Jiang Min tidied up while Jiang Lin pulled Cheng Rushan to a sheltered spot to talk quietly.

“How is it?” she asked.

Cheng Rushan replied, “The old lady knows everything—singing, reciting, and all. Your sister is no match for her.”

“What about Liang Tiefeng?” Jiang Lin asked.

She was angry that Liang Tiefeng had done nothing while the old lady locked the door.

Cheng Rushan paused for a moment before saying, “He’s an ordinary person.”

Jiang Lin was momentarily confused. “Ordinary person?”

Cheng Rushan nodded. “He has the ordinary qualities of kindness, diligence, and dedication, but he also has the ordinary flaws of narrow-mindedness, selfishness, and foolishness. Like He Changjiang, he’s decent as a man, brother, and soldier, but as a husband, he’s completely inadequate.” However, Cheng Rushan didn’t want to judge him directly.

Jiang Lin was a bit dissatisfied. “Brother Shan, we’re all ordinary people.”

Cheng Rushan hugged her and smiled. “We’re ordinary people who can control our own desires, who don’t make things difficult for others for our own benefit.”

Jiang Lin understood and sneered, “With Liang Tiefeng like this, he doesn’t deserve to be my brother-in-law.”

“Linlin, we’ll be leaving soon, and we won’t have any more dealings with him. Only your sister can decide whether to stay with him or not,” Cheng Rushan said.

“My sister feels she owes him a life, so she might be willing to live with him for the rest of her life,” Jiang Lin said.

Cheng Rushan replied, “Your sister’s thinking is dangerous. Saving someone isn’t about making them owe you a life.

Soldiers defend their country for justice and responsibility, not to make people feel indebted.

As a soldier, he should save people, and not saving them would be a breach of military law. So, the idea of owing a life doesn’t hold.”

Jiang Lin looked up at him and asked, “Cheng Rushan, if—I say if—I didn’t want to marry you, and your mother locked us in a room together…”

Cheng Rushan smiled, resting his chin on her head. “Why are you talking about ‘ifs’? What room could possibly hold me? That broken door at the Liang family’s place? Besides, would you let anyone lock you in quietly? The roof would be…”

Jiang Lin tugged at his collar. “Be serious. I’m discussing something important with you.”

Cheng Rushan stopped smiling and said, “I know what you’re saying. It’s not right to force someone to marry you using a life-saving debt. Liang’s mother is just an excuse; it’s Liang Tiefeng who wants this. Try locking him in a room with another woman and see how that goes.”

He put his arm around Jiang Lin to calm her down. “Still, it’s up to your sister to decide. No one else can make this choice for her. Everyone must walk their own path, even if it means hitting a wall and not turning back. Having others make the decision only adds to the trouble.”

Jiang Lin said, “That’s true. But… Brother Shan, you’re so smart. Can you help my sister figure out a way to avoid hitting the wall?”

Cheng Rushan looked at her and said, “Linlin, I’m willing to help you take care of the kids. Your sister’s problems are for her to resolve herself.”

Jiang Min isn’t being harmed or restricted; she’s just trapped in her own stubbornness.

Even if he found a way to make Liang Tiefeng let her go this time, what about the future? Life is long, and the path must be walked.

Jiang Lin understood.

If it were her, she could force a resolution, but Jiang Min wasn’t her, and she couldn’t impose her own will on someone else.

“Brother Shan, did you learn anything while chatting with the regiment leader? I know you’re not just here for hunting.”

Cheng Rushan replied, “I picked up some information. It might not be useful, but I’ll let you know later.”

Jiang Lin went back inside.

Jiang Min was already ready. “If you’re not afraid of the cold, I can take you to the back mountain to catch wild chickens.”

Jiang Lin wasn’t in the mood. Before, she just hoped her sister was safe, but now seeing the situation…

Cheng Rushan came over to grab their luggage, and Jiang Min went to ask for leave and arrange a shift change with the regiment.

When Xiao Jun saw Cheng Rushan, he was so scared that his legs trembled, hiding behind Xiao Meng and not daring to move.

Cheng Rushan smiled and asked, “What are you afraid of?”

Xiao Jun shook his head, unable to speak.

Jiang Min scolded, “You’re always tough at home but afraid of your sister.”

Cheng Rushan lifted Xiao Jun and put him in the car with Jiang Lin and the others sitting in the back, while Jiang Xinglei took the front passenger seat.

