Chapter 8: A Divorce?

Xu Shuangyi wore a simple teal dress, a black wooden hairpin slanting through her neatly tied hair, her bare face unusually cold and distant. Her presence lent an even deeper solemnity to the already dignified Xu residence.

“So it’s you,” Su Hanwei said, her anger instantly flaring upon seeing Xu Shuangyi.

Before Xu Shuangyi could speak, Su Hanwei snapped coldly, “No wonder you dared to hit me—it turns out you’re just a maid of the Xu family!”

Thinking of how ruthlessly this woman had acted, Su Hanwei forced herself to hold back the insult “bitch.”

No wonder she had the audacity to claim that even the granddaughter of the provincial governor was here, and yet one had to watch their mouth carefully.

So she was nothing but a maid abusing her position!

Xu Shuangyi maintained her expressionless face, silently wondering when she had become her own servant.

“Xu Mu, no wonder your courage has suddenly grown these past few days. So you’ve been cozying up to a maid from the Xu household!” Su Hanwei sneered.

It was one thing for Xu Shuangyi to rely on her status, but for Xu Mu to think he’d won over Xu Shuangyi and thus claimed ownership of the Xu estate? Such shameless arrogance!

Xu Mu said nothing but inwardly scoffed. He couldn’t fathom how his former self had ever been attracted to such a foolish woman, mistaking Xu Shuangyi for a mere maid.

Judging by her attire and bearing, it was clear she was the mistress of the house.

Suddenly, Su Hanwei raised her hand, pointing at Xu Shuangyi, her voice sharp with fury. “Call your mistress out immediately! I’ll expose you, you vile wench, and your affair with Xu Mu to your lady!”

Since Xu Shuangyi was supposedly a maid, Su Hanwei no longer felt the need to hold back.

Xu Shuangyi disliked Su Hanwei intensely—she was too foolish, too narrow-minded.

She glanced at Xu Mu in surprise.

After two days of interaction, she knew Xu Mu was no fool.

So why had he married such a woman?

Though Su Hanwei’s background was utterly unworthy of Xu Mu, if she had been both beautiful and wise, her character might have offset some of the social gap.

After all, Xu Mu was only an illegitimate son.

But Su Hanwei had neither wit nor insight—how could she be a match for Xu Mu?

“I am currently attending to my adoptive mother’s funeral and cannot disturb her final peace. This matter will be settled later; when I become the mistress, I will personally silence your sharp tongue,” Xu Shuangyi said calmly.

“You, a lowly maid who abuses her position, truly think I, Su Hanwei, am someone to be bullied? Call your mistress out now!” Su Hanwei shouted, pointing at Xu Shuangyi.

She had seen many servants who abused their power before.

Such lowly maids never met a good end.

“Throw her out,” Xu Shuangyi ordered, and several servants immediately stepped forward, pushing Su Hanwei out.

Su Hanwei shouted all the way as she was driven from the Xu residence.

She could hardly understand why, though she was expelled, Xu Mu, who had accompanied her inside, was not.

Then realization dawned: Xu Mu was involved with that lowly maid!

A mere maid—not Xu family’s lady—how could she, Su Hanwei, compare?

Xu Mu, such a coward, could only find some semblance of worth on a maid.

“You didn’t strike her? That’s unlike you,” Xu Mu remarked.

“How could I disturb the deceased’s rest?” Xu Shuangyi replied.

Xu Mu glanced at Xu Shuangyi’s slender figure, then at the coffin placed in the mourning hall.

The coffin was a deep crimson, and even from several meters away, a faint scent of wood lingered.

It seemed Xu Shuangyi had put effort into selecting a fine sandalwood coffin for her mother.

Xu Mu busied himself, moving in and out as he prepared the hall.

The best he could do for his mother now was to arrange the mourning hall properly.

“Do you think your plan will succeed?” Xu Shuangyi asked.

“Almost certainly,” Xu Mu answered lightly.

“That’s good. The Xu residence is also your home. Move back in; it will be more convenient for the funeral arrangements,” Xu Shuangyi said.

“All right.”

That day, Xu Mu worked tirelessly in the Xu residence and kept vigil through the night.

It was not until the next day that he returned home to pack his belongings.

There was little of value at home, but some of his mother’s keepsakes needed to be taken along as mementos.

Carrying his luggage, Xu Mu cast one last glance at the simple courtyard before locking the gate behind him.

From this moment on, he would become the true master of the Xu estate, no longer the Xu Mu of the past.

Just as he turned to leave, a carriage pulled up.

An elderly man dressed in Confucian robes stepped down.

“Mu’er, where are you headed? Where is Hanwei? Why isn’t she at home?” the visitor asked.

It was Su Tong, the magistrate of Liangzhou.

Though Xu Mu’s tone was flat, Su Tong sensed a trace of anger beneath it.

Before, Xu Mu would greet him warmly, calling him “grandfather.”

But now, he addressed him simply as “old man.”

“You’ve been away for a long time. I’ve been busy with official duties and haven’t been able to visit your mother. Passing by your home, I wanted to bring you back for dinner. It’s been too long since we had a proper drink, just the two of us,” Su Tong forced a smile.

But Xu Mu’s expression was icy, not returning even the slightest smile.

“I appreciate your intentions, but from now on, we are no longer family,” Xu Mu said.

“Mu’er, what do you mean by that?” Su Tong asked, puzzled and uneasy.

It was unlike Xu Mu’s nature to say such things. Had Hanwei angered him?

“I and Su Hanwei have already divorced. Has she not told you yet?” Xu Mu replied.

“What?” Su Tong was stunned, his face paling as his body stiffened.

Anger exploded within him like a volcano, nearly causing him to lose his footing.

Divorced?

He had suspected the couple might have quarreled but never imagined they had actually parted ways.

There were some rumors about Su Hanwei recently, which Su Tong was aware of.

But he never expected matters to be this serious.

This unfilial daughter, Su Hanwei, had divorced Xu Mu and kept it from him.

“Mu’er, it’s grandpa’s fault for not disciplining Hanwei well enough, letting her upset you. I will go back and make sure she apologizes to you in person,” Su Tong said earnestly.

“There’s no need, sir. Our families were never truly meant to be. This is where it ends. I’m leaving now; please take care of yourself,” Xu Mu said, then turned and walked away without looking back.

Watching Xu Mu’s slender, resolute figure fade into the distance, Su Tong’s heart was filled with turmoil.

If Xu Mu was determined to sever ties, then Su Hanwei’s fate was sealed forever.

“Return to the residence!” Su Tong ordered.