Chapter 83: Divorce
Su Yaoguang and her daughter did not engage, so Xu Shi and Hua Shi’s fussing was useless, and they could only slink back dejectedly.
However, Su Yaoguang had promised to send them back, and even though they had made such an ugly scene, she still fulfilled her promise.
Zhaodi said she would stop by to check on Pandi’s situation, and followed the ox cart along, heading to the Jia family to visit.
When they returned to the Jia family, sharp screams came from inside.
Xu Shi and Hua Shi heard that the sound was off and wanted to push open the courtyard gate to go in, but it was bolted from inside and they couldn’t push the courtyard gate at all.
“Jinshui… Jinshui… Jizong, oh Jizong… the child’s father…” Xu Shi pounded on the gate, shouting loudly inside, “What’s going on inside? Open the door quickly.”
“Get out of the way!” Su Yaoguang shouted at Xu Shi.
Xu Shi saw her pick up a large stone nearby to smash the door and glared at her, saying: “What are you doing?”
“If you don’t get out of the way, if your son and grandson suffer any mishap, don’t blame it on others.” Su Yaoguang said coldly.
Hua Shi pulled Xu Shi away: “Mother, get out of the way quickly, Jizong can’t have an accident.”
As soon as Xu Shi moved aside, Su Yaoguang smashed three times, breaking a hole in the gate. She reached in to pull out the door bolt, and the door opened from inside.
In the courtyard, Jia Jizong sat on the ground wailing loudly.
Jia Jinshui ran out from inside, his clothes turned into a ragged cloth towel, not even covering his body.
Hua Shi screamed at the sight, turned her head away, not daring to look at him.
Jia Jinshui seemed completely unaware of his indecent appearance, and seeing Xu Shi back, he hugged her leg and cried: “Mother, Pandi has gone mad, she wants to kill someone.”
Pandi rushed out from inside, her disheveled hair and dirty face, eyes red, expression ferocious like an evil ghost from underground.
She clutched a kitchen knife in her hand, glaring viciously at Xu Shi, suddenly grinning, then charging at Xu Shi.
“Ahhh…” Xu Shi screamed, hiding behind Hua Shi.
Hua Shi’s face changed drastically, picking up Jia Jizong nearby and running outside.
“Mad woman, what are you doing?” Xu Shi looked terrified as Pandi swung the kitchen knife at her.
“Mother… Mother…” Chunni supported herself against the door, standing there with difficulty, looking anxiously at Pandi, “Snap out of it, Mother…”
Zhaodi tsked twice: “She really has gone mad.”
Su Yaoguang grabbed Pandi’s wrist and snatched the kitchen knife from her hand.
Xu Shi, seeing this, felt her legs go weak and sat on the ground.
“Grab her, don’t let her go mad.”
“We just came to see Second Aunt, now that we’ve seen her, it’s time to go back.” Su Yaoguang said, “After all, this is your family matter, we shouldn’t interfere.”
“What family matter? This mad woman wants to kill, I absolutely won’t keep her anymore. I want to divorce her, divorce her, you’re her maternal family, take her back quickly.” Jia Jinshui pointed at Pandi and shouted loudly.
“Our family has no divorced women.” Zhaodi snorted coldly, “If you divorce her, and I take her back, who can manage her in this state?”
“In any case, I absolutely won’t have her anymore.”
“She is your daughter’s mother, your daughter is still here, aren’t you afraid of hurting her feelings by saying such things.”
Chunni looked at Jia Jinshui sadly: “Father, Mother is just sick, as long as you find a doctor to treat her, she can get better. Father, find a doctor for Mother! My illness is like this, I’ve accepted my fate, as long as you cure Mother’s illness.”
“One with madness, one with consumption disease, even an immortal couldn’t cure them. My son is right, these two money-losers can’t be kept, chase them all out.”
“My younger sister has worked like an ox and horse for your family for so many years, and even gave birth to a daughter for you, no merit but hard labor, right? Now she has a minor illness, and you say divorce just like that, on what grounds?” Zhaodi said, going to the courtyard gate, shouting toward the village, “Everyone come see, this family is really shameless, seeing my younger sister and niece ill, they don’t care if they live or die. A few days ago they just took the wages my younger sister and niece earned. Now they’re sick, and they won’t even call a doctor.”
“You’re talking nonsense, if this mad woman stays at home, who knows when she might kill us all. We’re not tired of living, to dare keep her.”
“Mother, I said we shouldn’t come, look how shameless they are, still wanting to dump this mess on us.” Su Yaoguang said angrily, “Let’s go.”
“Cousin, Eldest Aunt, please, save my mother…” Chunni knelt down, kowtowing to them. “As long as you save my mother, as long as I don’t die, I’ll work like an ox and horse for you this lifetime, do anything for you. Please…”
“You are Jia family people…” Su Yaoguang hesitated.
“My father doesn’t want my mother anymore, doesn’t want me anymore, we’re not Jia family people now, we can only rely on you. Grandma and Grandpa won’t care about our mother and daughter’s lives.”
“Right, they’re not Jia family people anymore.” Jia Jinshui said, “I’ll find someone right away to write the divorce letter.”
“Daughter, your Second Aunt and cousin are really pitiful, after all I’m their family, if we just leave them like this, they’ll really only be able to wait for death.” Zhaodi softened, starting to hesitate.
“Yes, yes, if you don’t take them, these two can only wait to die at home.” Xu Shi said viciously, “One consumption ghost, one mad woman, we’ll definitely chase them out. Not just our home, the village won’t allow them to appear either. Fellow villagers, you don’t want to see them either, right?”
“Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs, you’re worse than beasts.” Su Yaoguang said angrily, “Clearly finding a doctor to treat them would cure it, why not find a doctor for them? You can do such heartless things, but I can’t. I can take them away, but no divorce letter, only a divorce agreement. Also, the divorce agreement must state that my Second Aunt takes cousin Chunni away, from now on these two have no relation to your Jia family. Your Jia family must not disturb their lives anymore.”
“Fine, I’ll find someone right away to write it.” Jia Jinshui rushed out, finding a literate person in the village to write the divorce agreement.
The Village Chief’s son had studied at a private school for two years, couldn’t compose articles, but writing simple things for villagers was no problem.
“Besides the divorce agreement, the wages from before for my Second Aunt and cousin must also be returned to them.” Su Yaoguang said.
“No. That’s Jia family property, these two dying people have no right to take it.” Xu Shi refused outright.
“Then forget it! We don’t really want to take them either.” Su Yaoguang snorted, “You’ve got a good plan, wanting to pay nothing and have us clean up this mess.”
“We’ll give at most half.” Jia Jinshui said.
Xu Shi felt heartbroken, unwilling to give. Jia Jinshui whispered a few words, Xu Shi looked at Pandi like a fierce beast, and could only grit her teeth and agree.
