Chapter 38
Xu Dahe stood at the entrance of the inn, looking in the direction where Grandma Chen had left.
The sky was dim, and the wind blew through the alleyway, stirring up dust.
Even though Grandma wanted to go back with Chen Laoliu, the man still cursed her as a "dead old woman" and tried to beat her.
If someone stops you at the inn, but you go back, who can stop you?
But Grandma said never mind.
How can we just let this go?
Xu Dahe felt a surge of anger rising in his chest.
He had no home anymore. His grandmother's stay was short, but she was like a mother to him.
In a moment of impulsiveness, he was about to rush out.
As a result, a large hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.
"Skipping work?"
Gong Er's voice turned cold, and he pressed him directly against the door.
"You really let Grandma go back with that bastard?!"
Gong Er slapped him on the back of the head, saying without any politeness, "Don't mess with me! Come in here!"
He casually closed the inn door halfway to block the figures outside, and then pressed Xu Dahe back onto the stool.
He said in a low voice, "Who said we're not going to care? Look at Shen Yuren."
Xu Dahe then noticed that there were far fewer people in the inn.
Not only Shen Yu, but all her friends in the martial arts world have disappeared.
He then realized what was happening and abruptly looked up: "They are..."
“I don’t know about the others, but the shopkeeper has never been a good-tempered person. If Grandma hadn’t wanted to settle things peacefully, she would never have pretended to compromise.”
"...But why not just send that Chen Laoliu back?"
Gong Er looked at him speechlessly: "Are we bandits?"
"...Is that not allowed?"
"Of course not! You should listen to less of those teahouse stories!"
"But Grandma..."
“Grandma needs to see for herself that the old bastard never wanted a wife; he just wanted a servant who could do laundry and cook. And her two sons are no better.”
Although Gong Er said this, he was genuinely feeling guilty.
Blood is thicker than water. Even though Grandma had long since given up on Chen Laoliu, the child she carried for ten months and gave birth to was the one she truly couldn't bear to part with.
Shen Yu is going on this trip, but he doesn't know if he can bring the person back.
Although she is a sensible person who wouldn't do anything out of line, this is still a troublesome matter.
He reassured Xu Dahe and told him to continue receiving guests as usual.
Chen Laoliu caused quite a scene that afternoon, and rumors were already circulating in town. Some said the shopkeeper hadn't reported it, while others said he had offended a jinx, and that things were going to turn bad.
After all that commotion, no one dared to come, but they still had to maintain appearances; rumors and gossip were nothing.
But Shen Yu didn't return until evening.
At this hour, the city gates are locked, and no one will enter the city.
Even during the off-season, the inn is never this deserted.
Yao Liuliu hastily prepared a dinner, even though they didn't have much of an appetite, since there was still an injured person upstairs.
She sat at the table with Gong Er and Xu Dahe, but they had no appetite.
The door creaked open.
In the darkness, an oil lamp flickered slightly, casting the shadow of Shen Yu.
Xu Dahe jumped up and looked around at the door, but didn't see anyone else.
"Shopkeeper, where is Grandma?"
Shen Yu took a deep breath of the cool autumn night air and stepped into the inn: "At Zhao Wenlan's place."
"What happened? Grandma didn't come home?" Yao Liuliu looked Shen Yu over and saw that she was relatively clean and tidy, so she was relieved.
"I went back with Chen Laoliu, but on the way, that old man not only hurled insults at me, but also tried to hit me." Shen Yu took a bite of her steamed bun and sighed deeply.
There have been too many sighs these past two days, but it's really just a matter of human will.
She shoveled down two mouthfuls of food and said, "Those people who followed me to watch the excitement were all incredibly impatient, rushing out even faster than me."
"...Then they didn't make a move, right?" Gong Er was genuinely worried about those few martial arts figures.
This matter is already difficult to get out of; if they act impulsively, even if they are in the right, they will become in the wrong.
“He really wanted to beat someone up, but I stopped him.” Shen Yu thought about what happened back then and was furious. “He’s a real scoundrel. And Grandma’s eldest son, I thought he would treat Grandma better if he came to greet her, but he came to complain and embarrass the family.”
"That old bastard didn't beat his son in front of him, did he?" Gong Er said sternly.
Shen Yu didn't answer, but simply put down her chopsticks: "Grandma won't give up until she hits a brick wall. She almost got punched again, so she's now trying to get a divorce."
"Divorce? How is that possible?" Gong Er thought it was wishful thinking.
"So today we thought of another possibility: to ask the government for a written statement of estrangement."
Yao Liuliu was the first to come to her senses. She held the others back and calmly asked, "Does Grandma know about what you're talking about? Would she dare?"
"We might dare to do it today, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?" Shen Yu said realistically. "However, we still need to prepare in advance."
"What should we prepare?"
"Find witnesses who can prove that Chen Laoliu has been beating people for years."
"I'll go!" Xu Dahe volunteered.
Gong Er patted him on the shoulder: "I'll go with him, so he won't get surrounded and beaten by the villagers."
“Dou Qi and Chu Wen also said it’s okay to go.” Shen Yu paused, then added, “However, I still need to prepare other things, so I wanted to come and discuss it with you.”
"What's up?"
“If a wife sues her husband, even if she wins the case, she may still be imprisoned for two years. I need to prepare money to ransom her.”
"...Huh? What kind of rule is this?" Yao Liuliu knew very few laws. "Who made this rule? Are they crazy?"
