Grain in Ear fell on the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of forty-five-year-old Ruan Shujin and her husband.
She and her husband had known each other since childhood, fallen in love freely, and after more than twenty years of marriage, could be said to have lived in mutual respect and harmony.
To celebrate their silver wedding anniversary, their children had booked a hotel days in advance, saying they wanted the whole family to get together.
Hearing her children urging her from outside, Ruan Shujin smoothed her wisps of hair, patted the expensive clothes she was wearing, and stepped out of the room with a gentle smile.
Ever since marrying An Minhua, it had coincided with the great movement of that era. As a so-called capitalist young lady, Ruan Shujin hadn’t dared to dress herself up at all—she had lived with her tail tucked between her legs.
Over the years, serving her parents-in-law and raising her children left her no time to take care of herself. So when the whole family saw Ruan Shujin now, dressed in a cyan qipao with her hair neatly pinned up, they were all stunned.
Yet the man she had held hands with for half her life—An Minhua—wore a dark expression and said unhappily,
“You’re already this old. Wearing something like that—have some shame!”
An Minhua was about to say more, but his mouth was blocked by the lies their children hastily spoke.
Ruan Shujin felt dazed. Comforted by her daughter, she simply treated it as another one of An Minhua’s bouts. He had been abnormal lately anyway, so she decided to let herself go and not argue with him.
During the meal, everyone was chatting and laughing about recent happenings when the private room door was suddenly pushed open. Ruan Shujin noticed An Minhua beside her immediately stand up and stride toward the door. Looking past his figure, she instantly recognized the woman in the wheelchair.
Her half-sister from the same father—Zheng Shuya.
In an instant, everyone’s expressions turned heavy.
The eldest son grabbed Ruan Shujin by the arm and forcibly dragged her over, pointing at the woman in the wheelchair.
“Mom, I forgot to tell you—today we asked you here because we want you to meet my girlfriend’s mother.”
Ruan Shujin had always known her eldest son had a girlfriend, but at this moment, she truly held no expectations at all. No matter how hard she racked her brain, she never imagined her son would end up with Zheng Shuya’s daughter.
Seeing the tender, pitying look An Minhua cast at Zheng Shuya, Ruan Shujin suddenly understood. No wonder the children had insisted on celebrating their parents’ wedding anniversary—so this was where they were waiting for her!
Yet they clearly knew how deeply she hated the woman before her. If it hadn’t been for this pair of mother and daughter, her maternal grandfather wouldn’t have died, and her family’s property wouldn’t have been swept away.
Ruan Shujin stared coldly at her eldest son.
“What—do you think one person can’t persuade me, so you dragged all these people here to force me?”
“Mom, those are all old grudges. Besides, if you hadn’t insisted on being with my dad back then, Aunt Shuya wouldn’t have ended up like this. My girlfriend is just Aunt Shuya’s adopted daughter. Now that we’re together, it’s just making the family even closer.”
“And Aunt Shuya is already sick—why do you insist on making things difficult for her, Mom?”
Ruan Shujin glared at her precious eldest son. He was her first child with An Minhua, doted on since childhood. She never thought that for the sake of a woman, he would speak to her like this. Clutching her chest, Ruan Shujin felt as if her internal organs had been shattered into dust by anger.
An Minhua suddenly shouted harshly, his eyes filled with overwhelming hatred as he stared at Ruan Shujin, his wife of many years.
“The children’s matters—whether they work out or not is their business. As for grudges, Shuya was calculated against by you and sent down to the countryside, suffering such a huge calamity. That can be considered repayment of the debt she owed you.”
“I invited their mother and daughter here today. All these years, I’ve been supporting them—it’s also a way to atone for your sins. Recently, Shuya’s legs have been hurting badly. I was thinking you could take care of her, so the children can feel at ease pursuing their careers.”
Ruan Shujin’s mind couldn’t process such a blow all at once. She pointed at An Minhua.
“You—you actually colluded behind my back!”
An Minhua raised his arm and slapped her so hard she was left stunned.
“You’re not allowed to insult Shuya like that. We’re just pure comrades. I only took special care of their mother and daughter after receiving letters from her husband. We’re all people striving for the great cause of the nation. Do you think everyone is like you, limited to petty love and affection?”
An Minhua swept a glance at Ruan Shujin.
“Enough. This matter is settled. Since everyone’s already here, let’s just eat a meal of unity together.”
Ruan Shujin grabbed the wine bottle beside her and smashed it straight over An Minhua’s head. After enduring the hardships of life for so many years, she was no longer the capitalist young lady who never lifted a finger—she had become a shrew.
An Minhua stared at her in disbelief.
“You actually dared to hit me?”
“Who do you think you are? You’re just our family’s free nanny! If Shuya hadn’t let me marry you, who would want a young miss with such an awkward status!”
“Every single day, seeing your face makes me sick to my stomach.”
“You’re inferior to Shuya in every way—you’re nothing but trash.”
Ruan Shujin clutched her chest, gasping for breath.
Zheng Shuya smoothed her clothes and looked at Ruan Shujin.
“Sister Shujin, it’s been so many years. Why are you still angry with me? I’ll leave—I don’t want to bring disaster and unrest to your household.”
As she spoke, Zheng Shuya turned her wheelchair, preparing to leave.
Two lines of clear tears slid down her face.
An Minhua took hold of the wheelchair, not even sparing Ruan Shujin a glance.
Ruan Shujin wanted to chase after them but was shouted down by her eldest son.
“Mom, what are you trying to do? Today’s such a good day. Just endure it—won’t it be over?”
Ruan Shujin looked at the ring of people around her. During the argument just now, she had seen it clearly—every single one of them was protecting An Minhua.
“Fine. I want a divorce from your father. Whoever you want to be family with, go be family with them.”
The parents-in-law, who had seemed indifferent moments ago, suddenly spoke up.
“Shujin, endure it. Close your eyes, open them again—and a lifetime will be over. No matter how much he likes Shuya, there will never be any result. Aren’t you still husband and wife?”
“Besides, in our generation, a man having other women around him only proves how capable he is.”
“Shuya’s already paralyzed. Just tolerate it—those two can’t do anything filthy anyway.”
The children echoed them, even issuing threats.
“Mom, I won’t hide it from you. Dad introduced me to Aunt Shuya’s daughter. If we become one family, it’ll fulfill Dad’s wish.”
“You’re already so old. If you divorce, how embarrassing would that be?”
Someone tugged at Ruan Shujin’s arm again.
“Exactly, Mom. If you divorce, who’s going to wash our clothes and cook for us?”
“Right—and we’re all at marriageable age. If you do this, won’t you ruin all of us?”
“In short, you’re not allowed to divorce, and don’t even think about making a big fuss. Otherwise, none of us will support you in your old age.”