Under the village chief’s persuasion, Old Lady Jiang finally unlocked the door.

As soon as the door opened, Chen Meiling rushed out and threw her arms around Jiang Wanting, collapsing to the ground in tears. “I thought I was going to die this time. What would you do if I died, my poor daughter?”

Jiang Wanting was also in tears. “Mom, get up. I’m fine, aren’t I? Let’s go!”

Chen Meiling shook her head in terror. “We can’t leave. Your father will beat us to death.”

Old Lady Jiang seized the moment to snort coldly. “Good that you know.”

Chen Meiling touched Jiang Wanting’s face. “Be good and listen to me. I won’t leave. You escape quickly. If it’s too late, your father will really beat us to death. It doesn’t matter if I die, but you can’t be dragged down by me.”

Jiang Wanting’s heart ached terribly. The last time Chen Meiling was willing to leave the Jiang family with her, it had taken immense courage. This time, with Jiang Erliang here, she would rather be beaten to death than leave the Jiang family, all to protect her.

“Mom, if the village chief hadn’t come earlier, I would have already chopped him to death. What are you afraid of? With me here, you can divorce him and come with me.”

“Divorce?” Chen Meiling looked at Jiang Wanting. “After divorcing, how will we live here? No one will want me, and no one will want you either. We’ll be drowned in gossip!” she said despairingly.

“Mom, don’t worry about that. Nowadays, no one dares to gossip about divorce. If you don’t believe me, ask the village chief.”

The village chief, standing nearby, said, “I think it’s better not to be impulsive. After all, we should maintain family integrity and social stability. Besides, if you really divorce, you won’t have any land. What will you rely on to eat?”

“Are you saying you don’t approve of my mom getting a divorce?” Jiang Wanting asked directly.

The village chief remembered his earlier promise to Jiang Wanting and didn’t dare to speak too definitively. “This matter isn’t simple to handle. Given the current situation, you should first calm your mother down. We can talk about divorce later… Don’t worry, as long as it’s reasonable and legal, I’ll support it!”

Seeing Chen Meiling’s condition, Jiang Wanting felt the village chief was right. The priority now was to soothe Chen Meiling’s emotions. “Alright, I’ll take my mom back first. We’ll talk about divorce this afternoon!” she said to the village chief and the Jiang family.

“Why should you leave? You can’t go!” Old Lady Jiang blocked the way. “Your man is at home. Where do you think you’re going instead of serving him? And you want a divorce? Go ask if any village has a wife asking for a divorce. Isn’t it shameful? To avoid work, you’ve thrown away all dignity. Aren’t you afraid people will laugh you to death outside?”

Hearing her spewing nonsense, Jiang Wanting stepped forward and kicked her in the stomach.

Old Lady Jiang stumbled backward, and chaos erupted in the yard again.

Jiang Laosan stepped forward to hit Jiang Wanting; Old Lady Jiang moaned and groaned, playing the victim; Jiang Wanting rushed to pull the kitchen knife out of the door, but it was embedded too deeply. She struggled to wrench it free; Chen Meiling shielded Jiang Wanting, preventing Jiang Laosan from hitting her.

The village chief tried to reason with each of them but to no avail. Out of options, he picked up an aluminum basin from the windowsill and smashed it against a stone on the ground.

With a loud crash, the village chief roared, “Everyone, stop! Don’t force me to tear this yard apart!”

The yard immediately fell silent.

Cowed by the village chief’s authority, Jiang Laosan lowered his raised fist, and the old woman stopped her wailing. Jiang Wanting finally pulled the knife free and turned to stand protectively in front of Chen Meiling. She narrowed her eyes, tilted her head, and glared coldly at the people opposite her, her gaze as hard as steel.

The village chief took a few deep breaths. “Can’t we sit down and resolve any issues without all this fighting? Huh? You!” He pointed at Jiang Laosan. “A grown man like you, trying to hit women and children? And you!” He pointed at Jiang Wanting. “Can’t you talk things out properly instead of resorting to knives?”

