Reborn a day later, I emptied my enemy's possessions beforehand.

Sun Deming was curled up on the ground, his hands covering his head and his face buried under his arms. He looked like a hedgehog that had shrunk down, but all his quills had fallen off, leaving only a bald patch.

His face was swollen beyond recognition; his left eye was swollen into a slit, and a fist-sized bruise on his cheekbone was a dark purple.

Two cuts appeared at the corners of his mouth, and blood flowed down his chin, staining his collar with a dark red hue.

His hair was a mess, covered in dirt and half-dried rice porridge, with a few strands sticking to his forehead and temples. He looked as disheveled as if he had just been pulled out of the mud.

After a brief silence, the villagers gathered around began to chatter like water from all directions.

Someone said in a low voice:

"Serves him right. Who told him to hit his own wife? Didn't he think about the consequences when he did it?"

An older woman next to me chimed in:

"That's too brutal. He's my brother-in-law, beating him like that is too much."

Someone else muttered under their breath:

"Those three kids from the Sun family are really outrageous. Their father was beaten up like this, and they just stood there watching the show without doing anything to stop it. They're all so cold-blooded."

Chen Lihua stood in the crowd, her eyes bright, as if still basking in the excitement of watching a good show. She lowered her voice and said to Zhao Xiuqin:

"Wow, this play is really good, even more exciting than watching a movie."

Zhao Xiuqin also chuckled softly:

"That's right. The village chief was beaten up like this. How can he face anyone in the village after this?"

Wang Aiju stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking at the man lying on the ground, barely recognizable as a human. There was no pity on her face; instead, the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, conveying a sense of satisfaction as if to say, "Now you know what's what."

She stood with her hands on her hips, as if announcing a major decision for hope Yao, her voice loud and clear, so that everyone present could hear her clearly:

"Sun Deming, I want a divorce!"

These three words were like a stone thrown into calm water, and the discussions in the courtyard intensified.

In this era, divorce is extremely rare, especially in rural areas. Once divorced, a man loses all face, and a woman's reputation is also ruined, making life difficult for the whole family.

But Wang Aiju spoke with absolute certainty, leaving no room for negotiation.

Upon hearing the word "divorce," Sun Deming, lying on the ground, seemed to receive a shot of adrenaline.

He suddenly raised his face, which was swollen into a thin slit, and his voice was urgent and hoarse, gurgling out like a broken bellows:

"Aiju...Aiju, please...please don't divorce me...I was wrong, I was really wrong...You can hit me, you can scold me, just don't divorce me..."

Chen Guoqiang quickly walked up to Wang Aiju, his voice low and soft, as if he were coaxing someone who was sulking:

"Sister Wang, it's common for couples to argue and fight. They usually make up before they get out of bed. How can you get a divorce over a slap? Calm down, let the village chief apologize to you, and that'll be the end of it."

"It's bad for everyone if things escalate to the point of divorce; the villagers will laugh at us."

Wang Aiguo interjected gruffly from the side, his tone carrying a reckless and forceful tone:

"He dared to hit my sister, how can I continue living with him? What if he hits her again? This marriage must end!"

Wang Aihua nodded in agreement: "Yes! Divorce! We can't let this old man get away with it!"

Wang Aiju stood there, her gaze lingering for a moment on Sun Deming's swollen and deformed face, then sweeping around—

The area outside the courtyard wall was crowded with people, every pair of eyes staring at her. Some were watching the excitement, some were waiting for what would happen next, and some were whispering among themselves.

She pursed her lips, as if weighing something, then her gaze returned to Sun Deming.

Chen Guoqiang quickly leaned close to her ear, whispering so that only the two of them could hear:

"Sister Wang, the village chief apologized to you in front of so many people, he has already given you enough face."

If you keep making a scene, you'll be the one who suffers. You won't have an easy time on your own after the divorce. What will you do with your two daughters and son?

It's better to stop while you're ahead and make him write a guarantee so he'll never dare to lay a finger on you again.

Wang Aiju's eyes darted around twice, as if she had really taken his words to heart.

She was silent for a moment, then spoke, her voice lower than before, but still carrying the firmness of a matriarch:

"We can stay together, but you have to write me a guarantee today, in front of everyone, saying that you were wrong and that you promise you will never hit me again."

If you hit me again, I'll divorce you, all the family assets will be mine, and you'll leave with nothing!

Sun Deming quickly got up from the ground—

The sudden movement aggravated his injuries, causing him to grimace in pain, but he still managed to steady himself by leaning against the wall, his voice urgent as if he were trying to save something that was about to sink:

"Okay, okay! I'll write it! I'll write it right now! A guarantee! You tell me how to write it, and I'll write it exactly what you say!"

Chen Guoqiang hurriedly went into the main room to find paper and pen, and soon came out with a piece of white paper and a fountain pen, which he handed to Sun Deming.

When Sun Deming took the pen, his hand was still trembling. As he wrote, the pen tip left several crooked marks on the paper, but he still managed to finish writing stroke by stroke.

The gist of the message was that he slapped Wang Aiju yesterday, that he was in the wrong, and promised never to hit her again. He also said that if it happened again, all the family property would belong to Wang Aiju.

After he finished writing, he signed his name and pressed his fingerprint.

Wang Aiju took the guarantee, glanced at it, folded it, and put it in her pocket.

The tense, flushed color on her face gradually faded, like a pot of boiling water finally being taken off the heat.

She glanced at the mess on the floor, then at her two older brothers, and her voice regained its usual crispness, that of a matriarch:

"Alright, let's just leave it at that. Eldest brother, second brother, you can both go back now."

Wang Aiguo and Wang Aihua exchanged glances, then glared at Sun Deming, gave him a warning, and then gave their sister some instructions before leaving.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Chen Guoqiang stood in the courtyard, waved to everyone, his voice carrying a sense of relief, as if he had finally dealt with a troublesome matter:

"Alright, alright, that's enough excitement, everyone disperse! Those who need to go to the fields, go to the fields; those who need to go home, go home!"

The crowd dispersed from Sun Deming's courtyard and outside the courtyard wall like a receding tide, and went their separate ways along the village road.

Zhou Haibing straightened up from the base of the wall, dusted off his sleeves, and then led Li Su'e and Zhou Haiqing back slowly along the way they had come.

The morning light had already climbed overhead, making the entire village road bright and shiny. Dew still clung to the grass blades by the roadside, shimmering in the sunlight.

Zhou Haiqing walked beside his elder brother Zhou Haibing, his steps still carrying the excitement of watching the commotion, and couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"The village chief was so fierce yesterday, but today he was beaten like a grandson by his wife's two brothers."

Why did he suddenly dare to hit Aunt Wang yesterday? Wasn't he always quite afraid of Aunt Wang?