Xiaoyue heard Old Man Ge calling Lu Xiaomei over from inside the house. She pushed open the door and said to Ge Daming, "Go back and tell your grandfather that I will help your third sister-in-law go."

After saying this, Xiaoyue watched Ge Daming leave the courtyard and return to the house, thinking to herself:

Lu Xiaomei can walk from her home to Old Man Ge's house, but if she's bullied there, she might not be able to walk back. Lu Xiaomei's condition is aggravated by anger and stress.

Just when Lu Xiaomei was starting to feel better, what kind of trouble did this old couple cause now? Thinking about it, he frowned and looked at Lu Xiaomei who was coming to greet him, and made a decision: "I'll go with you. If anything happens, just listen to me. You can't argue with them."

Lu Xiaomei nodded, her eyes reddening, but she silently tidied up the things in the house. After she finished tidying up, she came to the yard with Xiaoyue.

Xiaoyue arrived at Yunba's place in the front yard. After Yunba finished lunch, and with Lu Xiaomei having brewed medicine for him again at noon, he was lying down but was already leaning against something.

When Xiaoyue came in, she saw Yunba sitting half-reclined on the wall. She took down the gourd hanging on the wall and handed it to Yunba, saying softly, "I have to go out for a bit."

If Liang Qi brings Yun San over, have him put Yun San on the kang (heated brick bed) to lie down as well. Yun Xingfei might also come by himself. If I'm not here, tell them not to wander around; there are traps under the windows and doors.

Strangers can't come in, so stay here quietly." Xiaoyue repeated earnestly to Yun Badao.

Yun Ba nodded slightly.

Xiaoyue, supporting Lu Xiaomei and holding Xiaodouding's hand, slowly made their way to Old Man Ge's house.

Upon entering the courtyard, one could see that a kerosene lamp was still burning inside the house, something that Old Mrs. Ge would normally be reluctant to part with.

Upon entering the house, Old Man Ge sat at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), Old Lady Ge sat in the middle, Ge Erping sat next to Old Lady Ge, Ge Daming was sleeping in Old Lady Ge's arms, Ge Dalin sat at the head of the kang, and his sister-in-law, Ge Liuye, and Ge Liuzhi all sat on stools.

Ge Erlin sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) next to his father.

After seeing Xiaoyue help Lu Xiaomei into the house, Ge Dalin quickly made room for her on the kang (heated brick bed) and sat down next to his wife.

Xiaoyue helped Lu Xiaomei lie down against the headboard, and the little boy took off his shoes and sat in front of his mother. Xiaoyue sat down next to Lu Xiaomei.

Everyone except for Second Sister-in-law, Madam Sun, was present.

Old Man Ge was the first to speak: "You've all heard about what happened in our family. Because of Ge Erlin, Erping's marriage fell through."

Upon hearing Old Man Ge bring this up, no one uttered a sound; everyone wanted to hear what Old Man Ge had to say next.

"Erlin's matter has had a huge impact on our family. Your mother and I had no choice but to make this decision after several days of deliberation. Starting today, our Ge family will be divided." Old Man Ge said, taking a puff of his cigarette.

Old Man Ge paused for a moment and then said, "I have three sons. The eldest and second sons have moved out, and my wife and I live with the youngest son."

"Eldest son, give Dalin's family ten mu of land. All the chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs you raise will belong to your family. After the autumn harvest, give the old man a bag of grain."

The Erlin family received twelve mu of land. Ge Daming was a boy, so there would be many expenses in the future. The rest of the land was the same as the eldest son's family.

The third child lives with us, the old couple.

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyue jumped up, her chest swelled with anger, and pointed at Old Man Ge, saying, "You two old folks are quite the schemers! I'll support Third Sister-in-law and Little Bean, you can keep the land, you can keep the house, and you can even have the money Sanlin brought back."

Taking a breath to calm himself, he continued, "You two old folks are really good at scheming, good, good, good."

