Chapter 39 The Lioness Roars: "I'll teach you to look down on women!"...

As soon as Wen Yu spoke, the noisy discussions around him subsided.

She paused briefly, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present. Her voice rose a few decibels, addressed not only to Liu Haoyan but also to all the villagers: "Furthermore, you say there's no one in charge of the village? That's true, the old village chief is gone, and a new village chief hasn't been elected yet, but Luxi Village is not without people!"

She pointed at Chen Yu: "As the eldest cousin of the Chen family, Aunt Chen is fully qualified to preside over the issuance of the marriage certificate for Sister Miaozhi!"

The onlookers nodded in agreement, clearly having no objection to her decision.

"As for the witnesses," Wen Yu said loudly, "Although I, Wen Yu, am young, I am well-educated and reasonable. I have been trusted by the villagers to run a school in the village, and I have a small reputation for it."

"Today, I volunteer to be a witness for the matter between Chen Miaozhi and Liu Haoyan. According to the marriage certificate, those who should divorce should divorce, and those who should belong to each other should belong to each other. Everything should be done according to the rules!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu, who was standing next to him, was slightly taken aback and looked at Wen Yu.

For a moment, Wen Yu was worried that Chen Yu would say something against it.

In today's world, wouldn't that be too audacious?

Will Chen Yu refute her?

Unexpectedly, Chen Yu nodded to her, his gaze firm: "What Wen girl said makes sense. Since it is a matter for our Chen family, it is naturally my responsibility to step forward."

Seeing the subtle hint of cooperation between the two, Liu Haoyan became anxious and shouted, his face red and neck bulging, "No way! What right do you two women have to be in charge of us? This is against the rules, it's utterly heretical..."

However, the villagers around him interrupted him, one after another, saying what they were about to say.

"Wen girl is right. You're the most reliable person in our village right now!"

"Aunt Chen is your elder and a reasonable person, so she should be in charge! If you're still not reassured, we're all here to be your witnesses!"

"What does divorce have to do with men and women? What are you trying to achieve by saying that? Everyone, watch closely, we can't let him renege on his promise!"

One outspoken villager pointed at Liu Haoyan and shouted, "What's wrong with being a woman? Weren't you born of a woman?"

These words left Liu Haoyan speechless, his face turning red with embarrassment, his mouth agape but unable to utter a single word.

Wen Yu looked at Liu Haoyan, whose face was alternating between pale and flushed, and softened her tone: "If you really want to part amicably, then follow the rules. In a moment, Sister Miaozhi will issue a letter of release from marriage, and we will invite our elders and fellow villagers to witness it. Then we will go to the government office to register it, and from then on, we will go our separate ways."

"As for Peichuan, according to the marriage contract, he is surnamed Chen and belongs to the Chen family. If you disagree and insist on taking this to court, do you think the magistrate will believe your empty words or this marriage contract with fingerprints and the witnesses of so many villagers?"

Liu Haoyan glanced at Chen Miaozhi and, seeing that she showed no intention of backing down, suddenly realized that he was doomed.

He fell for her trap!

He shouldn't have come back with her. If he had stayed outside, he could still be the domineering "Master Liu" at home.

Even if they were to hit or scold them while drunk, they would never dare to talk back.

He remembered one time when Peichuan threw a tantrum because Qianshan ate an extra steamed bun. To appease his son, he pretended to hit Qianshan.

Just then, Chen Miaozhi rushed out to protect her daughter and even berated him, saying, "Are you even a man?"

In a fit of anger, he slapped her across the face: "Is this how you should talk to your husband?"

When a passing neighbor saw this, they shouted, "Well done! A disobedient wife should be taught a lesson!"

Yes, this isn't Luxi Village. Even if they beat or scold the unicorn woman, bystanders would just say, "It's their family matter," and leave without interfering.

After several years away from home, Liu Haoyan experienced an unprecedented sense of freedom, almost to the point of becoming complacent.

Yes, the outside world is the way he should be.

In this world, men should be the pillars of society, while women should only serve them in the inner quarters.

But for so many years, he had been a so-called live-in son-in-law for the Chen family, living a subservient life, and his children couldn't even take his own surname!

After finally enjoying a few years of comfortable life, a divorce agreement will bring him back to square one.

Returning to Luxi Village means returning to her territory.

Here, everyone helps her and sides with her. Everyone reminds him that he is just a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family and is not qualified to negotiate!

The children are hers, the land is hers, the house is hers; if he wants freedom, he must give up everything.

Liu Haoyan grew angrier the more he thought about it. His ears were ringing, and his blood rushed to his head. Just like when he was drunk, he raised his hand, ready to strike Chen Miaozhi.

"You damned woman, if I don't beat you to death today, I'm not a Liu!"

Suddenly, a sharp shout stopped him in his tracks, almost making him lose his composure.

"Liu Haoyan, how dare you!"

Who is it?

Liu Haoyan turned around in a panic, searching through the crowd.

It's neither this nor that... He looked at Chen Yu, then at Wen Yu, completely bewildered.

Everyone wore an angry expression, yet no one seemed capable of uttering the roar of a lioness that had just been heard.

Who on earth dared to stop him?

Liu Haoyan, holding up his hand, panicked for a moment.

Is there really divine retribution? Is even the heavens protecting her?

The next second, a slap landed heavily on his face.

Only then did he see clearly who had hit and cursed him.

It was Chen Miaozhi.

Her eyes were still slightly red, but the force in her hands was unwavering as she lashed out at him relentlessly.

