Jiang Erlang recovered and saw his elderly mother's face covered with tears. He apologized with trembling lips: "Mom, I'm sorry for worrying you..."
Jiang Liu cried so hard that she was choking. She hugged her son tightly and stroked his chest again and again, "Mother doesn't worry. Mother just wants you to be fine... Son, you must think positively, wuwuwuwu..."
Jiang Erlang lowered his eyelids and said after a while: "Mother, since the Leng family wants to divorce, then divorce, but it is impossible for me to take thirty taels of silver."
After a pause, he continued, "Leng knows the situation at home. We brothers have already separated. It doesn't make sense for me to ask my parents and brothers to pay for my divorce."
Leng's behavior during this illness completely chilled Jiang Erlang's heart.
Normally he would tolerate her temper, but she took advantage of his serious illness, took all the money in the house and ran back to her parents' home.
This morning he was thinking that after he recovered from his illness, he would go to his wife's house and bring her back.
After all, they have been married for more than ten years, so it is bound to be quarreling.
He thought that as long as he persuaded and coaxed his wife and admitted his mistake, his wife would always come back with him and live a good life for the sake of their children, their family, and their years of marriage.
But she never expected that today her mother and brother and sister-in-law came to her house and asked for a divorce.
No matter how my parents explained or how others persuaded them, the Leng family insisted on divorce, saying that Leng had suffered so much in the Jiang family that she could no longer live like this.
Not only did they have to divorce, but they also had to pay thirty taels of silver as compensation.
Jiang Erlang didn't believe that the idea of divorce was proposed by Leng.
Although he was a little weak, he did all the heavy work at home and in the fields. When Leng Shi was unwilling to go to the fields, he tried his best to satisfy her.
Therefore, before the divorce, he must ask Leng in person whether she really can't live with him anymore.
If that was the case, he wouldn't be reluctant to give it up. After all, he already had a son and a daughter in his second wife, so it wouldn't be a big deal even if he never had a wife in this life.
When Jiang Liu heard her son agree to divorce, she quickly advised him, "Son, divorce is not a trivial matter. You must think it over carefully. Leng Shi...maybe she was just saying that out of anger. As long as we are polite and apologize to them..."
“Don’t... cough cough cough..." Jiang Erlang coughed anxiously several times and felt his chest starting to hurt again.
After taking a breath, he said, "Mom, we are right. I was fine before we got married and never had any serious illness."
He got this illness because he caught a cold while doing labor two years after his marriage. At that time, the family had not yet divided up, and his parents and brothers felt very guilty about it, so they used up all their savings to treat his illness.
It is estimated that Leng had already planned to divorce at that time. She secretly hid the ginseng slices in the medicine bag, packed all the valuables and money in the house into a package, and stuffed it under the couch.
If A Niang had not accidentally discovered the package, opened it to check, and questioned her when she found something wrong, Leng might have left the baby in her belly and secretly taken the package away and never returned.
Today, Yue's family suddenly asked their daughter, who had been married for more than ten years, to divorce. I guess they have already figured out what to do next.
He just wants to use his daughter to make some more dowry money.
But his wife seemed to be possessed. She could not see the greed of her parents and brothers, could not listen to his advice, and was only focused on helping her family.
Over the years, it seems that I have not done anything wrong to my wife and my in-laws.
All the gifts that should be given were given, and all the money that should be spent was spent.
Two years ago, when his brother-in-law got married, at his wife's request, in order to give a generous gift, he invited his eldest brother and third younger brother to go hunting in the mountains. They stayed outside in the freezing cold for several days before returning home.
At that time, he had only recovered from his illness for less than a year, but he held on and did not collapse.
When he got home, Leng not only didn't ask a single question, but also kept urging him to bring all the prey over.
In the end, the eldest brother and the third brother didn't take any of the prey they brought back, and gave it all to themselves.
Even so, Leng was still not satisfied and insisted on borrowing another string of money from her parents and taking it back to her parents' home.
To this day, he has not returned the money to his parents. Of course, his parents have never asked for it back either.
Therefore, if Leng is determined to divorce, then let him divorce. He doesn't owe her anything.
... ...
the next day,
Jiang Erlang came forward and told the Leng family that he agreed to the divorce, but required Leng to bring his son Huzi back so that the two could discuss the divorce face to face.
