Su Shunli was unmoved by Tian Aixiang’s pleas. He shoved her away with a look of disgust and said coldly, "Don’t you know what you’ve done? Look at the mess you’ve made for our Old Su Family. You want to stay here and keep causing trouble? This divorce is happening. Grab your things and go back to your parents’ home. I’ll go to the Brigade Leader for the paperwork later, and we can call it an amicable split."

When Su Shunli and Tian Aixiang had gotten married, they never got a marriage certificate, nor did they get one later. They only held a banquet. So for them to divorce, all they needed was a document from their Brigade Leader, which would then be stamped by the Brigade Leaders of both their villages. That would make it official.

Tian Aixiang was shoved to the ground by Su Shunli. Hearing his words, her mind went completely blank. She stared in disbelief for a long moment before looking at him. "Su Shunli, we’ve been married for nearly twenty years. I’ve worked tirelessly without complaint to run this house and have served you with all my heart. I’ve never wronged you, have I? And now you’re kicking me out without a second thought? Does our bond as husband and wife over all these years mean nothing to you?"

"You can shut your mouth," Old Su spat at Tian Aixiang. "Who in the Old Su Family have you not wronged? Look at that ’good’ daughter of yours and what you’ve taught her to be! And you still have the nerve to talk? Cut the crap and get the hell out. If you don’t, I’ll beat you."

As she spoke, Old Su raised the wooden stick in her hand again.

Tian Aixiang’s whole body was already aching from Old Su’s previous beating. Seeing Old Su raise the stick again, she scrambled backward in fear, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked at Old Su and Su Shunli. "Are you really this heartless?"

"Get out! Get out now!" Old Su’s face was full of contempt. "We’ve given you all your things. We haven’t kept a single thing of yours. From now on, I’ll beat you every time you show your face at this door."

Tian Aixiang’s heart grew cold. She glanced at Su Shunli again and saw the merciless look on his face. She finally accepted that she could never return to the Old Su Family. Clutching the bundle in her arms, she endured the pain and climbed to her feet, staring hatefully at Old Su and Su Shunli. "Don’t you regret this."

"Regret my ass! Get lost!" Old Su bellowed.

"Let me see Xiao Hui one more time." Even though she had to leave the Old Su Family, Tian Aixiang couldn’t bear to part with her son, so she made the request.

"Get lost! He’s a grandson of our Old Su Family, he has nothing to do with you. I won’t have my grandson’s mother be someone who’s been locked up," Old Su berated her. "Now get lost!"

Tian Aixiang gritted her teeth, shot one last look at Su Shunli, and turned to head out of the village. She had no intention of looking for Zhao Youcai. She would never forget that he was the one who had brought the police a few days ago. Zhao Youcai would definitely not help her seek justice.

After the crowd in the square had dispersed earlier, Su Qing hadn’t gone straight home. Instead, she had chatted with Aunt Cuihua and Aunt Tao for a while before heading back. As a result, she ran into Tian Aixiang on the road out of the village.

Seeing Su Qing, Tian Aixiang became exceptionally furious. She stared at Su Qing with hatred and gritted her teeth. "Su Qing, are you satisfied now? I’ve been kicked out of the Old Su Family. Are you satisfied?"

Su Qing glanced at the bundle in Tian Aixiang’s arms and said coldly, "Whether you get kicked out or not has nothing to do with me. Don’t come here and act crazy in front of me."

"If it weren’t for you, how could I have been kicked out? It’s all your fault! You’re the one who got me sent to the bureau, otherwise I wouldn’t have..."

Before Tian Aixiang could finish, Su Qing cut her off with a slap. Su Qing said coldly, "Don’t you know why you were sent to the bureau? If you’re still not clear, I can report you to the police again and let the officers have a nice long chat with you. It seems the lesson from the past few days didn’t teach you to recognize your mistakes at all."

"You!" Hearing Su Qing’s threat, Tian Aixiang took two timid steps back. She never wanted to go back to the bureau again. Those few days had been a nightmare.

Seeing Tian Aixiang’s cowardly display, Su Qing gave her one last cold glance and walked away without looking back.

Tian Aixiang watched Su Qing’s departing figure. She had a mind to go forward and argue some more, but she was afraid Su Qing would actually send her back to the bureau. All she could do was glare resentfully at Su Qing’s back before slowly continuing her walk out of the village. Now that she had been kicked out of the Old Su Family, her only destination was her maiden home.

’But will my family even let me in the door?’ She had no confidence at all.

With an apprehensive heart, Tian Aixiang returned to the village where her maiden family lived.

The news that Tian Aixiang had been locked up hadn’t just spread through Lihua Village; rumors had reached all the surrounding villages, including, of course, the one where her maiden family lived.

When some of the villagers saw Tian Aixiang return, one of them said curiously, "Well now, Aixiang, you’re out of the bureau. Does that mean everything’s settled?"

Tian Aixiang’s face flushed red. "Ye-yes, it’s settled."

However, only a few people spoke to her. Most villagers who saw Tian Aixiang took a detour to avoid her, unwilling to even exchange a single word.

Tian Aixiang lowered her head and walked quickly toward her family’s home. Just as she reached the main gate, she saw Tan Jinni walking out of the courtyard.

"Sister-in-law," Tian Aixiang called out softly, clutching her bundle.

Tan Jinni hadn’t expected Tian Aixiang to come back. She frowned. "Who are you? You’re not welcome at my house. Get lost."

Hearing this, Tian Aixiang burst into tears. "Sister-in-law, please just let me in. The Old Su Family kicked me out. They’re making me divorce Shunli. I... I really have nowhere else to go."

"What’s that got to do with my family? Weren’t you the one who always sided with the Old Su Family and turned your back on your own?" Tan Jinni sneered. "What, now that the Old Su Family doesn’t want you, you suddenly remember you have a family here? Hah! If I were you, I’d jump in a river and drown myself. A woman who’s been locked up—what face do you have coming back here? My son still needs to find a wife! Don’t you dare tarnish our family’s reputation. Get out, get out, get out!"

As she spoke, Tan Jinni threw the half-full basin of water she was holding straight at Tian Aixiang.

Tian Aixiang cried out in alarm and dodged frantically, but she still got half-soaked. Fortunately, the weather had started to warm up recently, so the water wasn’t too freezing.

"Sister-in-law, I really have nowhere else to go. Please just let me inside," Tian Aixiang pleaded through her tears.

"In your dreams! Get out!" Tan Jinni roared at her.

Seeing that she couldn’t reason with Tan Jinni, Tian Aixiang shouted toward the courtyard, "Brother! It’s me, Aixiang! Come out and look! Sister-in-law won’t let me in!" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Tian Guicang had been in the courtyard and had heard the entire exchange between his wife and sister. He felt conflicted, but Tan Jinni was the one who called the shots in their house. Even if he felt sorry for his sister, he ultimately couldn’t go against his wife. Hearing Tian Aixiang call his name, he walked out and said to her, "Little sister, you should just go back to the Old Su Family. At the end of the day, you’re the wife they married. A daughter married off is like water splashed out of the house. You have nothing to do with our old Tian family anymore."