A stunning beauty arrived on the island; she invented everything from childcare to babysitting.

Meanwhile, Anning took Xiaoni'er back to the village.

She and Xiao Ni'er were both dressed in new clothes and carrying large and small bags, which immediately attracted the attention of the villagers.

"Hey, Wen Yuan's son, you've struck it rich!"

The person speaking to Anning was Aunt Qian, who had volunteered to ask for the money for her. Her eyes were glued to the bag in Anning's hand, as if she wanted to see through the brown paper bag with her gaze.

An Ning smiled sheepishly: "Mom said that I would give my job to Wenying, and Wenying's salary would be half of mine. This time when I went to the county town, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough money, so I went to ask her, and Wenying gave me the portion that was due to me over the years."

Aunt Qian's eyes widened immediately, and she shouted, "Half of my salary? Yes, Ma Cuihua seemed to have mentioned this back then. It must have been five or six years ago, right? That would be several thousand yuan!"

Her loud cry drew the attention of many people nearby who came out to see what was happening.

"No...not that many," An Ning hurriedly explained.

Aunt Qian didn't give her a chance to explain: "This new outfit that little girl is wearing must cost at least thirty yuan, right? I saw it at the department store when I went to the county town for medical treatment!"

An Ning lowered her head, as if she didn't know how to explain. Finally, she whispered, "Ni'er has never worn new clothes since she was born, and the New Year is coming soon..."

"Wow, these days, how many families have children who can afford new clothes? Don't they all just wear their older siblings' hand-me-downs?" Aunt Qian's eyes darted around, as if she had just remembered something, and she added, "But your little girl is so big already, and she doesn't have a single new piece of clothing, that's really..."

An Ning blushed and grabbed Xiao Ni'er, saying, "Thank you so much for your help last time, Aunt Qian. I... I'll go and return the money to the brigade leader first."

An Ning moved with lightning speed, ignoring the shouts from behind.

Before long, the news that Anning had received several thousand yuan from Song Wenying spread throughout the village. She then sat face to face with the brigade leader Song Dongliang, accompanied by Xiao Ni'er, and both sides remained silent.

Song Dongliang took a drag of his cigarette and said in a deep voice, "This kind of thing is unprecedented, not to mention our brigade, even the entire commune has no precedent, let alone your military marriage."

An Ning pinched her thigh hard with one hand, while wiping away imaginary tears with the other.

"If I could, I wouldn't want to be the first person in the commune."

But you've seen the hospital's test results. If this continues, my daughter and I will have no chance of survival. I can let it go, but Connie is still so young, I can't let her... Waaah, I'm not begging you, Captain, to make a decision, I just beg you to give me a letter of introduction so I can go talk to Wen Yuan myself.”

After giving her job to Song Wenying, Shen Anning's household registration was transferred to the brigade by Ma Cuihua. Anning wanted to go to Song Wenyuan to get a divorce, but she needed a letter of introduction from the brigade.

Seeing An Ning's tearful appearance, Song Dongliang felt bad for her as well.

He finished the rest of his cigarette in one go, pressed the butt into the fire pit, slowly exhaled the smoke, and sighed.

“No, the child is already so grown up, and Wenyuan should be promoted to company commander soon. He’ll be able to enjoy his retirement soon. How can we just get a divorce like that? Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll find some time to talk to your in-laws. After all, you’re family, and you still have to keep going.”

As An Ning left the brigade leader's house, the sad expression on her face vanished instantly.

She never imagined that this would be successful on the first try; divorce is indeed a shocking event in this day and age.

The reason she came to the brigade leader was to let them get used to things first. Once she had made enough of a scene, she would say that she didn't have to get a divorce, but she wanted to accompany him to his military post. She thought that they would then accept her request and issue her a letter of introduction.

Anyway, I need to leave here first. Whether I really go to join the army or discuss divorce with that man, the people in the brigade won't be able to control me.

When she got back to her doorstep, Anning stood there for a while, and only after many people noticed her hesitation did she take her child into the yard.

"You little bitch, how dare you ask Wenying for money!" As soon as she entered the room, Ma Cuihua rushed out and cursed upon hearing the noise.

An Ning deliberately left the courtyard gate open so that others could see it.

She smiled at Ma Cuihua and whispered, "That was my money to begin with, what's wrong with taking it back? Besides, not only the money with Song Wenying, but also the money you took away, I want it all back."

Ma Cuihua stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what she had just heard.

She wasn't satisfied with the thousand yuan she got from Wenying; she wanted to get more money from her too?

"This is outrageous! What do you mean, 'your money'? That's all my money!" Enraged, Ma Cuihua lunged at An Ning. "If I don't teach you a lesson today, I, Ma Cuihua, will..."

"what--!"

An Ning let out a scream, staggered back a step, and fell heavily at the courtyard gate, where everyone could see her.

As she fell, she winked at Xiao Ni'er.

The little girl immediately rushed forward, crying, and yelled at Ma Cuihua, "Grandma, don't hit my mom! Hit me instead! It's all my fault. I lost my balance and you pushed me down, hurting my head. Just kill me! If you kill me, you won't have to pay for medical bills! Please, don't hit my mom..."

Ma Cuihua stared in disbelief at the scene, then looked around incredulously, only to be met with stares of disbelief.

She, who always loved to put on a show, started stammering: "I...I didn't hit her, I didn't even touch her!"

Song Wenying had been hiding in the house, peeking around. She had originally planned to tell her mother about this quietly, so that her mother could get the money from Shen Anning, and then she could take some back with her, save some for herself, and fill the gap in the family's finances.

But this idiot managed to spread the news throughout the entire village.

Their family is so concerned about their reputation, how are they going to get this money back?

Feeling both angry and anxious, Song Wenying blurted out, "Yes, my mother didn't hit her! I saw it! I was standing right here! She was faking it!"

Someone said coolly, "You're her daughter, of course you'll side with her."

Ma Cuihua and Song Wenying were speechless for a moment.

At this moment, Song Mancang, the pillar of the Song family, finally appeared with his eldest son, Song Wenqiang.

In his fifties, Song Mancang could no longer straighten his back, but years of hard work had made his body muscular, and when he put on a stern face, he looked very intimidating.

Song Wenqiang, standing beside him like a bodyguard, remained motionless behind him.

"Have you had enough trouble?"

When Song Mancang spoke, the entire room fell silent.