Yue Qingqing could probably guess what her grandmother meant by "divorce"—it was the "he li" from her era.
Mortals could go through "he li," and among cultivators who pursued their own desires, there wasn't even the pretense of a formal relationship.
People stayed together happily, and when things weren't to their liking, they naturally parted.
To practitioners, a cultivation partner was merely a comfort along the path of cultivation, never something that those who sought the path to immortality would regard highly.
Therefore, she couldn't understand Yue Xiaofang's anxiety.
Lin Chunju patted her daughter's hand, "Don't worry, the world is a better place now, men can live without women, and women can also leave men. The Ma Family has tormented you so much, and we're not to be trifled with either."
Yue Xiaofang wanted to say more, but Zhang Ying couldn't help frowning.
"Xiaofang, you've only been married for a few years, look at how tormented you've become. His family clearly wants to wear you down to death. If something happens to you, what am I supposed to do?"
Yue Xiaofang hung her head, finally making up her mind.
"Mother, I'll listen to you, as long as you don't mind me clinging to our home eventually."
Lin Chunju embraced her, "Silly child, I would only mind if you kept everything bottled up like a tightly sealed gourd. Even a child who falls knows to cry, but you don't tell your mother anything."
Zhang Ying and Wang Xiaoni also kept wiping away tears, hugging and crying together for a while.
After they had consoled each other and made their plans, they all sat together in the outer room to keep vigil for the New Year.
Yue Xingxing was still young and had no idea what was happening. She just kept stuffing her face with food, foolishly.
Her belly bloated from overeating.
Wang Xiaoni could only scold her while rubbing her belly and taking out all sorts of strange shells that the child had hidden in her pockets.
Yue Xiaohu had long been coaxed to sleep in the inner room, but Yue Qingqing still had wide-open eyes, not showing the slightest hint of tiredness.
Zhang Ying kissed her little nose, "Does Qingqing want to keep vigil with us too?"
Yue Xiaofang looked on, her eyes filled with envy.
Even though she knew that the Ma Family was just looking for excuses to torment her, sometimes Yue Xiaofang thought, would things be different if she had a child?
Maybe Ma Jinbao wouldn't hit her again.
As soon as Zhang Ying turned her head, she saw Yue Xiaofang's expression and made a beckoning gesture, "Do you want a hug?"
Yue Xiaofang quickly waved her hands, "I've never done it, I might not hold her correctly, and what if I drop her..."
Before she could finish, Zhang Ying had already placed the child in her arms.
Yue Xiaofang carefully caught her and held her close to her heart.
Yue Qingqing curved her eyes and revealed her trademark charming smile, melting Yue Xiaofang's heart.
"Qingqing is so cute, the best looking of all the children I've seen."
Wang Xiaoni added, "She's our little lucky star too."
Yue Jiannan then told about the ginseng, and when Yue Xiaofang heard that the family had made so much money, she also shared in their joy.
Lin Chunju said, "Now you know, the Yue Family's life is much better than before, even if you come back home, your mother can support you."
The guilt and unease in Yue Xiaofang's heart finally eased somewhat.
They were supposed to keep vigil, but with a trip to the neighboring village the next day, the Yue Family decided to go to sleep one after another.
Even soldiers going into battle first got a good night's sleep.
In the morning, everyone got up early. The aroma from the kitchen wafted through the air, and upon seeing such a familiar scene, Yue Xiaofang almost cried.
There's no place like home, however poor, it was warm.
After a hearty breakfast and packing some dry food, Lin Chunju led the family out, like a general leading her troops.
Only Wang Xiaoni was left at home to take care of Yue Xingxing and Yue Xiaohu.
Yue Xiaofang asked in surprise, "Is Qingqing also coming with us?"
The Ma Family was always unreasonable, and it was uncertain what would happen next, and if Qingqing got hurt, she would be to blame.
Lin Chunju carefully wrapped Yue Qingqing in a small blanket, adjusted her little bear hat, and made sure she was protected from the wind before replying.
"If I didn't bring Qingqing with us, I wouldn't feel at ease at all."