“She insulted my mom first!” Jiang Wanting pointed at Old Lady Jiang.

“But kicking your grandmother isn’t right either! That’s disrespectful and unfilial! At the very least, she raised you. You should be grateful! Ah, young people are too impulsive and haven’t experienced enough hardship.” The village chief shook his head helplessly. “Given the situation, the girl should take her mother back first to rest. She’s been locked up all night without food. Go back and have some porridge. As for your family, discuss things among yourselves. Apologize where needed, consider dividing the household if necessary. Once you’ve talked it over, come find me at the village committee this afternoon!”

Old Lady Jiang wanted to protest the idea of dividing the household, but the village chief kept shooting her meaningful glances. She didn’t notice, but Jiang Laosan did. He pulled the old woman aside. “Alright, Village Chief, we’ll do as you say. We’ll go back and discuss it.”

Under the village chief’s protection, Jiang Wanting and Chen Meiling safely left the Jiang house.

Back at the educated youth point, Chen Meiling knelt on the ground, picking up the dirt-covered steamed buns and meat. She also tried to gather the scattered flour, but it was mixed with too much dirt to be edible.

Chen Meiling knelt there with her head bowed, motionless for a long time before finally sobbing. “It’s all my fault for being useless, marrying someone like Jiang Erliang and ruining your life.” She cried, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Jiang Wanting helped her up and sat her on the bed. “Mom, that’s all in the past. We need to talk about the present.”

Tearfully, Chen Meiling nodded. “Tell me. I’m listening.”

“It seems now that simply dividing the household isn’t enough. I think you need to get a divorce.”

“R-really, a divorce?” Chen Meiling felt utterly helpless.

“Yes. If you don’t divorce, you’ll be trapped here. I can’t just stand by and watch you suffer abuse while I escape alone. I’m definitely taking you with me.”

“But if we divorce, what if he comes to beat us again? There’s no man at home to stand up for us.”

“Mom, I can stand up for you. Listen to me. Stop working in the fields. In the past, dividing the household meant getting land, but if we divorce, we might not get any. Leave the fields behind and come sell lingzhi mushrooms with me. I’m worried about leaving you home alone during the day while I’m out. Come with me.”

“This… both of us together? Can we manage? I’ve never done it before.”

“We can do it. Look how much money we’ve made already—four hundred saved at the credit union, and I have another two hundred on hand for stock. And it’s only been a little over two weeks. My capacity is limited; I can only carry about ten mushrooms a day to sell. If you come with me, we can sell more lingzhi, expand to more restaurants, earn more money, and avoid him at the same time. Isn’t that good?”

Chen Meiling was persuaded. “Then teach me. I’ll give it a try.” She wiped away her tears.

“Okay, you’ll come with me today. Also, I’ve been thinking—instead of living in fear here every day, why not move somewhere else? Mom, where’s your family home?”

“Family home…” Chen Meiling paused, her expression darkening. “There’s no family home to speak of. I’m all alone.”

Jiang Wanting didn’t press for details. She made Chen Meiling something warm to eat, and after she finished, found her another new cotton outfit from the cupboard—one of her own—for Chen Meiling to change into.

“Wear this. The more they can’t stand it, the more we’ll wear it. Let’s piss them off!” Jiang Wanting said.

Chen Meiling obediently changed into the new clothes.

As she took off her old clothes, Jiang Wanting saw bruises all over her body—evidence of how brutally Jiang Erliang had beaten her. She couldn’t bear to look further, her hands trembling with anger.

By late morning, when the sun had warmed the country paths, Chen Meiling set out with Jiang Wanting, heading directly to the village where Jiang Wanting sourced the lingzhi mushrooms.

Jiang Wanting introduced Chen Meiling to the farmers who sold the lingzhi and collected fifteen mushrooms from them.

Carrying the load on a shoulder pole, the two made their way to the county bus station and successfully bought their tickets.

