Chapter 42: I Want to Be with Mom

How should one describe his gaze?

It reminded Shen Lan of the expression Si Han had when he used a steel pipe to beat a dog to death back then.

One had to admit, Si Han truly doted on his little sister, Si Rong.

But he surely did not know that this was a case of good intentions leading to bad results.

"Second Brother, I agree to divorce Si Rong."

Shen Lan said, then requested, "But before that, can I meet with Si Rong one more time?"

What use was it for him to agree to the divorce alone?

After two days of consideration, Si Rong must have already regretted her previous impulsiveness.

Women were just like that, fond of acting on impulse, while men had to pay the price for their impulsiveness.

Although Xiao Chi and Xiao Yuan were not born to Si Rong, he did not believe Si Rong could bear to abandon them.

He had thought Si Han would be all smiles, and he had guessed right, but he hadn't expected his face to change so suddenly.

With a rather humiliating gesture, he patted Shen Lan's face a few times with a dagger, then pointed at the paper on the table, "A meeting is unnecessary. You disgusting thing had best remember to stay far away from my little sister, otherwise, I will beat you every time I see you!"

It was the first time Shen Lan had been called disgusting, and his face flushed with anger.

In a fit of anger, he only felt angry for a moment.

After all, in front of a madman like Si Han, he didn't dare to show it at all.

Shen Lan signed the divorce agreement with trembling hands, but in his heart, he didn't take this piece of paper seriously at all.

Whether Si Rong would be willing to sign was still unknown, even if she had been forced to sign the divorce agreement by her brother who couldn't tell good from bad.

He reckoned she was regretful in her heart as well.

It was just that for this County Magistrate election, he would likely have to rely on his own abilities.

No sooner had Shen Lan left than Si Rong signed the divorce agreement.

It was wonderful; she was free.

To celebrate, Mother Si insisted on cooking herself, saying she wanted to make a mutton hot pot for her to eat.

"Why don't I see Second Sister-in-law?" Si Rong asked curiously.

She hadn't seen Second Sister-in-law either of the two times she had returned to her maiden home.

Mother Si sighed first.

"Aren't they still the same as always? Fighting like cats and dogs all day long; they're no way to live a life! The two of them are making a scene about divorce again, and your Second Sister-in-law has been back at her maiden home for nearly half a month now."

Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law were well-matched in family status, and neither had a temperament that could yield, so they had been fighting incessantly since they got married.

"Second Brother is also at fault; can't he just go and soften his stance toward Second Sister-in-law?"

She knew Second Sister-in-law; she had a fiery temper, but she was sincere toward her Second Brother. If they kept separating like this, even the deepest affection would fade.

They couldn't really get a divorce, could they?

Although she had divorced, it was a matter of necessity.

It was a matter of principle; she couldn't tolerate it.

Moreover, she and Shen Lan had no children, so no one would be hurt by the divorce.

Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law were different; they had two children, both of whom were already in high school.

If they divorced, the two children would surely be very sad.

"You talk to him later," Mother Si said, knowing her younger son's bad temper, "Your Second Brother is only willing to listen to you a bit more."

Now that business was busy, even she, as his mother, couldn't say anything to him.

Si Rong nodded, "I'll talk to him. I'll just say I miss Second Sister-in-law, and have him go to her maiden home to bring her back."

As the mother and daughter were talking, Si Han came in.

He untied the apron from Mother Si's waist and tied it around his own.

Then he began to skillfully slice the mutton.

He wasn't trying to scare Shen Lan on purpose; he was just very skilled at handling knives.

When the Si Family had once fallen on hard times, he had learned to cook.

At that time, he knew the Si Family would definitely stand back up and reach a position even higher than before.

And his little sister, Si Rong, wouldn't have to be like him and their eldest brother; she only needed to be the Si Family's little princess in peace.

Sometimes he even felt like he had a split personality.

One second he could be in the Black Market fighting with a knife, and the next second he could be using a comb to style his little sister's cute pigtails.

He denied his little sister nothing.

So when his little sister said she missed Second Sister-in-law, Si Han didn't hesitate and agreed immediately.

This could also be considered a way to save face.

He went to her home with gifts, picked her up, and Su Juan returned with him.

The two of them made up for a while.

It was just that it was only for a while.

