Chapter 4: Putting the blame on others

The stick was indeed quite powerful. Neither Wei Dani nor Pan Shiying dared to move. They could only watch helplessly as Song Nanting stuffed all the letters into her satchel, and even swept up all the receipts and tickets from the cabinet into her bag as well.

Wei Dani opened her mouth, wanting to say that those receipts weren’t part of the 1,500 yuan deal, but she didn’t dare say a word. She trembled so hard she nearly fainted.

Song Nanting beamed and said, “Oh, don’t you dare faint. If you faint, I’ll clear this whole place out—won’t leave you a single pot or pan. Whatever I can’t carry, I’ll smash.”

The moment they heard that, the almost-fainting mother and daughter snapped upright.

“You can’t be so heartless…” Wei Dani protested.

“I was too kind before. That’s why you treated me like a monkey for your amusement,” Song Nanting said coldly.

After packing everything, she tossed the stick aside and added, “You’re welcome to report me to the police after I leave. I’ll just send all this to Pan Shifeng’s workplace in the capital. His unit’s big, and his father-in-law’s a high-ranking official, right? I bet he’s got rivals who’d love a little dirt on him.”

Though Wei Dani exploited Pan Shifeng too, he was still her lifeline. Song Nanting’s words struck right at her vital point. Her face twisted in fury.

Pan Shiying was indignant and wanted to argue, but when her eyes fell on the stick in Song Nanting’s hand—and she felt the lingering pain from earlier—she backed down.

Song Nanting snorted and, feeling bold, rummaged around a bit more. She dragged out four or five bolts of fine fabric from beneath the cabinet—clearly high-quality cloth not found in their little county.

“That was from my brother!” Pan Shiying cried. She was eighteen and ready to marry. The cloth was meant for her dowry—something her mother had requested from her brother.

Song Nanting sneered, “Well, now it’s mine. You can go ask your brother for more.”

She packed the cloth and slung the bundle on her back.

Then she spotted the large wardrobe at the back of the room. Marching over, she pulled out the clothes she’d sewn for Wei Dani.

Wei Dani screamed, “What are you doing?!”

Ignoring her, Song Nanting grabbed scissors from a basket and started cutting the clothes into shreds. Not just Wei Dani’s—Pan Shiying’s too. The mother and daughter screamed and sobbed, but it was no use. Song Nanting didn’t leave a single item intact.

Not only that, she also grabbed all the good food and drinks from the cupboard. “These are mine now.”

“From now on, we’re completely done with each other.”

With that, she turned and walked out the door.

But when she opened the front gate, Song Nanting cried out pitifully, “Yes, I’m worthless now. You’re kicking me out, and I’ll go.”

Inside the house, Wei Dani saw black spots in front of her eyes and almost passed out again. Not only had Song Nanting taken all the money and valuables, she even managed to flip the script and play the victim!

Everyone in the neighborhood knew Wei Dani’s reputation—infamous for being unreasonable. Only a fool like Song Nanting thought she was being treated well and had willingly stayed in the Pan household all these years.

And now even Song Nanting was being thrown out?

“How could she do that? Such a good girl!” a neighbor called out.

“Yeah, tell us what happened, why are you crying?”

“She’s such a sweet child.”

One older woman shouted, “That Wei Dani’s gone too far—using someone all these years and now kicking them out!”

Inside, Wei Dani was so furious she pounded her chest. “Wretched girl! Wicked thing!”

Pan Shiying sniffled, “Ma, are we out of money?”

“It’s gone. All of it,” Wei Dani sobbed, her heart aching.

The worst part was—they couldn’t even tell anyone. If word got out, Pan Shifeng’s lies would be exposed. His reputation would be the least of their problems. What was truly terrifying was that he might lose his chance to be a cadre, and their well-connected son-in-law would be gone for good.

Outside, Song Nanting wept loudly, snot and tears running down her face. She even looked back at the courtyard.

“I lived here for more than four years… I thought Auntie truly treated me like her own daughter. But I overheard her and Shiying talking…”

A neighbor woman asked curiously, “What did they say?”

“They said I was just…” Song Nanting sighed and shook her head. “Forget it. It’s too late to talk about it now. I argued back a bit, and they treated me like this. After all these years of loyalty… never mind. I don’t want to say more.”

