Tian Tian’s attitude was already wavering. She was young and gullible. If Brother Jiahua could change, and they separated from his family, he would treat his wife well, and the young couple could live happily together.
Zhao Erdong cut the village chief’s wife off. There were some things that the currently vulnerable Deng Yuyuan couldn’t say, but she could.
"Yuanyuan is physically weak. How can she be expected to cry, throw tantrums, and threaten suicide with her daughter every time something happens, just to help Comrade Zhang Jiahua grow up? Yuanyuan, you must not soften your heart. Don’t look at how pitiful he is right now. He’ll forget the pain once the scar heals. The moment you go back, he’ll revert to his old ways in just a couple of days. How he treated you before is exactly how he’ll treat you in the future." Zhao Erdong looked at the long-term picture. Separating the household didn’t mean severing ties, let alone the fact that this separation was currently only a verbal promise.
What she thought of, Deng Yuyuan had also considered. Zhang Jiahua was easily swayed. Even if he was resolute now, when Granny Zhang inevitably caused a scene later, he would surely compromise to some extent. They could talk about dividing the family, but how the assets would be split was one thing, and how a new house would be built was another.
Granny Zhang had always favored her youngest son. If she chose to live with him, Zhang Jiahua would likely be left with little more than the clothes on his back. Two penniless adults raising a nursing infant while trying to fix up a home—their days would be incredibly difficult. Not to mention, a new house couldn’t be built overnight, which meant she would still have to endure their mistreatment for a while if she went back.
Furthermore, under normal circumstances of dividing a household, the houses of the same family were still clustered in the same area. They would simply go from being under one roof to being neighbors.
"That’s not the right way to put it," the village chief’s wife said, her face full of disapproval. "Even if you don’t do it for yourself, you have to think of Tuantuan. A couple is best in their original pairing, and a biological father is always better. Tuantuan and Jiahua are biological father and daughter; their blood connection can never be severed."
"My good auntie, you just said it yourself. Mothers, sons, and daughters are all the same; they are deeply connected by blood. Whether they separate the household or not, her mother-in-law is still her mother-in-law. They are still family. By the same logic, whether they divorce or not, Zhang Jiahua will always be Tuantuan’s father." Zhao Erdong stood by Deng Yuyuan’s side and secretly squeezed her hand.
Deng Yuyuan’s hand had almost no flesh on it. Her slender, bony fingers felt as cold as a block of ice. After recuperating for the past few days, her complexion had quickly regained its fairness, but her constitution was still weak and required gradual nourishment.
"How is that the same? Tuantuan is still so young. If she spends so little time with her biological father, she’ll be different from the other children. What if the other kids make fun of her for not having a dad later on? Children don’t care if she actually has a father or not. If he isn’t around, they’ll just assume she doesn’t have one." The village chief’s wife felt she had put her heart and soul into advocating for Zhang Jiahua.
After listening to Zhao Erdong’s analysis, Tian Tian’s wavering stance swung back to Deng Yuyuan’s side. That was true. How could Sister Yu Yuan’s body endure being tormented over and over again? She was eating and sleeping well at the Knowledge Youth Institute now. Why should she ever go back?
Even if she had to go back, she should wait until Zhang Jiahua had built their small home and convinced his mother, allowing Sister Yu Yuan to return comfortably and enjoy a good life.
"If she doesn’t have a dad, then just find her a new one," Tian Tian muttered softly.
The village chief’s wife shot her a shocked look, and Tian Tian immediately covered her mouth. Heavens, how was that any different from spreading rumors about Sister Yu Yuan! Even if it was a good idea, she couldn’t say such things in public where walls had ears.
In the crowd, several sharp-eared young men gave almost imperceptible nods.
Zhang Ci Hao’s eyes lit up. He reasoned that as a highly moral young man, he would never stoop so low as to fall in love with the wife of his brother from another mother, but he could certainly become Tuantuan’s godfather! He simply liked Tuantuan too much.
"Please don’t divorce me, okay?" Zhang Jiahua turned around and dropped straight to his knees in front of Deng Yuyuan.
Gasps echoed one after another. The village chief’s wife quickly shot a look at Zhang Ci Hao, urging him to hurry and help Zhang Jiahua up.
Kneeling to one’s mother was understandable, but how could a grown man kneel to his wife?
Zhang Jiahua blocked Zhang Ci Hao’s outstretched hand. With wet eyes, he looked at Deng Yuyuan. "Please don’t divorce me, okay? Tuantuan can’t be without a father, and I can’t be without you, Yuanyuan. I really will change. I’m serious this time, Yuanyuan."
Deng Yuyuan felt scorched by Zhang Jiahua’s burning gaze. For the first time, she didn’t dare to look him in the eye. In this era, there was actually a man willing to go this far. He was probably the first man in this village to ever do such a thing for his wife. Deng Yuyuan couldn’t question his resolve.
She looked down at the dirt beneath her feet. The earthy yellow hue had already stained Zhang Jiahua’s knees. Her emotions were more complicated than ever. If it were the original owner of this body, would she have chosen to forgive him?
However, she wasn’t the original owner. Tuantuan was an inescapable responsibility she had inherited upon coming to this world. In reality, she was just a single young woman. Faced with the sudden identity of a mother, Deng Yuyuan could only hypnotize herself into accepting it. But to make her accept a strange man...
She truly couldn’t do it. She wasn’t the one who had an emotional foundation with Zhang Jiahua.
Even after things with Zhang Jiahua had escalated to this point, she was still perfectly fine inside this body. It seemed the original owner’s consciousness had completely dissipated.
"No, I can’t," Deng Yuyuan raised her head, rejecting him with equal seriousness. "Let’s divorce, Zhang Jiahua. There’s no medicine for regret in this world. Once some things happen, there is no turning back. Regardless of how our relationship turns out, you will always be Tuantuan’s father. I won’t teach Tuantuan to distance herself from you."
"Why is there no turning back? We are both still young; we can try again." Zhang Jiahua shuffled forward on his knees, tentatively trying to grab Deng Yuyuan’s hanging hand.
If Deng Yuyuan hadn’t previously warned him that his excessive actions would bring her criticism, he wouldn’t just be kneeling—he would be kowtowing to her. As long as they didn’t divorce, he was willing to do whatever it took.
Zhang Jiahua had been an honest, dutiful farmer for over two decades. Now, in his first month as a new father, he finally tasted the bitterness of being clumsy with words.
He truly didn’t know how to save his family anymore. During Deng Yuyuan’s month at the Knowledge Youth Institute, she had blossomed, becoming more beautiful than ever. Seeing him advance, Deng Yuyuan took a few steps back. She was really terrified of him now and almost wanted to kneel back down in return, begging him to stop making such a fuss.
Several people came over to pull Zhang Jiahua up, but none of them could budge him.
Granny Zhang lunged over to yank him up, but much to Deng Yuyuan’s hopeful anticipation, even she couldn’t move him.
Consequently, Granny Zhang began hitting and pounding on Zhang Jiahua. "Get up, you useless thing! Why are you kneeling to that vixen? Are you trying to anger your old mother to death?!"
"Yuanyuan is not a vixen! She is my wife," Zhang Jiahua loudly retorted to his mother for the very first time.
"Look at that, just look. What a deeply affectionate man." The village chief’s wife sighed and shot a look at several older women, signaling them to drag Granny Zhang away together.
Everyone felt that with Zhang Jiahua going to such lengths, Deng Yuyuan would definitely be willing to go back.