Su Fang’s condition had improved significantly, so she immediately took Song Wei to go through the discharge procedures.
The bill was paid by Song Wei.
Su Fang stood nearby, her frail figure appearing slightly uneasy.
“I’ll pay you back,” she said seriously as they left the hospital, fearing Song Wei might think of her as someone who only takes without gratitude. Even the cotton-padded clothes she wore were borrowed from Song Wei.
Song Wei nodded. “Then let’s go get your money back.”
Su Fang clenched her fists and nodded firmly, without the slightest hesitation this time. “Okay!”
Waiting to pick them up were Song Jing, Lin Zhen, Hei Dan, and the old man driving the ox cart.
Initially, the old man hadn’t wanted to come out—it was freezing, and the snow-covered roads were hard to traverse. Typically, he would only go out once every five days after the snow.
But Lin Zhen and the boys offered him too much to refuse.
The old man touched the money and three big meat buns in his arms, grinning from ear to ear.
“You all came!”
“Sister Song! I even brought these two with me!” Hei Dan proudly opened his coat, revealing two fluffy, chubby little creatures.
“Arf, arf!”
The wolf pups, seeing Song Wei, excitedly yipped and stumbled forward, their short legs skittering across the cart’s surface. Though they tumbled to the ground in their rush, they quickly scrambled back up and continued to waddle toward her.
Unlike puppies, wolf cubs don’t wag their tails in joy, but their yips conveyed their dependency on her.
Song Wei bent down and scooped up the two furry, warm little creatures into her arms—they felt like tiny heaters.
The ox cart moved slowly on their way back, its passengers chatting—except for Su Fang, who stayed quiet.
Heidan chattered about some interesting things that happened in the village where Song Wei was not there.
“Sister Song, when you weren’t around, dividing the wild boar meat caused such a commotion! I told the kids in the village how you fought the boar—they all admire you so much…”
Hei Dan’s stories were full of the lively details only a child could appreciate. No longer the bullied, quiet boy he once was, Hei Dan now had the charisma of a small leader among the village children.
Of course the most important thing is that the other children are happy to listen to him.
Because Heidan has a tall, heroic brother who had served in the army and a sister who could single-handedly take down wild boars.
Not to mention, Hei Dan often shared snacks—nuts, pine nut candies, fruit candies—that made him quite popular.
Meanwhile, Song Jing spoke about the Luo family’s situation.
“Because of Luo Dajiang’s actions, which attracted the wild boars, their neighbors suffered losses. The villagers are very displeased with them. The team leader even docked some of their work points. But I’m worried they might come looking for trouble with you.”
Song Wei nodded. Su Fang, on the other hand, looked visibly nervous.
“I’ll take Su Fang back to the educated youth dormitory. Do you think the Women’s Federation could help get her a divorce?”
“The chances are slim,” Song Jing replied rationally. “The Women’s Federation does advocate for women’s rights, but their approach often leans toward mediation. They’d likely try to counsel her to reconcile rather than pushing for a divorce.”
This era heavily emphasized preserving marriages—better destroy ten temples than one marriage was the prevailing sentiment.
Lin Zhen agreed with this assessment.
Song Jing wasn’t worried about his sister, though. Initially, he’d thought Song Wei was a fragile and pitiable girl. But the reality? She was more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing—a seemingly delicate but formidable force.
Song Wei turned to the silent and pale Su Fang. “Do you still care about what others say about you?”
Su Fang gripped her fingers tightly before shaking her head.
“I’m not afraid anymore. I’ve endured all kinds of rumors already,” she said, her voice resolute. “I won’t let them control me anymore.”
Song Wei smiled approvingly. “Good. Now, learn how to ‘unleash the madness.’”
Everyone else: “???”
Song Jing and Lin Zhen listened in stunned silence as Song Wei introduced Su Fang to the concept of ‘unleash the madness’.
“You can’t suffer alone. If you’re going to be miserable, make sure they’re even more miserable.”
“Of course, this requires you to first build up your strength and learn how to protect yourself. I won’t always be there to back you up, so you need to prepare. Either hold onto their weaknesses or learn to defend yourself.”
“If they criticize you publicly, cry. Play the victim. If they try to manipulate public opinion, counter it with your own narrative. You’ve endured their rumors before, so why not use the same tactics against them?”
Song Wei even laid out detailed steps for Su Fang to take.
“If you want a divorce, make their lives unbearable. When you get better, and they don’t agree to a divorce and insist on having you go back, don’t be afraid, go back to them and follow my instructions…”
Su Fang hugged her knees, her eyes wide with disbelief. “This… This could work?”
Song Wei smirked. “What do you think?”
For the first time, Su Fang’s eyes sparkled with determination. “It will work!”
Often, people are paralyzed by fear and helplessness because they lack support. But with Song Wei backing her, Su Fang found her courage. Her bitterness and anger transformed into weapons, sharpening her resolve to escape her nightmare.
“But there’s a drawback,” Song Wei cautioned.
“This will damage your reputation. If you ever want to remarry, it might be difficult.”
If it were her, she wouldn’t care about her reputation. But she felt it was important for Su Fang to understand the trade-offs and make her own choice.
“I understand,” Su Fang murmured. “I don’t want to get married again.”
Her disastrous marriage had left her deeply traumatized.
Hesitating, she looked at Song Wei. “Do you think I’m strange for thinking this way? I just… I feel scared whenever I think about marriage.”
Her body trembled slightly.
Song Wei patted her shoulder. “Your idea is absolutely… amazing!”
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