Chapter 17

Before long, the woman led Li Hehua to a house—the original host’s maternal home.

As she pulled Li Hehua inside, she called out, “Hehua’s Mother, your daughter has returned!”

Everyone in the house emerged. At the front stood a woman in her forties or fifties, followed by a young woman cradling a baby, and a burly man of similar age. Last to appear was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, equally robust.

Li Hehua observed that the original host’s family lived comfortably. They were well-dressed and all had sturdy builds—clear signs of a prosperous life.

Their gazes turned to Li Hehua, and their expressions shifted when they noticed the bundle on her back. The middle-aged woman at the front asked, “Li Hehua, why have you returned at this hour?”

Li Hehua guessed this was the original host’s mother and replied, “Mother, I’ve been divorced and had no choice but to come home.”

Upon hearing this, the Li family’s faces darkened—except for the woman who had brought her. Hehua’s mother frowned deeply. “Divorced? How dare the Zhang family divorce you! Have they lost their minds?”

The man standing behind her mother, the original host’s eldest brother, Li Changfu, also spoke up. “That old hag from the Zhang family and that snot-nosed brat dared to divorce you? They’ve got some nerve! I guess they’ve never seen how fierce our Li family can be. They clearly don’t take us seriously!”

Li Hehua frowned inwardly, repulsed by the Li family’s way of speaking. Her first impression of them was terrible.

Seeing her frown, the Li family assumed she was feeling helpless. Li Hehua’s eldest sister-in-law immediately scolded her, “How could you just come back like this? Those two dared to treat you like that—you should’ve taught them a lesson! What’s the point of running home like this?”

The youngest boy, Li Changshou, also frowned and grumbled, “Exactly! Don’t tell us you just cowered and ran away.”

Li Hehua was now certain, the original host’s maternal family was far from decent or reasonable. If a married daughter returned after being divorced, the normal reaction would be to ask what had happened and then figure out a solution. But this family didn’t even bother to inquire—they immediately demanded to “teach the Zhang family a lesson,” as if the Zhangs were beneath their notice. This was not how proper in-laws should behave.

Suppressing her thoughts, Li Hehua told them the truth: “It wasn’t Qingshan or his’s mother who divorced me—it was Zhang Tieshan.”

“What! Zhang Tieshan returned from the battlefield? He’s not dead?” Li Changshou exclaimed in shock. The rest of the family looked equally astonished.

Li Hehua nodded. “He’s back. The moment he returned, he came to settle scores with me and divorced me. There was nothing I could do.”

Hearing this, the Li family’s expressions changed once more. Gone was their earlier arrogance; now, a hint of fear crept into their eyes.

Even Li Changfu, who had just been looking down on the Zhang family, looked a bit panicked as he turned to their mother. “Mother, Zhang Tieshan is alive and back! What do we do? Will he come after us?”

Their family had frequently bullied Zhang Tieshan’s widowed mother and younger brother, even tormenting the child. They had assumed Zhang Tieshan had died on the battlefield, which emboldened them to openly harass the Zhang family while seizing opportunities for personal gain. Now…

Mother Li clearly remembered their past actions. Her face paled, and her lips trembled. After a long pause, she forced herself to regain composure and declared, “What’s there to do? We’ll just live our lives. We haven’t done anything wrong.”

“But…” Li Changfu’s words died in his throat under his mother’s glare.

Li Hehua took in their expressions, quickly understanding their predicament. They had assumed Zhang Tieshan wouldn’t return from war and had recklessly bullied the Zhang family alongside the original host. Now that news of his return had reached them, their faces had turned pale with fear. Clearly, they were terrified of him.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Hehua spoke again. “Mother, I’ve been divorced and can’t go back. What should I do now?”

The Li family finally remembered why she had returned. They exchanged glances before the eldest sister-in-law stepped forward. “Little sister,” she said, “you’re already married. You’re part of the Zhang family now, and you even gave them a son. They can’t just divorce you like that. Go back and talk to Zhang Tieshan properly. He wouldn’t be so heartless.”

Li Changfu quickly chimed in, “Exactly! They can’t just divorce you. Go back, admit your mistakes, and beg Tieshan to take you back.”

Listening to them, Li Hehua sneered inwardly, finally understanding their true intentions. Still, she calmly turned to the original host’s mother, her face etched with sorrow. “Mother, what do you say? Zhang Tieshan is dead set on divorcing me. Begging him is futile. You can’t abandon me now.”

Mother Li’s eyes flickered with discomfort. “Li Hehua, how could I abandon you? But we have no spare rooms, and if you stayed, the villagers would gossip. It’s best you return. A married couple should stay together. Beg Tieshan properly—if not today, then tomorrow. He’ll forgive you eventually.”

Li Hehua blinked, inwardly confirming her suspicions about her unreliable family. Deliberately tearing off the pretense, she retorted, “You helped me bully the Zhang family before, which led to my divorce. Now you’re abandoning me?”

