Lu Mingzhu entered a zero-bride-price bilateral marriage with Zhang Jiayao five years ago, agreeing to spend Lunar New Year at her natal home every other year. Her mother-in-law kept blocking her with excuses of rituals, visits or sickness, and she never returned for five years. On New Year’s Eve in the sixth year, three months pregnant, she finally got a chance. But her husband secretly canceled her ticket and took her to his sister’s house, confining her there under the guise of protecting the baby. Seeing they only wanted to control her, Lu Mingzhu fought back and demanded a divorce. After much harassment and with her parents backing her, she escaped her unreasonable mother-in-law and cowardly husband, starting a new life.
