CHAPTER 15.2
Shen Haiyang’s health had not recovered yet, so Li Xia did not mention these messy things. After sending him to the hospital the next day and asking the doctor to issue a certificate, she turned around and left for the court.
The uncle also consulted a lawyer for this lawsuit, and bribed Li Xia’s neighbors to give false testimony for him. He felt that he had a sure win in the lawsuit, and proudly raised his head at the door of the court.
”Humph, as long as I can prove that you didn’t fulfill your responsibility to take good care of him, the court will definitely give my nephew to me. Then all his money will be mine.”
He only thought about this secretly without saying anything. His wife whispered beside him: “It would be great if we could get Huihui’s custody as well. Thirty thousand, all in this kid’s name.”
”We need to go to Shen Haiyang first. Twenty thousand, twenty thousand. There are a few millionaires nowadays. If we win the lawsuit, we can become one in no time.”
”That’s right. By then, we will be outstanding figures in the provincial capital.”
As they were talking, they saw Li Xia coming over on her bike and immediately looked at her with pride. Li Xia parked her bike and went up the steps.
He couldn’t wait to vent his anger. He was always criticized by her, and now that he can take his nephew away from her, she must be very anxious, right?
”My sister-in-law gave you that house because she asked you to take care of Haiyang. Now Haiyang has me to take care of him and you are no longer needed. Please vacate the house as soon as possible.”
”That’s right, you two should go back to where you came from. People from the countryside should farm in the countryside. The city is not the place for you. It would be more suitable for you to go back to your hometown and dig dirt.”
This, this didn’t sound like what he should say before the trial, but rather it sounded like he had won the case hence saying such. Li Xia wasn’t angry at the sarcastic words, she just stood there and looked at them like fools.
”Shen Haiyang has woken up and can make his own decisions. The guardianship issue no longer exists. What are you two dreaming about?”
”What?”
”You’re talking nonsense.” The uncle was furious and tried to pull her back, but she pushed him away. “How could he wake up? The doctor said he wouldn’t live long…”
”Shut your stinky mouth.” Li Xia interrupted his own fantasy and pointed at her neighbors who had just arrived. “You can ask them whether what I said is true or not, and see if I am lying to you.”
The neighbors who were bribed to make false testimony were devastated. They could not earn money this time. If they had known, they should have asked him to pay first. Now that Shen Haiyang has woken up, there is no need to fight the lawsuit. They went to look for him two days ago but couldn’t find him. Today, they thought about it and decided to go to the court.
Seeing them nod, Uncle Shen almost fell down in shock. His wife held him up, and the old couple looked at each other in silence, as if they had lost their parents.
Shen Haiyang woke up, and the lawsuit about his guardian was dropped. The plaintiff and the defendant came out of the court together, and the uncle and aunt looked at Li Xia’s upright body and trembled with jealousy.
”Don’t be too proud. My nephew is a top student and a cadre. He won’t marry a country woman like you.”
”Yes. Just wait to be kicked out.”
Li Xia turned around and looked at them with contempt. “Do you two think that everyone in the world is the same as you two? You stink like the shit in the toilet, and you think the whole world is shit?”
”you,”
”Don’t be so stubborn. I’m waiting for you to be kicked out.”
”Then wait and see. But be careful and don’t get mad at yourself to death. If you get mad at yourself to death, there will be no compensation.”
”You, you woman…”
Whatever they wanted to say, Li Xia had already walked away, and no one could hear them. They were so angry that they stamped their feet on the ground. All their plans had gone to waste, and they felt regretful and angry.
”Husband, what should we do next?”
”Go shopping and buy some nutritional supplements suitable for the patient.”
”What?”
”I need to have a good talk with Haiyang.”
The woman rolled her eyes and said, “Okay.”
Li Xia returned to the hospital from the court to pick up Shen Haiyang. As soon as she entered, she saw that his forehead was covered with sweat, which flowed down his cheeks and into his neck. She quickly took a towel to wipe it for him.
It was almost time, so she packed up and went home. On the way, Shen Haiyang asked her where she had been, and she replied, “Your Uncle sued me for not taking good care of you, and he wanted custody of you. The trial was held today, so I went to the court. After I explained the situation, the case was dropped.”
