The Fat Wife of the 1980s Awakens

Xiaoyun looked at her second brother, then at her youngest brother, silently raised her own bowl, and silently joined the "food begging" army.

Xu Xiufang smiled helplessly, glanced at Xie Yi beside her, and asked with a hint of joking: "Do you want some too?"

Xie Yi gently moved the porcelain bowl to Xu Xiufang's sight, with a hint of childish cunning in his eyes, and joked: "I want you to pick it up for me personally, so that it will taste good!"

As he spoke, his smile was as warm as a spring breeze, yet it also carried a hint of dominance that could not be refused.

"Huh~"

Xu Xiaoyu, who was standing by, immediately sensed the subtle atmosphere in the air and started to make a noise in surprise, with a look of anticipation on his face.

The others sitting around the table also joined in the fun, their eyes full of teasing and curiosity, as if they were all waiting for the show to begin.

On the other hand, Xu Xiufang's pretty face was instantly dyed with a blush, like a peach blossom in the morning light, delicate and beautiful. She lowered her head and chuckled, feeling shy yet a little sweet.

Amidst the laughter and joy, the air seemed to become exceptionally warm and relaxed. Everyone's laughter flowed like a gurgling stream under this house full of family affection.

However, outside of this harmonious atmosphere, Zhou's mother seemed particularly lonely. This was the first time she felt ignored since she stepped into the Xu family's door. She couldn't help but feel a mixture of embarrassment and grievance in her heart. The feeling was like a cold winter wind blowing through her heart, bringing waves of chill.

Zhou Lijuan keenly captured her mother's emotional changes, and there was a hint of help and helplessness in her eyes as she quietly cast her gaze towards Xu Hengwen.

Xu Hengwen naturally saw through everything and had an almost partial love for Xu Xiufang. After witnessing Zhou's mother's behavior just now, he also felt dissatisfied.

If someone else treated Xu Xiufang like this, he would take Xu Xiufang away without hesitation and away from the trouble.

However, Zhou's mother's identity put him in a dilemma. On one side was his beloved wife, and on the other side was his mother-in-law, and he didn't want to let either side get hurt.

Therefore, he could only choose to remain happy while quietly picking up food for Zhou's mother and trying to ease the atmosphere with a lighthearted conversation, but he did not directly intervene in the mediation. This action instead exacerbated Zhou's mother's sense of grievance.

After the dinner, Zhou's mother returned to the east wing alone. She looked particularly lonely. She sat under the dim light, with silence as the only accompaniment.

Zhou Lijuan knew her mother's temperament well, so she asked Xu Hengwen to accompany Xu Xiufang and everyone else first, while she quietly returned to the room to comfort her mother.

Seeing Zhou Lijuan stepping into the threshold, Zhou's mother deliberately turned her head away. That deliberate avoidance seemed like a silent protest.

Zhou Lijuan sighed softly, walked over slowly, sat down next to her mother, and asked gently, "Are you still angry?"

"You are a member of the Xu family now. It is not your turn to worry about my grievances. You should pay more attention to your favored sister-in-law."

There was an almost inaudible bitterness and resentment in Zhou's mother's tone.

"Mom, you are imagining things again. How can I ignore you?"

Zhou Lijuan's voice was soft and pleading, "Didn't I come here specially to see you?"

"Yes, you came to see me because I was ignored and you wanted to teach me a lesson."

Zhou's mother said angrily, her voice full of displeasure.

"mom!"

Zhou Lijuan was filled with helplessness and embarrassment. She knew her mother's behavior might be inappropriate, but who could blame a mother who cared about her daughter? Even if the method was inappropriate, the motivation behind it always came from her deep love for her.

Sensing her daughter's dilemma, Zhou's mother's anger did not lessen, but became even stronger: "The Xu family is too much! When I married you, I said nice things like I would protect you and love you forever, but it's only been a short time? And they ignored you like this! I'll call your father right now and ask him to come to Beijing to seek justice from the Xu family!"

Before she finished her words, Zhou's mother had already stood up and planned to go straight to the post office.

Zhou Lijuan saw this and tried to hold her back. When that failed, she simply blocked her mother's way and said, "Mom, stop hitting me. If you think the Xu family shouldn't treat me like this, then I will divorce Xu Hengwen, and then I will accompany you back to Jiang City!"

"Don't give me that crap. Where did your determination to marry into the Xu family go? Do you think I've forgotten?"

Zhou's mother obviously didn't buy it and believed that her daughter had already sided with the Xu family.

"I do love Xu Hengwen sincerely," Zhou Lijuan admitted frankly, "but in my heart, you are always the most important. How can I ignore the Xu family's treatment of you today?"

"You're still giving me the cold shoulder!"

Zhou's mother obviously didn't believe it, as she knew too well how deeply her daughter loved Xu Hengwen.

"Even if you really go to Xu Hengwen to ask for a divorce, will he agree? In the end, it's just a few sweet words that make you follow him obediently."

"This time it's different, he will definitely agree."

Zhou Lijuan spoke in a firm tone.

Mother Zhou frowned, full of confusion.

"Mom, you may not know that the Xu family's favorite is Xu Xiufang. It is no exaggeration to say that Xu Xiufang is almost omnipotent in the Xu family. Her wishes are the Xu family's orders. Now there is a rift between Xu Xiufang and me. If she, as a younger sister, doesn't like me and wants to promote our separation, how can the Xu family not agree?"

Zhou Lijuan deliberately used her full name to emphasize that she stood on the same side as her mother.

Zhou's mother scoffed at this: "This is simply ridiculous. You can make up a more decent reason. Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think the Xu family is brainless? You can spoil me, but marriage is not a joke. How can you divorce me just like that?"

Zhou Lijuan explained patiently, not getting impatient because of her mother's doubts: "If you are not in it, it is naturally difficult to understand. In fact, as Xu Hengwen said himself, the Xu family cherishes Xu Xiufang the most, and he loves this sister the most. As for the others, I believe you have also noticed that your attitude towards the Xu family in the past, although it was out of protection for your daughter, but that weird..."

Zhou's mother glared at him, her eyes flashing with an unquestionable light. Zhou Lijuan immediately noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere and changed the subject, adding a bit of flattery in her tone, "Thinking back to the beginning, no matter how tricky the request was, they always tried their best to meet it without saying a word. Even if there were occasional differences of opinion, they would first consider your feelings. If they saw that you looked unhappy, they would try every means to make you happy."

"However, since Xu Xiufang reappeared, everything seems to be different. Have they begun to ignore you? Have they turned a blind eye to your dissatisfaction and demands, and instead tried their best to please Xu Xiufang?"

There was a hard-to-conceal resentment and unwillingness in Zhou Lijuan's words, and every word struck heavily on Zhou's mother's heart.

Zhou's mother chewed over her daughter's words carefully and had to admit that this description was somewhat similar to her recent experience, but her stubborn self-esteem did not allow her to nod easily. She was about to open her mouth to refute, but saw Zhou Lijuan's emotions becoming more and more intense. She turned around and was about to walk out.