Chapter 582: The Secret About the Past (200)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The answers she had gotten from other fortune-tellers were the same as that from the elderly lady in the alley.
Mrs. Ye was immediately disheartened and dejected.
On the way home, she called Ye Xiaotian to tell him about the matter, to which he answered that there was nothing much to talk about since it was all written in fate.
Mrs. Ye hung up angrily and headed straight to Mo Li’s mansion upon returning home.
Mo Li was supervising Ye Jiani, who was doing her homework for the summer break. School would be reopening on the 1st of September, and yet, she still had not completed all her assignments.
Upon sight of her mother-in-law storming into the house in a pique, Mo Li stood up and stared at her calmly. “What’s the matter?”
“What’s the matter? I went to visit two separate fortune-tellers today and they both said the same thing. They said that I’m not destined to have a grandson in my life.”
Mo Li was rather taken aback but continued to remain silent.
“You’re just like your sister-in-law. Both of you are incapable of giving birth to a son!” Mrs. Ye hollered in exasperation, clearly having been struck with a huge blow. She could not tolerate the thought of having to hear the criticism about her family’s misfortune of having no male heir.
Mo Li had long gotten used to her scoldings and was no longer affected. “If there’s nothing else you’d like to say, I have to go back to helping Jiani with her homework,” she said.
“Of course there’s more I’d like to say.” Mrs. Ye sat down and pointed at the couch opposite. “Get Jiani to go upstairs, I have something important to say to you privately.”
Noticing that Mrs. Ye seemed to really have something to say, Mo Li immediately said to her daughter, “Mommy would like to have a word with Grandma. Go upstairs and do your homework. I’ll be checking your work later after you’re done, okay?”
Ye Jiani nodded and ran upstairs with her workbook.
After making sure that her granddaughter had already gone upstairs, Mrs. Ye said, “I think what those fortune-tellers said must be real. There’s no way their readings would be so similar if they were just shams. They said that you and Xiaotian are destined to have four daughters, including the one you’ve miscarried. You won’t have any sons at all. Mo Li, if Jiani was a son, I definitely wouldn’t force you to have another child. But there are only two options now. You make the decision yourself.”
“What?” Mo Li asked, filled with a vague, ominous feeling.
“I’m giving you two options now. One is to divorce Xiaotian and let him get another woman pregnant. If the woman falls pregnant with a daughter, we’ll just abort it until we get a boy. You may take Jiani away with you, we’ll pay you more alimony. Or, I’ll look for some masters to perform a ritual so that you and Xiaotian may have a son. However, there may be unexpected outcomes, and you are to bear the consequences.”
Mo Li was flabbergasted and furious to hear her mother-in-law’s absurd words.
“Mother… why don’t you understand even until now, the gender of the child all depends on the father…”
“I understand that! Of course I do! But can I really force you to give birth again and again? It’s so difficult for you to even get pregnant. Your brother-in-law and his wife will never give birth again. If Xiaotian doesn’t have a son either, what are others going to think of our family in the future!?! Don’t talk to me about adopting a child, that’s impossible!” Mrs. Ye bellowed, glowering at her.
Mo Li placed her right hand on top of her left. Her palm was resting right on top of the wedding band on her ring finger.
She felt her heart wrenching in pain.
Regardless of which option she picks, she would be miserable.
“What are the unexpected outcomes…?” she asked.
“How would I know? Those masters and fortune-tellers made it sound rather far-fetched. They said that you’d have to strike a deal with Heaven in exchange for a son. That’s why I told you to pick from the options, lest you say that I forced you into it,” said Mrs. Ye, who was clueless about what the unexpected consequences would be.
Biting her lip, Mo Li answered, “Mother, aren’t you already forcing me by making me pick one out of the two options you’ve given me? If I’m not destined to have a son, why must we insist on going against Heaven’s will? Is it worth sacrificing a complete family for the sake of pride and continuing the family bloodline? We’re already in a modern era, why do you still have to favor boys over girls?”
“Sons are the most important, regardless of which era we’re in! Take a look at all the big tycoons in the business world. Do any of them not have sons? It’s an embarrassment to not have a male heir!”
Mo Li felt that it was impossible to communicate with her.
“I won’t pick any of the options,” she said in refusal.
“Sure, since you won’t make a decision, I’ll pick for you! I gave you the option of taking your own pick but you simply refuse to. I’m going to let Xiaotian find another woman.”
“Mother! Since you care so much about the Ye family’s bloodline, why don’t you let Father-in-law find another woman to give birth to a few more sons for the family!?! Let Brother-in-law do that too. Why must it be Xiaotian!?!” Mo Li yelled at the top of her lungs.
Mrs. Ye stepped forward and gave her a tight slap. “Bitch!”
Mo Li placed a hand on her face and scoffed, “You were so disapproving of me before Xiaotian and I got married, yet you still continue to find trouble with me all the time after we got married. It’s really just my luck to be cursed with such a horrid mother-in-law like you!”
She turned around and stormed upstairs.
Mrs. Ye was just as exasperated, though she was at a loss for words.
Instead of leaving, she waited in the mansion for Ye Xiaotian to return from the office.
She planned to have a serious talk with him about the matter, which was extremely important to her. She felt the need to come up with a concrete plan and execute it as soon as possible.
Ye Xiaotian arrived home at past six o’clock in the evening.
He had already had an arduous day at work, which gave him a major headache. And yet, he still had to face the music when he returned home.
Appearing fatigued and weary, Ye Xiaotian lit up a cigarette and asked, “Mother, just put this matter on hold for now. Can we talk about it another time?”
“What do you mean talk about it another time? The more I think about it, the more I realize that I won’t be able to die in peace unless I settle it properly while I’m still alive.”
With a glum and sullen expression on his face, he said, “Mother… don’t talk about death, you’ll live a long life.”
“I know exactly what my health condition is. Xiaotian, I’m giving you two options as well. Take your pick. You either divorce Mo Li and find another woman or seek help from masters and beg for a son using black magic.”
“Since we’re not destined to have a son, why should we go against Heaven’s will? Mo Li and I already have a daughter now. Am I still fit to be a man if I divorce her simply because of that?” said Ye Xiaotian, flicking some ash off his cigarette.
“How about you don’t divorce her and still proceed with finding another woman…”
“Is this what a mother should be saying? Let’s talk about this another day. I’m exhausted, I’m going upstairs to get some rest now.”
“Have your dinner before you go upstairs.”
“I’ll come down for dinner after I take a shower,” he answered, loosening his tie while going upstairs.
Noticing how adamant he was, Mrs. Ye thought to herself that she probably should not put her son in a spot since it won’t be good for her reputation. It seemed she ought to handle the matter on her own.
After having come to a decision, Mrs. Ye returned to her own mansion.
Ye Xiaotian pushed the door of the bedroom open to see that Mo Li was lying down on the couch with an empty liquor bottle beside her on the table. Since it was a liquor with high alcohol content, Mo Li must have gotten drunk out of her senses after chugging the entire bottle.
He walked toward her and took away the goblet, which was resting on her abdomen. He then bent forward and carried her onto the bed before lying down beside her.
Mo Li opened her eyes and giggled a little. She reached a hand out to smack his face lightly and said, “Who’s this? Why do you look so much like my husband?”
Ye Xiaotian stared at her and answered feebly, “I’m your husband.”