The person shouting at the door was none other than Xu Wantang's mother-in-law, Zhang Xiuju.
Knowing Zhang Xiuju as well as Xu Wantang did, this was the exact time she would be finishing up her mahjong games.
Coming home in such a foul temper meant she had most likely lost and was looking for someone to take it out on!
In her past life, Xu Wantang had been utterly obedient and respectful to her mother-in-law. If her mother-in-law said one, she wouldn't say two; if her mother-in-law said east, she would never go west!
Even when she was treated like a punching bag, she would just take it.
Back then, she had hoped to earn a good reputation in front of her husband, Lu Yunzheng, by pleasing Zhang Xiuju.
Only later did she realize that no matter how well she behaved, Zhang Xiuju would still find fault with her, and Lu Yunzheng wouldn't spare her a second glance.
Now, Xu Wantang had figured it out: in this life, pleasing anyone else was inferior to pleasing herself.
Xu Wantang ignored Zhang Xiuju's shouting. Pretending she hadn't heard a thing, she hummed a little tune and continued packing her things.
Zhang Xiuju, however, clearly had no intention of letting her off. Like a sputtering powder keg ready to blow, her shrill, petulant voice barked toward the bedroom, "Why is this bowl broken? It's shattered and no one's cleaning it up? Are you waiting for me to do it?"
Zhao Youyou might have been a little tyrant in front of Xu Wantang, but before Zhang Xiuju, she didn't even dare breathe loudly. Keeping her head down, she scurried back to her room.
By now, Zhang Xiuju was already standing outside Xu Wantang's bedroom door. One hand was planted on her hip, while the other hammered furiously against the door, making a deafening racket. As she pounded, she yelled, "Playing dead, are you? Leaving such a mess on the floor without cleaning it up—our Lu family must've had eight lifetimes of rotten luck to marry such a lazy good-for-nothing!"
Xu Wantang let out a cold scoff as she folded her clothes.
Ever since marrying into the Lu family, she had never slacked off. Big or small, she handled every chore in the house, never once letting her mother-in-law lift a finger. Yet despite all that, her mother-in-law had never had a single kind word for her.
Xu Wantang had lost count of how many times she had heard this same old routine from Zhang Xiuju.
At first, hearing those words had broken her heart; in the dead of night, she would hide under her blanket, quietly wondering what she had done wrong. But now, Zhang Xiuju's venomous words could no longer stir the slightest ripple in her heart.
Say whatever you want—I'm done waiting on you hand and foot!
Xu Wantang quickened her pace, not wanting to stay in the Lu household for a single second longer.
Outside the door, Zhang Xiuju grew increasingly carried away with her scolding. "If you can stay, stay; if you can't, get the hell out! With my son's great prospects, who knows how many fine girls are lining up to—"
Before Zhang Xiuju could finish her sentence, Xu Wantang yanked the door open. Having been leaning heavily against it, Zhang Xiuju's bulky frame tumbled forward involuntarily. Flailing her arms wildly, she tried to grab onto Xu Wantang to steady herself.
But how could Xu Wantang ever let her have her way?
Xu Wantang deftly dodged Zhang Xiuju's grasping hands and even took a step back, calmly watching the woman make a fool of herself.
Between years of binge eating and sitting around all day playing mahjong with zero exercise, Zhang Xiuju's body had become quite cumbersome.
Her legs were thin, but her belly was huge. Tumbling forward like that, it was impossible to maintain her balance; she looked ridiculously like a bloated leather ball propped up on two chopsticks, utterly comical.
Flapping her arms about frantically, Zhang Xiuju barely managed to brace herself against the wall, narrowly avoiding a face-plant on the floor.
Her eyes bulging, she pointed straight at Xu Wantang's nose and began to berate her without hesitation. "Fine! You want to humiliate me, don't you? It was just a few words of scolding! You're a daughter-in-law of our Lu family, and I'm your mother-in-law. When I scold you, you take it!"
Only then did Zhang Xiuju notice the large parcel Xu Wantang was carrying. Her eyes narrowed in a glare. "What are you doing carrying a bag around the house? Nothing but a clown making a scene!"
