Chapter 7 - 7 Chapter 7: You Brought This upon Yourself (1/2)

7 Chapter 7: You Brought This upon Yourself

Translator: 549690339

On this point alone, he couldn’t go back on his own word and let his daughter-in-law be bullied at home, or else, how could he face the in-laws with any dignity? Besides, everyone in the village knew that his youngest son had married such a good daughter-in-law—beautiful and well-born at that. Bragging to others now came with newfound confidence, and the villagers accorded him much more respect than before. With these two factors in mind, he would never allow anyone to bully his fourth daughter-in-law. If she were truly driven away, who could restore his current glory?

Old Man Han didn’t doubt Su Wenyue’s intentions at all. The fourth daughter-in-law had even brought up divorce, which indicated just how upset she was. Any daughter-in-law would have been angry if she’d been treated that way during the Tea ceremony. The eldest daughter-in-law was always trouble, enjoying causing conflicts, and with the third daughter-in-law egging her on, neither were up to any good. The second daughter-in-law was less trouble, but simply too honest and couldn’t express her thoughts forcefully.

Old Man Han might not involve himself in household matters ordinarily, but he was well aware of what was happening. It was only that his wife couldn’t see what kind of person the third daughter-in-law was. Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Wang, seeing their father-in-law as spineless and hands-off, hadn’t restrained themselves much in front of Old Man Han. But no matter how weak and disengaged he might have been, Old Man Han was, after all, the head of the family. He often indulged Mrs. Yang, avoiding becoming involved in these petty family issues, but outside the house, he was never one to be easily pushed around or bullied.

With a grimace, Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Wang thought, what did they mean by Su Wenyue being the most valued daughter-in-law of the Han Family? What did that make them? Weren’t they also daughters-in-law? Could it be just because Su Wenyue had a better family background, she was considered superior? That was too unfair.

However, no matter how resentful they felt inside, they didn’t dare to voice any more complaints, not when they had heard Su Wenyue mention divorce. If the fourth son and his wife were truly driven to divorce, would their parents-in-law let them off? Moreover, while their father-in-law usually kept silent, when he did speak, it was something even Mrs. Yang, their mother-in-law, dared not contradict. They didn’t dare court that kind of trouble.

Han Yu’s face remained stern throughout. He took to heart how easily Su Wenyue mentioned divorce. Although he had reservations which prevented him from speaking up for Su Wenyue in front of his parents and sister-in-law, the fact that she could so readily suggest divorce showed she didn’t hold much regard for her husband.

Su Wenyue didn’t truly desire a divorce, after all, things hadn’t reached that stage yet. Although she was disheartened by Han Yu’s behavior, how much affection could develop between two strangers who had only spent one night together? Moreover, even if she desired divorce, her father and mother would likely not agree to it.

Having married into the Han Family, in this era, a girl who was divorced or cast aside would struggle to find a reputable husband’s family again. Life would be quite difficult. Furthermore, given her poor performance earlier, her father and mother might even misconstrue it as her acting willfully, likely not taking her side in the matter.

“Alright, now that everything is clear and the head of the household has spoken, the eldest daughter-in-law and third daughter-in-law should apologize to the fourth daughter-in-law, and let’s put this matter to rest. The fourth daughter-in-law should also refrain from lightly tossing out words about divorce. Having married into the Han Family, you are now a member of our old Han family. Is there anything we can’t discuss amicably?”

Knowing she had earlier listened to the third daughter-in-law without immediately making her stance clear, Mrs. Yang understood it was natural for the fourth daughter-in-law to have some thoughts about it. Yet, the authority of a mother-in-law still needed to be upheld. So while she reprimanded Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Wang, she also gave Su Wenyue a few pointed words. The fact that the fourth daughter-in-law could speak as she did suggested that her heart hadn’t yet settled down to fully accept herself as part of the Han family.