For Xie Ci, stopping someone was an effortless task.
The three of them talked in the room for nearly half an hour.
Through fragmented bits and pieces, Cheng Zi gradually pieced together the situation.
*
After the Xiao parents died in battle, Xiao Xiangfang raised her younger brother alone.
Xiao Xiangyuan had been in poor health since childhood and relied on medication. At fifteen, he even contracted chickenpox.
The siblings had no money for treatment, and Xiao Xiangyuan’s life was hanging by a thread.
Through introductions, Xiao Xiangfang married Pan Wu, a man from a town under Tong City, and used the bride price to save her brother.
The Pan family despised Xiao Xiangyuan as a burden. After she married in, they repeatedly refused to let the siblings have contact.
At first, things were still manageable. Pan Wu worked as an electrician and earned a decent income. Xiao Xiangfang could still return home every month to see her brother, tidy up his home, and give him a little financial support.
But Xiao Xiangfang never managed to conceive, and Pan Wu later became addicted to gambling. Their relationship deteriorated completely.
Beatings became routine, and the siblings’ contact became rarer and rarer.
Fortunately, Xiao Xiangyuan was sensible. Not wanting to burden his sister, he joined the military under Xie Ci at sixteen and cut off reliance on her care.
One of them never spoke of the suffering she endured in the Pan family.
The other, afraid of dragging his sister down and knowing his brother-in-law’s family disliked him, chose not to disturb her—so long as she was doing well, that was enough.
And so, things developed into their current situation.
Xiao Xiangyuan slammed his fist on the bed in frustration.
“It’s all my fault! I’m useless! How could Pan Wu do this? How could he hit you!”
Xiao Xiangfang wiped her tears and took out a stack of small-denomination bills.
“There’s 50 yuan here. Xiaoyuan, take it. Buy yourself some good food and nourish your body. I earned this myself doing sewing work for a small factory—it’s not your brother-in-law’s money…”
Cheng Zi felt her nose sting. She reached out to stop Xiao Xiangyuan from getting up.
“Calm down. Xie Ci is here—he’ll handle it.”
A man nearly 1.9 meters tall, who had never shed a tear even after being shot three times, was now crying like a child. That helplessness seemed to seep through his hand and into Cheng Zi’s heart.
“Sister Fang, why don’t you divorce him?”
The words stunned both siblings.
“Divorce?” Xiao Xiangfang repeated softly, as if hearing the word for the first time.
In the 21st century, divorce was commonplace—but in this era, it was something people avoided talking about.
It carried shame, embarrassment, something that made people unable to lift their heads.
No matter how much a woman suffered in her husband’s home, she had to endure it.
Even death seemed easier than divorce.
Xiao Xiangfang shook her head.
“I’m fine. As long as my brother is okay, this doesn’t matter.”
Cheng Zi: “……”
Xiao Xiangyuan fell silent for a long time. After thinking it through, he seemed to make a major decision.
“Sis, divorce Pan Wu. Come back home. I can take care of you now. No one will dare say anything.”
Xiao Xiangfang looked at him in disbelief, but still refused.
“What nonsense are you saying? You haven’t even married yet. Besides, how could I drag you down by divorcing…”
“Sis!”
“Enough, Xiaoyuan. Don’t say any more.”
Cheng Zi looked at her deeply, her eyes full of helplessness.
There was no way around it—this was the constraint of the times, chains carved into the bones of most women.
Xiao Xiangfang was extremely beautiful. Even covered in injuries, her delicate features were still visible.
But she was too thin—about 165 cm tall and barely 80 jin (around 40 kg).
Countless bruises covered her body. The dead, hollow despair in her eyes made her look worn and miserable.
Cheng Zi couldn’t say anything more and only tried gently:
“Sometimes enduring everything isn’t necessarily a good thing. Think about yourself too. Otherwise, Xiaoyuan won’t be at ease either.”
Xiao Xiangfang wiped her tears again.
Xiao Xiangyuan clenched his fists under the blanket.
He wouldn’t endure it like his sister did.
At that moment, the door opened.
Xie Ci walked in with Pan Wu.
It was unclear what he had said to him, but Pan Wu’s face was extremely ugly.
“Pan Wu.”
Xiao Xiangyuan didn’t call him “brother-in-law”—he spat out his name through clenched teeth.
Pan Wu lowered his head, flinched instinctively, then suddenly glared at Xiao Xiangfang.
“Did you say something nonsense?!”
Xie Ci’s voice was cold.
“Does she even need to say anything in that condition?”
Pan Wu didn’t dare respond to Xie Ci, but he turned to Xiao Xiangfang and threatened her:
“You better behave when we get back.”
Xie Ci patted his shoulder.
“Don’t forget what I said.”
Pan Wu’s expression stiffened, his face dark as a pot bottom.
“Yes, yes… we’ll head back now.”
Xiao Xiangfang wiped her face, forced a smile as if to show her brother, and politely nodded to everyone.
“Then we’ll leave first.”
Cheng Zi opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.
Xie Ci gave her a reassuring look.
Xiao Xiangyuan stared at his sister until the two of them left the room. His expression slowly collapsed.
He slammed the bed again.
“I don’t dare warn him… I’m afraid he’ll take it out on my sister when he gets home…”
Xie Ci frowned slightly.
“Focus on recovering first.”
He turned and brought in the food.
But Xiao Xiangyuan had no appetite.
“Recover your strength. Go to the Pan family more often in the future. The stronger you are, the better life your sister will have.”
Something seemed to register with him. He picked up the rice and ate—one bite after another, tears falling into the bowl.
Cheng Zi quickly stopped him.
“Slow down. Your body is still weak—you need to recover properly.”
The meal was heavy.
Cheng Zi’s worries were written all over her face.
Only Xie Ci acted as if nothing had happened, eating normally and finishing all the food.
Afterwards, he washed the lunch boxes himself.
“I’ll take you home.”
It was already 7:30 p.m., and it was dark outside. He didn’t feel comfortable letting her go back alone in this state.
Xiao Xiangyuan stared blankly out the window.
Cheng Zi looked at Xie Ci for confirmation.
“It’s fine. I’ll take you back.”
She agreed.
“Alright.”
He rode the bicycle steadily. Cheng Zi sat sideways today in her dress, leaning against his back.
“Will you hit me?”
Xie Ci: “……”
“Men have so much strength. Why would you use it on your wife?”
“I won’t hit you.”
“If you dare touch me even once, I’ll divorce you immediately.”
Xie Ci could clearly sense her unease and thought it was because of what she had just witnessed.
But Cheng Zi was actually thinking of her foster mother from her original world…
“She was so pitiful… he kept hitting her… she was so weak… she could only cry in pain and didn’t even dare resist…”
Xie Ci pedaled faster.
When they reached home, Cheng Zi softly said:
“Hubby, carry me down~”
Xie Ci didn’t refuse.
He parked the bike and lifted her into a princess carry—his movements gentle, as if unaware of how intimate it was.
At that moment, across the street, Gu Yecheng saw everything.