They had nothing but disdain for the Gu family.
So if there was a better choice, Old Madam Zhang and Zhang Xiaohui would abandon the Gu family without hesitation.
They had married Zhang Xiaohui to the Gu family because they saw that the Gu family’s sons were rich and often sent good things back. Their own family had always been desperately poor, which was why they had chosen Gu Yunshen.
The exceptional times had not yet begun and landlords and background were not such a big deal. The Gu family had always been doctors and were fairly stable. So they allowed Zhang Xiaohui to marry Gu Yunshen.
After all, Zhang Xiaohui was only a daughter. Even if she married someone from a poor background, it would not affect the Zhang family’s status. All they required was for her to bring back good things back from the Gu family.
But as the years passed, they grew increasingly contemptuous of the Gu family.
Gu Yunshen had remained at home to take care of the old folks. The brothers who had moved away had more and more children and they sent fewer and fewer things back. It was completely insufficient to satisfy the Zhang family’s growing appetites.
Zhang Xiaohui was fairly good-looking. In the village, she was considered one of the prettier ones. Also, she had not done very much work during her years in the Gu family, so she was much better-looking than the other women of her age in the brigade.
Old Madam Zhang increasingly felt that it was a pity to have married her pretty daughter to a bumpkin like Gu Yunshen. She gradually realized the advantages of living in the city and was filled with regret that she had not arranged a marriage for Zhang Xiaohui that would allow her to move to the city.
Now that an opportunity like this had arrived, Old Madam Zhang was delighted!
Although the relationships between men and women were governed strictly in these times, people also simultaneously advocated free love and freedom of choice in marriage. Although divorces were not common, they were widely accepted.
So in Zhang Xiaohui’s situation, Old Madam Zhang immediately thought of quickly divorcing Gu Yunshen.
Zhang Xiaohui was delighted to hear her mention divorcing Gu Yunshen. She said, “Mother, I’ll divorce Gu Yunshen. That man is useless. I have not benefited at all from my many years of marriage to him.
“There’s no point going on like that. I want to get married and move to the city, where there are monthly rations of goods and food. Then I will often buy fine grain for you, Mother, and you can eat meat more frequently!”
These were words that Old Madam Zhang loved to hear. She immediately patted Zhang Xiaohui’s hand and said, “You’re so filial!”
Zhang Xiaohui was overjoyed to hear that. She had not been favored when she was young, and had always longed for her parents’ love and attention. Even after she had grown up, she was always thrilled whenever Old Madam Zhang paid her the slightest attention.
She bowed to her parents’ every wish. To her, as long as it made her parents happy, it was her duty to be filial to them, to take care of her older brother, and support her nephews.
Old Madam Zhang said, “Gu Yunshen is away now. You must quickly find a way to get him to return, so that you can divorce him and remarry immediately. That way, the child won’t be affected when it’s born. Right now, no one can tell. When the child is born, you can say it was born a little earlier, so no one will suspect.”
Zhang Xiaohui was very happy. “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll certainly find a way to quickly divorce Gu Yunshen.”
Old Madam Zhang nodded. “Gu Yunshen’s side is easy to deal with because they’re just a bunch of landlords. He won’t dare to disobey. But are you sure that Guozhu will get a divorce and marry you?”
She had been back for so many days. Of course, Old Madam Zhang had found out who Zhang Xiaohui’s man was. Zhang Xiaohui told Old Madam Zhang everything, so Old Madam Zhang already knew that the man was Wang Guozhu.
Her daughter had liked this man previously, and had been together with him before she married Gu Yunshen. Old Madam Zhang had even helped to arrange it!
At that time, she had benefited greatly from Wang Guozhu.