Su Hongpei patted Su Rui’s hand and said, “My mother has been busy preparing for the arrival of her military son-in-law. From the way they’re acting, they’re planning to finalize the marriage as soon as he arrives.”

Su Rui fell silent before asking, “So they also want me to split from the family?”

Su Hongpei said, “You should know better than anyone. When you go back tonight, just go along with whatever they say and agree to it.”

Su Rui nodded, “I understand. Don’t worry. Otherwise, I’d have to think of an excuse to bring it up myself.”

By midday, Su Rui had received too much information to process.

That afternoon, she was busy applying fertilizer to the rice fields, working up a sweat. When she climbed up onto the ridge to take a break, she untied the cloth wrapped around her wristwatch and checked the time. Seeing it still in good condition, she felt satisfied. She carefully wrapped it again to protect it from getting splattered with mud.

Her keepsake of love couldn’t be damaged just because of labor. When she turned eighty, she planned to pass it down to her granddaughter. That was what inheritance was all about.

Su Rui sat on the ridge and took off her rubber boots to let her feet air out.

Wanzi came running wildly from the end of the ridge and shoved a large shrimp cracker into Su Rui’s hands.

“Where did you get this shrimp cracker?” Su Rui asked, savoring its crispy, fragrant sweetness, which instantly wiped away her exhaustion.

Wanzi grinned, “Your partner gave it to me!”

Su Rui quickly covered her mouth, looked around nervously, and asked in a hushed voice, “Who gave it to you?”

Wanzi hunched her shoulders, covered her mouth, and giggled. “I saw it all from up in the tree! You two were holding hands in the car, and you were about to kiss! Uncle Fang and Brother Fang told me not to tell anyone yet and gave me a whole bag of shrimp crackers as hush money.”

The corner of Su Rui’s mouth twitched. She suspected Fang Chiye wasn’t trying to bribe Wanzi into silence but genuinely wanted her to start calling him “Brother.”

However, she still had to correct Wanzi. “We weren’t about to kiss.”

Wanzi, wise beyond her years, teased, “It’s only a matter of time~”

Su Rui blushed, embarrassed by a six-year-old.

On the way home, she felt a little flustered. But as soon as she stepped inside, she immediately sensed that something was off.

Su Hongpei, carrying firewood, discreetly winked at her. Suppressing her emotions, Su Rui walked to the stove, picked up a vegetable basket, and prepared to cook.

Su Chang’e glanced at Su Yuqin, who stood by the threshold with a sour expression and said, “Third Sister, what’s going on with that convict of yours? I heard some of them are getting released soon. He wouldn’t happen to be coming to our house, would he?”

Su Rui deliberately replied, “If he comes here, that’s only natural. I’ve always wanted to find a live-in son-in-law, so of course, he’d have to move in.”

Su Chang’e stomped her foot. “Mom, see? I knew she was up to no good! She’s dating a labor camp prisoner and wants to drag our whole family down with her!”

Su Yuqin snatched the vegetable basket from Su Rui and shoved it into Su Hongpei’s hands. “You go pick vegetables. This doesn’t concern you.”

Su Hongpei, used to enduring such treatment, obediently lowered her head and went out.

Leaning against the window frame, Su Rui watched as Su Chang’e glared at her and said, “Su Rui, you’re such a pretty girl, and that prisoner is madly devoted to you. But dragging our whole family into this isn’t right. How about this? You two live separately from us.”

Su Rui replied expressionlessly, “He’s been reformed by the government and is now a good man. I believe that if he comes to our house, he won’t start stabbing people again. He promised me he would be a good husband and take care of our parents properly.”

Stabbing people?

Su Yuqin gasped. “He’s a murderer?!”

Su Rui said, “He didn’t kill anyone. Well, he didn’t succeed, anyway.”

Su Chang’e turned pale and clutched Su Yuqin’s arm. “Mom, we can’t let someone like that into our home! Didn’t I tell you? Su Rui is up to no good!”

Su Rui said coldly, “How am I up to no good? Adding another pair of working hands to the family isn’t a bad thing. Don’t you always say Dad is useless and force him to fish at sea to make ends meet? Now that there’s someone else to earn money, why aren’t you happy?”

Su Yuqin snapped, “Your father is worthless, and now you want to bring home another useless man? Worse, a murderer?! Do you think bringing him back will make you more powerful than me? Let me tell you, my second daughter’s partner is a military officer. If he dares to cause trouble, I’ll have him executed!”

Su Chang’e chimed in, “That’s right! Su Rui, are you hoping my partner will have to deal with the prisoner? You can’t handle him yourself, so you want to use my partner instead?”