Though they were in a plain area, there were some low ridges, making the horizon undulate.

The sky was high, and the sun was shining brightly, but the wind was cold and harsh, so despite the bright sun, it wasn’t warm.

When they arrived at the Liang family home, Jiang Lin felt like she was freezing. Liang Tiefeng was preparing lunch, and the house was warm.

The meal included roe deer meat, wild chicken, potatoes, and dried beans, which was quite a feast.

Liang’s old lady was leaning on a cane, wearing a big hat and wrapped in a scarf, only her eyes and nose showing.

She looked sick but was trying to hold on. When she saw Jiang Lin, she shakily extended her hand and said, “Littlr Aunt… you, you’re here.”

If it were another old lady or someone Jiang Lin didn’t know well, she would have politely shaken hands and chatted a bit.

But now, she was so irritated by the old lady that she wouldn’t shake hands, only nodding and saying, “Hello, Aunt.”

Jiang Xinglei also greeted her.

The old lady, unable to grasp Jiang Lin’s hand, had to give up and invited them to sit on the kang (a traditional heated bed).

She looked at Xiao Jun and Xiao Meng with a heartwarming expression, as if she hadn’t seen them in a year.

Normally, Xiao Jun might have complained, but he didn’t dare now.

When his uncle put him in the car, he felt Cheng Rushan’s intimidating presence up close and was so scared that he almost cried.

Cheng Rushan helped Liang Tiefeng with the cooking and suggested that Jiang Lin and her sister go out for a walk.

Liang’s old lady smiled and said, “Xiao Jun’s uncle is like our Xiao Liang, also someone who takes care of his wife. There aren’t many men in our village who cook.”

Cheng Rushan glanced at their door with a half-smile and responded.

While Cheng Rushan was slicing meat, Liang’s old lady approached him, trying to pry information to see if they had any intentions towards her daughter-in-law.

Cheng Rushan listened to her rambling without saying much.

Suddenly, he interrupted, “Aunt, there’s something you might not know.”

The old lady asked, “What?”

Cheng Rushan said, “A coerced marriage isn’t valid. You don’t even need a divorce; the marriage certificate becomes null and void.”

The old lady’s face changed.

She pretended to hold her head and said, “What did you say? I have a headache.” She shakily went to find her son.

Liang Tiefeng was in the front yard chopping wood.

They used a mix of wood and coal for fuel here.

She murmured to Liang Tiefeng while he was busy chopping. “It’s cold outside. You should go inside,” he said.

After a while, Jiang Lin and the others returned.

When they entered the house, Jiang Lin noticed the old lady had slumped again, groaning and looking extremely unwell. Jiang Lin asked, “Aunt, what illness do you have?”

The old lady continued to groan.

Liang Tiefeng explained, “It’s an old ailment. Every winter, she feels weak. My father passed away early, and my mother raised me alone, which left her with lingering health problems.”

During the meal, the old lady didn’t come out, saying she didn’t want to inconvenience the guests and would just eat in the small room, looking very pitiful.

Jiang Min was unhappy with her and ignored her.

Yesterday, she said she wanted relatives to come for dinner, but today she was acting like this.

Jiang Lin told Xiao Meng that meat was hard to digest and advised her to drink some meat broth first. “Roe deer meat can be a bit warming; the broth is very tasty.”

The old lady, hearing this from inside the room, shouted, “Our family doesn’t favor men over women; it’s all the same. Men eat meat, and women do too. Xiao Meng, eat more meat so people don’t think we’re starving.”

She emphasized “more,” which made people uncomfortable.

Her words acted like a switch for a certain nerve in Xiao Meng, and sure enough, she ended up eating more than even Xiao Jun.

She originally planned to eat just a small amount, but now she was eating even more than Xiao Jun.

Jiang Lin was worried. “Xiao Meng, don’t eat too much. You should stop before you throw up.”

Xiao Meng hesitated, unsure whether to eat more, and then felt uncomfortable in her stomach.

Seeing this, Xiao Jun suddenly shouted, “Go outside and throw up.”

At his shout, Xiao Meng immediately stood up and ran outside to throw up.

Jiang Min and Jiang Lin quickly followed her outside to check on her.

Jiang Min said, “Child, eat as much as you can, but why do you force yourself to eat so much? Doesn’t throwing up make you uncomfortable?”

Xiao Meng shook her head. “It used to be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t seem so bad now.”

