Mammy Tian was stunned.
No wonder Du Chunzhi had been asking all those questions; she had assumed Du Chunzhi was just some ignorant country bumpkin, but it turned out she had been setting a trap the whole time!
Not only did she share a surname with her mother-in-law, but she had actually made the old woman press her thumbprint onto the document! I came here to find a doll maker for my mistress, not to procure some old woman to empty chamber pots!
Mammy Tian was incensed. What kind of people were these in the Song family? A husband wanting to sell his wife, a son unable to tolerate his own mother, a mother-in-law trying to trade out her daughter-in-law—the whole lot of them were scheming, wicked people. And in the end, the daughter-in-law had turned around and sold the mother-in-law!
Not a single one of them was a decent person; they were all rotten to the core!
Old Mother Song, meanwhile, genuinely believed she had been sold and was scurrying about in a panic, but Song Yao knew exactly what was going on.
The bill of sale Mammy Tian had produced required not only the buyer and seller, but also a guarantor. He had intended to trick Du Chunzhi into pressing her thumbprint, then find someone trustworthy to act as a guarantor, and get the whole thing done without a whisper.
Now, even though his mother had pressed her thumbprint, the contract did not follow proper procedure and was legally worthless.
Song Yao’s mind raced. Given the situation, there was no way Du Chunzhi would be fooled again. As long as she remained in the Song family’s household registry and held the position of wife, what were they to do?
Thinking of Liu Yin, who was still waiting for him in agony, a wave of malice washed over Song Yao. He slammed his hand onto the table and barked, "Song Chunzhi, you dare to disrespect your mother-in-law? You are a disgrace to my family! The Song family will not tolerate someone as unfilial as you! Mother, let’s go to the village head right now; I am going to divorce this woman!"
Old Mother Song’s eyes lit up. That was it! If they took this to the village head, wouldn't the whole village know that Du Chunzhi had been plotting against her mother-in-law? They could use that as a pretext to divorce her, wouldn't the position of wife be vacated, and couldn't her niece then marry into the family?
But the old woman was still worried. "But son, that bill of sale..."
Song Yao gritted his teeth. "That thing is worthless. If she dares to bring it out, it will only serve as evidence of her disrespect for her elders. Mammy Tian, I’ll need you to bear witness for us in a moment."
Mammy Tian gave a cold, humorless smile. "When that contract was signed, the two taels of silver for the purchase were to go to me, and you were supposed to pay me another two taels on top of that. Now I’m not making a single copper, and you’re still trying to order me around? Do I look like a fool to you?"
Song Yao steeled himself. "As long as you are willing to testify, you will be compensated."
Du Chunzhi sat to the side, watching them deliberate. She laughed, "Are you finished colluding? Hurry up and go, or the village head might head out and you'll find an empty house."
She stood up first, leaving the others bewildered. She was about to be divorced, to be pointed at by others and spend her days in tears—what was there to be excited about? Why was she more anxious to see the village head than they were?
Du Chunzhi walked outside the courtyard and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Fellow villagers of Songjia Village, elders, brothers, sisters, and young ladies! Song Yao—that useless man, that incompetent failure, that man who couldn’t become a Cultivated Talent even if he spent ten thousand years trying—is divorcing his wife!"
What?!
"Quick, let’s go! More entertainment to watch!"
Widow Zhao, who had been shelling melon seeds at her door, heard the news and immediately ran over, spreading the word throughout the village.
"Stop eating, swallow that food! That block of wood, Du Chunzhi, is getting divorced, and she’s heading to the village head right now!"
"Er-hua, are you still nursing the baby? Finish up and hurry after me! That pretty boy Song Yao is divorcing his wife!"
"Si'er, be quick! The plowing can wait; the theater troupe won't perform this show for you twice!"
Widow Zhao spread the news with fiery urgency, terrified of leaving anyone out. Her commotion didn't just alarm everyone in Songjia Village; it set every dog in the village barking as well.
The idlers chatting at the village entrance took off running, shouting as they went, until even the neighboring villages heard the news.
