In her previous life, under her meticulous care, the old grandmother had tenaciously held on for two more years.
As for how long she would live in this life, it was no longer Mu Xiaocao’s business.
But thinking of the elderly woman’s scrawny body and loving eyes, Mu Xiaocao’s heart still felt heavy.
In the entire Liu family, only Grandma had a shred of sincerity toward her, truly pitying and protecting her.
But she couldn’t sacrifice her whole life for that small bit of sincerity.
Everyone has their own fate; sometimes, only by ignoring such entanglements can one live a better life.
Liu Guoqiang choked, looking at Mu Xiaocao in disbelief.
“Mu Xiaocao, do you have any conscience left? Grandma and my parents were so good to you—how can you say something so heartless? Besides, Lili is a woman; you repeatedly slander her for taking your money. What will others think of her!”
Mu Xiaocao looked at Liu Guoqiang mockingly.
“Your family was good to me? You really can lie through your teeth. Grandma was decent to me, but I spent three years tending to her every basic need, even cleaning her bedpans. I’ve repaid her kindness. As for your family, because of your coldness and disdain, they never treated me like a human being. Are you blind or deaf? Everyone in the village knows this; I don’t believe for a second you didn’t. As for Hu Lili, it’s a fact that she entered my room. Did I frame her?
“Liu Guoqiang, ask yourself: who is more important, me or Hu Lili? I don’t need to mention it again, do I? She is your White Moonlight, and I am just her foil. Stop talking that crap about the two of you being pure and innocent; I’m tired of hearing it. I won’t argue about right or wrong with you anymore. Divorce and give me the money. Let’s be quick about it. Won’t it be better if we don’t have to tear at each other anymore?”
In her last life, she owed no one.
In this life, no one would ever make her feel indebted again.
Others owed her, and they would pay it back with money.
Liu Guoqiang’s face stiffened, his tone becoming displeased.
“Can you stop making a scene? Fu Lei was my comrade-in-arms; I only treat Hu Lili as an old classmate. There is nothing sordid between us like you think.”
Mu Xiaocao responded with a cold sneer.
He repeated the same few lines over and over; even if he wasn’t tired of saying them, she was sick of hearing them.
In this era, almost no one got divorced, and it was even rarer for a woman to initiate it.
But she wasn’t afraid of the mockery or ridicule of others. If she lived her life again only to be just as stifled as before, she might as well not live at all.
Seeing Mu Xiaocao’s cold sneer, Liu Guoqiang’s breath hitched.
“Mu Xiaocao, that’s enough. There’s a limit to throwing a tantrum.”
“I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m serious. Besides, didn’t you agree to divorce me?”
“That was because…”
Liu Guoqiang was momentarily speechless.
“Liu Guoqiang, I’ve given this matter deep thought before bringing it up.”
“Tch, deep thought? Mu Xiaocao, you have no looks and no education. If you leave me, where can you go? Will your maternal family even want you?”
Liu Guoqiang didn’t believe her for a second.
Mu Xiaocao’s family were all country bumpkins, and her grandmother was a second wife who had married a widower in Wangjia Village. They were outsiders with no roots in their hometown. If Mu Xiaocao went back after a divorce, who would back her up? Her grandmother? Or her widowed mother?
While Liu Guoqiang’s family background was average, he was tall and handsome with a bright future. Many female soldiers in the regiment liked him, yet he kept his distance and never acted inappropriately. For an outstanding man like him to be left by a village girl like her—she would likely be beaten out of the house by her step-grandfather the moment she returned.
“You don’t want to divorce?”
Mu Xiaocao was genuinely surprised.
“Fine. Then cut off all contact with Hu Lili, and I’ll agree not to divorce.”
Mu Xiaocao’s eyes were full of playfulness.
Could she not live without him? In her past life, she had eventually gotten into university; she could survive anywhere. As for her step-grandfather not wanting her—she would go back, have her grandmother divorce that old man, and take her family away.
But asking Liu Guoqiang to stop seeing Hu Lili was like carving the heart out of his chest.
It would be a miracle if he agreed.
Sure enough.
“You are simply unreasonable!”
Liu Guoqiang fled in a panic, slamming the door as he left the Family Compound. He headed toward Hu Lili’s house, likely to comfort his White Moonlight again.
Tsk tsk.
Mu Xiaocao wasn’t angry. After finishing her apple, she went into the bedroom for a nap.
Waking up refreshed, she dragged her suitcase and walked out the door of the Family Compound. This hellhole—anyone who wanted it could live here, but she was done.
As soon as she walked out, she ran into Qin Su on her bicycle.
“Auntie, where are you going?” Qin Su’s voice was sweet. She felt she had a talent for matchmaking and was determined to set her Auntie up with her young uncle.
“It’s you,” Mu Xiaocao smiled. “I want to move out. It’s inconvenient living here.”
As she spoke, Mu Xiaocao tossed the keys to the Family Compound house back over the wall into the courtyard. Living under the same roof as those disgusting people would shorten her life.
“Isn’t this perfect? My young uncle said it isn’t safe for me to live alone and wanted to find someone to keep me company. Auntie, don’t go looking for a place elsewhere. Just move in with me. You’ve seen my place—it’s spacious. There’s more than enough room for you to have your own bedroom. Take the keys, I have to go or I’ll be late for school. There are washed apples on the table, help yourself. The house is a bit messy since I haven’t had time to clean; just leave it for when I get back. Bye, Auntie!”
Looking at the keys that had been thrust into her hand, Mu Xiaocao shook her head and chuckled.
This girl was quite likable.
Since there was a place to stay, she would make do for a few days. It truly was unsafe for a young single woman to rent a room alone in this era. Public security was quite chaotic.
Once she reached the house, Mu Xiaocao busied herself cleaning up the rooms. She washed the dishes soaking in the kitchen and put them away in the cupboard.
“Brother Qiang, I really didn’t see any money. I just… I just didn’t expect Mu Xiaocao to have a suitcase, so I opened it out of curiosity. I didn’t touch anything.”
Seeing Liu Guoqiang arrive, Hu Lili’s eyes reddened, her tone soft and aggrieved.
Liu Guoqiang sat in a chair, simply staring at her.
Hu Lili’s eyes were clear, but a hint of panic she couldn’t hide lurked in their depths.
Liu Guoqiang knew she was lying, but he didn’t expose her.
“That money… I gave it to Mu Xiaocao.”
He had to admit it; too many people knew about it now.
“Eh?” Hu Lili forgot to cry.
He really gave Mu Xiaocao money!
“What does she need so much money for?” In the countryside, there wasn’t even a place to spend it.
“Giving her the money was just so she would stop mentioning divorce.”
Thinking of Mu Xiaocao’s resolute attitude, Liu Guoqiang felt a wave of irritation.
Hu Lili’s heart skipped a beat. “Didn’t people in the Family Compound say you’ve already submitted the Divorce Application?”
Liu Guoqiang rubbed his aching brow. “I was just doing that to scare her. I never intended to actually divorce her.”
If they really divorced, what would his family do?