Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Xu Jie let out a long sigh of relief, realizing he couldn't reason with Wang Fengying. "Mom, no matter how much you scold me, she can still claim a share of the property from me in a divorce, and I can claim a share from her. But she doesn't have any property under her name at all, so how can we claim it?"

Wang Fengying's eyes lit up, and an idea came to her: "Then why don't you just transfer all the assets under your name to us!"

Wang Fengying thought about it more and more and felt that this method was good. She kept persuading her son, "Putting everything else aside, the money for buying this house was saved up by your father and me through our hard work all our lives. She has not made any contribution to our family. Why should she take our house? Anyway, the property certificate only has your name on it. We can just quietly get this done."

"Don't worry about the houses and fields in the village, she can't take them away!"

Unable to resist his mother's nagging, Xu Jie actually went along with her and did the job.

Xu Fangfang was unaware of the situation at the time. She had just finished get off work and bought some things to take back to her parents' home.

Xu Fangfang's family home is located on the outskirts of Pingxi Town, where more than 80% of the people are surnamed Xu.

When Xu's parents saw her come over after work, they found it strange, and there was no joy on their faces.

Xu's mother, Zhao Jinmei, grabbed Xu Fangfang's hand and scolded her sternly, "I heard you and your son-in-law had another fight. What's going on between you two? If you can't have a baby, go see a doctor. What kind of behavior is this, dragging it out like this!"

Xu Fangfang was never one to have a good temper, and upon hearing this, she immediately gave Zhao Jinmei a hard time. She angrily carried her things inside, plopped down on a stool, and said, "What are you looking at? Xu Jie isn't cooperating at all, and his mother is sick in the head. She came up here and said I'm a barren hen. What? Is my infertility solely my problem? Why doesn't she suspect that her own son is sick!"

"Hey! You brat, how dare you say such things!" Zhao Jinmei looked around in fear, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was outside the door. She softened her tone and earnestly advised, "Child, listen to your mother's advice. A woman can't be too domineering. You have to give your man face, otherwise the marriage won't last!"

Xu Fangfang pushed up her glasses and scoffed, "Mom, if a marriage isn't going well, we can just get a divorce. A living person can't just let themselves suffocate from a breath of air, can they?"

"You, you, you're talking nonsense again! Marriage isn't child's play, you can't just get a divorce whenever you want. Why did you even get married in the first place?" Zhao Jinmei was almost driven crazy by her daughter.

Xu Fangfang started to argue with her, "Can't I just admit I was young and naive back then? I'm telling you seriously, if I can't make this marriage work, I'll definitely get a divorce. I might as well just not get married like my cousin."

Zhao Jinmei slapped Xu Fangfang's thigh, glaring angrily, "Your cousin is already a headache enough, and you're still messing around with her. Go, go, go back now, stop making me angry here, I hate seeing you."

Xu Fangfang just didn't want to go back and see Xu Jie again. Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday and she didn't have to work. After thinking about it, she gritted her teeth, went out, and caught the last bus to the city.

The national highways are now better built, and the old rickety buses have been upgraded. It only takes a little over an hour to get to the city, so you don't have to suffer much.

Until she got into the car and left, neither her parents' nor her in-laws realized that she had run away.

Xu Fangfang only contacted Xu Jiahui after arriving in the city.

After meeting her, Xu Jiahui immediately took her home on her motorcycle, complaining on the way, "You didn't even tell me you were coming. It's already dark. I didn't even have time to go to the market to buy some ingredients to cook for you."

"Why buy anything? I just came here for some peace and quiet." Xu Fangfang sat in the back seat of the car, her arm around Xu Jiahui's waist. The cold wind helped clear her feverish head.

Xu Jiahui was a little surprised, "What's wrong? Did you quarrel with your brother-in-law again?"

"Don't even mention it! What brother-in-law? He probably won't be for long," Xu Fangfang muttered angrily. Xu Jiahui had a feeling something was wrong. After the two entered the house, she first called the restaurant downstairs and asked them to send some food and drinks up. Then she got Xu Fangfang some pajamas. "Go take a shower first and change into something comfortable. We'll eat and chat in a bit."

The two grew up together, and Xu Fangfang didn't stand on ceremony with her. After tidying up, she sat on the sofa and started complaining to Xu Jiahui.

“We’ve been married for several years now, and I’ve wasted my youth on him. If he hadn’t been so persistent, I wouldn’t have given in back then. I thought I’d found true love, but he turns out to be a beast in human form. Look at him, he even hit me!”

Xu Fangfang rolled up her sleeves, revealing the shocking scars on her body.

Xu Jiahui was shocked and furious. "Did you tell your aunt?"

Xu Fangfang scoffed and rolled up her sleeves. "What difference does it make whether I say it or not? Does she think she'd support my divorce?"

Xu Jiahui choked, speechless. The elders in her hometown were all honest, timid and fearful people. Even if they loved their daughter, they couldn't change their ingrained ideas. Fortunately, she had her own house, so no matter how dissatisfied her parents were, they couldn't do anything about it.

"So what do you plan to do? Continue to pester him?" Xu Jiahui pressed.

Xu Fangfang shook her head and slowly lowered her eyes. "What do you think about me getting a divorce?"

Xu Jiahui supported it without hesitation.

Xu Fangfang was conflicted again, "But if I get a divorce, my parents definitely won't forgive me. What if they won't want to accept me as their divorced daughter?"

Xu Jiahui laughed, "Sister, you're a primary school teacher, what's so difficult about this? Go take the teacher selection exam, pass it and get a position in the city, then come directly to the city. Your uncle and aunt will only be angry for a while, they can't be angry with you for a lifetime."

Besides, you're still young. You can start over in the city. This time, let's be careful and find someone reliable. Once you bring your new partner home, will your uncle and aunt still bring up the past?

The confusion in Xu Fangfang's eyes gradually faded, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Jiahui, I've realized that you're really amazing. Having been to big cities and seen the world, your perspective is different. I'll listen to you."

There's a teacher selection exam coming up early next year, and she can apply. If she passes, she can leave Pingxi Town, and then it won't be too late to bring up divorce.

With an idea in mind, Xu Fangfang's mood improved considerably, and she finally had the mind to care about other things. She then noticed the wedding candies on the table. "Did our relatives give these?"

Xu Jiahui shook her head. "No, it's because my college roommate is getting married. The groom is the older cousin of another of my roommates. He's also from Anshi, and I heard his hometown is Pingxi Town."

As you know, when I was in school, I didn't even know everyone in the village. After graduation, I stayed in Anshi and went back less than three or four times a year. Pingxi Town is so big, I've never even heard of this family.

But we're from the same place, so we can see each other often in the future, which is good.

Xu Jiahui smiled broadly as she mentioned Tang Jing's wedding. (End of Chapter)