Chapter 118 Severing Ties

The aunt continued, disgruntled, "Nini, don't be so stingy. Your family doesn't need it, and it's not a big deal. I'll make the decision for you. Whenever you have time, just get the paperwork done and it'll be over. That way, we can get along better in the future, don't you think?"

Jinran was stunned, then laughed in exasperation, "Auntie, you could have just taken it directly, but you went to the trouble of coming to tell me. Is that what my uncle meant too?"

The eldest aunt's eyes flickered, and she said perfunctorily, "Of course I know, how could I not know?"

"Oh, they're a family of robbers."

My aunt said unhappily, "You child, how can you talk like that? You're about to go to university, and you still have no manners."

Jinran shrugged. She really didn't want to waste her breath on this kind of person. If you tried to reason with her, she would act like a scoundrel. If you acted like a scoundrel, she would start to use moral blackmail.

It's like a piece of meat that's been cut into pieces.

Grandpa Shen silently smoked his cigarette, his brows furrowed. He glanced at Jinran and said softly, "Nini, go and call your uncle and Shen Qing over."

"Okay!"

The aunt quickly stopped her, saying, "Why would we need to talk to them? We're just discussing it. They're busy, let's not talk to them. Nini..."

Jinran had already run away in a flash.

Grandma Chen sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), cross-legged, and sneered, "Actually, I really shouldn't have let the eldest son marry you. You're a complete idiot, a half-baked fool. Even the children you gave birth to aren't any good; they're all just as stupid."

The eldest aunt wanted to argue, but was stopped by Grandma Shen waving her hand.

Jinran returned, followed by her uncle and Shen Qing.

The uncle asked in confusion, "Dad, what do you want with us? We're busy working in the fields!"

Grandpa Shen asked seriously, "Eldest son, do you know about your wife coming to ask Nini for a job?"

The uncle lowered his head and remained silent.

Jinran could tell that he knew. She saw Shen Qing's arrogant expression, which seemed to say, "Is it really that big of a deal?"

Grandpa Shen was silent for a while, then said, "Nini, go again and find your third great-uncle, the village chief, and the women's director."

Jinran glanced at Grandpa Shen with a puzzled look. Grandpa Shen simply lowered his eyes and didn't explain further. But Grandma Shen seemed to know something, and said with reddened eyes, "Go, go find it."

Jinran ran out.

Auntie hurriedly asked, "What are you doing? Why are you looking for these people? Father, Mother?"

Grandpa Shen and Grandma Shen didn't respond no matter who called them. The eldest uncle panicked and knelt down with a thud, hurriedly apologizing: "Father, Mother, your son was wrong, please don't do this."

When Jinran returned, she saw her uncle kneeling on the ground, his face full of grief.

The village chief and the others arrived one after another. They were all extremely surprised when they saw the scene inside the house. What had happened? What was Old Man Shen trying to do?

Grandpa Shen saw that everyone had arrived and said directly, "I called you all here to serve as proof that I am severing ties with the eldest son's family."

Upon hearing this, the eldest uncle shouted in a shrill voice, "Father, what are you saying? What do you mean by severing ties? You're abandoning me! Mother... Mother... please talk to Father."

Grandma Shen cried uncontrollably, saying, "You are my first child. Although you didn't grow up by my side, the feelings and care I have for you are no less than those for your younger brothers. You've always been scheming since you were little. I thought that you could gradually change your ways. Not all parents are perfect, let alone a child like you. But later I discovered the badness hidden in your bones."

You swear you didn't know about all the trouble your wife has caused? Actually, you did, and you even instigated many of it. Did you think that if things went well, you'd benefit? No, if it didn't, it wouldn't be an honest man like you who would lose face; at most, you'd just get a reputation for not disciplining her properly, right, Shen Jianguo?

Grandma Shen's words were practically humiliating, practically tearing Uncle's face off and rubbing it on the ground.

The eldest aunt was also frightened and knelt down with a thud, begging for mercy: "Father and Mother, I was wrong. I was bewitched. We don't want it anymore. If you sever ties with my family, how can we face people in the village?"

The village chief and the others also chimed in, "Uncle, Aunt, don't be angry. If this continues, Jianguo and his family will never be able to face anyone again."

Grandpa Shen waved his hand, "I gave him a chance. The eldest son knew about the time he went to the third branch to ask for pigs. The eldest son also tacitly approved of Shen Qing's failed attempt to marry someone else, fearing that we would ruin his plans, so he kept it a secret."

The division of the family property was also instigated by him. And this time, the eldest son's wife came to the door demanding two job opportunities from the third wife's family without asking. The eldest son knew perfectly well what was going on, but pretended not to. It's been several years since the division, and the second and third wives have never missed a year's gifts and filial piety. Even though the second wife isn't wealthy, they always give her what's due. The third wife is even more so; Nini alone does the work. You've all seen and heard how filial she is to us old folks. But what about the eldest son's family? I haven't seen a single thing."

At this point, the aunt lowered her head and muttered, "We really don't have any."