Upon returning home from school, Wang Qingchen learned from Caiyun that the Liu family had sent a letter of divorce to his paternal aunt, Wang Guifang. His hard-won calm, achieved through practicing calligraphy, shattered instantly. The Liu family was utterly despicable; his aunt had suffered so much in their household, and now that they had profited from selling off another daughter, they intended to discard her.

Wang Qingchen wondered how the Old Master and Old Madam would handle this matter. He rushed over to the old residence. Just as he stepped through the courtyard gate, he overheard the Old Madam weeping, "That Liu family has done nothing but evil; aren't they afraid of having no descendants? My poor Fang'er, it’s all my fault! I should have chosen so many better families for her instead of that beast!"

No sooner had the Old Madam finished speaking than Wang Qingchen entered the house, finding all members of the Third Branch present. His aunt, seated beside the Old Madam, was not crying, but her eyes were swollen red, clearly showing she had wept profusely beforehand.

Hearing the Old Madam’s words, Aunt Wang Guifang stiffened slightly. "It’s also because my womb was uncooperative; I couldn't bear a son after so many years…"

The Old Madam interrupted sharply. "Fang'er, don't say that. That’s the wickedness of the Liu family; their retribution will fall upon their descendants. It has nothing to do with you! Heavens, why must all the suffering fall upon my daughter!"

Mother and daughter dissolved into renewed, heartbroken sobs.

Tian Shi, Yang Shi, Zhang Shi, and He Shi were all dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs, while the men in the room wore grim expressions.

Tian Shi wiped away her tears while calculating. She couldn't afford not to calculate this. If her aunt was sent back after the divorce, she would undoubtedly have to live in the old residence, meaning the First Branch would have to support her. On matters that didn't harm the First Branch's interests, she was willing to be a dutiful daughter-in-law and follow the Old Madam’s lead; the Old Madam never disappointed her, always cooperating with the First Branch to demand concessions from the Second and Third Branches. But this time was different. If she simply let things slide, her aunt’s entire latter half would fall to the First Branch to maintain. That was not what she envisioned.

Not only Tian Shi was calculating; Wang Youliang beside her was busy plotting as well. It was best if his sister wasn't divorced. Otherwise, his parents would surely keep her at the old residence, and he currently had little spare cash to support another idler, especially since he was involved with a charming widow in town, occasionally sending her money.

Thinking of this, Wang Youliang couldn't help but speak first. "Mother, now is not the time for tears. We must carefully discuss what to do about this. I think we should reason with the Liu family again, have Brother-in-law take my sister back. Otherwise, what will my sister do for the rest of her life? Even if we support her, she’ll be miserable without a husband or a son!"

"Let the Liu family take her back again? Absolutely not. That Liu family is a den of wolves and tigers. Think of the suffering my sister endured there! Now that she's finally out, how can we send her back?" Wang Youfu interjected.

Zhang Shi agreed. "Second Uncle is right. That’s exactly what I think. Now that she has escaped the Liu family, she shouldn't return. Think about how Aunt looked before marrying into the Liu family and how she looks now. Sending her back would be sending her to her death! Although being divorced carries a bad reputation now, at least she won't suffer anymore."

"Third Aunt, you can't say it like that. Think about it; Aunt isn't suffering now, but after being divorced, it will be hard for her to remarry. A woman still needs a husband and children. To put it bluntly, after death, there still needs to be someone…" Tian Shi argued.

The Old Madam couldn't listen anymore and cut in, "What nonsense are you spouting here?"

"Oh, Mother, I was just using an analogy!" Tian Shi replied.

"Yes, Mother, what the children’s mother said isn't wrong!" Wang Youliang supported her.

The Old Madam was weighing the options. Both sides seemed to have a point. She looked at her daughter seated next to her. This time, she had to think carefully; she had already let her daughter down once and could not fail her again!

The aunt sniffled. "Mother, I have made up my mind. I do not want to return to the Liu family. I refuse to be trampled upon by them again for nothing."

Wang Guifang had weighed this decision in her heart for a long time. She knew precisely how the Liu family had treated her over the years. They relied on her for all the work in the fields and house, and for years she had worked diligently and without complaint, only for her mother-in-law and husband to beat and scold her constantly. She had endured this all for her daughter’s sake. But now that her daughter had been sold by them to become a concubine, who knew what her future held. Since the Liu family sent the divorce letter, she wanted no more suffering. She had already decided: she would rely on her parents, though she wouldn't need much support; she could support herself by doing embroidery or similar work, as she only needed to feed herself now.

"Aunt, you've thought correctly. We have such a large family; how could we let you starve? There's no need for you to go back to the Liu family to suffer," Zhang Shi said reassuringly.

Tian Shi was instantly displeased. Easy for her to say when her aunt wouldn't be living under her roof, and she wouldn't be responsible for supporting her for the rest of her life! Truly, speaking without experiencing the burden herself.

"Does that mean Aunt will spend the rest of her life alone?" Tian Shi challenged.

"That's not certain. Divorce and remarriage are rare, but not impossible," Zhang Shi countered.