Then she raised her voice and said, “Auntie, even though things ended badly between us, I won’t speak ill of you. But today you broke my heart and kicked me out—let’s never have anything to do with each other again. I’m leaving. Take care of yourself.”

“Oh my, just listen to that. That Wei Dani, she’s so heartless.”

“Exactly! And that daughter of hers, Pan Shiying, she’s no better.”

Song Nanting shook her head and refused to say anything more, no matter who asked. She walked away, looking back every few steps, leaving the alley behind.

Not speaking was the best strategy—it left the most room for people’s imaginations.

Once out of the alley, Song Nanting looked at the worn, strange-yet-familiar surroundings and suddenly burst into laughter.

She had never felt so free—not even in her previous life.

Back then, even though Wei Dani and Pan Shifeng eventually paid the price, it came far too late, and far from thoroughly enough. After all, twenty years later, the environment had changed. Things weren’t the same.

But now, in the current climate, personal character and lifestyle were taken very seriously. Even a small incident—if timed right—could completely destroy someone’s life.

In her past life, she’d only discovered the truth because she was sent out on an errand by Wei Dani, then realized she’d forgotten something and came back—just in time to overhear Wei Dani smugly boasting to Pan Shiying about how Pan Shifeng had earned his supervisor’s favor and gotten a raise.

Song Nanting had always known that Wei Dani received letters from him every month.

But Wei Dani had married in from another town. Her explanation was that her eldest brother’s family lived in the capital, and it was her brother who helped her find Pan Shifeng. The monthly letters, she claimed, were just to keep him updated. Wei Dani was a smooth talker—always saying how much she felt sorry for Song Nanting and wanted to bring Pan Shifeng back so they could live a proper life together.

Song Nanting believed her.

But then she overheard those cruel words. Furious, she had a falling-out with Wei Dani and her daughter. The mother and daughter hurled the most vicious insults they could at her. All her sincere feelings were met with deceit. Song Nanting’s heart was shattered beyond repair.

When word spread that she had finally broken with the Pan family, her mother and elder brother came looking for her again. They confronted Wei Dani, claiming to stand up for Song Nanting as her natal family. She thought, for once, her mother truly cared for her.

But shortly after, her mother secretly arranged to marry her off to a widower with three children—and told her it was “for her own good.”

Her elder brother and younger brother were like wolves, grabbing her and forcing her head to the ground, threatening her savagely: if she didn’t obey, they’d beat her to death.

At that time, Song Nanting was utterly hopeless. But her will to survive led her to escape in the middle of the night.

She had no letter of introduction, nowhere to go. She wandered aimlessly for a while and eventually reached a riverbank. There, the thought of ending it all crept into her mind.

Then, a gentle smile appeared on Song Nanting’s face.

Lu Jian’an had appeared just in time to save her. He listened as she poured out all her grievances and injustices, endlessly.

Who would’ve thought, after so many years since the founding of the nation, that things like this could still happen?

But they did.

Lu Jian’an was on assignment in the area when he found her. On the way back to his unit, he rescued her.

He had a heart full of justice. He took her to the county and brought her to the women’s federation. It was then that she learned—when in trouble, you could go to the women’s federation.

The women’s federation harshly criticized Wei Dani, her daughter, and even Song Nanting’s own parents, making them lose all face. Her elder brother even lost his job and became a jobless loafer living off their parents.

But because of that, many people started saying Song Nanting was heartless—for even reporting her own parents.

With nowhere else to go, Lu Jian’an helped her get a letter of introduction and took her with him to his station, where he arranged a job for her.

Later, they fell in love. They got married.

Lu Jian’an taught her to read and write, taught her how to protect herself, and brought color back into her life.

Under the cover of night, Song Nanting wiped away the tears of relief and joy from her face.

She wanted so badly to say: Lu Jian’an, this time, I can protect myself too.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Song Nanting entered a guesthouse. She took out a page from her household registration booklet and got herself a room.

She thought she would stay awake the whole night, unable to sleep from missing Lu Jian’an like in her past life.

But to her surprise, she fell asleep not long after lying down.

And then, she found herself in a place that felt strangely familiar.

Looking closely, she realized—it was her home from her previous life. The two-story villa packed to the brim with supplies, a result of her deep insecurity.