The 99th Divorce

Ye Qianqian’s heart beat faster. Her whole body stiffened.

“You… who are you?”

Ye Qianqian was absolutely sure that she was not Mrs. Dong Fang, and certainly not Shen Zhilie’s grandmother!

The old woman smiled and said, “I’m Grandmother Cheng. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know me yet. Your grandmother-in-law will introduce me to you tomorrow.”

Ye Qianqian was relieved to hear that.

She wanted to nod, but the weight on her neck made her immediately give up the idea.

“I see. Thank you, Grandmother Cheng.”

“Why hasn’t your husband arrived yet? You must be tired, aren’t you?” Grandmother Cheng’s voice sounded sympathetic.

Ye Qianqian felt helpless and aggrieved, but she decided to suck it up. She answered, “It feels a little heavy. But apart from that, I’m all right.”

Grandmother Cheng laughed and said, “Wedding ceremonies were conducted like this in the past. But now, the ceremonies are a lot less elaborate. Back in the day, the bride had to arise before dawn to prepare. The hair had to be combed a specific number of times. The amount of makeup and the types of jewelry used were meticulously arranged. The bride had to whisper to her mother by the bed and cry before parting from the maiden family – we were particular about following tradition. Modern society is much more liberal.”

Ye Qianqian listened and clicked her tongue discreetly. She asked, “Were you married in a traditional Chinese wedding, Grandmother Cheng?”

“We weren’t affluent enough for that kind of pomp and pageantry. We were poor from living under oppression for so long. We didn’t have the money to conduct lavish ceremonies.”

Suddenly they heard the sound of the door creaking open.

The sound of familiar footsteps traveled across the room. Ye Qianqian immediately felt an impulse to cry.

He’s here! He’s finally here!

Shen Zhilie’s face was flushed red. He had been made to drink on his way here.

He felt heady as he walked into the room, as though he were floating above the ground.

He greeted Grandmother Cheng upon seeing her in the room.

“Good.” She patted him on the shoulder and said, “Your wife has been waiting for you long enough. Go to her.”

Shen Zhilie chuckled and said, “Thank you, Grandmother!”

Grandmother Cheng took his hand and instructed, “Come, lift your wife’s veil.”

“With my hand?”

“Of course not.”

Grandma Cheng reached for a special stick beside her. “Use this.”

Shen Zhilie glanced at the stick and took it from the old woman’s hand. He lifted the veil with the stick.

The red veil was lifted. Ye Qianqian seemed to be experiencing some kind of magical effect.

She instantly felt that the weight on her neck had been lifted.

She looked up at Shen Zhilie and grumbled with a frown, “My neck hurts, hubby.”

Hubby…

Shen Zhilie felt his heart leap when he heard her say the word. He proceeded to remove the golden phoenix coronet from her head.

At last, Ye Qianqian felt liberated. She flexed her neck freely and almost screamed out of joy.

Grandmother Cheng left the room and closed the door on her way out.

Ye Qianqian glanced backward, trying to see if Grandmother Cheng had really left, but Shen Zhilie stood in front of her, blocking her view.

Shen Zhilie’s charming, clear amber eyes shone with deep admiration for his bride.

“You look gorgeous today,” he said softly as he held her hands in his.

Ye Qianqian winced upon hearing this. She pursed her lips and retorted smugly, “Don’t I usually look this beautiful?”

“You’ve never looked so beautiful.” Shen Zhilie reached out to remove the necklace from her neck.

He held it in his palm and felt its immense weight. He exclaimed, “It’s really heavy. Have you been wearing it everywhere you went the entire day?”