Chun Mian was no longer wailing; her cries had subsided into soft whimpers. Her quiet, rhythmic sobbing tugged at the Wei family's heartstrings, making their hearts ache with every gasp she took.
"There, there, my good child, stop crying. Your father and brother will go to the Gao family to demand an explanation. You are our precious girl; how could we let the Gao family trample all over you like this?" Mrs. Wei said through gritted teeth, seething with anger.
Old Man Wei's face was still etched with pure rage. If Wei Qifeng hadn't held him back, he would have already marched over there to start a brawl.
Wei Qifeng's expression was just as grim, and Mrs. Wei's face was terrifyingly dark. Eldest Sister-in-law Wei, Hao Yue, and the youngest sister, Shuxiang, each gripped a wooden club, ready to go to war.
Seeing how fiercely protective her family was filled Chun Mian with a deep sense of satisfaction. Catching her breath, she stopped crying and announced with eerie calm, "Mom, I want a divorce. I'm done living with Gao Jianmin!"
A dead silence fell over the entire household.
In a remote mountain village in the 1980s, divorce was a monumental affair. Plenty of couples in the village were miserable, but almost no one actually went through with it. After all, it brought shame and ruined reputations, often dragging down the marriage prospects of the divorcee's siblings. Unless someone was truly driven into a corner with no other way to survive, they would simply grit their teeth and endure.
The Wei family's outrage was genuine, but at the mention of an actual divorce, hesitation flickered across their faces.
Chun Mian couldn't tell them about the things that hadn't happened yet. Like how Wei Shumei would skimp and save, only for all her hard-earned money to end up feeding Gao Anna. That girl would get to wear a Princess dress and carry a little backpack to school, off to live a better life. Meanwhile, Wei Shumei's own son and daughter would be forced to toil in the mountains and rivers, breaking their backs just to provide for their youngest aunt.
If Old Mrs. Gao was only draining her own blood to sustain Gao Anna, Wei Shumei wouldn't have been so enraged. But Old Mrs. Gao was acting like a leech on the entire household, sucking everyone's blood to pamper one Gao Anna.
The worst part was that Gao Anna was entirely ungrateful. The moment she rose to power, the very first thing she did was scheme to replace her brothers' wives with "more reasonable and presentable" sisters-in-law. She completely disregarded how she had ruthlessly leeched off those very sisters-in-law in the past!
In her old age, Wei Shumei had been tossed back to her rural hometown. Her furious children had gone to Gao Jianmin to demand justice, only for one to end up dead and the other driven insane. With such a blood feud between them, it was absolutely impossible for Wei Shumei to continue living with Gao Jianmin. She only wanted to get as far away from the twisted Gao family as possible.
Therefore, she *had* to get this divorce!
"Shumei, you..." Mrs. Wei wanted to persuade her otherwise, but looking at Chun Mian's red, tear-stained eyes, the words caught in her throat.
Seeing Mrs. Wei wavering, Chun Mian grasped her hands and said earnestly, "Mom, I truly cannot live with Gao Jianmin anymore. I will get this divorce no matter what. If you think it will bring shame to have me living back here at home, aren't there two empty shacks at the edge of the village? I can clean them up and stay there. As long as I can cut ties with the Gao family, I'd even live on a barren mountain!"
"You are my child! How could I let you suffer like that?" Upon hearing Chun Mian's words, Mrs. Wei's wavering heart completely surrendered. She threw her arms around Chun Mian's shoulders and burst into tears.
Watching the mother and daughter weep in each other's arms, the two men of the Wei family also teared up.
"Mom, I support my sister. I've thought the Gao family was trash for a long time. In the past, she didn't complain, so I couldn't say anything. Now that she wants out, she should divorce him immediately! If you won't support her, I'll go work in the fields to provide for her myself!" The second sister, Wei Shuxiang, gripped her wooden club and stepped forward, terrified that the family might refuse.
