Chapter 11: Farewell Dinner

“Ahem!” Lin Xuan waved his hand in front of his eyes and looked at Shen Yuchu: “What are you doing with that abacus?”

“Calculating!” Shen Yuchu said as she got off the chair. Lin Xuan was afraid she would fall, so he quickly reached out to help.

However, Shen Yuchu got down steadily. She took a rag, dipped it in the icy basin of water, and started wiping the abacus.

Lin Xuan looked at her: “From next month on, I’ll give you all my allowance, 80 yuan a month, not a cent less. Also, I’ve saved some money over these three years; my allowance has been with Mom. Mom, get my passbook.”

Shen Chunfen glanced at Lin Xuan. Although she was reluctant, seeing her son’s determined expression, she went to get the passbook, which contained over 2,500 yuan.

Lin Xuan brought it to Shen Yuchu, “This is some of my money, and my parents’, it’s all in this passbook. Look…”

“No!” Shen Yuchu clutched the money in her hand, and with a sly smile at Lin Xuan and Shen Chunfen, she said, “I’m using this abacus to calculate exactly how much rice, flour, water I’ve consumed in your Lin family, how much work I’ve done, and what I’ve contributed. Let’s settle the accounts!”

Lin Xuan saw her small hand skillfully moving the beads on the wet abacus.

He grabbed the abacus, “What are you calculating? You’re my wife, we’re family, food and drink are all taken care of.”

“Is it because you see I have money now that you say this?”

Shen Yuchu suddenly blurted this out. Shen Chunfen glared, her voice booming, “Shen Yuchu, how can you not understand good intentions? My son doesn’t want to divorce you.

Think about it, you… you… you…”

Shen Yuchu stared at Shen Chunfen: “What’s wrong with me? Am I illiterate? Can’t I read? Or am I incapable of accounting and not presentable?”

Shen Chunfen saw the words she wrote. At this moment, she was speechless.

She looked at her son, “Talk to your wife yourself.”

“Stop! I’m not his wife, I’m not his wife from now on!” Shen Yuchu shouted directly.

Shen Chunfen: …

Lin Xuan: …

Shen Yuchu pulled a chair, although it wasn’t high, she sat down with a proper and imposing manner.

“It was Lu Chunhuan’s scheme that damaged your son’s reputation. I didn’t dare to resist (it was the original owner who didn’t dare to resist)…”

Shen Yuchu helplessly accepted responsibility for the original owner.

“Now, I’ve figured it out, a forced marriage is not sweet. Besides, I don’t want this ‘melon’ anymore.”

Lin Xuan: …

Shen Yuchu stared at Shen Chunfen: “Frankly, I’m not interested in your son anymore.

He’s not my type. I like men with broad shoulders, narrow waist, firm hips, straight calves, large stable feet, wide and thick palms.

He walks with a strong gait, speaks forcefully and clearly, his eyes shine with intelligence, and he’s a strong and powerful man.”

Lin Xuan rolled his eyes helplessly. Shen Chunfen looked at her son again, “Isn’t that still my son?”

Shen Yuchu: …

She couldn’t help but glance at Lin Xuan’s face and figure.

Hmm…

He does look a bit like that.

But she quickly denied it, “Your son is no good, he’s got kidney deficiency!”

Shen Chunfen: …

Lin Xuan’s eyes widened in disbelief, mixed with displeasure. He looked like he wanted to devour Shen Yuchu, “You, you… you haven’t tried, how do you know?”

In the end, he blurted it out.

However, Shen Yuchu didn’t care anymore. She turned to Lin Xuan, “I don’t even like your name. Don’t expect me to like this person, and your mother, I don’t want to see her ever again. Go to the village head and get it officially stamped!”

Lin Xuan: …

Soon, Lin Xuan and Shen Yuchu went to the village head’s house.

The village head was quite happy and poured water for them both. He first spoke to Lin Xuan.

After all, in their village, men speak to men first, “Supporting the army? Excellent, excellent. This is good news…”

Shen Yuchu sat aside, silent and unspeaking.

The village head’s wife, Wang Shufen, seeing Shen Yuchu sitting there without speaking, found it unusual.

The previous Shen Yuchu, even if she wasn’t talkative, would help her neighbors with their work.

To set a good example for Lin Xuan, she had helped the villagers a lot.

Even so, Shen Chunfen scolded her every three to five days.

Actually, everyone understood and heard everything.

Lin Xuan was a college student, while she was nothing. If it weren’t for her mother holding a knife to her neck and clamoring to go to the army, the Lin family wouldn’t have married her.

Now, Wang Shufen saw Lin Xuan bring her here, and she was calm. It completely baffled Wang Shufen.

Was this… still Shen Yuchu?

Seeing her husband chatting with Lin Xuan, Wang Shufen said to Shen Yuchu, “Lin Xuan’s wife, come, have some peanuts. These are freshly roasted, try them!”

In the rural winter, there weren’t many snacks or food choices.

There were just sunflower seeds, peanuts, sweet potato chips, and occasionally, someone would come to the village to make popcorn using a large black pot with a rocking stick and a bag attached to the front.

The person would rock the stick until the pressure reached a certain level, then step on one end.

With a loud “bang,” fragrant popcorn would come out. Some families would pop rice,

which could also produce popcorn, but most people used corn.

Shen Yuchu waited for a while until Wang Shufen said they would keep her and Lin Xuan for dinner.

She realized things had changed.

She and Wang Shufen were sitting in the outer room, with a bedroom inside where Lin Xuan and the village head were sitting.

However, when leaving, Shen Yuchu glanced inside and saw the village head signing with a pen.

After signing, he stamped the village’s seal.

Shen Yuchu saw it, and figured Lin Xuan didn’t want to continue with the original owner.

Now, it’s good that they can part ways.

What great news!

On the way back, ignoring Wang Shufen’s kind invitation, Shen Yuchu left with Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan’s home was not exactly in the village, but rather at the end of a street in town, allowing Shen Chunfen to easily go to the market. Therefore, the Lin family’s location wasn’t remote.

Shen Yuchu thought Lin Xuan must have had the village head sign and stamp their divorce application.

So, she suggested to Lin Xuan, “Let’s not go home for dinner tonight, let’s go to a restaurant in town, I’ll treat you.”

Lin Xuan frowned: …

“We’ve known each other for a while, let’s have a farewell dinner!”