Mrs. Feng returned ho to find Xu Zhiyong alone.
Xu Minchang, fearing a beating from Mrs. Feng upon her return, dared not go ho and insisted on staying at the main house to play with Xu Minying.
Anning also knew that there would definitely be trouble at the second branch, so she let Xu Minchang stay.
Xu Zhiqin of the third branch ca to the main house after returning from the Li family to speak with Mr. Li.
Originally, the Li family also knew Xu Zhiqin made quite money this winter. During the visit with Mrs. Li to her parental ho, Mr. Li discussed with Xu Zhiqin the idea of having Mrs. Li’s brothers go to the Xu family to earn so money.
Xu Zhiqin ca to inform Mr. Li and to seek his opinion.
After much consideration, Mr. Li said, "Hiring them is fine, but if people from the Li family co, they must be treated the sa as others, no special treatnt."
Xu Zhiqin replied, "Of course."
Mr. Li added, "You and your brother must manage the formula carefully, and must not let it leak."
Xu Zhiqin nodded, "The formula will definitely be kept between and second brother. Others will just do physical labor, and we are the ones who handle the final mixing and ratios."
This reassured Mr. Li.
However, Mr. Li’s reassurance ca too soon.
Before Xu Zhiqin could leave, Mrs. Feng rushed in.
Crying and shouting as she entered the ho: "Dad, Mom, I can’t live like this, I can’t go on..."
Old Madam erged from the inner room, her face fierce as she scolded: "What’s all this noise? What kind of daughter-in-law behaves like this? You must have run over here to make a scene deliberately, trying to scare your dad and to death."
Mrs. Feng sat down heavily on the ground and, slapping her legs, cried and shouted, "I’ve married into your Xu family all these years, if not ritorious, I’ve certainly endured hardship. And now, just like that, Xu Zhiyong, having made a bit of money, wants to divorce . I won’t leave. What right does he have to divorce ?"
Xu Zhiqin, listening on the side, also felt sowhat speechless.
He pulled Mr. Li aside and whispered, "Dad, what’s going on? Why does second brother want to divorce his wife?"
Mr. Li replied in a low voice, "Mrs. Feng is foolish, she actually conspired with her mother to sell Min Ruo off as a concubine. Isn’t that ruining our family? Such a daughter-in-law, our old Xu family cannot tolerate."
Hearing this, Xu Zhiqin also beca quite angry.
"She must be divorced, she must definitely be divorced."
Xu Zhiqin, who has two sons, knew his eldest was just so-so, but his youngest was clever. Recently, as Xu Zhiqin and Mrs. Li were busy, they had sent the two boys over for Old Madam to look after for a couple of days. At that ti, Anning was free and taught the kids to read. Xu Zhiqin later heard that while Xu Minfang was slow, Xu Minwu learned very quickly, even Anning ntioned his talent.
Now with so spare cash at hand, Xu Zhiqin was planning to send both children to school. For Xu Minfang, knowing so characters to manage writing and calculations was enough, but he had high hopes for Xu Minwu. He hoped Xu Minwu would aspire to achieve scholarly honors in the imperial examinations in the future, and certainly wouldn’t allow the nonsensical Feng family to ruin his child.
Concerned about his descendants and the century-long prospects of the Xu family, Mr. Li and Xu Zhiqin concurred that this could not be tolerated.
"You are trying to drive to my death."
Upon hearing Xu Zhiqin saying he wanted a divorce, Mrs. Feng cried even louder.
Not only did she cry louder, but she got up and ran outside: "Everyone, co and judge for yourselves. Now that the Xu family has money, they let their son abandon his lawful wife. There’s no such bullying, I can’t live like this..."
"What are you doing?"
Xu Zhiyong hurriedly rushed over, and upon his arrival, he saw Mrs. Feng sitting on the street crying and shouting, instantly making him furious.
"You get up right now."
