Though Tuanzi was young, he still understood what divorce ant. He ran over and hugged Guo Jinfeng’s leg.
"Mommy, no divorce. I want my mommy."
Guo Jinfeng glanced at her son, her expression wavering slightly. She said to He Nan, "We don’t have to divorce. But you can’t make cut off contact with my family. You have to give my parents five yuan and twenty-five pounds of grain every month out of respect. That’s what my dad said. As long as you agree, we can go back to how things were and live a good life."
He Nan’s expression was grim. He closed his eyes for a mont. "Let’s go. If we leave now, we can still make it in ti."
Guo Jinfeng hadn’t expected He Nan to still want a divorce.
She was furious. "Fine. You’re the one who said it."
With that, she pried Tuanzi away and strode out.
He Nan said to He Ziqing, "Look after your brother," and followed them out.
"Dad! Mom—"
He Ziqing and Tuanzi shouted out into the courtyard in unison, but the two of them had already walked far away.
Tuanzi burst into tears. "I want my mommy! I want my mommy—"
He Ziqing’s tears were also streaming down her face, but she picked up her brother anyway.
"Tuanzi, don’t be scared. Big sister is here."
He Nan got the official stamp from the production brigade office, borrowed a bicycle from them, and took Guo Jinfeng to the Civil Affairs Bureau in town.
When Mrs. He returned from He Lang’s place, she arrived just in ti to see He Nan and Guo Jinfeng coming back from town after finalizing their divorce.
Guo Jinfeng was still in a daze. ’I just wanted to scare He Nan. How did it actually co to this?’
"Where have you two been?" Mrs. He asked.
He Nan was silent. Guo Jinfeng hung her head dejectedly.
Once in the courtyard, He Ziqing and Tuanzi ran over and threw their arms around Mrs. He.
"Grandma, Dad and Mom went to get a divorce."
"What?" Mrs. He turned to look at the two of them in surprise.
"You went and got a divorce? Why so suddenly?" Mrs. He looked at Guo Jinfeng, then rembered the morning’s events.
Her face turned cold. "Guo Jinfeng, did you go back to your parents’ house again this morning?"
Guo Jinfeng trembled involuntarily. But then she thought, ’I’m already divorced from He Nan. I’m not a daughter-in-law of the He Family anymore, so what do I have to be afraid of?’
She raised her voice, "Yes, I did. So what?"
Mrs. He sneered, "So what? Did you secretly give our family’s money to your parents again?"
Guo Jinfeng scoffed, "That money was partly mine. What’s it to you if I show so respect to my own parents?"
Mrs. He rebuked her angrily, "Have you forgotten what happened before? You’ve already cut ties with your family. If it weren’t for the two children, our He Family wouldn’t have tolerated you."
Guo Jinfeng said mockingly, "Oh, so I should thank you for being so magnanimous? Your family beat up my parents and brothers, and you were rciless about it. I’ve spent all these years in the He Family, slaving away for you, and what did it get ? I have no one to rely on now. My mother was right. You people just can’t stand to see happy."
Mrs. He was so furious she could barely speak. "You—"
"That’s enough, Mom. Say no more," He Nan cut in, his voice cold. "We’re already divorced. What’s the point of saying this now? Pack your things and leave."
Guo Jinfeng turned her head to look at He Nan. "In this family, you’re the most useless one. In all the years I’ve been married to you, I haven’t had a single good day. Look at the second and third branches of the family! They have jobs, they have bicycles, they’re eating and drinking well. And what kind of life do I have? I truly regret it. How did I ever marry a worthless man like you?"
He Nan was silent for a few seconds. "You’re right, I’m not capable. I couldn’t give you a good life. I hope you find soone more promising in the future."
Guo Jinfeng stared daggers at He Nan, then turned and went back to the room to pack her things.
When Guo Jinfeng ca out carrying a bundle, He Ziqing and Tuanzi grabbed the corner of her clothes.
"Mommy, don’t go! Don’t you want us anymore?"
