Chapter 28 Don’t Come to the Capital Again in This Life

Auntie Song quickly reacted and came over to stop her. “Oh, little girl, you can’t do something like this. It’s not worth risking your life over a heartless man.”
Other diners also came over to persuade her, then turned to criticize Pan Shifeng, saying he was heartless and a bad man.

Cui Xiujuan gritted her teeth. “Pan Shifeng, give me an explanation. I’m pregnant with your child!”

Pan Shifeng tried to soothe her. “Xiujuan, I love you. Please, you have to listen to my explanation.”
In his mind, he was quickly trying to figure out how to handle the situation.
From what he remembered, although Song Nanting wasn’t gentle, she used to be very obedient. Now, he had to keep both sides stable—if the committee got wind of this, it’d be a big problem.

The state-owned restaurant was too crowded right now. Pan Shifeng calmly looked at Song Nanting and Cui Xiujuan and said, “Let’s take this elsewhere to clear things up. It’s not good for any of us to stay here like this.”

Song Nanting was unwilling. She covered her mouth and cried, “Where are we going to talk? I’m just a village woman, unfamiliar with this place. If you two drag me away and sell me off, I wouldn’t even know where to cry. You have to give me an answer today. If not, I’ll either kill myself right here today or hang myself in front of your office tomorrow.”

Her resolute words made Pan Shifeng lose face.
On one hand was his wife, whom he couldn’t afford to offend; on the other, this stubborn woman from the countryside. But the fact was, Song Nanting had lived in his house for more than four years. If this blew up, he and his mother’s actions wouldn’t stay hidden.

Not only would it be hard to explain things to his father-in-law and Cui Xiujuan, but outsiders would also criticize him—and this might even affect his career. His father-in-law was trying to pull strings to get him promoted. If this got to his workplace, it would be a disaster.

Pan Shifeng frowned deeply and suddenly said, “Comrade Song Nanting, while I sympathize with your situation, I have no knowledge of what happened at my house.”
The crowd around them was stunned.

Song Nanting looked at Pan Shifeng with teary eyes. “Pan Shifeng, I came into your household in 1970. It’s been nearly five years. I worked like a horse for your family—taking care of your mother and raising your sister. Now you tell me you don’t know?
Everyone in our county knows we were engaged.”

“So what?” Pan Shifeng latched onto that point and shouted, “Yes, we had an arranged engagement, but that was a feudal custom. I’m a youth of the new era, a worker-peasant-soldier college student. How could I accept such a backward marriage? I already told you clearly before I left. Why come all the way to the capital to pester me?”

Song Nanting sneered in her heart but cried out, “If you were so against a feudal marriage, then why did you give me gifts and tell me I was pretty?
You changed your mind only after being accepted as a college student and started looking down on me for not being educated.
You think I have no proof?”
Saying that, she used her shoulder bag as a shield and pulled out a letter from Pan Shifeng to Wei Dani, waving it in the air.
“If I didn’t have proof, would I have come all the way to the capital? Want me to read this letter out loud?”

Seeing the envelope, Pan Shifeng’s heart skipped a beat.

Cui Xiujuan exclaimed, “That’s from my house!”
The letterhead was from a government office—standard issue, even marked with “Capital” on it.

Pan Shifeng panicked and reached out to snatch it.
But Song Nanting was faster. She shoved it back into her pocket. “I’ll just take it to your workplace—”

“No!”
“You can’t!”

Pan Shifeng and Cui Xiujuan shouted in unison.
They looked at each other, and a silent understanding passed between them.
Song Nanting pretended not to see their shared look and just covered her mouth and cried. “I have the evidence. And if you want a witness, I can bring people from Ning County.”
She looked at Pan Shifeng and said, “You betrayed me. I won’t let this go easily.”

Pan Shifeng pressed his lips together. “What do you want?”

Someone in the crowd watching couldn’t help but mutter, “Sounds like he’s trying to buy her off.”

Song Nanting cried harder, “I only want you.”
Though in her heart, she sneered: Peh! Even if you were free, I wouldn’t take you if you were the last man on earth.

Pan Shifeng breathed heavily. “It’s impossible between us.”

Cui Xiujuan glanced at Song Nanting and said, “Let us discuss this.”
The couple knew they couldn’t leave right now, so they went to a corner to whisper.

A nearby auntie said to Song Nanting, “Girl, I can tell—this man’s got a powerful father-in-law now. You probably don’t stand a chance. His wife is pregnant.
Listen to me—take this chance to get some compensation, or you’ll end up the one losing out.”

Others nodded in agreement.

An older man added, “I know that family. Her father’s influential. Girl, you better take what you can and leave the capital.”

Song Nanting said, aggrieved, “But I was their unpaid laborer for nearly five years…”

“That is unfair.”
Auntie Song sighed. “I met this girl on the train. Poor thing didn’t even want to buy food—just one corn bun a day. Look at her clothes—patch upon patch.
All her money went to that bastard’s mom and sister. Just look at that face—suffered herself to benefit others.”

The auntie listening sighed sympathetically.

A waitress who had been munching sunflower seeds and watching the drama said, “Isn’t it simple? Treat it like being their maid. Have them pay her wages at the local worker’s rate.
You two weren’t officially married, right?
Once you’ve got that money, find yourself someone better. You’re pretty—no shortage of good men.”

Though crudely said, the crowd agreed with her logic.

Song Nanting was secretly delighted. She wanted to give that comrade a thumbs-up.

Auntie Song gave her a look and quietly whispered, “I think that’s a good idea. It’s crowded now—just take the money. After all…”
She didn’t finish, but the unspoken words were clear—Song Nanting was going to be sent to the countryside anyway. Taking the money wouldn’t hurt.

And truthfully, Song Nanting had the same idea.

When Wei Dani and Pan Shifeng wrote letters, he had told her not to call unless necessary. Wei Dani was obedient and probably hadn’t told him what had happened back home yet.
The letter from Wei Dani was likely still en route—perfect timing for a sneak attack.
Might as well squeeze whatever she could out of them.
It was what the Pan family owed her.

But she wasn’t going to say any of that directly—she’d wait for Pan Shifeng to offer the money himself.
So she kept wiping away tears and exchanged glances with Auntie Song, continuing her sobs.

After some discussion, Pan Shifeng and Cui Xiujuan finally came back over. His brows were tightly furrowed.

Pan Shifeng said, “Let’s go outside and talk, alright?”

Song Nanting refused. “If we go outside, I can’t beat you, and who knows what you’ll try.
If we’re going to talk, we talk right here.”

Pan Shifeng pressed his lips together.
Cui Xiujuan said, “I’ll give you 200 yuan. Just don’t make trouble anymore. That’s enough for you to go home, find a good man, and use as dowry.”

Pan Shifeng added with disgust, “We only have one condition:
Take the money, leave the capital, and never come back for the rest of your life.”