Chapter 5 – Divorce Is Impossible, but Widowhood Works!

When Xia Yuwei saw it was her younger sister, she didn’t even bother wiping her tears. She sprang up instantly, afraid her sister might suffer any harm. No matter how much she herself had endured, she would never allow anyone to bully her little sister.

“You little b*tch! Do you even know where you are? This is my turf, and you dare hit me?”

Tang Wendong clutched the left side of his face where he’d been struck, and charged forward again, determined to kill Xia Wanwan this time.

“You think you’re somebody? Hitting my sister is not okay!” Xia Wanwan’s eyes blazed with fury as she snarled.

Xia Yuwei’s eyes were bloodshot, filled with a certain stubborn resolve. Her trembling hands grabbed the wooden stool nearby.

The very next moment—just as her sister was about to take another hit—Xia Yuwei swung the stool hard at the back of Tang Wendong’s head, venting all her pent-up grievances from these past days. Blow after blow rained down on his skull without pause.

Seeing her “brother-in-law” lying on the ground with blood all over his head, Xia Wanwan smiled with satisfaction. Truthfully, she hadn’t needed her sister to step in—she could’ve handled him herself—but this ending wasn’t bad either.

He wasn’t dead—of course not. Letting him die would bring trouble with the law. But turning him into a half-wit? That was perfectly fine.

Still, this matter couldn’t just end like this. She needed to ask her sister something.

“Big Sis, have you been living with domestic violence all this time?”

Xia Yuwei’s red-rimmed eyes and trembling body said enough. She felt utterly useless—too weak to fight back.

A married daughter couldn’t bring shame to her family, so she had swallowed the abuse in silence.

When her sister didn’t answer, Xia Wanwan knew her guess had been right.

“Big Sis, Mom and Dad have been sent down to the countryside today. I’ll be going too. Are you coming?”

Tears trembled in Xia Yuwei’s eyes. Did she want to go? Oh, how she wanted to!

In the past few days, trouble had struck her family, yet her husband’s family hadn’t allowed her to return home. She’d had enough of this life.

“I…”

“Big Sis, divorce him! After the divorce, we’ll go to the countryside together—our whole family, reunited.”

Divorce.

A small spark of anger lit in Xia Yuwei’s eyes.

“Big Sis, if Mom and Dad knew you were living like this, they’d be heartbroken,” Xia Wanwan added, pressing the point.

Xia Yuwei realized that her father had probably foreseen this outcome when she’d first married. But she didn’t want trash like this in her life. She’d rather spend her days alone than stay with such a man.

“Fine. Divorce. Big Sis will listen to you. Family should always be together.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she smiled—a smile brighter than any she’d worn since her wedding day.

“Big Sis!”

Xia Wanwan hugged her tightly, silently vowing to be her strongest support. Her sister’s life, as beautiful as a flower, should not be sacrificed for their second uncle’s ambitions. Even if she never remarried, Xia Wanwan could take care of her!

“Wanwan, life has been bitter for me…” She had thought obeying her parents would lead to a good marriage—but instead, she had fallen into an abyss.

“I know. I’m here now. No one will ever bully you again.”

From her memories, this sister had often protected her and cleaned up her messes. With such deep ties, how could she allow her to suffer domestic violence for the rest of her life?

“My Wanwan has grown up—she knows how to protect her sister now.”

“Big Sis, your marriage… it might have been our second uncle’s scheme. Do you understand?”

“What do you mean, Wanwan?” Xia Yuwei stared at her sister in shock, searching her face for any sign of a lie—but found none.

“Big Sis, our family’s downfall was all designed by Second Uncle…”

Xia Yuwei’s pupils widened. “Are you telling the truth?”

“Don’t you feel it yourself?” Xia Wanwan was certain her intelligent sister had sensed it too.

Xia Yuwei’s tears fell freely. From the moment she’d married into this family, she had sensed something was wrong—always being watched, not allowed to make phone calls, not allowed to send word home. The slightest misstep, and she’d be beaten like today. To avoid worrying her parents, she’d endured in silence, only to face even worse abuse.

It turned out her husband and her second uncle were in cahoots. This marriage had been a trap from the start. Perhaps they all deserved to die.

Then let them all die.

“Wanwan, you go first. Come get me tomorrow.”

“You…”

“Trust me,” Xia Yuwei said, her mind already made up. There would be no turning back.

“Alright.”

Seeing her sister’s determined look, Xia Wanwan knew she had her own plan. At worst, she could come back tonight to check on her. Whatever her sister chose to do, she would support it.

She also knew someone had probably already run off to inform Tang Wendong’s parents, so staying here would only give them an excuse to pin the blame on her. Without hesitation, she slipped away from her sister’s sight.

Only when her sister’s figure vanished did Xia Yuwei drag her unconscious husband into the house. Killing without leaving a trace was her specialty. Since this whole family worked together in evil, they could all go to hell.

Her household registration might not be allowed to say “divorced,” but it could certainly say “widowed.”

Luckily, this was her field of expertise. While her in-laws weren’t home, she quickly opened her suitcase.

This was part of the dowry she had brought when she married. Her husband’s family had dismissed it as useless and only taken her jewelry. Little did they know the case contained all kinds of chemical reagents.

Expertly, she prepared a high-concentration dose of ethylene glycol. Colorless, tasteless—even a doctor couldn’t detect it. The amount she had in her hand was enough to end every last one of their lives.

Right then, she heard her mother-in-law’s shrill voice outside. Calmly putting everything away, she messed up her hair, let her injuries show, and walked out looking pitiful.

“You b*tch, where’s my son?”

“If my boy’s got so much as a scratch, you’ll pay for it,” Li Fang snapped.

Xia Yuwei bowed her head meekly, looking like a beaten dog, her appearance drawing sighs from the neighbors.

Domestic violence was all too common after a new bride entered a household. People had grown used to it—but they still thought the Tang family’s daughter-in-law was far too soft-tempered.

“You little tramp, why’s my son’s head bleeding?” Li Fang, a strong-handed woman from the countryside, twisted Xia Yuwei’s ear hard and dragged her toward the house.

“Hey, Tang family, that’s still your daughter-in-law. Have a little compassion,” one neighbor interjected.

“None of your damn business! Get lost and stop waving your face in front of me!” Li Fang snapped back.

“You…” The neighbor, fuming, left. The rest quickly scattered—no one wanted to provoke this family.

Dragged inside, Xia Yuwei endured her mother-in-law’s finger in her face without a word.

“Tell me—what happened to my son?”

“He… hit me, slipped, and hit the back of his head on the stool…” she said timidly.

Li Fang looked at her useless daughter-in-law with disgust. Still, she didn’t think she was lying. She tended to her son’s injuries, then ordered Xia Yuwei to cook lunch.

That suited her just fine—how else could she add the poison?

Her cooking had improved drastically during her time here—thanks entirely to the Tang family. If she didn’t make the food tasty, she’d go hungry and get beaten.

People could be forced to discover their hidden potential.

Four dishes and a soup—today’s meal was extra sumptuous. Every dish had meat. She hoped they’d all eat their fill… for the last time.

“You worthless thing, you messed up today, so you don’t get to eat. Go make my son some sugar water to soothe his throat,” Li Fang said smugly.

Xia Yuwei lowered her head without meeting their eyes, quietly heading into the kitchen. She brewed a bowl of brown sugar water—loaded with the special ingredient.

Tang Wendong… goodbye.