Chapter 48: A Malicious Woman Like Her Doesn’t Deserve to Be One of the Song Family

“I understand.”

Ren Bang agreed without hesitation. It could be said that Jiang Wan had saved their lives once again.

Because of this, Ren Bang had a rather favorable attitude toward both her and Song Jiuyuan and was also willing to help keep their secret.

Jiang Wan was quite satisfied. She liked to make a quiet fortune in the shadows—so long as she didn’t stand out, who would ever suspect the gold was taken by her?

After all, she had just come out of that place empty-handed, and everyone saw it clearly.

After finishing her conversation with Ren Bang, they naturally found their seats and sat down. The others who had just been rescued were still trembling in fear and hadn’t yet thought of Jiang Wan.

However, the man who had previously thanked Jiang Wan finally got a good look at her. Although he was thin, his features were quite handsome.

Even after being locked in such a dark and hellish place, he still exuded a natural and graceful aura from head to toe.

This man was likely someone important—just unfortunate to have been targeted by the people of Xu Family Village.

When Jiang Wan looked at him, he smiled and nodded at her. This scene was caught in Song Jiuyuan’s eyes.

For some reason, a wave of discomfort rose within him. He subconsciously asked Jiang Wan:

“You… are you alright?”

The usually cold and indifferent Song Jiuyuan actually showed concern. His family stared at him in surprise, making him feel a little awkward.

Even his own mother had a look on her face like the sun had risen in the west.

“Don’t worry. I run fast. I’m fine.”

Jiang Wan’s lips curled slightly. Just thinking about the pile of gold in her space made her grin foolishly to herself.

It felt like she had made a secret windfall—quietly and joyfully.

While the officers were calming down the rescued victims, those who had been exiled were gradually regaining consciousness. When the Song family opened their eyes, they found Shen Qian tied up next to Xu Wei.

Song Chen immediately became angry but didn’t dare go against the officers. He could only ask dryly:

“Officer, why is my wife tied up?”

Especially being tied up next to Xu Wei—it made him uncomfortable just looking at it.

“Your wife?”

Old Zhang snorted. “Your wife almost got us all trapped in that mountain, mining for the rest of our lives!”

He pointed at the people rescued from the mine. “See? Some of them died in there. The ones who made it out look like skin and bones. If it weren’t for our leader’s quick thinking, you’d be dead in that mountain too.”

“Old Zhang, you forgot to tell him—when we were drugged unconscious, his dear wife promised to give Xu Wei a bunch of fat sons.”

Little Deng usually wasn’t the type to gossip, but Shen Qian’s behavior had truly disgusted him.

So he deliberately told Song Chen all this. Sure enough, the moment Song Chen heard the reason, his eyes reddened with rage. Shen Qian panicked.

“Husband, you… let me explain—”

“Chen’er, don’t listen to her anymore.”

Song Er’s wife felt deeply humiliated by Shen Qian. When the officer had spoken earlier, she had felt scornful eyes from every direction.

She wanted to crawl into a hole. Why had she ever thought Shen Qian was a good choice?

“Mother, I know!”

Song Chen took a few steps forward toward Shen Qian. Jiang Wan instinctively felt that this guy might explode.

Sure enough, he launched into a furious beating. Shen Qian, already bruised and battered, cried and begged for mercy under his fists.

“Husband, I was forced! I… the one I love most… is you!”

Xu Wei: !!!

He stared at Shen Qian, furious, with a look of betrayal.

In an instant, Shen Qian became the object of universal scorn—not just from her own man but also from the other exiled prisoners.

Thinking about how they’d nearly become walking corpses too, they were full of resentment toward her.

“Chen’er, divorce this wicked woman!”

Song Lao’er, who rarely spoke, suddenly said. His words reminded Song Chen, who stopped his fists and declared:

“Yes! I will divorce you.”

“A malicious woman like you doesn’t deserve to be one of the Song family.”

Old Madam Song spoke sorrowfully. Already weakened by the loss of her son, she looked even more frail now and harbored deep resentment toward Shen Qian.

And so, Jiang Wan and the others got to witness another dramatic scene—Song Chen divorcing his wife in public. Shen Qian was devastated beyond belief.

But Song Chen, full of hatred, said to the officer, “Since she can’t live without men, let her serve the officers.”

He wanted to give Shen Qian to the officers for their pleasure. He figured that since men had needs, and if the officers were pleased, they might treat them better.

Jiang Wan: !!!

Though Shen Qian was despicable and annoying, Song Chen wasn’t any better. The whole family was just as bad as each other.

Song Jiuli blinked in confusion. “Mother, could it be what I’m thinking?”

She finally had a moment of clarity. Madam Song patted her head. “Take this chance to rest well. The journey ahead won’t be easy.”

Madam Song was a kind person, but Shen Qian didn’t deserve sympathy.

So even though everyone thought what Song Chen was doing was disgusting, no one stopped him. Seeing that some of the exiles looked tempted, Ren Bang nodded and said:

“Alright.”

Even though he didn’t want her himself, some men had needs. This would teach the exiles a lesson about the consequences of causing trouble.

Shen Qian’s face turned pale, and she gnashed her teeth in hatred. She… had actually been given to the officers by Song Chen?

How was this different from being a government prostitute?

Even if her mother still loved her, once she learned of this, she would never acknowledge her again. Shen Qian suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

It was out of hatred. She hated Jiang Wan—if it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t have married Song Chen.

She hated Song Jiuyuan—if it weren’t for her infatuation with him, she wouldn’t have fallen into this mess. But now he wouldn’t even glance her way, his eyes cold as he watched her get handed over to others.

She also hated Song Chen. Everything she did had been to keep him from starving, and yet he handed her over like some object.

She had too many people to hate. Shen Qian couldn’t list them all. But before she could dwell on it, one of the impatient officers dragged her toward the small grove nearby.

After all, they were waiting for the county magistrate. Ren Bang saw it happen but pretended not to.

Jiang Wan felt a twinge of discomfort in her heart.

But she wouldn’t pity Shen Qian. She had simply grown up in an egalitarian society, so she was just a little uncomfortable. That discomfort quickly disappeared as she heard Shen Qian’s crazed cursing from nearby.

“Shen Qian… she’s kind of pitiful too.”

Song Jiuli spoke timidly. She was always soft-hearted. Jiang Wan shot her a glance.

“You heard what she said to Xu Wei, didn’t you? And you still think she’s pitiful?”

“Those who seem pitiful often have hateful sides. She brought this on herself.”

Song Jiuchi gave an objective opinion. After enduring the past hardships, he had matured quite a bit.

“Song Jiuli, keep your naive kindness to yourself.”

Song Jiuyuan’s sharp-tongued comment made Song Jiuli blush with embarrassment—but she also realized her mistake.

She should hate Shen Qian. How could she still feel sorry for her?