Captain Xu Zhanwen had been feeling uneasy all day, constantly fearing that the spies would come again. He had just come out of the house to go for another stroll when he heard someone shouting loudly in the distance, looking for him.

Is the battalion commander home?

"Yes, come in."

The captain recognized who it was. Li Guiqin didn't usually cause trouble. The captain thought for a moment, his brows furrowed, and he knew it must be related to Tang Shengkai.

Sure enough, a moment later Li Guiqin walked ahead and entered the courtyard, ignoring the people behind her and speaking directly.

"Captain, quickly write me a letter severing ties with my family."

"What the heck?"

The captain heard it clearly, but he could hardly believe his ears. What was Li Guiqin saying? How could she have the nerve? How could she sever ties with Lao San?

Tang Shengkai and Lin Cuicui were not far from Li Guiqin, and a few steps later they followed her into the courtyard.

"Third brother, what's going on?"

A group of villagers followed and rushed into the courtyard, chattering away. The village head's face grew darker and darker as he listened. He had no idea that Tang Shengkai still gave that old hag Li Guiqin five yuan a year.

Moreover, Li Guiqin has truly lost all shame; she's actually thinking of severing ties with Tang Shengkai's family. How can sever ties so easily? Besides, what era are we living in? Why make such a fuss?

"It can't be broken, hurry back."

"What?" Li Guiqin's voice rose several decibels again, and her tone even changed.

"Why can't we break it off? I've heard people say that if you write down the situation clearly, the brigade leader can just go to the county to get it stamped. Why can't we break it off just because you say so?"

The captain sighed inwardly. When did Li Guiqin become educated?

It was quite a coincidence. Once, when Li Guiqin went to town to sell eggs, she overheard people talking about breaking off family ties.

If it were anything else, Li Guiqin might not have cared so much. But she got quite excited about severing ties with her third son's family. She had been thinking about it for a long time. If her son's family became useless one day, she would definitely sever ties with them. She couldn't let him be a burden to them.

"Have you made up your mind?"

The brigade leader looked at Li Guiqin and said, "Yes, I've thought it through. Brigade leader, stop dawdling and write it down."

The captain's face darkened. He turned his gaze to Tang Shengkai, who wore a bitter smile. Before he could speak, Li Guiqin pointed a vicious finger at Tang Shengkai from the side.

"Tang Shengkai, let me tell you, if you dare not agree, I'll kill myself right now. Then you'll be branded as someone who forced me to my death, and you'll never be able to hold your head up in Qiligou again."

The villagers had initially been watching with a detached, amused attitude, but Li Guiqin's outburst changed their expressions.

"This is no mother at all," the brigade leader said, directly echoing the villagers' sentiments.

"Nonsense! How could a mother ask such a question?"

Li Guiqin flung her arm away, "Don't give me that nonsense, Captain, today I'm going to sever ties with Tang Shengkai."

The captain was also provoked and shouted, "Break it off! This marriage must be broken off!"

"Based on what you said today, Li Guiqin, Lao San has suffered a lot of injustice over the years. You don't deserve to be their parent. Even if Lao San doesn't agree to sever ties, I'll do it anyway."

The brigade leader's wife came out angrily with a pen and a piece of white paper. "Write it. Write it for him now. I've never seen such a heartless mother."

Li Guiqin pursed her lips and remained silent. If it weren't for breaking off her engagement with Tang Shengkai today, she would never have argued with the brigade leader. What if, when spring came and work started, the brigade leader made things difficult for their family and gave them fewer work points?

But she had no choice now. If Japanese spies came, they wouldn't even have a chance to live until next spring. What else could she say?

The brigade leader scribbled away in his notebook, while the villagers whispered amongst themselves, but no one paid any attention.

Tang Shengli and Tang Shengjun were not far from Li Guiqin, and Zhang Erhua and Li Yuanzi had also come along, but none of them uttered a sound; they were all afraid of dying. Yesterday, upon hearing that the third son's family had gotten into trouble with spies, they hadn't slept a wink all night out of worry.

It wasn't that she was worried about the safety of the third brother's family, but rather that she was concerned about their kinship with him. If they were implicated, they would be in serious trouble.

"It's written. Li Guiqin and Shengkai, come and sign it."

Li Guiqin stepped forward and said, "I can't write, but I'll put my handprint here so everyone can be my witness."

The captain pointed at Tang Shengjun and Tang Shengli, "Have either Tang Shengjun or Tang Shengli sign on your behalf, and they also have to sign their names."

Before the captain could finish his explanation, Tang Shengjun and Tang Shengli had already nimbly approached him. Tang Shengjun didn't smile, but his obvious delight was evident. "Captain, where should I sign?"

"Write your name here, and then write 'On behalf of your mother' next to it. Write your own name below."

Tang Shengjun did as instructed. Tang Shengli understood where he should write his name, and happily wrote his own name below Tang Shengjun's, then pressed some ink onto his fingerprint.

Finally, after Tang Shengjun directed Li Guiqin to press her handprint, the three of them stepped aside.

Tang Shengkai silently stepped forward, wrote his name, and pressed his fingerprint on the paper.

He didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment. At least this matter was finally over. From now on, he only had Cuicui and the four children. But hadn't he always had them by his side all these years?

After figuring it out, Tang Shengkai's bitter smile seemed to soften a bit.

But that wasn't all. Li Guiqin spoke up again, "Captain, could you please go to the county today and get the stamp?"

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!