The atmosphere in the middle of the night was so depressing that it was hard to breathe. Su Xiangqin was filled with despair and murmured, "I was born in Sujiatun, a suburb of Yandu. The village originally made a living by farming. Later, the Yandu 43rd Sewing Production Cooperative moved to our village, and many people in the village got the opportunity to work in the factory."

"My sister Su Xiangcui is very smart and has passed the assessment to become a formal employee of the factory."

"My sister could have married into a good family with her conditions, but my father not only forced her to give her job to my brother, but also married her to a sickly man from the neighboring village because of the high bride price."

"In fact, the fate of most girls in Sujiatun is the same. They raise daughters for the high bride price, and the quality of the man is not considered at all."

At this point, Su Xiangqin smiled coldly, the sound was particularly strange in the quiet and dark rehearsal room.

But when this reached Ana Shen’s ears, it was sad and helpless, a satire on the unfair fate of women.

Su Xiangqin continued, "I don't want to be like my sister, who was betrothed by my father at will. I also don't want to be like my mother and my sisters-in-law, who were ordered around, always having endless work to do, and living a numb life."

"So I used all my strength to climb into the art troupe. I thought I could change my fate, but in the end I couldn't escape the fate my father had arranged for me."

Ana Shen pondered for a moment, and said solemnly, “If you want to completely get rid of your current predicament, there is a way.”

"Really? Is there really a way?" Su Xiangqin suddenly grabbed Ana Shen's hand, as if grabbing the only life-saving straw, with great strength, and her fingertips were turning white.

Shen Nanqing frowned a little uncomfortably, but did not withdraw his hand. Facing Su Xiangqin's expectant gaze, he said seriously, word by word: "Find someone you like and marry him."

"I don't have any favorite." Su Xiangqin was a little nervous and stammered, "I think I might be sick. I... I don't want to get married. I don't want to live a life that I can see the end of. I want to dance for the rest of my life and make money to support myself."

A trace of surprise flashed across Ana Shen’s face for a moment, his eyes widened slightly, and he looked at Su Xiangqin in disbelief.

She didn't expect Su Xiangqin to have such an idea. This idea was very common in the future, but it was considered heretical in the 1970s.

“Isn’t it ridiculous?” Su Xiangqin didn’t hear Shen Nanqing’s response for a long time, and smiled self-deprecatingly.

Shen Nanqing came back to his senses, "It's not funny at all, on the contrary I admire it, but you must think clearly about this kind of thing, it's better to live a happy life."

"Since this road is not feasible, then let's first interrupt the current marriage. It would be best if you can set up your own home and transfer your household registration here. I can't force you to do anything. However, if you want to set up your own home, you must pay a price. If necessary, you must be determined to break off relations. Can you bear such a result?"

In Shen Nanqing's opinion, Su Xiangqin and Xu Ruyan were in a very similar situation. Both families favored boys over girls. The reason why Su Xiangqin was suffering was that she was not cruel enough, she had too many concerns, and she still had expectations for family affection. Facing the pressure from her father and brother, she did not have enough courage to take the initiative to fight back.

Xu Ruyan will not be kidnapped by morality. Family responsibilities and filial piety are nothing to her. Profits are the key.

It's right for her to fight for what she deserves, but Xu Ruyan is wrong in using any means necessary and without any bottom line.

When Su Xiangqin heard this, she loosened her hand, which had been tightly grasping Ana Shen’s hand, instantly as if it had been burned.

Under the dim flashlight, Su Xiangqin's expression became complicated and difficult to discern, her brows were tightly knitted together, and her eyes were full of confusion and hesitation.

"I'm going to break up with my family..." Su Xiangqin muttered to herself, her voice as soft as a mosquito. "What about my mom and sister? They are my family too!"

Shen Nanqing looked at Su Xiangqin, whose eyes were red again and tears were rolling in her eyes, and comforted her: "Family will understand you, tolerate you, and accept you no matter what you do. I believe they will support you. Even if you set up your own house, you are still a family. On the one hand, setting up your own house expresses your determination. On the other hand, if you are not on the same household registration, your fathers will not have the tools to hold you hostage."

"Of course, maybe we won't get to this point." Shen Nanqing saw her uneasiness and struggle. She had a family affection that was difficult to give up and a fear of family relationship breakdown. Not wanting to push too hard, he added another sentence.

In fact, Shen Nanqing felt that if the roots were not removed, they would grow again in the spring breeze. Given Old Man Xu's temperament, it was normal for him to give in now and then turn against him later.

Su Xiangqin fell into deep thought. After a long while, the confusion in her eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a firm light. She held Shen Nanqing's hand tightly, "Then what should I do next?"

Shen Nanqing knew that Su Xiangqin would mail her allowance home every time she received it, which was a considerable income. If Father Xu could persuade Su Xiangqin to retire from the army, there would definitely be greater benefits later.

Ana Shen asked, “Did your father tell you who to marry?”

Su Xiangqin's face froze, and she gritted her teeth and said, "Zhu Yingcai..."

Shen Nanqing knew from her tone that she obviously knew this man, "Is there any problem with this?"

"He is the son of the president of the sewing production cooperative." Su Xiangqin showed a look of disdain. "He looks like a bad boy, but he has done a lot of bad things. I... I saw him sneak into the widow's house."

Shen Nanqing was stunned for a moment, "Do your parents know about this?"

"I know." Su Xiangqin's eyes dimmed. "My father said I was wrong. Even if it's true, it's just a mistake that all men make. I'll be fine after I get married."

Ana Shen was so angry that she laughed. What kind of bullshit logic is this?

"Well, tomorrow you go and calm your father down. They keep hanging around the regiment gate, which has a bad influence on you. Let them go back first. It's not convenient for you to meet them. Tell me everything about Zhu Yingcai tomorrow. I'll ask him to help you investigate. Maybe we can find evidence against you."

Su Xiangqin’s originally cold heart was warmed by Ana Shen’s words.

"Shen Nanqing, thank you so much." Su Xiangqin thanked her sincerely. She had lived for so many years, and there were only a handful of people who showed kindness to her. When she participated in the competition before, Shen Nanqing helped her, and now she was helping her plan.

She was really grateful.

But this time Su Xiangqin didn't want to trouble anyone else. As Shen Nanqing said, there is a price to pay for doing anything. This time she wanted to do it herself.

Su Xiangqin said firmly: "I won't bother you with the next thing. I know what to do."

Ana Shen looked at her deeply, swallowed the words back when they came to his lips, patted her shoulder, and only replied: “Okay.”

The next day, Su Xiangqin went to the gate early in the morning. It was difficult for the Su family's father and son. In order to force Su Xiangqin to obey, they would show up at the gate before dawn every day. It was obvious that they had sent messages from home before dawn.

Su Xiangqin met Old Man Su, and no one knew what she said, but Old Man Su and Su Jianye really left.

When she came back, she looked completely reborn, with an unprecedented glow in her eyes.

When Ji Zhen heard that Father Su had passed away, she looked at Su Xiangqin in confusion and asked, "Why did you leave? Did you agree to the marriage?"