The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Taking Advantage of the Father-in-law’s Selfishness

Han Xiaorui hadn’t planned on leaving in the first place. Her family home was in a poor, mountainous region with inadequate medical care.

Not only were there fewer opportunities to make money back home, but it would also delay her children’s treatment.

After all, her in-laws lived in a fishing village on the outskirts of Shencheng, and Shencheng was a major city with the best, most advanced medical care available.

”Dad, thank you for caring about Pingping and An’an. I’ll agree to the divorce, but I want you and Jianming to not only provide two hundred a month for the children’s living expenses, but also five hundred a month for Pingping and An’an’s treatment.”

”I’ve looked into it. Pingping and An’an have autism. The hospitals here in Shencheng can treat it. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome.”

Yang Zhigang had never finished elementary school and had never heard of autism, but the moment he heard Han Xiaorui say it could be treated, he was willing to spend whatever it took.

”Fine, I agree.” Yang Zhigang earned a lot of money, so he made the decision on the spot.

Yang Jianming was a university teacher, and while the job was respectable, the pay wasn’t high. In contrast, his father owned a large boat and made a lot of money every year!

Hearing his dad agree, and realizing he wouldn’t have to pay, he didn’t object.

Han Xiaorui breathed a sigh of relief and pointed toward the dock to the east of the village. ”Dad, give me that twelve-meter fishing boat, too. Whether I rent it out or use it to fish myself, it’ll be a source of income.”

’I can already feel the familiar surge of my Water Ability. Since I’m by the sea, of course I’m going to fish!’

When Zhang Xiufang heard this, she flew into a rage. ”Han Xiaorui, don’t push your luck! We’re giving you the house and seven hundred a month—that’s more than a dual-income household makes! And you’re still not satisfied?”

”Besides, you’re a woman who doesn’t know how to operate it. What’s the use of a fishing boat to you?”

Even though it was just a twelve-meter fishing boat, it was still worth twenty thousand!

Han Xiaorui didn’t explain. She just looked steadily at her father-in-law, Yang Zhigang.

Yang Zhigang thought for a moment, then nodded. ”Fine, you can have the boat too. But I have one condition: you can’t leave Jinshan Bay before Pingping and An’an are grown up.”

At this, Yang Jianming’s eyes lit up as he heard his father’s words and glanced at Han Xiaorui.

’If that’s the case, maybe I can have the best of both worlds?’

Han Xiaorui feigned hesitation, but inwardly she didn’t mind the request at all.

This three-story villa in the seaside fishing village was 460 square meters, with a large yard of over 500 square meters.

Yang Zhigang had used high-quality materials when he built the new house for his son’s wedding, and it was worth a hundred thousand even now.

In addition, the house was located at the very edge of the fishing village, right next to a hill. This included nearly two acres of mountain land planted with fruit trees.

The lease was for fifty years, and her father-in-law had already paid the leasing fee in full.

Han Xiaorui pretended to make a difficult decision. ”Dad, I promise I won’t leave Jinshan Bay before the children turn eighteen.”

”However, I have a request of my own. The leased hill next to my house has to be given to me as well. And in the future, if I meet someone suitable and want to remarry, you can’t stop me.”

The moment Yang Jianming heard Han Xiaorui mention remarrying, he grew displeased. ”Han Xiaorui, don’t be too greedy.”

Han Xiaorui shot Yang Jianming a sideways glance and scoffed. ”What? Did you really expect me to stay single for you? Stop daydreaming!”

”I didn’t even finish college before you tricked me into bed. I got pregnant and couldn’t go back. I got with you, had kids at nineteen, and now the children are three and a half. I’m only twenty-two.”

”If you had died, for the sake of your parents and our children, I would have remained a widow for you. That would have been a worthy tribute to the fact that I married you from a thousand miles away.”

”But you, Yang Jianming, cheated and are divorcing me. I’m not a widow. You’re the one who has wronged me and the children. I, Han Xiaorui, gave birth to these two children. I will raise them, get them treatment, and teach them how to be good people.”

”The reason Dad asked me not to leave here before Pingping and An’an are adults is that he cares about his granddaughters, and I’m very grateful for that. I promise you right here, Dad, that even if I remarry in the future, the house, the boat, and the land will all go to the two children.”

Zhang Xiufang started to speak again, but Yang Zhigang stopped her. ”Xiao Rui, you’re right. I was being selfish. I just want to watch Pingping and An’an grow up.”

”If you’re close by and the three of you run into trouble here in Jinshan Bay, with my reputation, I can still help you out.”

”If you were to leave and go somewhere else, I wouldn’t be able to help you. Xiao Rui, I only ask one thing of you: take good care of Pingping and An’an. Jianming is unreliable. I’ve beaten him and scolded him, but nothing works.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui felt a deep sense of gratitude toward her reasonable father-in-law, Yang Zhigang.

”Dad, I promise.” Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Let’s transfer the house, the boat, and the lease contract for the hill today. I’ll write up the divorce agreement, we’ll both sign it, and then we can get the divorce certificate.”

The divorce agreement also stipulated that all these family assets would go to their two daughters in the future.

Even though her mother-in-law was displeased, her father-in-law, Yang Zhigang, was resolute in his agreement.

After all, these things would end up with his granddaughters, not in some outsider’s hands.

They had a simple lunch while the children slept in their room.

Yang Zhigang, doting on his two granddaughters, stayed at home with them.

Yang Jianming drove Han Xiaorui on his motorcycle to the housing authority to transfer the deed to the house, and to the port authority to transfer the ownership of the fishing boat.

That evening, Yang Zhigang took Han Xiaorui and Yang Jianming to the village office to transfer the lease contract to Han Xiaorui.

That very night, Han Xiaorui packed Yang Jianming’s clothes and belongings into a suitcase and threw it out the main gate.

”Since we’re getting a divorce, there’s no need for us to live together anymore.”

Right in front of Yang Jianming, she shut the gate and locked it from the inside.

Yang Jianming stared at the closed gate, then at the luggage thrown on the ground, a bitter taste in his mouth.

Before, when Han Xiaorui had been kicking and screaming, refusing to divorce, he had been annoyed.

Now that she showed no lingering attachment, made such outrageous demands, and agreed to the divorce so readily, he felt incredibly displeased.

’It’s as if I’m not important to her at all.’

If Han Xiaorui knew what Yang Jianming was thinking right now, she would probably spit in his face.

’A cheating scumbag isn’t worth as much as a house and money, is he?’

Han Xiaorui turned away without any hesitation.

She had already cultivated a powerful ability to block things out.

’It would be wrong of me to waste even a single extra glance on any person or thing that drains my energy.’

Her time was precious; she needed to spend it on her children and herself.

A smile on her face, she used a flashlight to carefully check that all the doors and windows of the house, front and back, were shut tight.

Returning to the bedroom, she saw Pingping and An’an fast asleep, their little faces chubby, and a gentle smile touched her lips.

She leaned down to stroke her children’s foreheads, turned off the light, and lay down on the bed.

Just as Han Xiaorui settled into bed, she reached out to cover her daughters with the blanket.

Perhaps sensing their mother’s presence, Pingping and An’an snuggled closer to her side like little piglets.

It was as if being near their mother was more comfortable and made them feel more secure.

Han Xiaorui lay in bed, completely relaxed, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

’This is truly wonderful!’