Chapter 322 - 225: Fund Signing Ceremony! Starting to Purchase Laboratory Instruments

"Director Wu, just go ahead and amputate it. Grind the bone smooth and stitch up the skin."

"It's just a small part of my finger. Even if it's gone, it won't affect my life too much."

Thirty thousand yuan... that was several months of his family's living expenses, plus his daughter's treatment fees.

"Oh, right, Doctors, I haven't told my family about my injured finger yet."

"After the surgery, there's no way I can hide it. So, how about this? When my wife gets here later, could you just tell her that my severed finger was brought in too late? Tell her you couldn't guarantee it would function even if you reattached it, and that trying might have just led to an infection, so amputation was the best choice."

"Director Wu, Dr. Deng, I'm begging you."

As a man, Tan Xin definitely didn't want his wife to know he was choosing not to have the reconstructive surgery just to save money.

His co-worker at his side wanted to speak up several times, but ultimately kept his mouth shut.

His eyes, however, were a little red-rimmed.

They were all out here just trying to make a living. He had a family too, a wife and kids to support, and he didn't have that kind of money to lend to Tan Xin.

'Perhaps, if it were him, he'd make the same choice.'

'A man has to carry his family. It's just the way things are.'

'You suffer a little, you get tired, but you just have to bear it and push through.'

This was the reality for many ordinary families, for many ordinary men.

...

...

「Longxing Apartments.」

Tan Xin's wife, Feng Xingyun, had just finished mopping the living room and was now lying on the sofa to rest for a bit.

After sending her husband a text asking for living expenses, she started ordering takeout, deciding to reward herself with some milk tea.

Ever since her child started school, she suddenly had a lot more free time. Her days consisted of picking up her kid, doing some housework, and making meals.

The rest of the time, she'd either meet up with her girlfriends to hang out or just lounge at home playing on her phone.

While she was ordering her milk tea, a friend from her group chat—one who was an "older, single woman"—posted a link to a Kuaiyin video.

Feng Xingyun clicked on it and began to watch. The title was: "70-Year-Old Grandma Insists on Divorcing Despite Her Children's Objections."

The video was about a 70-year-old grandma who, against her children's wishes, was determined to get a divorce. Afterward, she stood at a podium, proudly sharing her thoughts on the experience.

"I don't have to be his maid anymore and wait on him hand and foot! If you let yourself be wronged for one day, you'll be wronged for a lifetime."

The Grandma gave a rough account of her married life. After getting married, she always felt like she was just a maid, expected to wait on her husband, do his laundry, and cook his meals.

Now that her husband was old and in poor health, he needed someone to take care of him and keep him company. This had started to interfere with the Grandma's square dancing and traveling, making her feel trapped and without freedom.

It was just like when she was young and had to look after the kids every day. She felt this wasn't the life she wanted.

The Grandma now frequently went square dancing and browsed Kuaiyin videos, where she had been exposed to the views of many independent women.

So, she decided to live for herself for once. On her birthday, she asked for a divorce!

It was her birthday present to herself: the divorce certificate!

The Grandma stood on the stage, full of pride:

"At the time, my children didn't understand. They asked what I was making such a fuss for at my age. 'Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?' they said. But I insisted on the divorce, and now I'm so happy. I don't have to wait on anyone. I can't live for others anymore!"

"I want to say one thing to all the young people here: if you let yourself be wronged for one day, you'll be wronged for a lifetime!"

Someone in the audience asked the Grandma if she could live so freely because she had a pension.

The Grandma said smugly, "I have a pension, but not a big one. The main thing is that after divorcing my old man, I got half the assets. We were together for almost fifty years, after all! It's what I deserved. Besides, I saved up enough of my own private money during the marriage. Now, I don't have to wait on anyone. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I'm as happy as can be."

The Grandma also offered a piece of advice to young women: "After you get married, you must maintain your financial independence. That means never, ever spending your own private money. The living allowance your husband gives you, the holiday money, all the cash gifts you receive—you have to collect it all and save it."

"Remember, never use your own private funds to supplement the household budget. For a full-time mom, this is the foundation of your security for the rest of your life!"

The Grandma even passed on her secret technique: if anyone asks, the answer is always 'I have no money.' If you do have money, say it's tied up in a fixed-term deposit, that it's an emergency fund, or that it's being saved for the kids.

In short, always hold something back!

...

Below the article, there were all sorts of comments.

Many were from supportive, self-proclaimed independent women:

"Grandma, you're so clear-headed! Women need to be independent. We're not free maids! I support the divorce!"

"I get it now. It's true, even if you're married, you have to be financially independent! Just think about how much it would cost a man to hire a maid. So, what the Grandma did was absolutely brilliant."

"I totally support this Grandma. I hope she can live out her days in comfort and freedom. A woman should never be a maid!"

"Go Grandma! Cut your losses and live the rest of your life in peace!"

"Some people live with clarity. If you want to muddle through your whole life in a daze, go right ahead. I support the aunty!"

...

Of course, there were also some who disagreed.

"She only emphasizes how much housework she did, but never mentions what she got from the old guy."

"It's taken for granted that men should earn money. But when it comes to women, suddenly housework has to be shared, they act like they're raising the kids *for* their husbands, and they do a little work and feel like a maid. They take all the gift money and the dowry but won't contribute a cent. In the end, the man is expected to pay for everything. This is today's 'independent woman'!"

"I'm a housewife too, and my husband gives me money for living expenses. After the kids started school, all I do most days is mop the floor, cook if I feel like it, and order takeout if I don't. I think my life is pretty happy."