Crying

Keke told her about the extent of the impact.

Firstly, there are practical implications. Your eldest sister will come home and need a place to stay, but your family doesn't have any spare rooms. Your three unmarried brothers share a room, while you have been sleeping in a separate room from your parents. The return of your eldest sister implies that your family will need to construct an additional room.

Secondly, unlike you, who is unmarried, your eldest sister has been married before. Her return will have a profound impact. Apart from your sister-in-law, no one else in your family has lived with her. If there are conflicts between sisters-in-law, it will not be conducive to the unity of the family.

Lastly, having a daughter who has been divorced and returned to the family poses a significant challenge for the entire family, particularly the women in the family. In the future, not only will your marriage be affected, but also the marriages of your nieces.

Manbao was stunned.

Finally, Keke informed Manbao that in this matter, your family is not in a very strong position and is at a definite disadvantage.

"Is that so?" Manbao didn't believe it. She pointed to the increasing number of people in the yard and said, "But I don't see it, do I?"

Keke also scanned the area outside and gradually fell silent.

The village chief arrived, accompanied not only by the relatively old elders from the village but also by some relatives closely related to the Zhou family.

At this point, they all stayed in the yard, very angry.

Qian didn't speak, but Lao Zhou, with a stern expression, addressed everyone, "A few days ago, the Liu family sent a messenger to inform me that my son's wife has not yet conceived." They requested me to bring her back when I am available. I thought, "It's the New Year; we should at least wait until after the New Year." "Even if they can't make ends meet, they shouldn't split up before the New Year, right?" But who knew, the message came just two days ago, and the Liu family sent my daughter-in-law back, and even sent the child away early. "It's so cold." Are they trying to freeze her to death?

He continued, "Xijia has been married for eight years, and she has worked hard even though she hasn't contributed." You all know the children in my family; they are not misbehaved. They can work the land and help in the kitchen. Where in the Liu family is she not taking care of? They didn't even inform our Zhou family; they just sent my daughter back. "Are they planning to make enemies with our Zhou family and our village?"

Zhou Erlang said, "And for my sister's dowry, they simply packed up a set of old clothes for her to take back." My sister did not bring back any of her dowry. "So, they are marrying off their daughter-in-law, and my sister has worked diligently in their family for eight years. Now, she has to part with her dowry?"

Zhou Erlang realized that it was no longer feasible for his sister and brother-in-law to live together. Therefore, he could only strive to secure some benefits for his sister.

The elders of Qili Village, the village chief, and the relatives of the Zhou family were also very angry. The village chief asked Zhou Dalang, "Did you call your uncles?"

Zhou Dalang said, "Siro went to call them, and he should be back soon."

The village chief nodded and said, "This matter cannot be taken lightly; otherwise, it will be a breach of the rules."

The five brothers of the Zhou family in the yard all nodded with stern faces. The elders of the family understood that ultimately, such matters had to be overseen by their own brothers; otherwise, the family's assistance would be limited.

Fortunately, the Zhou family had a significant number of brothers, and they were resilient enough.

Even in rural areas, there are regulations for divorcing a spouse.

Lao Zhou's father was an only child, and there was only one cousin. The cousin's direct lineage led to the village chief several generations down.

But Lao Zhou was able to have many children. In his life, he had six sons and one daughter. When he named them, he used the eight characters "Congratulations, wealth, and full granary," all with good wishes.

Zhou Xi was the second in line, just over a year younger than Zhou Dalang.

Zhou Xi had been married for eight years, but she had not conceived. Her days at her in-laws' house were not very good, but not particularly bad either, as she had many brothers.

She still remembered a year during the Dragon Boat Festival when Zhou Xi didn't return home. Zhou Siro led his two younger brothers to search for her, and they discovered that their sister had a bruise on her eye. The three half-grown children didn't even need to call their older brother; they held down Liu Dalang and beat him up, while the Liu family cursed all the way.

The next day, Zhou Dalang took Zhou Erlang and Zhou Sanlang to Liu's village and beat Liu Dalang again. The Liu family didn't even dare to make a sound as the Zhou family brought Zhou Xi back and stayed for more than two months, until the autumn harvest was over. Liu Dalang knelt down and begged them to take her back.

So, if the Liu family dared to divorce Zhou Xi so easily, they were truly bold, especially considering they had the support of her natal family.

Even if they divorced a woman from her natal family, they had to inform the relatives of the natal family and discuss with the husband's family whether to divorce or separate, and how to proceed. This was something that had to be discussed and agreed upon. Sending a divorce letter and simply driving someone out was not just about removing Zhou Xi; it was also about humiliating the Zhou family, the Zhou clan, and the Qili Village.

Could Lao Zhou agree to this?

Could the village chief agree?

Could the relatives agree?

Of course not.

Not only Manbao but also Keke were stunned. She didn't realize that there were so many rules and customs for divorce in ancient times. She thought...

Oh, well, it's not the era of male supremacy and extreme oppression of women.

Manbao clapped her hands and hugged the dazed Zhou Xi, saying, "Elder sister, don't be afraid, father will stand up for you."

Zhou Xi forced a smile and felt very confused.

Of course, her father would stand up for her during her divorce, but what about afterward?

What should she do?

Should she stay at her natal home?

Even if her brothers didn't object, her sisters-in-law and younger siblings might not agree. In the short term, it might be okay, but in the long run, even her tongue and teeth would fight, not to mention that she had already been married once.

Remarry?

Reflecting on the eight years of her marriage, Zhou Xi shuddered and gazed at her innocent and naive younger sister. She couldn't help but embrace her and lament, "Why is life so difficult?"

Manbao didn't think life was difficult, but she could feel her elder sister's sadness. Seeing her cry, she couldn't help but cry too.

But unlike Zhou Xi, who held back her tears, Manbao always cried out loud, expressing her grievances openly.

When she saw her elder sister crying in distress, tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to cry loudly.

The crying startled the people outside, and Lao Zhou almost tripped when he ran back. When he entered the room, he saw his two daughters hugging each other and crying, but they were both fine. He let go of the worry he had been carrying, but he was also very angry and shouted, "What are you crying for? What's there to cry about?" Look at me, look at me...

"Enough," Qian scolded him with a glance. She didn't want to argue with him in front of everyone, so she walked to her eldest daughter's side, patted her head, and sighed, "If you want to cry, cry now, but you're not allowed to cry anymore in the future."

Zhou Xi couldn't hold back her grievances any longer and hugged Manbao tightly, crying loudly just like her. For a while, the only sound that could be heard inside and outside the Zhou family was her crying. The elders sighed softly, lowered their heads, and remained silent, unable to suppress a sense of pity.

The Zhou brothers all had red eyes and were very angry at the Liu family.