Tuanzi, in particular, was crying so hard his face was sared with tears and snot.
"Mommy, don’t go, Tuanzi wants mommy—"
Guo Jinfeng looked at her two children, her heart aching. She squatted down and hugged Tuanzi. "It’s not that Mommy is cruel, it’s that this family won’t have . Ziqing, you take good care of your brother. When Mommy has money soday, I’ll co see you and buy you tasty treats."
Mrs. He pulled the children over. "We’ll take care of the He Family’s children. You don’t need to worry about it."
Guo Jinfeng stood up, picked up her bundle, and left.
In the courtyard, He Ziqing and Tuanzi wailed loudly.
The sound made Mrs. He’s heart ache, and her eyes grew red.
She picked up Tuanzi and led He Ziqing into their room.
He Nan went back to his room and sat on the edge of the *kang*, lost in a daze for a long ti.
In the rooms of the second branch, Gao Cuiyun had been eavesdropping at the window for a long ti. Finally, she just pursed her lips. ’What an idiot,’ she thought of Guo Jinfeng. ’How could her birth family be more important than her own? Besides, the He Family is actually quite well-off. At least they have enough to eat, Mr. and Mrs. He don’t tornt their daughters-in-law, and the He n don’t hit their wives. That alone puts them far above most other families. So people just don’t know how good they have it.’
Xue Yue and He Lang only found out the next morning, when Mrs. He ca over and told them that He Nan and his wife had divorced the previous afternoon.
Xue Yue sighed with regret, but she wasn’t that surprised.
She just felt sorry for the two children.
Mrs. He sighed. "Those two poor children. Tuanzi cried himself to sleep last night, and when he woke up this morning, he started asking for his mommy again. He cried until his eyes were swollen. And Ziqing... it feels like she grew up overnight. She got up early this morning to learn how to cook and is taking care of Tuanzi. It breaks my heart to see. It’s just tragic."
He Lang said, "Mom, it’s okay. We’ll all help out from now on."
Xue Yue also nodded.
After breakfast, Mrs. He was in the courtyard washing diapers.
He Ziqing ca running over, crying.
"Grandma, Uncle, you have to save my dad! My mom ca back with my grandma, grandpa, and my two uncles! They want to take away, and they’re going to beat my dad to death!"
When Mrs. He heard this, she thought, ’This is outrageous!’
Mrs. He and He Lang imdiately ran towards the old house. She also told He Ziqing, "Go get your Eldest Uncle’s family!"
By the ti He Lang and Mrs. He ran to the gate of the old house, they saw the courtyard was full of people from the Guo Family.
Guo Dazhu and Guo Erzhu were holding He Nan down on the ground, punching him. Mr. He was being held back by two young n.
The two young n were Guo Jinfeng’s paternal cousins.
Tuanzi was sitting on the ground, crying.
Wang Guihua was still saying, "You can divorce my daughter, but we’re taking my daughter’s grain with us. And that brat Ziqing has to go with my daughter too."
Mrs. He charged in from the gate, shouting, "In your dreams!"
She lunged forward and grabbed Wang Guihua by the hair.
Wang Guihua cried out, "AHH!" Seeing it was Mrs. He, she started fighting back.
Seeing this, Guo Jinfeng, who was standing on the side, didn’t hold back. The mother and daughter ganged up on Mrs. He, pulling and tearing at her.
He Lang’s eyes narrowed. He picked up a stone by the entrance and threw it at the two Guo brothers. It hit Guo Dazhu square on, and his head imdiately started bleeding.
He Lang went up, grabbed Guo Dazhu by the back of his collar, and yanked him off He Nan.
He pinned him down and began beating him to a pulp.
With one person off him, He Nan was able to flip over and started grappling with Guo Erzhu again.
This ti, He Lang used all his strength, aiming his fists directly at Guo Dazhu’s head.
Seeing this, Guo Fugui shouted, "Erhu, you brothers, go help Dazhu!"
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