Chapter 66 Is it because he's incapable?

Chapter 66 Is it because he's incapable?

These words struck like a thunderbolt, catching everyone present completely off guard.

Although the Cheng family had long anticipated that the marriage would not go through, they did not expect that she would confess in front of both families at this critical moment of life and death.

In those days, a woman being divorced was no different from being "spoiled," and it was extremely difficult for her to remarry. She would have to endure the pointing fingers and gossip of others on the street and carry the reputation of being "immoral" for the rest of her life.

"Tang'er! What nonsense are you talking about!"

Yun grabbed her hand in disbelief, her voice trembling: "Divorce? Do you know what that means? How are you going to live from now on?"

“Yes, little sister, think it over again!” Madam Mu hurriedly advised, “Even if there are misunderstandings, they can be resolved slowly. There’s no need to go to the point of divorce!”

Jiang Yutang slowly raised her head, meeting her family's worried gazes, her tone calm yet firm: "I know what divorce means. Actually, Cheng Lanzhou and I have long planned to divorce, but we didn't say anything because we were afraid you would worry. This marriage was something I forced in the first place, and now as long as the Cheng family is willing to let go of past grievances, divorce will be a relief for everyone."

Cheng Dai'er snapped out of her shock, sneered, and said with a mocking look in her eyes, "Hmph, it's good that you have this kind of 'awareness'."

She raised her hand slightly, as if to habitually put her arm on the wooden chair, but missed. She pursed her lips and said, "But you have to think it through. You and my brother have been husband and wife for so many years. Even if you get divorced, if you meet someone you like in the future, they may not be able to accept you as a 'second-marriage woman'!"

These words were like a thorn, making the Jiang family's hearts tighten and further fueling their opposition to the decision.

"No! Tang'er, you can't talk such nonsense!" Madam Yun held her hand tightly, shaking her head with a sorrowful expression.

Jiang Yutang took a deep breath, raised her hand and gently patted Yun Shi's hand to comfort her, then looked up at Cheng Daier and said in a clear voice the truth hidden in the original owner's heart.

"Although Cheng Lanzhou and I are husband and wife in name, we have never had any physical contact. We are completely innocent and have never overstepped the bounds."

"Whoosh—"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.

All eyes turned to Jiang Yutang and Cheng Lanzhou, filled with shock, confusion, and an undisguised curiosity.

Cheng Lanzhou's face instantly turned from calm to ashen. His hands, which were at his sides, clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white. He stared intently at Jiang Yutang, his deep voice filled with suppressed rage: "Absurd!"

Cheng Daier jumped up in shock, pointing at Jiang Yutang, her voice trembling: "You... how could you bring such a thing into the open! If this private matter gets out, not only will you be ruined, but the reputation of our Cheng family will also be destroyed!"

She paused, as if suddenly realizing something, then changed the subject, her eyes sharp as she looked at Jiang Yutang: "It's definitely your problem!"

"I?"

Jiang Yutang's pupils contracted, and she smiled bitterly, both angry and helpless, as she held her forehead.

How could she forget that in this patriarchal society, when something like this happens, everyone's first reaction is to blame the woman?

But seeing Cheng Daier and Lin Shi's expressions gradually soften, she silently suppressed her thoughts of rebuttal: Fine, as long as the Cheng family can calm down and stop dwelling on the past, it doesn't matter if she takes the blame.

But the Jiang family was not happy! Jiang Huaiyu was the first to jump up, pointing at Cheng Daier, her face red with anger: "What nonsense are you talking about! My little sister is pure and innocent, how could there be a problem? If you ask me, it must be your brother who is incompetent! Otherwise, how could he have been so innocent with my little sister for so many years!"

"Jiang Huaiyu! What nonsense are you spouting!" Cheng Daier glared at him angrily, ready to argue with him on the spot.

"Did I say something wrong?" Jiang Huaiyu retorted without backing down. "If there were something wrong with my little sister, would my father and brother be protecting her like this? It's clearly your Cheng family that's in the wrong!"

The previously relaxed atmosphere became tense again due to this sudden argument.

Looking at the two arguing so heatedly, Jiang Huaiyu felt her head throb even more.

How did her perfectly good divorce declaration turn into an argument about "who's not good enough"?

Seeing this, Madam Lin quickly stood up, hurriedly grabbed Cheng Dai'er who was still trying to argue, and loudly stopped her: "Enough! Stop arguing! Is this something you can argue about in public?"

She trembled with anger, her gaze shifting back and forth between her son and Jiang Yutang. Finally, with trembling hands, she brushed the stray hairs behind her ears, regaining her composure, her voice tinged with weariness.

"Let's put this matter aside for now, and talk about it again after this period of time. Let's not dwell on it!"

After saying that, she patted Cheng Dai'er's hand and softened her tone: "Dai'er, help your mother to rest over there."

Although Cheng Dai'er was still unwilling, she dared not disobey her mother. She could only glare at Jiang Huaiyu and help Lin Shi walk away from the fire.

Cheng Lanzhou sat on that blue stone the whole time, his aura as cold as ice in the dead of winter, making people tremble with fear.

He coldly swept his gaze over the arguing crowd, finally settling on Jiang Yutang. There was no anger in his eyes, only an indescribable complexity and coldness that sent a chill down Jiang Yutang's spine.

The next moment, he suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeves, turned around, and strode into the shadows in the distance without leaving a single word.

Only after the Cheng family members had completely disappeared from the fire did the Jiang family finally breathe a sigh of relief, and then all eyes turned to Jiang Yutang.

Madam Yun was the first to grab her hand, her voice filled with urgency and worry: "Tang'er, tell your mother, you and him... really haven't had any physical intimacy?"

Facing the inquiring and worried gazes of her family, Jiang Yutang could only nod slightly.

"hiss--"

Everyone gasped. The tense atmosphere from just moments before about the "apology controversy" instantly turned into sympathy for Jiang Yutang.

Mu leaned forward, her voice extremely low, and asked cautiously, "Is it... is it that you refuse, or that he won't..." Before she could finish her sentence, everyone understood what she meant.

Jiang Yutang also gasped, momentarily at a loss for words.

The book only briefly mentions the original owner's married life with Cheng Lanzhou, stating only that "the two lived in separate rooms and treated each other with 'ice' respect."

How would she know the specific reason? She can't just say, "It's part of the book's plot," can she?

Seeing her remain silent, her family misunderstood, thinking that she had something difficult to say and was afraid that it would hurt Cheng Lanzhou's reputation.

Jiang Shengan pressed his hand to his chest with heartache, shaking his head repeatedly, his sighs tinged with sobs.

His silly daughter truly loves Cheng Lanzhou to death; even now, she's still thinking of him...

With one hand gently stroking her slightly protruding belly and the other clutching the hem of her clothes, Madam Zhu looked at Jiang Yutang with embarrassment and muttered softly, "If... if we really didn't consummate our marriage, wouldn't we be unable to have children in the future?"

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

In ancient times, the saying "Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring" was deeply ingrained in people's minds. It was already a great taboo for a woman not to be able to bear children. If she did not even have the physical relationship with her husband, and had no possibility of "bearing children," then in the eyes of her husband's family, she would have no place to stand.

Everyone looked at each other, their breathing becoming shallow, as if afraid that the air they had just inhaled might have been tainted by Cheng Lanzhou's scent and would upset Jiang Yutang when they exhaled.