”Did he often pick on you during the time I was unconscious? I’m sorry, thank you for your hard work.”
”It’s okay.” Li Xia turned around and smiled, “By the way, Murong Danling is suing for custody of Shen Hui, and the trial is about to begin.”
After that, the two of them stopped talking. It was inappropriate to discuss this on the street. Li Xia originally planned to go home and talk to him in detail. When she arrived at the yard, she happened to meet Han Jun. She poured tea for them and let them talk.
Seeing her turn to leave, Han Jun opened up and told him everything that had happened during the time he was in trouble. Shen Haiyang felt deeply ashamed of his mother. At the end of her life, he not only failed to fulfill his filial duty as a son, but also made her worry.
”My mother, was she in a lot of pain and discomfort at that time?”
”To be honest, I don’t know. I only found out that she was ill after you remarried. Li Xia took care of her during her last days. She also took care of the funeral.”
Shen Haiyang stopped talking and looked towards the side room where his mother lived. Han Jun patted him on the shoulder to comfort him and told him about Shen Hui’s custody.
”Thirty thousand dollars is in the child’s name. It would be tempting for anyone to have such a huge sum of money. What are you going to do now?”
”If she wants to sue, she can. She didn’t want the child when she divorced me, so it’s not that easy to get it now.”
”The most important thing is your son. The little guy has been coaxed by Murong Danling these days and has become very close to her. He always wants to be with his parents.”
”Don’t worry, I have a way.”
Han Jun smiled easily, “That’s right. Now that you’re awake, these aren’t a big deal. Li Xia and I don’t have to worry about our hair turning gray.”
”You and Li Xia?”
”Hey, buddy, what were you thinking? You were unconscious, and your mom asked me to help them.”
”Thank you very much.”
He thanked her sincerely. Han Jun glanced out the window, then leaned close to him and whispered, “Looking at your expression, have you accepted this wife?”
”It’s none of your business.”
”Why are you still so shy with me?”
”Han Jun.”
”Okay, I won’t ask anymore.”
He had a meal of millet rice at his good brother’s place for lunch, and ate a piece of the chicken stewed for Shen Haiyang. After eating and drinking, he got up and left, repeatedly reminding him to come to him if he needed anything.
”I know. I won’t be polite with you.”
The two grew up together and had a very close relationship. Han Jun said goodbye and left. Li Xia took out the remaining foreign exchange coupons and her spending bills for the money and showed them to Shen Haiyang.
”With mom’s funeral, shopping, and the house, you only have less than 2,000 left out of the 20,000 yuan in your name. I see your clothes don’t fit you anymore, so I thought I’d go buy you some fabric this afternoon to make you some clothes. I don’t have any tickets, so if I want to buy anything, I’ll have to use foreign exchange coupons to go to the Foreign Trade Market.”
Shen Haiyang didn’t look at the money, he just glanced at the bill for his mother’s funeral. He pushed the money to her and said, “Just take charge of the household affairs. Don’t just bring it for me, bring for you three too.”
Li Xia was very happy that he respected her so much. She put away all the things and money, leaving only a few bills for the afternoon. She poured him a glass of water, and the two of them sat together. He asked about his mother, and she told him about the old lady.
” She just worry about you two. She was very peaceful when she passed away. She said she wanted to eat meat and she ate it and died then.”
”Thank you.”
”you have said these two words countless times since you woke up.” Li Xia smiled and pointed at the space they were in : “This house has been transferred to my name, and my daughter and I have registered our household registration. That’s all. In return I plan to take care of you for the rest of your lives.”
The man also smiled, his eyes full of warmth. “You seemed to have said before that we were moving?”
”Yes. I bought a courtyard house in Dongcheng. I showed you the property certificate just now. It’s right next to the street. The south house has a door at the back so I can do business on the street. I plan to open a breakfast shop.”
”When are we moving?”
What does he mean? Continue to live with her, or… Stop it, she stopped thinking. Maybe he just wanted to thank her for taking care of him during this period of time and gave her the south house for her business.
”Let’s talk about it when you’re almost recovered.”
After chatting for a while, she put away the things he needed and went out. She bought a lot of things in the foreign trade mall. Now it is winter, and she has to take care of everything from inside to outside. She bought pure cotton underwear, cotton, cloth, hats, shoes and socks, wool, and all kinds of things to replace.
