Chapter 6: 6.第6章 我们离婚吧

Chapter 6: Let's Get a Divorce

Before Jiang Xia could speak, Zhou Chenglei preempted her: "Sister-in-law, I'll make breakfast tomorrow. Jiang Xia hasn't broken her fever yet, and the doctor said she shouldn't overexert herself. Please help me and Mom with the housework for the next few days."

Tian Caihua's face instantly soured.

She walked straight out, muttering "under her breath" as she went: "Every single one of them is born with the life of a pampered lady, and I'm the only one born to be a maid. Not everyone is delicate and precious; some of us are thick-skinned and tough, working from dawn till dusk without getting sick!"

Tian Caihua went to the kitchen to pour hot water for her youngest son to bathe, slamming pots and pans with loud "bangs" and "clangs."

"I'll get up to make breakfast tomorrow morning!" Jiang Xia said.

Taking turns was fair; she had no objection and wasn't used to living off others for free. These people weren't her kin, so she felt no obligation to take care of them.

Zhou Chenglei gave her a surprised look before returning his attention to picking crab meat. "No need, I'll get up and do it. Sister-in-law is just sharp-tongued; don't take it to heart."

She felt dizzy even after walking just a few steps today; how could she get up to work?

Furthermore, even if she weren't dizzy, she was intent on getting a divorce and might even head back to her parental home tomorrow. Why bother making her get up to cook breakfast for the whole family?

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou were cooling off in the courtyard. Hearing the sounds of Tian Caihua slamming things, Father Zhou frowned. "Ask Chenglei later if he's really going to divorce her. If they're divorcing, get it over with quickly."

Father Zhou had also had enough of this household's constant unrest.

Mother Zhou thought about how Jiang Xia seemed to have changed. "Maybe we should wait and see. Didn't you notice while eating that Jiang Xia seems different? They've only been married for a few days; wouldn't a divorce so soon make them a laughingstock?"

"Forget it! Haven't you seen enough of them making a laughingstock of us already?" Father Zhou waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head in annoyance.

Change? A leopard can't change its spots; how could it be that easy?

Moreover, seeing how delicate and helpless his youngest daughter-in-law looked, as if she couldn't do a single thing, Father Zhou felt a divorce was definitely the right move. Staying married would only be suffering.

Everything had to be taken care of by her husband. She complained about this and that, yet her husband washed her clothes, and the only thing left was to feed her by hand. Was this marrying a wife or a princess?

She should have married into a wealthy family to be a young mistress.

The Zhou family's "temple" was too small to host a princess like her.

When marrying a wife in the countryside, one should look for someone sturdy, tall, strong, and capable of working.

*

After finishing peeling the crab, Zhou Chenglei went to the kitchen, scooped two buckets of hot water from the large iron pot, adjusted the temperature, and carried it into the bathing room.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Zhou had just finished eating. She told Zhou Zhou to go play with his brother while she cleared the table.

Zhou Chenglei walked in and took the dishes from her hands. "I'll clean up. I've brought the hot water in; go take your bath first. The others need to wash later, so try to be quick."

With so many people in the Zhou family, everyone had to queue for a bath. Father Zhou and the eldest brother had to go out to sea tomorrow, and the nephews needed to sleep early for school. Every time Jiang Xia bathed, she would stay in for over an hour, and if she was told to wait for others to finish first, she would throw a tantrum.

The whole family was afraid of her.

Hearing this, Jiang Xia said nothing more. Since the bathwater was already prepared for her, how could she be so shameless as to refuse?

She went straight to her room to find clothes for her bath.

There was no running water and no heater. Jiang Xia found it inconvenient and a bit unfamiliar, but she was highly adaptable and simply undressed to wash.

Zhou Chenglei added more water to the large iron pot to keep it heating so his parents and niece would have hot water later, then he washed the dishes.

Tian Caihua came out after dressing her youngest son and saw Zhou Chenglei washing dishes; she pursed her lips.

Only her brother-in-law had a good temper, indulging that woman of his so much.

Jiang Xia had even cuckolded him, yet he was still this good to her.

If she were the brother-in-law, she would have slapped her long ago. Would she be kind to her? Not chasing her out with a broom was mercy enough.

She asked, "Brother-in-law, you haven't forgotten what you said this afternoon, have you?"

He had said he would give everyone an explanation.

Zhou Chenglei instinctively glanced toward the bathing room and replied, "I haven't forgotten."

Tian Caihua was satisfied, but added a warning: "Remember to get the bride price back when you divorce. Don't be foolish; you haven't even touched it yet, so don't suffer a loss! Sister-in-law is doing this for your own good. If you get those two thousand yuan back, you can marry someone better. Jiang Xia isn't worth your kindness! And the medical expenses—get back everything that should be returned."

When she had married into the family, the brother-in-law was just a boy; she spoke this way because she cared for him like a son.

Zhou Chenglei remained silent. He didn't agree with his sister-in-law's words, so he simply said nothing.

Seeing his silence, Tian Caihua thought he was being ungrateful, so she went out to find her sons to come home, bathe, and sleep.

Those brats had disappeared somewhere after dinner!

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou walked in and saw their son washing dishes.

Father Zhou felt displeased, which only strengthened his resolve.

Mother Zhou felt displeased and helpless, but seeing that her son was almost finished, she didn't step in to help. She sighed, "Ah-Lei, come to my room in a moment; I have something to say to you."

Zhou Chenglei gave a brief response, "Okay."

After putting the clean dishes in the kitchen cupboard, Zhou Chenglei went to his parents' room.

He had to give his family an explanation tonight.

I

When Jiang Xia finished her bath and came out, the courtyard was empty.

She couldn't find where the laundry powder or soap was kept, nor did she know what was used for washing clothes in this era. She planned to ask later, so she carried her clothes and the enamel basin back to her room and placed them in a corner.

This was an enamel basin she had seen in her room; it was new and likely purchased for the wedding. She only dared to bring it in and set it aside.

Coming out of his parents' room, Zhou Chenglei saw the door to the bathing room open and knew Jiang Xia had finished and returned to her room.

He walked to her door and knocked gently.

This was originally his room, but since the marriage, he had been sleeping on a floor mat in his nephew's room. He was only entering now because he had something to say to Jiang Xia.

Inside the room, Jiang Xia was sitting at the dressing table, wiping her hair to help it dry faster. Without a hairdryer, she had to rely on air-drying.

Looking at her face in the mirror, she realized the original owner's appearance was identical to her own in the modern era. This made her quite satisfied, as she was naturally a great beauty!

Even more surprising was that her current skin was even better—supple, delicate, with almost invisible pores and no flaws.

In her past life, she had stayed up late often; although her skin was fair, it wasn't as good as it was now. Her pores were somewhat enlarged. Ultimately, this body was young, only twenty years old; the skin was tender, the pores invisible, and she glowed with fairness.

Her figure wasn't as voluptuous as in her previous life, but it was high and firm. Jiang Xia measured herself with her hands; in her past life, she was a C-cup, but now she was only a B. However, a B was enough; being too large made running uncomfortable and made her look fat in tight clothing.

A sudden knock sounded. She quickly lowered her hands and replied, "The door isn't locked."

Only then did Zhou Chenglei push the door open and walk in.

Zhou Chenglei looked at the woman sitting before the dressing mirror. Under the dim, yellowish light, her skin was so fair it seemed to glow, more dazzling than the lightbulb above her head.

He took one look and then withdrew his gaze, saying directly, "Let's get a divorce!"