Regarding the matter of their daughter's divorce, Grandma Su did not conceal it. She tearfully recounted how she had misjudged people and chosen a poor son-in-law for her daughter.
Beyond beatings and verbal abuse, he had driven her daughter to drown herself. Furthermore, while her daughter's life hung in the balance, he had quickly married a young widow, and so on.
Finally, she said that her daughter was fortunate. After attempting to drown herself, she was rescued. However, her husband had remarried, forcing her to divorce him.
The villagers naturally inquired why Su Manxiu, after her divorce, did not stay at home. They reasoned that for a woman, especially one who was divorced, venturing out would invite gossip.
Grandma Su spat and said, "Stay in the village? Wouldn't she be hounded to death? You all know that while the members of our village are good in many ways, they are particularly fond of gossiping."
The villagers who had come to gather information and perhaps witness a spectacle had their expressions change, yet Grandma Su was speaking the truth.
Su Manxiu was the first divorced woman in the village. If she had truly stayed, she would undoubtedly have been subjected to endless whispers and pointed fingers.
For someone with less resilience, this could have easily led to another suicide attempt by drowning.
"Aunt Su, Manxiu is still a woman. Can she manage on her own out there? Besides, if she doesn't work in the fields, she won't earn work points, so what will she eat?"
"Speaking of which, I must say our family has met a benefactor. Because my old man was kind enough to save someone years ago, that person is now a high-ranking official. Remembering this kindness and learning of our family's situation, he found Manxiu a temporary job in the city. My daughter doesn't need to worry about food now, even without working in the fields."
When Grandma Su said this, her pride was genuine, not feigned.
Even Su Xiaotian, standing nearby, couldn't help but click her tongue in admiration. She thought, if her grandmother were alive in later decades, she would undoubtedly be a performing artist!
Thus, through the deliberate management of the entire Su family, the villagers did not dwell much on Su Manxiu's divorce.
After all, the Wang family had acted wrongly. With a new bride entering the household, what else could Manxiu do but divorce?
They couldn't possibly all live together on the same kang, could they?
It was simply unavoidable that the Su family's daughter divorced.
Ultimately, it was the Wang family who were not human, whose actions were worse than beasts!
Just then, Liu Xiuying pushed open the door and entered.
"Sister-in-law, tell me, how could you let Manxiu get divorced? After divorcing, who will want her? You can't keep her at home forever, can you?"
Liu Xiuying's words were delivered with an air of triumphant smugness.
After half a lifetime, she had finally managed to get one over Grandma Su on this matter.
Grandma Su shot her a glare but said nothing.
"Sister-in-law, Manxiu is a good girl. It's all the Wang family's fault for being dishonest. After some time, we'll introduce Xiu to a good family," Aunt Wu consoled.
"What, she still has to get married? A good woman doesn't serve two husbands. How can she remarry?" Liu Xiuying exclaimed in alarm.
"Pah, what kind of thinking is that? What's wrong with remarrying? This is a new era! Do you still think it's the Qing Dynasty?" Grandma Su spat and scolded.
"Exactly, exactly. I also think Manxiu is a good girl. My maternal uncle lost his wife last year, leaving behind two children. If Manxiu is willing, she can marry him and become a ready-made mother." Someone else chimed in.
But Grandma Su was displeased. Did she not know that the nephew of this Old Mrs. Li was a wife-beater who had beaten his last wife to death?
At that moment, Grandma Su's face fell.
Seeing Grandma Su's expression turn grim, Old Mrs. Li also changed her demeanor. Was she still treating a divorced woman like a treasure?
If someone wanted her, she should be grateful.
"Aunt Li, wasn't your nephew's wife beaten to death by your nephew? If it were our Su family, we wouldn't just beat your nephew to death, but we'd cripple him," Su Taohua said with a chuckle.
Old Mrs. Li's face grew even uglier after being rebuffed by Su Taohua.
"What? A woman rejected by a man, and she still wants to marry someone good? If she wants to be a government official's wife, she needs to see if she has the fortune." Old Mrs. Li retorted.
"Even if I raise my daughter my entire life, I won't marry her to someone like your nephew. I fear my daughter would lose her life. You should leave; you are not welcome here."
Old Mrs. Li spat and said, "As if I'm willing to come. I just thought I'd help you out of pity, but who knew you were so ungrateful!"