She bought enough cloth for the children to make a set of clothes, and bought autumn clothes for the three children. She spent all the money she brought with her. When she got home, Shen Haiyang asked her why she didn’t buy anything for herself.
”You’ve taken care of everything, but you forgot about yourself? How come you’re like my mother, always putting yourself last?” When he talked about his mother, his eyes were full of warmth. Suddenly he thought of something and asked, “Did you use all your foreign exchange coupons?”
”No. It’s almost two thousand. How can I use it all up by buying some clothes? I have clothes, so I don’t need to buy more.”
She bent down to get the wool. At that time, the wool was all loose, so one person had to help hold it up and one person had to wrap it into a ball to make it convenient for knitting a sweater. Shen Haiyang took the initiative to help her hold it up as a rack, and she started chatting with him.
”I bought one for my son, too, using your foreign exchange coupons…”
”I told you, you can make your own decisions on these, you don’t have to tell me or explain it.”
”Thanks.”
The two thanked each other, looked up and smiled shyly. During the chat, Li Xia’s story came up, and she explained how she got divorced and came to his house.
”If you miss your son, why don’t you bring him to your side?”
”It’s good for him to follow his father.”
The sensitive topic was dropped after a word, and the two of them were silent in the room, with only the sound of the yarn winding echoing in their ears. The sun shone diagonally on the two of them through the window glass, one standing and the other sitting, connected by the flowing yarn in the middle.
”Hey, it seems you’ve recovered well. You can even play knitting now.”
When the leader of Shen Haiyang’s unit heard the news, he came to visit. Li Xia quickly packed up and let the guest sit down. She poured tea for him and was busy cooking. When the meal was ready, the leader left. She saw him out the door and came back to ask Shen Haiyang excitedly if he could go to work after he recovered.
”yes.”
”That’s great. Life is back on track. We were able to transfer our household registration because of you. Now that you’re well, there won’t be any changes, right?”
”Won’t.”
”I can rest assured then.”
”When will the court hearing for Huihui’s custody case begin?”
”The day after tomorrow. I was just about to discuss with you what to do about this matter. Do you want to go find her and have a good talk?”
”What was your original plan?”
”If you were still in vegetative state like that before, I would have definitely lost the lawsuit. Huihui’s custody and guardianship would have gone to her, and the savings under Huihui’s name would also be under her control. So I used your money to buy a house to give Huihui a backup plan. The investment of a house is more cost-effective than bank interest. With these two houses, the child can do whatever he wants in the future, and his grandmother won’t have to worry im the heaven.”
Shen Haiyang opened his mouth to thank her, but then smiled and said nothing. She cared so much about them and their future, and had planned everything clearly. Such thoughts and efforts could not be expressed with just a word of thanks.
”No need to look for her. I’ll see her in court.”
”Okay, I’ll rent you a wheelchair at the hospital and push you there.”
A few days later, the court opened. When Murong Danling saw her ex-husband at the door of the court, her mouth dropped open in shock. She had not been in the city for a while because her son asked her to take care of the man. She wanted to get the custody by trickery. When did this man wake up?
Li Xia looked down at Shen Haiyang, and the man pointed at the door and told her to go in. They didn’t say anything outside the court, but when the court opened, Shen Haiyang’s appearance changed things drastically. Originally, he had no capacity to act, so the biological mother was more qualified for custody. Now that he has recovered, it is better for the child to stay where he is after comparing all aspects.
”After the divorce, the child has been with me. His mother had given up custody at that time. I have basically recovered now and will be able to go back to work after two months of rehabilitation. I will take good care of my son and give him a healthy family.”
Shen Haiyang made his speech, and then it was Murong Danling’s turn. She looked at the judge, her body trembling slightly, and calmed down before speaking to fight for it.
”I had difficulties with the divorce. Now I have no problem. Of course it is better for the child to be with his mother. I am the mother, and the child needs motherly love the most when he is so young.”
Shen Haiyang retorted, getting straight to the point: “You are now living in a dormitory with your colleagues. How can you raise a child under such circumstances?”
”My son and I have so much money in our names. Why can’t we use some of it to buy a house for us to live in? My son’s money must be used to make his life comfortable.”
