"It’s cold outside, Lan should go back to the room." Xu Zhiqin hugged Lan and gently stroked her head: "Uncle Three will be back soon, shall Uncle Three take you to buy some snacks tomorrow, okay?" Lan’s big eyes were filled with tears: "I won’t, I want to go, my second aunt is so mean, she bullied my mom, I have to avenge my mom." Lan stubbornly clung to Xu Zhiqin’s legs, determined to be his inseparable leg accessory, making it impossible for Xu Zhiqin to walk away. Xu Zhiqin had no choice but to lift Lan and take her along with him. "When we get to Uncle Two’s house, remember to stick close to Uncle Three, okay? Don’t let Mrs. Feng bully you." Lan obediently nodded: "I’ll remember, Uncle Three, don’t worry." The little child nestled in Xu Zhiqin’s arms, and he adjusted the sheepskin coat on the outside to wrap Lan up tighter, afraid that she would get cold. He walked very fast, and in no time they reached Xu Zhiyong’s house. Xu Zhiyong was watching Mrs. Feng pack up her things. Mrs. Feng was crying pitifully, blabbering as she wept: "Husband, considering the many years I’ve served you, won’t you reconsider divorcing me? If I... if I have to go back to my parents’ house, I will surely die. Husband, I’ll never dare to take things back to my family again, just let me stay, Min Ruo and Min Chang can’t be without their mother." Xu Zhiyong was also having a hard time. He tried hard to keep a stern face, not wanting to give Mrs. Feng any opportunity to exploit. Seeing that Xu Zhiyong was determined to divorce her, Mrs. Feng felt a mix of grief, sorrow, and utter helplessness. She knew that if the divorce really happened, she might not have anywhere to turn. Thinking of her bleak future, Mrs. Feng made a desperate move. She threw down her bundle, ran to the kitchen to grab a knife, and stood at the doorstep: "Xu Zhiyong, you have the money to divorce your wife, that’s really something. If you dare to divorce me today, I’ll die right here, I’ll haunt you as a ghost, make sure you never remarry, and curse you to be a bachelor for the rest of your life." Mrs. Feng’s shouting attracted quite a few neighbors. Some advised Xu Zhiyong upon seeing Mrs. Feng : "Xu Laoer, your wife has had it tough too. Although she did something wrong, you can’t just divorce her like that. After all, she’s the mother of two children. For the children’s sake, if you can bear with it then do so, just teach her well in the future." Others said: "If she did wrong, just beat her; why divorce? No matter what, she still bore you two children." Seeing people speak up for her, Mrs. Feng placed the knife against her neck: "Husband, if you divorce me, I have no way to live, better to just die in front of you now." It was amidst this commotion that Xu Zhiqin arrived with Lan. Upon seeing Mrs. Feng acting , Lan burst into loud sobs: "Second aunt, what are you doing? How can you want to die too? My mom just hanged herself, you... please don’t die, I’m scared..." Lan was lovely and usually had a sweet tongue; she was a favorite not only among the young wives in the village but also among the older folks close to Old Madam’s age. Seeing her crying so miserably, quite a few women came over to console her. "Good child, don’t cry, don’t be afraid, your second aunt doesn’t want to die." "But my mom almost died." Tears streamed down from Lan’s big eyes: "If my grandma hadn’t been concerned, my mom really would’ve died. It was you, second aunt, who forced my mom to hang herself. I was thinking of coming over to hit you a few times to vent for my mom, but... don’t die, I won’t hit you." The child’s innocent words started a buzz among the onlooking crowd. "Mrs. Feng is really something, driving her widowed sister-in-law to attempt suicide, and now she’s causing a scene." "What a home-wrecker." "How has her elder sister-in-law ever wronged her? Her children are being raised by her, and when her husband broke his leg, it was her elder sister-in-law who sold her dowry to pay for his treatment. Yet look at her, not a word of gratitude, and instead she pushes her elder sister-in-law towards death. No wonder Xu Laoer divorced her, such a woman we cannot tolerate in our family." "Mrs. Feng is both lazy and malicious, constantly thinking about her family instead of her own home. Xu Laoer has