Old Mrs. Li waddled away, her ample backside swaying.
Soon, the other villagers also dispersed, leaving only a few close friends to chat with Grandma Su.
Su Taohua suddenly said in a low voice, "Aunt, I have something to tell you. I've inquired, and the child in that young widow's belly is not the bastard Wang Gouzi's at all."
What?
Grandma Su was startled.
"Are you serious?"
"How can it not be true? That young widow isn't with Wang Gouzi alone; she's with several men. I heard this child belongs to their militia captain," Su Taohua quietly revealed the information she had gathered earlier.
Grandma Su's jaw nearly dropped in shock.
If this were true, wouldn't Wang Gouzi be a happy father, albeit unknowingly?
"Pah, Wang Gouzi deserves this. He'll have many descendants, but his own line will be cut off!" Wang Xianghua felt greatly satisfied upon hearing this news and couldn't help but want to laugh out loud.
"Who's to say otherwise? To go through all this for someone who's promiscuous, only for the child not to be his in the end, making him a cuckold." Su Taohua laughed heartily.
"We just need to wait and watch the show now," Liang Xiu said with a faint smile.
"I think Manxiu has turned misfortune into a blessing. She's now working in the city as a laborer. Although it's temporary, it's better than us holding hoes," Su Taohua said, busily threading a needle and smiling.
Luck, indeed, is hard to predict.
News of Su Manxiu's divorce spread through the village for a few days. Although some felt Su Manxiu's divorce was scandalous and wanted to gossip, the protagonist herself was not in the village, so their words soon lost their appeal.
Su Xiaotian had been quite uneasy these past few days, worried that Su Manxiu would repeat her past mistakes and commit suicide under pressure.
However, she was surprised that there was not much discussion about the matter in the village. She felt that her aunt's danger had vanished into thin air.
Thinking about it, since her rebirth, many things had been different from her previous life.
Could it be that her rebirth had changed all of this?
The Kang Residence.
Kang Rende sat on a stool, looking with disdain at the busy Su Manxiang, his eyes filled with disgust.
People are always prone to comparison.
When he went to work today, he heard news that the divorced woman from Xiangyang Village was now working as a temporary laborer in the county town.
He heard it was arranged by a high-ranking official whom her family had saved years ago.
This made him restless throughout his workday.
Could the man who was with Su Manxiu that day be the legendary high-ranking official?
If so, had he missed an opportunity to curry favor with a powerful figure?
Su Manxiu, that venomous woman, why didn't she mention that it was a county leader? If she had, he wouldn't have offended the person like that.
However, despite Su Manxiu being a wicked woman, she was indeed beautiful.
He didn't have many memories of his eldest sister, Su Manxiu, as they met infrequently. Even when they did meet, Su Manxiu always kept her head down.
Thinking of the slender Su Manxiu, and then looking at his own wife, who had a barrel waist, he felt something was terribly wrong.
They were born of the same parents, so why was there such a huge gap between the two sisters?
Why was Su Manxiu so slender and beautiful? Even though she was divorced, her waist was so slim, easily held in one hand, making one want to embrace and cherish her.
His own wife was as thick as two Su Manxius, looking so greasy and unappealing. How could she inspire any impulse?
No wonder even the high-ranking official protected Su Manxiu.
Wang Gouzi was truly an idiot. Not only did he lose such a graceful wife, but he also lost a temporary job opportunity.
Kang Rende suddenly realized his focus might be misplaced.
Why was Su Manxiu able to get a temporary job?
Did she seduce a leader herself, or did her parents help arrange it?
If it was indeed her parents who arranged it, then this matter needed to be discussed.
Didn't Su Manxiang always say that her parents doted on her the most? Why would they have such a good opportunity and not give it to her?
It was unfair of her father-in-law to think only of Su Manxiu and not Su Manxiang, when they were both daughters.
Kang Rende felt his mind in a mess, unable to articulate his thoughts, but his annoyance with Su Manxiang was certainly real.
"You stay at home all day, what are you eating so much of?" Kang Rende said disdainfully.
Although these words seemed casual, only Kang Rende knew they were his true feelings. This was exactly what he thought.
In his opinion, Su Manxiang was simply idle at home every day.
An idle person, eating so much, would naturally become this unappetizing!
If it were in the past, Su Manxiang would have thrown a tantrum long ago, but now she lacked the confidence.
