In the east wing, Lin Lan was about to ask Erwang to bring Dawang and Sanwang back, but the two children rushed back like scurrying mice as if their tails had been trampled on. Then, they stood beside her as if they were the commanding officers of the law, eager to protect her.
Immediately afterwards, the light at the door dimmed and someone came in from outside.
Han Qingsong was too tall and the lintel was short, so he could only walk in with his shoulders lowered.
Carrying a huge backpack, he was tall and lean with muscle. When he stood in the dimly lit area, the whole room suddenly seemed to be even more cramped.
Lin Lan suddenly felt the pressure of his presence. The person standing there made her feel very oppressed as the place she was struck at felt particularly painful.
She said to the children, “Your father is back, why haven’t you greeted him?”
Erwang greeted him with one word, ‘father’.
Xiaowang didn’t say anything but his nerves skyrocketed and Maisui remained pouting.
Lin Lan saw that his figure was a little stiff and she suddenly gained a bit of confidence. Pretending to be relaxed, she spoke, “Grandpa asked you to annul me? This is the New Republic of China, not the old feudal, so it is impossible for you to annul me(1). Divorce at most is what we can do. Since you want to divorce me, we have to make it clear. Let the children choose who they want to stay with from now on…”
(T/N: Divorcing is the act of ending the marriage, but annulment would be as if the marriage never existed in the first place. It’s important because annulments would have less issues to deal with— financially cheaper, property-division is nonexistent and overall, not considered a legal marriage. )
“Mom!” The three children shouted.
Xiaowang got up quickly and put his arms around Lin Lan’s arm, “I want mom.” Although he didn’t understand what divorce was, the fact that he would follow his mother would not change.
Maisui and Erwang also hesitated before they said that they would follow their mother. Grandma treats them badly, so if mother leaves and father finds a stepmother, would they still have a good outcome in this family
Many of their friends in the village have stepmothers, so they knew exactly what their future lives would be.
As for her, she couldn’t even think about it.
Lin Lan patted their heads, motioning for them to calm down before she asked Xiaowang to lie down and put a cool towel over his forehead.
She looked at Han Qingsong who was standing at the door, but his expression was even more sharp and oppressive.
She felt a little uncomfortable, causing her to move her body and change her angle of perception. She was no longer looking directly into his eyes as she gazed at his chin.
His expression was cold and his chin was particularly tense.
“If we get divorced, you have to provide us with alimony. Not only would it be entitled to the children, but I have to have a share of that as well.”
Han Qingsong remained silent as his frame was shielded by the dark. However, he soon started to walk towards her.
He wouldn’t hit me, right?
Although Lin Lan was sure that he wouldn’t raise a hand against women based on his personality that was written in the book, when he approached, she felt an invisible chill of cold air rushing towards her, forcing her to fidget involuntarily.
Han Qingsong walked closer as he raised his hand and put his backpack on the kang.
Erwang and Maisui immediately stared at the backpack—there was a horde of delicious food in it!
The house was not big to begin with, so logically, the kang was even smaller.
Xiaowang was lying in the middle as she stood in front of the kang to take care of him. But when he came towards her, the narrow room seemed to make it even harder for her to breathe.
Just as Lin Lan was about to make an excuse to go out for a walk, he suddenly leaned over, making her back away hurriedly. His masculine hormones drowned her like a river and the impact was still too great for Lin Lan.
Although they were husband and wife, he was a stranger to her.
Han Qingsong took off the towel and looked at Xiaowang’s forehead. His voice was slightly soft as he spoke, “How did you end up ?”