The 99th Divorce

“Her horoscope?”

“Yeah, her horoscope.”

Shen Zhilie glimpsed at the photograph by the side of the bed and said, “Grandma is truly weird at times. Most of the time, she either looks at a person’s face or palm, but when it came to Sister Manting, she used her horoscope instead.”

“How did Grandma obtain her horoscope details?”

“She deliberately sought it from the orphanage.” Shen Zhilie glanced at Ye Qianqian, his expression unreadable but tinged with bewilderment. He said, “Grandma was adamant in her belief that her granddaughter was still alive, and said that if this granddaughter could return, her life would be without regrets. She spent twenty years looking for her. If she were still alive, she would be approximately twenty-nine years old now.”

“So, Grandma went to the orphanage with the intention of searching out an orphan of that age?”

“Yes, and it was with that birth date and horoscope information that she found Sister Manting.”

“She found her using that birth date and horoscope information?”

“Yeah. She found her and brought her back to the Capital before doing a DNA test. Only then did they discover that she wasn’t her missing granddaughter.”

Ye Qianqian didn’t know how to react to that. “But Shen Manting was already a grownup. Why did she come back with Grandma?”

Ye Qianqian had unconsciously started referring to Shen Zhilie’s grandmother as “Grandma” instead of “your grandmother.” It was just easier on the tongue, and it sounded easier on the ears.

“She was still schooling at that point in time, and orphans depended on sponsorships for their tuition fees. The expenses for Sister Manting were pretty high. When she first came, she didn’t look too bad. She was just really skinny. Later on, when she put on a little more weight, she looked even more beautiful.”

“So…”

“Having desires makes it easier for temptation to triumph. Perhaps she wanted a better life, so she followed Grandma back. Or perhaps she just wanted a home.” Shen Zhilie held Ye Qianqian’s hand in his. Sympathy and pity were obvious in his voice as he said, “Her life was so very lonely.”

–

“Achoo!” It was a hot day, but Shen Manting sneezed nonetheless.

It was getting late, and there were a stack of test papers that had yet to be graded. Shen Manting fought to keep her eyes from closing.

She gave a loud and long yawn, and the baby in her womb suddenly kicked. Shen Manting’s yawn was interrupted, and her lips turned up in a happy smile. Her heart grew warm, and she gently stroked her belly. She felt fortunate to have her baby accompanying her.

It was half past eleven when Shen Manting finally finished marking the test papers. She stacked them up together neatly before heading into her small bedroom. After Old Mrs. Shen visited her, Shen Manting had strengthened her resolve and moved to another place to stay. She told everyone she knew, from the easternmost part of the village to the westernmost part, that if anyone came looking for her, they were to tell them that she had already moved away. The people around her were mostly retirees, and Shen Manting was on pretty good terms with them. Naturally, they were all more than willing to help her with this favor.

Although the rent cost a hundred more a month than the previous place, the place was bigger and it was nearer to town, thus allowing her to earn some extra cash at the summer school. In a way, she had profited from the misfortune of Granny Shen’s visit.

After her shower, Shen Manting felt exhausted. Although she was five months pregnant, on her fit and toned body, her belly was barely showing at all. Occasionally, her back would ache, but other than that, she experienced no other problems. She was especially grateful for the fact that the baby was extremely well-behaved. She had only suffered from morning sickness a few times throughout her pregnancy.

Shen Manting slept all the way till morning. She was too tired to even dream. When she awoke, she got up to send the test papers back to the town.

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Translator’s note: In Mandarin, “your grandmother” sounds like part of a commonly used swear phrase.