Caught off guard, Liu Haoyan forgot to fight back and only focused on dodging.

No matter which way he tried to hide, the villagers behind him would block his path.

Then her fists and slaps would rain down on him, leaving him bruised and swollen, and he didn't even realize when he bit his lip, which then filled the air with the taste of blood.

When did Chen Miaozhi acquire such audacity?

He was both shocked and furious, as if he had seen a ghost!

As she hit him, she listed all his faults.

"I told you not to go out drinking!" A slap landed on his face.

"You're such a spendthrift!" A slap landed on his back.

"You dare hit the child!" A heavy blow landed on his hand.

A single sentence of judgment, a single beating.

It was as if divine retribution had descended.

Liu Haoyan felt that if this continued, he would be badly beaten. But not only did no one around him stop him, even his son Peichuan, who had been shouting arrogantly just now, shrank to the side and didn't dare to breathe.

He finally lost his temper and roared, "Chen Miaozhi! How dare you, a woman, hit me?"

The next slap landed hard on his mouth.

Chen Miaozhi gritted her teeth: "I'll teach you to look down on women!"

----

Only after Chen Miaozhi finally vented her pent-up anger did the others step forward to separate the two.

Liu Haoyan's actions over the years have been thoroughly revealed in Chen Miaozhi's accusations.

He drinks, gambles, and beats his wife and children.

A son-in-law who married into the family even tried to take the child's surname.

Absolutely heinous!

If the Chen family had not fallen into decline, he would have been flogged dozens of times and driven out of the village long ago. Even if he had taken the matter to the authorities, it would have been useless.

Therefore, everyone tacitly allowed Chen Miaozhi to punch and kick him until he was bruised and covered in injuries, before they pretended to step forward and persuade him: "Alright, Miao girl, it's good that you're back. From now on, everyone will protect you!"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get sick over people like that, it's not worth it!"

Looking at the villagers who were clearly taking sides, and then glancing at the expressionless Chen Miaozhi, Liu Haoyan finally accepted reality.

"Well? Have you agreed?" Wen Yu asked again.

He could no longer be arrogant; like a plucked rooster, he completely wilted, his face ashen.

In the end, Liu Haoyan just snorted sullenly, which was considered an admission of defeat.

Wen Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Chen Miaozhi, and asked in a gentle tone, "Sister Miaozhi, do you think this approach is feasible?"

Chen Miaozhi raised her head and met Wen Yu's gaze.

She nodded firmly and said calmly, "Okay."

She was almost heartbroken just now, feeling that since her son Peichuan was loyal to his father, there was no point in forcing him to stay, so she might as well let go.

But Wen Yuhe's cousin's words were like a bucket of cold water, waking her up.

This is not just a dispute over a surname.

Today Liu Haoyan can easily take away the child's surname; tomorrow he will covet the family's land and houses.

A man's greed is like an abyss, endless. Only by cutting off his delusions from the very beginning can we completely prevent future troubles.

Just now, the anger she had been suppressing for years finally burst forth. When she punched and kicked him, she felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration!

But that's not enough.

That's far from enough.

When she turned to look at her own son, who was clinging tightly to Liu Haoyan and glaring at her with hostility, that feeling of exhaustion washed over her again.

The child she carried for ten months called her "old woman" and cursed her own sister as a "bitch." She didn't know when he had learned his father's ways perfectly, and his eyes were full of coldness.

Why, no matter how she taught him, did he always side with his father and never understand her suffering?

That's it, everyone has their own destiny.

Peichuan is a useless piece of trash, a hopeless case. Since he doesn't want to listen to her, she doesn't need to bother trying to raise him.

From now on, all she needs to do is take care of Qianshan.

She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, all that remained in them was a resolute look.

She looked at Liu Haoyan, her tone calm and even: "Peichuan can be with you. But according to the marriage certificate, he must take the surname Chen."

“From now on, Qianshan will stay with me, and he will stay with you. From this day forward, we, mother and son, will go our separate ways and have no further connection.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Chuan was overjoyed and jumped up and down, grabbing Liu Haoyan's hand: "Dad! I can follow you from now on!"

Liu Haoyan's complexion improved slightly.

He was considering a temporary solution. The child was still young, so there was no rush. He could stay with him for now, and when the child grew up, he would find a way to change his surname back to Liu.

Having realized this, he stopped objecting.

Seeing that the two sides had reached an agreement, Wen Yu said no more.

Liu Haoyan acted swiftly, quickly signing and pressing his fingerprint on the marriage certificate in front of everyone, then slamming down the pen: "Alright, from now on we're even!"

He turned to Chen Miaozhi, as if still trying his best to maintain his last bit of dignity: "Hmph, I'd like to see how you orphans and widows will survive without a man! You'll be left to starve!"

Chen Miaozhi had just furrowed her brows and hadn't even spoken when Wen Yu beside her chuckled softly.

"You don't need to worry about that."

She turned to Chen Miaozhi: "Sister Miaozhi, our school is in need of a teacher who can read and write."

"Would you... like to come?"

Chen Miaozhi suddenly raised her head, even doubting that what she heard was her imagination.

But Wen Yu's smile made her involuntarily believe that everything was real.

The future my cousin wrote about in her letter, the thing she only dared to dream about secretly in the dead of night…

Could it really come true?

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The author's note: We gather here today to celebrate Ms. Chen Miaozhi's escape from a failed marriage and her newfound happiness. Let's raise a glass and wish her all the best! [Sprinkling flowers]