The court adjourned for mediation in the middle of the trial, and the judge was clearly more inclined to maintain the situation. The child was originally with his father, and now his father has woken up, and his conditions are far better than her mother’s in all aspects.
Murong Danling was furious and started arguing with the judge. She felt that they were biased towards the rich. “My son is rich. As long as he is mine, I will arrange a good life for him and me. Thirty thousand dollars is enough to buy a house, save money and earn interest. Do I have to worry about it for the rest of my life? I can support him.”
Haha, is this you raising him or he raising you? The mediators stopped talking. This kind of custody lawsuit is based on what is better for the child. Now it seems that it is definitely better for the child to stay with his father. The 30,000 yuan education fund will not be touched, and his father has a house and a job to provide for his living.
The court will be adjourned for three days.
Murong Danling knew that she had made a bad start, so she ran straight to Shen Haiyang after leaving the court.
”Haiyang, I, are you feeling well now?”
Murong Danling is very beautiful, like a rose with thorns. She is bold and open-minded. She didn’t want to go to the countryside at first, but she met Shen Haiyang, an only child. She fell into his arms in public for the first time, creating the illusion that they were very intimate. Then she took the initiative to use public opinion to quickly take him down, and got married quickly to avoid going to the countryside.
After he got into trouble, she left without hesitation. She would not be tied to a loser. Before, she was provoked by his uncle and she flattered for the money. Now that he has recovered, her thoughts became more greedy. The father and son have 50,000 US dollars. One is her son, and the other is her son’s father. With so much wealth, of course she has to enjoy it.
”Please get out of the way. I have to go home. If you have anything to say, let’s talk about it in court.”
”Haiyang, why are you talking to me like that? I’m your wife…”
”Ex-wife.”
Interrupting her pretentious performance, Shen Haiyang’s usually gentle face turned very cold. Murong Danling seemed to be frozen by his cold attitude, and her lips moved several times without saying anything. In the past, when he was unhappy, she could ease his mood by acting coquettishly, but now, looking at his cold eyes, coupled with this awkward location and relationship, she really didn’t know how to treat him for a moment.
Seeing that he had no interest in chatting with his ex-wife, Li Xia immediately pushed him to her tricycle. She lifted him up and put the wheelchair away before riding the bike in front.
”Hey, Haiyang…”
Her action was so quick that Murong Danling only saw the rear of the cart when she looked up in anger. She chased for a few steps and stopped, stamping her feet in anger. US dollars, US dollars. Her ex-husband, who was shining like a golden child, was dragged away by someone. She felt so distressed that it seemed to be bleeding. She stood there anxiously, with no idea what to do.
Li Xia didn’t say a word about the couple’s affairs. After she settled him down at home, she went to the kitchen to cook. In the evening, when the two children came back, Huihua came to help her roll out the dough and make dumplings.
”My brother has been called in for a talk. Mom, what do you say…oh, what should I call him now?”
”Who?”
”My brother’s father. I called him dad before, but my brother said your marriage doesn’t count. What should I call him now?”
This kid has really been sweet taught well by his mother. Li Xia was also troubled by this, but now was not the right time to ask Shen Haiyang. If she asked this as soon as he woke up, it would look like she was forcing him to get married.
”Don’t say anything yet. Wait until he’s fully recovered. If it doesn’t count, we’ll stay here and they’ll move out. If it counts but he doesn’t want to, then we’ll divorce and they’ll move out. Don’t be afraid. We have a household registration and a house anyway, so we’re not afraid of anything.”
”Okay.” The mother has confidence and everything sorted out so the child also feels safe. She has been very happy learning to paint recently. After asking this, she became concerned about Shen Hui’s custody. “He will still follow his father in the future, right?”
”I think so.”
”Where’s my brother? I haven’t seen him for a long time. I miss him a little.”
”Next week, Mom will make some clothes for your brother and I’ll take you to give them to him.”
”Okay.”
The mother’s eyes were firm and her words were gentle, and the little girl felt very safe following her mother. The mother and daughter were chatting here to strengthen the parent-child relationship, and Shen Haiyang and his son were also chatting in the room over there.