"...In short, I don't have that much money, all I have is this inn."
Shen Yu had thought about it before, but after all, the inn wasn't just hers alone; she had so many people to support, and she couldn't just go her own way and ignore everyone else.
Moreover, Yao Liuliu and Gong Er needed a place to stay even more than she did.
But everyone was very happy.
"Let's get Grandma out of here first. We can't just watch her continue to be beaten at home. I can find work anywhere." Xu Dahe had no objections whatsoever.
“Yes, let’s raise the money first.” Yao Liuliu agreed, but then she nudged Gong Er, “You came from the foundry, and you didn’t keep a single penny?”
"...I'll go ask them for it!"
"We'll talk about the money later." Shen Yu looked at them, the weariness in her eyes replaced by a gentle light. She then looked at Xu Dahe and Gong Er, "I'd like to ask you to go to the village tomorrow, and try not to get into any conflicts with the villagers."
"good!"
.
The next morning, the group left the city.
I didn't return until evening.
Xu Dahe looked disheveled, and although the others still looked presentable, their expressions were unfriendly.
"...No one is willing to testify?" Yao Liuliu had probably guessed it, but she didn't believe there wasn't a single witness.
"That's not all!" Gong Er slammed his fist on the table in anger. "They even accused us of ruining families, and the insults they used were absolutely awful."
Chu Wen frantically waved his fan, clenching his teeth in hatred.
He had never done anything so frustrating in his life. He asked Chen Yu, "Aren't you overthinking this? If you ask me, if we take Granny Chen away, she'll be far away and nobody will be able to find her."
“…Shopkeeper, I think this will work too…” Xu Dahe silently agreed.
"You don't know anything. Why should the victim run away? If they're going to leave, they should leave openly and honestly!" Yao Liuliu was also furious, but she understood why Shen Yu was so stubborn.
Since we've started talking about rules, let's stick to them. Otherwise, with the people in the martial arts world that Shen Yu knows, what can't he do?
Dou Qi glanced at everyone's expressions, sighed inwardly, and stepped forward to steady himself.
Instead of worrying about it, let's rest up and try again tomorrow.
If one village isn't enough, expand the scope; there will always be someone who knows and is willing to step forward.
They mustered their courage to boost morale, and not wanting to discourage others, they all went about their own business, cooking and cleaning. Even outsiders like Dou Qi and Chu Wen could find work to do.
Taking advantage of this moment, Shen Yu came up to check on Qiu Chiyan.
When there was nothing to do, she didn't go inside, even if it was just a short distance between the upstairs and downstairs floors.
Qiu Chiyan was already able to sit up against the headboard, and his gaze followed Shen Yu as she entered the room.
"You've recovered very well, but the Seven Flower Powder caused too much damage to your body, which is why you feel weak and your breathing is unsteady."
Shen Yu put down the medicine cup, straightened the blanket for him, and wanted to say a few more words of medical advice, but was interrupted by Qiu Chiyan.
"But it's not going well to find witnesses for the couple's estrangement?"
"...How did you know?"
Shen Yuming clearly instructed the others not to discuss this matter with the officials they knew for the time being.
"I'm not blind or stupid." Qiu Chiyan looked into her eyes. "Why aren't you telling me about this?"
"You tipped off your government officials beforehand, making it seem like I'm colluding with them..." Shen Yu whispered.
"Are we still distinguishing between 'you' and 'us' now?"
“…It’s not that I’m afraid you’ll dampen my spirits…” she said even more softly.
Her way of lying is always that she can't speak in a normal tone.
Qiu Chiyan leaned against the cushion, a helpless smile in his eyes. In the end, he didn't expose her anymore and said, "Gathering evidence is always the most difficult thing, especially when it comes to such family scandals that should not be aired in public. The closer the person is, the less likely they are to stand up. People are fickle and soft-spoken; everyone is afraid of getting into trouble."
"So tomorrow we'll be going to a farther place..."
“I sent a letter to Zhou Siyao.”
"...?"
Shen Yu suddenly remembered what her grandmother had said: a brother and sister had once helped her.
“Oh right! But…” She was excited for a moment, then regained her composure, “Changfeng Manor is not close to here, would she come here for this?”
“You have to try. Why are you so afraid of this and that now? Or is it that you can’t bear the unknown future that Grandma is facing, but you insist on doing it?”
Shen Yu listened intently, the words carrying a barb that made her chest tighten.
Qiu Chiyan continued, his voice low but each word cutting: "You're doing what you think is right, but you also know that Grandma is so old, she doesn't really have the ability to live independently. She's a victim, but victims aren't just afraid of the abuser, they're even more afraid of gossip. They're afraid that if they speak up, they'll be pointed at and gossiped about. A woman who takes her husband to court will find it very difficult to survive without sufficient financial support and a strong mentality. You're fighting for her, but justice doesn't necessarily sustain a person."
Shen Yu pursed her lips slightly and remained silent.
“But, no matter the outcome, I will help her to the end, in whatever capacity.” Qiu Chiyan’s tone remained calm. “You did the right thing. If no one stands up for her, she will never be able to hold her head high for the rest of her life. Even if she can’t get over it in the end, someone should tell her that she has that right.”
Just as he finished speaking, the lamplight flickered.
Shen Yu listened as he continued to describe the possible developments if the case went to court, but her gaze remained fixed on his lips as they moved...
I couldn't quite hear what they were saying, they were just mumbling something.
She suddenly leaned down and, without warning, lightly touched it.
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