Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The village women came to her door every day to ask for advice. They had already become familiar with Sun Caiping, and when they got together, they would just chat about this and that.

Sun Caiping embroidered flowers, listening to their idle chatter without interrupting. She would laugh involuntarily when they talked about something interesting, and she would feel a pang of envy when she heard others praising their husbands.

"Aunt Chang said there are still women in the village who dare to get divorced. Are you sure, ladies?" Sun Miao'er interjected from the side, asking on behalf of Sun Caiping.

Madam Li nodded appropriately and said with a smile, "Well, Madam Mei came to live in our village after her divorce."

The woman sitting by the door was none other than Mei Niangzi, whom Li had mentioned. Upon hearing this, she looked up and met Sun Caiping's gaze.

Sun Caiping's mischievous gaze swept over Mei Niangzi. Mei Niangzi was plump and beautiful, so she must be living a good life.

Mei Niangzi didn't find remarriage to be something shameful. She said frankly, "That beast used to beat and scold me all the time. I couldn't rely on him at all. He was always eyeing the meager sums in my pocket. Anyway, I'm living my own life. How can I suffer injustice for no reason? In a fit of anger, I thought, forget it! I'm not going to stay with him!"

"Madam Mei is truly insightful; none of us have the courage!"

The village women inside smiled at Li's words and continued with their work.

Sun Miao'er secretly observed Sun Caiping's expression. She saw that Sun Caiping was biting her lip, her movements had become slow, and her head was lowered very low.

The village women, after getting to know her, all thought Sun Caiping was a quiet and reserved person. But Sun Miao'er knew that in her youth, Sun Caiping had once displayed her arrogance and sharpness like a fleeting flower.

When faced with a choice between love and dignity, Sun Caiping chose to yield to love, abandoning the dignity she once cherished most.

In the past few days, Sun Caiping has mentioned Jiang Yutao much less often. Counting on her fingers, it's been more than half a month, and the Jiang family should be coming to pick her up.

The women stayed until the afternoon as usual before dispersing and returning home. The house suddenly felt empty, with the afterglow of the setting sun bathing half of it, casting a warm glow everywhere.

Just as it was getting dark, someone came to the Sun family's house.

"Excuse me, is this where Sun Caiping lives?" the man asked loudly, tying the donkey he had brought to a tree root.

Sun Miao'er went to check the door and saw that the donkey was so old that its beard was all white. As soon as it stopped, it lay down on the ground panting. "Who are you?"

"Master sent me to fetch Madam back." The man seemed very anxious, constantly craning his neck inside. "Madam, Madam?"

At his repeated calls, Sun Caiping slowly emerged from the house. It was getting dark, and she only recognized the person when she got closer. "Did Yutao send you?"

“Yes, madam.” The man wiped his sweat and complained, “This place is really far away. We might not be able to get back today.”

Sun Miao'er took two steps back, squinting at the panting donkey, "How does your master plan to invite my aunt back?"

The man patted the donkey. Little did he know what the master was thinking. Hiring a horse-drawn carriage or oxcart cost money, but the master was unwilling to spend any. After much deliberation, he asked someone to borrow a donkey for pulling a millstone. What more did they want from him?

Just as Sun Caiping was about to speak, Sun Miao'er stopped her in front of her.

Seeing that the man couldn't answer, Sun Miao'er continued, "At least have your master show some sincerity. It's dark, so don't make things difficult for this old donkey. Can't you let it enjoy its old age in peace? My aunt won't go back with you!"

After saying that, Sun Miao'er pulled Sun Caiping into the house without looking back, bolted the door from the inside, and extinguished the candles.

After a while, when there was no more noise outside the door, she lit the candles again.

"Miao'er, I, I..." Sun Caiping hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Sun Miao'er's face was cold. Although the person in front of her was an elder, this was not the time for her to be soft-hearted. "Aunt, do you really want to go back like this?"

At this point, she could no longer hold back and her anger flared up. "Auntie, let's not even talk about how Jiang Yutao used a donkey to pick you up. He even called a carriage to go back by himself. Now, he's practically riding on your head. Don't you understand, Auntie?"

Sun Caiping gasped, biting her lower lip tightly and clenching her fists. Even her last bit of stubbornness gave way, and her voice trembled as she spoke, "I understand, I understand everything, but I'm not reconciled. I don't think I'm any worse than anyone else, so why can't I make him happy?"

There are too many infatuated women in the world. Sun Caiping wasn't fighting for that love; she just couldn't swallow her pride. But these days, she suddenly realized a lot. What difference does it make whether she fights for pride or not? Will she be able to live comfortably if she fights for pride?

“Aunt, Jiang Yutao is not a good person. We’ll see what happens in the future.” Sun Miao’er stopped trying to persuade her and quietly closed the door, hoping that she could think things through on her own.

The next day, Sun Caiping was embroidering in her room with her eyes swollen from crying. When others asked her why, she simply said that she hadn't slept well.

The Jiang family's carriage arrived in the evening, and this time Jiang Yutao actually came along as well.

"Madam, Madam, please come out and see me!" Jiang Yutao stood outside the Sun family's gate and called out for a long time, seeing that it was locked.

Sun Miao'er sat with Sun Caiping in the room. "Auntie, don't listen. Plug your ears."

She handed over the cotton she had prepared beforehand, but Sun Caiping's face was extremely ugly. This was not a solution; they needed to talk things out face to face.

Just as Jiang Yutao's throat was about to burst from shouting, the inner door suddenly opened.

Jiang Yutao ran inside, while Sun Miao'er blocked the door with a cold face.

"My dear niece, where is your aunt? Let me see her!" Jiang Yutao craned his neck anxiously inside. "Caiping, come out quickly! I've had such a hard time these past few days!"

Sun Miao'er: How can it not be hard? Without maids to serve you, you'll be exhausted.

Sun Caiping finally appeared after Jiang Yutao's repeated calls. Sun Miao'er was initially worried that she would soften her heart, but to her surprise, Sun Caiping said as soon as she saw her, "Go back. I will not go with you today."

These words plunged Jiang Yutao into an ice cellar. He froze, unable to believe that such words would come from Sun Caiping's mouth. Where was the wife who had once been so obedient and subservient to him? Where was Sun Caiping, who had willingly served him like a slave?

"Caiping, you're lying to me, aren't you!" Upon hearing this, he pushed Sun Miao'er away and prepared to rush into the house to confront Sun Caiping.

To his surprise, Sun Miao'er's hands were gripping the door tightly, and he couldn't push it open no matter how hard he tried.

"Uncle, if you push me again, I'll call for help!" Sun Miao'er threatened in a stern voice.

Jiang Yutao was both anxious and angry. He stomped his foot and cursed, "You must have said something to Caiping, otherwise she wouldn't have treated me like this!"

"How my uncle treats my aunt is something he knows far better than we outsiders do!" Sun Miao'er retorted, then slammed the door shut.