Chapter Seventy: Turmoil of Divorce

With a few days of respite and the comforting presence of their little grandson, the elderly Liu couple found their spirits much calmer. During these days, Liu Jianmin had been discussing divorce with his wife, and it was said to be quite tumultuous. His wife and mother-in-law were threatening suicide and causing trouble at Liu Jianmin’s workplace, but Liu Jianmin was resolute in his decision to leave, willing even to walk away with nothing. Eventually, both their workplaces learned about what Liu Jianmin’s wife and mother-in-law had done; people who once wanted to mediate now remained silent, and some young colleagues even helped Liu Jianmin evade his mother-in-law’s harassment.

Liu Jianmin’s wife also came to the hospital looking for Grandpa Liu and Grandma Liu. Chen Xin wasn’t present at the time; it was Liu Chunyan’s husband who was with the elderly couple. Previously, Liu Chunyan’s husband had been quite cordial toward his wife’s sister-in-law, but after the recent fiasco, his attitude took a complete turn. Seeing her determined to continue the drama at the hospital, he showed no mercy, directly calling the nurses and hospital security to throw her out, then phoned Liu Jianmin to come and resolve the matter.

Liu Jianmin arrived at the hospital with his sister Liu Chunyan. The two of them had just been seeking advice at the court regarding the divorce, as well as some related compensation issues, hoping for guidance. Liu Jianmin and his wife had no children, and their assets were minimal; their house was allocated by the workplace. Liu Jianmin was willing to relinquish all shared property to expedite the divorce.

Perhaps this time Liu Jianmin was truly serious, and his wife and mother-in-law were frightened. The mother-in-law rushed home overnight to beg her husband to intervene, while Liu Jianmin’s wife sobbed and admitted her mistakes, hoping Liu Jianmin would drop the divorce.

Yet, from the beginning to the end, not once did they express any apology to Liu Chunyan, nor did they offer any compensation. On the contrary, they tried to persuade Liu Jianmin to withdraw the divorce request, even threatening that if he abandoned the divorce, they wouldn’t demand compensation from Liu Chunyan for their nephew.

Upon hearing their conditions, Liu Jianmin was both amused and exasperated. Even now, his mother-in-law still believed she held the upper hand. If not for the fact that he and his wife had never had a serious argument over the years, Liu Jianmin would have thrown their whole family out long ago.

He had endured in the past because he thought that once compensation was paid to Liu Chunyan, both families would no longer have financial entanglements and could return to peaceful days.

But now it was clear that his mother-in-law was completely self-centered, believing that dropping the case against Liu Chunyan was a great favor to their family.

What was most infuriating was that neither his mother-in-law nor his wife recognized the harm their actions had caused the elderly Liu couple. They never considered how their chaos had forced the old couple into the hospital, nor how intolerable such behavior was.

Even when facing the mediator, Liu Jianmin’s wife insinuated that Liu Jianmin wanted to divorce her because he had improper feelings for Chen Xin. Fortunately, Liu Chunyan was present, and upon hearing her sister-in-law’s words, she jumped up and berated her, telling her not to judge others by her own darkness.

Liu Jianmin’s wife tried to argue, but Liu Jianmin firmly declared that if she continued to distort the truth, he would not only seek divorce but also sue her for defamation. During their years of marriage, his wife had always thought Liu Jianmin was dull and obedient, but she knew that once he made up his mind, no one could sway him. If she kept making trouble, Liu Jianmin might truly take action, and then her reputation would be utterly ruined.

In the end, Liu Jianmin’s wife refused to sign the mediation agreement, so Liu Jianmin applied to the court for a divorce verdict. Whether the court would hold a trial or demand further mediation was still unknown, but Liu Jianmin had already moved out of their shared home and was temporarily living in the company’s dormitory.

He did not have the face to return to his parents’ home. His parents were still staying in the hospital because of his marital troubles. In recent days, he only visited secretly, looking in from the doorway, and left as soon as he saw his parents were well, not daring to enter the room and face his mother, who had aged so much.

On the day Grandpa Liu was discharged, Liu Jianmin’s father-in-law arrived with his wife, bringing many gifts and claiming to want to apologize to their in-laws.

The elderly Liu couple greeted their in-laws with a distant attitude. After nearly two weeks in the hospital, the in-laws had never visited, not even called. Now, hearing that their daughter and son-in-law’s marriage was irreparably broken, they finally panicked.

When they arrived, they happened to encounter Chen Xin and Zhou Hao helping pack for the discharge. Seeing Chen Xin, Liu Jianmin’s mother-in-law habitually made a few provocative remarks. Chen Xin ignored her and carried the bags downstairs, leaving the ward to the four elders.

“My dear in-law, if I may say so, you treat this Chen Xin far too well—almost like your own daughter. Be careful, you know people’s faces but not their hearts. Who knows what she’s after?”

Liu Jianmin’s mother-in-law’s words were always laced with such insinuations. Grandma Liu ignored her, sitting on the hospital bed as if she hadn’t heard.

Sensing the tension, Liu Jianmin’s father-in-law tugged at his wife and spoke to Grandpa Liu.

“Old Liu, you know my wife is a bit blunt. She really means no harm, just worries you might be deceived by others.”

Grandpa Liu snorted coldly, watching their clumsy performance.

“You speak very oddly. We know perfectly well what kind of person Xin is; we don’t need your meddling. Talking about Xin coveting our family’s possessions—who, I wonder, is truly greedy for our things? Chunyan and Xin have a fine partnership. Your family insisted on interfering, and Chunyan, mindful that we’re all relatives, tolerated your meddling. And the result? You treated her so badly, and still think it’s her fault, as if she owes you everything.”

“No, no, how could you say that? We never meant such a thing. My nephew was deceived as well. He really went home because he was ill, and once he understood the situation, he wanted to raise some money to help Chunyan fix the mess. But then the doctors said his condition was serious, and the money simply couldn’t be raised.”