Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 140

He Yuzhu was just saying that; whether he could find a beautiful girl willing to marry He Daqing was another matter entirely.

He Daqing was indeed tempted. His son and daughter had both come to him, and he could take this opportunity to go back.

"And what about the white widow?"

Have you registered your marriage?

"Of course I accepted it, otherwise the government wouldn't have agreed."

"Then let's get a divorce. Is there anything you're unwilling to do?"

“Of course I’m willing,” He Daqing said nonchalantly.

He Yuzhu pursed his lips. After sleeping together for two years, even the most passionate feelings would have cooled down. He could go back and find another wife, so why wouldn't He Daqing want to?

"But I'm afraid she won't agree."

He Yuzhu said, "What could he possibly disagree with? You raised his child for two years, and he still hasn't given you a son or daughter. If this were before the liberation, he would have been divorced. Did you give all the money you earned in these two years to him?"

"Yes, I gave him all the money."

He Daqing also found a job as a chef at a restaurant here, and he handed over all his wages to Widow Bai without missing a penny.

He usually helps others prepare banquets, which is how he earns money to send rainwater for living expenses.

He Yuzhu said, "You've been married for two years. Even if you were the one who committed rape before, it's no use now. The widow has no excuse to hold you accountable."

"If she doesn't agree in the end, we'll go back to the capital and file a lawsuit to dissolve the marriage through proper channels."

"Will this work? There was a guy who was caught and sentenced for indecent behavior, and he hasn't been released yet."

“You’re married now, so it’s different from that. How can you sentence someone for something that’s between husband and wife? There’s no such logic in the world. If a wife won’t let her husband sleep with her, then what’s the point of having a wife?”

He Yuzhu said, "Go back tonight and bombard her with this. Tell her that I know about what happened between him and Yi Zhonghai back then, and I've told you. See what she says then."

He Daqing slapped his thigh excitedly and said, "That's right, since Lao Yi isn't here now, I'll try to trick her, and maybe things will take a turn for the better."

Now that He Yuzhu had convinced He Daqing, he felt relieved. He was an adult, but He Yushui was still young. Her mother had died early, and her father had run away. She had lacked fatherly love since childhood. No matter how much He Yuzhu loved her, he could not replace He Daqing.

He Yuzhu wouldn't have wanted He Daqing to go back if he didn't feel sorry for He Yushui.

It was already evening when the three of them went out together to the restaurant where He Daqing worked. Of course, He Daqing wasn't there to work; he had resigned from his job, settled his wages, and even personally cooked a few dishes to treat his children.

He Yushui took two bites, then put down her chopsticks, pouted, and said, "Dad, do you not want Yushui anymore? This stir-fry is awful, not even as good as my brother's."

"What? You little brat, talking to your father like that?"

He Daqing said irritably, "This is my special dish, cooked with all my might, and you still say it's not as good as your brother's?"

"It's just not as good as the one my brother makes."

He Yushui said with a wronged expression, then asked He Yuzhu, "Brother, try it, Dad's cooking is just not good!"

He Yuzhu said, "Dad's cooking is still the same as before, except that I cook better than Dad. Once you get used to my cooking, Dad's cooking won't taste as good anymore."

He advised, "Even if this isn't very tasty, it's still better than the food at your school!"

He Daqing, standing to the side, was both amused and exasperated. How could his daughter say that his cooking was inferior to Zhu Zi's?

You know, I've been cooking since I was a child, when I wasn't even as tall as the stove, and I've been cooking around the stove for over 30 years, yet I'm still not as good as a pillar.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhu Zi has grown into a grown man, acts with reason and evidence, and is highly skilled in martial arts, he would have slapped him across the face long ago.

He Yushui nodded: "Compared to the school food, it is indeed much better."

After the three of them finished their meal and returned to the guesthouse, He Daqing was also kept there and could not leave, so he had to sleep in a room with his daughter.

Widow Bai waited and waited at home, but He Daqing didn't return by 10 o'clock. She became more and more convinced that He Daqing was going to run away from her this time.

The next morning, He Daqing and his two children had breakfast and then went to Widow Bai's house.

Hearing the commotion, the white widow rushed out of the house and gently called out, "Great Qing, you're back!"

He Daqing's heart fluttered, but remembering that He Yuzhu had said he wanted to help him find a virgin, he immediately calmed down, drooping his eyelids and staring at his toes without saying a word.

When the white widow saw him like this, she thought to herself, "Oh no, he's been persuaded by his children."

He Yuzhu said, "Widow Bai, He Daqing wants to divorce you today. He's not going to stay with you anymore. Take your marriage certificate and go get the paperwork done today."

"What? He Daqing, you want a divorce? I don't agree."

The white widow burst into tears, crying and cursing, saying, "I was wrong, Daqing, you can't divorce me! How can this family live if you divorce me? I'll listen to you, okay? I'll do whatever you ask me to do from now on."

“I don’t object to you going to see the children, or bringing them here. If you leave, how will the three of us survive?”

Widow Bai knew in her heart that her family of three depended on He Daqing for food and drink. Although her two sons were already grown up, they were not yet married and were earning apprentice wages. If they left He Daqing, although they would not end up on the streets, their quality of life would be significantly worse.

What will happen to the two children's weddings? Where will we get the money to prepare for their weddings?