When the village head, Song Huaiyu, was called out, he was startled by the scene. There was a dense crowd of people, including folks from other villages holding their children to watch the spectacle. Those who knew thought it was just Song Yao divorcing his wife; those who didn't might have thought a horde of refugees had descended upon Songjia Village.
Du Chunzhi had seen the world in her past life and remained completely unfazed by the spectacle. In the crowd, she spotted her good-for-nothing son, Song Zhenqing, standing beside Huang Yuying, the woman he was desperate to marry, and Liu Yin, who wanted her out of the house. Liu Yin stood in a corner, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
They all came. Excellent, they all came!
Du Chunzhi scooped up the puppy that was circling her feet and prepared to watch how the Song family would put on their performance.
Song Huaiyu still commanded great respect. He swept his gaze around, and those who had been eating, scolding children, or bickering over the crowd immediately went quiet. Song Huaiyu asked, "What is all this noise about?"
Song Yao stepped forward, pointed at Du Chunzhi, and shouted, "I want to divorce my wife today!"
Du Chunzhi remained calm and collected. She asked, "There are Seven Grounds for divorce and Three Exceptions against it. I have been married to you for over a decade. Does that not count as 'having nowhere to return to'?"
In the crowd, Song Ergen's wife shouted out, "Du Chunzhi’s maiden family went into business and haven't been heard from in years. Nobody knows if they’re dead or alive. If he divorces her, where is she supposed to go?"
That’s right, the crowd nodded in agreement. The Du family was gone; wasn't that the very definition of having nowhere to return to?
Du Chunzhi continued, "When your father passed, did I not observe the three-year mourning period with you? Does that not fall under the rule of 'having shared three years of mourning'?"
That was true, too. Two of the three exceptions were already met; how could Song Yao divorce his wife?!
Song Yao was shocked. How had Du Chunzhi suddenly become like this? Even if she knew these things, as a village woman, how could she speak so articulately and stir up the crowd’s emotions in just a few sentences?
Sensing things were taking a turn for the worse, Song Yao turned bright red. "This woman committed one of the Seven Grounds! She, she was disrespectful to her elders!"
Song Huaiyu asked, "How was she disrespectful?"
"She despised my mother and actually wanted to sell her to empty chamber pots! This here is a mammy from the household of Master Wang in Yangliu County; she can bear witness."
With the promise of a reward from Song Yao, Mammy Tian naturally threw herself into the performance. "My master was looking for an old woman to empty the night soil. A few days ago, someone came to us claiming an old woman in Songjia Village wished to sell herself into servitude. I came to see, and who would have thought it would be so wicked? It was her daughter-in-law who couldn't stand her and wanted to sell her off!"
What?! The crowd erupted in an uproar. Widow Zhao couldn't help but jump out and shout, "You wicked woman, Du Chunzhi! You’re usually so quiet and mousy, you wouldn't move unless someone poked you, and you wouldn't say a word if kicked—to think you were hiding such a malicious heart! A disaster like you hasn't been seen in Songjia Village for centuries. If our ancestors knew, they’d jump right off their spirit tablets to strangle you!"
That’s right, how could such a woman exist in Songjia Village? She was a disgrace to the whole village. If this got out, no one in the village would be able to hold their heads high for years.
Song Ergen's wife nudged Widow Zhao with her elbow. "Why are you being so enthusiastic? If he divorces Du Chunzhi, do you think you can marry Song Yao?"
Widow Zhao acted shy. "You never know, stranger things have happened."
"He spends money like water every single day, and after all those years of testing, he’s achieved absolutely nothing."
"You never know. Maybe he’ll get lucky and suddenly become a Cultivated Talent one day."
Just then, Song Zhenqing stepped forward.
He brushed off his clothes, his voice loud and his demeanor imposing. "Du Chunzhi, my grandmother is an elderly woman, yet you tricked her into emptying night soil! What grudge do you hold against her? How could you bring yourself to harm her like this!"