Upon hearing this, Fang Zhiyan's brows furrowed tightly. Well, it seemed that after dealing with the younger one, the older generation had come knocking. One after another, they dared to cause trouble at his home, as if his family—comprised only of a widow and her child—was an easy target. Fang Zhiyan let out a cold laugh and hung up the phone.
Beside him, Xu Qiushuang had clearly overheard the conversation. She quickly spoke up, "Maybe you should go back and check on things first?"
"I'm really sorry, Professor Xu. I didn't expect something like this to happen," Fang Zhiyan apologized, his tone regretful.
Xu Qiushuang, however, was understanding. "It's fine. You should hurry back."
Fang Zhiyan nodded. Without hesitation, he grabbed his coat, stepped outside, and hailed a taxi straight home.
When he arrived at the outskirts of the urban village, he could already hear the commotion from afar—someone was wailing and making a scene, the noise carrying for blocks. The shrill cries were grating to the ears, unbearable to listen to!
Frowning, Fang Zhiyan pushed through the crowd of onlookers and spotted an elderly woman standing at the center. Her hair was streaked with white, her face lined with wrinkles, resembling a medieval witch. With snot and tears running down her face, she looked as though she had been grievously wronged.
The moment she saw Fang Zhiyan, Grandma Zhou Dongmei rushed over. She grabbed his clothes and wailed, "Zhiyan, look at these people! They're all mocking me, bullying me, laughing at my misery!"
Fang Zhiyan's frown deepened. He brushed off Zhou Dongmei's hand and asked coldly, "What does this have to do with me?"
"Why are you at my house?"
Hearing this, Zhou Dongmei sighed and immediately began complaining. "We've been waiting for you and your mother to come back. Why won't you return?"
"At the Fang family home, at least you'd have a place to stay and food to eat. All you'd have to do is some chores."
"Who doesn't start with chores when they're young?"
"Are you just going to laze around and wait to die at home?"
Her words were clearly directed at Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu, standing nearby, frowned and was about to speak when Fang Zhiyan cut her off.
"Enough. You're here for money, aren't you?"
"Ah, child, how can you say that?" The moment Fang Zhiyan got straight to the point, Zhou Dongmei stopped her crying.
"No matter what, you and your mother lived under our roof for so long. Now you want a divorce out of the blue."
"Isn't it only fair to ask for some compensation?"
Zhou Dongmei shot Fang Zhiyan a sidelong glance—there wasn't a trace of grandmotherly affection in her eyes. Instead, they were filled with calculation!
But Fang Zhiyan had been waiting for this very demand. As long as his mother could get divorced, he was willing to pay any price!
"Fine. It's not unreasonable. But my father has to come here and finalize the divorce with my mother. Otherwise, I won't give you a single cent," Fang Zhiyan stated coldly.
"Deal! As long as you pay up, the divorce will happen. But you pay first!" Zhou Dongmei interjected, her eyes darting around shrewdly. She held up a finger. "At least three thousand yuan. Otherwise, no divorce!"
Three thousand yuan?
Fang Zhiyan's eyes flashed with anger. In the early 2000s, a resident doctor's monthly salary was only about two to three thousand yuan. As an intern, Fang Zhiyan earned just a thousand a month. Even now, the average monthly income was only around a thousand.
For Zhou Dongmei to demand three thousand wasn't just extortion—it was outright robbery!
Fang Zhiyan couldn't be bothered to argue. "One thousand. Take it or leave it. If not, we'll see you in court."
"By then, the police will drag you away. At your age, you'll be spending your days behind bars."
Zhou Dongmei had little understanding of the law. Fang Zhiyan's words sent a jolt of fear through her. After a long hesitation, she finally agreed. After all, a free thousand yuan was still a thousand yuan.
The Fang family had no real income—none of them worked. A thousand yuan was more than they could hope to scrape together on their own. Getting it for nothing was already a windfall.
"Fine, one thousand it is. But pay up first."
"No. We go to the civil affairs office first," Fang Zhiyan said firmly. "My mother and I will wait for you there."
"Once the divorce is finalized, you'll get the money. Otherwise, expect a court summons."
Without another word, Fang Zhiyan took Jiang Xu's hand and walked away.
Zhou Dongmei panicked. After some frantic deliberation, she turned and hurried home.
Half an hour later, Fang Zhiyan stood outside the civil affairs office, waiting for the belated arrival of the Fang family. Along with Zhou Dongmei and Fang Jianjun, his second uncle, Fang Jianye, had also come.
Fang Jianjun's eyes burned with anger. He glared at Fang Zhiyan before turning his gaze to Jiang Xu.
"Are you really sure about divorcing me?"
"Once you're divorced, you'll be a discarded woman. Who'd want you then?"
"You'd be better off coming back home, cooking, washing clothes, and cleaning. At least you'd have a roof over your head."
Jiang Xu's brows knitted together, while Zhou Dongmei smacked her son's arm.
"Are you stupid? Turning down a thousand yuan?"
Disgust flickered in Fang Zhiyan's eyes.
"Enough talk."
"Once she's free of you, my mother's life will only get better. Hurry up and sign."
"Pay first!" Zhou Dongmei urged from the side.
Fang Zhiyan wasn't in a rush. He pulled out a thousand yuan from his pocket—eight hundred from his grandfather and two hundred saved up by his mother.
This money was the bait to lure Fang Jianjun into signing the divorce papers. To Fang Zhiyan, no sum was too great if it meant freeing his mother from her suffering.
"Sign. The money's right here. It's not going anywhere," Fang Zhiyan said coolly, his tone detached.
Fang Jianjun gritted his teeth and signed the divorce agreement. Only then did Fang Zhiyan toss the money over.
In an instant, the Fang family members scrambled on the ground, snatching at the bills as if afraid the wind would blow them away.
After reviewing the documents, the civil affairs office staff confirmed that both parties were divorcing voluntarily and issued the divorce certificate.
Holding the certificate in her hands, Jiang Xu burst into tears. The mountain that had weighed on her for so many years had finally crumbled.
At last, she could live as a normal person.
Fang Zhiyan exhaled softly and looked at his mother.
"Mom, you're free."
Jiang Xu nodded vigorously.
Fang Zhiyan continued, "From now on, I'll make sure you live a good life. We won't suffer like this anymore."
Overcome with joy, Jiang Xu wept.
Meanwhile, the Fang family members were still scrabbling on the ground for the money.
Fang Zhiyan ignored them and led his mother out of the civil affairs office.
Inside the hall, Zhou Dongmei had managed to gather three bills after much searching. Fang Jianjun held only two.
The remaining five hundred yuan was nowhere to be found.
Zhou Dongmei grew frantic. "Where's the money? Hurry, look! Oldest, second son, quick! There's still five hundred missing!"
Just then, Fang Jianye suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Here it is! I found it!"
"Hand it over," Zhou Dongmei demanded immediately.
But this time, Fang Jianye hesitated. He pulled the money back, eyeing his mother and brother warily.