37. Deep Sisterly Affection — Part Thirteen

"Madam, please don't be impulsive."

In the past, Master Zhang would never have worried about his wife doing anything drastic. But over these last two days, he had truly experienced the full force of her wrath.

She had completely dismantled his sister's comfortable life, and even though the siblings had humbled themselves to seek reconciliation, the Fu family refused to even grant them an audience. It is said that meeting in person fosters sentiment; without even that, the possibility of mending fences was nearly zero. Matters had only worsened today—Master Zhang had heard that the Matriarch of the Fu family was already scouting for a suitable wife for her son.

Once he remarried, what hope was there for his sister?

If not for his concern for the Zhang family's reputation in the eyes of others, Master Zhang would never have come here to plead for peace. If he could, he would have preferred to get into a shouting match with his wife instead.

Madam Zhang smiled without warmth. "I am very calm. In any case, just do as I say, and do not force my hand."

How could Master Zhang dare to defy her?

If he had known his wife would become this unhinged, he would have appeased her long ago and never allowed things to reach this point. For a grown man to be handed a letter of divorce—if such a scandalous thing were to spread, he would become the laughingstock of the entire town.

"Let us part on good terms," Master Zhang said with difficulty. "First, send a letter to have our son return, and then we can sit down and discuss this."

Throughout the turmoil between the couple, their son had never appeared. It wasn't because he was feigning ignorance, but because he was truly away in another region.

In the eyes of outsiders, Master Zhang had two daughters and one son. His only son, Zhang Qingdong, had been betrothed to the daughter of the Zhou family, wealthy merchants in the neighboring Meng City. After they were married, the only brother-in-law Zhang Qingdong had suddenly fallen from his horse and passed away a few days later. Losing a son in middle age was a devastating blow to anyone. Zhang Qingdong’s parents-in-law fell ill one after another, and his wife, worried for her parents, simply moved the family over there.

The couple’s health remained poor, and with no one to manage the business, it was handed over to Zhang Qingdong.

They had been living there for years now. Zhang Qingdong and his wife already had a full house—a six-year-old eldest son, a four-year-old second daughter, and a two-year-old third child. Since the third child was a boy, the Zhou family became interested and proposed that the youngest child take the surname Zhou.

Regarding this, Madam Zhang believed that no matter whose surname the child carried, it was still their own bloodline. Since the Zhou family made this request and was willing to hand over their vast estate to the child, only a fool would refuse such a good deal.

Master Zhang felt much the same, and Zhang Qingdong and his wife agreed immediately. The wealth was secondary; the primary goal was to lift the spirits of the Zhou parents, whose health had declined sharply since their son's death. They would have given up on life entirely had they not had something to look forward to.

Meng City was over two hundred miles away—only a day or so by carriage—but in these times, it was considered quite a distance, and news did not travel easily. Master Zhang felt too ashamed to send word about the arguments between him and his wife.

Now that the situation had spiraled out of control, perhaps there would be a turning point once Zhang Qingdong returned.

"Then let us wait until he returns before we talk," Madam Zhang said, not in the least bit hurried. She reminded him, "Since you refuse to accept the divorce letter, we are still husband and wife, and I am still the mistress of the Zhang household. As the mistress, I have the authority to decide what kind of guests we host. Do not let Zhang Huiniang and her daughter stay here; otherwise, do not blame me for failing to show you any respect."

Master Zhang was annoyed. "I am Huiniang’s only relative. If she is driven out by the Fu family and I do not take her in, would you have her sleep on the streets?"

Madam Zhang sneered, "You overestimate yourself. For a woman, her closest kin are the children she has borne. That Zhang Huiniang has raised so many; she even bore a child for another man before she was married, and for all these years, she never came to bother us. With such deep affection, if that man had even a shred of conscience, he would have helped her when she fell on hard times. Furthermore, Zhang Huiniang has a dowry. Take me, for example—after I divorce you, I have a small courtyard to live in and a villa in the suburbs. I personally arranged her dowry back then, so she certainly has plenty of private property. She would never end up destitute on the streets..."

At this point, she looked at the man before her and said coldly, "You are contradicting me again. Just a moment ago, you said you would be completely compliant. It seems your words are meaningless, and I am right not to believe you."

***

Master Zhang: "..."

Madam Zhang did not care to say more. Before leaving, she emphasized once again that he must drive the mother and daughter out.

Master Zhang dared not refuse. He had been humiliated enough and did not want to become the subject of gossip for everyone else.

Regardless of how Zhang Huiniang and her daughter cursed Madam Zhang after leaving, the Fu family, likely fearing further entanglement from the Zhangs, quickly arranged a marriage for Master Fu.

The young lady came from a good family, slightly wealthier than the Zhangs, and was only eighteen this year. The reason she was willing to marry Master Fu—a man in his thirties who had been married and had children—was that she had a birthmark the size of a palm on her face.

