CHAPTER 336: CHAPTER 336: BASTARD TURTLE

In the afternoon, after eating her meal, Mrs. Song was organizing the dead twigs in the courtyard without a second thought. She snapped each twig and laid them in the corner of the courtyard where there was a rain shelter. The firewood, kept there, was not likely to become damp, and even if it rained, it wouldn’t get wet.

"Mom! Busy with something?" Wang Qinghua entered the Song family’s home, holding her little daughter, and called out to Mrs. Song, who was sorting the dead twigs in the courtyard. In the past half a year, it was rare for her to initiate a greeting to her mother-in-law, especially with a smile on her face.

Mrs. Song paused in bending and snapping twigs, turned her head to look at Wang Qinghua, and noticed her complexion wasn’t very good. Clearly, she was tired from taking care of the child in the hospital for the past few days. She initially wanted to say something, but before she could open her mouth, she remembered that the child she was taking care of was not the Song family’s granddaughter but a child of unknown paternity. The little kind thought she had was extinguished by a cold chill, "What are you doing back here?" asked Mrs. Song with a cold tone, yet she did not start with harsh words.

"Mom, what are you talking about? I’m a daughter-in-law of the Song family, this is my home, how could I not come back!" Wang Qinghua, clutching her child, had a guilty expression but spoke with some determination, as if to bolster herself.

Now that she had made up her mind to come back, she was determined not to back down.

"You know what disgraceful thing you’ve done, I don’t want to say more, Wang Qinghua, go ahead and divorce Yuantao! After the divorce, you can go find whoever you want, but Niuniu stays with the Songs, she’s our oldest granddaughter, and we will raise her. As for the child you’re holding, Yuantao said it’s from you and some unknown man outside, so you might as well take her and go wherever you want! Don’t come to my house, sullying my sight," said Mrs. Song. She did not curse but rather kindly advised Wang Qinghua, her words neither harsh nor sparing in expressing her thoughts.

Today, she was supportive of her son’s divorce, otherwise, seeing this child of dubious paternity every day would be too much for her as a mother-in-law.

"What are you saying? Divorce? Why should I divorce, I was born to the Song family, and when I die, I’ll be a ghost of the Song family," retorted Wang Qinghua, glaring at Mrs. Song, her tone steadfast. Then, holding her child, she turned to enter the main room.

Mrs. Song’s brow furrowed upon hearing this, and then she followed Wang Qinghua into the main room.

Inside, Father Song sat in the main seat, smoking his pipe, while Song Yuantao stood to one side, not too far away, his eyes on Wang Qinghua entering the room, his gaze complex and angry.

"Song Yuantao, what’s the matter with you, I told you to borrow money from your brother-in-law for the daughter’s medical treatment, and you haven’t managed to borrow anything." Wang Qinghua glanced at Father Song and Song Yuantao, who seemed ready for her arrival. Ignoring their stern faces, she entered the room and started criticizing Song Yuantao, "You better borrow money quickly. Our daughter hardly ate anything today, did you know?" Wang Qinghua said, cradling her daughter and turning to walk toward her own bedroom from the main room.

"Wang Qinghua, take the child and leave! Tomorrow morning at ten, we’ll go to the County Police Station to process the divorce," Song Yuantao blocked Wang Qinghua as she attempted to move.

"What do you mean?" Wang Qinghua’s eyes reddened as soon as she heard, "Divorce, why do you want to divorce me?"

"You should know exactly what I mean. As for why? Wang Qinghua, I, Song Yuantao, may not be capable or powerful, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a man, nor does it mean I can nonchalantly raise another man’s son. There, are you satisfied now?" Song Yuantao glared at her with anger, honestly speaking, the thought of this humiliation still caused him chest pain.

A green hat! That’s a green hat! It’s truly both ridiculous and tragic.

"Do you know how much I want to strangle her right now?" If it weren’t for the child’s innocence, he would truly be up in arms, "The thought of her being born of some wild man you don’t know, you messing around with other men outside, yet at night you still sleep by my side, Wang Qinghua, how can you be so brazen?" Song Yuantao said, his tone laced with mockery.

"You dare, Song Yuantao, stop talking nonsense," Wang Qinghua righteously blustered upon hearing Song Yuantao wanting to strangle her beloved daughter, "Song Yuantao, I’ll only say this once, she is your daughter, absolutely yours, stop having wild thoughts, we’ve been husband and wife for so many years, don’t you know what kind of person I am? Besides, look at our daughter, her little nose and eyes, how much she resembles you." With firm words, she then slowly began to play the emotional card, using the couple’s past to salvage the broken marriage.

"Wang Qinghua, stop deceiving yourself, whether this child is mine or not, the hospital test results are clear as day, your sophistry is useless, I don’t want to blow this up, after all, we’ve been husband and wife for so many years, I haven’t forgotten the hardships you endured for me in the beginning, I am not a heartless and ungrateful person," Song Yuantao said, taking out 200 yuan from his pocket, "We’ve hardly had any savings over the years, the little we had I spent on my injury, and now I can’t do heavy labor, just enough to scrape by, and I still owe my brother over a thousand yuan I haven’t paid back, but I will settle that debt myself. This 200 yuan is what I owe you, take it and go!" His voice was choked but firm.

When he first married Wang Qinghua, although they were set up, he had always been satisfied with her. Because she didn’t bear a son, and he was worried she’d feel bad about it, even though he wanted a son, he’d always kept that desire hidden. He always thought they would have children eventually, and even when he learned she was unable to bear children, he never considered divorcing her.

But after being cuckolded, he really couldn’t convince himself to keep living with her.

"I don’t want it, Song Yuantao, you heartless beast, do you think you can send me off with just 200 yuan? How will the child and I survive without you, are you trying to drive me to a dead end? Besides, I’ve given birth and toiled for the Song family for so many years, if not for merits then for hard work. On what grounds do you conclude that I’ve been unfaithful and made you wear a green hat? That hospital test could be wrong sometimes too!" Wang Qinghua yelled desperately, her expression twisted.

The thought that Song Yuantao’s intention to divorce was fixed, and seeing the situation become irretrievable, she began to panic ungovernably. No, she must not divorce Song Yuantao. As a thirty-year-old woman, who could she find after divorce? Going back to her parent’s home, she might even be given away to some old widower by her two brothers!