If there is a nail in the skin, then it is inevitable that it will hurt after a period of time.

On the day of the general election, Shen Lan arrived in a crisp suit, his face bruised and swollen.

Then he passionately delivered a speech report that he had stayed up all night writing, spanning three full pages.

It was much more earnest than the speech he had given when he ran for Deputy County Magistrate back then.

Shen Lan felt that with his prestige built up over so many years, he still had high hopes of winning the election.

But the result left him completely dumbfounded.

He had not been selected!

That guy Jiang Yu, who had absolutely no experience in handling government affairs, had actually been chosen to be the County Magistrate!

It was truly laughable.

"Deputy County Magistrate Shen, I concede!"

This sentence from Jiang Yu directly doubled Shen Lan's misery!

Did he really have to address him as County Magistrate Jiang from now on?

How could he be reconciled to this?

But even if he was not reconciled, there was no other way; this matter was already a foregone conclusion.

Shen Lan suddenly felt as if all the spirit had been drained from his body, and he returned home in a daze.

The only things greeting him were the empty rooms, missing a few home appliances.

When this house was originally allocated, the appliances and furniture had all been provided for Si Rong by her two older brothers from the Si Family.

He hadn't felt it before, but now that Si Rong was gone, the house was terrifyingly quiet.

"Congratulations to Dad on your promotion to County Magistrate!" Shen Yuan ran out from her room and set off a party popper.

Shen Lan's complexion, which had just barely recovered, immediately darkened again.

"What's wrong? Where is Mom?" Shen Yuan had gone to stay at a classmate's house a few days ago because she was dissatisfied with her mother's attitude toward her.

Returning today and seeing the house empty, she had assumed that because her father had been promoted, they were going to move to a bigger house.

Now that her father's big day had passed, she wanted to make her uncle buy her concert tickets, and she also wanted her mother to take her to the mall to pick out two trendy denim outfits.

Furthermore, she also wanted to go to her mother's dance studio to learn how to dance.

In the past, Si Rong had also said she would teach her to dance, but Shen Yuan had complained that it was tiring.

But now, the transfer student in her class, Jiang Zhi, had actually gone to the Rongzi Dance Studio, and this time she had appeared at the Dance Competition with a dazzling performance, directly being voted the school beauty by her classmates!

Even the school heartthrob she had always admired was now looking at Jiang Zhi with new eyes.

Shen Yuan absolutely could not tolerate this!

"Mom has returned to the Si Family." Shen Lan hung his head; he had wanted to sit on the sofa but discovered the sofa had also been moved away by Si Rong, so he had to sit on a stool.

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow and picked up her handbag, "Then I'm going to Grandma's house to find Mom!"

Grandma doted on her very much, and everything at Grandma's house was very nice; she liked living at the Si Family.

Shen Lan grabbed her, "You are not allowed to go!"

All this time, he and Li Xuan had never let the two children know their true identities.

They had only explained the process of adopting them after they turned sixteen.

Shen Chi had accepted it quite well, but it took Shen Yuan several months before she started calling them Mom and Dad again.

Shen Yuan shook off his hand, somewhat puzzled, "Dad, did you have a fight with Mom?"

"You could say that!" Shen Lan rubbed his brow.

"Then are you going to get a divorce?" Shen Yuan blinked her round eyes.

Shen Lan stated firmly, "No."

He would definitely make Si Rong change her mind.

"I have a classmate whose parents got divorced, and now she can only live at her grandmother's house; no one takes care of her, and she even got lice on her head, so her classmates won't talk to her for fear of catching them. Dad, I don't want you and Mom to get a divorce!"

"If you do get a divorce, I'm going with Mom!"

Shen Yuan's words were more heart-wrenching than the last.

Shen Lan thought for a moment and decided to let her go.

Right now, the Si Family did not welcome him, and he wouldn't gain any benefits if he went.

After all, Shen Yuan was raised by Si Rong herself; perhaps for the sake of the child, the two of them could reconcile sooner.

Shen Yuan rode her bicycle all the way to the Si Family.

She had thought it through clearly: by staying at her grandmother's house for a short while this time and acting like a spoiled child, the concert tickets and new clothes would all be hers.

Right! She also had to make her eldest aunt-in-law give her two lipsticks.