Chapter 130: Do You Want a Divorce?

Zhang Lan quickly brought a hot towel for her sister to apply to her swollen face. “Sister, why is brother-in-law like this? I never noticed before. I thought he was quite honest when we were outside.”

Zhang Hua sniffled. “Little sister, you don’t know. He doesn’t act this way in front of outsiders, but as soon as he’s with his siblings, he acts like a big shot. Who can tolerate that? If they genuinely came to visit our parents, I wouldn’t mind. But these people use the pretext of visiting the elderly to come to our house and freeload. Damn it, even the delicious food our mother sent me ended up in their greedy stomachs. Just thinking about it makes me feel wronged.”

Zhang Lan understood her elder sister’s character. She was meticulous in her daily life, but even she couldn’t withstand such extravagance. Moreover, her elder sister’s family wasn’t living a good life. At most, their family background was slightly better off than hers.

“Sister, don’t be angry. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll go heat up some food for you. Qianqian, keep your aunt company and talk to her,” Zhang Lan said.

Hao Lianchun saw that there were visitors at home and had already gone to the next room, leaving the two sisters to talk.

This was the second time Wang Qian had seen her aunt, but seeing her in this state, she didn’t know what to say.

“Aunt, why don’t you take your parents-in-law to their place next time they come to freeload? Why let them come to you? If the elderly go to their house, they can’t be driven out right?” Wang Qian suggested.

Zhang Hua didn’t expect her young niece to come up with an idea. She grimaced, her face still sore. “Qianqian, you don’t know. I’ve thought about that, but the elderly simply won’t go. What can I do? I can’t just tie them up and take them there.”

Wang Qian felt that her aunt’s in-laws were just confused. They relied on their son to support them in their old age. Some things should be made clear to their children, and there was no need to escalate the situation unnecessarily.

“Aunt, why does it have to be your family to support the elderly? Can’t it be rotated? They are all children, not born out of a rock. Besides, if they are unwilling to contribute to the elderly support, why don’t you go and talk to them? What’s the point of arguing with your husband? It won’t solve the problem,” Wang Qian said.

Zhang Hua was taken aback by the question from a seven-year-old child. She couldn’t help but think, “When did my sister’s child become so articulate? She’s like a little adult.”

“Well, Qianqian, it’s our tradition for the eldest son to support the elderly, and we also live in the parents’ house,” Zhang Hua explained her current situation. Some things were not as simple as her young niece thought.

Wang Qian glanced at Zhang Hua. “Aunt, were the houses of your brothers built with the help of the elderly?”

Zhang Hua didn’t understand what her niece meant, but she nodded. “Aunt, it’s settled then. They all have houses, so why don’t you? Why should you be responsible for supporting the elderly? It’s not a big deal to support the elderly, but the elderly support money should be contributed. If not, you can separate and start anew. Everyone should share the responsibility of supporting the elderly. That’s it.”

Zhang Lan entered the room with the food and heard her daughter’s words. “Dear, your aunt’s family has already divided their property. The elderly were clearly assigned to their care. Why are you asking your aunt to divide the property?”

“Mom, if the division is unfair, it shouldn’t be allowed to stand. Besides, they are not contributing to the elderly support. Let Aunt go to the commune committee. They are not ashamed, so why should we cover for them? If it’s shameful, we should all be ashamed together,” Wang Qian said.

Zhang Lan knew her daughter’s temperament. Despite her young age, her thoughts were stronger than those of most adults.

“Sister, have your meal first. Let’s talk about your family matters after you’ve eaten,” Zhang Lan said.

Watching her elder sister eat voraciously, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but sigh. She probably hadn’t eaten lunch and had walked such a long way. Household matters were sometimes difficult to explain. “Sister, what are your plans for the future?”

After swallowing her food and taking a sip of soup, Zhang Hua put down her chopsticks and said, “Little sister, I don’t plan to go back this time. I’ll stay at your place for a few days. Let them do as they please at home. I don’t want to go back. The children at home are grown up. They can find food for themselves. Besides, their father is still at home. Let him figure it out.”

Zhang Hua had made up her mind to stay here this time, and Zhang Lan didn’t want to drive her away. Wang Qian, on the other hand, stared at Zhang Hua and asked, “Aunt, are you planning to divorce uncle?”

Zhang Hua was taken aback by the question. “Divorce? Why would I divorce? I’m living a good life. Besides, your brother and sister haven’t even come of age. What divorce are you talking about?”

Wang Qian lay back on the kang, stretched lazily, and calmly said, “You don’t want a divorce, but you also don’t want to solve the problem. You just want to escape. Even if you stay at our house, can you really forget about your family? Aren’t you afraid that the brother and sister will go hungry and cold? Even if you stay and ignore these issues, when you go back, won’t you return to the same situation? You’ll still be angry, have to serve those freeloaders, and then continue to argue with your husband.”