With Master Fu’s engagement set, there was truly no way back for Zhang Huiniang.

Yu Shanmeng woke up after a long sleep, feeling slightly more energized. He was absolutely unwilling to divorce his wife, but this time, she seemed completely determined. After turning it over in his mind, he immediately came up with a plan.

When the clerk arrived and Chu Yunli led people into Yu Shanmeng’s room, she found all three siblings there.

Yu Xuelin was sitting with his eyes closed and his head bowed, muttering to himself—clearly reciting lessons. Yu Xuehai could not stand still, looking around restlessly, while Yu Xuejiao looked at Chu Yunli with concern.

As a young woman, she was naturally sensitive, and since she was not particularly busy, she had long heard about the arguments between her parents. Her father had been injured yesterday, and the three siblings had taken turns visiting him. They were supposed to come this morning as well, but just as they got up, someone had invited them over.

As soon as they entered, their father told them about his dispute with their mother and asked them to help mediate.

Usually, the person in the wrong is the one who wants to reconcile, and in this incident, it was clearly the father who was at fault. Furthermore, Yu Xuejiao had done some private digging and learned quite a bit.

"Mother, you're here." Yu Xuejiao stepped forward to support her.

Chu Yunli patted her hand. "Why didn't you sleep a little longer? As a young lady, you need rest to keep a healthy complexion."

There were some things one couldn't say in front of an unmarried girl, but Chu Yunli knew that in this era, once a girl married, she had to rise early to serve her mother-in-law; at that point, sleeping in would be a luxury.

Tears fell from Yu Xuejiao’s eyes. "Mother, if you don't want to smile, then don't."

Chu Yunli was slightly surprised, feeling a sense of comfort. "I am not forcing myself. Your father has done disgraceful things; I lost hope in him long ago and stopped being sad."

Yu Xuehai had been staring blankly at the table, but upon hearing this, he frowned. "Xuejiao, what are you saying?" He stole a glance at Chu Yunli's expression. "Mother, what exactly were you and Father arguing about?"

"About your father’s sweetheart." These children were all grown and had been educated since they were young, so they were already mature. Other things could be hidden, but a divorce required them to know the cause and effect.

Even if Yu Shanmeng hadn't called them over, Chu Yunli would have spoken to them after the divorce. It was just that... for parents to separate would always have an impact on the children.

At these words, all the children looked over.

Yu Shanmeng frowned. "Madam, don't talk nonsense in front of the children. Everything you suspect is baseless; they are just your own conjectures and never actually happened. I never had any sweetheart from beginning to end; you just made it up because you wanted to leave me..."

"Do you want me to list everything you've done for her and her son over the years?" Chu Yunli said bluntly. "Yu Shanmeng, don't treat everyone here like a fool. I am not stupid, and our children are grown and have their own ability to discern. Do not force me to strip away your dignity in front of them."

***

Yu Shanmeng was speechless. He turned and said, "Madam, I don't understand. You're at this age, what are you still making a scene for? Do you really think you can remarry?"

"Yes!" Chu Yunli tilted her chin slightly. "Xuejiao is my daughter. They say that actions speak louder than words, and a parent's conduct has a great influence on their children. I do not want her to think of settling for less if she meets the wrong person in the future. Once you encounter a scoundrel like you, the sooner you leave, the better."

Yu Shanmeng was quite speechless. "You're rambling again. You're the one leaving me; what does that have to do with the children?"

In fact, it had everything to do with them.

Chu Yunli’s words were not mere rambling. Children would indeed subconsciously imitate their mother's style of conduct. Especially as a daughter, Zhang Qingxue would certainly never want her own child to suffer grievances.

She turned her head and smiled. "Xuejiao, remember this: whoever makes you unhappy, you make them unhappy. Between your own suffering and someone else's, it is better to let the other person suffer."

Yu Xuejiao’s eyes were red.

As they spoke, the clerk had already set out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Chu Yunli told him to write a standard letter of divorce.

Yu Shanmeng was anxious. "Madam!"

Chu Yunli cleared her ear. "I can hear you. By the way, in a little while, once the divorce papers are signed, we will have no further relationship." She tilted her head. "You signed a contract back then, stating that the family business and assets would be divided among the three children. Since that is the case, find a place to stay, and once your injuries are a bit better, move out!"

Yu Shanmeng was dumbfounded, and it took a long time for him to find his voice. "You want me to move? On what grounds?"

Chu Yunli retorted, "Are you suggesting that I should be the one to move?" She looked at Yu Xuelin, who had fallen silent and stopped reciting his lessons. "This ancestral home is yours. Your father has wronged us, so he should have moved out long ago. What do you think?"

Yu Xuelin had been studying since he was small and was somewhat reserved; he felt caught in the middle.

Yu Xuehai stepped forward and said, "Father, the divorce is because you did something wrong. We are all worried about letting Mother go out and live alone."

Yu Shanmeng: "..." How did it become him who had to leave?