Hearing the whispers behind her, Gan Tian was furious: "Mother, they're talking about you!"
"Let them say what they want. What can they do to me?" Compared to Gan Tian's concern, Gan Li seemed quite indifferent, even somewhat happy: "If they say a few more words, it might actually benefit me."
"They're saying this to tarnish your reputation, Mother. How can it be considered a good thing?"
Seeing her confusion, Gan Li patiently explained, "After we argued with Gan Yingzi, the news of my divorce from Chen Danian has probably spread throughout the village. These days, although divorce sounds better than being divorced, it's still looked down upon by people."
Besides, now that we've returned to the village, we're not staying at your grandfather's house anymore, but rather living independently. I suspect the outside world already knows that your grandfather doesn't plan to take care of us anymore. In that case, wouldn't a widow and her orphan be vulnerable to being bullied by others?
Gan Tian seemed to understand: "So, you did this on purpose to tell the villagers that we are not easy to bully?"
"That's right!"
Hearing this, Gan Tian felt a little better, but she was still unhappy: "Then their words are also damaging your reputation."
Ganli remained silent for a while, then said softly, "Sweetie, is there any possibility... that you have a slight misunderstanding about your mother's reputation?"
"..."
When she asked that question, Gan Tian suddenly found herself speechless.
That seems to be true. My mother's previous reputation was that she was a bully at home, a vampire, and a good-for-nothing who was tough on her family but could be bullied by outsiders at will.
Now, people describe her as a good-for-nothing who is rude to both her family and outsiders.
Gan Tian suddenly felt much more relieved.
—Looking at it this way, at least they've shed the reputation of being a bully at home, which is a small step forward. These people won't dare to bully them so easily anymore.
The two left the carpenter's house, but instead of going back, they turned a corner and headed towards the village chief's house. Gan Li wanted to borrow an oxcart to go to town again.
Although she bought a lot of saltpeter yesterday, it was not enough to start an ice pop business, so she would have to buy some more.
In addition, she also wanted to ask the village chief about the establishment of female households.
Fortunately, they arrived at the right time; Gan Qishan and the village chief were both there. Seeing her, Gan Qishan awkwardly went to greet her and asked, "Gan Li, what's up? Do you need a car?"
"Uncle Gan, Aunt Gan." Gan Li greeted the village chief's family before saying to Gan Qishan, "Brother Qishan, I'm planning to go to town again. Are you free right now? I'll give you the price of a chartered car."
"I'm free, I'm free. Wait here for me for a bit while I go get the car."
“Okay, I happen to have something to talk to Uncle Gan about.”
Gan Qishan nodded and strode out.
After watching him leave, Gan Li turned to look at the village chief. Before she could speak, the chief asked, "You've come to establish a female household, haven't you?"
Gan Li smiled sheepishly: "Did Brother Qishan tell you? Yes, I just wanted to ask about the establishment of female households."
Second Uncle, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but I've already divorced Chen Danian, and my father doesn't want me to register my household at home, so I have no choice but to establish my own household.
"Sigh, don't blame your father..." the village chief sighed.
His grandfather and Old Man Gan's grandfather were brothers, and because they were of similar age, they were very close. He was naturally aware of Old Man Gan's daughter's situation and, upon hearing this, offered his advice:
“What you did before was really outrageous. Not only did you ruin your father's job, but I heard that a few days ago you came back crying and demanding your sister-in-law's family's secret recipe. Your father refused, and you immediately said you wanted a divorce and went home. Your father is worried that you might…”
"I know, and I can't blame my dad for not believing me. I can only blame myself... I will live a good life from now on, and in time, my dad will naturally believe me."
Ganli appeared completely calm, and her words drew approval from the village chief.
"Alright, alright, if that's really what you think, then your father's efforts haven't been in vain," the village chief said, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Gan Li, preoccupied with the matter of women's households, didn't notice and pressed for details, asking, "Second Uncle, how exactly is this system of women's households established? Are there any conditions?"
Speaking of this matter, the village chief frowned and said, "It sounds simple, but it's actually not easy to establish a female household. According to the laws of our dynasty, only if the husband is dead and the son is too young to support the household can a female household be established, and the household registration must be restored to normal after the son comes of age. You are divorced and have no son, so this situation is quite complicated."
Seeing the village chief's furrowed brows, Gan Li knew this was a difficult matter and quickly said, "Second Uncle, can you help me think of any other solutions? If there's anything that needs to be done, please let me know."
"No need to make arrangements. It's not easy for you, a woman, to raise a child alone. I'll think of a way to help you."
"Thank you very much, Uncle! But you must let me know if you need anything, so I can't let you spend the money yourself."
"I see."
Hearing her words, the village chief felt quite pleased, as if she really was different from before, as if she had turned over a new leaf. So he asked another question:
“I heard from Qishan that you’ve been going to town a lot these days, buying things by the cartload. Now that you’re divorced and returning home, you’ll have to rely on yourself for everything from now on. You’ll have to be careful with your money and think about the future.”
His words were heartfelt, and Gan Li knew that if he didn't treat her as a junior, he wouldn't have wasted his breath on her. Therefore, she wasn't impatient with the village chief's earnest teachings at all, but was very grateful.
“I know! Don’t worry, I’m not being wasteful. As you said, I’m divorced, so I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I have to find a way to support myself, so I’m thinking of starting a small business.”
"Small business? What kind of business?" the village chief asked.
Ganli, however, did not intend to say it now, but only said, "You will know in a few days."
Just then, Gan Qishan arrived in his oxcart. She helped Gan Tian onto the cart, and after saying goodbye to his father, Gan Qishan drove off.
Only after the oxcart disappeared from sight did the village chief say quietly, "Everyone's gone, come out now."
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