Suppressing her laughter, Su Rui added fuel to the fire. “I’m also afraid that if he gets upset, he might hack our entire family to pieces. He told me how he had slashed someone before. He said it was just like chopping radishes—one slice, one head. If I don’t rely on my future second brother-in-law, how will I survive? Sleep with a head and wake up without one?”

“No way! We have to split up the family,” Su Chang’e said. She looked at Su Rui’s charming face and feared her military partner might fall for her, just like the previous men had. This had happened more than once!

Su Yuqin tried to persuade her, “Third Daughter, you know our family has it tough. You can’t ruin us. Tell me, what do you want in exchange for splitting up?”

Su Rui put on a pitiful expression and said, “I can’t leave by myself. At the very least, let Dad come with me. Otherwise, if that prisoner beats me, I won’t even have someone to back me up.”

Su Chang’e quickly said, “Mom, let Su Li go with her. He’s getting weaker and weaker. We can’t keep supporting him forever.”

Su Yuqin hesitated. “If Su Li isn’t here, I can’t divorce him.”

Su Rui said, “Dad told Sister Zhao before that if you ever filed for divorce, she should approve it immediately. I can handle the paperwork on his behalf.”

Su Chang’e hesitated and asked, “Really?”

Su Yuqin pulled Su Chang’e aside and whispered in her ear, “Who cares if it’s real or not? Sister Zhao has a good relationship with Su Rui. Getting a divorce certificate is as easy as flipping a hand. If Su Li comes back and makes trouble, we’ll just shut the door and not let him in.”

Hearing their conversation, Su Rui felt a chill in her heart. Her father had worked hard for over ten years, only to raise two ungrateful wolves.

She continued, “My father still has savings with you. We can’t possibly rely on relief funds to get by, can we?”

Su Yuqin had over two hundred yuan in her hands. Some of it was money secretly given to her last year, and the rest came from Su Li and Su Hongpei’s wages.

She said with disdain, “Your father eats, drinks, and lives in my house. Over the years, he hasn’t saved up any money.”

Su Rui replied, “If there’s no money, then my father and I have even less reason to leave.”

Su Chang’e turned around and entered the main house. She opened the wooden chest and started rummaging through it.

Su Yuqin quickly followed, saying, “Are you really going to give her money?”

Su Chang’e said, “If we don’t give it to her, she won’t leave. I know her. Mom, we have to sacrifice a little to get what we want. Once your son-in-law comes, he’ll earn back however much you give away now. Why worry about a few bills?”

Su Yuqin sat on the heated brick bed, feeling irritated. To her left, Su Chang’e was searching through the chest. To her right, Su Rui stood at the doorway.

The more she looked at Su Rui, the more she disliked her. She should have strangled this child back then when her father went out to work. Who would have thought that in the middle of winter, this child could survive on cold rice soup!

Su Chang’e found Su Yuqin’s stash of private money and opened it. On top of the stack were handwritten notes by Su Yuqin. She recognized many characters—maybe not enough for everything, but enough to keep track of household accounts.

After confirming the amount with Su Yuqin, Su Chang’e took out eighty yuan and handed it to Su Rui. “This is all there is.”

Su Rui hesitated and didn’t reach for it.

Su Chang’e grew impatient. “What else do you want?”

Su Rui said, “Can we not write a separation agreement? Once it’s written in black and white, we’ll truly become two separate families.”

This instantly reminded Su Chang’e. She turned and shouted to Su Yuqin, “Mom, put on your coat and come with me to the village committee. I want Sister Zhao to be our witness. We’re settling this today!”

Su Rui quickly stuffed the money into her pocket and clung to the doorframe, refusing to move. “How can you just split the family like this?”

Su Chang’e snapped, “You took the money. What more do you want?”

Su Rui asked, “Where am I supposed to live?”

Su Chang’e said, “That’s none of my business! You’re leaving my house tonight!”

Su Rui’s face crumpled. “At least let me take my furniture from my room, and my father’s belongings too.”

Su Yuqin was about to protest, her heart already aching for the eighty yuan, but before she could speak, Su Chang’e shouted, “Take it all! Just get out of my house!”

At the village committee

Sister Zhao was reviewing the broadcast script for the next day and handed it to Huang Bei.

After Huang Bei left, Sister Zhao got up to go home for the day.

Before she could step out the door, she heard a commotion outside.

Huang Bei, who had just left, came running back, excitedly saying, “There’s trouble at Su Rui’s house! Her stepmother is kicking her out!”

Sister Zhao rushed outside and saw Su Rui being dragged to the village committee, crying and wailing. A crowd of women followed behind them, all speaking up for Su Rui.

Su Chang’e and Su Yuqin were determined. No matter how people tried to dissuade them along the way, they insisted on splitting the family and finalizing the divorce.

What a scene!

Sister Zhao helped the sobbing Su Rui sit down to the side, then scolded Su Yuqin and Su Chang’e.

