Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 200 Sister Zheng, You Should Get a Divorce

Li mustered up the courage to ask, "Who is it?"

Sister Liu's low voice sounded outside the door: "Madam Li, it's me, Sister Liu."

Li quickly opened the door, but Mrs. Liu and Zheng Sanniang were standing outside.

The two men looked anxious and looked around nervously, then rushed in as soon as the door opened.

Shen Yu was watching from the side and felt that the two people were in a panic, as if they were afraid of being chased by someone.

Mrs. Liu said, "Close the door quickly, so that no one can see us."

Li closed the door and let the two men into her room.

After the two sat down, Li said to Shen Yu, "Go and get the two ladies a glass of water."

Shen Yu agreed and went to the kitchen to pour hot water.

Mrs. Liu stopped her and said, "Miss Yuzhi, please stop busying yourself and help us come up with some ideas."

Jiang said hurriedly, "I'll go get some water, you guys should focus on your work."

Shen Yu stopped and waited for Mrs. Liu to explain her purpose.

Mrs. Liu was a straightforward person. She would chat with Mrs. Li in her free time. She knew that in the Li family, Shen Yu was the backbone and had his own ideas and insights.

She got straight to the point and said, "It's embarrassing to talk about it. My sister is so miserable that she ended up with such a family."

"That bastard Li Changgen took the kids out for a walk, drank some wine, and came back when it was getting dark."

"My mother-in-law heard the noise outside and knew that Li Changgen had returned, so she urged Sanniang to go back and ask her to say a few soft words to ask Li Changgen to change his mind."

"Sanniang had no choice but to go home and beg Li Changgen, but that bastard said that if Sanniang kept nagging, he would sell her to a brothel and get a few more taels of silver."

"Sanniang was so scared that she didn't dare to say anything. She sneaked out while he was asleep and wanted to hide in my house."

"But you all know my mother-in-law's temper. She refused to let Sanniang stay no matter what. She was afraid that Li Changgen would find out and come to our house to make trouble."

"We were in such a hurry that we had nowhere else to go. We had no choice but to shamelessly bring my sister to your house to take shelter."

"Miss Yuzhi, I am sorry to disturb your rest."

Mrs. Liu looked guilty and apologized repeatedly. She watched Shen Yu's face carefully, fearing that she was also unwilling to keep Zheng Sanniang at home.

At this time, Jiang brought in teacups on a tray, placed them on the table, and picked up a pair of scissors to trim the wick on the candlestick. The room suddenly became much brighter.

Shen Yu handed the teacups to Mrs. Liu and Zheng Sanniang. Zheng Sanniang held the cup full of hot water in her hand, but her body was still shaking slightly.

Shen Yu looked at Zheng Sanniang in the candlelight.

At this time, Zheng Sanniang no longer had the good complexion of the past. Her round face had become much thinner, her eyes were blank, and she sat there holding a cup in her hand without saying a word.

Li said hurriedly, "Sanniang is staying here overnight. We haven't slept either. We were just talking about your family's affairs."

Shen Yu said gently, "Sister Liu, you don't have to be like this. It's only natural for neighbors to help each other when they have problems."

"But, Sister Zheng, have you ever thought about this? Hiding like this is not a solution. What are you going to do tomorrow?"

When Mrs. Liu heard that Shen Yu was willing to keep Zheng Sanniang, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

When she heard Shen Yu ask Zheng Sanniang this, she couldn't help but look at Zheng Sanniang: "Yes, sister, you can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever."

Zheng Sanniang lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously stroking the teacup in her hand, as if that was the only thing that could give her warmth.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Shen Yu simply asked directly: "Have you ever thought about divorcing Li Changgen and leaving that house?"

"Divorce?" Zheng Sanniang repeated these two words unconsciously, but she shuddered as if she was suddenly startled, raised her head and looked at Shen Yu anxiously.

Shen Yu nodded and said, "Yes, He Li, why are you still clinging to such a family?"

"You hide like this all night, but you still have to go back tomorrow."

"Are you really willing to be taken to the gambling house by Li Changgen to pay off your gambling debts?"

Zheng Sanniang shook her head desperately and did not react even when the hot water splashed on her hands.

She murmured, "My husband wasn't like this before. He used to be a very good person. Maybe... maybe..."

She couldn't continue speaking, and her tears just rolled down her cheeks, falling into the cup in her hand, splashing a small splash of water before disappearing without a trace.

Shen Yu moved the stool in front of Zheng Sanniang, sat down and advised kindly: "Maybe he was really good before, but that was before he got addicted to gambling."

"Once people get addicted to gambling, how many of them can turn back?"

"I think you'd better divorce him."

Zheng Sanniang asked, "But after the divorce, where should I go? Back to my parents' home?"

"My parents will not be able to hold their heads up if we have a daughter who has been divorced by her husband's family. My brother and sister-in-law will not be happy about this either. Besides, I can't take Xiao Zhuzi away with me."

Mrs. Liu said angrily, "That's better than being sold to a gambling den or a brothel. You are your parents' daughter after all, how can they ignore you?"

Zheng Sanniang said, "Sister, you know that there are many brothers and sisters in my family. If I go back and eat for free, my two sisters-in-law won't tolerate me."

Mrs. Liu thought about it and realized that what she said was true, so she stopped talking helplessly.

Shen Yu said coldly: "If you care about everyone's feelings, you will only be sold to a gambling house or a brothel. You will also be a disgrace to your mother's family and you will never see your son Xiao Zhuzi again."

Zheng Sanniang suddenly asked, "If I can borrow some money to pay off his gambling debts, will everything be better?"

She seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw. She suddenly put the teacup on the table and knelt down in front of Shen Yu.

Zheng Sanniang placed her hands on Shen Yu's knees and looked at her eagerly: "Miss Yuzhi, please lend me twenty taels of silver."

"If I have the silver, my husband won't sell me out, and I won't have to divorce him."

"I know you're a good person. Your family owns such a big shop. Can you, can you..."

Shen Yu sat there awkwardly. When he tried to stand up, Zheng Sanniang held him down so hard that he couldn't move at all.

Mrs. Liu couldn't bear to watch her sister's weak appearance, so she exerted force, lifted her sister up from the ground, and pushed her onto the chair.

She cursed angrily, "You are such a wimp. Even I, your elder sister, look down on you."

"Do you really think that if you lend him twenty taels of silver, your husband will come back?"

"Can I go back to being the old Li Changgen?"

Zheng Sanniang raised her eyes as if sleepwalking, looked at Mrs. Liu, and asked softly, "Is it really impossible?"

Sister Liu said bitterly, "Sanniang, you are not a child anymore. Haven't you seen enough of this kind of thing?"

"Look at those people who go in and out of the gambling house. They lose so much money that they don't even recognize their parents."

"I think Miss Yuzhi is right. You should just divorce him and we can talk about the child later."