A Beautiful Life After Divorce in the Eighties

Liang Yingxue was a woman others considered lucky.

She was born in the countryside, yet married Qin Yushan, a handsome, educated man from a good family.

Her in-laws didn't look down on her background, and the family got along well.

She couldn't have children, but her in-laws didn't hold that against her. They treated the child she adopted like their own grandchild and showered him with affection.

Her adopted son was bright and well-behaved. He excelled in school from childhood, got a good job after graduating, and never gave her a moment's worry.

In short, marrying Qin Yushan was like falling into a nest of wealth, and she would enjoy a lifetime of blessings.

Only Liang Yingxue knew the bitterness behind it all.

Qin Yushan was an outstanding man, but he didn't feel much for her, and their relationship was always distant.

Her in-laws treated her well on the surface, but it seemed to be so she would take good care of their adopted son. He mattered more to them than their own daughter-in-law.

Her adopted son was well-behaved and sensible, but there was always a gulf between them. They weren't as close as other mothers and sons...

Until one day, she learned that her adopted son was actually her husband Qin Yushan's child, and his birth mother was the first love Qin Yushan had never forgotten.

Liang Yingxue felt like a joke.

When she opened her eyes, she was young again. She and Qin Yushan had been married for exactly two years, and her in-laws were plotting to bring their eldest grandson home as a legitimate member of the family.

Liang Yingxue: Whoever wants to be this lucky woman can have the job. I'm certainly not going to be someone else's fool of a mom anymore!

Divorce! Go home!

A golden or silver nest can't beat your own humble home. In the 1980s, the country was developing rapidly, and earning enough to support herself wouldn't be hard.

But how did she accidentally become a ten-thousand-yuan household, help her whole family prosper, and end up with a better and better life?

Much later, Qin Yushan arrived, travel-worn, hoping to remarry Liang Yingxue. But there was a refined, handsome young man by his ex-wife's side, who sneered at him: "Yingxue is wonderful. She deserves someone better in this world. Do you really think you're good enough for her?"

Qin Yushan: ...

Reading Guide:

1. Gorgeous and fiery woman x fake gentleman, real schemer / Older woman-younger man romance

2. Family life, slice of life, farming?

3. Note added on October 23, 2025

Please add my upcoming novel, My Husband Died Young, and His Dutiful Wife Is Done with This (1980s), to your collection, dear reader QAQ

Gu Yunxi had a dream. In it, she was the short-lived wife who met the male lead through a blind date in a period novel. She died of hemorrhaging while giving birth to twins, never even laying eyes on her children.

After Gu Yunxi died, she left behind the following:

1. A promising, accomplished, peerlessly handsome husband, Ye Yanqiu.

2. An adorable, well-behaved pair of twins who knew nothing about their birth mother.

3. Parents who were factory leaders and treated their son-in-law like half a son, doing everything they could to help him succeed.

4. A big house, the three big-ticket appliances and a bicycle, and a generous dowry.

Wonderful. Every single thing that should have belonged to Gu Yunxi eventually went to the second female lead, Shen Shuhua.

Now all that stood between the male and female leads and a blissful life together was the male lead's wife dying.

Gu Yunxi: ?

If her husband, children, and house would all end up going to the second female lead, why bother getting married or playing the perfect wife? She couldn't live like this!

Recently, Ye Yanqiu noticed that his quiet, dutiful wife had changed. She no longer made his favorite braised pork, no longer lovingly mended his clothes, no longer blushed when he touched her, and no longer burst into tears just because he spoke to another woman for a little too long.

Instead, she was never home. She was either staying at her parents' place or busy making money. Even her female coworkers at the factory mattered more to her than her own husband... This wouldn't do.

Ye Yanqiu confronted his wife, demanding an explanation. Instead of welcoming him with delight, she looked at him with disdain and said, "If you don't want to stay together, we can get divorced."

Ye Yanqiu: How can that be? My beautiful, sweet, dutiful wife has no idea how many people out there have their eyes on her. I'd have to be an idiot to let her go.

Later, Ye Yanqiu proved through his actions just how enduring and intense his love for his wife was.

After having that proven to her, Gu Yunxi was left dazed: Wasn't she supposed to meet the male lead through a blind date, with neither of them having strong feelings for the other? Why was this man like a dog, refusing to let go once he'd got hold of her, no matter how much she made a fuss about divorcing him?

Every time she brought up divorce, he wore her out even more. She was practically in tears.

Later still: The kids are grown. Why get divorced now? Let's just make the best of it.

Theme: Be independent and self-reliant, and live with hope.