Chapter 6: A Perfect Match by Nature

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Tian’er pinned Chen Yunchao beneath her, gazing down at his face, and for a fleeting moment, her thoughts blurred. Chen Yunchao’s features bore a certain resemblance to Chen Hao’an’s. From a distance, watching Chen Yunchao dash toward her through the snow, it felt just like when Chen Hao’an had walked toward her during their skiing trip in Switzerland.

“Hmph, what else do you have to say?”

The biting wind made speaking difficult; Tian’er kept it brief.

“I don’t agree to divorce. Don’t even think you can leave me to be with An Changlin.”

Chen Yunchao reached out to grab Tian’er’s hand, but she immediately shrugged him off.

“Whether we divorce isn’t up to you alone. And as for how I live after divorce, that’s none of your concern.”

She opened her mouth, and the cold wind blew straight into her stomach. Turning her back, Tian’er avoided the water outlet. Chen Yunchao faced her, his face dark with anger.

“Fine, if I can’t decide alone, then let’s go together to your parents.”

Knowing Chen Yunchao’s relationship with his in-laws, he was certain they would side with him. Besides, he had already come to complain to them once today; coming again would only bring their daughter more scolding.

“Let’s go then.”

To divorce Chen Yunchao, Tian’er had to get past her parents first. Today, she had to make them see how their so-called ideal son-in-law truly treated their daughter—and how their beloved daughter-in-law treated their daughter.

Tian’er walked into the courtyard, Chen Yunchao close behind.

At the door, Chen Yunchao was quick to grasp the shiny chrome handle.

The sudden cold sent an involuntary grimace across his face. Tian’er slipped inside; as Chen Yunchao released the handle, he felt his palm stick slightly. Looking down, it seemed as if the icy handle had peeled a thin layer of skin off his palm. Entering the house, a sharp burning pain followed.

“Ah, Yunchao’s here!”

Tian’er’s parents greeted their son-in-law warmly as always, but treated their daughter with indifference.

Chen Yunchao couldn’t help but feel a bit proud, casting a meaningful smile at Tian’er. The message was clear: don’t think about divorcing; if it happens, it will be on my terms.

“Hurry inside and get ready to eat. Today, there’s meat and bone soup stewed with sauerkraut.”

Neither her father nor mother suspected the true reason for their sudden visit. Her mother busied herself setting the table, while her father carried the kettle to warm water for washing hands.

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Being able to eat a hot, fragrant meal without having to cook was naturally a welcome relief for Tian’er, who hadn’t had a proper meal in days.

Her mother kept adding dishes to Chen Yunchao’s bowl, worried her son-in-law might feel embarrassed to serve himself.

Chen Yunchao behaved like a demure bridegroom, politely holding his bowl and eating slowly. Each time her mother offered him more food, he would cradle the bowl with both hands, nodding respectfully with a smile, saying, “That’s enough, that’s enough.”

Tian’er felt that Chen Yunchao was truly the family’s own child, while she had been forgotten by her parents. But this feeling didn’t stop her from eating heartily and sipping the soup with relish.

“How’s your elder brother’s family?”

Eating silently seemed rude, so Chen Yunchao made small talk.

“They’re fine. They work in the county and don’t have time to come home. Now, only the two of us are left here. After the New Year, your father will retire.”

Her mother looked up at her husband with a smile.

“Ah, Dad’s retiring so soon? Is there anyone suitable in the village to take over?”

Chen Yunchao knew a bit about Xiao Wu Village.

The village was remote and poor in natural resources, with most farmland on the hillsides. Every year, villagers barely produced enough grain for themselves, and there were plenty of bachelors. Few families could afford to eat meat even once a year.

“I’m old and can’t keep up with the times. Holding onto the position doesn’t contribute much. It’s best to let the young take over. If not, the county leaders might send an official to manage the village. Since the reform and opening up, other villages have improved, but ours remains stagnant. I’m embarrassed; every time I attend meetings in the county, I feel like there’s a nail under me…”

Having served as village head for over twenty years, her father sighed deeply when recalling the past.

Previously, Chen Yunchao and his father-in-law’s conversations were mere formalities, but today he listened attentively. Working in agricultural technology at the county level, he had some understanding of the villages.

Though his father-in-law spoke of stepping down to let the young take over, it was really because he had no achievements and felt ashamed to continue. In the current era of reform, results mattered. Officials who couldn’t improve villagers’ lives were not good officials.

Chen Yunchao agreed wholeheartedly. After pondering, he suggested planting fruit trees and raising mountain chickens to develop side businesses for the villagers.

Before he could finish, her father shook his head repeatedly. The village wasn’t ready for side businesses; if they were to try, it would have to wait for the new leader’s arrival.

Her father was determined to retire, and Chen Yunchao refrained from further suggestions.

After dinner, her mother brought out a basin of frozen autumn pears. She smashed one open with an iron spatula and handed it to Chen Yunchao.

“I remember you loved frozen autumn pears as a child. These are New Year’s goods prepared in advance; today, you get to try two first.”

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Being shown such kindness by his mother-in-law, Chen Yunchao couldn’t help but swell with pride.

“You eat one too. When you were little, you chipped your front tooth gnawing on frozen pears. Ever since, you’ve been afraid of them. Luckily, you were just losing your baby teeth then; it would have been awful if your permanent front tooth had broken off. Even with a gold crown, it looks hideous.”

Her mother laughed, reminiscing about her daughter’s childhood embarrassment, while Tian’er frowned.

“Mom, Dad, I want a divorce from Chen Yunchao.”

Tian’er’s words were drowned out by the voices of her parents and Chen Yunchao; perhaps they didn’t hear, or if Chen Yunchao did, he deliberately spoke louder to her father.

He was confident—he could keep chatting with them tirelessly.

Tian’er picked up a pitch-black frozen pear, noticing it was soft to the touch, wondering how it had chipped her sister’s front tooth. Taking another bite, the sweet and tart juice flooded her mouth, an indescribable pleasure. The pear’s flesh was coarse like sand, yet deeply satisfying.

Appearances were deceiving; it seemed even better than fragrant or crystal pears.

She leisurely ate two frozen pears, and the conversation between Chen Yunchao and her parents came to an end.

“I want a divorce from Chen Yunchao.”

Tian’er spoke each word clearly and crisply.

Her mother, father, and Chen Yunchao all turned their eyes to her.

“I want a divorce. I won’t endure this anymore. I have no feelings for him, and he doesn’t love me. Dragging this out will only delay him from having children to continue the Chen family line. Otherwise, he’ll become the unfilial grandson his mother despises.”

“Taohua, what are you saying?”

Her father spat out the half-burned tobacco from his long pipe, glaring angrily.

“Taohua, don’t say such things. You don’t even know—when you were seven or eight, Yunchao said he would marry you when he grew up. Like in the stories, you two are childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven.”