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"You," as soon as Li Xiaochun saw Zhou Xiuhua coming out, with more of the Xie Family following behind, she paused mid-sentence and simply blurted out, not even using the polite term for in-laws, raising her voice and shouting:
"Old Lady Xie, what you’re doing isn’t right, even if my Fan Family’s grandson was born to your daughter, he is still my Fan Family’s grandson, they all have the surna Fan, and that’s how it should be wherever they go! I want to take my grandson away, why can’t I?"
"Aunt Fan, don’t think you can bully my mother because she doesn’t understand the law. Even if my nephews currently have the surna Fan, that can be changed!" Yan Jinsu gently patted her mother-in-law’s back to comfort her and then stepped forward, confronting Li Xiaochun.
A pair of large almond eyes held no threat in Li Xiaochun’s view.
As soon as Zhou Xiuhua saw the little girl, she felt reassured and imdiately thought of her grandsons, glancing around and signaling her husband to go back to the west wing to check on the children.
Xie Tiesheng saw that Tie Dan was there, along with the Third Son’s Wife standing by, and sighed inwardly. He looked at his eldest daughter and ca quietly, then left just as quietly.
As far as Zhou Xiuhua was concerned, this matter involved Da Niu’s marriage and it was her own business; no matter who else could leave, she couldn’t.
"What do you an?" Li Xiaochun was intimidated by Yan Jinsu’s assertiveness and asked sowhat horrified:
"Who are you? Does your whole Xie Family plan to gang up and confront a poor old woman like ?"
"I am Xie Jingchen’s wife, Yan Jinsu.
Aunt Fan, we of the Xie Family, are civilized people, we won’t behave like shrews.
Let kindly remind you, Fan Jiefang already ca over the day before yesterday, our eldest aunt has said it too, the idea of adopting out the children, it’s absolutely not happening.
If you really want to adopt the grandson, well, our eldest aunt will not be your Fan Family’s daughter-in-law anymore, you have your eldest son co over, the two families can discuss divorce matters!"
Li Xiaochun, hearing Yan Jinsu’s self-introduction and realizing who she was, staggered back a step, dumbfounded for quite a while, and then, unsettled, turned to look at Xie Jinghong with a face full of bewildernt:
"You’re divorcing Jiefang?"
The tone was one of disbelief.
Not just Li Xiaochun who couldn’t believe it, but if any village woman or aunt ca over, they wouldn’t believe it either!
Why?
Because Xie Jinghong had already borne three children for Fan Jiefang! With the old-fashioned views of the ti, how could divorce even be brought up!
Moreover, in that era, there wasn’t a notion of settling divorces through lawsuits; usually, if the father was present, the male children followed their biological father, there was no second option.
There’s a separate discussion for widows.
"I said it, there’s no way for adoption. If I, Xie Jinghong, have to exchange a child, I’d rather not be a daughter-in-law to your Fan Family!"
"You!" Li Xiaochun was infuriated, pointing at the unafraid and resolute Xie Jinghong, and mockingly cursed:
"Xie Jinghong, don’t think that just by saying this, I’d be afraid of you! If you want to leave, do you think my ho’s Jiefang would still keep you? Do you think that by divorcing, you could take away my Fan Family’s children? Dream on!"
"Aunt Fan, the biological mother has the right to exercise ’guardianship’ before the child reaches the age of five! Most importantly, the child has the right to choose whom they wish to live with!
And you, though you are Xiao Xianzi’s biological grandmother, don’t have the right to take over their guardianship when both of the child’s parents are alive and well!"
Yan Jinsu waved her hand dismissively, and with a smile on her face, she enlightened Li Xiaochun with so legal knowledge, seeing Li Xiaochun’s face of ignorant confusion, she continued to drop another bombshell:
"Moreover, if the cause of their divorce is related to ’child exchange,’ then you just wait for your two good sons to go to jail! And I’m not trying to scare you, the law doesn’t support ’adoption’ in the folk sense, and if our eldest aunt decides to sue your Fan Family for taking her child, hmph, not one of you in the Fan Family will be able to get away with it!"
As for saying that the child is over five years old, this is even simpler. At this ti, as long as soone in charge is given so money, altering the age by a year or two is not an issue at all!
