"Why are you looking at me like that?" An Jing feigned ignorance.
It was only then that Shi Xiaolan became agitated, "How could you let Fu Zi divorce me? Without him, what will I have to rely on?" An Fu was her husband, and a husband was her sky!
An Jing scoffed immediately, "Didn’t you despise them for not liking Niuniu and want to take Niuniu to throw yourselves into the river? If you’re going to die, what support will you need afterward?"
Shi Xiaolan was instantly rendered speechless.
Without any mercy, An Jing continued, "Xiao Lan, you now have three paths before you: first, to follow your own wishes and die with Niuniu; second, to compromise and continue to stay in that family, enduring their dislike for Niuniu and sharing a husband with another woman; third, to have Brother An Fu divorce you, and then live alone with Niuniu and Yu Yu. I’ve laid it all out for you; now, make your choice. If you pick the first, rest assured, we won’t stop you. Go ahead and take Niuniu to die."
Speaking thus, An Jing pushed Niuniu back into Shi Xiaolan’s arms, looking genuinely as though she wouldn’t stop Shi Xiaolan from taking Niuniu to die anymore.
An Jing indeed wasn’t planning to stop her anymore; she had done all she could.
Though she seemed to have a good relationship with Shi Xiaolan, she had never really opened her heart to her. Not that she didn’t want to; after all, she had already acknowledged Shi Xiaolan as a friend. But their personalities and views differed too greatly, lacking common ground, making it impossible for her to truly connect.
Shi Xiaolan was stunned by An Jing’s words, staring at her blankly for a long while before coming back to her senses.
Looking down, she gazed at her daughter, born just nine days ago, cradled in the swaddle. Yet her mind was occupied with the three paths laid out before her.
After a long time, Shi Xiaolan finally spoke softly, "I... I want to choose the third path, but... how can a woman like me raise two children on her own? Niuniu and Yu Yu are still so young... Furthermore, Fu Zi and my in-laws may not agree to let me have Niuniu and Yu Yu..."
She herself didn’t want to die. If she could live well, why die?
Sharing a husband with another woman—she had considered it. Although somewhat intolerable, she found herself able to accept it, thinking many women also shared their husbands. But she couldn’t stand how An Fu and the others disliked her newborn daughter, Niuniu, making her feel as if Niuniu should never have been born.
And without An Fu and their favor, how could Niuniu’s future be promising?
As for the idea of having An Fu divorce her, she had never even considered it, simply because no woman ever initiates divorce from her husband. Her initial shock and agitation were rooted in this belief.
But if An Fu divorced her and left her with her two daughters, and if she could then manage to survive on her own with them, she truly wished to choose this path...
If that were indeed possible, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about Niuniu’s wellbeing, nor fret about Yu Yu losing favor at any moment. Should An Fu’s new wife bear him a son, not only would Yu Yu lose favor, but it would also make it even harder for her to hold her head high in that family.
Seeing Shi Xiaolan leaning towards the third path, An Jing breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, she too hoped Shi Xiaolan would choose that path.
"You don’t need to worry about raising Niuniu and Yu Yu by yourself. As close friends, I will help you. Of course, the most important thing is for you to be independent and strong-willed," she said.