Xiaoyue was so angry that she was incoherent: "Third Sister-in-law's medical expenses are one tael of silver, she needs two sets of clothes a year, a bag of millet and a bag of flour for food. If you agree, I will continue to support Third Sister-in-law and the others. If you don't agree, you will have to separate from Third Sister-in-law."

When Old Man Ge heard Xiaoyue's accusation, he scolded her, "You're not even a member of the Ge family, so what right do you have to speak like that?"

Xiaoyue rolled her eyes at Old Man Ge: "If you weren't bullying Third Sister-in-law, would I have said anything?"

Xiaoyue said to the angry old man Ge, "How about this, you have your third son send over a divorce agreement. I don't want anything from the Ge family, just a divorce agreement."

"Okay, okay," Grandma Ge replied twice.

“But if the divorce papers aren’t signed, you’ll have to pay for the medicine and food, or we’ll have to separate.” Old Man Ge was so angry he trembled.

"Anyway, your indenture is in my Sanlin's hands. I'll have Sanlin make you Erlin's concubine," Old Madam Ge said to Xiaoyue through gritted teeth.

"If you're not afraid of mutual destruction, then feel free to use my indenture as leverage," Xiaoyue said coldly to the crowd.

"Mother, we're leaving now. It's time for Liuzhi and Liuye to go to bed." Sister-in-law Li pulled Ge Dalin out the door. Xiaoyue knew that her sister-in-law didn't want to get involved in this matter, so she made an excuse and left.

Upon hearing what Old Madam Ge said, Ge Erlin shamelessly approached Xiaoyue, standing right in front of her and saying, "It's no big deal for a man to be a womanizer. You're an orphan girl, all alone and helpless. If you come with me, you'll have someone to rely on." Xiaoyue peeked at his lecherous eyes, wishing she could gouge his eyes out with one hand.

As if oblivious to Xiaoyue's disgusted look, Ge Erlin took another step forward: "After you come with me, I will definitely treat you well."

When Xiaoyue saw him coming closer, she picked up a strip of paper from the kang (a heated brick bed), stood on the edge of the kang, and, being taller than Ge Erlin, hit Ge Ershun on the head.

"Even if all the men in the world died, I still wouldn't want you. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror; you're worse than a pig or a dog, yet you still covet me."

Seeing that Ge Erlin was about to attack her, she took a step back and said, "Pah! Believe me or not, if I show this door, I'll go and tell the village chief you're harassing me." Xiaoyue, holding a broom, put her hands on her hips and jumped up and down, cursing Ge Erlin.

Ge Erlin didn't gain any advantage; instead, he got a beating. He was furious and wanted to jump onto the kang (a heated brick bed) to teach Xiaoyue a lesson. Just then, he heard Old Man Ge bang his pipe and curse, "Get out! All of you, get out!"

Xiaoyue wasn't buying it. "We haven't even finished talking. We're not leaving because you told us to come back today. Do you think anyone wants to come into this house?" Despite all the commotion, Ge Erping didn't say a word, which must have been quite a blow to her.

"I will have the third son write a divorce agreement for his wife as soon as possible," said Old Mrs. Ge.

"Fine, if we don't give you a divorce agreement by the end of the year, all of Third Sister-in-law's expenses at my house, including food and lodging, will have to be covered by the Ge family." Xiaoyue said this, then helped Lu Xiaomei away, with the little boy running alongside them.

Ge Erlin was about to follow when Old Man Ge cursed from behind, "Do you really want to go to jail? She's already on the village chief's list, and you still haven't stopped causing trouble. We'll deal with her when Third Brother comes back."

Xiaoyue, supporting Lu Xiaomei, quietly asked, "Sister-in-law, you don't want me, do you?"

Lu Xiaomei looked at Xiaoyue: "I don't resent it."

"Are you feeling alright? Don't get too stressed."

"I didn't—" Before she could finish speaking, Lu Xiaomei collapsed.