Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 413 Getting Off the Bus

After calling out to Zhang Min, Ma Xiufang remembered her own husband, Zhang Lide, and glanced at He Yuanchao's back with a puzzled look, saying:

"Where's your dad? Didn't he come back with you?"

He Yuanchao was about to speak when he saw Zhang Min hurrying towards the door with her long legs.

Although he didn't know the specific details of the pregnancy, he knew that the first three months were crucial and that strenuous exercise was prohibited. He couldn't even think about his mother-in-law anymore, and quickly said to Zhang Min:

"Slow down, what's the rush?"

As they were talking, Zhang Min had already arrived at the door.

Looking at her husband's worried face, Zhang Min smiled and said, "It's not even been three months yet, he's not that delicate."

After saying that, he looked He Yuanchao up and down a few times and said, "When did you get back? Why didn't you call ahead so I could pick you up?"

"I decided to come back at the last minute, so I didn't have time to tell you. Besides, why would a grown man like me need you to pick me up?"

……

Watching the young couple chatting away, seemingly forgetting about her, Ma Xiufang felt happy inside, but feigned a jealous expression and said:

"Alright, alright, let's go inside and talk. Aren't you afraid the neighbors will laugh at you for flirting like this at the door?"

Zhang Min was in a good mood when her husband came back, and she made a rare joke while continuing Ma Xiufang's conversation.

"Mom, didn't you call me to the door? Why are you complaining about me now?"

Ma Xiufang was stung by her daughter's lame joke and rolled her eyes at her, saying:

"They say that once you marry a wife, you forget your mother. I think that should be said the other way around. Now I understand. All these days I've been busy with this and I've raised an ungrateful child."

After saying that, she didn't want to argue with her daughter anymore, and turned around and walked into the house in a huff.

Knowing that Ma Xiufang wasn't really angry, He Yuanchao and Zhang Min exchanged a glance and followed her into the house with smiles on their faces.

The three entered the living room, and He Yuanchao placed the millet and dates he had brought on the coffee table and said to Ma Xiufang:

"Mom, these are millet and dates, specialties of Yangqu. I brought some back for you and Dad to try."

He Yuanchao never comes empty-handed; he always brings something. Ma Xiufang has told him this many times, but it's no use. Now she's too lazy to bring it up anymore.

But since it was her son-in-law's thoughtfulness, Ma Xiufang was quite pleased and politely said, "By the way, Yuanchao, have you eaten yet?"

He Yuanchao had only eaten one meal since morning, and when he heard Ma Xiufang's question, his stomach rumbled twice before he could even speak.

Hearing the noise, Ma Xiufang didn't ask any more questions. She said, "Wait here, I'll make you a bowl of noodles," and then hurriedly went to the kitchen.

Zhang Min was pouring water for He Yuanchao with a thermos when she heard that her husband was hungry. She felt very sorry for him, put down the thermos, and went upstairs without saying a word.

Seeing Zhang Min rushing upstairs, He Yuanchao's heart jumped. He wanted to tell her to slow down, but he was afraid that talking to his wife would distract him, so he could only stand in the living room and watch her anxiously.

He Yuanchao only breathed a sigh of relief after Zhang Min safely reached the second floor.

It's no wonder He Yuanchao was cautious; with the advanced information available in later generations, he had seen far too many miscarriages caused by carelessness over trivial matters.

With He Yuanchao alone in the living room and nothing to do, thinking that his mother-in-law must want to know about Zhang Zhao, he picked up the half-full glass of water on the coffee table and went to the kitchen.

Ma Xiufang was cooking noodles when she heard a noise and turned around to see He Yuanchao. Thinking he was starving, she quickly said, "Don't worry, just wait a little longer, the noodles will be ready soon."

Seeing that his mother-in-law had misunderstood him, He Yuanchao smiled and said, "Mom, I'm not in a hurry to eat. I just wanted to talk to you about my older brother."

Zhang Lide had already mentioned Zhang Zhao's desire for a divorce on the phone, but Ma Xiufang was still unclear about the specifics.

