Meng Suihuan was utterly bewildered. Could her presence have caused a butterfly effect that impacted the Lu family’s eldest daughter? However, after Lu Mother explained the situation, she realized she was overthinking. This wasn’t a butterfly effect; it was more like a coincidence of circumstances.

The workers at her factory had gone to other villages to collect vegetables and happened to encounter Lu Xiuhe, who was beaten black and blue and being scolded by others. Such a major incident couldn’t possibly be hidden from Lu Father and Lu Mother. Once they learned about it, they personally went to confront the issue and brought their daughter back.

Upon further inquiry, they discovered this wasn’t the first time it had happened. There had been many similar incidents before. Even at her and Lu Linshen’s wedding, the eldest daughter hadn’t attended because of this. No wonder Lu Father was so angry. Just hearing about it made Meng Suihuan want to give that abusive man a good beating. She despised men who raised their hands against women. Lacking ability yet pushing the blame onto women—such men were worse than beasts!

“Jiejie, don’t dwell on these upsetting matters for now. Adjust your mindset, and we’ll deal with him later,” Meng Suihuan comforted.

Lu Mother immediately chimed in, “Xiuhe, don’t think about anything tonight. Rest well at home. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the Sun family and demand justice!”

The Lu family’s house was already small, and with Lu Xiuhe back, it felt downright cramped. There wasn’t enough space for everyone to sleep, so Meng Suihuan had to share a bed with Lu Miaomiao. The little girl tossed and turned in her sleep, making it impossible for Meng Suihuan, a light sleeper, to get any rest.

Her mind was filled with one thought: not only did the bathroom need renovation, but the house did too! With these thoughts swirling, she finally dozed off in the middle of the night. But her sleep didn’t last long; she woke to the sounds of Lu Father and Lu Mother leaving the house. Judging by their demeanor, they were going to confront the Sun family.

Meng Suihuan fell asleep again, only to be awakened later by loud banging on the door.

“Xiuhe, open the door! I was wrong—I shouldn’t have hit you. I promise I’ll treat you well from now on. Please, come back home with me!”

Hearing the scumbag’s words, Meng Suihuan’s sleepiness vanished instantly. She rushed to the living room and found Lu Xiuhe hiding behind the door, wiping her tears. Not only that, but the man outside was kneeling, apologizing profusely while slapping himself.

“Xiuhe, I know you won’t forgive me easily, but it’s okay. I’ll wait for you… From now on, whatever you say, I’ll listen. Just talk to me. Don’t scare me like this…”

Seeing the man through the crack in the door, Lu Xiuhe began crying harder. Her trembling hand reached for the latch, clearly wavering.

Meng Suihuan was terrified and reacted instinctively, rushing over to stop her. She grabbed Lu Xiuhe’s hand and shook her head.

“Jiejie, don’t open the door so easily.”

These scumbags all followed the same playbook: kneeling and apologizing, swearing they’d never do it again, only to lash out the next moment. Domestic violence only had two possibilities—none or countless times. If she compromised now, he’d only repeat his behavior later, using the same tricks to gain forgiveness.

You might as well believe pigs can climb trees than trust a domestic abuser’s “I’ll never do it again.”

Lu Xiuhe was startled by Meng Suihuan’s sudden move. Any trace of soft-heartedness she had felt was temporarily dispelled. Meng Suihuan pulled her to sit down and spoke earnestly.

“Jiejie, sometimes you can’t afford to be too softhearted, or you’ll only suffer yourself.”

“Think carefully—since you married him, how many times has he hit you? Now he’s coming to apologize because things have escalated, and he’s worried about our parents causing him trouble, so he’s putting on this act to gain your forgiveness.”

“And why should this be over just because he says a few nice words and kneels?”

Hearing movement inside, the man outside knocked even harder. Lu Xiuhe glanced toward the door a few times but ultimately turned away, tears streaming down her face.

Meng Suihuan let out a sigh of relief. At least her sister wasn’t entirely hopeless. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known what to do.

A couple of hours later, Lu Mother and Lu Father returned, only to find the man still kneeling at the door. Furious, Lu Mother grabbed a stick and charged at him.

“Sun Yuanhe, how dare you come here and cause trouble! Do you think the Lu family is an easy target?!”

Sun Yuanhe tried to dodge, but his legs were numb from kneeling and couldn’t move in time. He ended up taking a solid beating. Seeing that he couldn’t escape, he decided to play the victim.

“Mom, go ahead and hit me! If this will make Xiuhe forgive me, I won’t fight back even if you beat me to death!”

Lu Mother, enraged, almost continued beating him. But Meng Suihuan knew exactly what he was up to. He wanted to use this beating to defuse the situation, turning a big problem into a minor one and a minor problem into nothing.

“Mom, stop!” Meng Suihuan quickly intervened.