Xu Zhiyong went to pull Mrs. Feng up, and she shouted again: "Xu Laoer hit soone, soone’s life is lost oh."
Anning sneered coldly: "Second brother, stay away from her, so she doesn’t falsely accuse you of sothing."
Xu Zhiyong quickly distanced himself from Mrs. Feng.
Old Madam took a stick and ca out, Anning stopped her: "Let her cry, I want to see how long she can cry. In the future, she may not even be able to cry if she wants to."
Xu Minruo and Xu Minchang also ran out.
Anning shielded the two children behind her and whispered: "Listen, this ti your father is definitely going to divorce, no matter what you think, Mrs. Feng absolutely can’t stay in the Xu Family anymore. Being tolerant towards her any further will harm our whole family."
Xu Minruo’s heart had already turned cold.
Upon knowing that Mrs. Feng and the Feng Family plotted to sell her, Xu Minruo had already disowned Mrs. Feng from the bottom of her heart.
Xu Minchang simply looked down on Mrs. Feng.
He had always thought Mrs. Feng was a big fool, and moreover, to Xu Minchang, family and such were what mattered the most.
Ever since he was conscious, Xu Zhiyong always talked to him about family, about glory, and so on. In his heart, the Xu Family being well ant he could be well. As for Mrs. Feng? A woman who only had her parental ho in mind, what was she good for?
Though Xu Zhiyong was a son, Mrs. Feng had never treated him well either. She hadn’t given him good food or clothes, only filling his ears with how he should be grateful to his maternal family, how only his maternal uncles were good to him, and never forget the maternal uncles and similar things.
Xu Minchang found all these words disgusting and had long been utterly disappointed in Mrs. Feng.
"Divorce her."
Xu Minchang gritted his teeth: "I don’t want any more involvent with the Feng Family, that family is too disgusting."
Xu Minruo’s eyes shimred with tears: "I... I will listen to elder aunt and grandma."
At this ti, many young wives who had returned to their parental hos hurried back, seeing the drama at the Xu Family doorway, they also gathered around to watch.
Old Madam’s face changed with anger, it was cold weather, and she should have been freezing pale, but fury made her face fiercely red.
Anning, worried that Old Madam might get seriously angry, had Xu Minruo and Xu Minchang help Old Madam and Old Master into the house.
Anning stood there, her gaze coldly watching Mrs. Feng.
"So what if we divorce you? You can shout all you want, who can stand up for you?"
Anning called Xu Zhiyong over and asked him: "Second brother, tell us, what all has Mrs. Feng done?"
With a face of grief, Xu Zhiyong said: "Ever since Mrs. Feng married into our Xu Family, she has always been fixated on her parental ho, secretly taking money there every year. Most of the money I’ve earned over the years has been stolen by her for her parental ho. This is stealing from the in-law’s property. Additionally, the clothes my mother made for the children, she wouldn’t let them wear, taking them to the Feng Family instead. Also, she is disrespectful to the elders, not only disrespectful to my parents, but also unfriendly to my elder sister-in-law and siblings..."
Listening to Xu Zhiyong standing there and recounting her faults in an emotionless voice, Mrs. Feng was also stupefied for a mont and forgot to cry.
"If it were just this, I could still tolerate her, but she actually colluded with the Feng Family wanting to sell off my family’s Daya, my children are my life, I cannot let any child co to harm. Mrs. Feng, I can no longer tolerate you."
Anning took out the prepared divorce docunt and handed it to Xu Zhiyong: "Fellow villagers, bear witness, from today on, our Xu Family can no longer accommodate Mrs. Feng. She should return where she ca from. When she married over, she brought no dowry, and now as she leaves, we in the Xu Family still let her take away so clothes bought over the years, this can be considered completely benevolent and righteous."
Xu Zhiyong pressed his handprint on the divorce docunt, tossing it in front of Mrs. Feng: "From now on, we go our separate ways, live your own lives."
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