It must be another scheme to get her hands on the family’s ancestral home. Disgust crossed Song Ci’s handsome face. A divorce was out of the question. He couldn’t get rid of her, and their situation had already made him the laughingstock of the entire academy. Last night, he’d been so enraged by Xu Mingzhu that he’d completely lost his head. In a fit of recklessness, he’d even considered divorcing her after she bore him a child. If his mother hadn’t insisted that he deliver the pancakes she’d made, he wouldn’t have bothered coming to see her at all.
Song Ci sighed. This woman was truly detestable. But since they weren’t divorced yet, she was still his wife in name. He couldn’t very well stand by and watch the Xu family starve.
“Why are you here?” Xu Mingzhu spotted him first and asked.
For a brief moment, Song Ci was taken aback when she turned around. Today, she looked far less outrageous than usual. But the moment he remembered how she had tried to force herself on him last night, a dark expression settled over his face. “My mother made some pancakes and asked me to bring them over.”
The memory of the night before resurfaced, making Xu Mingzhu a little awkward. “We’re already eating; there’s no need…”
She was about to decline when Xu Ming’an quickly took the food box from Song Ci’s hands. “Brother-in-law, thank you so much! Mother, Sister-in-law, we’re in for a treat today.”
Mother Xu shot Xu Ming’an a glare, then warmly greeted Song Ci. “A-Ci, have you had breakfast yet? Why don’t you join us for a bite?”
“No, thank you.” Song Ci bowed politely. “Mother, my father’s health hasn’t been good these past few days, so I’ll be staying at the Song residence for the time being.”
Although Song Ci had married into the Xu family for half a year, he had rarely stayed at their house. Mother Xu thought nothing of it. “You’re a filial child. Just focus on taking care of your father. Don’t worry about things here. We’ll take good care of Mingzhu.”
“Mm. Then I won’t disturb you any further.” Song Ci bowed once more and turned to leave without sparing Xu Mingzhu a single glance.
“Mingzhu, go see your husband off.” Mother Xu nudged her arm.
Xu Mingzhu had no desire to be alone with the male lead, but remembering that she hadn’t brought up the divorce last night, she reluctantly chased after him.
“Song Ci, wait!” She couldn’t bring herself to call him husband, nor could she address him as A-Ci, so she settled for calling him by his full name.
Unexpectedly, Song Ci only quickened his pace.
“Song Ci, I know you don’t like me. You only married into the Xu family to repay my father’s kindness. We need to talk.” Her voice became firmer. As far as the male lead was concerned, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Only after getting divorced could she finally feel at ease.
Hearing this, Song Ci frowned. “Madam Xu, you’re a woman. Must you discuss such matters in broad daylight?” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a clear note of reproach.
Xu Mingzhu glanced around. Seeing that no one was nearby, she ignored his attempt to change the subject and finished what she had been trying to say. “Song Ci, I know you don’t like me, and that you only married into the Xu family to repay a debt of gratitude. I’ve thought it through. Rather than continue entangling ourselves with each other, it’s better for us to divorce.”
“Divorce?” Song Ci had indeed wanted a divorce for a long time. But hearing those words come from Xu Mingzhu’s mouth felt strangely unsettling.
In the past, whenever he tried every possible way to obtain a divorce, she either made a huge scene that the entire village heard about or threatened suicide, accusing the Song family of being ungrateful and repaying kindness with betrayal. Yet today, she was voluntarily asking for a divorce.
He carefully watched every change in Xu Mingzhu’s expression, but no matter how closely he looked, her almond-shaped eyes remained open, calm, and sincere.
Xu Mingzhu continued, “Write the divorce agreement right now. I’ll sign it and leave my thumbprint. I’ll personally explain everything to both the Song and Xu families.”
She figured that if she went this far, then even if the male lead rose to power in the future, he wouldn’t hunt her down to the bitter end. First, she needed to defuse this ticking time bomb before it did.
Note: 和離 (hélí) is a mutual divorce in a historical Chinese context, distinct from a unilateral repudiation.
“Xu Mingzhu, do you want a divorce because of the tuition money?”
The corner of Xu Mingzhu’s mouth twitched. For a moment, judging from the change in his expression, she had thought the male lead had finally begun to see her in a better light. Even if they divorced, perhaps they wouldn’t have to part on such bad terms. Who would have thought that he was actually wondering whether she was using divorce as an excuse to avoid repaying the money?
