According to the laws of Great An, if one spouse died, the surviving spouse could remarry.
However, Fu Lin’s case was special.
He had been a soldier, and as his wife, she was required to observe widowhood for two years before being allowed to marry again.
There was, however, one exception.
If the husband’s family agreed, the woman could leave the household early.
But considering the Fu family would rather kill her than let her go, they would never willingly give her a divorce letter.
So she could only work through the village chief.
As long as the village chief approved it, the Fu family would have no right to keep her by force.
Fu Dàyong frowned and objected.
“No! Little Zhi, don’t be impulsive. If you leave the Fu family, how will you survive alone?
Your mother-in-law just has that kind of temper. She is an elder, so be more tolerant.”
Xue Zhi looked at the village chief.
“Village Chief, you know my situation well enough.
I sincerely ask you to let me divorce.”
Her tone was sincere and resolute.
The village chief smacked his lips and hesitated.
“You… why not think about it again?
This is no small matter. Don’t act rashly.
Back then, you and your mother fled here because of war. Now your mother has long since passed away.
If you divorce, how will a woman like you survive alone?”
Fu Dàyong quickly added,
“That’s right, Little Zhi. Lin’er may be dead, but don’t worry. Your mother-in-law and I will treat you like our own daughter.”
Xue Zhi took a deep breath.
“Village Chief, I cannot think about those matters right now.
I only know that if I remain in the Fu family, I may lose my life.”
She paused briefly, then continued,
“If Village Chief finds this difficult, I won’t force you.
But for the sake of my life, I’ll have no choice but to make a trip to the county office and ask the magistrate whether he can—”
Before she could finish, the village chief hurriedly interrupted.
“There is no need to go to the authorities.
Since your heart is set, I will personally approve the divorce between you and Fu Lin.
From now on, marriage or remarriage has nothing to do with each other.”
He did not want this matter spreading outside the village.
If word got out that Fu Family Village had such people, how would the young men here ever find wives?
And how would outsiders dare marry their daughters into the village?
After weighing the harm, he chose the lesser evil.
A divorce it would be.
It was only two years early.
Fu Dàyong was instantly shocked.
“No! I do not agree!
Village Chief, Xue Zhi is my Lin’er’s wife—my daughter-in-law.
I do not agree to this divorce!”
The village chief frowned slightly and said soothingly,
“Ahem… Dàyong, you saw your wife’s behavior just now.
Sigh, I won’t say much more.
Xue Zhi is only a young woman. It is natural for her to be afraid.
Besides, Fu Lin has already… passed away.
To speak bluntly, she is still young. She cannot remain a widow forever.
Since she wishes to leave, you should let her go.”
Seeing the warning in the village chief’s eyes, Fu Dàyong began to panic.
He knew the chief was displeased.
Today’s incident had dragged Fu Shiyue into it and damaged the village’s reputation.
After thinking it over several times, Fu Dàyong finally nodded.
“Since the Village Chief has spoken, then we will do as he says.”
The chief smiled.
“Madam Xue, your father-in-law… the Fu family has agreed to the divorce.
It’s just that the divorce papers cannot be prepared immediately. I’ll go into town another day and find someone to write them—”
Hearing this, Xue Zhi frowned tightly.
Without the actual divorce papers in hand, she could not feel at ease.
At that moment, Fu Shiyue spoke.
“Village Chief, I’ll write them.”
Only then did everyone remember that he was a scholar and naturally capable of drafting such documents.
“Good!” the chief said.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Shiyue.
Dàyong, Madam Xue, and Shiyue—you come with me.
The rest of you, go back to what you were doing. Stop blocking the road.”
Under the village chief’s authority, the villagers had no choice but to disperse, though many still wanted to watch.
Once they arrived at the chief’s house, Fu Shiyue quickly wrote three copies of the divorce agreement.
A divorce agreement was different from a letter of repudiation.
It required three copies—one for the husband’s side, one for the wife’s side, and one to be registered at the county office.
Fu Dàyong took one copy and stormed off angrily.
Holding the divorce paper in her hands, Xue Zhi finally felt the weight in her heart settle.
“Thank you, Village Chief,” she said repeatedly.
“No need to thank me.”
The chief shook his head and pointed to the papers on the table.
“I’ll go register them at the county office tomorrow, so rest assured.
Now that you’ve left the Fu family, what are your plans?”
“I… I plan to return to my old house first.
As for the rest… I’ll think about it later.”
She considered for a moment before answering.
Xue Zhi’s mother, Xue Wan, had fled famine from another region.
Along the way, the rest of their family died, leaving only mother and daughter dependent on each other.
Taking pity on them, the village chief had allowed them to settle in Fu Family Village.
Four years ago, Xue Wan died from illness brought on by a cold.
After her mother’s death, Xue Zhi had lived alone and often suffered harassment from local hooligans.
If not for that, she would never have fallen in love with Fu Lin simply because he had helped her once, nor married him.
Li Honghua had only dared to bully her so recklessly because she had no family and no one to rely on.
After saying farewell to the village chief, Xue Zhi left together with Fu Shiyue.
By coincidence, they were neighbors.
However, the two families had never been especially close.
Fu Shiyue’s mother had died early, leaving only father and son.
To avoid rumors between households, both families had kept little contact.
Keeping some distance between them, the two walked together toward the far end of the village.
Xue Zhi turned her head and looked at him seriously.
“Thank you for what happened today, Scholar Fu.”
“No need to be polite. We’re all from the same village. Helping each other is only natural.”
Fu Shiyue replied casually.
Noticing how thin and frail she was, he added,
“Madam Xue, the river water was cold. You should drink some ginger tea when you return, lest you catch a chill.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Scholar Fu. It’s just…”
Before she could finish, Fu Shiyue suddenly froze.
He realized her current situation.
“I’ll boil some ginger tea and bring it to you.”
Hearing this, Xue Zhi did not refuse.
“Then many thanks, Scholar Fu.”
She still had revenge to take.
She absolutely could not let something as minor as a cold hinder her steps.
Besides, building a good relationship with the future Grand Chancellor would only benefit her.
Just as they were nearing the village end, Xue Zhi’s vision blurred.
The next second, she collapsed to the ground.
Fu Shiyue panicked at once.
Without thinking, he quickly picked her up in his arms and shouted,
“Madam Xue? Madam Xue!”
Xue Zhi had been abused by the Fu family, forced to work day and night, underfed, underclothed, reduced to skin and bones.
Her body had already been weak.
After today’s drowning incident, enduring this long had already exhausted all her strength.
Fu Shiyue did not think much further and swiftly carried her to the Xue residence.
But when he saw the dilapidated mud house before him, he thought:
How can anyone live in a place like this…?
After hesitating for a moment, he turned around and carried her back to his own home.