The words were not just for Xia Wan Tang, but also for the people of the second branch.
As long as they valued Xia Wan Tang and the child in her womb, the second branch would not dare to cause any more trouble.
Indeed, the second branch became much more well-behaved afterwards.
Seeing how highly Xia Wan Tang was valued, Jiang Shi You was filled with envy.
Thinking of herself, she had never had a smooth day since marrying Ling Yu Hong.
Her expression was always unpleasant, and even Ling Yu Hong became an eyesore to her.
He lacked competence, could not maintain family harmony, and was even concerned about the child's matters. She didn't know what the point of her persistence was.
During dinner, Ling Han Fei cried incessantly, while his grandmother coaxed him and fed him.
Normally, Jiang Shi You would have found this intolerable, but now she couldn't be bothered to manage anything.
If she managed too much, the family would still be disharmonious, and it would be her fault. Her child hated her, and she felt like she was caught between a rock and a hard place.
This was not her son alone. What was the use of her managing him by herself? The only comfort was that her daughter was relatively considerate and sensible.
After the second branch finished their lunch and left, Old Madam Ling's stern gaze turned to Old Master Ling.
"You've done a fine job. Don't invite them for dinner again next time. It's just asking for trouble."
Old Master Ling rubbed his nose, his expression a little awkward.
Thinking of the unpleasantness from just now, he felt too embarrassed to speak of familial bonds.
Old Madam Ling snorted and said, "If it weren't for them being relatives, I would have kicked them out just now. What nonsense they were talking."
Saying this, she took Xia Wan Tang's hand and said warmly, "Don't overthink it. We dote on our daughter."
Xia Wan Tang smiled gently, her heart filled with warmth.
"Thank you, Grandma. I understand." How could she overthink things because of a few words from outsiders?
Life returned to its peaceful routine, with days of eating and sleeping, and sleeping and eating.
Then one day, Xia Wan Tang heard some gossip: Jiang Shi You and Ling Yu Hong had divorced, and she had only taken their elder daughter with her.
This news was both expected and unexpected by everyone.
After all, they had been married for so many years; the divorce seemed a bit sudden.
However, given the second branch's family situation, it was better to divorce than to continue a miserable marriage. Divorce was a release.
One clear morning, the weather was bright.
Xia Wan Tang, as usual, strolled to the front courtyard for breakfast.
As soon as she reached the front courtyard entrance, she heard a wail. The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Walking in, she saw it was indeed that second aunt.
Su Jin Hua was crying, tears and snot streaming down her face, looking truly pitiful.
Old Madam Ling sat beside her expressionlessly, while Zhu Yun Fei opposite her was cold and indifferent, clearly showing no sympathy.
Su Jin Hua continued to sob, her words intermittent. Xia Wan Tang only understood that it was related to her cousin-in-law, but she didn't know the specifics of what had happened.
Xia Wan Tang leaned on her waist and walked to the sofa, quietly sitting down. She was 24 weeks pregnant, exactly six months.
Her belly wasn't very large yet, but because of the cold weather and the multiple layers of clothing, she appeared particularly bulky.
Whether it was a psychological effect or something else, she subconsciously supported her waist when walking, as if it would make her feel more comfortable.
Seeing her arrive, Su Jin Hua's voice abruptly stopped. She wiped her tears and ceased her crying.
She still had some pride in front of her juniors.
Old Madam Ling's tense expression relaxed. She pulled Xia Wan Tang's hand and held it.
"My dear, your hands are a bit cold. Warm them up."
"Thank you, Grandma. I'll just warm them by the heater." Xia Wan Tang couldn't possibly let her cold hands warm Old Madam Ling, so she quickly stretched them towards the electric heater to warm them.
Zhu Yun Fei inquired, "Sweetie, what would you like for breakfast? I'll have Aunt Ou prepare it for you."
"Noodles, perhaps. Have you eaten?"
"Not yet, it's still early."
Zhu Yun Fei glanced at the time, which was around 7:30 in the morning.
"Yu Chen and your father went for a morning run. They should be back soon."
They chatted about family matters amongst themselves, completely ignoring Su Jin Hua, clearly not wanting to get involved in her family troubles.
Su Jin Hua gritted her teeth and forced a smile, saying, "Yun Fei, please take care of the matter I just mentioned. Let me know if you hear anything."
Zhu Yun Fei's smile considerably diminished. She nodded, "Yes, I will definitely let you know, but whether it works out is another matter."
"When you speak, it's already half success. We're family, after all. We don't speak as outsiders." Su Jin Hua said as she stood up to leave, "Then I'll be going. There are still a lot of things to attend to at home!"
Old Madam Ling did not wish to be polite with her and said directly, "Alright, then I won't keep you. Safe travels."
Su Jin Hua's expression turned a little awkward. She didn't linger and quickly departed.
As soon as she left, Zhu Yun Fei snorted angrily and said disdainfully, "Do I not know what she's scheming? Her son wants to marry my niece? Not a chance."
Xia Wan Tang was bewildered. She had never met Zhu Yun Fei's family, so she didn't know who her niece was.
She only knew that Zhu Yun Fei's maternal family lived quite far away.
Old Madam Ling consoled her, "Don't be angry. Just ignore her."
As she spoke, Zhu Yun Fei's eyes turned red. She sighed, "My niece is also ill-fated. She's only in her early twenties, and her husband died in a car accident, leaving behind a child less than a year old."
Even so, she would not let her niece marry Ling Yu Hong.
If nothing else, with a mother-in-law like Su Jin Hua, her own daughter would have no good days if she went to her.
"It's only been a little over a month since Yu Hong's divorce, not even a full month. Why is she in such a hurry to find someone? Truly thoughtless."
Old Madam Ling waved her hand, changing the subject, "Let's not talk about this anymore. It's other people's business."
Xia Wan Tang, being bored, asked, "Grandma, how did cousin-in-law and his wife divorce?"
She was curious due to boredom.
Old Madam Ling, thinking she was cooped up at home all day, decided to tell her.
In reality, it was all trivial matters, but these often became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
The weather was unpredictable, and Ling Han Fei caught a cold and developed a fever.
Su Jin Hua insisted on inducing sweat, saying that if he sweated, the fever would subside.
Jiang Shi You, of course, did not believe in such unscientific methods.
A dispute arose between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but this time, Jiang Shi You refused to compromise.
In her desperation, Su Jin Hua pushed Jiang Shi You.
At this point, the rest of the Ling family still ignored her, and even Ling Yu Hong stood by and watched.
Jiang Shi You was disheartened and returned to her room alone.
Not long after, Ling Han Fei had a high fever and convulsions. Fortunately, he was sent to the hospital in time, and there were no major issues.
When they returned from the hospital, Jiang Shi You had already left with her daughter, leaving behind only a divorce agreement.
After hearing the whole process, Xia Wan Tang found it rather absurd. Fortunately, Jiang Shi You was not a foolish person.
Furthermore, Su Jin Hua's shamelessness left her stunned.