She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

Grandma Xia was a light sleeper. Hearing the faint sounds of arguing outside, she quietly went out to see what was going on. What she saw was quite amusing; the two of them were arguing like children.

Jiang Wenhua darted out of the narrow passage, and from his back, he looked genuinely angry.

Fang Yingdi, wearing a coat, stared blankly at the river, when she felt someone rubbing her hair.

She turned her head and looked closely before realizing it was Old Lady Xia. "Old Lady Xia, why aren't you sleeping so late at night?"

Grandma Xia: "If I fall asleep, you'll have nowhere to go. Come on, come back with me. I'll heat up some water for you to take a bath. You can sleep in my room tonight, and my sister and I will sleep together. If you go back like this now, you'll get sick tomorrow."

Hearing this, Fang Yingdi felt like crying. She didn't want to cry when she was contemplating suicide, nor when she was arguing with Jiang Wenhua, but hearing someone speak such gentle words to her at this most vulnerable moment, especially coming from Grandma Xia, made Fang Yingdi feel a pang of sadness.

She wanted to hug Grandma Xia, but then she felt she was wet and didn't want to get Grandma Xia's clothes wet, so she just held Grandma Xia's hand tightly and said, "Thank you."

Grandma Xia sighed and patted her head. "It's alright. Sad things will pass quickly. From now on, we'll live our lives well on our own."

Fang Yingdi stood up, wiped away her tears, and nodded emphatically: "Yes, live well, I will definitely live a decent life."

The two of them walked out of the narrow passage one after the other, and as soon as they came out, they saw Jiang Wenhua walking angrily towards them, holding a towel in his hand. The three of them bumped into each other like that.

Seeing that Grandma Xia was also there, Jiang Wenhua suddenly felt a little awkward for some reason, and hid the towel in his hand behind his back. "Um..."

Grandma Xia teased him, "You were just scolding that woman, and now you're eagerly bringing her a towel?"

Jiang Wenhua, enraged, retorted, "Old Xia, what are you doing running around at night instead of sleeping?"

Grandma Xia: "If I hadn't wandered off, would I have seen you all arguing so vehemently? Saying things like 'I'll freeze to death, you shameless thing,' hey~ you were just worried about someone and brought them a towel, and this towel looks pretty new, doesn't it?"

Jiang Wenhua: "No, it's old, it's old."

Grandma Xia: "Okay, okay."

Fang Yingdi pursed her lips, feeling a little embarrassed. She knew Jiang Wenhua meant well; although his words had been harsh, he still cared about her and was probably worried she might do something rash like jumping into the river again, which was why he had come over so quickly.

She felt a little ashamed; she had just been arguing with someone.

"Thank you, Comrade Jiang, but no need. I'll sleep at Comrade Xia's place tonight, and I'll just take a shower later. I won't touch your towel," Fang Yingdi said earnestly.

Jiang Wenhua felt even more awkward. "Hmph, I didn't want to give it to you anyway. I was going to ask you for a fee in the first place."

After saying that, he turned around and went home decisively.

Grandma Xia whispered to Fang Yingdi from behind, "He's definitely saying one thing but meaning another."

Jiang Wenhua turned his head fiercely: "Old Xia, I heard you. You're not allowed to say bad things about me."

After saying that, he quickened his pace.

Fang Yingdi smiled and followed Grandma Xia back home.

Hearing the commotion and seeing Fang Yingdi's pitiful state, Xia Yu'e didn't dare ask any questions but helped boil water and even made her ginger and brown sugar water, fearing that the healthy girl might catch a cold and it would be bad for her health. Fang Yingdi looked so frail; it wouldn't be good if she developed a chronic illness.

Fang Yingdi felt a surge of emotion; she thought Jiang Wenhua was right, it was still good to be alive.

The next day, when Qiao Yi woke up, she found that Fang Yingdi was missing. She was so anxious that she begged everyone to help her find her.

When the factory was in chaos, Old Lady Xia, Fang Yingdi, and Jiang Wenhua, who had a sour face, appeared together.

Qiao Yi jogged over and saw that her face was rosy. She scolded, "Xiao Fang, you ran off in the middle of the night without telling me. You scared me to death. Why didn't you call me when you went to find my master? I could have gone with you. It's so dangerous for a woman to go out alone in the middle of the night."

Fang Yingdi felt a little embarrassed. She wanted to tell her that she had been feeling down last night, but she didn't want to scare her. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Yes, I am feeling a little sad. I would like to hear Comrade Xia's advice. I don't have any elders, so I really don't know who to talk to."

Qiao Yi believed her: "Then you must call me next time you go out late at night. It's always safer for two people to go together than one person to go alone."

"Mmm, thank you, Qiao Yi." Fang Yingdi held her hand, feeling a warmth in her heart. Qiao Yi was as kind as a little sun; how could there be such a good girl?

Jiang Wenhua snorted and turned to leave. He couldn't stand it anymore; women just loved to say such sour things.

Halfway there, Jiang Wenhua's heart pounded with anger. He had saved her, so why did he only get a thank you? He felt so cheated!

When Grandma Xia arrived at the workshop, several young workers were chattering away. Upon seeing her, they immediately surrounded her and asked about Comrade Xiao Fang's matter from yesterday.

But Grandma Xia kept her mouth shut and didn't reveal a single word.

The young comrades wouldn't let her off the hook and kept pestering her. Old Mrs. Xia had no choice but to ask, "Why do you think these parents all have some patriarchal ideas?"

"To carry on the family line."

"Men are so lucky; they get so many things from birth without having to do anything."

"No matter how hard we try, we can't compare to them, not in terms of status or love."

"I wish I were a man; women are really at a disadvantage."

Most of the workers in Xia Laotai's workshop are women, so everyone is indignant.

Hearing their conversation, Grandma Xia said, "Yes, men are so good, but they also have a downside. If they can't understand things and remain confused their whole lives, then their lives will be pretty good. But if they do understand, they will actually feel very uncomfortable."

"What do you mean?"

Grandma Xia: "Their parents only loved them because they were men, not because of who they were. If you were the opposite gender, they would still love you. Their love for their sons and grandsons is not unconditional."

Immediately, a thoughtful young comrade asked, "Does Comrade Xia mean that they don't love their own child at all, but only love the male gender?"

"Oh my god, how terrible. In my parents' eyes, my brothers are just tools, tools for carrying on the family line."

"If men don't have the advantage of carrying on the family line, does that mean there can be gender equality in the family?"

"So, if we want equality, we should deprive our brothers of the function of carrying on the family line?"

The factory manager came to the factory early in the morning, wanting to have a meeting with the people involved in yesterday's incident to get a deeper understanding of the situation, since he was also a victim.

But as soon as I stepped into Old Lady Xia's workshop, I heard that the old lady was starting to harm the female comrades again. Listen to what she was saying, what does she mean by not allowing men to have the function of carrying on the family line?

Does this sound like a word?

The factory manager's face darkened, even more so than yesterday. He didn't hear what Old Lady Xia said, but only the female workers' conversation.