Li Cuihua’s father was persuaded by his wife. He threw the broom into the corner and said with a dark expression, “Let’s go to the He family right now! I want to ask He Junshan what gives him the right to make my daughter leave with nothing!”
He had his own calculations—he would never agree to something that made him suffer a loss.
Even if they really had to divorce, he would make sure the He family paid a heavy price.
When Li Cuihua heard this, she finally lowered the hand covering her face, a hint of triumph flashing in her eyes.
She knew her parents wouldn’t abandon her.
As long as they caused a scene at the He family, He Junshan, concerned about saving face, would surely force He Jiang to take back the idea of divorce.
The group marched toward the He family in a grand procession. Along the way, whenever they encountered familiar neighbors, Li Cuihua’s mother deliberately raised her voice.
“The He family has no conscience! Our Cuihua has served their elders and children for so many years, and now they’re actually kicking her out…”
By the time these words reached the He family, He Junshan was sitting in the main room mending a fishing net, while Wang Shufen sat nearby sewing shoe soles.
Hearing Li Cuihua’s father’s loud voice at the courtyard gate, He Junshan frowned.
He Jiang walked out of the inner room, his face grim.
He had just returned from the Li family not long ago and hadn’t expected them to come back so quickly.
“Since they’re here, there’s no use hiding.”
He Junshan stood up, his back straight.
He knew exactly what kind of people the Li family were, which was why he had opposed He Jiang marrying Li Cuihua in the first place.
But back then, Li Cuihua had manipulated He Jiang as if he were a fool.
The two had already slept together—what more could he say? He could only let them marry.
This time, if the Li family didn’t strip a layer of skin off their family, it would only mean he had underestimated them.
“Let them in. I want to hear what they have to say.”
He Junshan put down what he was holding and sat in a chair.
Li Cuihua’s father led the group into the main room, plopped into a chair, and slammed the table.
“He Junshan! My daughter has worked like an ox in your family for so many years. Is this how the He family treats her? He Jiang wants a divorce just like that? What do you take our Li family for?”
Li Cuihua sobbed beside him, “Dad, you have to stand up for me! He Jiang has someone else—that’s why he wants to divorce me…”
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
He Jiang trembled with anger. “When have I ever had someone else? It’s clearly you who…”
The child was poorly raised, relationships with in-laws were mismanaged, and all she did every day was cause trouble.
He Junshan’s gaze swept over the Li family. “We’ve seen how Cuihua has been all these years in the He family. The good and the bad—we all know it in our hearts.”
“He Jiang wanting a divorce isn’t a sudden impulse. It’s the result of Cuihua’s own actions.”
“What do you mean, my own actions?”
Li Cuihua shrieked, “All I did was bicker with Ji Shuyu a few times! He Jiang is fixating on such a small matter—he clearly stopped caring for me a long time ago!”
Li Cuihua’s mother also chimed in, “Exactly! Which couple doesn’t argue? To divorce over such a trivial matter—your He family is too heartless! Besides, Cuihua even gave you a grandson. How can you be so cruel?”
Wang Shufen put down her shoe sole and looked coldly at Li Cuihua’s mother.
“In-law, that’s not fair to say. Li Cuihua wasn’t just bickering. She spread rumors about Shuyu, sowed discord, and even made He Qiang, a child, slip croton powder into Shuyu’s food. Did she not tell you any of this?”
“I didn’t!”
Li Cuihua stiffened her neck in denial.
“You didn’t?”
Wang Shufen stood up and walked over to her.
“Shall we go to the juvenile detention center right now to find He Qiang and let your parents hear what he has to say?”
“You raised that child to become a murderer, and you still think you’re in the right?”
Li Cuihua’s face instantly turned pale. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Seeing this, Li Cuihua’s father knew they were in the wrong, but his tone remained defiant: “Even if—even if Cuihua made a mistake, it’s not enough to warrant a divorce! A day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace—can’t He Jiang forgive her just this once?”
He Jiang finally couldn’t hold back: “How many times have I forgiven her? Has she ever changed? This time, she tried to kill someone! If I keep tolerating this, I’m not a man! This divorce must happen!”
“How dare you!”
Li Cuihua’s father slammed the table and stood up: “If you dare divorce her, I’ll go cause trouble at He Yuan’s military unit! I’ll make sure he can’t stay there!”
At these words, He Junshan’s expression changed abruptly. He grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it on the ground.
“You dare threaten me? Our He family has never feared anyone! Go ahead and cause trouble if you want. Let’s see whether the military is a place for reason or for your recklessness!”
The sound of the shattering teacup made the Li family shudder. Li Cuihua’s father, seeing He Junshan’s furious expression, felt a twinge of fear.
But thinking about how a divorce would bring no benefit to the Li family, he steeled himself and said, “This divorce absolutely cannot happen! Unless the He family compensates our Li family, we won’t let this go!”
“Give Cuihua 300 yuan, and all the major items in the house—they go to us.”
“You’re dreaming!”
He Jiang’s eyes reddened with anger: “You want money? Not a chance!”
Three hundred yuan—they might as well be robbing them.
And they even wanted the major household items? Absolutely not.
The two sides were deadlocked, their arguing growing louder and drawing many neighbors to gather at the courtyard gate to watch the commotion.
Just then, Ji Shuyu and He Yuan returned to fetch something.
Standing at the door, Ji Shuyu said leisurely, “Well, now I see. So your Li family is a case of ‘rotten bamboo sprouts from rotten roots.’”
Her words condemned the entire Li family in one stroke.
“Divorce is a matter between He Jiang and Li Cuihua. Normally, I shouldn’t interfere. But since you brought up money, let me ask you: shouldn’t the money Li Cuihua has been funneling to her family over the years also be accounted for?”
She paused, her gaze settling on Li Cuihua: “And what about the money from the He family’s ancestral silver bracelet you secretly sold? Where did that go? If we’re really going to calculate, it’s probably your Li family that should be giving compensation.”
Li Cuihua’s face lost all color. She never expected Ji Shuyu to know about these things.
Li Cuihua’s father and mother were also stunned. They only knew Li Cuihua often brought money home but had no idea she had sold the He family heirloom.
He Junshan was so angry he trembled, pointing at Li Cuihua but unable to speak.
Seeing their reactions, Ji Shuyu continued, “If you leave now, we can still discuss this matter. But if you keep making a scene, once these things get out, it’s your Li family that will be disgraced.”
“By then, don’t say He Jiang doesn’t want you—I’m afraid no one on this entire island would dare marry a daughter from the Li family.”
Li Cuihua’s father’s face shifted through several expressions. He looked at Li Cuihua’s tear-streaked face, then at the curious gazes of the neighbors around them, and finally gritted his teeth: “Fine! We’ll leave! But this isn’t over!”
With that, he led the Li family away from the He house in disgrace.
Watching their retreating figures, He Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and said to Ji Shuyu, “Sister-in-law, thank you.”
Ji Shuyu shook her head: “No need to thank me.”
She hadn’t made any of this up. The Li family were simply bullies who preyed on the weak.
He Junshan sighed: “It seems this divorce is inevitable.”
He Jiang nodded firmly: “Yes, it must happen.”
If Li Cuihua refused, he would file a report. He refused to believe he couldn’t get this divorce.
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