Sweet Wife in a Warm Pet Contract

"mom."

"grandmother."

The father and son addressed the old woman in unison, their gazes softening considerably as they looked at her.

Shen Menghan stepped forward and helped the old man walk towards the sofa. Runqiong gave her a relieved smile, but when she turned to face them, she became stern.

"Zhicheng, your father rarely comes back, why are you arguing? And you, Li Lei, as a father, how can you not have the manners of an elder, arguing with your child?" These two weren't like this before. In the past year, the less they saw each other, the greater the rift between them became, as if there was an insurmountable obstacle.

She asked them privately several times what was going on, but no one was willing to give her an answer.

"Grandma, I didn't argue with him. He's not worth arguing with," Li Zhicheng said dismissively. He was actually happy to be back, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Mom, Zhicheng and I were just talking a little loudly, it's not as serious as you think," Li Lei explained, the father and son not wanting to upset the old lady.

Standing before Runqiong, Li Lei, so young, looked more like a grandmother and grandson than mother and son. Shen Menghan looked at the family of three and felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

"Whether you're really arguing or not, if you dare to make a scene in front of me, I won't let either of you off easily!" Runqiong said domineeringly, and the two men immediately fell silent.

"Li Lei, Xiao Han is your daughter-in-law. You should get to know her better. From now on, we'll be family. If her family has any difficulties, you should help them out. By the way, Xiao Han, if you have time, invite your family out so we can meet, have a meal, and get to know each other properly. Otherwise, it would be so awkward if we bumped into each other on the street and didn't recognize each other."

"Grandma, have you forgotten? I told you last time that they don't want Xicheng, they're in other places." Shen Menghan said softly. Her mother and grandmother can't come to Xicheng, she can't possibly take them back to the mountains, can she?

Grandma is getting on in years, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle the bumpy ride.

"Then we can go to other provinces to find them and do some sightseeing while we're at it?" Runqiong was very interested. She usually had nothing to do, and she didn't want to miss out on anything that came up.

"Grandma, don't rush things. Let's wait for them to come back." Li Zhicheng helped to smooth things over. Luckily, he hadn't inherited his grandmother's temperament, otherwise, how could he have remained calm?

"Xiaohan, what's your mother's name?"

Li Lei stared at her again, seemingly very persistent about the question.

"Mr. Li, you wouldn't recognize me even if I told you. Let's wait until we have a chance to meet in the future."

Shen Menghan instinctively refused. She didn't want to expose her mother to others, and she wanted to preserve some dignity for her family before she agreed to her relationship with Li Zhicheng.

Li Lei seemed conflicted. He turned to look at his son, but Li Zhicheng completely ignored him and wouldn't help him.

"Okay, let's have a happy family meal together tonight. Li Lei, call your wife over."

"Mom, let her eat in that room." Li Lei had no intention of looking for Lu Fen. Apart from his mother, no one else knew that he had returned. He had also walked very quickly when he entered the room, so he guessed that no one had seen him.

"Aren't you still husband and wife? Since you're still husband and wife, don't stare at each other all day long. Don't tell me you're getting a divorce at your age."

Runqiong's words were sharp; she seemed to see through her son's thoughts. Although she didn't like Lu Fen, more than twenty years had passed, and her son should have let go of it long ago. If he was still persistent, she would feel bad too. If she hadn't insisted on standing by his side back then, her son probably wouldn't have been so depressed all this time.

"Let's get a divorce, I insist."

Li Zhicheng readily agreed that he was already an adult, and his parents' divorce had no impact on him. He said that they were not happy together, so it was better for them to divorce and set each other free.

"Mom, don't overthink it. We're not divorced yet." Li Lei wanted a divorce and had been planning to for a long time, but Lu Fen always disagreed. He only started living separately later, but she kept dragging it out. He didn't understand. She knew he didn't love her and his heart wasn't with her, yet she persisted for over twenty years, watching over him like a surveillance camera. Wasn't she tired?

"So that means you'll divorce in the future? Li Lei, even if Lu Fen didn't do well, she's been with you for almost thirty years. Don't forget her contributions." Runqiong spoke up for her from a woman's perspective.

If Lufen were here, she would have said something else entirely, and she didn't want her to know that she actually felt deep sympathy for Lufen.

"Mom, Zhicheng has grown up. Can I have the right to make my own choices?" Li Lei didn't want to bring up these unhappy things every time they met. He had been suppressing these feelings for decades. Couldn't he just let him catch his breath?

“You have your own, but you also have to consider others. Sigh, if you were in your twenties, Mom wouldn’t stop you.”

“I can still have my own happiness again, Zhicheng. Dad was selfish, you weren’t wrong to scold me. I just hope that one day you can understand Dad’s predicament.”

He didn't expose Lu Fen's disgusting deeds from back then because he wanted to leave her with a good impression. Even if the two of them really had a falling out, he wouldn't take her to court. Lu Fen was a woman, and in their eyes, she was the weaker one.

Mom is right. Over the years, he's not the only one who's suffered. His marriage to Lu Fen was practically in name only, and she's also endured a lot of torment. But she was the one who chose this path, and her responsibility is greater than his. She has no reason to cry and profess her love to him all the time.

Shen Menghan stood up and went to pour them water, as they must be thirsty from talking so much.

Moreover, she didn't want to get involved in these things.

"You want to remarry? Don't you see that Zhicheng is already married? How will your second wife and Xiaohan get along in the future?" Runqiong already had a thought: what if her son marries someone the same age as Xiaohan? Wouldn't that be awkward?

"Mom, I won't remarry easily. Zhicheng, I won't come back to live here and disturb your time together. I'll come back if you need my help."

She won't find him easily, and even if she does, she doesn't know if he's married or if they can get back together.

With so many uncertainties, he could only make plans, not comprehensive arrangements.

“If you really want to get married, I won’t stop you. If you still consider this your home, then come back more often. Mom, if you two really get divorced, what do you plan to do? Make her leave the Li family?” Li Zhicheng laid the issues out on the table, not wanting too many disputes later.

"Who agreed to his divorce? Who said he wanted a divorce? Unless I die, no one can break up my family!"

Lu Fen's sharp voice rang out. She called Li Meili to pay attention to this side. When she saw Li Lei return, she rushed over without stopping. After hearing their conversation, she was so angry that her face turned green.