"Thinking the man had been kicked awake by her, Lu Xiaoting simply turned over, and Susu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day, the siblings from the Lu Family got up early.
Lu Xiaomei happily carried her things on her way to the county middle school.
Lu Xiaoting, on the other hand, took the earliest bus back to his job in the Provincial City.
The Lu household returned to its usual calm.
After the family had breakfast, Father Lu rode his bicycle to work at the textile factory as usual, and the three women waited for the vegetables to arrive before starting to sort out the marinated dishes.
Susu looked at Little Baldy bustling around the yard, laughing so hard her stomach hurt.
Who knew how Lu Xiaoting managed to shave it, Little Baldy's head was so shiny it reflected light.
Xiao Yu touched his own little head in confusion, "Aunt?"
"It's nothing, let Auntie touch it."
Susu unabashedly rubbed Little Baldy's head, pleased with the sensation, and gave a solemn thumbs-up, "Hmm, not bad at all. Xiao Yu, you can just wipe your head when you wash your face every day, no need to use extra water to wash your hair."
Xiao Yu, taking her seriously, nodded, indicating that he would do just that in the evening.
Seeing the two of them, Mrs. Lu laughed until she had tears in her eyes.
Textile Factory
Perhaps seeing their own business doing so well, the three women upon arrival noticed two more street vendors had set up shop at the entrance.
One sold stir-fried vegetable buns and the other sold dumplings.
Mrs. Lu tugged at her daughter-in-law's sleeve and gestured with her lips towards the two vendors, "Susu, look, they both sell food as well. Won't that affect our business?"
Susu reassured her nervous mother-in-law and Xiao Yu, "It will have some impact, but as long as our marinated goods taste good, it won't affect us too much."
"So, should we make less tomorrow? If we can't sell it all, that would be a loss," Mrs. Lu was still worried.
"Mom, you don't have to worry, don't you have faith in our marinades?"
Susu said with a smile, patting her mother-in-law's arm, "And this county is so big, are we really worried about not selling out?"
"Right, right, I'll listen to you."
As workers from the textile factory started coming out, the other two vendors began to shout out their wares, which did draw quite a few people over.
However, there were still many people who came to buy marinades from them.
Because those two vendors' food was cheaper than their marinades, the usually quick-selling marinades did sell at a slower pace today.
"Boss, give me one jin of vegetarian dishes and one jin of meat dishes," a regular customer with a bob hair chuckled as she handed over her food container, joking, "Looks like the boss has got some competition now."
"Alright, big sister," Susu swiftly packed the order, "I have confidence in our marinades, we're not afraid."
The bob-haired sister laughed at the jest.
Although the sale was slower than usual today, they still managed to sell out.
The three women quickly packed up their things and headed home. They warmed up the leftover rice from the morning, washed all the pots and pans, and then rested in their rooms.
Without the help of two family members, the three were a bit tired today.
In the afternoon, while waiting for the marinades to cook in the pot, Susu cycled into town for a quick trip.
She bought a jar of malted milk, a packet of brown sugar, and about ten eggs, planning to visit Cousin Su at Uncle Su's house after selling the marinades in the evening.
Susu cycled back with her mother-in-law and Xiao Yu, and as soon as they entered the Family Court of the machinery factory, they heard noisy commotions.
If it hadn't been for the rush to visit someone before heading home, the two women would have likely joined the bustling crowd to see what was happening.
But as they came closer to Uncle Su's house, the noise grew louder, and Susu even felt it sounded familiar."
"Everyone, come and judge for yourselves, what kind of natal family does this? Instead of wishing the young couple well, they're hell-bent on wrecking their marriage, insisting on getting their daughter to divorce."
Susu remembered, wasn't that Old Mrs. Wang? Her expression instantly turned cold, "Mom, it must be the Wang mother and son causing trouble at Uncle Su's house."
"What? That wretched old woman still has the face to cause a scene?"
True enough, Uncle Su's house was surrounded by a throng of people, packed three layers inside and out; it was almost impossible for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to squeeze through.
Susu pushed her bicycle and then heard Aunt Liu Fen's voice.
"You old hag are really insufferably annoying. Why did we take our daughter back? It's because your Wang family doesn't treat her like a human being, always beating and scolding her. Your whole family doesn't have a single good person."
"Pah, you dead old woman, do you think the Old Su Family has no one to stand up for it? What kind of state did you leave my Little Aunt in? I really want to scratch your eyes out!" Sister-in-law He Hong's fiery voice could be heard.
"Not laying a single egg, hitting her is letting her off lightly."
Old Mrs. Su didn't hold back any longer, hocking up a glob of spit on the ground.
Susu parked the bike, holding Xiao Yu, and sneered, "What's this? Do you think you're the Grand Empress Dowager from the feudal era? Still want to beat and scold people? If I remember correctly, we took Xian Yue to the hospital for an examination, and there were no problems with her at all."
"Old lady, here's a suggestion for you, take your son Wang Yong for a check-up. The sooner you find out, the sooner he can get treatment. Who knows, it might just fulfill your dream of holding a grandchild."
The onlookers heard this and started whispering among themselves.
"Exactly, the hospital already said there was nothing wrong. It could very well be her son who's infertile."
"That's right, after all this fuss, it turns out her own son is the problem."
...
"What are you all blabbering on about? Watch it, or I'll tear your mouths apart."
Old Mrs. Wang was so angry she was hopping mad, cursing Susu with foul language.
Seeing the old lady getting agitated, Susu couldn't help but smirk instead of being upset.
Mrs. Lu heard the wretched old woman cursing her daughter-in-law and immediately got inflamed, putting her hands on her hips and starting to curse back.
Xiao Yu was also so angry that his little face turned red. If he hadn't been held by Susu, he might've charged right at her.
"Big bully, scolding Auntie, Xiao Yu is going to hit you."
Susu looked affectionately at the little guy and her mother-in-law's actions, teasingly watching Old Mrs. Wang who was nearly fainting from anger.
"Oh my, have the heavens abandoned us? The whole Old Su Family is bullying us, a poor mother and her son... I can't go on living like this..."
Wang Yong saw his own mother driven to the ground, glared at Su Xianyue with bloodshot eyes, and protested bitterly, "Your whole family bullying my mother like this, are you happy now?"
Su Xianyue's face was streaked with tears, shaking her head in disappointment, "How were you and your mother beating and scolding me all the time? Don't you remember at all?"
Wang Yong frowned, looking disillusioned, "Wasn't that just because you can't have kids? Mother wasn't happy because of that. If you could have had them, there wouldn't have been all these issues."
Susu put her hands on her hips, really wanting to crack open this man's head and see what color the shit inside was.
Su Xianyue, looking at her family standing up for her, seemed to make her decision firmly, clenching her fists tight, one word at a time.
"Let's—get—divorced."
Aunt Liu Fen hugged her own daughter with tears in her eyes, full of heartache.
"Divorce! Right away!"
The previously feigning feebleness Old Mrs. Wang instantly sprang up from the ground, jumping up and down shouting, "Divorce, my son let's get a divorce. Once you're divorced, I'll find you a better wife."
...
On the way home, Mrs. Lu kept sighing, heartbroken for her niece's ordeal.
Susu comforted her mother-in-law, "Mom, Xian Yue has finally escaped out of the frying pan, things are bound to get better from now on."
Mrs. Lu sighed, "These days, divorced women have a tough time. Don't think just because your sister-in-law and brother's wife haven't said much now, but as time goes on, they are sure to despise Xian Yue."