Chapter 40: I Want a Divorce!

That night, the red candles in the Liu family's new bedroom burned empty, and the festive window decorations seemed to carry a mocking tone.

The next day, the well‑informed neighbors and the teachers at the school had already whispered the news among themselves.

"Did you hear? Teacher Liu was driven out of the house by his new bride last night!"

"Huh? Why? Wasn't everything fine yesterday?"

"Fine? I heard it was because Teacher Liu bought a Fake Gold Ring to fool his bride, and the son of Factory Director Jiang exposed it on the spot!"

"My God! That really happened? Teacher Liu seemed like an honest man…"

"The bride was so angry she outright refused to share the bed, tsk tsk…"

"To think the first day of marriage ends up like this—how will we live after this…"

Su Yanhua woke up amid a hollow pang of hunger.

Sunlight filtered through a window smeared with old newspapers, illuminating a cold, empty room; the spot beside her was vacant, still arranged as it had been when she slept alone last night.

She sat up, clutching the quilt, stared blankly for a moment, then realized she was already married and this was the Liu household.

A clear "gurgle" sounded from her stomach.

She habitually thought, at this hour, breakfast should already be ready, right?

Should I eat it in the main hall, or…

Su Yanhua hesitated, then threw on her outerwear, slipped on her shoes, and walked out of the room.

The Liu family's modest main hall was silent and cold, the pots and stove unused; not only was there no hot breakfast, there wasn't even a hint of fire.

Father Liu had probably gone out for a walk or to school, and Mother Liu's door remained closed.

A huge sense of disparity and grievance surged into Su Yanhua's heart in an instant.

When she was at the Su household, despite the tight finances and Wang Juhua's sharpness, every morning either the submissive Su Ruan or Wang Juhua herself would arrange breakfast, even if it was thin porridge with salty vegetables, it was still served hot.

When had Su Yanhua ever worried over a single bowl of breakfast?

But on her first day at the Liu household, she couldn't even get a mouthful of hot rice!

The more she thought, the angrier she became; she went to the water jar, intending to scoop some water for washing, but with nowhere to vent her fury, she grabbed the ladle and hurled it forcefully into the jar!

"Clang!" a crisp sound rang out, splashing water everywhere.

The noise startled Mother Liu in the inner room.

Mother Liu had originally thought that on the new bride's first day she should be allowed to sleep longer, and she would get up later to cook, but she didn't expect such a loud commotion from outside.

She hurriedly threw on a robe and came out, only to see Su Yanhua standing solemnly by the water jar, a puddle of water spreading at her feet.

Mother Liu's brows instinctively knit, her tone tinged with displeasure and puzzlement: "Yanhuá, what are you doing? It's early morning, making such a ruckus."

Su Yanhua, still fuming, heard Mother Liu's reproachful tone and flared even more; she snapped around, her voice laced with resentment.

"What am I doing? I want to ask what your family intends to do! What time is this? There's not even a mouthful of hot rice! Do you want to starve me to death?!"

Mother Liu was stunned by her abrupt outburst, then became angry as well.

She had lived most of her life without ever being shouted at like this by a younger person.

Suppressing her anger, she tried to speak calmly: "I was just thinking you were tired yesterday, letting you sleep longer, and was about to get up to cook. Is it necessary to flare up so much and start throwing things?"

"Throwing things?" Su Yanhua retorted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "Your family doesn't even prepare breakfast for the new bride on her first day—how can that be justified?"

"When I was at my natal home, every morning there was ready hot rice and dishes. Why, after coming to the Liu household, is this the treatment?"

"Is it your belief that marrying a daughter‑in‑law means making her a maid, forcing her to cook and serve your whole family?"

Her words were extremely harsh, making Mother Liu's face turn pale and her chest heave violently: "You… how can you speak like that? Who has taken you for a maid!"

"Who in this house doesn't work? Haven't I done anything yet? Can't you lend a hand? Must the whole family split duties so distinctly?"

"Lend a hand? On what grounds should I? " Su Yanhua placed her hands on her hips, completely tearing the façade, "I married into your Liu family to enjoy a happy life, not to become your old maid!"

"Even the Gold Ring is fake, and you still want me to work? Dream on!"

She brought up old grievances, deliberately poking at Mother Liu's sore spot.

When Mother Liu heard "Fake Ring," she felt both ashamed and angry; it was her son's foolish act, and she found it embarrassing. Now the new bride exposed it without mercy, and she pointed at Su Yanhua, her fingers trembling.

"You… you are utterly unreasonable! Our Liu family temple is small, it can't accommodate a great Buddha like you! Wen Bin really lost his sight, marrying someone like…"

"What am I, exactly? You tell me!" Su Yanhua stepped forward, her fierce aura cutting her off, "You think I'm not good enough? I'm not even willing to stay! What a wretched place!"

After speaking, she glared fiercely at Mother Liu, turned and rushed back to the new bedroom, hastily bundling a few of her clothes and the sack she had brought yesterday, then grabbed it and bolted outward.

"Where are you going?!" Mother Liu shouted angrily from behind her.

"Back to my natal home! No one loves this miserable life!" Su Yanhua said without turning her head, then slammed the door and fled.

The massive slam of the door shook the walls as if they trembled.

Mother Liu stared at the still‑swinging door panel, then at the cold, empty stove and the puddle on the floor, feeling darkness cloud her vision, a murky pressure blocking her chest, unable to rise or fall; she plopped onto a stool, clutching her heart, tears nearly spilling.

This isn't marrying a daughter‑in‑law; it's like inviting an ancestor into the house!

Su Yanhua, lugging a small bundle, walked homeward in a fury.

By early morning the street already teemed with pedestrians, who cast surprised and inquisitive glances at her, a newlywed lugging a bundle back to her natal home.

If it were before, Su Yanhua might have felt embarrassed, but now, inflamed by her hatred toward the Liu family and jealousy toward Su Ruan, she felt the whole world was against her.

She was determined only to return to that shabby yet at least non‑cooking Su household.

She hadn't considered that a married daughter's spilled water cannot be reclaimed.

Running back to her natal home on the second day of marriage over a breakfast dispute would, in this era, invite gossip and push her already fragile marriage with Liu Wenbin into an even more awkward and difficult situation.

Meanwhile, at the Su household, Wang Juhua, now lacking the diligent Su Ruan as a labor force, had to rise early to light the fire and cook, muttering grievances.

Seeing her daughter rush in with a bundle, her face ashen, she was startled.

"Yanhuá? You… why are you back?"

Su Yanhua flung the bundle onto the floor, collapsed onto the bed and began wailing: "Mom, I can't live like this! The Liu household isn't a place for a person to stay; I want a Divorce!"

When Wang Juhua heard that, her vision went black and she nearly fainted.

What on earth is this!