The Li family members grew visibly awkward but quickly masked their discomfort. The eldest sister-in-law spoke again, “Little sister, you’re mistaken. When did we ever bully the Zhang family? We were just helping you vent your anger, worried they might mistreat you. How dare you blame us now?”

Li Changfu nodded eagerly. “Exactly! We just wanted to support you. Don’t blame us for your divorce.”

Mother Li offered no rebuttal.

Li Hehua nearly laughed at their shamelessness. She chuckled inwardly, realizing she had made a mistake coming here today.

Since things had come to this, she saw no point in arguing further. However, she still needed to sever ties completely to avoid future entanglements—she had no desire to associate with them again.

Feigning utter disappointment, Li Hehua shook her head. “Fine, fine, I understand now. You’re truly this kind of people. It’s my fault for ever believing in you. Now I know exactly what my family is like. Forget it. I won’t ask for anything more. Since you’re so heartless, there’s nothing left to say. From now on, we’re strangers.”

With that, she turned and left. The Li family stood awkwardly, but no one called after her.

…….

Only after leaving Lijiazhuang Village did Li Hehua exhale deeply, a bitter smile on her face. Fortunately, she had never been truly close to the Li family, so she felt no real heartache.

Turning to them for help was no longer an option. She needed to find another place to stay, but she knew few people. Apart from the Zhang family, she only knew Cao Simei from Lianhua Village. It seemed she had no choice but to seek her help, perhaps she would have a solution.

Li Hehua set off for Lianhua Village again, finally arriving at Cao Simei’s home as dusk fell.

Cao Simei was surprised to see her. “Hehua, what brings you here at this hour?”

Li Hehua smiled awkwardly and cut to the chase. “Cao jie, do you know of any villagers renting out houses? I’m looking for a place to stay.”

Cao Simei’s eyes widened, her gaze shifting to the bundle on Li Hehua’s back. “Hehua, what’s this…?”

Li Hehua didn’t want to hide the truth. “Cao jie, my husband’s family divorced me, and my own family won’t take me back. I have nowhere to go. I thought I could rent a house in the village for now and figure things out when I have some money.”

Cao Simei was stunned into silence, clearly struggling to process the news.

Li Hehua wasn’t sure how to explain everything, so she simply took Cao Simei’s hand and said, “Cao jie, it’s a long story, but right now the most important thing is to find a place to stay. Could you ask around the village for me? Please.”

Cao Simei snapped out of her daze, realizing that finding her a place was the immediate priority. But after racking her brain, she couldn’t think of any vacant houses. Most families were already crowded—some even had grown siblings still sharing rooms.

Looking troubled, she said, “Big Sister, there aren’t any empty houses in our village. Most families live in cramped conditions.”

Hearing this, Li Hehua felt a pang of disappointment but understood. She sighed. “I see, thank you anyway. I’ll try to figure something else out. I won’t bother you any longer.” She turned to leave.

Cao Simei grabbed her hand. “where are you going so late? Why don’t you stay at my place tonight and figure things out tomorrow?”

Li Hehua shook her head. “No need, that would be too much trouble for you. If all else fails, I’ll just stay at an inn in town.”

Cao Simei refused to let her leave. “Don’t worry about troubling us. How will you get to town so late? Just stay here tonight and sleep with my daughter. Besides, you’re cooking a feast for Old Wang the day after tomorrow. Staying here will save you the trouble of running back and forth. We can figure out the rest after the feast.”

After a moment of contemplation, Li Hehua nodded in agreement, resolving to repay the Cao family for their kindness.

Cao Simei led her into the house and briefly explained the situation to her family, omitting the fact that Li Hehua had been cast out. She simply said that Hehua was staying to prepare the upcoming banquet. The family welcomed her warmly and treated her with great courtesy, deepening her gratitude toward them.

Cao Simei instructed her eldest daughter to show Hehua to her room and help her settle in. Then she pulled her to the dinner table. This was the first time Li Hehua had shared a meal with a family in this world, and she found herself strangely moved. She inwardly chuckled at how pitiful her life had been.

After dinner, Cao Simei heated water for her to wash up and insisted she be the first to retire to bed.

Though the bed was small, and she had to share it with the eldest daughter, it was more than enough. She was deeply grateful to this family for taking her in. Exhausted from the day, she fell asleep almost immediately.

When she woke the next morning, the sun was already high. The family had risen early and left breakfast warming in the pot.

Unsure how to properly thank them, Li Hehua offered to cook lunch as a small token of appreciation. Cao Simei was overjoyed. She immediately gave money to her youngest son to buy meat and sent her eldest son to catch a fish, declaring they would have a proper feast at noon and not waste such a talented cook. Li Hehua couldn’t help but smile and shake her head at the woman’s enthusiasm.

While she prepared lunch in Lianhua Village, the Li family in Lijiazhuang Village received an unwelcome visitor. That day would make them bitterly regret their mistreatment of the Zhang family.