"Ahem!" Lin Xuan waved his hand before his eyes and looked at Shen Yuchu. "What are you doing with that abacus?"
"Calculating the accounts!" Shen Yuchu said as she climbed down from the chair. Fearing she might lose her footing, Lin Xuan quickly reached out to help, but Shen Yuchu stepped down steadily on her own. She picked up a rag, dipped it into the icy water in the washbasin, and began wiping the abacus.
Lin Xuan watched her. "Starting next month, I’ll give you all of my allowance—80 yuan a month, not a cent less. Besides, I’ve saved some money over these past three years, and my mother has been keeping it. Mom, go get my bankbook."
Shen Chunfen glanced at Lin Xuan. Though reluctant, she saw the firm look in her son's eyes and went to fetch the bankbook, which held over 2,500 yuan.
Lin Xuan placed it in front of Shen Yuchu. "This is some of my money, plus what my parents have saved. It’s all here. Look..."
"I don't want it!" Shen Yuchu clutched the money she already had in her hand, hooked her lips, and smiled at Lin Xuan and Shen Chunfen. "I’m using this abacus right now specifically to calculate exactly how much rice, flour, and water I’ve consumed in your Lin family, how much labor I’ve provided, and how much work I’ve done. We’re going to settle every bit of it!"
Lin Xuan watched her small hands deftly flicking the wet beads on the abacus. He reached out and snatched the abacus away. "What are you calculating? You’re my wife; we’re a family. It’s only natural for us to eat and drink together."
"Are you saying this only because you saw that I have money now?"
Shen Yuchu’s sudden question made Shen Chunfen glare. She shouted, "Shen Yuchu, why can’t you tell a kind word when you hear one? My son doesn't want to divorce you! Just think, with the way you are... you, you, you..."
Shen Yuchu stared at Shen Chunfen. "What about the way I am? Am I illiterate? Can’t I read? Or am I incapable of keeping accounts and unfit to be seen in public?"
Shen Chunfen had seen the characters Shen Yuchu had written; for a moment, she couldn't find a single word to say. She looked at her son. "You tell your wife yourself."
"Stop! I am not his wife. From this moment on, I am not his wife!" Shen Yuchu shouted directly.
Shen Chunfen: "..."
Lin Xuan: "..."
Shen Yuchu pulled a stool over with one hand. Though it wasn't tall, she sat down with a sense of authority and poise. "Originally, it was Lü Chunhuan who engineered that scheme to ruin your son's reputation. At the time, I didn't dare to resist..." Shen Yuchu felt helpless but accepted the [original owner's] burden. "Now, I’ve realized that a twisted melon is never sweet. Besides, I don't even want to eat this 'melon' anymore."
Lin Xuan: "..."
Shen Yuchu stared at Shen Chunfen. "To put it bluntly, I’m not interested in your son. He isn’t my type. I like men with broad shoulders and narrow waists, sturdy hips, straight calves, large and steady feet, and thick, calloused palms. I like a man who walks with a breeze, speaks with conviction and resonance, has sparkling eyes, a brilliant mind, and is powerful and vigorous."
Lin Xuan rolled his eyes in frustration. Shen Chunfen looked at her son. "Isn't that just describing my son?"
Shen Yuchu: "..."
She couldn't help but glance up at Lin Xuan's face and build.
*Hmm...* It did look a bit similar.
However, she quickly dismissed that point. "Your son won't do; he’s kidney-deficient!"
Shen Chunfen: "..."
Lin Xuan’s eyes widened in shock. "..." His expression was a mix of disbelief, shock, and resentment; he looked as if he wanted to eat her alive. "You... you... how would you know if you haven't tried?" he blurted out, losing his composure.
Shen Yuchu, however, no longer cared. She turned back to Lin Xuan. "I don’t even like your name, so don’t expect me to like the person. And your mother—I never want to see her again for the rest of my life. Hurry to the village secretary and get the seal stamped to make this official!"
Lin Xuan: "..."
A short while later, Lin Xuan and Shen Yuchu arrived at the village secretary's house. The secretary was quite pleased and even poured them water. He spoke to Lin Xuan first, as in their village, men still tended to address men first. "Yongjun? Alright, alright. This is a good thing..."
Shen Yuchu sat to the side, silent. The secretary’s wife, Auntie Wang, noticed how quiet Shen Yuchu was and found it strange. The old Shen Yuchu, even if she wasn't talkative, would always help the neighbors with their chores. To set a good example for Lin Xuan, she had helped the villagers quite often, yet Shen Chunfen would still scold her every three days. Everyone knew the truth: Lin Xuan was a college student and she was nothing; if it weren't for her mother holding a knife to her own throat and demanding she join the army, the Lin family would never have taken her in.
Now, seeing Lin Xuan bring her here, she remained perfectly calm, which left Auntie Wang at a loss. *Is this really... Shen Yuchu?*
Watching her husband chat with Lin Xuan, Auntie Wang said to Shen Yuchu, "Lin Xuan’s wife, come, have some peanuts. I just roasted them, have a taste!"
In the rural winter, there weren't many snacks or food options—just sunflower seeds, peanuts, dried sweet potatoes, or the occasional popcorn vendor who would arrive with a large black pot. With a loud "bang," the fragrant popcorn would emerge.
Shen Yuchu waited for a long time until Auntie Wang suggested she and Lin Xuan stay for a meal. Only then did she realize it was time to go. She sat in the outer room while Lin Xuan and the secretary were inside. Before leaving, Shen Yuchu glanced in and saw the secretary writing, then stamping the document with the village committee's seal.
Shen Yuchu realized that Lin Xuan had no intention of continuing his life with the original owner. Now that they could go their separate ways, what a wonderful thing it was!
On the way back, she ignored Auntie Wang's polite insistence that they stay and left with Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan’s home wasn't exactly in the village proper but rather at the edge of town, so Shen Chunfen could go to the market every day. It wasn't remote.
Shen Yuchu assumed Lin Xuan had gotten the secretary to sign and seal her [divorce application]. She proposed to him, "Let’s not eat at home tonight. Let’s go to a small restaurant on the street. I’ll treat you."
Lin Xuan frowned. "..."
"Consider it a farewell meal, since we’ve known each other for a while!"