Jiang Lin and Jiang Min were momentarily stunned.

Jiang Lin asked, “Xiao Meng, do you often throw up?”

Xiao Meng glanced at Jiang Min, lowered her head, and whispered, “Mom said I’m too skinny and asked me to eat more. Grandma just wanted me to eat more.”

Jiang Min felt heartbroken. “I told you to eat more to fill you up, not to the point of throwing up. You child…”

Jiang Lin coldly asked, “What does your grandma tell you to eat?”

Xiao Meng didn’t dare to answer.

Jiang Lin went into the room and coaxed Xiao Jun out, asking him, “You’re a good child. Tell Aunt and Mom how your grandma makes you eat.”

Xiao Jun, startled by Cheng Rushan’s glance while slicing meat, felt like his little uncle would harm him.

He obediently told Jiang Lin, “Grandma said, ‘Your mom is worried you’re not eating enough, so eat more. Otherwise, your mom might think Grandma is stingy. Grandma’s like that. Eat quickly, eat quickly!’” He imitated Liang Laopo’s tone and actions, even making exaggerated movements of stuffing food into Xiao Meng’s mouth.

Then he said to Xiao Meng, “It’s time for you to throw up.”

Sure enough, Xiao Meng threw up again, but unfortunately, she couldn’t bring up much.

Jiang Lin was so angry her fingers trembled. “Does it always happen like this?”

Xiao Jun replied, “As long as Mom says to make the sister eat more… then…”

If she didn’t say anything, she’d eat just a small bowl.

But if she did say something, she’d end up eating a huge bowl.

Last time, when Mom found out that eggs were cooked but given only to Xiao Jun and not Xiao Meng, she told Grandma to also give Xiao Meng eggs.

As a result, Grandma got very angry and, after Mom and Dad left, scolded at home and cooked a big batch of eggs for Xiao Meng to eat all at once, making her eat until she threw up.

Xiao Jun didn’t understand much.

When his sister threw up, Grandma said, “Look, our sister eats the most. As long as she likes it and eats until she throws up, it’s perfect for feeding the chickens. We shouldn’t waste anything!”

From then on, Xiao Meng would actively tell Mom when she had eaten eggs.

Jiang Min held Xiao Meng, trembling with pain, and made low, crying-like growls.

Xiao Meng thought she had done something wrong and quickly apologized, patting her head. “Mom, Mom, I’m sorry. I’ll try to endure it… I’ll try to avoid being sick.”

Cheng Rushan, Liang Tiefeng, and Jiang Xinglei heard the commotion and came out to ask what was going on.

Jiang Min suddenly lashed out and slapped Liang Tiefeng several times, leaving him stunned.

He grabbed her hand and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Jiang Min was trembling uncontrollably, unable to speak or cry, only letting out low, anguished sounds.

Liang Tiefeng turned to look at Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun and asked, “What’s going on?”

Inside, Liang Laopo started crying loudly. “… It’s all my fault. I didn’t take care of the children well. I’m an old, useless person, dragging everyone down. Why isn’t their father here to pick me up? I’ve wasted so much food in my lifetime…”

Liang Tiefeng shouted back, “Mother, stop causing trouble.”

Liang Laopo sang loudly and mournfully, “Disgusted with the old woman, preferring the wife over the mother. It’s better if the old woman dies. Old age brings only complaints. Nothing done right, everything is a waste…”

Jiang Min eventually calmed down a bit after trembling for a while.

She forcefully pushed Liang Tiefeng away and picked up Xiao Meng. “Liang Tiefeng, we’re getting a divorce!”

She started to leave with Xiao Meng, but Liang Tiefeng grabbed her, stopping her from going.

Jiang Xinglei shouted, “Liang Tiefeng, let go of my sister!” Jiang Lin, worried that Liang Tiefeng’s anger might hurt her sister, also tried to intervene.

Cheng Rushan stopped them and put his arm around Jiang Lin’s shoulders, gently rubbing them. “It’s too cold outside. Let’s go inside.”

The problems between Liang Tiefeng and Jiang Min were theirs to solve, and others couldn’t do anything about it.

Liang Tiefeng pulled Xiao Meng from Jiang Min’s arms and put her on the floor. “Go inside.”

Xiao Meng was scared and didn’t know what she had done wrong.

She felt like no matter how much she ate or didn’t eat, it was always wrong.