So, Leng brought Hu Zi home in the afternoon, and the couple sat opposite each other at the table.
"Do you really have to get a divorce?" Jiang Erlang asked in a low voice, suppressing his sadness.
Leng, wearing a face scarf, nodded.
Jiang Erlang closed his eyes and asked, "Why?"
Leng remained silent.
"Is it because of my illness? But I'm fine now. Doctor Li said I'm fully recovered." Jiang Erlang suppressed his sadness and tried to save the situation.
Leng still kept her head down and said nothing.
Jiang Erlang couldn't help crying and quickly turned his head away, wiping his tears with his sleeve.
The two were silent for a long time, and Jiang Erlang asked again: "Do you have any difficulties? Tell us and we can discuss it together."
Leng finally raised her head and said calmly, "Erlang, my difficulty is that I married you. I have had enough of the poor life these years."
After a pause, he said, "Let me go, and let's get divorced."
Hearing this, Jiang Erlang was disheartened and stood up. "Well, since you have made up your mind, I will grant your wish. I hope you will be well from now on."
After leaving the house, Jiang Erlang went to invite Muramasa in person, and asked his eldest nephew to go to Xicun to invite the matchmaker from that year.
If you're getting a divorce, you have to do it completely.
So, the village chief Chen Sanyou and the matchmaker from that time all came to the scene to witness the divorce of Jiang Erlang and Leng.
The Leng family also invited the elders of the Leng clan to come and support them.
After the two families discussed, Erni and Huzi were finally raised by Jiang Erlang, and the Jiang family paid Leng 15 taels of silver as resettlement fee, and they had nothing to do with each other's marriage in the future.
Chen Cunzheng wrote two divorce agreements on behalf of the couple, which were signed by both families, with the other party's elders acting as guarantors and the former matchmaker putting their fingerprints on the agreement as testimony.
From then on, Jiang Erlang and Leng officially divorced.
Yingbao didn't know that just because of the five or six hundred coins she received, her second uncle and his wife's family broke up.
But even if she knew, she wouldn't feel guilty.
Because Mrs. Leng was not a good match for my second uncle, and his six hundred coins were just a fuse.
It’s just a pity for Erni and Huzi, who lost their mother at a very young age.
But in her previous life, after her second uncle passed away, Leng still abandoned her young children early and lived her own life.
In this life, Erni and Huzi are at least taken care of by their biological father.
"Yingbao, hurry up, Daddy is leaving."
Jiang Sanlang pretended not to wait for the little girl and walked out.
Yingbao was really anxious. She put on a tiger-head hat and ran over, stopping her father and opening her arms to hug her.
Jiang Sanlang picked up the little girl and put her in a backpack, then went to the front yard to call his eldest and second nephews to go to town together.
Today is the last big market before New Year's Day. People are coming and going, all buying New Year's goods.
Yingbao stood in the backpack, looking down at the vendors on both sides of the road.
There were people selling chickens and ducks, old geese, eggs and grains, game, children's toys, and silk hair ornaments. The most common items were new year door gods and auspicious lanterns, which were hung red on wooden racks, bringing a touch of warmth to the gloomy winter.
Yingbao watched with great interest and from time to time asked her father to come closer and ask some questions.
A vendor placed children's toys on the ground, such as clay pigs, clay cows, clay chickens and ducks, clay dolls, clay tigers and clay whistles. There were all kinds of things, all painted with corresponding colors, and looked particularly beautiful.
"Which one does Baoer want?" asked Jiang Sanlang.
Yingbao shook her head, "No."
She had long lost interest in these things, but just came to take a look out of curiosity.
Several people squeezed into the crowd, each going to see the rare things.
The brothers Jiang Cheng and Jiang Quan disappeared in a flash, and Jiang Sanlang was so anxious that he shouted loudly: "Don't get separated, I'll wait outside for you to go back together!"
"I understand, Uncle San!" Jiang Cheng responded in the crowd.
Yingbao stood high enough to see her two cousins standing still in front of the circus stall.
"Dad, let's go over there to see the hair flowers." Yingbao pointed to the roadside.
"good."
So, the father and daughter started visiting roadside stalls.