Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly; it was Zhang Lan who had complained, just as she suspected. She feigned ignorance: "Mother, what are you saying? Where would I sell anything? I've been taking care of An'an at home these past few days; I haven't gone out at all."

Zhang Lan chimed in, "Stop pretending! I saw you come out of the commune canteen with a money bag in your hand. Do you think I didn't see it? Hand over the money right now. That money belongs to the Shen family. It's not for an outsider like you to pocket!"

"Oh? You saw me come out of the canteen and you're saying I made money selling things?" Lin Wanqiu raised an eyebrow. "I went to the canteen to deliver firewood to Master Li. He helped me a few days ago, and I was thanking him. Is that wrong? But sister-in-law, what are you doing running to the commune in the middle of the day? You're not going to complain to Zhao Jianjun and ask him to bully me, are you?"

Zhang Lan's secret was exposed, and her face turned pale instantly: "You...you're talking nonsense! I just went to the commune to buy some things!"

"Buy something?" Lin Wanqiu sneered. "You don't even have a penny in your pocket. What are you going to buy? Are you going to tell Zhao Jianjun that I'm making money by selling vegetables, so he can come and rob me?"

Seeing Zhang Lan speechless after being rebuked, Old Mrs. Shen quickly spoke up: "Whether you deliver firewood or sell things, all the money you earn has to be given to me! You are a daughter-in-law of the Shen family, and your money is the Shen family's money!"

"I'm no longer a daughter-in-law of the Shen family." Lin Wanqiu pulled out the divorce papers she had prepared earlier from her bosom. "I said the other day that if you cause me any more trouble, I'll take An'an and move out, severing all ties with the Shen family. I've already signed these papers, and I'm just waiting for you to sign them. Then An'an and I will leave cleanly, never taking a single thing from the Shen family again, and the money I earn will have nothing to do with you!"

Old Mrs. Shen stared wide-eyed at the divorce papers—she hadn't expected Lin Wanqiu to actually dare to divorce the Shen family! If they divorced, not only would they lose a free source of labor, but they would also be branded as having "driven away their widowed daughter-in-law," and who knew what the villagers would say behind their backs. She glared at Zhang Lan, inwardly cursing her for being so meddlesome; if she hadn't complained, Lin Wanqiu wouldn't have been driven to this point.

Zhang Lan panicked. She had originally intended to complain to Old Lady Shen and ask her to get Lin Wanqiu's money back so she could get a share. However, Lin Wanqiu directly produced divorce papers. She quickly tugged at Old Lady Shen's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, don't get angry with her. If we really get divorced, it won't do us any good."

Old Mrs. Shen also came to her senses, glared at Lin Wanqiu, and swallowed back the curse words that were about to come out: "Alright, alright, I don't care if you sell anything or not, as long as you are still a daughter-in-law of the Shen family, you have to do chores for the family! Come with me to the field to pick sweet potatoes tomorrow, and don't be lazy!"

"I'm not going." Lin Wanqiu refused without even thinking. "I need to stay home to take care of An'an and grow my vegetables. I don't have time to go pick sweet potatoes with you."

Old Mrs. Shen was so angry she jumped up and down: "You lazy bum! I think you don't want to be well anymore!"

"Whether I'm alright or not is none of your concern, Mother." After saying this, Lin Wanqiu slammed the courtyard gate shut before Old Lady Shen could react, shutting out Old Lady Shen and Zhang Lan's curses.

Leaning against the door, Lin Wanqiu let out a long sigh of relief. This hurdle was finally over, but she knew that Old Madam Shen and Zhang Lan wouldn't let it go easily, and there would be plenty of trouble to come. She touched the money in her pocket, her resolve hardening—she had to save enough money quickly, move out as soon as possible, and stay far away from these awful people so that she and Nian'an could live a peaceful life.

Inside the house, Shen Nian'an heard the silence outside, carefully opened the door, and rushed into Lin Wanqiu's arms: "Mother, has Grandma left?"

"Let's go, Mom won't let them bully us anymore." Lin Wanqiu hugged her son, her heart full of fighting spirit. She walked to the bed board, put the 1.8 yuan she had earned that day into the wooden box, and looked at the 3.3 yuan in the box. She seemed to see the small mud house of the future, and Nian'an wearing new clothes, smiling and eating candy.

Unbeknownst to her, behind a large tree outside the courtyard wall, a man in a black overcoat stood quietly, staring at the closed gate, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. Shen Tingzhou had overheard the entire conversation in the courtyard. He hadn't expected Lin Wanqiu to not only dare challenge Old Madam Shen, but also to dare file for divorce from the Shen family, and even more surprisingly, he hadn't expected her to actually earn money on her own. He touched the tomato in his arms—he'd borrowed it from Master Li, who said it was a gift from Lin Wanqiu. Looking at the bright red fruit, he felt a pang of sadness. His wife seemed truly different now, no longer the timid, submissive wife of the past, but a woman with backbone, capable of protecting him and their child.

Shen Tingzhou turned and left, his steps slower than when he arrived. He needed to speed up the investigation, clarify the suspicious points of the mission from back then as soon as possible, so that he could return to Lin Wanqiu and Nian'an openly and honestly, and stop letting the mother and daughter suffer.