After the dumplings were wrapped, Li Xia boiled water to put them in, while HuiHua obediently peeled and mashed garlic. When cleaning up and serving the meal, she found that Shen Hui’s eyes were a little red, as if he had cried. She didn’t know what Shen Haiyang said to his son.
Li Xia served the dumplings, which were stuffed with pork, cabbage and green onions, to the father and son. “Eat them quickly. Even though there is not much meat, they have the taste of meat, so they are meat dumplings.”
Shen Haiyang smiled and thanked her, looking up at his son. Shen Hui, who had been distant from Li Xia recently, looked up and said obediently: “Thank you.”
”It’s okay, eat quickly.”
The family of four ate in silence, and before they had finished, an uninvited guest arrived. Seeing his uncle and his wife, Li Xia really wanted to use a broom to drive them out. She looked back at Shen Haiyang, and the man motioned for her to eat first.
Its his relative is he going to solve it himself? No matter what, Li Xia decided not to intervene for the time being. She lowered her head to eat as if she didn’t see anything.
He didn’t say a word when his uncle greeted Shen Haiyang. For a moment, the old couple’s face turned red and white.
”Hey, nephew, you are so rude.”
Shen Haiyang remained silent, lowering his head and eating slowly. As the host, no matter how thick-skinned his uncle was, he didn’t know what to do. The couple was left alone, holding gifts like begging for favors. For a moment, he was embarrassed and waited until the others finished their meal and cleared the table before Shen Haiyang finally spoke.
”No one comes to visit you for no reason. What are you doing at this time, uncle?”
”Here…” He saw Li Xia carrying the dishes to the kitchen, and immediately sat next to Shen Haiyang with a thick face. “Nephew, don’t be fooled by this woman. She is two-faced and unfilial, and extremely rude to the elders. But she is not as good as Danling, and Danling is your son’s biological mother…”
The old man spoke out what he had rehearsed in advance like a script, and Shen Haiyang sat and listened to him. Originally, he could not play a big role in this matter, so he just ignored him, but after hearing him slander Li Xia, the man could not help but refute him.
”It’s been almost half a year, and she has been taking care of my son and me. She accompanied my mother to her death, wearing mourning clothes. I don’t know where your so-called disrespect for elders comes from. As for Murong Danling, I divorced her a long time ago. If you come to me and talk about her again, don’t blame me for kicking you out.”
”No, nephew, you were deceived by that woman. She stayed to take care of you for your house, job, and household registration. She also used your money to buy a house for herself. She is not a good person at all.”
”If she’s not a good person, then who is? You?” Shen Haiyang was annoyed and didn’t bother to talk nonsense with him anymore. He pointed at the door and sent him away directly: “The door is over there, just leave by yourself. Don’t come here in the future, we’ll sever our relationship from now on.”
“You, you…”
”Haiyang .. Uncle is doing this for your own good. Don’t be fooled.”
As they were talking, Murong Danling appeared at the door. It was unknown whether she had just arrived or the two had colluded. Shen Haiyang was more inclined to the latter. These two were too shameless. When he was unconscious, they tried to defraud their father and son of their money. Now that he was awake, they still wanted to do it? Did they treat him as a fool or a soft persimmon?
”Don’t you feel embarrassed to say this? There are so many people in this courtyard, and everyone has seen what she did. You slander her and throw dirty water on her like this, aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?”
He believed Li Xia without a doubt, which made Murong Danling, who had prepared a lot of words to persuade him but had no chance to speak, angry and gnashed her teeth. He was so good to her when they first got married, how could he trust another woman so much now.
”Who is she? She is just a woman who covets your house. How dare you side with her like this?”
My uncle also agreed: “Yes. She just wants your house and money…”
”Shut up.” Shen Haiyang interrupted them harshly, looking at Murong Danling and speaking firmly. “She is my wife, and I should stand by her. You are standing in my house and accusing my wife. You are too confused. What qualifications do you have to criticize her? This is her home.”
”I,”
Murong Danling was so angered by his words that her face was horrible. She bit her lip and trembled with excitement, forgetting the speech she had prepared. The uncle next to her was thick-skinned and calmed down first.
”Nephew, she’s a country girl who doesn’t know anything. Do you really want a wife like her? Danling is pretty, a city girl, and Huihui’s biological mother. How can you want a country girl like Li Xia as your wife ? Is that bitch threatening you? I tell you, you haven’t registered yet, so you’re not considered husband and wife at all.”
