Reborn before the famine, kicking away the scumbag's family and living a carefree life.

7. Mom

"Aru, why doesn't Qi Zhengyang want you? What did you do wrong?"

My mother still can't understand. In her mind, once a woman gets married, she's married to a man, and no matter how things go, it's for life. Unless the man doesn't want her anymore and divorces her, then there's nothing she can do. So, if a woman gets divorced, it's like she's been abandoned, which is a lifelong shame. How can she live after that?

"Mom, I didn't do anything wrong. I wanted a divorce. Of course, he wanted a divorce too. We both wanted a divorce, so we got divorced."

Mom wiped away her tears.

"Aru! Can you bear to leave your two children? What will happen when Qi Zhengyang remarries? Who knows what kind of person he'll marry? They're not his biological children, will they treat the children well? The children are so pitiful!"

"Mom, do I get custody of both children?"

Mom was so shocked that her mouth dropped open.

"You can't even support yourself! You have two children, how will you support them?"

"Mom, I have hands and feet, how can I not support myself and my child? According to you, wouldn't all the women whose husbands have died and their children starve to death?"

“Qi Zhengyang is a teacher and a principal. If you leave him, it’s impossible to find someone as capable as him in the future.”

"He's just a little educated, but he doesn't have any real skills."

Liu Yulan looked at her daughter in disbelief.

"Having culture doesn't equate to being capable. So what makes someone capable?"

"Mom, whether a person is good or not, whether he or she is capable or not has nothing to do with whether he or she is educated, but with his or her character and ability."

"Qi Zhengyang may be a bit cold, but he hasn't done anything outrageous! He doesn't smoke or drink, and he doesn't hit women. He also has a high income of thirty yuan a month, which is the best among the men in the village. Do you know how many women envy you? What's wrong with your brain?"

Liu Yulan was so frustrated with her son's lack of progress that she stomped her feet in anger.

"Mom, it's no use saying anything now. I'm already divorced from Qi Zhengyang. It's a fait accompli. I promise you, I'll be a hundred times better off than before. Don't worry!"

"Don't worry, how can I not worry? You'll just have to wait to be pointed at and talked about for the rest of your life!"

"People can say whatever they want. As long as I know whether my shoes are comfortable or not, I'm not going to live for others."

At that moment, Mom realized something.

"Aru, are you still my sensible and obedient daughter? You seem like a completely different person today."

Su Jinru's expression changed, and she quickly covered it up, saying, "Before, I kept enduring it, but now I can't anymore. We're divorced, and I'll be raising two children alone. Of course, I can't be the same as before. My personality has to change. I need to become more assertive and assertive so that I can stand on my own and not be bullied by others."

Before her mother could say anything more, Su Jinru stopped her, saying, "Mom, I've just gotten divorced and need your help and support, so I'll be moving back in temporarily. I'll move out on my own afterward. So, just tell me if you agree to let me come back?"

The mother was heartbroken, but she had realized one thing: her daughter was really divorced, and she had to accept this fact whether she liked it or not.

Liu Yulan had a thousand words in her heart, but she couldn't say them at this moment. If she did, it would seem as if she didn't welcome her daughter back to live with her.

She said helplessly, "You are my daughter. You are divorced and have nowhere to live. If you don't come back to your parents' home, where will you live?"

Seeing her mother's sad and disappointed expression, Su Jinru comforted her.

"Mom, I'm not stupid. I know what's good and bad, and I know to strive for a better life. Divorce is definitely the right choice. You'll see later."

The mother said irritably, "If you're not stupid, then we are! Because what we see is that you've ruined your good life and are dragging our two children down with you to suffer."

Su Jinru realized that she couldn't convince her mother at all, and could only prove herself right with facts in the future.

Arguing with my mom now is pointless.

Su Jinru made an excuse, saying, "Dad, Mom, I need to go back and pack my things, and also bring the two children over."

"These are the sweet potatoes and potatoes I bought from the county town today. Store them separately. Put the potatoes in a dark place and the sweet potatoes in the sand."

As Su Jinru spoke, she was about to walk out when her younger brother, carrying his schoolbag, stepped into the yard.

"Ah Xuan, put down your schoolbag and come to my house with me to help me get my things."

My younger brother, Su Jinxuan, was twelve years old. At that time, rural children had been working since they were young and were already equivalent to half a laborer.

She originally wanted her mother to help, but her mother was still resentful of her decision to divorce on her own initiative, as was her father, so it was most appropriate to ask her younger brother to help.

Su Jinxuan tossed his schoolbag to his mother, "Okay! Big sister, what do you need?"

Su Jinxuan pulled his younger brother along as they walked, saying, "I'm divorced from Teacher Qi. I'm going to get back what's rightfully mine."

"Divorce? Does that mean you and your brother-in-law will no longer be a family and will no longer live together?"

Su Jinru patted her younger brother's head and said with a smile, "Of course! I'll come back and live with you from now on. Would you like that?"

"Of course I'm willing, sister. You've always been part of our family. You got divorced, so isn't it only right that you come back and live with us?"

Su Jinru felt a warmth in her heart. In her previous life, this kind and lovely younger brother starved to death in a famine not long after, because he gave the only food he had to Su Jinru's daughter, An Xin.

An Xin, a four-year-old child, could only cry when she was hungry, crying until she was on the verge of death. The kind-hearted Su Jinxuan could only give An Xin the only food that his family had saved up, while he himself starved to death.

The younger brother was the only boy in the Su family and the hope of the whole family. This was a deep-rooted patriarchal idea in rural areas during the agricultural era. Although the Su family valued boys more than girls, this only boy was the lifeblood of his parents.

With her lifeline gone, her parents' world collapsed. Coupled with the famine, they soon followed. Her parents and younger brother, the three of them, died one after another within a month. Su Jinru vowed never to let such a tragic event happen again in her life.

Su Jinru was lost in memories when Su Jinxuan took her hand and shook it.

"Big sister, why did you divorce your husband?"

"Big sister has her reasons. You're just a kid, there are some things you don't understand. But just remember one thing: you're on big sister's side. No matter what big sister does, you'll support her, right?"

"Of course I support my eldest sister. You are my own eldest sister, and my brother-in-law doesn't even have our surname."

"From now on, you can't call him brother-in-law anymore, you have to call him Teacher Qi."

"Teacher Qi?"

"Yes! Everyone calls him Teacher Qi, so you should call him that too from now on."

Su Jinxuan nodded.

"Okay, from now on, I won't call you brother-in-law anymore, I'll just call you Teacher Qi."