516 Piqued

"I'm just wondering why my mother is unwilling to get a divorce. When Zhang Qian said the word divorce, I was so happy. Who knew that my mother would go up to Zhang Qian and beg him?" Qiao Mei said, not able to understand why.

It was such a rare opportunity. As long as they got a divorce, everything would be fine. Zhang Qian would never have the chance to come and bully Li Gui and her four younger siblings again. After that, they would be able to save up a lot of money by working hard.

Li Gui was really muddle-headed!

"Divorce is not something that can be said casually. Besides, it's a big deal for a woman to be abandoned by a man. This concerns her reputation. Perhaps your mother is doing this for all of you," Xia Zhe said.

"But nothing happened when she remarried," Qiao Mei said.

"But your father passed away in an accident back then. It's not considered a divorce. Besides, she probably doesn't want to tell you too much about all the hardships she has gone through over the years," Xia Zhe comforted her.

Qiao Mei thought about it and felt that what Xia Zhe said made sense. It was just that she really could not accept Li Gui being at the mercy of others in this manner. Zhang Qian had bullied her for so many years and yet she still had to continue to bear with it.

She was only Li Gui's daughter. She could not interfere in the matter between Li Gui and Zhang Qian and could only help her silently.

However, she was no longer willing to help now. Zhang Qian was a person who would keep asking for things. As long as he still had a relationship with Li Gui, he would continue to bully them and put them down.

"Mei Mei, dinner is ready!" Auntie Dong ran over and said.

Everyone helped to bring out the dishes to the table. There were two meat dishes and six vegetable dishes, served with good liquor. Only Qiao Mei's family could afford to serve such a good meal.

Zhang Wei and Zhang Chao sat inside the house with Qiao Qiang. They did not like the bustle and it was quiet in the house.

Qiao Mei and Xia Zhe stood up and raised their glasses together. Qiao Mei said happily, "It's been hard on everyone. Thank you for coming! Due to my condition, I'll use water instead of liquor to make a toast to everyone! Today, everyone must eat and drink your fill! Drink as much as you want! Everyone, enjoy yourselves!"

"Alright!" Everyone cheered in unison.

"The groom should also say something!"

"That's right! The groom should say a few words to us fellows!" the uncles started making a fuss.

Xia Zhe laughed and said, "Hello, everyone! Let me introduce myself first. I'm Qiao Mei's husband and my name is Xia Zhe. First of all, I want to apologize to everyone. I couldn't make it back the last time, so I'll make it up to everyone this time! I'll punish myself by drinking three glasses!"

After saying that, Xia Zhe picked up his glass and drank from it. After downing three glasses in a row, Xia Zhe's face had turned a little red.

"Good! The groom can drink well!"

"None of us mind!"

"Qiao Mei's husband is quite something! Our Foshan Village sees you as one of us!"

Everyone chattered and started eating. Qiao Zhuang's family was not invited to the banquet this time. The entire village was quiet except for Qiao Mei's house, which was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

Today, everyone was in a good mood. They grabbed hold of Xia Zhe and made him drink a few glasses of liquor in a row. Basically, everyone present drank too much. In the end, they all left Qiao Mei's house walking crookedly. Those who really drank too much and fell unconscious were carried back to their houses.

Xia Zhe hugged the liquor bottle and leaned against the door frame quietly without moving. He did not even notice that there were mosquitoes biting him from time to time.

"Xia Zhe, are you asleep? Wake up!" Qiao Mei walked forward and patted Xia Zhe's face.

Xia Zhe remained still. It seemed that he had really drunk too much. This was the first time Qiao Mei had seen Xia Zhe like this.

"Mei Mei, Xiao Wei and I will help my son-in-law into the room to rest. You're pregnant, so don't go forward," Li Gui said.

Qiao Mei nodded lightly and did not say anything else. She did not want to talk to Li Gui yet as she was still piqued over what happened in the afternoon.

It was said that people who drank would feel heavier than usual. Although she was able to carry Xia Zhe, she was still afraid that an accident would happen, so it was better to get help.

Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang both went forward to help carry Xia Zhe into the room. Qiao Mei grabbed a blanket and covered him with it. There was a fire going in the pit so Xia Zhe would not catch a cold at night.

"Aunties, why don't you stay here for the night too? It's already so dark," Qiao Mei said.

"It's fine. We've walked this path for decades. Even with our eyes closed, we can still find our way home. Besides, my husband also drank too much. I have to go back and take a look. Don't worry," Auntie Dong said.