He had always believed that family members should help one another. Even when his family occasionally made mistakes, he tried his best to be accommodating.
As the eldest son and the first to become a full-fledged worker, he felt obligated to treat his elderly mother and younger brother well. Even if it meant suffering some losses, he believed his younger brother would repay him once he grew up. However, when he found himself struggling every step of the way, his family refused to stand firmly by his side. It was obvious that Deng Yuyuan had only left because she couldn’t endure the grievances any longer, yet his family continued to treat her terribly, pushing her further and further away.
Zhang Jiahua gazed blankly at Deng Yuyuan.
Throughout this farce of slinging mud at her, she hadn’t said a single word. Watching Zhang Jiahua clear her name didn’t move her in the slightest. Her delicate features were hidden in the shadows of the eaves, revealing only her small, fair chin.
The educated youths of the Knowledge Youth Institute surrounded her, all looking at Deng Yuyuan with deep concern. Meanwhile, his family members glared at her with eyes that seemed laced with venom. At this moment, their faces looked even more foreign to him than Deng Yuyuan’s.
"I signed the IOU for the scarf under my own name. I’ll pay it back myself; I didn’t use a single cent from the family! All the work points I earned before went to the family fund, but from now on, I have to save them for my own small family," Zhang Jiahua said, taking a deep breath. He had made up his mind. "I want to split the family."
He spoke these words to his mother, yet his burning gaze was fixed squarely on Deng Yuyuan.
Since Deng Yuyuan didn’t like the scarf, there was no need for him to take it back from his sister-in-law. However, he would never again allow the Zhang Family to slander Yuanyuan.
Deng Yuyuan turned her head and moved to leave. As this farce dragged on, she genuinely felt that Zhang Jiahua ought to pay her tuition fees, if only her current status wasn’t so awkward. If it weren’t for her resolute departure, how could he have achieved such a rapid elevation in his ideological awareness and sprinted toward mental independence?
If Zhang Jiahua insisted on dragging things out with her, she wasn’t one to lack sense. She would just skip getting the divorce certificate now and sue for divorce after two years of separation.
The village chief’s wife quietly stepped behind her, blocking her retreat. Leaning close to her ear, she whispered breathlessly, "Ah Hua is splitting from his family for you. Stay and watch. If his resolve is strong enough, give him a chance."
Deng Yuyuan stopped and slowly nodded. She could refuse to give Zhang Jiahua face, but she couldn’t disrespect the village chief’s wife.
"Y-you... you! You actually dare to split the family?!" Granny Zhang’s eyes went wide as she pointed at Zhang Jiahua, her finger trembling uncontrollably. "I’m not even dead yet, and my son is already clamoring to divide the household! Why is my life so miserable!"
She wailed dryly, "I nearly lost my life giving birth to you! And raising you wore me down to the bone! To think I actually gave birth to such an unfilial bastard! Is this how you treat your mother?"
Zhang Jiahua lowered his head in anguish. "Mom, do you really think I’m unfilial? Have I been bad to you?"
A flash of guilt crossed Granny Zhang’s eyes. She stiffened her neck and stubbornly snapped, "Yes!"
An old man in the crowd stomped his walking stick, unable to hold back any longer. "We all see how well your eldest son usually treats you. Mrs. Zhang, don’t drive away your son right after chasing off your daughter-in-law."
"Bah!" Granny Zhang glared at him fiercely. "I’m educating my son! Why are you butting in?"
The hunched old man shook his head and fell silent.
Zhang Jiahua fell to his knees with a THUD before his mother. "Mom, forgive my lack of filial piety, but I am splitting from this family."
"It seems Ah Hua is truly determined to protect you this time," the village chief’s wife sighed with emotion.
Granny Zhang stood frozen in a daze. She never expected that her eldest son, who had always been completely obedient to her, would actually dare to defy her.
"Did this vixen put you up to this?!" Granny Zhang pointed the finger of blame at Deng Yuyuan.
Deng Yuyuan tilted her head. She was genuinely baffled. Zhang Jiahua was clearly making a decision that benefited himself, so why did everyone think she was the biggest beneficiary?
"Even if you split from the family, I’m still divorcing you," Deng Yuyuan said loudly. "Zhang Jiahua, clarify this first: are you splitting the family for yourself, or for me?"
"Of course it’s—" Zhang Jiahua looked up, his gaze falling on her with a hint of tenderness. "For you, Yuanyuan. I will work hard to change. I won’t disappoint you again."
"Oh, then don’t split the family." Deng Yuyuan threw her hands up. "I can’t bear that burden. I’m not even in the Zhang Family anymore, yet I’m supposed to take the blame for breaking it apart?"
She clasped her hands together and pleaded with him sincerely, "If it’s truly for my own good, I beg you, don’t split the family." Finally, she added, "So, now that you know my thoughts, do you still want to split?"
Zhang Jiahua hesitated. Catching the mockery in Deng Yuyuan’s eyes, he gritted his teeth and pushed through his mother’s pressure to answer, "I’m splitting!"
"Good!" Deng Yuyuan said crisply. "Everyone heard him! His family split has nothing to do with me!"
She, Deng Yuyuan, refused any form of moral coercion and scapegoating! If Zhang Jiahua had truly felt guilty toward her, he would have agreed to the divorce ages ago, instead of repeatedly showing up under everyone’s watchful eyes to pester her relentlessly.
Knowing full well that she was at the center of the storm, he hadn’t even bothered to handle his family affairs before coming to seek reconciliation. Instead, he chose to put on a grand theatrical performance right at the entrance of the Knowledge Youth Institute. She wasn’t the host of some daytime mediation show.
The village chief’s wife put an arm around her. "This just goes to show that Ah Hua isn’t acting on impulse. He has genuinely thought it through and figured things out."
Zhang Ci Hao and a bespectacled young man frowned in unison, though neither had the standing to say anything.
On one hand, Zhang Ci Hao hated the aggressive pushiness of Brother Jiahua and the Zhang Family; on the other hand, he felt guilty toward him. When he was a child, Brother Jiahua often took him out to play, yet now he couldn’t firmly stand by his side. He even harbored the dark thought that it would be best if Deng Yuyuan never forgave Brother Jiahua. As for the deeper meaning behind this thought, Zhang Ci Hao couldn’t yet grasp it.
But speaking purely on the matter at hand, Brother Jiahua truly hadn’t treated Sister-in-law Yu Yuan well enough. On second thought, he realized that since Brother Jiahua couldn’t even firmly choose his own wife, what more could be expected of him?
The bespectacled young man, on the other hand, simply felt that Zhang Jiahua wasn’t worthy of Deng Yuyuan.
After spending time with her recently, he discovered that Deng Yuyuan was a talented, persevering, and ambitious female comrade. She had long-term vision, dared to love and hate, and possessed a courage that ordinary people lacked. Faced with such a major life setback, she didn’t wallow in self-pity; instead, she seemed more confident and composed than ever before.
Every time he snuck a glance out of the corner of his eye at Deng Yuyuan resting on the lounge chair, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction. It was as if she were his wife, taking care of his daughter. Watching Deng Yuyuan slowly gain some healthy weight gave him the delightful feeling of nurturing her.
If only Zhang Jiahua would stop wandering around and breaking his fantasy.
The bespectacled educated youth’s eyes darkened. As long as they got divorced, he would have a chance.