She was scared and quickly grabbed her brother’s hand, running into the house.

Grandma had said that if Mom and Dad fought, they should stay at home and not follow Mom.

If Mom left, she might never come back.

Jiang Lin thought for a moment, then pulled Jiang Xinglei back to the main room.

With Cheng Rushan there, no one could hurt Jiang Min.

The main room was cold, so Jiang Lin sent the children to the bedroom to warm up and closed the door to keep out the draft.

She and Jiang Xinglei stayed in the main room, closing the door and looking out at the yard through the glass.

Jiang Min’s face was pale from the cold but red from anger.

Her eyes and nose were flushed, and white frost covered her hair and eyelashes.

She glared at Liang Tiefeng with an emotion he had never seen before—pure anger, but not the kind he wanted.

Liang Tiefeng stared at her. “You want to hit me, go ahead.” He slapped himself. “I’ll take your hits for you. Be careful not to hurt your hand.”

But Jiang Min didn’t care about him anymore.

She looked at him coldly. “Liang Tiefeng, you saved my life, and we’ve been married for nearly ten years. Let’s part ways on good terms. Let me go. I want to take Xiao Meng and leave.”

Liang Tiefeng felt a deep pain in his heart. “Isn’t Xiao Jun your son too? Are you going to abandon him?”

Jiang Min’s voice was hoarse and changed. “He has you all to care for him. He doesn’t need me. If Xiao Meng continues like this, she might die. I’m her real mother. I want to care for her and love her, but under my nose, I…” She couldn’t continue, trembling with pain.

It was her own fault.

She said she loved her daughter, but she wasn’t attentive.

She didn’t pay attention to what was happening right under her nose.

She thought if she bought her daughter more good food, she’d eat as well as her son.

She asked the children if they had eaten and took their word for it.

She had seen her daughter throw up several times but only thought it was due to a weak stomach.

She never considered it deeply.

She was wrong!

She thought everyone was kind.

Liang Tiefeng tightly embraced her, repeatedly apologizing. “I’m sorry. I won’t do this again. I promise, it won’t happen again.”

He didn’t know what was happening; he just knew that whenever she was angry, he needed to apologize and promise to change.

It was always like this.

Jiang Min struggled but didn’t want to say anything more to him, just shouting, “Let me go!”

At this moment, Xiao Jun shouted from inside, “Grandma is going to hang herself!”

Liang Laopo cried out, “Let me die! I’m a burden, alive and causing trouble. What’s the point of being an old woman?”

Jiang Lin and Jiang Xinglei, hearing the commotion from the main room, ignored it, focusing on watching Liang Tiefeng and Jiang Min outside in the bitter cold.

Jiang Xinglei said, “Sister, let’s take Elder Sister’s family away. Dad and Mom will agree.”

Inside, Liang Laopo cried even harder.

Xiao Jun continued to shout, “Grandma is hanging herself!”

While the children shouted inside, Liang Tiefeng and Jiang Min faced each other in the piercing cold wind.

Her eyes burned with anger, and her heart was icy, refusing to back down like before.

Liang Tiefeng saw a resolve in her eyes that he had never seen before.

Inside the house, Liang Laopo cried and lamented, instructing the children to join in.

However, unlike before, her son and daughter-in-law didn’t rush in to stop her, and no relatives came to intervene.

Liang Laopo continued to cry.

In the past, whenever her daughter-in-law was angry and her son couldn’t calm her down, she’d threaten to kill herself, saying things like, “Minmin, it’s all my fault. I did something wrong. Tiefeng really cares about you. I’ll go find your father now. Don’t be mad, let’s live well together…”

It always worked before.

But today, it wasn’t working.

She blamed her troublesome relatives for this.

In front of the kang, there were two stools—one with a wobbly leg tied with a rope and the other sturdier.

With poor eyesight and the room being dim due to the windows being sealed, she mistook the stools.

She kicked the sturdy one over by mistake and then shakily climbed onto the wobbly one.

She told her granddaughter and grandson to keep shouting while she tried to throw a rope over the beam, tying a knot and making an effort to hang herself.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and Jiang Lin’s furious voice yelled, “What are you doing!”

Startled by the kick and the shouting, Liang Laopo shivered. “I—”

“Thud.”

Liang Laopo fell awkwardly from the stool, letting out a tragic scream.

She couldn’t move.

An elderly person falling from such a height would likely suffer multiple fractures.