The 99th Divorce

But she also knew that Shen Zhilie was a stubborn mule. Just how was she going to convince him?

This problem was beginning to drive Old Mrs. Shen nuts. She stared at her grandson’s bedroom door and stomped her foot in exasperation.

Shen Longyue saw how his mother was behaving and stepped forward to persuade her. “Mom,” he said. “Our children’s lives are their own to lead. As elders, we shouldn’t interfere too much.”

“I’m doing this for his own good! When have I ever harmed anyone from our family?” Old Mrs. Shen yelled in panic.

Shen Longyue didn’t say anything more. He tugged her along and said, “All right. It’s time to go to bed. The children need to sleep, too.”

“But…”

“Come on.”

Old Mrs. Shen had nothing to say in reply. She grudgingly walked off, turning back every three steps to look at Shen Zhilie’s door. Nevertheless, she finally made it back to her room.

Shen Longyue walked back to the couch. Mrs. Shen and Nanny He were already seated there. When she saw Shen Longyue approach, Mrs. Shen said, “It doesn’t look to me like this child will have a short life. Although I don’t understand how these things work, it’s pretty obvious that this lady has a face that signifies fortune. Her philtrum isn’t short, either. Why does Mom insist she’ll have a short lifespan?”

When Nanny He heard those words, she added in her opinion, “I think so, too. This girl is really mature and thoughtful. Furthermore, didn’t Old Mrs. Shen say that she won’t be able to give birth? Well, she’s pregnant now!”

Shen Longyue took a sip of tea and scoffed. “Do you really believe that? I’m pretty sure that’s something that Zhilie made up on the spot!”

Mrs. Shen honestly had her doubts, too. When she heard her husband voice her suspicions, she grew even more confident of her thoughts. “Why didn’t you say anything, then?” she asked.

“It’s our son’s life. Those decisions are for him to make. As elders, all we should do is support him in his choices.” Shen Longyue put his teacup down. “It’s rare that our son has fallen so deeply for a girl. And personally, I like her too. I feel that it would be inappropriate to let Mom have her way.”

“Exactly! Didn’t she say that Miss Manting would be full of fortune? Ultimately, she ended up being…” Nanny He suddenly realized that her words were inappropriate, and her speech trailed off. But after some thought, she spoke up again. “Having to eke out a living while pregnant and alone in this world is very difficult! How is that fortunate? Miss Manting had such a hard life growing up. Her life was supposed to change for the better upon coming here, but look what happened.”

Shen Longyue lit a cigarette and frowned, but didn’t say anything further.

Mrs. Shen sighed and said, “Perhaps Manting’s fortune just isn’t here yet.”

“She’s already thirty! Almost half her life is already over! If she has to wait any longer, her whole life will be over!”

Nanny He pulled no punches with her words. The whole place grew quiet.

–

In his bedroom, Shen Zhilie pulled Ye Qianqian in and locked the door behind him. The room had been burning with passion moments before, but, after the ruckus, the mood had disappeared.

Ye Qianqian held her belly and asked, “When did I get pregnant?”

“Starting now.” Shen Zhilie sat on the bed and said, “If you aren’t at the moment, we’ll make a baby. As long as you’re willing to marry me and start a family with me, let’s speed things up. Let’s register our marriage tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is a weekend.”

“We’ll go on Monday, then!”

“I have to go back to Kingstown. My ticket has already been purchased…”

“Have it refunded. We’ll go to the Bureau of Civil Affairs. Take a one day’s leave from work.” Shen Zhilie stood up and hugged her waist. He kissed her on her lips and said, “I’m sorry that you had to go through that just now. I didn’t expect my grandmother to say those things.”

Ye Qianqian smiled humorlessly. “I prepared myself mentally beforehand. Youyou was treated so badly by your grandmother in the past, there was no reason that I’d get a free pass. Now we have it confirmed—it’s not going to be smooth-sailing.”

…