The in-laws jump at divorce for grandson's computer
By Peng Deyu/Shirley Xiaobi Dong (Nanfang Weekend)
Updated: 2005-11-21 09:27

My father- and mother-in-law live in the country. My wife and I work in the city. Since we live far away from them and we are both busy with work, we seldom pay them a visit except on holidays.

One day, very unexpectedly, they visited us. My mother-in-law even brought with her a whole pack of freshly-picked oranges. I treated them to tea and cigarettes, then we sat down.

My mother-in-law was in a very good mood, with a broad smile on her face. My father-in-law is a modest man who usually doesn't talk much, but he was quite talkative that day.

I was quite puzzled, and wondered what had happened to them that made them so happy.

After chatting with us for a while, my mother-in-law leaned forward and said to me furtively, "your father-in-law and I came to town today to get a divorce."

I was so surprised that I thought there was something wrong with my hearing. "What did you say?" I asked her to repeat.

"Divorce, you got it?" she raised her voice. When I confirmed that there was nothing wrong with my hearing, I turned from being surprised to being completely stunned.

I pointed my finger at my mother-in-law, then at my father-in-law, and started to console them, "what's wrong with the two of you? You've been married for such a long time. Are there any problems so serious that you cannot solve but with a divorce? You have suffered and overcome all difficulities together over these years. Now things are getting better and better day after day. Why do you...?"

I noticed that my father-in-law was trying to hide his smile.

Seeing that I was taking this seriously, my mother-in-law laughed and cut in, "to tell you the truth, we are getting a fake divorce."

A fake divorce? What's that for?

Marriage is certainly not a game, especially for an old couple that has come through so much and shared so many things with each other. I could not understand at all.

My mother-in-law saw the puzzlement on my face, and spoke again furtively, "these days, the townships are merging with one another. We have to move, too. There will be a compensation of about 8,000 yuan [approximately 1,000 dollars] per capita, and an additional amount of over 5,000 yuan [approximately 600 dollars] for moving cost per family. Now that your father-in-law and I have divorced, we can divide our family. Now we are two families, instead of one. So we can get an additional moving allowance of several thousand yuan. It's very easy and fast to get a divorce nowadays. We had all the paperwork done in less than half an hour. I can buy my grandson a computer with the extra we may get..."

I was so surprised. I knew that every time my son visited his grandma, he would ask her to buy him a computer. But I could never imagine that she was going to make money 'at a price of their marriage.' My mother-in-law even proudly showed the certificate of divorcement to me.

I was speechless. "What is your plan from now on?" I was worried about the inconvenience of their separation.

My mother-in-law doped out my thought, and said breezily, "we can still live together after the divorce. Nowadays, there are so many young people living together without marriage. Who will bother old people like us?"

I was really taken aback. I never expected that my mother-in-law was so avant-guard. I felt that I was outdated.

The old couple are my in-laws. But money is so bewitching that it can turn a legal couple that has been together for such a long time into a nominally illegal state.

I saw the two of them off after dinner. Watching them leave, I could not help shaking my head and falling deep into meditation.