”Haiyang, are you really threatened?” Murong Danling was reminded by her uncle’s words and quickly calmed down: “Don’t be afraid of her. We will all testify for you, don’t be threatened by her. She is a rural woman…”
”Shut up.”
Seeing that he was really angry, Murong Danling lost her voice after being yelled at by him. She stood there with her face turning pale and dark. She turned her head to look at her son and then moved her gaze to Shen Haiyang.
”We three are a family. Haiyang, what’s wrong with you? Have you forgotten how happy you were when I was pregnant with Huihui? I was in so much pain in the delivery room when I gave birth, and you said you would treat me well in the future. Now that Li Xia has only been around for a short time, have you forgotten all your promises to me?”
Good move, the uncle appreciated this in his heart. Shen Haiyang is soft-hearted and plays the family card
Most suitable. As expected, when the woman said this, Shen Haiyang sighed deeply. But just when he thought Shen Haiyang was being controlled by Murong Danling, the man put Murong Danling on the fire as soon as he opened his mouth.
”We have made vows to each other since we were first married, and you even gave birth to my son after ten months of pregnancy. I should not forget that. But Li Xia took good care of my son and me during the time when I was a vegetative, and she also took care of my mother until her death. I cannot treat her unfairly. How about this, since you care about our love, then give the property under my and Huihui’s names to Li Xia, and we will go with you, do you think it’s okay?”
Murong Danling was stunned for a moment. Things were a little beyond her expectations. After living together for a few years, she knew that Shen Haiyang looked gentle but was never weak and could not be bullied. She knew that he valued feelings, so she played the emotional card. Sure enough, he looked very emotional, but the words he said were too hot for her to handle.
”She already has a household registration and housing, so there’s no need to give her that much money.”
”Since she has gained so many benefits, why don’t I stay and let her take care of me while you take Huihui and the savings away?”
”Well… no, I mean…”
Murong Danling spoke too fast, and she didn’t hold back and spoke out her heart. That’s what she thought. She covered her mouth anxiously, and fell into his trap without paying attention. Is it too late to make amends now? She was about to speak, but she was met with Shen Haiyang’s disdainful smile.
”Do you think I’m stupid?”
He was stupid, but he was more clever than a monkey when he got close to her. She tried to trick him with words, but Murong Danling knew that her trick had failed. Before he got into accident, their relationship had been getting worse year by year. He didn’t want his mother to worry about him, so he basically didn’t quarrel with her, so everyone thought they were doing well.
Later, when he was in accident, she divorced and abandoned them father and son. What should she say now to soften his heart and make him forgive her previous actions?
Murong Danling thought quickly. In her eyes, this father and son were now shining golden. She didn’t want to give up so easily no matter what.
”Huihui, Mommy promised to take you to the zoo. Can you tell Daddy that we can go together tomorrow?”
She failed to win the father, so she turned her attention to her son. Shen Hui looked up at her, then stood behind his father without saying a word. Seeing that the father and son could not be won over for the time being, Murong Danling decided to fight again another day. Things cannot be rushed, otherwise it will be even more difficult to turn things around if things get awkward. Children can be coaxed, this is her own son, she believes she can coax him.
”You misunderstood mom… Never mind, you are still young and don’t understand many things. Mom will leave first and come to see you in a few days.”
Seeing that the ally he had found left because the situation was not right, the uncle was so anxious that he didn’t hold him back. He turned around and wanted to say something to Shen Haiyang, but was stopped by the other party. Knowing what the old man was thinking, he opened his mouth to block the other party’s words. Don’t say it out loud and make things difficult for others.
”Li Xia is the daughter-in-law of the Shen family. My mother witnessed the wedding and worshipped the heaven, earth and ancestors. The only thing missing from the de facto marriage is a marriage certificate. I will go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get it tomorrow. She took care of my mother until her death and wore mourning clothes. She is the daughter-in-law of our Shen family. You slander my wife in my house, then I should serve you with the big broom.”
Shen Hui handed his father a broom, and Shen Haiyang raised his hand to chase him away. The uncle did not expect him to have such an attitude, and they were immediately humiliated.
