The heavenly way cycles, who can escape its judgment! In this world, there are no absolute villains. Right now, in Wu Dayong's mind, Mu Huannian is the perfect villain. If it weren't for the Wu family's repeated pressure, Mu Huannian would never have allowed them to reach such a conclusion. Who's to blame? Blame his own greed!
Their phone conversation was unproductive and ended unhappily. (He underestimated Mu Huannian, who, as a wife and mother, had to don armor for her children.) When two people cannot reach an agreement, it usually means neither side will compromise, nor is there any need to. At such times, one party typically brings in a third person to mediate. The mediator's task is to resolve the conflict between the two.
Indeed, this person appeared. The mother-in-law, Li Xiulan, showed up at Mu Huannian's house without notifying anyone. Mu Huannian brought Wu Yizhu home. As they pushed open the door, a familiar scent of poverty wafted in from the balcony with the breeze. Just as expected, forgetting to change the lock had caused unnecessary trouble.
Her mother-in-law was on the balcony, smiling and tending to her chicks. Yes, you read that correctly, freshly hatched, fluffy chicks. Over a dozen bright yellow, downy little balls, like crawling monsters, chirped and scurried around the balcony. As expected, her mother-in-law knew Mu Huannian disliked these little monsters. Yet, as expected, her mother-in-law had brought them.
The relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has always been an inexplicable, magical one. In the past, Mu Huannian felt she had to maintain her decorum and tolerate her mother-in-law's actions. Now, there was no need.
"Why are you here? You know we're getting a divorce. What are you doing here?" Mu Huannian wanted to get rid of the old lady quickly.
Li Xiulan greeted her with a smile. "Oh, what are you saying? I missed my grandson, so I came to see Yizhu. Yizhu, come quickly, look! Grandma brought you the chicks you love to play with, so cute!"
Ah, this was truly a grand gesture. This was the first time Li Xiulan had spent money on her son.
Mu Huannian: "Didn't you say you'd give me 2,000 for travel expenses so the three of us could leave?"
Li Xiulan: "Is that so? Mom thought about it, and I still don't approve of your divorce. It's not good for either of you, the losses are too great. In the end, you didn't gain anything, and neither did my son."
Mu Huannian: "You were the ones who initiated the divorce. It's impossible not to divorce now. It's not that I don't gain anything; it's that if you divorce, your son walks away with nothing, understand? You can enter this house now, but after that, you won't be able to."
Li Xiulan: "Huannian, I know you've always been a sensible child. Why bother? For the sake of the children, you two shouldn't get divorced. Give the children a nominal complete family. At most, you can live separately. He can live with his girlfriend, and you can live with the children. Just don't bother each other and live peacefully, isn't that good?"
Mu Huannian: "Heh, does your whole family think I'm stupid? Such a great suggestion, why would I agree? Your son gets all the benefits, and I still have to take care of the children, live like a widow, and can't remarry. You're a woman too, how could you come up with such a brilliant scheme?"
Li Xiulan: "I always thought you were a sensible child, but now it seems I misjudged you."
Mu Huannian: "You should leave quickly. You're not welcome here."
Li Xiulan's eyes seemed filled with poison as she said, "You still haven't gotten your divorce certificate. Even if you divorce, it won't change the fact that I am the children's grandmother. It's my right to see my grandson. I'm here, and I'm not leaving."
Mu Huannian: "Is this necessary?"
Mu Huannian saw a flash of ruthlessness in Li Xiulan's eyes and felt an inexplicable chill. She had a feeling something was about to happen. If she put herself in Li Xiulan's shoes, after the divorce, Wu Dayong would have nothing. Li Xiulan's son, whom she viewed as superior, would suddenly fall from grace. This was something Li Xiulan would not want to see.
Li Xiulan stood up and walked over to Wu Yizhu. "Yizhu, come, come, watch the chicks with Grandma. You loved watching them when you were little."
She took Wu Yizhu's hand, then turned her head to glance at Mu Huannian, her eyes filled with a murderous aura.
Wu Yizhu wasn't very familiar with his grandmother, but he was interested in the fluffy chicks. He followed his grandmother to the balcony to feed the chicks and pour water for them.
Mu Huannian knew that her mother-in-law, Li Xiulan, had not come for a simple reconciliation. Thinking of the look her mother-in-law had just given her, Mu Huannian's heart pounded uneasily; she felt completely insecure.
She picked up her phone and called Counselor Chen. "Um, my mother-in-law is here causing trouble and refuses to leave. What should I do?"
Counselor Chen: "When you go crazy, who can control you? What are you afraid of?"
Mu Huannian: "It's not fear, it's worry for my children! In this situation, why has my mother-in-law come? What is she after? Analyze it for me."
Counselor Chen: "Let me analyze a classic case for you: the case of the PhD wife who was beheaded by her mother-in-law. This case is very famous, and the outcome is sigh-inducing! The mother-in-law murdered the daughter-in-law, a gruesome death. The mother-in-law went to prison for murder, and the husband inherited all of his wife's property. Later, the husband married a younger woman and lived in the house his wife's parents had bought for her with a full payment."
Mu Huannian: "Damn, is the world really this sinister?"
Counselor Chen: "As lawyers, we see a lot. This is just one case. There's also the case where the wife's father killed the husband's entire family of three, and then the wife wrote a letter of understanding to her father, forgiving him. The husband's family's property all went to the wife."
Mu Huannian: "Are you living in a different world than I am? This is too evil."
Counselor Chen: "Well, as a lawyer, all I can give you are suggestions. As for how you proceed, you'll have to decide for yourself."
Mu Huannian: "Okay, I understand." After hanging up the phone, she thought about her mother-in-law's resentful gaze and shuddered. Getting a divorce, why did it have to be so brutal? If it can't work out, don't continue, there's no need to risk your life!
What Mu Huannian needed to do now was find some personal security. She needed to find a bodyguard or something. Otherwise, with her small frame, being cut up was a minor issue; her two children would suffer.
She flipped through her contacts and thought of someone, Mu Huarong, her distant cousin. So distant she was barely related. She was said to be trained in martial arts. One person could fend off three attackers. Such skills would be enough to protect her. She should be about 25 this year. After graduating from junior high, she entered a martial arts school. After three years, she went to the Emei School. She wondered how she was doing now.