As soon as Lin Shuya entered the house, she saw the luggage bag on the floor.
She guessed that it was something Lu Chaonan had brought back.
She frowned unconsciously and walked straight to the table, where she poured herself a cup of hot water.
She had not expected Lu Chaonan to return so quickly.
If she had known he would be back this soon, she would have locked the door before leaving.
Just as she was regretting it, Lu Chaonan strode inside. He bent down to pick up the luggage bag and smiled as he explained, “I bought some candy at the supply and marketing cooperative when I came back. It’s a little gift for the children.”
It was Lu Chaonan’s own money, and he could give whatever he bought to whomever he wanted. It had nothing to do with her.
Lin Shuya rubbed her temples. “You haven’t been home for so long. Aren’t you going back to see your family? You don’t need to take anything out. Just bring it all back to the Lu family.”
The moment Lu Chaonan heard this, he knew Lin Shuya was still angry with him. “I already went back once just now.”
Before Lin Shuya could say anything else, he took a handful of candy and walked outside.
Lin Shuya thought that she had already fallen out completely with the Lu family, so when Lu Chaonan returned home, they would surely give him trouble.
Yet Lu Chaonan looked as though he knew nothing. Could it be that the Lu family had not told him anything? That did not seem to fit their character at all.
Outside, Lu Chaonan handed out five pieces of candy to each of the four children.
“Second Uncle, why are there only a few?”
Lu Jiadong remembered that whenever Lu Chaonan came home before, he would also bring candy, and the amount he received was enough to fill both his pockets.
So after hearing that Lu Chaonan had returned, he had eagerly urged everyone to come and ask for candy.
Now, looking at the candy in his hand, he was somewhat unhappy. “Second Uncle, is it because Lin Shuya wouldn’t let you give us candy?”
Lu Chaonan’s expression darkened. He raised his hand and tapped Lu Jiadong on the head. “Is Lin Shuya someone you can call by her name? Call her Second Aunt. If you don’t want the candy, give it back to me.”
Lu Chaonan still had some authority in the children’s eyes.
Seeing him turn stern, the children immediately turned and ran, afraid that if they were too slow, Lu Chaonan would discipline them.
Lin Shuya could hear the commotion outside.
The bag Lu Chaonan had used to carry the candy was still sitting on the table, with more than half of it left.
Judging from what Lu Chaonan had just done, he had originally intended to take the whole bag outside and give it to the children.
Only after she questioned him had he changed his mind and taken just a small handful.
She was not going to flatter herself by thinking that Lu Chaonan had done it for her.
Those Lu children would certainly go home and exaggerate what had happened to their parents. When that happened, the blame would probably be placed on her again.
At the thought of this, Lin Shuya found Lu Chaonan even more irritating. He was always causing trouble for her.
After locking the courtyard gate, Lu Chaonan returned to the house.
The moment Lin Shuya saw him, she said irritably, “You already went home, so why didn’t you stay at the Lu family’s house? What are you doing here?”
“I’ve lived in this courtyard since I was ten. This is my home.”
Ever since Lin Dahai retired from the Army and returned home, Lu Chaonan had been his right hand man, often running errands and helping him with small tasks.
Back then, the Lu family had too many children to properly look after Lu Chaonan, so Lin Dahai brought him home and even set aside a room specifically for him.
Saying this was his home did not seem entirely wrong.
Lin Shuya retorted, “Your room is in the east room, not here. Take your things and go back to your own room.”
Lu Chaonan froze.
Separate rooms?
What kind of married couple slept in separate rooms?
He knew Lin Shuya was still angry, so this was not the time to argue with her.
He took out the dress and shoes and placed them in front of Lin Shuya like precious treasures.
“The moment I walked into the supply and marketing cooperative, I could tell this dress would suit you. Why don’t you try it on? Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the county town to see a movie. You can wear this outfit.”
His attempt to change the subject failed.
Lin Shuya merely glanced at the clothes before turning her attention back to Lu Chaonan. “When you went home, didn’t anyone tell you anything?”
Lu Chaonan looked up, his voice carrying a hint of guilt. “I’m sorry. While I was away, my family didn’t treat you very well. I’ve already spoken to them. Divorce is impossible. I’ll make sure you get justice for what happened this time.”
Lin Shuya had already gotten the justice she deserved herself.
She did not need Lu Chaonan to do anything for her, nor did she want to owe him anything that might become difficult to untangle later.
“What your family wants is also what I want. I want a divorce. If possible, we can handle the paperwork tomorrow.”
Lu Chaonan knew that Lin Shuya was still angry. He sighed helplessly. “Divorce isn’t something that can be settled with a single sentence. I have to submit a divorce request through my unit first. We can only apply for the divorce certificate after it is approved.”
Lin Shuya suddenly remembered hearing older people talk about how difficult divorce was in this era.
Submitting an application was only the first step. If neither person had committed any serious wrongdoing, the leaders would not easily approve it. Only after repeated attempts at mediation failed could they finally obtain a divorce certificate.
Divorce was a long process.
Lin Shuya let out a long sigh. “Fine. Submit the divorce request as soon as possible. I’ll give you at most one month.”
One month meant she had not immediately closed the door on him. Lu Chaonan breathed a sigh of relief.
He was confident that within one month, he could make Lin Shuya change her mind.
“But before we get the divorce certificate, we need to agree on three rules.”
Lu Chaonan nodded. “Go ahead.”
“First, separate rooms. You stay in the east room, and I stay in the west room. We don’t interfere with each other.”
Lu Chaonan pressed his lips together.
They had been intimate on the very day they registered their marriage.
During the two years he had been away on missions, he had lived alone. This time, he had returned hoping to spend some time with his wife and make up for the years apart.
People often said that even when a married couple quarreled, they could make peace afterward. He had been planning to find a way to coax Lin Shuya into a better mood that evening.
But one sentence from Lin Shuya extinguished all of those hopes.
If they were at the Lu family home, the two of them would have had to share a room anyway, and he could have shamelessly squeezed into the same bed.
But the Lin family had plenty of rooms, with five rooms for only two people.
Now that he thought about it, having more rooms was not necessarily a good thing.
Lu Chaonan felt somewhat dejected.
“You disagree?”
Seeing that he had not responded, Lin Shuya asked again.
Lu Chaonan came back to his senses and nodded. “Fine. What are the other two?”
Lin Shuya continued, “There are some unpleasant rumors going around the village. You are responsible for dealing with them. They cannot damage my reputation or my father’s.”
Even if Lin Shuya had not mentioned this, Lu Chaonan would have dealt with it himself.
“No problem. I can take care of it tomorrow.”
Lin Shuya stated her final condition. “Your family and I are fundamentally incompatible. You are responsible for dealing with them. Don’t let them come looking for trouble with me.”
First there had been Zhao Quande tipping her off, then Li Chunhua’s complaints, and now Lu Jiadong’s attitude.
Lu Chaonan had already realized that Lin Shuya and the Lu family were completely at odds.
If he still wanted Lin Shuya to remain his wife, he would have to draw a clear line between her and his family.
The most permanent solution was to separate from the family.
Lu Chaonan agreed. “Tomorrow, I’ll go home and talk to them about separating from the family. I’m the second son, and I work away from home, so I’ll support them financially and fulfill my duty as a son.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Shuya gave a cold laugh.
Li Chunhua would never agree to separate the family.
But this was a matter for the Lu family, and she had no intention of interfering.