She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

The Tang family really couldn't understand their actions. What did they mean? Did Old Mrs. Xia even want her son to get a divorce?

According to normal people's thinking, they shouldn't want their son to get a divorce, but it's obvious from what she just said and Xia's usual behavior that she's not a normal person.

Tang Jiao ran out, but her husband was ordered to kneel by his mother, who then chased after her.

What does it mean?

Even Chen Xiangnan, who always considered himself smart, was momentarily confused about what his mother meant.

The people in the room were filled with questions.

Tang Jiao stopped after running a short distance. She felt very depressed, and after running for a while, she felt nauseous and her stomach was also uncomfortable.

She thought it was Chen Xiangnan chasing after her, so she closed her eyes and pounded on the ground with her little hammer, saying, "Why are you treating me like this?"

The moment the hammer struck, she felt something was wrong. She opened her eyes in confusion and met the bewildered Old Mrs. Xia's gaze. Startled, she screamed, "Mom? I...I'm sorry."

Grandma Xia rubbed her shoulder, which was a little sore from being hit. Luckily it was her shoulder, which could take a lot of hits. If it had been her nose, she would have had a nosebleed.

"It's alright, it's alright. I made that brat kneel down. Jiaojiao, tell me, what are you thinking? Do you want a divorce?" Old Mrs. Xia asked.

Tang Jiao shook her head. "I don't know either. I feel really sad that Xiang Nan is having an affair with another woman. I was even wondering if I did something wrong that made him want to seek comfort from another woman, or if I'm just a terrible wife?"

“Even after all he’s like this, I still can’t give up on him. When we started dating, everyone in my family was against it. Mom, you also advised me, saying that Xiang Nan wasn’t a good person, but I always felt that I could change him. I don’t know where I got that confidence from, thinking that an ordinary person like me could change someone.”

As Tang Jiao spoke, her lips trembled and tears welled up in her eyes. She was a little sad, but she didn't want to cry in front of Grandma Xia, so she could only sniffle and widen her eyes to try to hold back her tears.

Grandma Xia hugged her, and then heard Tang Jiao choke out, "Mom, I feel like I'm terrible."

"Damn that second son, he's ruined that girl's life!" Old Mrs. Xia felt very uncomfortable hearing those words and tone. At first, she had thought that if her child could study well, and if Old Chen could really treat her well, that would be enough. She didn't have any grand ambitions, just that.

But she tried, and it was no use. She had been married to Old Chen for over twenty years, and in his heart, she was nothing more than a tool—to maintain his reputation, to keep the family harmonious, and to serve the whole family. In the children's hearts, she was also a tool—to get money from them and to be bossed around.

There's not even any familial affection between them sometimes. She's lived with them for so many years and they still can't change it. How can Tang Jiao change it?

Chen Xiangnan and Old Chen are sometimes very similar; they both know exactly how to hurt women and how to make them devote their entire lives to them only to end up with nothing to show for it.

Tang Jiao is not bad, but she shouldn't try to change them. In the Chen family, if you're not selfish, you'll only be exploited; if you don't stand up for yourself, you'll only be bullied, and in a subtle, gradual way.

Tang Jiao grew up in a relatively simple and loving family. She didn't realize that the most terrifying thing is the scheming among relatives. Her lack of vigilance towards her family meant she was destined to suffer losses, and the fact that these losses were finally coming to light at this time was perhaps a good thing for her.

"Jiaojiao, you are a good child, a very good child. You have a positive outlook, are kind, have a good job and a good family. You are a very, very good person. How could you be bad? But when there are bad people, we can't be good people, let alone change them."

It's very difficult to change anyone, even... even dying once doesn't change that. A stupid person can never become smart, and a bad person can never become good. An adult's thinking is often fixed; no matter what they encounter, they'll act according to their past behavior. For them, changing is less appealing than being reborn.

Tang Jiao sobbed, "Sometimes he's really good to me, so gentle, so attentive, so considerate, so..."

Grandma Xia: "Many beautiful illusions are venomous. I once met a man who would buy his wife lots of nice things after doing something wrong to her, as a kind of compensation. Jiaojiao, do you want that kind of compensation?"

Tang Jiao stared blankly at Old Lady Xia, then came to her senses. "Compensation? That's fake love. I don't want it."

Grandma Xia gazed into the distance: "What's the point of something fake?"

Tang Jiao: "So that's why you left there, right? Mom, didn't you say change is hard? Then why did you change?"

Grandma Xia was stunned. Why had she changed? Because in those short six months, she felt as if she had died and been reborn countless times in that family. Each episode of madness was a rebirth, shattering her illusions about her family and allowing her to rediscover her true self.

After thinking for a while, Tang Jiao suddenly said, "Mom, I don't want a divorce."

Grandma Xia sighed, "No one can decide for you whether or not to get a divorce. Just think it through."

Tang Jiao said fiercely, "Mom, you said before that the most terrifying time is when the knife hasn't fallen yet. Xiang Nan is afraid of divorce, and his biggest fear in his second marriage is divorce. I'm hanging this matter over his head like a knife, and then telling him that if he finds out again, he'll get a divorce."

Grandma Xia: "You're still soft-hearted and want to give him another chance."

Tang Jiao remained silent.

Grandma Xia: "What about the child?"

Tang Jiao: "I...want to have the baby. I'll make him write me a guarantee that if we divorce, I'll get custody of the child."

Grandma Xia: "Then why don't you just report him for having illicit relationships? Just arrest him."

Tang Jiao's eyes widened. How could she not have thought of this? It really comes down to Chen Xiangnan's ruthless mother.

Chen Xiangnan had just approached when he heard those words, and he felt the knife hanging over his head become even sharper.

Ha, so this is what a biological mother is like?