Eldest Sister-in-law Wei, Hao Yue, also wanted to chime in. However, given her position as an in-law, anything she said might come off wrong. After a moment of thought, she opted to remain silent.
Old Man Wei's heart ached for his daughter, and his stance had actually softened long ago. Hearing his second daughter's impassioned words, he threw his pickaxe onto the ground and declared, "Divorce! I'm going to find my older brother to discuss this. This marriage has to end, but we are absolutely going to make them pay for wronging us!"
With that, Old Man Wei strode out of the courtyard.
Seeing his reaction, Chun Mian breathed a sigh of relief.
"Shumei, you have to think this through. Once you're truly divorced, there is no turning back. Whether your life turns out good or bad, you'll have to bear it all on your own," Mrs. Wei softly offered her counsel after calming down, terrified that Chun Mian might regret it later.
As parents, they could seek justice for their children, but they couldn't accompany them for a lifetime. The road ahead would ultimately have to be walked by the children themselves. Mrs. Wei felt it was necessary to make sure Chun Mian understood these harsh realities.
"I know, Mom." Chun Mian nestled obediently against Mrs. Wei's shoulder.
Because of this angle, Chun Mian's face was exposed, fully revealing a clear handprint on her cheek. Before Chun Mian arrived in this world, Wei Shumei had been slapped by Gao Jianmin. Once Chun Mian took over the body, she inherited all of its physical damage.
Born in the interstellar era, Chun Mian possessed a formidable constitution and had momentarily forgotten about the slap. Her family had been too absorbed in listening to Chun Mian detail her grievances and boiling with anger to notice. It wasn't until this moment that Wei Shuxiang gasped, "Sister, your face..."
Realizing immediately what had happened, she began cursing furiously while rushing off to fetch a damp towel.
The lingering hesitation in Mrs. Wei's heart instantly vanished, replaced by rock-solid resolve. Bickering and arguing were normal in a marriage, but getting physical crossed the line! Besides, her daughter hadn't even been in the wrong to begin with! What right did the Gao family have to hit her?
"It's fine, Mom. It doesn't hurt anymore. Gao Jianmin hit me, but he ended up much worse. I pinned him to the ground and beat him up," Chun Mian explained softly. Heartbroken, Mrs. Wei turned her head away and wiped her tears again.
The family quickly tidied themselves up, and Chun Mian even changed her clothes. Soon after, a massive crowd of people marched into their courtyard, every single one of them armed with a tool.
Chun Mian was utterly speechless!
The courtyard was packed with burly men. A few were even shirtless to beat the heat. The visual impact was rather intense.
"Let's go, Shumei! We're heading to Beigang Village. I, Old Man Wei, might not be a big shot, but I'll never sit back and watch my daughter be bullied. Did the Gao family really think we had no one to back us up?" Old Man Wei shouted, picking his discarded pickaxe back up.
"That's right! Xiao Wo Village isn't devoid of men!"
"Don't be afraid, Shumei. Your uncle is here for you."
"Exactly! Your third uncle is here too!"
"And your second cousin!"
The men clamored over each other to announce their presence. As they shouted their support, Chun Mian felt a loud buzzing in her ears.
Originally, Chun Mian thought getting a divorce might be quite troublesome. After all, the Gao family were scum. Asking them to let go of such a useful set of in-laws like the Wei family would undoubtedly be met with resistance. As long as Chun Mian was a daughter-in-law of the Gao family for a single day, the Wei family would still have to keep sending them subsidies.
But looking at the current situation, it probably wouldn't be difficult at all.
The men abandoned their afternoon fieldwork. Old Man Wei organized the group. Instead of bringing his older and younger brothers, he enlisted several of his nephews and two aunts, who were tasked with handling the talking.
Then, the large group set off, driving a horse-drawn cart and riding several bicycles, marching grandly toward Beigang Village! Chun Mian was safely guarded in the middle of the horse cart by her older brother and two cousins.