In the end, under the strong pressure from the two elders of the An family, Ansu's younger sister Anzhen, her husband Xuxu, and the other relatives, the Li family finally gave in. Only then did Ansu and Li Sancheng go through with the separation.
Yes, Ansu wasn't divorced—he was the one who initiated the separation.
Normally, it's only when the man makes a mistake that he gets divorced by his wife's family. But Ansu's mother was very assertive during the talk with the Li family. It was as if she would beat them up again if they refused to agree to the separation.
The Li family was already scared of Anru. When they saw that Anru and the rest of the An family weren't easy to deal with, they had no choice but to agree.
Ansu and Li San's son, Li Nuo, also became part of the An family. They renamed him An Nuo. The whole An family had fought to bring the child back.
Coincidentally, the Li family didn't want the boy either. All they cared about was the daughter in Liu Tao's belly.
Ansu couldn't bear to let his son suffer any longer in the Li family. He knew how biased they were toward girls and decided to leave with his nearly nine-month-old son.
From that day on, he no longer had to wake up early to serve that ungrateful family.
No one could give him the cold shoulder anymore just because they were in a bad mood.
No one could talk down to him and order him around.
Ansu now had his sister and brother-in-law by his side at his parents' home. The whole An family treated him very well. They often made meat dishes for him so he could get stronger and feed baby An Nuo properly.
Anzhen would hand her earnings to Xuxu, and Xuxu would always give Ansu some spending money. He often invited Ansu to go to the market together too.
Little An Nuo, who babbled and cooed, became the family's favorite. Especially Xuxu—he hugged the baby so much that it made Anzhen jealous and want to have a bunch of babies with her husband right away.
Though Anzhen was jealous that her husband paid more attention to An Nuo than to her, she still liked to hold the baby whenever she had free time and teach him to call her "Auntie."
But An Nuo's soft baby voice always turned "Auntie" into "doowoo~." Every time Anzhen heard it, she'd smile helplessly and keep patiently teaching him to say it right.
Ansu spent his days taking care of his little son and helping out with small tasks at home when he had time. After living peacefully at his parents' house for a few months, his face no longer looked gloomy. In fact, he looked more and more refreshed and had even gained some weight.
But Ansu felt he couldn't rely on his parents forever. He thought he should go out and earn some money.
He'd heard that there was a tea plantation on the outskirts of Chong'an Town owned by the Xie family, and they were looking to hire workers—including men.
He wanted to give it a try. Maybe he could help increase the family's income. He didn't want to be a burden to his mother and sister. Besides, as An Nuo grew older, he'd need more money.
Ansu hoped An Nuo could go to school and learn to read.
After going through more than two years of marriage, he had let go of the past. For the rest of his life, he just wanted to love and spoil his precious son, help him learn to read and be polite, and raise him to be someone who could stand strong in society.
As for himself, already in his thirties... Though his mother said there were still many good women interested in him, he no longer wanted to endure hardships and compromise for the sake of marriage or a family.
Besides, even if he married well, life would still be tiring.
He was satisfied with his current life. From now on, all he wanted was to earn money, raise his son, and honor his parents. Nothing more.
However... the "you'll end up loving it" rule always shows up unexpectedly!
Ansu had no idea that leaving the Li family was actually the start of a sweet new chapter in his life.
One fallen leaf doesn't ruin spring.
Letting go and moving on from people and things that don't suit you often leads to a brand-new beginning.
Ansu's life was just starting to shine.
✲
These days, Jewel had been busier than ever. But she still tried hard to balance her work and personal life, making sure her husband Xavi didn't feel neglected.
That afternoon, after wrapping things up at the tea house, she came home to find the table in her and Xavi's room filled with delicious dishes.
She wanted to call him over for lunch, but even after calling several times, no one answered.
Since she was in a hurry, Jewel sat down and started eating alone.
There were still things to do later that day, so she ate quickly, taking big bites.
Just as she was almost done, Xavi came in from outside.
Jewel wiped her mouth quickly and asked, "Xavi, where did you go?"
"Wife, you're back!"
Xavi happily lifted a few rolls of fabric in his hand. "I went to pick out some cloth—I want to make clothes for you."
Jewel smiled and started putting on her outer robe as she walked outside.
"The tea plantation is super busy with hiring, so I couldn't wait for you to eat together. You'll have to settle for what's left from my lunch."
"It's okay, wife. You go ahead—I'll be fine."
Xavi knew his wife was a master at managing her time. She was always so disciplined, not like him, who often ate and slept without any schedule.
"Make sure you finish everything on the table, okay? I'm off."
After saying that, Jewel patted his shoulder and walked out without looking back.
Xavi stood at the door staring blankly after her. Though his face didn't show much, he felt a tiny bit of sadness in his heart.
Another day of "being left all alone"...
Jewel had already disappeared from the courtyard, but Xavi still stood there in a daze.
Only when his legs started to ache did he finally look away and head toward the dining table.
He walked over slowly, placing the cloth on a stool beside him.
But as he approached the table, he noticed something strange—every dish was covered with an upside-down bowl or plate.
Why did she cover all the food?
He lifted the bowl covering one of the dishes and found a plate of de-boned ribs, already ready to eat.
The way the ribs were prepared reminded him of the time they went to a restaurant in Xichuan, and Jewel had patiently picked the bones out of his food for him, piece by piece.
Looking at the bowl of ribs, Xavi's face instantly brightened.
He lifted another bowl—underneath were chicken legs, wings, and breast meat. His wife had eaten the rest.
The third dish was covered by a big plate. When he removed it, he found sweet porridge, untouched and still warm.
It was like opening mystery boxes—each bowl he lifted revealed a new surprise.
Jewel had even separated out the bones and used dishes, placing them on a stool next to the table. Only the best parts of each dish were left on the table just for him.
Even though he hadn't been there to eat with her, she had still saved the best food for him…