Yan Jinsu spoke with certainty, but in reality, she was just trying to scare Li Xiaochun. However, the so-called "verbal" adoption in the folk customs has never been recognized by later laws, unless the transfer procedures are handled.
But Li Xiaochun wouldn’t understand any of this.
"You, you’re trying to deceive a ghost!" Shocked by Yan Jinsu’s threatening words, Li Xiaochun retorted, and turned to scold Xie Jinghong:
"Good for you, the troublemaker, Xie Jinghong, you actually have such a dark heart, trying to snatch away my Fan Family’s grandson and even kill us Fan Family people?! Jiefang is blind in his judgnt, to have ended up with you—a person with such a black heart—"
"Mom!"
Fan Jiefang got out of the car and imdiately heard his own mother’s words. With a thunderous shout, he interrupted Li Xiaochun’s continued curses and rushed over. In the dead of winter, he was actually drenched in sweat.
Fan Jiefang was relieved that he had finally caught up in ti and that things had not yet escalated to their most vicious point. [As long as no one has got physical and bloodied, it’s not the most vicious yet.]
"Fan Jiefang, you’re just in ti. Right in front of your mother, I will say it again, I won’t agree to adopt out my child, so forget it! And there’s no need for further talk, let’s just get a divorce!"
"No, no, big sister, this matter has nothing to do with my big brother. Don’t listen to her, an old fool who talks nonsense. In my big brother’s household, she’s not the one calling the shots!" Fan Hongshan didn’t get out of the car as quickly as Fan Jiefang and was a couple of steps behind, catching right on cue.
She was walking on the mountain road when she ca across her big brother’s fast-moving vehicle. Thankfully, it was not too late!
Xie Family Courtyard is located at the end of the village, and it’s still dinner ti, so no villagers have co to this corner yet.
Li Xiaochun shouted several tis, yet she failed to attract any onlookers to intervene.
"Xiao Hong, don’t say anything in anger. I won’t adopt out Xiao Xian, you—"
"Jiefang, what are you saying? You won’t adopt him out? Do you want your brother to be left with no descendants? In the future—"
"Mom, you only think of Xiaodi, but have you ever thought about ?! You’re forcing my wife and child away from , and now you want to be left without descendants, I don’t care what happens to Feng Shou anymore!"
"You, you... you want my life!" On hearing this, Li Xiaochun stepped back, but seeing the pained look in her eldest son’s eyes, her heart trembled, and she was overwheld with sorrow by her eldest son’s words.
"Mom, in this lifeti, do you only recognize ’Feng Shou, Feng Shou’?!! Mom, I feel sad for you. I’ve already called Fan Fengshou, is he here now? When did he ever care about your life or death?
In your eyes, only Feng Shou is your son, but don’t you have and my big brother too? I am like this now; do you still want to leave big brother lonely for the rest of his life? Who knows, big brother might even lose his job because of this!"
Listening to her daughter reiterate old grievances, in front of Jiefang, Li Xiaochun’s face couldn’t hang on, turning dark with embarrassnt.
"Oh, this, of course, it’s a must!" Yan Jinsu nodded and spoke up, giving Fan Hongshan a nod and a shallow smile, then mocking Old Mrs. Li:
"Aunt Fan, surely you don’t think that after doing this to my dear Lady Xie, our Xie Family will just take it lying down? He—"
The delicate, white hand pointed rudely towards Fan Jiefang, with a malicious look on her face, she continued:
"Do you think your precious son still expects my loved one to pave the way for him?
Haha, does your Fan Family really think they can take advantage and yet still strut around and dare to pressure my dear Lady Xie into adopting out a child?"
Yan Jinsu’s imposing manner bore down on Li Xiaochun. Seeing her weaken, Yan then cast a glance at Fan Jiefang.
Only to see Fan Jiefang’s face turn ashen, taken aback by his strong-willed wife’s presence, and then looking at Xie Jinghong, his face full of pleading.
Unfortunately, Xie Jinghong was truly heartbroken by the Fan Family, and at this mont, she turned her face away, not eting her husband’s hopeful gaze.
Fan Jiefang clenched his fists, his heart ached for the tears in his wife’s eyes; he was full of self-reproach.
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