Chapter 4: Then let us divorce

“Good heavens! So you were waiting for me here!”

Just as Li Shiyue was still debating what to do, a familiar, anxious cry of “Sister-in-law!” drifted from the outer crowd.

This cry of “Sister-in-law” caused Li Mother, who had been in a standoff with Li Father, to turn her head. A path automatically cleared through the crowd; Li Grandmother and Li Wangming, who had been standing at the back of the onlookers for a while, walked forward briskly.

Upon reaching them, Li Wangming glanced at his eldest brother before turning to Li Mother, who had raised him since childhood. He asked with concern, “Sister-in-law, are you alright?”

Li Mother, who had been standing as straight and unyielding as a soldier, felt the tension she had been holding inside begin to release upon hearing his question. The tears that had been pooling in her eyes finally broke free like a snapped thread, streaming down her face uncontrollably.

Li Shiyue pulled Shitou forward and reached out to half-embrace Li Mother, offering her support.

“Grandmother, Second Uncle, Father, he—”

Li Grandmother, leaning on a wooden stick as a cane, raised her hand to stop the words Li Shiyue was about to utter.

“Shiyue, your grandmother and I have been here for a while. We were just standing outside.”

Li Shiyue’s eyes widened; she hadn't expected that.

Before Li Shiyue could speak again, Li Grandmother stepped forward with her cane, stopping just one pace away from Li Father.

Before Li Father could even get the word “Mother” out, Li Grandmother swung her arm in a wide arc, and a sharp *slap* landed squarely on his face.

This sudden blow caught everyone off guard—not just the villagers of Li Family Village watching, but even Li Father himself.

“Mother, you hit me?”

Facing Li Father’s question, which was filled with both shock and grievance, Li Grandmother merely glanced at Qin Tao, who was still kneeling on the ground. She turned back to glare at Li Father and said, word by word, “The Li family has no custom of taking concubines!

You are my eldest son. When your father was still alive, you were already grown. You know well the years your father and I suffered under the mistreatment of a minor wife.

Since you are capable of doing such a thing today, how can I, your mother, not give you a slap?”

It turned out that Li Grandfather’s father had taken a mistress while his legal wife was gravely ill, even bringing her into the house openly.

Under such stress, the already ailing wife passed away immediately.

Li Grandfather had been forced to watch his father marry this mistress and provide him with a stepmother only a month after his original wife died.

Fortunately, because this stepmother never bore any biological children of her own, Li Grandfather managed to survive through many hardships. Though life was difficult, he eventually married Li Grandmother with the help of the clansmen when he reached age.

However, less than six months after Li Grandmother married into the family, Li Grandfather’s father fell ill and died, leaving the stepmother behind.

Taking advantage of her status as an elder, this stepmother frequently mistreated both Li Grandfather and Li Grandmother. Not only did she seize all the money they worked hard to earn, but in the dead of winter, Li Grandmother was forced to wash clothes in the frozen river for her, causing her to fall ill at a young age.

When Li Father was a bit older, the stepmother choked to death while secretly eating eggs alone at home.

Only then were Li Grandfather and Li Grandmother finally able to live their own lives.

Consequently, Li Grandfather and Li Grandmother harbored a deep hatred for women who acted as mistresses.

But now, on this journey of fleeing the famine, Li Father had actually gotten involved with Qin Tao. How could Li Grandmother not be furious?

Seeing Li Grandmother’s stance, Qin Tao, who was still kneeling, sensed trouble. She began to crawl toward Li Father on her knees.

“Ah! There is no way to live!

Let me die along with the child in my womb!”

After shouting these lines, Qin Tao began to rise from the ground at a snail's pace, then stumbled toward the giant rock behind Li Father.

The result was predictable: moving so slowly, Qin Tao was caught by Li Father, who pulled her into his arms and began to ask after her with anxious concern.

If it weren't for her bias, Li Shiyue would have applauded Qin Tao’s performance; it was truly better than any actress in the TV dramas she had seen before her transmigration.

Looking at the two of them, a surge of rage rushed to Li Grandmother’s head, making her chest ache from the fury.

But Li Father’s next move left everyone present speechless.

Half-holding the sobbing Qin Tao, he knelt before Li Grandmother with a "tragic" air of martyrdom.

“Mother, Tao-niang is carrying my flesh and blood!”

As he spoke, Li Father gently patted Qin Tao’s shoulder, then suddenly snapped his head up to look at the simple-minded Shitou beside Li Shiyue. Shitou’s reactions were slow, and he was still dazed, still feeling aggrieved by Li Father’s earlier angry shouting.

Shitou didn't quite understand everything that had happened since Li Mother and Li Shiyue arrived.

Therefore, he had no idea why his father was suddenly glaring at him so angrily again.

However, his animal-like intuition remained; Shitou quickly ducked behind Li Shiyue, as if he could hide from Li Father that way.

But how could Shitou have known that even with his shoulders hunched, his six-foot stature would still make him half a head taller than Li Shiyue? How could Li Shiyue’s small frame possibly hide a big guy like him?

Shitou’s actions only strengthened Li Father’s resolve. He looked back at Li Grandmother: “Mother, it’s not that Chun-niang is bad, but Shitou is simple-minded, and Shiyue is a girl. After all these years, Chun-niang hasn't conceived again. My line is about to be cut off!

I am the eldest son of our Li family; how can I let our family line end with me!

Mother, Tao-niang is pregnant with my child; I still have a chance to produce a healthy son!

Mother, please allow Tao-niang into the family!

Mother, I cannot be without a son!”

Watching Li Father’s performance, Li Shiyue felt that a modern saying was incredibly apt: *A person without shame is invincible!*

And wasn't it true?

Look at Li Father—he was clearly the one who had disregarded morality and decency to commit adultery with Qin Tao, driven only by his own desires. Yet here he was, twisting it into a matter of preventing the Li family line from dying out, which was his excuse for seeking opportunities to cheat on his wife even while fleeing the famine.

Li Shiyue thought that if she were in the modern world and could lower her moral standards, perhaps she wouldn't have so many troubles.

Just look at Li Father; a person without a bottom line truly can live quite comfortably.

Li Father’s behavior sent Li Grandmother’s blood pressure skyrocketing. Her eyes turned red with rage. Unable to contain herself, she stepped forward and began striking Li Father’s back with her cane.

“You unfilial son! You shameless, disgraceful boy! I might as well beat you to death!”

Although the wooden stick hitting Li Father’s back made a series of dull *thuds*, Li Shiyue, watching from behind, could see that Li Grandmother wasn't actually using her full strength.

One must realize that although Li Grandmother was not young, how much strength could a woman accustomed to years of farm work truly possess?

“Li Wangguang, then let us divorce!”

“Mother!”

“Sister-in-law!”

“Chun-niang!”

No one expected Li Mother to calmly utter those words at that exact moment.

Li Shiyue’s eyes widened in shock; Li Wangming’s mouth hung open in disbelief; and Li Father nearly fell prostrate. He turned around on his knees to look at Li Mother, his eyes filled with anger, confusion, and a trace of something that looked like regret.