Chapter 372: A Persuasive Separation
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“That old bastard! Back then, I risked being mocked by the world to marry him, and yet he dares to treat me like this!” The Old Madam was both furious and heartbroken.
Two streams of murky tears trailed down her face.
“In those days, he was nothing special, so the clan arranged for my concubine-born sister to be his bride.”
“But before the wedding, she looked down on him and eloped with an actor.”
“Then, fortune turned. His talent shone, and the clan, ashamed of their earlier decision, replaced the concubine-born sister with me, their legitimate daughter.”
“I was raised as a proper daughter of the Lou Family, burdened with duty. The clan told me to look at the bigger picture, to disregard the past. My sister’s escape was sudden; the wedding was just three days away. I didn’t even have time to tailor a new wedding dress. I wore an ill-fitted bridal robe and was married to him!”
“All these years, I never spoke of it, but I have carried the resentment my entire life.”
“Now, in my old age, he still has to torment me!” The Old Madam seemed to have a suffocating weight in her chest, venting to a three-year-old child.
“One foot in the grave, surrounded by children and grandchildren—yet I still mind this? Am I ridiculous?” She clutched her handkerchief, stifling her sobs for fear the maids and servants outside might hear her.
“I always had to consider my children and grandchildren’s dignity.” After crying, she let out a long sigh, her face heavy with sorrow.
“Men go to war and think these matters are trivial, but why is it that I can never let it go?”
“I compromised, wore that ill-fitted dress, compromised in marriage, and kept compromising until an entire lifetime had passed.” Her voice was full of regret. She had thought that if she didn’t see, she wouldn’t care. But at the Old Master’s birthday banquet, she saw them.
Her concubine-born sister, now with graying hair and a withered face—yet she recognized her instantly.
She had brought her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren to the banquet.
And her son was working under the Sang Family, managing their rural estate.
She had never known.
In that moment, she suddenly didn’t want to endure anymore.
She didn’t want to endure all the way to her grave.
“If you can’t endure, then just flip the table,” Lu Chao Chao watched the drama unfold with glee.
“You have thirty-six days left to live. Will you really not live for yourself even once in this lifetime?”
“Th… thirty-six days?” The Old Madam stared blankly at her.
Lu Chao Chao nodded. “Yes. Thirty-six days.”
“You once used a Longevity Talisman… So, there is no chance for further extension. Your life is already counting down.”
“Your children are accomplished, your grandchildren have grown, and your maiden family holds great power. You no longer need to suffer.”
The Old Madam silently wept.
Thirty-six days…
A lifetime of compromise, and only thirty-six days left.
“Think carefully, Old Madam.” Lu Chao Chao grinned and pulled Xie Yu Zhou outside.
Outside, the little girl chirped, “Don’t worry, I’ve persuaded Old Madam well.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the voice of the Old Madam came from inside, “Bring me a good meal.”
The Nanny clapped her thigh. “Yes, yes! Princess Sunshine, young as you are, yet so capable. You are truly formidable!” She then hurriedly ordered the maids to bring in hot food.
Lu Chao Chao strolled toward the front courtyard, beaming.
Xie Yu Zhou stammered, “I can’t imagine how many lives would be ruined if you sat at the village entrance!”
Lu Chao Chao rolled her eyes. “That’s their problem!”
She spat in disdain.
Xie Yu Zhou frowned. “True enough, an ex-fiancée appearing like this is indeed disgraceful.”
Because of her indifference, Lu Chao Chao saw things clearly.
“The Old Master was once scorned by his former fiancée. He must have held onto that bitterness.”
“Later, when she returned pregnant, begging for forgiveness, wouldn’t he have reveled in his triumph?”
“The woman who once despised him now relied on his mercy to survive, even speaking humbly in front of him. He must have relished that.”
“But the Old Madam has suffered a lifetime! I cannot stand it!”
“Decades! Not just days! If he truly cared, he would have dealt with it long ago. But he just turned a blind eye. And now, he wants to act like he’s deeply in love in front of me?”
Xie Yu Zhou opened his mouth but had no retort.
Supporting an ex-fiancée’s entire family—who could bear that?!
“Reconciliation? Reconcile what?!”
When Lu Chao Chao returned to the main courtyard, she directly informed the expectant Old Master, “I have persuaded her.”
“But the Old Madam asks: how should the family outside be dealt with?”
The Old Master sighed heavily.
“Why can’t she tolerate them?”
“I have already let go of my hatred. Why is she holding onto hers?”
“That woman has no husband and no family backing her. She is already living in hardship. Her son works under our household just to make ends meet.” He, too, had once harbored resentment.
Lu Chao Chao blinked in astonishment. “You must really enjoy wearing a green hat.”
The Old Master choked.
“Th-this is different.” Watching them struggle and depend on him for survival made him feel satisfied.
“If I had truly wanted to, I would have brought her into the household long ago. Why is she jealous now…” The Old Master was completely exasperated.
“So you want to wear the same green hat twice?” Xie Yu Zhou looked at him in shock.
The Old Master’s eyelid twitched violently, his head buzzing with fury.
Suddenly, urgent knocking came from outside.
“Old Master, something terrible has happened! The Old Madam has summoned the clan elders to the ancestral hall—she’s requesting a Mutual Divorce!”
Crack.
The Old Master’s teacup shattered on the ground.
“Didn’t you say you persuaded her well?!”
Lu Chao Chao looked up earnestly. “I did. Thanks to my efforts, the Old Madam has finally decided to let go of the Sang Family—by divorcing you.”
The Old Master’s vision darkened as he collapsed backward.
“Old Master! Old Master!” The servants rushed to catch him, barely preventing disaster.
“You-you-you…” The Old Master pointed at Lu Chao Chao, trembling, unable to form words.
“Hurry, take me to the ancestral hall!” he roared.
The ancestral hall was packed with clan elders, all staring at the Old Madam in confusion.
“Old Madam, what has happened?” She was the highest-ranking elder in the household—why would she suddenly demand a Mutual Divorce?
The Old Madam stood with a solemn expression as her children and grandchildren rushed in.
The hall was crowded with people.
“I want a Mutual Divorce.”
“But the Sang Family has five generations under one roof, admired for its harmony! You are the matriarch, the Old Ancestor of this family—how can you divorce now?” The gathered elders were utterly shocked.
There had never been an Old Matron demanding a Mutual Divorce before.
“Because I was forgiving and broad-minded, the family appeared harmonious.” Her voice was calm. With only thirty-six days left, what more was there to endure?
The Old Master gripped his cane. “Summon General Lou!”
That night—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A servant pounded on General Lou’s door. “General! General! The Sang Family is here!”
General Lou, preparing for bed, yawned. “Are they here to thank me?”
The servant nearly cried. “Thank what?! The Old Master is about to storm in with a sword!”
“The Old Madam has opened the ancestral hall—she’s demanding a Mutual Divorce!!”
General Lou bolted upright.
“Did Lu Chao Chao not persuade her?!” He scrambled to dress.
“She did! Originally hesitant, the Old Madam immediately made up her mind—to divorce!”
“General Lou, you’ve truly given our family a fine gift!”