Chapter 38: To Leave or Not to Leave
When Su He saw that Old Madam Liu next door was watching with schadenfreude, she said, “Grandma, Aunt, let’s go inside and talk.”
Once they were indoors, Su Yongguo gritted his teeth and asked, “Yufen, that bastard Lü Xingwang hit you again?”
Su Yufen wept as she spoke: “He had been quiet the past two months—though still cursing, at least he hadn’t hit me. I thought he had changed. Who would have thought—he’s been fooling around with Li Xinghua from the village. I caught them red-handed yesterday. I confronted him, and he beat me again…”
Zhao Cui’er dabbed her tears with a towel and asked, “Yufen, how did you get back? By ox cart?”
“I… I walked back.”
Old Madam Su jabbed her forehead with a finger. “Walked back? Didn’t that nearly kill you? What a sin—how did I give birth to such a useless girl?!”
Though Xiangyang Commune bordered Huaihua Commune, the distance was still about 50–60 li (about 15–20 miles). No wonder she only arrived now.
Su He spoke up, “Grandma, don’t scold my aunt right now. She’s exhausted and hungry. Let her eat something first.”
Only then did Old Madam Su stop her nagging.
Su Yufen really was starving. Though she was in a foul mood, she still managed to finish a plate of dumplings.
Zhao Cui’er made a bowl of milk powder for Tie Dan, who quickly fell asleep after drinking it.
After dinner, Old Madam Su said through clenched teeth, “This time we can’t just let it go! Yongguo, tomorrow go to the county and call your second brother back. We’ll go demand an explanation from the Lü family!”
Su Yongguo agreed but felt a bit uneasy.
Last time, he and his brother had been surrounded by the Lü family. They couldn’t even get a word in edgewise, let alone hold any kind of upper hand.
Su Yufen sobbed, “Big Brother, as long as he promises to cut things off with Li Xinghua, I’ll go back. I guess I’m just unlucky…”
Su He raised an eyebrow. “Aunt, are you saying you still want to stay with Lü Xingwang?”
Su Yufen cried harder: “But what else can I do? Tie Dan is already three—I can’t just get a divorce, can I?”
“Why not?” Su He countered. “A child growing up in that kind of household won’t be happy. And what if one day he hits you too hard and kills you?”
In the novel, Su Yufen had been accidentally beaten to death by that domestic abuser.
Old Madam Su sighed. “Su He, I know you mean well for your aunt, but it’s not that serious. Lü Xingwang’s a bastard, yes, but he wouldn’t go as far as murder. If your aunt really divorces him, how will she show her face in public?
Not just her—even your grandpa and I would get gossiped about…”
Su He’s face turned cold. “Grandma, this is the new society! Divorce is a legal right for women. So what if people gossip? Are we just going to watch my aunt get beaten up?”
She turned to Su Yufen. “Aunt, don’t worry about the family. Just tell me one thing—do you want a divorce? If you do, I’ll help you.”
Su Yufen forced a bitter smile. “Su He, I know you mean well, but I can’t get a divorce. Whether I want to or not doesn’t matter—the Lü family would never agree. If Tie Dan were a girl, maybe they’d consider it. But he’s a boy…”
There was another reason: nearly all of the housework in the Lü family fell on Su Yufen’s shoulders. Why would they let her go?
Su He looked at her seriously. “Aunt, I’ll say it again—if you want a divorce, I will make the Lü family agree. Just think about it.”
After speaking, Su He got up and went into the west room.
She felt stifled inside.
Toward Su Yufen, she felt both sorrow for her misfortune and anger at her submission.
But it wasn’t entirely her fault. It was the era and the environment that robbed women like her of the courage and means to fight back.
Maybe once she had more power, she could help women suffering from domestic violence…
Su Yufen looked flustered and asked Zhao Cui’er, “Sister-in-law, is Su He mad at me?”
Zhao Cui’er comforted her, “She’s just hot-tempered. She’s only upset because she cares.”
Hearing that, Su Yufen started crying again. Only her maiden family felt sorry for her—at her in-laws’, she wasn’t even treated as well as livestock.
Old Man Su, who had been smoking silently, suddenly spoke: “If you really don’t want to live with him anymore, then divorce him.”
Old Madam Su scolded, “Old man, why are you stirring things up too?! A divorced woman will be gossiped about wherever she goes. And she has a boy—who would dare marry her?”
Old Man Su slammed the table. “If no one will marry her, I’ll support her! Su He is right. What if that bastard really kills our daughter one day?”
Su Yufen broke into wailing sobs at her father’s words. Zhao Cui’er hugged her, eyes red with tears.
“Dad, Mom, if Yufen wants a divorce, just let her. It’s only one more pair of chopsticks at the table.”
Old Madam Su glared at her. “Easy for you to say! Even if we’re willing to take her in, will the Lü family let her go? That whole bunch are a pack of brutes. If they get worked up, they might storm into our village and cause a scene.”
Su Xiaoman stood with hands on hips. “So what? My sister’s here! She’ll know how to deal with that pack of mules!”
Old Madam Su scolded her, “Listen to you! You think your sister’s so amazing she can just charge into Xiangyang Commune and do whatever she wants?”
“Anything my sister promises, she can make happen! My sister’s the best!”
Su Xiaoman was now a full-blown “sister fangirl,” totally forgetting how recently she had refused to even call Su He her sister.
Even Old Madam Su started wavering a bit. She did feel sorry for her daughter. But she also had too many concerns. Still, if Su He could really handle the Lü family, maybe divorce wasn’t impossible.
Old Man Su tapped the base of his tobacco pipe against his shoe sole and said, “Alright, it’s still Yufen’s decision to make. Let her stay for now and think it over.”
He wasn’t entirely confident, either. Su He was capable, yes. But the Lü family was part of Xiangyang Commune—could Su He’s reach really extend that far?
