The thin sheet of paper felt heavy as iron in Ruan Wen’s hand.
The air in the room seemed to freeze into ice.
When Lu Jingheng pushed the door open, what he saw was exactly this scene.
Ruan Wen sat at the desk, her back straight, her expression quiet and distant.
“Something happened?” Lu Jingheng stopped in his tracks, his voice deepening.
Ruan Wen didn’t turn around. She simply pushed the letter toward the edge of the table.
He walked over and picked it up. After only a quick glance, his entire aura sank violently. His rugged face darkened, as if a storm were about to break.
“That poisonous woman!” He slammed his fist onto the table, shaking the enamel mug. “I’ll call immediately and have them drag her out of that labor farm. I’ll make sure she never speaks again in her life!”
To him, the most direct solution was always to eliminate the person who caused the problem.
“It’s useless,” Ruan Wen finally spoke, shaking her head lightly. “You can shut her mouth, but you can’t unlock my father’s heart. His illness is a mental one—the root is in Liu Shufen, and even more in himself.”
In her past life, Ruan Yuzan had been manipulated step by step by Liu Shufen and her daughter, driven by that ridiculous guilt straight into the abyss.
Lu Jingheng looked at her pale profile, the anger in his chest burning even hotter, yet mixed with helplessness.
He could lead soldiers into battle, but he did not know how to deal with such invisible, psychological cruelty.
“Then what do you suggest? We can’t just stand by and do nothing!” He paced anxiously in the room.
Ruan Wen slowly stood up and walked to him. When she raised her head, her calm eyes were filled with a terrifying frost.
“You’re right. We can’t just watch. If it’s rotten flesh stuck to the bone, then we can only cut it out—even if it means scraping it down to the bone itself.”
Lu Jingheng was stunned by the determination in her eyes and couldn’t speak for a moment.
“I need your help,” Ruan Wen said, walking to the desk and unfolding a fresh sheet of paper, picking up a pen.
“What is it?” he immediately responded.
“Help me send this letter through your military channels directly to the director of the revolutionary committee at my father’s labor farm.”
“To the director?” He frowned slightly.
“Yes.” She lowered her eyes as the pen touched the paper, leaving a dark, forceful ink mark. “My father’s illness is a mental one. And mental illness needs the right medicine. Since he can’t figure it out himself, let the organization help him understand.”
Her writing was swift and decisive, almost without pause.
At the beginning of the letter, she stated her identity as the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, thanked the organization for taking care of her father, and then sharply turned to the letter from Liu Shufen.
She did not argue or complain. Instead, in an extremely objective and cold tone, she defined Liu Shufen’s letter as a malicious political attack from a reactionary element with serious ideological problems, targeting the former husband she had already severed ties with.
At the end, she respectfully requested that the leadership at the labor farm take this matter seriously.
In just a few sentences, a family matter had been elevated into a political issue and a question of ideological standing.
Standing behind her, Lu Jingheng watched the sharp, blade-like lines of writing on the paper. His mind was in turmoil.
This wasn’t just a letter—it was a knife, handed out with precision, aimed straight at Liu Shufen’s weakness, cutting off all of Ruan Yuzan’s remaining illusions and retreat.
“Ruan Wen, you…” His throat moved as if he wanted to say it was too harsh, but when he saw her thin yet upright back, no words came out.
He knew that only someone who had suffered deeply enough could devise such a method.
Ruan Wen finished the last stroke, blew the ink dry, folded the paper neatly, placed it into an envelope, and handed it to him. Her hands did not tremble at all.
“Is this okay?” she asked.
“Yes.” He took the letter. It felt light in his hand, yet unbearably heavy in his heart.
He looked at her and said seriously, “I’ll handle it right away. I’ll make sure it reaches them as fast as possible.”
With that, he turned and left quickly, his footsteps urgent.
The room fell silent again.
Ruan Wen walked to the window and looked at the huanghuali chair in the courtyard, polished to a bright sheen. Her gaze drifted far away toward the northwest.
Dad, in this life, I’ve cut off all your illusions—not to take revenge, but to let you live.
As for Liu Shufen…
A cold, sharp curve appeared at the corner of her lips.
You like writing letters? Then I’ll make sure you never hold a pen again for the rest of your life.
After Lu Jingheng sent the letter, the atmosphere at home became subtly tense.
Qin Lan didn’t say much, but she was distracted—adding too much salt to dishes twice, holding the newspaper upside down, and frequently glancing at Ruan Wen with hidden concern.
Lu Yongjie remained steady as always, reading and drinking tea as usual, though when he polished the huanghuali chair in the courtyard, he did it more forcefully than before until it shone brightly.
Ruan Wen herself remained the calmest of all.
She continued reading, preparing medicines, and playing chess, showing no sign of anxiety.
But only she knew that every night, she lay awake staring at the dark sky outside until dawn broke.
She was not afraid of Liu Shufen’s retaliation. What she feared was that her letter would become the final straw that crushed Ruan Yuzan.
That afternoon, Lu Jingheng rushed back from the military base. His boots struck the concrete ground with heavy, urgent steps.
He entered the house without hesitation, heading straight for Ruan Wen’s room, ignoring Qin Lan calling after him.
With a loud bang, he pushed the door open.
Ruan Wen was sitting at the desk, holding an old medical book. She looked up at his serious expression, her fingers tightening slightly on the page.
“Any news?”
“Yes.” He closed the door behind him, walked to her, and took out a telegram from his uniform pocket.
The paper was thin, printed with ink that still carried a faint smell.
Her gaze fell on it. After only a glance, the weight in her heart finally settled.
It was a telegram from the director of the labor farm’s revolutionary committee, sent via military line. The tone was sincere, even slightly flattering.
It stated that after receiving the report, they took the matter extremely seriously and immediately launched an investigation.
They confirmed that the reactionary element Liu Shufen did indeed have serious ideological and behavioral problems. Her malicious slander against the family of a revolutionary comrade was extremely harmful in nature and impact.
A criticism session had been held. She was subjected to strict ideological education and reassigned from her relatively easy position to the pig farm, where she would shovel manure to undergo labor reform.
As for Ruan Yuzan, the organization had spoken with him, helped him clarify the situation, and guided him to draw ideological boundaries.
He had finally come to his senses, made a self-criticism, firmly supported the organization’s decision, and expressed deep gratitude.
At the end, the director added that Ruan Yuzan was now in good mental condition and highly motivated at work, and asked the Lu family and Ruan Wen to rest assured.