This child’s words were always on point. Today, she agreed with the child’s perspective.

Zhang Hua was a bit stunned. “Little sister, is she really your daughter? She’s so capable. She can guess what’s on my mind.”

In her heart, Zhang Lan didn’t say that she had also guessed, but she hadn’t said anything. Her elder sister was still confused, but this time, Zhang Hua began to reconsider Wang Qian’s words.

Carefully, she asked, “Little sister, do you think I acted impulsively this time? Besides, if I go back now, I’ll lose face. Maybe I’ll stay here for a couple of days until the swelling on my face goes down.”

“Sure, you can lie down on the kang for a while. I’ll go do the laundry and come back to keep you company,” Zhang Lan said.

Zhang Lan was about to go out but was called back by her sister. “I’ll go with you. It’s uncomfortable for me to stay at home anyway. Let’s go wash together. Qianqian, stay at home. Your aunt and your mom are going out,” Zhang Hua said.

The two sisters went out, and Wang Qian ran to the neighboring room. “Grandma Zuo, you stay at home. I’m going to collect some recyclables.”

Hao Lianchun was sitting on the kang, knitting a sweater. Zhang Lan borrowed some knitting needles and started making small sweaters for the siblings.

“Qianqian, wear some warm clothes when you go out, and be careful. Come back early,” the old lady said.

Wang Qian first went to the reservoir to collect some water. The ground in the space had dried up a bit, so she also caught a few fish. However, there were not many big fish left this time, mostly small ones. Still, having some was better than none. She could always make soup at home.

The pile of garbage in front of the steel pipe factory had been picked up. Her father and a few elderly gentlemen were at the edge of the woods, so she picked up some glass shards and glass bottles along the roadside.

She put the items in the space and continued to pick up things along the ditch. When she reached the west side of the hospital, near the post office, she unexpectedly saw someone. Wang Zhenguo was sneaking toward the mailbox, looking around as he walked.

Wang Qian was wrapped in her mother’s scarf today, and she was well covered. Coupled with her small stature, Wang Zhenguo didn’t notice her.

Wang Zhenguo’s behavior today was unusual. Wang Qian crouched in the ditch, secretly watching. Suddenly, Wang Zhenguo quickly took out a letter from his pocket and stuffed it into the mailbox. Then, without looking back, he left quickly.

She was somewhat puzzled. What could make Wang Zhenguo act like this? Even if it was a love letter, it didn’t need to be done in such a secretive manner.

To the west, there was a supply and marketing cooperative. Wang Qian sold all the recyclables she had collected there and received one yuan and fifty cents. She spent five cents to buy a tube of hand cream for Zhang Lan, and then bought a bar of soap and a few rolls of toilet paper. She had less than one yuan left. She went back along the northern ditch and, by chance, found five yuan at the bottom of the ditch. Judging by how dirty the money was, it seemed to have been there for a long time.

She didn’t expect to find money while collecting recyclables. Although it was satisfying, she felt a bit regretful that it wasn’t a gold bar. Nevertheless, she continued on her way back. When she reached the west side of their settlement, she heard a commotion. A crowd had gathered in front of a house, where a couple was having a heated argument. People tried to intervene, but the couple wouldn’t yield to each other. The yard was littered with torn playing cards. The woman was crying and shouting, “You heartless man! I work hard at home to take care of the children and earn some money, and you come here to gamble it all away. Do you want us to die? This isn’t over. Either you kill me, or you stop gambling.”

The woman spoke resolutely, with an air of determination that suggested she wouldn’t let things go. In the end, the man couldn’t overpower the woman. He left in a huff, leaving his crying wife behind.

Wang Qian really disliked men like him. In her eyes, a man who hits his wife is a sign of weakness. If you have the guts, go show off outside. Bullying your wife, who takes care of you, loves you, and raises your children, doesn’t make you a man at all.

After witnessing the scene, she couldn’t help but sigh deeply, hoping that the woman could manage her man and live a good life.

Turning back to continue collecting her recyclables, she felt that as long as there was money to be made, there was hope for the future. When she reached the back of their house, she decided not to go any further. She stored the items in her space and went straight home. The sun was already setting, and it would be dark soon. She didn’t want to keep everyone waiting for dinner.

Seeing the laundry in the yard, she knew her mother had already returned from doing the laundry.

“Mom, I’m back,” she called out.

Zhang Lan quickly opened the door, picked up her daughter, and placed her on the kang. “Silly girl, why did you go out on such a cold day? Are you cold? Hurry, get into bed and warm up.”

She untied the scarf from her daughter’s head. Her little face was bright red from the cold, and her hands and feet were icy.