He discreetly sized up Zhou Dayou. Old, short, with pockmarks all over his face. How could such a wretched old man have managed to get himself a wife in the first place?
If he were to stand next to Jiang Chan, it would truly be like a fresh flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.
“Hello, are you Mr. Zhou Dayou? I am Jiang Chan’s lawyer. My client, Ms. Jiang Chan, is formally filing a lawsuit for divorce against you.”
Lawyer He’s words were like a stone thrown into calm waters, instantly stirring up a thousand ripples. The living room erupted into commotion. Zhou Fuquan and Zhou Fugui both froze. Zhou Fugui blurted out, “Dad, who is Jiang Chan?”
There were already outsiders present in the house, and Lawyer He’s arrival had not been low key to begin with. Zhou Dayou’s home instantly became lively. Even Zhang Chuncao and Wang Mei, who had been cooking in the kitchen, came out.
The moment he heard the name Jiang Chan, Zhou Dayou shuddered all over. The smile on his face vanished at once as he stood up unsteadily. “You mean Jiang Chan? She actually wants to divorce me?”
Lawyer He looked at the short, elderly man in front of him, his expression calm and unchanged. “That is correct. My client has entrusted me to handle this divorce case on her behalf. This is the court summons. Please be sure to appear in court on time in one week.”
Zhou Fugui and Zhou Fuquan finally snapped back to their senses after listening for a while. Zhou Fugui hesitated before saying, “Dad, could this Jiang Chan be our mom?”
Zhou Dayou’s face twisted. “Shut up. Our family stopped having this person a long time ago. She wants to divorce me? Why didn’t she come herself? Tell her this. If she doesn’t come in person, I won’t agree!”
Lawyer He had already anticipated this reaction. He was not angry at all and calmly pushed up the glasses on his nose. “My client has provided evidence of your years of domestic violence. This is not something you can refuse simply by disagreeing. The evidence is conclusive.”
He glanced again at Zhou Fugui’s family, who were still dressed fairly well, his gaze briefly lingering on Zhou Xiaobao. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree now. In a few days, you’ll be rushing to agree.”
After delivering this message, Lawyer He placed the divorce agreement on the table, turned around, and left, not taking a single thing with him.
Once he was gone, Zhou Dayou was so furious that his chest rose and fell violently. For so many years, no one had ever dared confront him like that, especially in front of so many people. His dignity had been ripped off and stomped on by that lawyer.
And knowing that the lawyer had been sent by Jiang Chan only made him angrier. Someone he had once looked down on had been gone for over a decade, only to return with a move like this. Divorce? If he really divorced, he would become the first divorced man in this mountain village in decades. He could not afford to lose that face.
Zhang Chuncao and Wang Mei no longer had any mood to cook. The whole family crowded into the living room to talk.
“So she’s suing for divorce. I thought she must have died outside all these years,” Zhang Chuncao said. She barely knew how to read, and she could not recognize the words on the divorce agreement at all.
Zhou Dabao was not a good student either, but he could at least read. He immediately read the divorce agreement aloud. It was a standard divorce agreement, but none of the people present had ever seen anything like it before.
Zhou Fugui had been running shops in the provincial capital for more than ten years and considered himself worldly. “We can’t just let this happen. She hired a lawyer, so we need to hire one too. Without a lawyer, once it goes to court, whatever she says will stand.”
As soon as he spoke, everyone seemed to find their backbone. Zhou Dayou slammed the table. “Fugui, you handle this lawyer business. Make sure the lawyer knows that I absolutely will not divorce. Jiang Chan was born into our family and she’ll die as our family’s ghost!”
He spoke viciously, but Zhou Fugui did not dare agree outright. He and Wang Mei took Zhou Xiaobao and returned to the provincial capital without even eating. Jiang Chan’s sudden move had truly caught them completely unprepared.
They needed to consult a lawyer in the provincial capital no matter what, if only to understand their situation clearly.
After reuniting with Jiang Chan, Lawyer He relayed the reactions of Zhou Dayou’s family to her. Jiang Chan tapped her fingers on the desk, then spoke after a long while. “If I remember correctly, Zhou Fugui runs shops in the provincial capital, right?”
“That’s right. He’s been developing quite well in recent years. He’s opened several branch stores and has more than ten employees under him.”
“Good. Let’s see what they do. If Zhou Dayou refuses to agree, then put pressure on Zhou Fugui’s side. If Zhou Fugui doesn’t want all his assets to collapse, he’ll know what choice to make.”
If it were possible to part peacefully, Jiang Chan did not want to be this ruthless. But that all depended on Zhou Dayou’s attitude. If Zhou Dayou made her unhappy, then none of them would get to be happy.
Lawyer He immediately understood her meaning. In fact, he and Jiang Chan had already been thinking along the same lines. Everything now depended on how the Zhou family responded.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. When the court date arrived and the opposing seats were completely empty, Jiang Chan stood up and revealed a cold smile.
“Director Li? This is Jiang Chan. About that investment proposal you mentioned last time, our company still needs to reconsider it…”
The person on the other end immediately grew anxious. Jiang Chan’s expression remained unchanged. After saying a few more words, she hung up.
Just as she exited the courthouse, she was stopped. The ones blocking her were none other than her two sons, Zhou Fuquan and Zhou Fugui. In truth, they did not really dare stop her. Jiang Chan’s presence was too overwhelming. If not for Lawyer He standing beside her, they would not have dared approach at all.
Zhou Fugui prided himself on being a successful man, yet when facing Jiang Chan, his own mother, he inexplicably felt inferior.
The aggressive words he had prepared turned into, “Mom, where have you been all these years?”
Jiang Chan lifted her eyelids slightly. “Oh? You finally show up now? Looks like your timing is quite precise.”
Being called “Mom” by a man in his forties caused Jiang Chan no discomfort at all. After all, her seniority was unquestionable.
Zhou Fuquan tried to persuade her. “Mom, you and Dad have lived together for so many years. Young couples become companions in old age. After you left all these years, Dad has always talked about you.”
Jiang Chan sneered. “I don’t want to hear this nonsense. Your father didn’t show up at court this morning. That’s fine. We can take our time.”
She glanced at Zhou Fugui. “I hear your business has been doing pretty well these years? Take a guess. If I make it impossible for you to keep doing business, do you think your dad will still refuse to divorce?”
Zhou Fugui frowned. “Mom, please don’t say things like that. Life at home is fine. If you go back, my brother and I would still take care of you as we should. Don’t keep talking about divorce.”
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Thanks for the chapters!