Is getting a divorce really that hard?
No!
In her previous life, Jiang Yan had left the marriage with nothing, and the divorce had been easy. It had all been settled in one morning.
Wang Xuezhong had gone alone to get the factory’s certificate.
But now that Jiang Yan wanted a divorce, the Party Secretary’s tone made it sound as though there might be some complications.
“Party Secretary, are you talking to me about what’s right?”
A cold smile played on Jiang Yan’s face.
“Was Wang Xuezhong injured serving the country? For the factory? For the people? Or was he injured for me and his family—for his children?
“If so, then even if he hadn’t just lost the root of his manhood, but had been broken in half, I would still have cleaned him up and cared for him for the rest of his life, without a single complaint!
“But he was injured while carrying on an affair!
“How can you expect me, his long-suffering wife, to talk about what’s right with a man who betrayed his marriage?
“If you’re standing on the side of justice and fairness, you should punish a man as morally corrupt as him at once, give me justice, and restore some dignity to marriage!”
The Party Secretary was stunned, gaping at her.
He’d always heard that Wang Xuezhong’s wife was a simple, timid woman who couldn’t get a word out of her no matter how hard you tried.
But she seemed perfectly capable of speaking her mind. So much for what people said!
He thought for a moment, sighed, and then spoke.
“Ah, well, men are bound to make this kind of mistake. Even if we look at it in the worst possible light, are you really blameless in all this?”
The Party Secretary came back over and gestured toward Jiang Yan and the two children.
“I understand how you feel, but the children are already this grown. If Xuezhong changes his ways, he can still be a good comrade.”
Ha. Ha-ha!
Jiang Yan felt like laughing. She hadn’t expected the factory’s Party Secretary, of all people, to say something like that.
“Party Secretary, let me ask you this: if I were the one having an affair and got hurt badly enough to be hospitalized, would you tell Wang Xuezhong not to divorce me?”
“Tsk, how can you compare a woman to a man—”
The Party Secretary blurted it out, then caught himself before he could finish.
“Ahem. Well, you can’t go around saying things like that. A husband and wife have to be patient with each other. Put the divorce out of your mind for now.
“Xuezhong needs someone to look after him. For the children’s sake, all right?”
He didn’t wait for Jiang Yan to say anything else. Grabbing his briefcase, he hurried off.
A draft swept through the hospital corridor, chillingly cold.
“Are you going ahead with the surgery or not?”
The doctor had no interest in gossip, only irritation at the time being wasted.
“With this condition, the longer you delay, the lower the chance of recovery. The family needs to decide quickly. Once you’ve made up your minds, let me know!”
The doctor turned and went back into the examination room. Only Jiang Yan and her two children remained in the corridor.
“Mom!”
Wang Xiaoya hugged Jiang Yan. She didn’t know how to comfort her mother. She was frightened, too.
Her unease came through in the embrace.
Jiang Yan knew this was cruel, but they had to get through it.
“It’s all right.”
She patted her daughter’s back to soothe her, then lifted her eyes to look at her son.
You’ve been longing for a father’s love. Your dad is right there. Go on, love him as much as you want.
“Chuanzhi, you stay and look after your dad. Whether he has the surgery is up to you. If you don’t have the money, call the factory and ask them to front it.”
Then she really did take her daughter by the hand and start to leave. Wang Chuanzhi panicked. He rushed forward, spread his arms, and blocked their way.
“Mom, how can you do this? I’m only fifteen. How am I supposed to make a decision?”
“Why can’t you?”
Jiang Yan looked at her son coldly. She had given so much for this child, only for him to call Liu Yingying “Mom”!
She had raised him with such difficulty and put him through university. Once he’d finally found a job and started earning money, the very first thing he did with his paycheck was come to his own mother and cut ties with her, returning to his stepmother’s family!
Jiang Yan had no idea where she had gone wrong in raising her son.
If she couldn’t raise him right, then she wouldn’t raise him at all. She’d let him follow his nature—or let his father teach him.
“I was already running a household at fifteen. I started working at the factory at sixteen, and I was married and had you by eighteen.”
Jiang Yan paused, staring straight into her son’s eyes.
“I’m leaving this in your hands. When you have time, think about it: if your father and I divorce, which one of us will you go with?”
“Mom, how can you do this?”
Wang Chuanzhi blocked her again and shoved her in the chest.
“You’ve been laid off. You eat my dad’s food and use his things. You even live in his house. Now that something’s happened to him, you’re just going to walk away? You’re heartless!
“Like Uncle Party Secretary said, with my dad in this state, don’t you bear even a little blame? If you’re at fault, what gives you the right to abandon him?”
His shouting echoed through the hospital corridor, drawing people’s attention. They stared and whispered.
His words turned her, his wife, into a useless parasite and a coldhearted woman who had betrayed her husband.
Wang Xuezhong was the one who’d had the affair. So why was she the one at fault?
Jiang Yan stood at the center of everyone’s attention. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she could feel that none of their gazes held any kindness.
“I’m not abandoning your dad!”
It felt as though a knife were twisting inside Jiang Yan, but she still spoke calmly.
“Didn’t I arrange for you to stay and look after him? I carried you for ten months and went through the gates of death to give birth to you. You’re a son of the Wang family.
“What’s wrong with leaving you here to take care of your father?”
“But I can’t look after him!”
Wang Chuanzhi stood stubbornly, refusing to let Jiang Yan leave.
“Taking care of your husband is a wife’s responsibility. You’re not dead, so why should I have to do it?”
His words were so shocking that Jiang Yan stood frozen.
The emotions she’d fought so hard to suppress finally burst out. Jiang Yan raised her hand and slapped her son across the face.
The sharp crack rang out. It was as though the whole hospital corridor had been paused, and the silence was terrifying.
“What kind of books have you been reading?”
Jiang Yan pointed at her son’s nose, her gaze stern.
“Which sage’s book taught you to be so incapable of telling right from wrong? Wang Xuezhong had an affair—is that my fault? Tell me, what did I do wrong?”
Her voice rose with each question.
“Was I wrong to let you have everything handed to you? Wrong to scrimp and save and work myself to the bone so you could enjoy yourself—and your father could curry favor with his mistress?”
Wang Chuanzhi covered his face, completely stunned. From the time he was little, Jiang Yan had never hit him—not even once. She had never even scolded him.
But that slap had hurt.
“Hey, hey! No shouting in the hospital!”
A nurse came over, calling out:
“If you’re going to argue, go home and do it! Are you having the surgery or not? If not, get him out of here. Don’t take up a bed.”
“We’re doing it!”
Wang Xuezhong’s voice came from inside the examination room. He had woken up—and had been awake for quite a while.
“If you’re going ahead with it, then sign here!”
The nurse led Jiang Yan into the examination room and took out the surgery form.
“Here!”
But Jiang Yan didn’t move. She only looked coldly at Wang Xuezhong on the bed.
He met her eyes, looking a little guilty, but still urged her on.
“Come on, sign it!”