The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Looking at Zheng Daniu, Lin Shuying felt a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite name. She truly didn’t understand how she had spent the better part of her life with such a man. If Zheng Daniu hadn’t been so outrageous this time, she probably would have continued to endure it.

Seeing that Li Zhi and the others were about to get physical again, Lin Shuying held up a hand to stop them.

"Zheng Daniu, I don’t want to waste any more words. I came back today to divorce you. I..."

Before Lin Shuying could finish, Zheng Daniu, ignoring the cut by his eye, glared with wide eyes. "You want to divorce me? Are you tired of living? Did you find some other man out there? Found yourself a new meal ticket, so you don’t want to be with me anymore? Let me tell you, alive, you’re my woman, and dead, you’re my ghost! You want a divorce? I’ll beat you to death! I won’t even let you be buried in the Zhou family’s ancestral tomb. When you die and go to the underworld, you won’t have a single person to pay respects to you. Just you wait for King Yama to sort you out!"

Zheng Daniu was furious. He had never imagined that Lin Shuying would one day ask him for a divorce. It was always the man who left the woman, never the other way around. This was utterly humiliating. For Lin Shuying to say this in front of so many people, he felt like he’d completely lost face. If he actually agreed, he’d be a laughingstock for the rest of his life. Of course, he wouldn’t agree even if they were alone. He could mistreat Lin Shuying, but she could absolutely not leave him.

The onlookers also began to murmur among themselves, finding the situation unbelievable. They had assumed Lin Shuying had brought her family over to teach Zheng Daniu a lesson, kick Chang Juhua out, and then go back to her life with him. They never expected she actually wanted to leave him for good. They thought Lin Shuying must have lost her mind. At her age, and with two children, who would possibly want her after she left Zheng Daniu?

"Shut your mouth! Are those the words of a human being? Was my aunt sold to you? Do you think this is still the old society? Who do you think gives a damn about being buried in your family’s tomb? Let me tell you, even in the old days, a woman could divorce her husband. You beat my aunt during your marriage—that’s domestic violence, and she can sue you for it. On top of that, this thing you have going on with Chang Juhua is bigamy. If my aunt reports you, you’ll go to jail. After how you’ve treated her all these years, she’s already letting you off easy by not putting you in prison for the children’s sake. And you still want to hit her? You just try it. If you dare lay a single finger on my aunt, I’ll make sure you don’t get back on your feet today!"

Gu’er stepped in front of Lin Shuying. ’Truth be told, I have no idea if there are actual laws about domestic violence or bigamy right now,’ she thought. ’But if I don’t know, these villagers certainly don’t know either. All I need to do is scare Zheng Daniu.’

"Don’t talk nonsense! What law am I breaking by hitting my own wife? Besides, she can’t give me a son anymore. What’s wrong with me having Juhua give me one? Jail? Don’t try to scare me, I’m not afraid!"

Zheng Daniu was, in fact, a little scared. He didn’t understand any of it, but he knew Lin Shuying’s family was from the city and her brother was an official. They definitely knew more about these things than he did.

"Scare you? You think I’ve got nothing better to do than come all the way out here just to scare you? With all our people and vehicles, do you have any idea how much money a trip like this costs? Just to scare you? You think you’re worth it? If it weren’t for Brother Zhongshan and Xinghua, if we didn’t want them to have a father behind bars, we would’ve had you thrown in jail directly. Why else would we have come all this way to negotiate with you? You can just spend the rest of your life in there. Still want a son? Let’s see if she’ll be bearing you any sons once you’re locked up."

Gu’er stared at Zheng Daniu, a scornful expression on her face.

"You started hitting me the moment you got here! Look at the mess you’ve made of me. You call this a friendly negotiation?"

Zheng Daniu grumbled.

"You got off lightly with just a beating. With my old temper, you think you’d still be standing here talking?"

Li Zhi glared at Zheng Daniu.

Zheng Daniu flinched as he looked from Li Zhi, Sun Jiaming, and Dingzi to the soldiers standing by.

"Whatever. I’m not getting a divorce. Zhongshan and Xinghua belong to the Zheng family. You tell them to come back."

Though he was scared, Zheng Daniu stubbornly refused the divorce.

"In that case, Auntie, let’s stop giving him any face. We’ll just file a lawsuit. If Brother Zhongshan and Xinghua think having a father behind bars is embarrassing, I’ll be the one to talk to them."

Gu’er didn’t waste any more words on Zheng Daniu.

"Alright. I’ll do as you say."

Lin Shuying nodded. She knew Zheng Daniu was the type to never give up until he hit a dead end. He definitely thought they were just bluffing.

"Uncle Qi, sorry for the trouble. Let’s go."

Gu’er thanked Uncle Qi.

"It’s no trouble at all. Who knows, after you file the suit, we might be the ones coming back for him next time."

Uncle Qi smiled. He understood what Gu’er was doing and played along.

Seeing that they really looked like they were about to leave, a flicker of hesitation crossed Zheng Daniu’s face.

"You useless man, what’s there to be sentimental about? If you really can’t let her go, then fine! I’ll get rid of the baby in my belly! I’ll take the heir of your Zheng family and we’ll all just throw ourselves in the river! That way, when you’re rotting in jail, we won’t be left with no way to survive! Oh, heavens, what crime did I commit to deserve this? I’ve worked so hard to give the Zheng family an heir, and now they won’t even acknowledge me! I don’t want to live anymore!"

Chang Juhua wailed as she plopped down on the ground. She had finally understood the situation. Lin Shuying wanted a divorce. ’This is great!’ she thought. ’If Lin Shuying never comes back, then this house will be mine!’ She was ecstatic. ’If I’d known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have cursed her out. I got slapped several times for nothing.’

Chang Juhua’s wailing made Zheng Daniu even more hesitant. He couldn’t bear to lose Chang Juhua. ’She might not be as pretty as Lin Shuying, but she’s younger and knows how to entice a man,’ he thought. ’More importantly, she’s carrying my child. Zheng Zhongshan is my son, but he doesn’t have long to live. I can’t let my family line die out.’

"Daniu, you’re better off without a wife like that. Nothing like this has ever happened in the Zheng family. Look at what she’s done—leading people to beat her own husband. This is an outrage! In the old days, she would have been burned alive and sent to the eighteenth level of hell. Since she doesn’t want to be with you anymore, then divorce her. But Zhongshan is a child of the Zheng family. Even if he dies, he has to die in the Zheng family home. And Xinghua is also a Zheng. When it’s time for her to marry, the Zheng family will have the final say. Lin Shuying can leave, but those two kids have to come back."

Zheng Fuzi spoke up, his face grim. He was still holding a grudge from when Lin Shuying had disrespected him earlier.

"That’s right, Fuzi’s got a point. Lin Shuying can go back home after the divorce, but Zhongshan and Xinghua must return. We can’t let children of the Zheng family be out there with a woman like that." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Another elder, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, spoke up. As soon as he did, several other old men standing with him nodded in agreement. It seemed they were all elders from the village or the Zheng family.

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Thank you to my dear readers wang2001, Dian Dian Nv Nv, Book Friend 160416224808527, and Book Friend 130709154518578 for the monthly tickets. There will be an extra Chapter tomorrow.