Shen Yulan gripped her knees with both hands, her face filled with apprehension and hesitation.

From her appearance to her personality and how she treats others, she has never been aggressive. Even if she knows she has suffered a great injustice, she will only swallow her anger and keep quiet.

Going back to her husband's family to demand compensation and having a direct confrontation with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law was something she never even dared to imagine.

"Jingya...maybe we should just forget about it..."

Shen Jingyan disliked her weak and incompetent demeanor, so she spoke more harshly:

"Sister, let it go? It's your money to begin with, why should you let it go? The robbers have already broken into your house, are you just going to sit here and watch them do whatever they want?"

"I'm not good with words, I'm not good at reasoning, and I'm not good at arguing. I'm afraid that..."

"What are you afraid of? I'm here for you! Even if we start arguing, it'll be the mother and daughter who lose face! We're in the right!"

Shen Yulan seemed to be persuaded a little, her eyes flashing with a faint light, but that insignificant light quickly dimmed.

Seeing that she still hadn't figured out the pros and cons, Shen Jingyan simply gave her a hard time:

"Sister, you've lost your husband, you're penniless and destitute, and your aunt has kicked you out. If you don't have any money, how are you going to live the rest of your life? Have you thought about it? You're only 22 years old, and you have a long life ahead of you. Are you just going to keep enduring misfortune and being tormented by others?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yulan's face turned pale, and she clenched her knees so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Chen Jingyan's words pierced her heart with every single one.

"You know your aunt's character. Judging from her attitude towards you, do you think she'll change her mind tomorrow just because she won't let you in tonight? She doesn't care if you live or die. She might even marry you off to some Tom, Dick, or Harry just to get a little dowry! What will you do then? If she sells you off, are you willing to go with human traffickers?"

Shen Jingyan's words were all reasonable, and Shen Yulan was unable to refute them, so she silently shed tears.

"Sister, this is a new era. Women don't have to depend on men to live a good life. We can be independent and self-reliant. But the prerequisite for independence and self-reliance is that you either have ability or money. You have to have at least one of these two things, right?"

Shen Yulan raised her teary eyes and looked at Shen Jingyan with admiration.

The little girl's words completely woke her up.

She always believed that women should be gentle, thrifty, and that as long as they were diligent in managing the household, filial to their parents-in-law, and kind to others after marriage, they could live a good life.

But when she actually did it, all she got in return was increasingly severe bullying from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Previously, she always attributed her tragic experiences to bad luck and always thought of accepting her fate. But when she saw Shen Jingyan's stubborn and unyielding eyes and her resounding words, she really felt that she had wasted the first half of her life.

She had never fought for anything for herself before, but this time, she was determined to take back what was rightfully hers!

"Jingya, you're right. I'm going back to Wanshan County tomorrow to get the money!"

Shen Jingyan happily grasped her hand: "Big sister, I'll go with you!"

Anzi, who had been quiet to the side, suddenly spoke up: "Sister Jingya, I'm going too! I'll grab a big stick, and if anyone dares to bully you, I'll beat them to death with this big stick!"

Shen Jingyan chuckled and flicked Anzi on the forehead: "You better go to school and do well on your final exams, there will be a reward!"

Anzi's elementary school has less than two weeks until the final exams, and Shen Jingyan takes time every day to tutor Anzi.

Anzi is smart and quick to understand things. Even Old Man Xu said that Anzi is academically gifted. Of course, Shen Jingyan hopes that Anzi can go to university in the future.

After seeing Anzi off, the two sisters chatted for a while longer before washing their feet and going to bed.

Shen Jingyan took out the newly bought bedding for Shen Yulan to use, but Shen Yulan quickly said, "No need, I don't need such good bedding!"

She had become accustomed to placing herself in the most humble position, even feeling that she didn't deserve to wear new clothes or eat good food.

Shen Jingyan insisted on laying out the new bedding for her.

"Big sister, girls should never belittle themselves. We are all the most precious and always deserve the best!"

Shen Yulan paused for a moment, as if she had realized something, and nodded gently.

After lying down, Shen Jingyan discussed tomorrow's plans with Shen Yulan.

Knowing that Shen Yulan lacked assertiveness, she blurted out all her thoughts.

Wanshan County is far from Dalin Village; they have to go to the town first, take a bus, and then walk for four or five hours to get there.

Getting money is not something that can be done just by talking. Shen Jingyan has not yet dealt with Granny Ding and does not know her strength, but she will definitely not be back that day. In addition, she also needs to find the Women's Federation, which will lead to a tug-of-war. She will probably not be back for three to five days.

I need to get up very early tomorrow to pack my luggage.

She also had to say a proper goodbye to Gu Zhiyun. If he knew that Shen Jingyan and Shen Yulan, two girls, would be away for three to five days at a time, he would definitely be very unhappy.

He might even bite you like a dog with its fur standing on end.

Shen Jingyan needed to prepare her words in advance to make the big dog happy.

The next morning, before the roosters crowed, Shen Jingyan smelled the aroma of steamed buns coming from the kitchen.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and got up, surprised to find the room spotless, with water stains from rags still on the table.

She yawned as she got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and went into the kitchen. Shen Yulan looked up from the swirling smoke.

"Jingya, it's only six o'clock, it's still early. Go to sleep, I'll wake you up when dinner is ready!"

Watching Shen Yulan's diligent and busy figure, Shen Jingyan couldn't help but sigh, wondering how vicious Granny Ding must be to be unable to tolerate Shen Yulan.

After breakfast was served, Old Xu, who was taking a stroll in the grove behind the forest farm, leisurely entered the house.

Shen Jingyan gave a brief introduction to Shen Yulan, and Old Man Xu spoke a few words to Shen Yulan in a very kind manner.

After finishing her meal, Shen Jingyan told Old Man Xu that she would be away for a few days.

"Are you going out? Be careful out there. By the way, is Yulan home? She's a pretty good cook."

Chen Jingyan: "..."

So this old man only cares about his own mouth!

"My older sister wants to go out with me!"

Old Xu's face immediately fell: "Then how am I supposed to eat these next few days? Let me tell you, if I don't eat well, I can't concentrate on my lessons!"

Because of the traditional virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, Shen Jingyan refrained from slapping Old Man Xu.

"I'll give Grandma Xu the food money and ask her to cook special meals for you, okay?"

Old Xu reluctantly agreed.

Before the forest farm started work, Shen Jingyan quickly ran to tell Gu Zhiyun that she had gone out.

When Gu Zhiyun heard that she was going away for three to five days, he indeed bristled like a big dog.

“You’re in an unfamiliar place. What if you run into bad people? That old woman Ding doesn’t sound like a nice person. What if you’re no match for her? Who will help you if you get hurt? You’ll be gone for three to five days. How will you manage your food and lodging?”