She could only endure it silently and say meekly, "Her father, I haven't eaten anything good all day, just some gruel and such!"
"What, are you implying I'm incompetent and making you suffer? Su Manxiang, if you dislike our life, then go back to your mother's house!"
Kang Rende's sudden outburst, telling her to go back to her mother's house, was something Su Manxiang had never expected.
"Her father, what are you saying? I've given your Kang family a daughter and two sons. How can you tell me to go back to my mother's house?" she asked incredulously.
Su Manxiang's shocked expression only deepened Kang Rende's aversion. He cursed, "Anyway, your mother's family already has one who was sent back after being divorced, they won't miss you!"
Su Manxiu was sent back after being divorced because she was a barren hen, unlike himself, who was different?
Su Manxiang didn't know that humans, by nature, don't cherish what they have. Only what they lack, what they cannot obtain, do they consider precious.
Kang Rende had three children, and he didn't find them particularly special. He even found these three children as annoying as Su Manxiang, and therefore didn't consider it Su Manxiang's achievement.
"Aren't you complaining that I'm incompetent and making you drink gruel?" Kang Rende said, rolling his eyes.
Su Manxiang felt wronged. When she said she was eating gruel, she meant she wasn't greedy or lazy, and didn't eat all the good food herself. How could that be interpreted as complaining about his incompetence?
It was all Su Manxiu's fault for being shameless, causing her to be scolded.
But Su Manxiang was also adaptable. Thinking that her husband might be in a bad mood, she placated him with apologies and coaxing, and finally managed to appease Kang Rende.
Kang Rende asserted his authority and finally said, "Tell me, you woman, if you have the ability, why don't you go find your parents? I heard your sister was even arranged a temporary job. Go ask, get me transferred to the county town, and get me a temporary job too. Wouldn't our lives be better then?"
When Su Manxiang heard Kang Rende mention her sister's temporary job, she truly didn't believe it.
"Her father, you must have misheard. Someone like my sister, could she really be a temporary worker?" Su Manxiang said with a chuckle.
It wasn't that she looked down on her sister, but her sister truly lacked the capability.
"I'm a grown man, how could I mishear something like this?" Kang Rende said, displeased. "You go back to your mother's house tomorrow and ask your parents if there's a way to do this."
Su Manxiang dared not say that her parents had severed ties with her and would not care about her at all.
Forget about tomorrow's matters; leave them for tomorrow. Delaying for a day was a day gained!
Kang Rende had no idea what Su Manxiang was thinking, nor did he know that Su Manxiang had already been kicked out of the Su family.
In the evening, the couple lay in bed. Su Manxiang was stirring, wanting to do something.
But Kang Rende was as if possessed, his mind filled with Su Manxiu's slender figure, and he had no interest whatsoever in the plump Su Manxiang, not even wanting to pinch her.
He didn't know why, but his mind was filled with Su Manxiu's graceful waist at this moment.
He also didn't know whether his feelings towards Su Manxiu were aversion or unfulfilled desire!
"You say, does your sister have someone on the side?" Thinking about the man accompanying Su Manxiu, Kang Rende felt even more uncomfortable.
Su Manxiang had always looked down on Su Manxiu. If her useless sister could find someone outside, it would be considered capable.
"How is that possible? She's not that kind of person! Don't talk nonsense!" Su Manxiang quickly defended.
Su Manxiang's words were not to protect Su Manxiu's reputation, but out of fear that the Kang family would make things difficult for her because of this.
"If there isn't, there isn't. I'm just saying it casually. Don't forget to go see your parents tomorrow and find a way for me." Kang Rende turned his back and went to sleep, leaving Su Manxiang with only his back.
That night, Kang Rende had a dream, and the person in his dream was none other than Su Manxiu.
In reality, Su Manxiu looked older than Su Manxiang, after all, she had endured so many years of hardship in the Wang family, living like a lamp oil that had been burned away, her flesh long gone.
Even though she had regained some weight in the county town recently, it had not restored her youthful good looks.
But Kang Rende's current thought was that other people's wives were beautiful, especially a young wife without a man, who was even more beautiful!
When he woke up, Kang Rende felt his heart yearning, wishing he could immediately embrace the person in his dream and kiss her.
Su Manxiang, sleeping soundly, was unaware that the person by her side harbored such sordid thoughts.