worked hard for years without saving a penny. What for? It’s all gone to support the Feng Family. I heard she even took her son’s new clothes to give to her brother’s child, leaving her own child without new clothes for the New Year." "Heavens, if it were a daughter-in-law in our family, she would have been divorced long ago. For the Xu Family to have tolerated her until now is already quite magnanimous." Watching Mrs. Feng’s scoundrel-like behavior, Xu Zhiqin couldn’t contain his anger: "Mrs. Feng, you still have the face to make a scene, after what you’ve just put our parents through, almost causing our elder sister-in-law’s death. And now you still have the audacity to refuse to leave." "I don’t want to live anymore." Mrs. Feng was extremely frantic, but still stubbornly clutched the knife without letting go. "Then go ahead and die." Xu Zhiqin said coldly, "All the villagers are watching. It’s not us causing your death, you’re choosing to take your own life. It’s nothing to do with the Xu Family. Even if it goes to the government office, we can clear our name entirely." Xu Zhiyong wiped his face: "Mrs. Feng, I can’t continue living with you. Even if you spill blood right here and now, and die on the spot, the Xu Family won’t keep your body; we will send it back to the Feng Family. Then whether they toss you into the wilderness or chop you up to feed to the dogs, that’s truly none of our concern from then on." "Auntie, can you please not die?" Lan cried and begged: "You scolded my father, you blamed my mother, and said she was the cause of my father’s death. My mother never held a grudge against you. It was just a moment of desperation that led to her suicide. I... I used to resent you, but now... If you don’t die, I won’t hold it against you." New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NoveI~Fire.net Lan hugged Xu Zhiqin’s neck, crying and pleading: "Third uncle, please persuade her too." Xu Zhiqin softly comforted Lan Yiyi: "Alright, don’t cry, your auntie won’t die. She doesn’t have the courage." Standing next to Xu Zhiqin were a married couple on good terms with the Xu Family. The couple began to rant: "She really has the nerve to make a scene. Which family’s daughter-in-law curses their deceased husband’s elder brother? If any family had such a daughter-in-law, they would have dragged her back to her own family to make a scene long ago. Yet not only did she curse her husband’s elder brother, but she also drove her elder sister-in-law to death, and now tries to shift the blame onto her in-laws. She is truly something." Xu Zhiyong was somewhat concerned about Anning. Listening to the chatter of the people around him, he thought of his elder brother. His elder brother had always been intelligent and especially kind to him, protecting him when he was little. Xu Zhiyong used to be quite naïve as a child and often got bullied by other children. Even if his elder brother wasn’t one for fighting, his wits were sharp. Whenever Xu Zhiyong got bullied, his elder brother would find a way for him to regain face. As he grew up, he always listened to his elder brother’s advice, who, at times, seemed even more important to him than his own parents. The worthless woman he married not only cursed his elder brother but also drove his elder sister-in-law to her death. Xu Zhiyong felt that if he continued to endure, he would end up being a real-life Ninja Turtle. He stepped forward, and while Mrs. Feng was not paying attention, he snatched the knife from her hand, then kicked her, toppling Mrs. Feng to the ground. "Third brother, come and help tie her up." Xu Zhiyong threw the knife to the ground and called Xu Zhiqin to help tie up Mrs. Feng. Before Xu Zhiqin could move, a few other women were already helping, lassoing Mrs. Feng with ropes. "Hurry up and send her back to the Feng Family. We can’t have someone like her here in Xiao Guan Village corrupting our local customs." Xu Zhiyong originally wanted Mrs. Feng to take all the things she had accumulated over the years back to the Feng Family. But after this incident, he didn’t want to give Mrs. Feng anything at all. Then, Xu Zhiqin handed over Lan to an aunt of theirs, asking her to help convey a message back home, and together with Xu Zhiyong, they escorted Mrs. Feng to the Feng Family.