Chapter 865: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 865: Zhang Zhiqiang's Affair

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Zhang Zhongtian's son Zhang Zhiqiang, about the same age as Wang Dashan, married years ago; his wife is Li Xiaohe, who bore him a son named Zhang Jiajun.

This September, Zhang Jiajun will start kindergarten.

But the village has no kindergarten — not only no kindergarten, it doesn't even have a primary school.

To attend kindergarten, they'd have to go to the Town or the County Town.

These past few days Zhang Zhongtian has been weighing whether to send the child to kindergarten in the Town or in the County Town.

Sending him to the Town means daily pickup and drop-off, because Shangou Village has few children and is remote; the kindergarten's bus won't make a special trip just for his grandson.

Sending him to the County Town, on the other hand, would require at least one person to go live in the County Town.

His daughter-in-law Li Xiaohe is willing to live in the County Town, but with only her there minding the child, Zhang Zhongtian, as the paternal grandfather, isn't quite at ease.

First, he fears Li Xiaohe won't manage to care for the child adequately.

Second, he fears Li Xiaohe living alone will grow lonely and cold, and end up entangled with some other man.

Zhang Zhongtian is a man who's been through it; he knows that at Li Xiaohe's age, physical needs run strong, while his son Zhang Zhiqiang works away year-round and cannot satisfy her.

Li Xiaohe has complained about this several times, saying she wants to go out and work alongside Zhang Zhiqiang.

But each time Zhang Zhiqiang refused.

Zhang Zhongtian walked home, turning it over in his mind, and felt his son's sudden return this time must be about the child's kindergarten.

Only that matter could make Zhang Zhiqiang come all the way back from the City.

The boy used to be immature, but now he's grown up, knows how to shoulder some responsibility.

Yet, to Zhang Zhongtian's surprise, he had guessed completely wrong.

His son's sudden return had nothing to do with the child's kindergarten at all!

It was to divorce Li Xiaohe!

When Zhang Zhongtian stepped through the door and took in the scene, the first thing that met his eyes was a strange woman.

That strange woman was holding hands with his son Zhang Zhiqiang.

Meanwhile his daughter-in-law Li Xiaohe stood to the side, eyes red, glaring at Zhang Zhiqiang.

"What's going on?"

Zhang Zhongtian's heart gave a sudden lurch; he instantly sensed trouble.

He hurried forward and demanded angrily:

"Who is she! What are you bringing her back for?"

Zhang Zhiqiang, expressionless:

"Dad, this is my woman, her name is Ma Xiaolin, someone I met at the Factory."

"Slap!"

Without a word, Zhang Zhongtian swung a heavy slap, knocking Zhang Zhiqiang's face to the side.

"Have you no shame? You're a married man, and Xiaohe has stayed home raising your child — she's fully fulfilled her duty as a wife!"

Zhang Zhiqiang remained expressionless, because he'd long anticipated this slap from his father.

But for love, he was willing to endure it.

"Dad, Xiaohe and I have no feelings left; I came back this time to divorce her."

Li Xiaohe, wiping tears:

"What's so good about her? Where do I fall short?"

Zhang Zhiqiang couldn't say.

In truth Ma Xiaolin is just ordinary — a factory girl, how pretty could she be?

One can only say, affection grew with time.

Zhang Zhiqiang worked in the factory, and Ma Xiaolin was on the same assembly line; they'd chat whenever they had a moment.

Over time, they grew familiar.

Anyone who's worked a factory assembly line knows the women there talk and joke even more openly and boldly than men — all sorts of suitable and unsuitable remarks fly back and forth.

After they grew close, Ma Xiaolin didn't hold back teasing Zhang Zhiqiang in conversation; at first he was quite embarrassed, but gradually he loosened up.

Before long, the two were renting a place outside and living together.

When Ma Xiaolin was with Zhang Zhiqiang, she didn't know he had a wife; he never volunteered the matter. Lately she kept pressing him about his family situation, asking when he'd marry; cornered, he finally confessed.

When Ma Xiaolin learned Zhang Zhiqiang was already married, and his child could already walk, she felt the sky collapse.

She never expected the man she was seeing turned out to be a married man.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? You've ruined me — what do we do now!"

Ma Xiaolin wept, carrying on desperately:

"I might as well die; there's no hope left in this life anyway!"

Seeing her cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide, Zhang Zhiqiang could only comfort her, promising he'd give her proper status.

So he asked the Factory for leave and brought Ma Xiaolin back.

This trip had only one purpose: to divorce Li Xiaohe.

As for who would raise the child he'd had with Li Xiaohe after the divorce, he hadn't given it a thought.

He'd worked away year-round, saw the child only a handful of times a year, and wasn't close to the child.

Last time he went back to his Hometown, he wanted to hold his son, but his son was still shy and timid, hiding behind Li Xiaohe, refusing to let him hold him.

This made him feel even less for this son.

"Anyway, I'm already together with Xiaolin now, whether we divorce or not is up to you."

Zhang Zhiqiang had a completely indifferent expression.

Making Li Xiaohe heartbroken to the point of despair.

Their son Zhang Jiajun, seeing his mother like this, also started bawling loudly.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhongtian trembled all over with rage:

"You beast, do you still have any conscience! How can you say such words!"

Zhang Zhongtian also said:

"Don't even dream of being together with this woman, I disagree!"

But Zhang Zhiqiang said:

"Even if you disagree, I still want to be together with Xiaolin."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhiqiang gripped Ma Xiaolin's hand even tighter.

"You scoundrel! How did I raise such a beast!"

Zhang Zhongtian's face turned livid.

"What's going on? What's going on?"

Zhang Zhongtian's wife Yao Aina walked in from Outside at this moment.

She had just gone Outside to release the field water, and her son came back without telling her.

Unexpectedly, just as she returned from the fields, she heard quarreling sounds coming from the Courtyard.

"Zhiqiang, you're back, ah, didn't even tell Mom in advance, who's this woman?"

Seeing Zhang Zhiqiang bring back a strange woman, Yao Aina also felt her heart skip a beat.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, her name is Ma Xiaolin, we are true love!"

Zhang Zhiqiang's attitude remained firm.

Hearing these words, Yao Aina felt like the sky was about to collapse.

"Zhiqiang, ah, how can you do such a confused thing, if you want to find a woman outside then find one outside, how can you bring her home! What about Xiao He? What about Junjun? What about me and your dad?"

But Zhang Zhiqiang didn't care about these things, he's just this kind of character, never thinking of consequences when doing things.

Initially when he and Li Xiaohe were together, both were still studying at Technical School, accidentally got Li Xiaohe's Belly big, the secret couldn't be kept, only then did he bring Li Xiaohe home, to bring up Marriage.

At that time Zhang Zhongtian was somewhat dissatisfied with Zhang Zhiqiang's Behavior, but because the man was unmarried and the woman unmarried, and he himself wanted to hold a Grandson, he didn't say anything, just hurried to propose marriage and settle this Marriage arrangement.

Now it's different.

Now Zhang Zhiqiang has a wife and children at home, yet still messes around outside, messing around would be fine, as long as he doesn't bring her home they could turn a blind eye and let it pass, but he insists on bringing her home, this really makes them as parents not know what to do.

"I don't care if you're true love or not! You fox spirit, leave my son immediately, otherwise I'll beat you to death!"

Zhang Zhongtian was huffing with anger, pointing at Ma Xiaolin's Nose and cursing furiously.

He can't control his son, but he can't control this woman from outside either?