"You might as well divorce me now and find someone who can give you a son," the Woman said.
"You've always complained that I only gave birth to a girl without a penis, so I'll take Niu Niu with me and make room for your grandson."
The Woman picked up Niu Niu and walked towards the bedroom, ready to pack her bags and return to her parents' home.
As soon as these words were spoken, the Father-in-law, who had been sitting silently in the living room, finally spoke up.
The Father-in-law clearly thought the Woman was being unreasonable and hadn't realized the consequences. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "What kind of nonsense is this? This family is falling apart because of you two!"
"You, calm down! What are you trying to accomplish with all this talk of death and leaving?"
"And you, have you set your eyes on some other girl and want to divorce your wife? If you divorce her, I'll beat you to death."
The Father-in-law first berated the mother and son.
Then he turned to the Woman and began to speak in a gentler tone.
It was always like this.
Every time things got heated, they would try to make peace, urging her to be magnanimous.
This situation repeated day after day, with no end in sight.
The Father-in-law said, "Daughter-in-law, married couples fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot. This will blow over. There's no need to go as far as divorce."
"You're both young and hot-blooded, unable to tolerate even the slightest provocation. But who hasn't gone through this in their youth? Your Mother-in-law and I used to have small quarrels every three days and big fights every five days."
"We still managed to spend a lifetime together despite all the bickering. Besides, where would you go if you left with Niu Niu? If your parents found out you were divorced, would they even let you return home?"
"We've already apologized for what happened in the past. It's a sore spot for the whole family, and you shouldn't bring it up again."
"No matter how wrong she might be, she's still your Mother-in-law. What daughter-in-law dares to be fierce towards her Mother-in-law? It's fortunate no outsiders were here today, otherwise, if word got out, it would damage your reputation."
"I think you should apologize to your Mother-in-law today, and never mention this again. Then we can put this matter behind us."
Seeing that her son and husband were backing her up, the Mother-in-law suddenly became emboldened. She sneered, "Oh my, I wouldn't dare accept her apology!"
"I'm not worthy of being her Mother-in-law, apparently."
The Woman's Husband gave her a cold look, devoid of any love, only disdain.
Perhaps he was disgusted by her changed figure.
Or maybe he resented her for not bearing a son.
Not only did he fail to support his wife, but he also sided with his mother, saying coldly, "Hurry up and apologize to your Mother-in-law. Pour her some tea. You were indeed out of line today."
The Woman, whose resolve had been shaken by her Father-in-law's words, saw her Mother-in-law's smug expression, her Husband only supporting his mother, and her Father-in-law also implying she was wrong and should apologize...
In that instant, countless similar scenes flashed through the Woman's mind.
She had retreated step by step in the past.
How much humiliation had she endured?
But at this moment, the Woman's heart suddenly became incredibly firm.
Ha! How united these three were against her. They were truly of one mind.
At this moment, the Woman felt an immense sense of irony and pity for herself.
In her parents' home, she was a guest!
In her Husband's home, she was an outsider!
Women never have a place to truly call their own.
Women are like dandelions, blown by the wind to distant places, taking root wherever the wind stops.
But she had had enough of this life. She wanted change!
That's right!
Plague City!!!
She wanted to go to Plague City!
Usually, women would bow their heads and admit their mistakes under the good cop, bad cop routine of these three, but today, she was as stubborn as a mule, refusing to back down.
The Woman suddenly raised her head and said with every word dripping with anguish, "You've always complained that I can't bear a child with a penis, so why don't you divorce me today?"
"I'm taking Niu Niu with me, and no one is allowed to fight me for her, or I'll fight to the death!"
"Whoever tries to take Niu Niu from me, I'll kill them!"
"I've already lost one daughter. If you dare to set your sights on Niu Niu, I might as well poison the well, and we can all die together!"
The Father-in-law tried to persuade her again: "Sigh, what nonsense are you talking about now? A family shouldn't have so many grudges. As a woman, you should think more about how to take care of your family."
"Where would you, a woman, go to live with a child—"
However, before he could finish his conciliatory words, the Woman turned and went back to the room with Niu Niu in her arms, swiftly packing a few changes of clothes.
She didn't take anything else.
Because nothing else belonged to her.
She had lived in this house for so many years, but when it came time to leave, she realized nothing belonged to her. How ridiculous!
"Niu Niu, from now on, you'll have to endure hardships with mommy."
The Woman crouched down, fighting back tears as she lovingly stroked her child's head.
Her parents' family cared too much about face. If she went back home under normal circumstances, they would still be polite and courteous. But if they knew she had been divorced and driven out, they would likely force her to come back here and apologize immediately.
She knew she couldn't go back to her parents' home, so she could only take her child and find a place to stay first, then figure out how to make a living.
"Mommy, I'm not afraid of hardship. I want to stay with you. I'll help you with work, mommy. Don't leave me behind."
The three-year-old child already understood some basic things and was so anxious that tears came to her eyes as she clung tightly to her mother's sleeve.
Although she was only three, she already knew who loved her the most in this family.
She knew who was the most vicious, who often beat and cursed her, wishing she were dead.
She didn't want to stay here. Her grandmother would beat her to death.
"Don't worry, mommy won't leave you behind anymore. You're mommy's treasure."
"It's mommy's fault for being weak and useless, letting you suffer. It won't happen again, okay?" The Woman held the child in her arms, every word filled with unwavering determination.
No matter what difficulties they might face in the future, she would never let her child suffer even the slightest grievance again.
It was better for the child to endure hardships with her than to be ordered around in this house.
This was her treasure, not this family's little slave.
The touching scene of mother and daughter embracing was interrupted by her Husband, who rushed into the room.
He entered the room, fuming, and coldly questioned, "Have you found someone else outside? You've been gone for so long, have you been meeting some scoundrel?"
"Otherwise, why would you come home and throw such a fit, daring to talk back to your Mother-in-law?"
"I'm warning you, if you step out of this door today, even if you kneel and beg me in the future, I won't let you back in."
"A divorced woman has no face to live in this world!"
The last trace of reluctance in the Woman's heart was instantly washed away by these icy words.
She looked at her Husband's face.
Suddenly, she couldn't say anything.
She felt that all her years of dedication had been a joke. Being a good wife and mother, enduring, compromising, being generous! It was all a joke!
Women are the nutrients of marriage, nourishing the man while sacrificing themselves!
The Woman held back her tears and said with a cold laugh, "Don't worry, I wouldn't enter your house again even if I were dead!"