When she turned back to comfort Su Rui, she noticed a sly smile flash across the girl’s face.

Sister Zhao immediately felt relieved.

Thinking of what Su Li had told her that morning before he left for the sea, Sister Zhao knew it was pointless to argue with Su Yuqin. Instead, she took out the divorce document with Su Li’s red handprint on it and showed it to the crowd.

“What? How dare he file for divorce first!” Su Yuqin was shocked. She had a bad feeling.

Su Chang’e, however, sat cross-legged, enjoying the sight of Su Rui sniffling. She sneered, “Is he trying to use divorce to threaten us? Fine, we’ll grant his wish. Let’s get it done.”

Su Rui walked up to Sister Zhao and pointed at the document. “This is my father’s divorce application. As his representative, I am formally requesting to proceed with the divorce now.”

Then she turned to the onlookers, clasped her hands together, and said, “Everyone, please be our witnesses. It’s Su Yuqin and Su Chang’e who refuse to keep us in the family. We have no choice but to separate.”

Aunt Song gripped a shovel, itching to smash it over Su Yuqin’s head.

Wanzi clung to Si’er’s leg, preventing her from rushing in to beat someone up.

Sister Zhao turned to Su Yuqin. “Shall we proceed with the divorce paperwork now?”

Su Chang’e quickly answered, “Yes! We already gave them eighty yuan. Of course, we’re going through with it!”

Su Yuqin clutched her chest. “Fine, let’s get it done. It’s not like he’s any use to me now.”

Su Rui swallowed hard, watching as Sister Zhao personally wrote out the divorce certificate.

In those days, village committees handled civil affairs to save rural residents from having to travel to the city for paperwork.

The divorce certificate was just a single piece of paper with Sister Zhao’s signature.

When she finally put down the pen, Su Chang’e stepped forward, picked it up, and handed the pen back to her. “Please write a separation agreement too.”

Sister Zhao said, “I can serve as a witness. That’s enough.”

Su Chang’e smiled. “It’s better to have it in black and white with signed names. Otherwise, if someone can’t survive in the future, they might remember that we all share the same surname and come back to us. From today on, we are separate families. Two completely different households.”

Su Rui said coldly, “Your mom raised me when I was young. No matter what, I still need to show her some filial respect.”

Su Yuqin waved her hands frantically. “Forget it. I don’t dare to accept your so-called filial piety.”

Sister Zhao hesitated before writing and asked Su Yuqin, “Are you voluntarily giving up Su Rui’s obligation to support you in old age?”

Su Yuqin said, “I’m not her real mother. As long as she doesn’t bring me trouble, that’s good enough. No matter how rich or successful she becomes in the future, even if I end up sleeping in a chicken coop, I won’t take a penny from her.”

Su Chang’e was eager to cut ties. She added quickly, “I promise, as long as I’m here, I will take care of my mother. I will never bother Su Rui. And she must also guarantee that she will support Su Li and never come looking to us for help.”

Su Rui pretended to wipe the corners of her eyes with a scented handkerchief and said to Sister Zhao, “Alright then. Since I’m not allowed to take care of her, I’ll just stay out of her way in the future. I only hope she won’t regret it.”

Su Yuqin was amused by her words. She had a military officer as her son-in-law, so why would she expect a son-in-law from a labor camp to support her?

She firmly stated, “Don’t worry. With Sister Zhao and the other villagers as witnesses, I will never trouble her in the future.”

A voice from outside suddenly asked, “And what if you do?”

Su Rui and the others turned their heads to see Old Lady Ah Xi standing there.

Su Yuqin declared, “I swear, I will never ask Su Rui to support me. She has no obligation to do so! I’ll leave my fingerprint as proof, and you all can bear witness.”

Old Lady Ah Xi said leisurely, “Alright, alright. There are more than twenty people here who can be witnesses. Hurry up and leave your fingerprint.”

Sister Zhao waved her hand and said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll write up the agreement for you all. Sign it once it’s done.”

Su Chang’e and Su Yuqin happily signed their names. Su Chang’e even shoved Su Rui, urging her to sign as well.

With this, Su Li’s divorce, the Su family’s separation, and the support agreement were all settled.

Su Rui, appearing “helpless,” signed her name, but she couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.

As she was about to leave, Su Chang’e urged, “Hurry back and move your things.”

Su Rui no longer bothered to act. She tucked away her scented handkerchief and said cheerfully, “Got it. You all head back first. Once I settle in, I’ll come right away to move my stuff.”

Seeing Su Yuqin nearly trip over the threshold, Su Rui grinned and called from behind, “Be careful, Aunt Su.”

Su Yuqin: “……”

This crazy girl! She knew Su Rui wasn’t someone to be trifled with!