After traveling for another half month, Xie Yuancheng continued to travel along side paths and did not stay at any inns, so he did not encounter any people from the martial arts world or anyone he knew.

That day, we had just arrived at the edge of a small village. Because we had run out of water and had walked for a long time without finding a water source, Xie Yuancheng went into the village to look for a well.

He had just asked a family in front of him when they warmly invited Xie Yuancheng into their house to fetch water.

“Grandpa, we need to hurry on our journey, so we need to carry a lot of water. It’s not easy for you to carry water. Just tell me where the well is.”

He's always like that, very considerate of others. I stood beside the horse, holding the reins and watching.

"Oh my, what a fine young man, about the same age as my child. All he does is go out and play all day, he doesn't even care about his wife and child."

"I guess he's still young now, he'll mature when he gets older."

"Indeed, thank you for your kind words, young master. Our well is a little behind the village, you can get it in about a hundred meters."

"Thank you. Are horses allowed in the village?"

"No, a few people from the martial arts world came here before, riding horses and wandering around the village. After that, the village chief stopped letting them into the village."

"Okay, I understand, thank you."

Xie Yuancheng even came over to tell me that I should pretend I didn't hear what they were saying and promise to stay outside the village and wait for him to come back.

"Ying'er, don't leave here. If you run away, see how I punish you tonight."

"Okay~" He can be a bit like a mother hen sometimes, and he said a few more words before leaving.

He took a water bag weighing nearly ten kilograms into the village. There were three bags inside, because he always liked to carry extra in case he made a mistake on the way.

I stood outside the village waiting. In front of me were two houses, and next to them was a small courtyard. As soon as I sat down, I heard a commotion inside, along with the cries of children and women.

He wouldn't hit a woman, would he?! I still have a lingering trauma from seeing the Second Prince slap Caiwei in front of so many people last time.

Soon, some villagers gathered around, and a woman came out with two children in her arms.

"You run, where do you think you're going?" Another man rushed out of the house, a burly man who looked menacing.

I had just remembered, but Xie Yuancheng had already said so, so I could only stand anxiously by the horse, hoping he would come back soon.

"Mother, Father hit me so hard, let's not live with him anymore." The little woman's hair was messy and she was wearing tattered clothes. It broke my heart to see her like that.

Since having three children, whenever I see other children struggling, I think of my three little ones and wonder how they are doing at home.

"I want a divorce, and I'll raise the children," the woman said, stepping forward and shielding the two children behind her.

"Divorce? Bah! Dream on! I spent three taels of silver to marry you, so you're going to be my slave for life."

“I’ve been married to you for seven years, and our child is only five or six years old. We’ve paid off all the debts we owed.”

The woman, with tears streaming down her face, accused the man of all his wrongdoings, saying that he still dared to hit her. People around were cursing, and the woman had to dodge while also looking after her children.

A few of the bolder ones jumped into the yard to break up the fight, dragged the man aside, and even snatched the broom from his hand.

I felt terrible seeing that. The two children were sitting on the ground crying. Their pants were torn and they didn't even have shoes on.

"Ying'er, what are you looking at?" I was so focused on looking ahead that I didn't even notice Xie Yuancheng had returned.

"Yuancheng, that man at the house up ahead is a real scoundrel."

“In the countryside, when I traveled with Anshi, I often saw men beating women, so I always told myself that I must treat you even better.”

"But that woman is so pitiful."

The woman knelt on the ground, begging everyone to help her get a divorce decree from the village chief, but the people around her looked hesitant.

"They should get a divorce, otherwise the children will suffer."

Xie Yuancheng had already put the water bag away: "Let's go, we still have a long way to go."

I took his hand and said, "I have two taels of loose silver here. I'll keep the rest for the journey. Could you give this to that woman?"

She has to raise her child; how can she survive without money?

“Ying’er, have you noticed that the people around you don’t really care? This means they’ve made a scene more than once or twice. If the woman really wants to leave, she can just run away. There’s no need for a divorce agreement. The Great Zhao has a clear rule that if a couple is separated for more than two years, their marital relationship is automatically dissolved.”

"There is such a rule, but wouldn't it be that the man is too fierce, and the people around him are afraid to intervene?"

"When I was fetching water, I overheard people nearby saying that the Zhang family was causing trouble again. They must be talking about their family; everyone in the village knows. Even if you send them money, it won't help her get away with it. It's unbelievable that men think they can make money by beating women."

I was torn, but the scene was truly horrific. I clutched the bag, hesitating whether to go forward.

Xie Yuancheng picked me up and mounted the horse: "Let's go. The way you are now, I feel like I've done something wrong. I guess one day you'll secretly decide not to live with a man anymore and will earn your own money."

When I looked back, the onlookers had dispersed, and the women were helping the children in the yard up and brushing off the dust. The more I looked at this scene, the more disheartened I felt, so I simply turned my head away and refused to look.

"That's outrageous! He's not a man! Disgusting! I cursed on the spot. How could a man like that get married? God must be blind."

"Ying'er, you can scold me all you want, but please don't let your scolding affect me."

"I'm not cursing you!" I was still angry, and Xie Yuancheng was still provoking me.

“You’ve said I’m annoying all the time. You just said I was annoying. You’re not allowed to use those two words to insult others.”

This person even treated swear words as their exclusive property. "Ugh, why do you remember swear words? It's not like I'm talking about you!"

"See, you said I'm annoying again."

I was both angry and amused. Xie Yuancheng was teasing me from the side: "Ying'er, this is someone else's business. We're all covered in dust. Why do you still like to meddle in other people's business?"

"I'm also married with children, and seeing this kind of thing makes me feel indignant."

"I'm angry now, I should act like before, otherwise I'll get jealous."

"Ugh~"

"I hate it. Otherwise, you can get angry for others, but only for me."

I couldn't be bothered with him, but Xie Yuancheng was too wise. I had to ask him, "Lord Marquis, you are incredibly wealthy. When you encounter injustice, why don't you lend a helping hand?"

"Now that she's calmed down, she's starting to find fault with me." Xie Yuancheng began to preach: "It's not that I don't want to help, but women these days rely on men to support their children. She doesn't run away even when she's wronged because she can't support her children. It's just that if I help once but not afterwards, then it's better to just let it go."

"If it were a poor soul who could be helped by simply giving money, I would have just given them the money directly, without Ying'er even having to say anything."