The Old Master coughed. "Fang'er, since you aren't planning to go back, we can’t let the Liu family off so easily. I recall you brought a substantial dowry when you married. Tomorrow, we will go and demand it back. That dowry is your property; the Liu family must return every single piece of it."

The Old Master had initially favored the First Branch's argument, as having a divorced daughter would certainly tarnish the family's reputation. However, seeing how severely his youngest daughter had been tormented by the Liu family, his heart ached too much to let her suffer more. He decided that this time, he would set aside the family's reputation and focus solely on what was truly best for his daughter.

Hearing about his sister’s dowry, Wang Youliang was instantly energized, like he'd been injected with chicken blood. "Yes! So much dowry! The Liu family must give it all back! Sister, don't worry, your elder brother will definitely help you retrieve the dowry."

Tian Shi chimed in from the side, "Yes, Aunt, you can live here peacefully from now on. Your elder brother, your sister-in-law, and your nephews are all willing to support you."

Wang Youfu and Zhang Shi listened with disdain. The First Branch couple were truly opportunistic: pushing responsibility away when there was no gain, but rushing forward when benefits appeared.

Wang Qingchen also felt contemptuous; the speed of their change in attitude was staggering, with no transition whatsoever. Relying on his young age, Wang Qingchen decided to provoke them slightly. "Oh, Uncle, Auntie, didn’t you just say we should ask the Liu family to take Aunt back? Why are you now suggesting she live here? I'm getting confused by what I hear." He scratched his head for effect.

Watching Wang Youliang and Tian Shi’s embarrassed faces, Wang Youfu, Yang Shi, and Zhang Shi inwardly smirked.

Ignoring the embarrassment of Wang Youliang and Tian Shi, the group quickly agreed that the next day they would go to the Liu family to demand the bride price, and ideally, they should summon the village elders from both villages as well.

Wang Youliang repeatedly guaranteed he would fetch the village elders. The mere thought of his sister’s dowry filled him with boundless energy.

The next day, Wang Qingchen also wanted to go to the Liu family, but he still had to attend school. He did go, but he was distracted for the entire morning. What he didn't realize was that Wang Qingtong, sitting next to him, was equally preoccupied.

At lunchtime, Li Yuntai noticed Wang Qingchen looked thoughtful and asked him about it. Wang Qingchen quietly whispered the matter to Li Yuntai. Wang Qingtong, having been thinking about the matter all morning, also joined the conversation. Wang Qingyi, however, often didn't eat with the three of them as he had made friends his own age at the academy.

"So you were worrying about this matter. Does worrying help? Did neither of you listen properly to the Master’s lecture this morning?" Li Yuntai asked after hearing them out.

"Uh… well, I was just worried that our family might suffer a loss. I’m a bit concerned because the Liu family is known to be ruthless," Wang Qingchen admitted sheepishly.

"Yes, Brother Yuntai, you don't know how wicked the Liu family is, and we don't know if Grandpa and Grandma can successfully claim Aunt's dowry today," Wang Qingtong explained on the side.

"You two, whether this matter succeeds or fails, it's an adult's affair. Your worrying is useless. Do you think you two can go to your aunt’s husband’s house and demand the dowry? And you missed a whole morning of class over this—shouldn't you think about whether you did wrong?" Li Yuntai lectured.

Wang Qingchen and Wang Qingtong scratched their heads awkwardly. After listening to Li Yuntai, Wang Qingchen admitted to himself that he was indeed wrong. Whether his family managed to retrieve his aunt’s dowry was not within his control; worrying more would not help. He should have focused on his lessons, which he shouldn't have neglected.

Wang Qingtong didn't overthink it; he simply felt that neglecting his studies that morning was wrong.

Influenced by Li Yuntai's instruction, the two boys devoted all their concentration to their studies for the rest of the afternoon, no longer sparing any mental energy for the matter of their aunt's dowry. Meanwhile, over at the Liu residence, right after finishing lunch, the Wang family arrived, accompanied by the two village elders and a crowd of onlookers.

Seeing so many people arrive, Old Madam Liu assumed the Wang family was trying to send the daughter back again. Although her family had planned to bring Wang Shi back, now that the Wangs had shown up on their own accord, she saw no need to be polite. "Oh, my! Our family has already divorced your daughter. What are you doing here now? Let me tell you, we have no intention of taking back someone who has been divorced," Old Madam Liu said, casting a scornful glance at the Wang contingent.

"That’s right. I divorced Guifang, and I have no intention of taking her back," Liu Song chimed in supportively.

Hearing this, the Old Madam's face turned green with anger. "Do you think your family is some great delicacy that everyone wants a piece of? Let me tell you today, even if you wanted our Fang'er back, you’d have to see if the Wang family agreed!"

"Yes, they should look at what kind of family they are; we’d have to be insane to want to go back there," Wang Youliang added.

"Then what do you want here?" Old Madam Liu demanded angrily.

"Of course, we’ve come to collect our daughter’s dowry! Here is the dowry list. You won’t get to keep a single copper cash," the Old Madam declared, pulling out the itemized list from her bosom.