The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 463 - 462: Let’s Get Divorced

"I’m thinking of not letting your uncle go to Hong City anymore, how about he comes back and works with you? What do you think?"

"Your uncle has spent many years in Hong City, gained a lot of knowledge and experience, can drive, and speaks both Cantonese and English. While he still has the energy to work, he could start a business with you. In a decade or so when he retires, we can take care of his retirement. It’s much better than him living alone in Hong City."

Pei Yang didn’t respond, apparently considering her suggestion.

The next day, Shen Mingzhu went to work at the factory. With the Spring Festival holiday approaching, she needed to distribute the workers’ salaries and year-end bonuses.

Pei Yang took the two children to accompany Pei Ke back to their ancestral home in the countryside to pay respects to their ancestors.

On the way, Pei Yang shared some of his thoughts and plans with Pei Ke, taking the opportunity to invite him to join.

"Uncle, this is the golden age of domestic economic development. The government is greatly encouraging individual entrepreneurship and the policies have become much more relaxed than before. It’s really worth a try."

Pei Ke was quite tempted.

Leaves return to their roots; he was already fifty, and he couldn’t spend his life dying alone in Hong City.

This time back, he personally witnessed the changes in the country.

Clean and spacious streets, various kinds of cars, towering skyscrapers, and fashionably dressed women—all were signs that the nation was moving towards prosperity.

Going home.

The allure of these two words alone was greater than anything else.

Imagining living with his family, surrounded by children in the future, Pei Ke felt a burning passion in his chest as if it were on fire, and his blood began to boil.

...

Firecrackers bid farewell to the old year; fireworks bloom to welcome the new spring.

Another New Year’s Eve arrived.

After dinner, before the sky had completely darkened, Chen Xiaolu and Chen Xiaochao, the siblings, were eager to go out and set off fireworks.

Pei Wenping had wanted Chen Yi to take the kids out while she helped clean up the dishes at home, but Chen Yi suggested she join the children outside and he would take care of it.

Seeing that he was keen to show filial piety, Pei Wenping didn’t insist and put on her coat to take the kids out.

When they reached the bottom of the building, she realized she had forgotten the matches.

Pei Wenping asked the kids to go ahead and find a spot while she went back upstairs to get the matches.

At the front door, she noticed she had not closed it properly when they left. Just as she was about to push the door open, she heard Chen’s mother speaking in the living room—

"... If you really can’t get along, just get a divorce. What’s the point of forcing yourselves to stay together? The future is still long. Do you plan to never come back for the rest of your life?"

"Your father and I are both sixty now, how many more years can we live? You should think about us too..."

"These past two years, your father and I have been accommodating her in everything. We took care of the house and the kids without her needing to worry about anything. What more does she want?"

"Go and ask around, which daughter-in-law lives as freely and comfortably as her? When you two just got married, she was quite sensible. Now she really doesn’t know when to stop..."

The sound of a door opening came from upstairs. Pei Wenping turned and hurriedly went back downstairs.

Once downstairs, she found herself unable to take another step. It felt like there was a hole in her chest, with the cold wind streaming in relentlessly.

Pei Wenping stood there for what seemed like an eternity until her daughter Chen Chaolu found her—

"Mom, did you get the matches?"

Pei Wenping came back to her senses and casually said, "We’ve run out at home. I’ll go buy some."

"It’s New Year’s Eve, where will you find matches to buy?"

"If we don’t have matches, then we won’t set them off!"

Although Pei Wenping was hot-tempered, she had never yelled at her children before.

Chen Xiaolu was startled and confused, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

The light refracted by the tears stung Pei Wenping’s eyes, and she stepped forward to embrace her daughter, who had grown tall enough to reach her shoulder.

"I’m sorry, mom shouldn’t have lost her temper."

"Mom, what’s wrong? Are you crying?"

Pei Wenping struggled to hold back her tears, "No, I just got some sand in my eyes."

"Which eye, let me blow on it for you."

"It’s not necessary, let’s go buy some matches."

"Oh."

Upstairs.

After Mrs. Chen finished speaking, Chen Yi finally said, "Mom, I’m not going to get divorced. Please stop talking about this from now on. It was all my fault. If it hadn’t been for my foolish mistake, her health wouldn’t have suffered either."

"You did do something wrong, but it’s been two years, and she’s fine now. Do you really need to spend a lifetime atoning for your sins?"

"I’m not staying married because of atonement or guilt, but because I still love her."

Mr. Chen said, "Love my ass, if you had her in your heart, would you have been in another woman’s bed?"

Chen Yi was at a loss for words.

He had indeed taken the wrong path, but whether in the past, present, or future, she was the only woman he wanted to grow old with.

In his eyes, her coldness and harsh words were nothing compared to the possibility of losing her.

...

After the Spring Festival was over, Chen Yi began packing his luggage, preparing to return to Shanghai City for work.

Pei Wenping sat on the bed watching him pack.

In the past, it was always her who did these things.

Each time Chen Yi was about to go on a business trip, she would inquire about the weather and temperature there in advance and prepare suitable clothes for him, from the coat down to the thickness of the socks.

Compared to the past, she indeed wasn’t as gentle, sensible, or considerate now.

"Chen Yi."

"Hm?"

Chen Yi looked at her, his eyes deep and tender under the light.

"What’s wrong?"

"Let’s get divorced."

Chen Yi was silent for a few seconds, then lowered his head to continue packing his clothes.

The air became very quiet, so quiet it felt suffocating.

"Didn’t we agree already?"

"Yeah, I’ve changed my mind."

Chen Yi looked up at her.

Pei Wenping looked down, "I’ve thought it over. At our age, we can be considered young, but also not so young anymore. Let’s let each other go, and hope for peace in the future."

"Take Xiaolu and Xiao Bei with you to Shanghai City. You’re right, it’s better in every way compared to Fengcheng. It would be better for them to study and grow up there, they could have better opportunities in the future."

"If you can’t take care of them, you could also bring mom and dad over."

Chen Yi asked, "What about you?"

"Once you all leave, I’ll move back to the staff housing. My brother said if I get divorced, he’ll give me that house."

Chen Yi could no longer continue packing his luggage.

He walked over to the bed, sat down, and asked Pei Wenping, "Did my mom say something to you?" freewebnoveℓ.com

Pei Wenping shook her head, "Your parents have been very kind to me. It’s just that I can’t continue to live with you."

"I don’t agree."

"Then I’ll file a lawsuit."

Like finding an outlet for repressed emotions, Pei Wenping said angrily, "Every time I see you, I remember your betrayal. I can never forgive you. I don’t want to live with this hatred anymore. I want to move on, to let myself go, and let you go."

Moisture appeared in Chen Yi’s eyes, "Does it have to be this way? Wenping, from the time we met until we got married, it’s been a whole fifteen years. You’ve occupied half of my life."

"Fifteen years doesn’t mean anything. You can find other women to accompany you for the next, and the one after next, fifteen years."

"You can reject me, but are you going to give up on Xiaolu and Xiaochao as well?"

"I am not giving them up. Education in Shanghai City is indeed better. I will visit them often."

Chen Yi turned his face away, his voice choked, "Is there really no chance for me to make amends? Even a murderer has the opportunity to reform. Don’t I have one?"