“He’s doing this on purpose. He wants you to beat him so he can make this our fault. Don’t fall for it.”

Lu Mother paused, retreating several steps. She had almost fallen for it.

Sun Yuanhe, whose taken a beating only to be exposed: “…”

He glared at Meng Suihuan fiercely.
If it weren’t for this meddlesome woman, he would’ve already coaxed her into forgiving him. Of course, he couldn’t let such thoughts show.

“Mom, I really didn’t mean it that way…”

But Lu Mother, having already made up her mind, wasn’t going to listen to his excuses. Still furious, she gave him a thorough scolding and promptly chased him away.

After the man left, Meng Suihuan carefully recounted everything that had just happened. When she finished, she asked directly, “Mom, Dad, I want to know—how do you plan to handle this?”

Lu Father and Lu Mother were stunned by the question. After a long silence, they hesitantly replied, “We’ll go to his family and cause a scene, demand an explanation…”

Meng Suihuan couldn’t hold back her frustration. “That’s just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. ^[1]It means, temporary aiding the problem.What happens next time he hits her? Are we going to confront him again?”

The Lu parents had no answer. This was exactly what they’d been thinking, and they couldn’t refute her logic. After a couple of seconds of silence, Lu Mother turned to Meng Suihuan and sincerely asked, “Xiao Huan, what do you think we should do about this?”

Meng Suihuan scanned the room, her gaze eventually landing on the eldest daughter, Lu Xiuhe. “Have you ever considered divorce?”

Everyone fell silent, staring at Meng Suihuan in shock. The word “divorce” was almost foreign to them. In their community, marriage was seen as a lifelong commitment, no matter the circumstances. Divorce wasn’t just unthinkable; it would invite gossip, ostracism, and potential repercussions for their family.

After what felt like an eternity, Lu Mother stammered, “Di… Divorce?”

Meng Suihuan nodded solemnly and provided several examples.

“Those rumors and gossip aren’t worth worrying about. After all, it’s your life—whether it’s bitter or sweet, only you know the truth.”

“When I started the vegetable factory, wasn’t there a lot of skepticism from the village? If I had given up back then, wouldn’t I have been the one suffering for it?”

Lu Father and Lu Mother were swayed by her reasoning. Considering their current financial stability, losing one pair of chopsticks at the table wouldn’t make much of a difference. Especially when they looked at their daughter’s bruised and battered face, their resolve hardened.

“Xiuhe, if you really want a divorce, your father and I will support you!”

Lu Xiuhe’s eyes instantly reddened upon hearing those words.

Although she hadn’t made a final decision yet, Meng Suihuan could tell there was a newfound light in her eyes. Sometimes, it wasn’t a lack of courage holding people back; it was the overwhelming judgment and misunderstanding they faced. Retreat often felt like the only option.

Meng Suihuan didn’t force her opinion on Lu Xiuhe. Divorce was no small matter—it had to be a decision she came to on her own. Otherwise, if things went wrong, she might end up blaming Meng Suihuan.

Just as Meng Suihuan was about to leave, Lu Xiuhe called out to her.

“Huan-meimei, can I go with you?”

Meng Suihuan didn’t refuse. “Of course.”

The two of them went not only to the Lu family’s vegetable factory but also into the city. Along the way, Lu Xiuhe heard various remarks about Meng Suihuan and saw how composed and confident she was in dealing with others. By the end of the trip, she seemed to have made up her mind.

That evening, Lu Xiuhe calmly shared her decision with the family as if she were discussing something ordinary.

“I want a divorce.”

Hearing this, Meng Suihuan smiled warmly, her eyes filled with relief. She couldn’t bear to see such a kind and gentle woman like Lu Xiuhe end up with a tragic fate.

Since Lu Xiuhe had made up her mind, Meng Suihuan didn’t hold back. “Jiejie, knowing that man’s personality, he’s unlikely to agree easily… So we need to make it impossible for him not to divorce.”

Of course, Meng Suihuan wasn’t going to outright tell her that the scumbag had already been unfaithful. Instead, she subtly guided the conversation. After all, no man who cheated would leave no evidence behind.

Lu Xiuhe’s hands tightened, and the last trace of hope in her eyes vanished.

“Thank you, Huan-meimei. I know what to do now.”

Once the matter was mostly resolved, Meng Suihuan seized the opportunity to bring up another issue.

“Mom, Dad, I’d like to rebuild the house.”

The current house was far too small, and with Lu Xiuhe back, it was impossible to accommodate everyone comfortably.

The elderly couple thought about it carefully and, recalling the income from the vegetable factory, didn’t oppose the idea.

“Alright!”

Meng Suihuan beamed with joy and quickly added, “And the bathroom, too!”

“Okay.”

Meng Suihuan was over the moon. Finally, she wouldn’t have to dread using the bathroom anymore!