As it was almost noon, Meng Yao thought it was a good time to call her mother for lunch and chat.
She arrived outside her mother's room and raised her hand to knock, but then lowered it. After running through in her mind how to talk to her mother, she was about to knock again when she heard voices from inside. Her mother was on the phone with someone.
As Meng Yao was about to knock again, she faintly heard her mother say, "Have you found out where Song Jiaping went abroad? He..."
Hearing the name Song Jiaping, she couldn't help but gently place her hand on the door, her ear almost pressed against it, trying to hear more clearly.
Meng Yao then heard her mother say, "In such a chaotic place, are you sure he won't come back..."
She wanted to hear more clearly, but from outside the door, she felt her mother's voice getting softer and softer, and after a while, it stopped.
Meng Yao found it strange who her mother was talking to and why she mentioned Song Jiaping.
When did her mother start caring about Song Jiaping's whereabouts? This baffled her. As she stood at the door in a daze, the door to her mother's room suddenly opened from the inside, startling them both.
"Mom."
"What are you doing standing at the door? You didn't make a sound. You almost gave me a heart attack," Wu Xiufang chided her, clutching her chest.
Meng Yao pretended not to hear her phone call and said, "I came to talk to you about something. I was just about to knock when you suddenly opened the door."
Wu Xiufang invited her into the room to sit and asked, "Why aren't you resting in your own room? What do you need to talk to me about?"
"Mom, why won't you let me divorce Jiaxi?" Meng Yao felt an unspeakable resentment and distress. "I can't go on with Jiaxi anymore. I must divorce him!"
Wu Xiufang sat beside her and said, "I know you've been wronged. Jiaxi is a child we watched grow up. How could he have become like this? It's indeed infuriating and hateful. Do you really not plan to give him another chance? It's just that if you divorce again, it won't be as easy to find a suitable match in the future."
"I don't want to find anyone anymore. I won't trust any man. I just want to live my own life well and let all men go to hell." Meng Yao felt she had truly developed a shadow and had come to terms with many things, realizing that no man in this world was reliable.
Wu Xiufang disagreed with her thinking. "How can a woman not get married? You're young now, and it's not a big deal. But when you get older and are alone, what will you do?"
Meng Yao stated resolutely, "I'll live in a nursing home."
"Without children, living alone in even the best nursing home will be lonely," Wu Xiufang said. "You're still young, you don't understand. When you reach my age, you'll regret it."
Meng Yao took a step back and said, "Even if, as you say, I have to have a family and children in the future, I won't be with Jiaxi anymore. He's no longer the Jiaxi he used to be. The current him is terrifying."
Wu Xiufang had also heard from Meng Qi about how Jiaxi had played tricks on Meng Yao. She said, "I've spoken with Jiaxi's mother. I've told them to deal with that woman outside first. I have to help you vent your anger. Also, if you insist on divorcing, you can't be too hasty. Before you formally go through the divorce procedures, Jiaxi and the Hong family must pay a price, otherwise, it'll be too easy for them."
"Mom! The Hong family, Jiaxi's grandfather and parents have treated me well. I just want to divorce him as soon as possible and not involve anyone else. I don't want to take revenge on anyone, and I don't need you to vent my anger for me. I just want to be completely free from Jiaxi."
"You child, you think about things too simply in everything you do. It was like this when you got married, and it's like this now when you want to divorce. You really don't make anyone worry," Wu Xiufang thought her youngest daughter was just a silly girl.
Meng Yao expressed her concern, "If I don't divorce him quickly, I'm afraid he'll come back to pester me. He's capable of anything now..."
"He dares! If he dares to do anything else that wrongs you, your father and I will not let him off," Wu Xiufang declared with the authority of an elder. "Let me handle this with the Hong family. You don't need to worry about it. Just focus on recuperating."
"Mom..."
"Don't sit here with me. Go back to your room and rest," Wu Xiufang interrupted her. "Walking around everywhere, you might catch a cold in your postpartum confinement, which is bad for your health."
Saying this, she pulled Meng Yao and personally escorted her back to her room, only feeling relieved when she saw her lying in bed.
Meng Yao lay in bed, unable to sleep. Knowing her mother had left, she opened her eyes.
She had wanted to ask her mother why she mentioned Song Jiaping, but she still didn't ask.
Now, whether Song Jiaping was doing well or poorly had nothing to do with her. The urgent matter was to divorce Jiaxi. She didn't want to be deceived and toyed with by him anymore.
The thought of what Jiaxi had done before made her feel disgusted and repulsed. She couldn't tolerate it for another moment.
Meng Yao felt she couldn't get through to her mother on this matter. When her father returned in the evening, she would find an opportunity to talk to him and have him persuade her mother.
After comforting Meng Yao, Wu Xiufang went to the kitchen to personally make soup for her. However, the thought that Song Jiaping was Zhu Qin's son, and that he was now abroad in the most chaotic war-torn region, still made her uneasy.
Moreover, she was certain that Song Jiaping abroad must still be in contact with Qin Tianyi. The only fortunate thing was that Song Jiaping had not succeeded in using Meng Yao to retaliate against them. Fortunately, she and Si Song had disliked Song Jiaping for having no background, otherwise, Song Jiaping might have succeeded by now.
Wu Xiufang felt a lingering fear and was determined not to let Meng Yao have any further connection with Song Jiaping.
...
A few days later, Jiaxi and the old master went to meet Huangfu Sisong and his wife.
They didn't give Jiaxi a good look, but they were very polite to Hong family's old master, giving him some face.
Wu Xiufang learned that the Hong family had intervened and made Jiaxi break ties with the woman outside. She said with a calm expression, "We've already asked Meng Yao. Even if you stop seeing that woman, she still wants a divorce from you and won't forgive you."
Jiaxi wanted to kneel before them, but Huangfu Sisong pulled him up and said, "Don't try that. Let my wife finish speaking."
"Sisong, Xiufang, we watched these two children grow up together. Jiaxi was just momentarily confused and made an unforgivable mistake. Please try to persuade Meng Yao again. It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage. As elders, we all hope they can be happy." Hong's old master spoke in Jiaxi's defense.
If it weren't for Hong's old master, Huangfu Sisong would have wanted to beat Jiaxi directly. His face was cold, and he didn't respond.
Wu Xiufang smiled and said, "Old master, Meng Yao has always said that you treated her very well, like your own granddaughter. We also know that this matter has nothing to do with the rest of your Hong family. It's all Jiaxi's fault. Therefore, when Meng Yao divorces him, she only intends to divide his property equally and will not involve any of you."