Chapter 102: So This Is What You Were Waiting For

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: So This Is What You Were Waiting For

"Money? So there *is* money at home after all. I knew it. I work myself to the bone every month and earn a decent amount. The groceries you buy are always cheap, and we don’t have any family debt anymore. How could there not be any money left over?"

Having been prepared for this, Zhang Minzhen’s expression hardened. She glared at Gu Lihui and said angrily, "When you lied to me before and said there wasn’t a single cent, I didn’t believe you for a second. It’s good that you’ve decided to confess. Go on, tell me, how much money have you been hiding from me?"

’Hmph, and here I thought he wasn’t going to bring it up. So this is what he was waiting for.’

"What money?"

Gu Lihui saw that Zhang Minzhen didn’t seem to be faking her anger. He immediately felt his confidence waver and didn’t dare to keep arguing about his own missing private stash, so he quickly changed his tune.

But after changing his tune, he was still reluctant to give up. He figured Zhang Minzhen was easy to fool, and it was worth a shot to see if he could squeeze a little more out of her.

So, he continued with a tone of brazen self-righteousness, "I’m talking about the 500 yuan my dad gave you today. That counts as joint property, right? And the house in Lihua Village. How about we split them? You take the house, I’ll take the money."

’How could I have been so blind before? How could I not see what a cowardly and despicable man he is?’

Zhang Minzhen felt nothing but utter contempt for Gu Lihui. She must have been blind for over a decade to have poured her heart and soul into a man like him. She couldn’t help but sneer, "You still dare to covet those things? Shamelessness truly knows no bounds."

She took a deep breath. "I think you know perfectly well why your dad gave me the house and the money. In any case, they both belong to Nuannuan and me. You won’t get a single bit of it.

"It’s up to you. If you really want to keep arguing over this stuff and refuse to part on good terms, then I have nothing more to say. We can just go back home like this. It makes no difference to me."

She continued, "Originally, I was trying to spare Nuannuan’s feelings, thinking that if anything happened to you, it would bring shame on her, too. But now it seems you’re not afraid of being shamed at all.

"Since that’s the case, we might as well just drag this out for a few more years before we divorce. It’s all the same to me. I’ll just take her to the city and ask my older brother’s classmate for help.

"My older brother mentioned the other day that one of his classmates is running a business in the city and needs an extra hand. Once Nuannuan and I are in the city, who’s going to know about our family’s affairs? Don’t you think?"

Zhang Minzhen’s words sent a jolt of panic through Gu Lihui, and his attitude immediately shifted again. "Fine, if you can’t bear to part with those things, I won’t ask for them, okay? Is it really necessary to threaten me like this? What man would ever like a woman who’s become so aggressive?"

"Aggressive? Heh, with someone like you, I think I’m being far too polite. We’re about to separate. You really don’t need to worry about my affairs from now on.

"I happen to think I’m just fine the way I am now. I used to be too good-natured with you, and what did it get me? You still went and fathered two bastards during our marriage, what a disgusting thing to do.

"A person like you, with no basic morals, has the nerve to stand here and lecture me? If I were you, I’d die of shame."

At Zhang Minzhen’s words, the female staff member present turned to look at Gu Lihui, her gaze instantly filled with contempt and disgust.

Humiliated and enraged, Gu Lihui instinctively wanted to curse at her. He opened his mouth, but ultimately, no words came out. He could only resentfully sign his full name on the divorce agreement.

Holding his copy of the divorce certificate, Gu Lihui stormed out of the registry hall. He snorted, "A woman like you? We’ll see if any man ever wants you now." Without waiting for a reaction from the Zhang family, he turned and stalked away in a huff.

"I won’t need you to worry about that. In fact, let me be the first to congratulate you on finding a woman who loves to cheat. I wish you a happy new marriage, and I hope you enjoy wearing the green hat."

Zhang Minzhen shot back, not to be outdone. Her words immediately drew curious and judgmental glances from the people around them.

’It’s only been a few days. When did this woman become so sharp-tongued and unreasonable?’

Gu Lihui stumbled, suddenly feeling awful. He was overwhelmed with a sense of shame, as if he couldn’t face anyone. He tugged his straw hat down over his head and quickened his pace.

"Pah! What a piece of trash."

Wen Xiu also spat in the direction Gu Lihui had gone. Then she patted Zhang Minzhen and said with a chiding laugh, "Look at you, so sharp-tongued now. So why were you as quiet as a mouse before?"

While the paperwork was being processed, she and Zhang Dazhuang had been waiting in the back, so they didn’t know about the little spat that had just occurred.

Zhang Minzhen recounted the incident to them, then said softly, "They say, ’As Heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a noble person strive ceaselessly for self-improvement.’ I may be a woman, but from now on, I have to achieve something that will make people see me in a new light. Otherwise, not only will I be unable to hold my head high, but you and Dad will be laughed at by the entire village, won’t you?"

She had actually overheard her parents’ hushed whispers on the way here that morning. But so what if she had? She knew that if she had confronted them, it would have only made everyone uncomfortable, so she had deliberately kept her distance and pretended not to have heard anything.

It wasn’t just that. Even though she left early and returned late, she couldn’t have missed the strange looks from the villagers these past few days. She knew the divorce wasn’t her fault, but she still felt that she had brought shame upon her parents, causing them to lose face.

She thought it over and over. The only way to break this stalemate was to stand on her own two feet. Only by achieving something, by standing tall and proud, could she possibly change how people saw her and her parents...

"...You heard all that?" Wen Xiu was silent for a long time before she managed to squeeze out the words, her voice dry. "It’s just like your father said. It doesn’t matter what other people say. The important thing is that you can live well from now on."

Zhang Minzhen lowered her head and didn’t argue, but she thought to herself: ’That’s not wrong. But the reality of living in this world is that you only earn the right to say ’it doesn’t matter what other people say’ when you’ve truly accomplished something, when others mention your name with pride. Only then do you truly have the right to say that what others say doesn’t matter.’

Zhang Dazhuang remained quiet this time. After a long moment, he finally spoke up, changing the subject. "It’s not often we get to come to the city, and it’s still early. Why don’t we go look for a bicycle shop and see where we can find one?

"This city is even bigger than I imagined. It’s a good thing we all came together today. Otherwise, if Minzhen and Nuannuan had really come by themselves on Sunday, they probably would have been completely lost."

"Isn’t that the truth? It’s a good thing they didn’t just come on their own. I thought the city would be about the same as the town, maybe just a little bit bigger. But that bus ride we took earlier was so long! It really opened my eyes. Goodness, if the city is this big, the provincial capital must be even bigger, right?" Wen Xiu chimed in, looking relieved.