A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

After packing up the stall, Ye Qingxue first took Chen to a scribe to write a divorce agreement before returning to the village.

Upon returning to the village, Ye Qingxue immediately took Chen to find Liu Baode.

The door opened, and the room reeked of a foul stench. Liu Baode, with a scruffy beard, walked out.

Ye Qingxue frowned.

This tastes almost the same as what those beggars from the Beggars' Sect eat.

Chen's eyes darkened: "Why is the room so dirty..."

When she was alive, the house was always clean and bright.

Liu Baode rubbed his eyes, took a closer look at the person who had come in, and sneered.

"Oh, who do we have here? What, you've finally seen the light and want to come back? Too bad, time has passed, you have no chance to return!"

Ye Qingxue pulled Chen Shi behind her: "Liu Baode, you're a grown man, yet you fuss over such trivial matters all day long. I really look down on you!"

Liu Baode didn't care what Ye Qingxue was saying; he only thought that Chen wanted to come back and was asking Ye Qingxue to support her.

He frowned deeply and said, “Stop talking nonsense to me. If she wants to come back, she has to come to the front of the house and kowtow to me every day. I’ll let her come back whenever I feel like it.”

Ye Qingxue had never seen a man like Liu Baode before; his skin was thicker than a city wall! He really knew how to be disgusting!

The neighbors gathered around again, but Chen kept her head down and didn't say a word.

Ye Qingxue squeezed Chen's hand to comfort her, unwilling to waste any more words with Liu Baode, and went straight to the point.

"Liu Baode, listen carefully. We're here today to have you sign the divorce papers. Aunt Chen, you'll have absolutely nothing to do with us from now on!"

Liu Baode froze, blinked, then laughed again, pointing at Chen Shi with his finger: "Are you saying this your idea, or that woman's idea? Can she live without me? Aren't you afraid of being gossiped about? Who would want a divorced old woman?"

"Yes, Aunt Chen, no matter how big the problem is, it can be resolved by talking it out. Just bear with it and it will pass. How can life be easy without a man?"

"Yes, look at that old lady Lu. Her husband died, and she can't get enough to eat every day."

"Hey, you guys forgot, he also has Qingxue helping him out."

"Can you rely on outsiders for help your whole life?"

Ye Qingxue listened to the words of the people around her, feeling somewhat helpless and disappointed.

From her past life's memories, Ye Qingxue knew that the people in the deserted village, regardless of gender, held the deep-seated belief that women should rely on men.

You can't reason with people like that; you can't convince them. The only thing you can do is stay away from them and not let them influence you.

Ye Qingxue thought for a moment and was about to speak again when Chen Shi stepped forward first.

"Fellow villagers, stop trying to persuade me, Liu Baode. It's my decision to divorce. I'll just ask you one question: are you going to sign or not?"

She kept her head down, as if suppressing her emotions.

The surrounding villagers also fell silent.

Liu Baode chuckled and mocked, "You woman have really grown up. You can't even read a single word, yet you try to fool me with that divorce agreement."

Then, as if he had just realized something, Liu Baode snapped his fingers: "Oh, I know, you're using this to provoke me, to make me try to keep you? You didn't just scribble a few words on this divorce agreement to fool me, did you?"

Chen looked up at him and said, "Are you deaf? I'm asking you, are you going to sign or not?"

Ye Qingxue glanced at Chen Shi in surprise, somewhat astonished that she could say such a thing.

Liu Baode naturally couldn't stand Chen, who was always so submissive, speaking to him like that.

"Good! Good! You've grown bold! How dare you talk to me like that! It's just a divorce agreement, right? I'll sign it! Bring me the red clay!"

Ye Qingxue immediately handed him the red clay.

Liu Baode dipped his thumb in red mud and pressed it onto the divorce papers, leaving a bright red fingerprint on the papers.

After he signed it, Ye Qingxue immediately took the divorce papers back and showed them to all the neighbors.

"Everyone, look carefully. From this day forward, Aunt Chen and Liu Baode have no relationship whatsoever. I ask you all to be my witnesses!"

He read the divorce papers aloud to each of his neighbors.

The remote village lacked a systematic marriage system; marriages were arranged through a matchmaker's visit, and if the villagers approved, the marriage was considered finalized.

The same applies to divorce; all that's needed is to go through some superficial procedures to gain the approval of the villagers, and that's considered divorce.

Liu Baode was disdainful of Ye Qingxue's actions; he still didn't believe that Chen would leave him on her own initiative.

"Heh, have you had enough fun? I don't have time to play house with you guys here."

After showing the document around, Ye Qingxue put away the divorce papers and prepared to leave with Madam Chen.

"Qingxue, wait a moment."

Suddenly, Chen stopped Ye Qingxue, released her hand, and turned to walk towards Liu Baode.

A victorious smile spread across Liu Baode's face: "Oh, so you finally realize that this kind of trick doesn't work..."

Snapped!

Before Liu Baode could finish speaking, a crisp slap rang out.

He covered his face in disbelief, staring at the woman in front of him whose eyes burned with anger.

"You woman—how dare you hit me!"

Chen's chest heaved violently, her eyes filled with complex emotions that were hard to describe.

She recalled all the things from the past.

When she was sick, she had to get up early to cook; when she had morning sickness, she had to do laundry and mop the floor; and when it was freezing cold, she was forced to sleep on the floor. All of these things flashed through Chen's mind.

She wanted to cry and complain, but then she thought it was unnecessary.

Chen turned around resolutely and pulled Ye Qingxue along, saying, "Qingxue, let's go."

"Hey! You stinking woman, get back here right now, or I'm divorcing you!" Liu Baode shouted angrily.

"Brother Liu, that divorce agreement... is real."

Among the villagers who were gathered around, some of them were literate and cautiously offered a reminder to Liu Baode.

"You're talking nonsense! How could that be!"

"Brother Liu, it really is a divorce agreement. I've been divorced before, how could I not know?"

Liu Baode abruptly stopped speaking, as if he had choked, and stared blankly at the person who had spoken.

"Ha...ha, damn it, you're serious?"

Liu Baode was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses, turned around and walked into the house, muttering to himself, "Hmph, it's better that we're divorced, I'll just marry someone else!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the way home, Chen remained silent the entire way, and Ye Qingxue didn't know how to start the conversation.

Upon arriving at Aunt Lu's house, Ye Qingxue escorted Chen inside, saying with concern, "Aunt Chen, get some rest tonight. If you can't hold on, you'll have a few days off."

"Huh? Qingxue, what did you say?" Madam Chen hadn't reacted yet.

Then he waved his hand and said, "I don't need a holiday. I was just thinking about how to make our new products for tomorrow. Oh, and by the way, our noodle shop has been open for so many days, and it's all vegetarian noodles. When are you going to add some meat noodles?"

Mr. Chen seemed completely unaffected by the divorce today, and still spoke with great passion about business.

Ye Qingxue blinked and asked cautiously, "Aunt Chen, aren't you sad?"

Chen chuckled and said, "I am a little sad, but I've thought it through. It's a waste of time to invest any more emotion in a man who only despises you. We're divorced anyway, and now I want to live my own life."

Ye Qingxue smiled when she saw the light in Chen's eyes.

"Okay, it's good that everything's alright. Let's get back to work tomorrow!"

"keep it up!"

Ye Qingxue was completely relieved: "Then I'll go back first?"

Goodnight, Qingxue.

"Good night."

"Thank you, Qingxue."

"You should thank yourself, Aunt Chen."