Hearing her son-in-law mention this, she stirred the noodles in the pot with her chopsticks while looking at He Yuanchao with a serious expression, finally asking the question that had been on her mind for several days.

“Yuanchao, tell me the truth, why did your older brother suddenly bring up divorce? Was it your father who instigated it?”

Ma Xiufang had always known that her husband looked down on the Lü family from the bottom of his heart. He had said more than once that he wanted Zhang Zhao to get a divorce. She used to think it was just something he said in anger, but she never expected that his words would come true this time.

What a coincidence! Her son wants a divorce the moment her husband passes away. There's nothing fishy going on here. Ma Xiufang would never believe it, not even if you beat her to death.

When asked about the reason for Zhang Zhao's divorce, He Yuanchao felt a little guilty and was thinking about how to answer when he suddenly heard Zhang Min's voice behind him.

"Mom, what did you say! My brother wants a divorce? When did that happen?"

Zhang Min's sudden shout startled He Yuanchao and Ma Xiufang.

The two turned around and saw Zhang Min standing at the kitchen door with a cookie box in her hand, looking incredulous.

Ma Xiufang didn't tell Zhang Min about Zhang Zhao's divorce because she was afraid Zhang Min would overthink things. Now that she'd heard about it, there was no need to hide it anymore.

"I only heard about your brother's divorce from your dad a couple of days ago. I don't know the specifics yet, which is why I'm asking Yuanchao about it!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Min took two steps forward, opened the cookie box in her hand, and handed it to He Yuanchao, saying, "Yuanchao, what exactly happened? Why is my brother getting a divorce?"

He Yuanchao was now regretting that he hadn't discussed things with his father-in-law before coming back.

To avoid embarrassment when he was exposed later, He Yuanchao truthfully recounted what happened after he arrived at the Lü family, emphasizing how Lü Wenli refused to pay for grain and stirred up trouble with Zhang Zhao's mother-in-law.

Zhang Min and Ma Xiufang both looked very upset after hearing this.

Ma Xiufang was so angry that she slammed her chopsticks down, and while serving noodles to He Yuanchao, she said indignantly:
"I knew that old hag was a scoundrel, but I didn't expect her to be such a snob. What kind of person is she, looking down on my Xiao Zhao? I'd like to see what kind of person Lü Wenli can find after the divorce."

After saying that, he placed a full bowl of stir-fried noodles on the table and said, "Yuanchao, hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, tell me how far their divorce has progressed. That old man hasn't even made a phone call. I'm so worried."

Although Zhang Zhao was divorcing Lü Wenli, his mother-in-law was still an elder, and Zhang Min couldn't say anything in front of her mother. She could only angrily stand aside and get chopsticks and pickled vegetables for her husband.

If He Yuanchao hadn't known that Ma Xiufang's temper wasn't directed at him, given the way his mother-in-law had thrown her chopsticks and smashed the pot just now, he wouldn't have been able to eat this bowl of noodles today.

He Yuanchao was also starving. When he saw his mother-in-law come out of the kitchen, he picked up his rice bowl and ate it all up in no time, soup and noodles.

Seeing this, Zhang Min knew that her husband hadn't eaten enough, so she took the bowl and, without asking, served him another bowl.

Seeing Zhang Min watching him eat, He Yuanchao chewed his noodles and mumbled, "Why are you watching me eat? Go to the living room and talk to Mom for a while. I think Mom is really upset about what happened with my older brother."

"With Mom's personality, no one can persuade her except herself. It's no use me going there."

After Zhang Min finished speaking, she felt a little hungry, so she took the tin box containing biscuits and sat down next to He Yuanchao to eat the biscuits.

Sha Zhu once asked He Yuanchao what happiness was.

He Yuanchao had given a long speech of high-sounding principles to fool Sha Zhu, but now, looking at his wife beside him, he felt that Zhang Min was happy just to have her accompany him for three meals a day.

(End of this chapter)