“Song Ci, I don’t want to lie to you. I did spend those ten taels of silver. But don’t worry. I said I’d pay you back, and I will. As for the divorce, I’m genuinely exhausted. I don’t want to keep wasting my own life, and I don’t want to hold you back either.”
Xu Mingzhu spoke sincerely, hoping the male lead would truly change his opinion of her.
Song Ci narrowed his dark eyes. If it wasn’t about the money, there could be only one reason. He didn’t care who she might have outside the marriage. However, his father’s health had deteriorated recently. If the old man learned that they were divorcing, he likely wouldn’t be able to endure the shock.
After a moment of silence, Song Ci finally spoke. “I can grant your wish, but you’ll have to wait half a month.”
Xu Mingzhu froze. Given how much Song Ci disliked her, she had assumed he’d be desperate to write the divorce papers immediately and go their separate ways. Could he be worried she wouldn’t repay the money after the divorce?
“Don’t overthink it. Divorce is my wish as well. It’s just that my father’s heart condition flared up this morning.”
At once, Xu Mingzhu understood his concerns. Besides, this would give her time to repay him before they divorced, allowing them to part without owing each other anything.
“Alright. Father has always treated me well, and we really shouldn’t upset him at his age. Half a month it is.”
Confusion flickered in Song Ci’s eyes as he studied her.
Having accomplished the most important thing, Xu Mingzhu no longer intended to linger. She offered a polite smile. “Since we’ve agreed, I’ll go back and finish breakfast. Take care.” With that, she turned and walked back into the courtyard.
Left alone, Song Ci stared thoughtfully at the tightly shut gate.
Father Xu had renovated the Xu family courtyard when he was still alive. The four rammed-earth houses were riddled with cracks, many of them stuffed with broken roof tiles. To one side stood the kitchen, along with an empty cattle shed and pigsty. The outer yard was enclosed by piled stone walls.
Xu Mingzhu felt that one fierce storm could destroy the family’s only shelter.
In the novel, after Father Xu’s death, the family lost its source of income from hunting. They survived solely on a few acres of farmland. Later, the original Xu Mingzhu developed a gambling addiction and sold off all the family land, cutting off their last livelihood. Now, the entire household depended on the eldest brother risking his life carrying stones at a quarry just to make ends meet.
After breakfast, Xu Ming’an dusted off his clothes. “Mother, I’ll head up the mountain to gather some firewood for you. Starting tomorrow, I’ll join Elder Brother at the quarry and help haul stone.”
The mention of the mountain immediately caught Xu Mingzhu’s attention. In transmigration novels, weren’t mountains always full of game and valuable resources? Now that the divorce issue was settled, the next priority was earning money. Instantly energized, she jumped to her feet.
“Second Brother, I’m coming too!”
Xu Ming’an instinctively looked toward Mother Xu, then waved her off. “No need. Just stay home.”
Imitating the tone of the original Xu Mingzhu, she replied, “Fine. If you won’t let me go, then I’ll head into the city instead.”
“You’d better come with us.” All three of them spoke almost in unison.
Xu Mingzhu smiled bitterly. That trick really worked.
Mother Xu exchanged meaningful glances with Zhou Shi and Xu Ming’an. The two quietly carried away the dishes, and only then did she speak earnestly.
“Mingzhu, ever since your father passed away, I know you’ve been gambling because you wanted our family to live better lives. But look at all those people in the gambling houses. Every one of them dreams of getting rich overnight. If that really worked, ordinary folk like us would never get a turn.
“Listen to your mother. Go home and live your life properly. I can tell that A-Ci is a good man. Stay with him, and you’ll have a good life in the future.”
The male lead was definitely a good man—just not one meant for her.
Mother Xu was speaking from the heart, and Xu Mingzhu couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would hurt her. Besides, there would be time to explain after the divorce.
“Mother, don’t worry. I mean everything I said today. I won’t gamble anymore. I’ll live an honest life, earn money, bring Da Ya back home, and redeem the land for you.”
Mother Xu felt as though she were dreaming. That morning, her daughter had not only shared her food with the family, but had also talked about settling down and buying back their land.
In the past, Mingzhu had only complained that they were peasants working the soil all day long, unable to give her the life of a wealthy young lady. She had even blamed them for forcing her, a young woman, to toil in gambling houses.
Then suddenly, a thought struck Mother Xu. The smile vanished from her face. After all these twists and turns… Could it be that Mingzhu was still after the property’s title deed?