He Yuzhu retorted, "Stop talking nonsense. Two years ago, even without my father, didn't you still raise those two kids?"

"We've given you all of He Daqing's wages from the past two years. We don't want it; it's a form of compensation for you. Even if you spend some of it, you'll still have several hundred yuan left, which should be enough for you to live on."

"Anyway, I don't agree, I just won't get a divorce." Widow Bai still wanted to struggle. Without He Daqing, where could she find a husband with such superb skills?

He Yuzhu said, "I didn't think about getting you divorced before I came here, but after seeing how you usually treat my father, what kind of family lives like this?"

“If you could give birth to a son or daughter for the He family, I wouldn’t have resorted to this drastic measure of making you divorce.”

The white widow opened her mouth, not knowing what to say, filled with regret. She wished she hadn't taken that birth control pill.

He Yuzhu said, "You don't want to have children for my dad because you think that if you have children, my dad won't love your two sons anymore. So you don't really want to live with my dad. You just want to find a long-term meal ticket to support you."

"Stop talking nonsense."

“I’m not talking nonsense. My father is healthy, and I can vouch for that. You are healthy too, and you’ve already given birth to two sons. But you’ve been with my father for two years and haven’t conceived a child. That can only mean that you’ve tampered with things and are using my father as a sucker.”

"You're talking nonsense. Having a baby isn't that simple."

"Do you think we can't do anything to you just because you don't agree to a divorce? If you cooperate and agree to the divorce today, you can have all your previous wages, and my father will only take back the things he brought with him."

He Yuzhu said, "But if you object, then we're sorry, you'll have to go directly to the Military Control Commission, explain the situation, and let them investigate. You won't get a single penny then."

"No, you can't do this." The white widow's face changed instantly.

He Yuzhu said, "Don't think that what you did was very secret. Yi Zhonghai has confessed everything about you and him."

He Daqing finally spoke up and asked, "Widow Bai, I'm asking you, how did you get involved with Yi Zhonghai and then frame me?"

A flicker of panic crossed the white widow's eyes, but she still stubbornly insisted:

"I didn't, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"You didn't? Stop being stubborn. Yi Zhonghai has already confessed. Otherwise, how would we know about your affair with Yi Zhonghai?"

“You’re talking nonsense, he couldn’t possibly have confessed,” the white widow blurted out.

He Yuzhu laughed and asked in return, "He couldn't possibly be confessing anything?"

"Are you bluffing me?" The white widow came to her senses.

"Hehe, I don't need to lie to you at all. I can tell you and Yi Zhonghai are having an affair just by looking at your son."

He Yuzhu's words terrified both Widow Bai and He Daqing.

The white widow's face turned completely pale, devoid of any color.

He Daqing was also extremely shocked: "Zhu Zi, what do you mean by that?"

"I don't know how you live your life. Don't you realize that the eldest son's face looks familiar?"

"You mean?"

"Although her face looks a lot like the White Widow, I could tell at a glance that she actually looks a third like Yi Zhonghai."

If He Yuzhu hadn't already been suspicious of the Bai widow's family, he would have felt a strange sense of familiarity upon seeing their eldest son. It took him a long time to realize that the boy resembled Yi Zhonghai.

Here we have to talk about Yi Zhonghai. His mastery of the fitter's craft came from a master, Aunt Yi, who was his master's only daughter. That's how he received all the master's knowledge and skills. Even the house in the courtyard was bought with money from his father-in-law.

Although Aunt Yi couldn't have children, Yi Zhonghai still had no complaints about his wife and never said anything in front of her.

He Daqing was also stunned. Although he had seen the two children before and they looked very familiar, he had never connected them with Yi Zhonghai through the window screen. Now that He Yuzhu had pointed it out, he suddenly realized that they looked very much like Yi Zhonghai.

"It turns out that the two of them are actually Yi Zhonghai's sons."

"No, that's not true, you're talking nonsense!" the white widow shouted hurriedly, but her voice clearly lacked conviction.

He Yuzhu immediately felt confident of victory and laughed, "Whether it's true or not, you know in your heart. Now let's talk about your divorce from my father."

The widow was heartbroken. The fact that she and Yi Zhonghai had two sons was the biggest secret. At that time, Yi Zhonghai's master was still alive, and the widow could not destroy his family, so she could only accept Yi Zhonghai's suggestion.

He planned to sleep with He Daqing, then kidnapped him and brought him to Baocheng, where he was forced to support his son.

Who knew that He Yuzhu would come to our door with his sister yesterday, which also revealed her secret of having a son with Yi Zhonghai.

If we really make a big fuss, won't the whole world know about it?

Faced with this situation, he had no choice but to back down. Although he was extremely unwilling, he still agreed: "I'll get a divorce."

"Looks like you're not stupid after all. If things get out of hand and involve Yi Zhonghai, then Yi Zhonghai will be ruined, won't he?"

"Don't involve him, I agree to the divorce."

He Daqing was furious. He had given so much selflessly over the past two years, but he never expected that he would end up raising Yi Zhonghai's son. He had fallen into Yi Zhonghai's trap for two whole years.

I've lived a terrible life; I'm not even as smart as my silly son.

Thinking about the money I've earned in the past two years, it really hurts. And it all has to go to Widow Bai to support Yi Zhonghai's son.