https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-8-Splitting-the-Household-Part-1-/12811682/
Chapter 7: You Can Only Stay by My Side
Chapter 7: You Can Only Stay by My Side
Jiang Xia had been mentally preparing for this. She had overheard Tian Caihua and Zhou Chenglei’s conversation.
Jiang Xia turned to face him calmly. "Alright."
Zhou Chenglei wasn’t surprised by her quick agreement. Her previous antics were all about trying to get a divorce.
He continued, "My household registration and food rations are still at the military camp and haven't been transferred back yet. We can't get the divorce papers until they are transferred. If you don't want to stay here, I can send you back to your parents' house tomorrow. If you can bear it, we can wait until the divorce papers are processed before you leave."
The last part was purely out of courtesy.
He knew she couldn’t wait to leave tonight.
But until the divorce papers were processed, she was still his wife, and he couldn’t force her to leave, so he gave her a choice.
Jiang Xia thought for a moment. "I’ll wait until we get the divorce papers before I leave."
She didn’t have the original protagonist’s memories, and if she returned to her parents' house now, she might be easily exposed.
Moreover, at this time, ID cards hadn’t been introduced yet, and staying at an inn required an introduction letter, which was quite inconvenient. So, staying at the Zhou family until the divorce papers were processed was the best option.
She needed one or two months to earn some money and buy a house in the village. That way, she would have a place to stay after the divorce, and she could gradually get to know her parents.
Zhou Chenglei gave her a slightly surprised look. Wasn’t she eager to get back to the city?
It seemed that after her fever, she had really changed.
Jiang Xia, aware of his doubts, explained, "My parents won’t agree to our divorce. Once we have the papers, they won’t be able to do anything about it."
There was a basis for her statement.
In the book, the original protagonist’s parents indeed didn’t agree to her divorce. When the protagonist divorced the male lead and returned home, her parents refused to let her in, forcing her to go back to her husband.
Homeless and unwilling to return to her ex-husband, she had no choice but to seek refuge with a violent man, leading to a series of tragic events.
This made sense, and Zhou Chenglei knew that Jiang Xia’s father would never agree to the divorce. He nodded. "Alright."
Despite their familiarity, an awkward silence fell between them.
The air was thick with discomfort.
Zhou Chenglei, seeing that she had nothing else to say, said, "You should get some rest."
"Okay, you too," Jiang Xia replied.
Zhou Chenglei turned and walked out, noticing the basin of dirty clothes by the door. He picked it up and took it outside.
Jiang Xia couldn’t wash clothes, and after they got married, he had always washed her clothes for her.
Jiang Xia was lost in thought and didn’t notice that he had taken her dirty clothes.
Zhou Chenglei went to the courtyard and started washing Jiang Xia’s clothes.
Tian Caihua, after putting her youngest son to bed, came out and saw her brother-in-law washing his wife’s clothes again. She rolled her eyes and, remembering that he had just come from their parents’ room and then gone to Jiang Xia’s room, asked, "Fourth brother, have you talked things over with Jiang Xia?"
"Yes."
"Are you planning to get a divorce? When will you go and get the papers? It’s Friday tomorrow, so you can do it then. If not, you’ll have to wait until Monday."
"We won’t get a divorce for now. My household registration hasn’t been transferred back yet. We can only get the divorce papers once it’s transferred."
Tian Caihua’s face fell a bit.
She knew that when they got married, Zhou Chenglei hadn’t been discharged yet. He had even applied for a transfer, but then he lost hearing in one ear during a mission and had to retire.
"Is she going back to her parents' house tomorrow? You’re getting a divorce, so she can’t just stay here and eat and live for free, right?" Tian Caihua couldn’t stand Jiang Xia and didn’t want to serve that "princess."
Zhou Chenglei paused his actions but still said, "She’ll leave once the divorce papers are processed."
Tian Caihua’s face darkened. "Wait until the papers are processed? How long is that going to take?"
Zhou Chenglei fell silent for a moment, recalling the words of his commanding officer when he had been discharged...
This divorce wouldn't be easy. It might take more than a couple of months. Even if he submitted an application, it likely wouldn't be approved, given that they had just gotten married. This could drag on for half a year or more.
"It might take about half a year."
"What? Half a year? She’s going to stay here and eat for free for half a year? Is that even a divorce? If she stays for half a year, she could have a baby by then!"
The thought of having to serve a wife who did nothing for half a year made Tian Caihua furious.
Zhou Chenglei’s eldest brother, Zhou Chengxin, returned from outside and whispered, "Why are you making such a fuss? When did it become your business to manage the fourth brother's affairs?"
"Do you think I want to? If I don’t have to serve her, you’ll see if I care!" Tian Caihua stormed into the house with a dark face.
She couldn’t take it anymore. How could she endure this for half a year?
Who knew if they would even get divorced by then?
Why should she, a Zhou family daughter-in-law, do all the work while the other one, who couldn’t do anything, did nothing at all?
Zhou Chengxin said to Zhou Chenglei, "Don’t mind your sister-in-law. You and the fourth sister-in-law can decide on your own. She’s just upset because she has to do more work. But even without the fourth sister-in-law, she’d still have to cook. Does it really make a difference whether she makes one more meal or one less? She’s just being troublesome! I’ll have a word with her."
"I understand," Zhou Chenglei replied.
Zhou Chengxin went back to the house to calm his wife, fearing that the commotion would reach their parents and Jiang Xia, making it difficult to resolve.
Zhou Chenglei worked quickly, washing and hanging the clothes in no time.
He had made a decision and was about to go talk to his parents when Jiang Xia came out.
With Tian Caihua shouting so loudly, Jiang Xia couldn’t have missed it. She walked out, seeing that the clothes Zhou Chenglei was hanging were hers, and felt a bit embarrassed. "I’ll move out tomorrow."
Jiang Xia had just sorted through the original owner’s belongings and found over a hundred yuan, enough to stay at a guesthouse for a while, so she wouldn’t be left with nowhere to go.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her. "Let’s talk inside."
They returned to the room, one after the other.
Zhou Chenglei asked directly, "Where do you plan to move?"
She had said she would move out rather than return home, so he guessed she didn’t intend to go back to her parents.
Jiang Xia answered honestly, "To the city, to stay at a guesthouse or hotel. But I’ll need your help to get an introduction letter from the village chief."
Zhou Chenglei frowned. "No need. I plan to split the household. After we split, I’ll move out with you."
Without the divorce certificate, they were still legally married, and it was reasonable for her to stay at home. Moreover, Jiang Xia’s father had helped him a lot. When he first joined the military, he had been under Jiang Xia’s father’s command, who had taught him many things. He couldn’t let Jiang Xia stay at a hotel alone, and he didn’t trust her to be safe there as a single woman.
Jiang Xia looked at him. "If you’re only doing this because I don’t want to go back to my parents, there’s no need. I can stay at a hotel temporarily. Just help me get the introduction letter from the village chief."
She didn’t like owing favors. She could take care of herself, having both hands and a brain.
However, she didn’t have her household registration book, and she didn’t know the village chief, so she had to ask Zhou Chenglei for help.
Zhou Chenglei replied honestly, "It’s not just because of you. We were going to split eventually. My second brother has already split, and my sister-in-law has been complaining about me. I also want to split."
He knew that ever since he had arranged a job for his second brother, his sister-in-law had been unhappy with him.
His sister-in-law was actually causing a fuss about splitting the household.
Splitting sooner would be better, to avoid further conflicts.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia and added firmly, "Before the divorce is finalized, you won’t go back to your parents, and I won’t let you stay at a hotel alone. You’ll stay with me."
(End of Chapter)
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