublemaking woman? What's this talk of fairness? Every couple has arguments. How can you take a momentary outburst seriously?"

He didn't believe his father would abandon his son, nor did he believe his son-in-law would ruin his future over something so trivial. Zhang Lide was a deputy-level cadre; how many of those were there in the whole country? To put it bluntly, even a fart from him would be scrutinized by his subordinates.

Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law understood her husband's thoughts and didn't want things to get too ugly with the Zhang family.

But she didn't think so; she wanted to take this opportunity to really get Zhang Lide under her thumb.

If they don't want Zhang Zhao to lose his future and get divorced, they need to get Wen Liang a position as a cadre in the Yuantai Mining Bureau. Even if they can't reach an agreement and their daughter gets divorced, that's fine too. Without Zhang Zhao, that good-for-nothing, they can find their daughter a better future.

Having made up her mind, Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law didn't respond to her husband's words, her gaze fixed intently on Zhang Lide. Lu Zhenbang was quite annoyed at this moment. It was understandable for his daughter to throw a tantrum over the divorce, but why was his wife stirring things up? He was about to say a few more words to put on a show when Zhang Lide waved his hand to stop him, saying:
“Mother-in-law, I really want to say something fair, but as you know, my husband has never listened to me over the years. But no matter what, this marriage absolutely cannot be dissolved.”

"This is my business, it's none of your concern. I'm determined to get a divorce."

As soon as Zhang Lide finished speaking, Zhang Zhao, who had been silent for a while, suddenly chimed in with a comment.

These words were like cold water being poured into a hot oil pan, making a sizzling sound that was extremely jarring. They not only made Lü Zhenbang's face turn ugly, but also ignited the anger in Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law's heart.

It's one thing to dislike your own daughter, but what right do you, someone who's about to become a convict, have to do so?

She rose with a livid face and approached Zhang Zhao, saying in a mocking tone:

"Zhang Zhao, what do you mean? Do you think my Wenli can't live without you? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror. You've been discharged from the army and have a disciplinary record. Do you still think you're still a military officer?"

Let me tell you, the moment you divorce Wenli, I'll find her someone even better.

These days, three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people are plentiful. With Wenli's looks and qualifications, there are plenty of people eager to get close to her, any of whom are far better than you, about to become a labor camp inmate.

Zhang Zhao was so angry at these words that his face turned red, and the veins on his neck were bulging. He had already decided to divorce his mother-in-law and would no longer indulge her.

"I had forgotten all about it until you mentioned it. I got to where I am today all thanks to that little bastard of yours."

Wang Xiuzhi, let me tell you, I've become a convict, and that little bastard can't escape either. Once I'm in there, I'll report him..."

"you dare!"

When Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law heard about her son's situation, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. She said, her voice sharp but her voice weak, "The grain was something you smuggled from the army. What does it have to do with my Wenliang?"

Seeing his mother-in-law turn pale with fright, Zhang Zhao felt extremely pleased.

"Whether I dare or not is my business, but whether or not it's related is not up to you. Just messing around with women could easily land you in jail for ten or twenty years..."

Before Zhang Zhao could finish speaking, his mother-in-law reached out and scratched his face.

"I'll beat you to death, you ungrateful wretch."

Seeing that Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law had started hitting him again, Zhang Lide, fearing that his son would be at a disadvantage, quickly spoke to He Yuanchao:

"Yuanchao, quickly pull your brother out of here."

As he spoke, Zhang Lide, still not entirely at ease, got up and walked between Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law and Zhang Zhao to separate them.

Seeing this, Lü Zhenbang quickly came over and pulled his wife away.

At this point, although things didn't go according to the steps He Yuanchao and Zhang Lide had agreed upon, with the help of Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law, the goal had been achieved, and the divorce between Zhang Zhao and Lü Wenli was probably a done deal.

He Yuanchao lost interest in watching the drama unfold, got up, took two steps forward, grabbed Zhang Zhao's arm, and pulled him outside.

Zhang Zhao tried to struggle a bit, but He Yuanchao didn't give him a chance at all. With a little force, he grabbed Zhang Zhao and carried him out of the Lü family's house like he was catching a chick.

(End of this chapter)