Xu Wantang glanced back at her. "I'm not good enough for your precious son. You'd better find someone else to be the Lu family's daughter-in-law—I'm through serving you!"
With that, Xu Wantang didn't forget to shoot Zhang Xiuju a cold glare before turning on her heel and walking out.
"Divorce? You? You want to bring up divorce? Don't make me laugh!" Zhang Xiuju sneered dismissively.
Even though Xu Wantang had her luggage in hand, Zhang Xiuju still didn't believe a word of it.
For no other reason than her son, Lu Yunzheng, was an incredible catch. At such a young age, he was already a battalion commander in the military, earning several times the salary of an ordinary person—the most accomplished young man she had ever seen!
On top of that, her son was exceedingly handsome. Given how completely infatuated Xu Wantang had always been with him, divorcing him would be a miracle!
Xu Wantang couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on her. Giving her nothing more than a frigid glance, she grabbed her bag and moved to open the front door to leave.
Now, not only Zhang Xiuju, but even Zhao Youyou—who was peeking through the crack of her door—froze in shock.
In their eyes, Xu Wantang had always been gentle, soft-spoken, and easy to push around. How could she just up and leave like this? And that look in her eyes sent a chill straight down their spines with a single glance—something that had never happened before!
Just as Xu Wantang was about to open the door, she heard the lock click.
Who could it be at this hour?
The next second, a remarkably handsome face appeared right before her eyes.
The man possessed extraordinarily striking features—deep, brilliant eyes like polished obsidian, a tall nose, and a cold, proud countenance that was even more compelling than that of any movie star.
He looked windblown and travel-worn, yet the military uniform he wore only accentuated his commanding, extraordinary presence.
It was Lu Yunzheng.
Why was he back?
Only then did Xu Wantang remember that Zhao Youyou hadn't been with the Lu family for very long, and the adoption procedures had not yet been finalized.
Around this time in her past life, Lu Yunzheng had also returned home to finalize the paperwork for Zhao Youyou's adoption.
Seeing Lu Yunzheng again, the flood of mixed emotions in Xu Wantang's heart settled back into calm indifference.
There was no denying that Lu Yunzheng was an exceptional man in both looks and build.
Yet after so many years, Xu Wantang was no longer the lovesick girl she had once been. Aside from a detached appreciation of his looks, there wasn't a single flutter left in her chest. Every trace of her infatuation had long been worn down to nothing by the disappointments of her previous life.
Right now, her mind was entirely consumed by the thought of divorce. Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Xiuju cut in.
"Oh my, son! What brought you back?" A wide smile plastered across her face, Zhang Xiuju shoved Xu Wantang aside and rushed forward to greet him.
Lu Yunzheng sidestepped Zhang Xiuju's hands and responded coldly, "Mm."
Zhang Xiuju's smile and outstretched hands froze on the spot, and she awkwardly drew them back.
Xu Wantang wasn't surprised in the least. Lu Yunzheng and Zhang Xiuju had never been close. In her past life, Xu Wantang had heard that Lu Yunzheng's father had passed away early, and Zhang Xiuju had dumped him with relatives in the countryside to go off to the city herself.
Over the years, she had rarely visited him, leaving their relationship strained and distant.
It wasn't until Lu Yunzheng was accepted into the military academy, joined the armed forces, and saw his rank and allowances climb year after year that she finally remembered she was his mother. She had pestered him until she was allowed to move into this house.
Though Lu Yunzheng was never particularly warm toward Zhang Xiuju, he still recognized her as his mother and permitted her to stay.
In her past life, learning about Lu Yunzheng's background had only made Xu Wantang's heart ache for him. She had thought that by adopting Zhao Youyou, he was perhaps trying to heal his own childhood wounds, so she had treated the girl twice as well—only to end up in ruin.
Given a second chance at life, Xu Wantang had learned a profound truth: before you feel sorry for anyone else, you have to feel sorry for yourself, or you won't even know how you died.
"What are you still standing there for? My son must be starving after traveling all this way—why haven't you gone to make dinner yet?"