SGEIRS -Chapter 490 Regaining Freedom

Meng Jinyao said in a calm voice, “Father, since you have already made your choice, have someone prepare pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and write the divorce document.”

When Meng Dongyuan heard the words “divorce document,” his chest tightened. His marriage with his wife, which had been going so well, was being torn apart by this unfilial son. If he had dealt with this son from the start, his wife wouldn’t have wanted a divorce.

But if he had punished this son, he wouldn’t have been able to get past his mother. No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t openly punish him—otherwise, his mother would have immediately protested, blaming this son for being so ill-natured and causing such trouble.

Old Madam Meng noticed her son’s reluctance. She was somewhat annoyed in her heart. Could a woman really be more important than one’s own son? She was just a woman; there were plenty of them.

She said, “If Madam Dong wants so badly to leave our Meng family, then write it. Let her leave today. Let’s see if she can find a better family than ours after divorcing you. Then we’ll see when she regrets it.”

With his strong-willed daughter on one side and his mother pressuring him on the other, Meng Dongyuan was caught in the middle. He had no choice but to accept his fate and write the divorce document.

When he put pen to paper, Meng Dongyuan felt as if the pen weighed a thousand pounds. Writing each character was painfully difficult.

When he had written the separation document for Madam Sun, he had done so with ease. Now, writing a divorce document for Madam Dong was agonizing: one was someone he wanted to discard immediately, the other was his wife he was reluctant to part with.

After the last stroke was written, Meng Dongyuan set down the brush and looked up. Seeing everyone present satisfied with the outcome, he felt even worse—why did it feel like he had painfully sacrificed his own marriage to satisfy everyone else?

Meng Jinyao asked, “Father, is it done?”

Meng Dongyuan nodded with a grim expression. His resentment toward his son reached its peak in that instant. He didn’t even know what sin he had committed in his past life to have such an unfilial child in this one, who seemed to bring him nothing but trouble.

Meng Jinyao said again, “Then sign it and seal it.”

Meng Dongyuan picked up the pen once more, signed his name, and affixed his seal.

After Meng Jinyao checked that the divorce document was correct, she took it to Madam Dong, with Gu Jingxi walking beside her, gently supporting her.

Meng Dongyuan felt a pang in his heart. How little trust did his daughter have in him that she felt the need to check a divorce document? Did she think he could tamper with it?

After Meng Jinyao and her husband left, Meng Dongyuan glanced at his mother and the unfilial son, feeling irritated. Not wanting to face them any longer, he was about to stand and leave when his mother said, “Where do you think you’re going? Wait until that couple comes back—you expect me, an old woman, to handle these difficult people alone?”

Meng Dongyuan: “…”

Hearing that, he felt like he was being used as a shield.

Using seniority to pressure juniors, he immediately applied the tactic, speaking to his restless, wanting-to-leave son: “Chengxing, you’re staying too. You’re the reason your eldest sister lost the chance to have a younger sibling. Even if your eldest sister scolds you, you’ll have to take it. She’s pregnant and needs to keep a good mood. You better think carefully about how you behave later.”

Meng Chengxing: “…”

He knew it—his father didn’t care about him and was just pushing him out to get scolded.

Over there, Madam Dong wasn’t lying in bed either. She was already dressed and ready, waiting for news from Meng Jinyao and her husband. For some reason, she had great confidence in her stepdaughter’s abilities and had a premonition that today she would finally be able to leave the Meng family, this frustrating household.

When Meng Jinyao saw Madam Dong again, she didn’t call her “Mother” this time—not because she didn’t respect her elders, but because she understood that Madam Dong did not want any connection with her father at all. She said, “Aunt Dong, this is what you asked for. From now on, you are free.” Saying so, she handed the divorce document to Madam Dong.

Upon hearing “Aunt Dong,” Madam Dong’s expression faltered. When she heard the rest of the words, tears of joy immediately welled up. She was free—no longer forced to endure life as a Meng family daughter-in-law.

She slowly reached out to take the divorce document she had long dreamed of, choking back sobs. “Jinyao, I don’t even know how to thank you enough for this.”

Meng Jinyao spoke gently, “Aunt Dong, there’s no need to be polite. Don’t cry, you might hurt your eyes.” Then she added, “By the way, Aunt Dong, I’ve already notified your family. They should be here soon to take you home. You can have your servants start packing now.”

Madam Dong was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t yet told her family about her miscarriage or her desire to divorce. She hadn’t notified them because she knew they couldn’t help. Though the Meng family had fallen on hard times, their social standing was still higher than the Dongs’, and there was a legitimate eldest daughter married into a marquis’s household.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao realized that Madam Dong’s family didn’t know about what had happened over the past two days. She said, “For a matter this big, it’s better for your family to come. If you return home alone with only your maid and dowry, you’ll appear weak. Being received by your parents and siblings is entirely different. I hear your parents and brothers treat you very well, so I don’t think they’ll blame you for divorcing.”

Madam Dong was moved. She hadn’t expected her stepdaughter to consider everything from her perspective so thoroughly. She nodded with tears, “Thank you, Jinyao. You’ve really thought of everything.”

Meng Jinyao then briefly informed Madam Dong of the discussions with her family.

After listening, Madam Dong understood the situation. “Don’t worry, Jinyao. I won’t speak recklessly after leaving the Meng family, and neither will my family. Your father chose to protect his son, so I’ll honor that choice. Whatever happens to Chengxing from now on is none of my business, but I’ve always believed that bad people never end well.”

Meng Jinyao didn’t reply, only nodded slightly.

Madam Dong continued, “By the way, I prepared clothes and some items for Chengzhang, but I didn’t have time to send them to Lingshan Academy before this happened. Jinyao, you can have them sent to him.”

She looked at the items her maid had already fetched.

Following her gaze, Meng Jinyao saw many items: pen, ink, paper, and inkstone; herbal patches, tea, energizing incense; two jars each of dried fruit and dried meat; two pairs of shoes; four pairs of socks; and fine fabrics for new clothes. The colors and embroidery patterns were what her second brother liked, showing how carefully Madam Dong had prepared everything.

Meng Jinyao spoke warmly, “I’ll thank you on behalf of my second brother, Aunt Dong. I’ll first take these items back to the Marquis’s residence, then send them over tomorrow with a letter explaining what happened at home.”

Madam Dong nodded slightly. With four children—two stepchildren and two biological—she had two good ones, but her relationship with them and their mother had always been distant. She had once thought that as long as two of the children were good, she could endure the rest. But her heart still resisted. Before this incident, she had always felt suffocated in this house. Now, with a mother-in-law who wasn’t kind, a husband who wasn’t good, and Chengxing being a troublesome brat, she didn’t want to stay another day, nor face these three people again.

Afterward, Meng Jinyao didn’t return to Rongfu Hall but stayed in Madam Dong’s courtyard to talk with her while the maids packed her belongings.

The maids in the courtyard were stunned. They had never expected that the gentle and kind madam would one day divorce the eldest young master, especially when the couple’s relationship had been so good.