Madam Wang glared at Zhou Fan, her voice trembling with desperation.
"Xiao Fan, you're my son! We're supposed to be the closest, how can you stand with her?"
Zhou Fan wasted no time. He stepped right to my side, putting an arm around my shoulder like a protective knight.
"Mom, enough with that talk. With the way you act, no one's on your side."
I had to stare hard at the ceiling to keep from bursting out laughing. The family drama was reaching a new high.
Just then, the front door banged open - Mr. Zhang walked in, arm-in-arm with his new flame, Xiao Mei.
"Mom, I heard you were back, so I brought Xiao Mei to visit you. She's the kindest person—nothing like those two-faced types."
That was the last straw for Madam Wang. She started yanking at her own hair, shrieking,
"I can't take this anymore! I want a divorce! I'm going to remarry!
I quit! But before I go, I'm going to take down this little tramp!"
She lunged at Xiao Mei, claws out. Mr. Zhang tried to shield his girlfriend, but Madam Wang just attacked them both.
"Zhou Wenhua, you have the nerve to judge me? You're the cheater here! If I can't be happy, none of you can! Let's all die together!"
Her long fingernails left fresh scratches on Mr. Zhang's face.
Grandma Zhang, seeing her precious son under attack, howled and leapt into the fray.
Suddenly, it was a four-way family brawl - no one knew who was friend or foe anymore.
Everyone was just swinging, scratching, and shrieking.
By the end, all four of them were covered in new wounds, looking like they'd just come from a particularly vicious game of family dodgeball.
Meanwhile, Zhou Fan handed me a bag of plum-flavored sunflower seeds.
Trust him to know how to make a girl feel special during a family smackdown.
Honestly, watching Madam Wang fight was better than any TV drama. I munched my seeds, thoroughly entertained.
Then, out of nowhere, a stack of bankbooks and cards appeared in front of me - topped with a few property deeds.
Zhou Fan sat beside me, his tone gentle and sincere.
"With everything that's happened, I know you've been through a lot.
Here's all my money. From now on, it's yours to spend however you like.
And Monday, I'll take you to transfer the house into your name.
This is your home now - no one can kick you out. In this family, you're the boss."
I set down my sunflower seeds and quickly accepted my unexpected windfall.
As for my future with Zhou Fan, I'd never been the type to worry.
I could protect myself and earn my own way, but it was nice to have someone who had my back.
The next day, Mr. Zhang and Madam Wang marched off to the Civil Affairs Bureau, still arguing the whole way, to file for divorce.
Zhou Fan and I moved out, starting our own peaceful little life
Finally, a home without an evil mother-in-law.
And let me tell you, life without Madam Wang?
Absolutely blissful.