Following her usual daily route, Jiang Wanting first went to Zhou Weidong, but today he wasn’t as eager to buy.

“Not buying today? If not, I’ll take them all elsewhere,” Jiang Wanting urged, impatient with Zhou Weidong’s hesitation.

“Wait, let me think again,” Zhou Weidong stalled, making conversation. “Are you two together?”

“Yes, this is my mom. She’s come with me today to sell lingzhi. From now on, she might be the one selling most of the time.”

“You won’t be coming anymore?” Zhou Weidong asked, surprised.

“I’ll be selling elsewhere.”

Zhou Weidong gritted his teeth. “Then… then I’ll buy one more today. Could you leave a contact address? If I need more in the future, I could come find you… or rather, how can I reach you?”

“I don’t have a phone, and I live in a village. It wouldn’t be convenient for you to find me. If it’s something important, you can talk to my mom. She’ll pass the message to me.”

Zhou Weidong hesitantly pulled out thirty yuan and handed it to Jiang Wanting. “Tomorrow… I might not buy, but could you still come ask me every day like this, to see if I want any?”

“Sure,” Jiang Wanting agreed readily, taking the money. “I’ll come if I have time. If I’m busy, my mom will come. It’s on the way anyway, no problem.”

Satisfied with her answer, Zhou Weidong picked out one lingzhi. “It’s settled then. Come by every day from now on.”

After leaving Zhou Weidong, the two went to Binhu Restaurant. Zhang Shengli, learning that Jiang Wanting was with her parent today, enthusiastically praised Jiang Wanting to Chen Meiling, speaking so highly of her that Chen Meiling beamed with pride.

After Zhang Shengli left, Jiang Wanting pulled Chen Meiling into a corner. She took out all the money and whispered, “Look, this 231 yuan is what we earned today, and this 240 yuan is from yesterday. That’s 471 yuan total. We’ll deposit it all at the credit union on our way back.”

“This much?” Chen Meiling could hardly believe her eyes.

“So, forget farming. While it’s the season, let’s focus on selling lingzhi.” Jiang Wanting pointed toward the other side of the wall. “There are a few more restaurants down that road. Usually, I can only carry about ten mushrooms to sell to this one place—any more and I can’t manage. If you’re with me, we can try those other restaurants. We might be able to sell a lot more.”

“Is selling lingzhi really this profitable? It seems like everyone selling them must be making a lot,” Chen Meiling said enviously.

“Not necessarily. But I’m definitely selling faster than others,” Jiang Wanting said proudly.

On their way back, they stopped at the credit union to deposit 400 yuan, keeping 71 yuan on hand for expenses. Their savings now totaled 800 yuan. Thanks to this substantial sum, Chen Meiling’s melancholy mood almost completely vanished.

Before returning to the village, they went to a state-run restaurant and each had a large bowl of beef noodles. They had a divorce negotiation at the village committee in the afternoon—they couldn’t go on an empty stomach.

Jiang Wanting was full of confidence and fighting spirit, but Chen Meiling seemed somewhat dispirited.

Noticing this, Jiang Wanting said, “What are you afraid of? As long as you’re firm about the divorce, I’ll handle the rest.”

“I’m worried that if your father refuses to divorce, we’ll end up beaten again.”

Jiang Wanting had also considered this. If the two of them had to confront the entire Jiang family, their chances of winning any conflict were slim.

While Jiang Wanting was worrying about the negotiation at the village committee, the Jiang family had already arrived.

“Niuzi’s dad, we haven’t seen Niuzi for days now,” Old Lady Jiang said, sitting in the village committee office. “We’ve discussed it—there’s no way we’re dividing the household. That girl still has to marry Niuzi. You’re our local authority; you have to stand up for us.”

The village chief had originally intended to persuade them to simply divide the household. But hearing the old woman’s proposal and thinking about Niuzi’s current situation, he couldn’t help but feel tempted.