Back at the kiln, Su Luo busied herself starting a fire and cooking, while Zhao Ruyun followed behind her like a helpless child.
"Luo Luo, let me help you."
"No need!" Su Luo did everything herself.
After a long silence, Zhao Ruyun lowered her head and said, "Luo Luo, I'm sorry, I..."
Su Luo was very displeased: "Mother-in-law, you have not wronged me, you have wronged yourself. You kneel just because others tell you to."
We were not born to be bullied; we must have backbone.
Perhaps Su Luo is right. Having been beaten with bamboo sticks all his life, only by becoming strong can he protect the people around him.
"Luo Luo! I..."
"Alright, think it over yourself. I'm going to cook."
Zhao Ruyun knew that Su Luo was angry with her, so she slowly walked into the kiln.
Yan Chuan and Yi Huan brought firewood over to Su Luo, and the four little hands added firewood to the stove.
“Mother, Grandma has her own reasons. She just doesn’t want Grandpa and Father to be without anyone after they die, and she can’t bear to see Grandpa being humiliated after his death.”
Yi Huan also got up and hugged Su Luo's leg, saying, "Brother is right, Mother, please don't be angry with Grandma anymore. Huanhuan's wound doesn't hurt at all. Grandma loves Huanhuan."
Yi Huan knew nothing, but she didn't want to upset her grandmother.
Su Luo squatted down and reached her hand behind Yan Chuan's ear. His entire ear was purple, and she dared not touch it for fear of hurting him.
"Mom, Grandma has actually done everything she can to protect me and my sister, so please don't be angry with her."
Su Luo didn't blame Zhao Ruyun for not protecting the two children; she was angry that Zhao Ruyun was too weak.
"Okay, Mother is not angry anymore."
It took Su Luo half an hour to finish cooking the meal. She then told the two younger children to wash their hands and go eat.
She went into the kiln and called Zhao Ruyun.
Zhao Ruyun sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the smoke vent of the kiln. Tears silently streamed down her cheeks, and she looked so lost.
"Grandma, dinner's ready."
Su Luo softened her tone, unsure if what she had said earlier had been too harsh.
Upon hearing Su Luo's voice, Zhao Ruyun hurriedly wiped away her tears, as if she had done something wrong and been discovered.
"Oh, I'm coming right now."
He approached Zhao Ruyun, took out the silver hairpin that Luo Mei had snatched from his bosom, and gently pinned it to Zhao Ruyun's head.
"Mother-in-law, I was being rude just now, please don't take it to heart."
Su Luo and Zhao Ruyun sat together. She wanted to talk things out, otherwise everyone would feel bad.
"Luo Luo, I'm fine."
Perhaps it was a kind of grievance that she herself didn't know. Over the years, her husband and son had died one after another, and Zhao Ruyun didn't know how she had managed to endure until now.
If it weren't for Su Luo and her two children, she probably would have gone with her son.
"Grandma, let's go to the village chief tomorrow and separate our family's genealogy from the Chen family's."
From now on, our ancestral hall will be filled with prosperous worshippers, and my father-in-law will be the elder of our clan, no longer suffering the humiliation of the Chen family.
Her father-in-law was a source of deep concern for Zhao Ruyun; only by properly handling his memorial tablet could she find peace of mind.
"Isn't that a bad idea? I'm afraid my second son will blame me."
Generally, only those who have committed crimes are expelled from the family tree; very few voluntarily separate from it.
“Mother-in-law, if Father-in-law is watching from heaven, he will see Chen Dazhi and the others threatening you with his memorial tablet.”
This is what he doesn't want to see. You compromised once, and now you want Huai Xu dead? Aren't you awake yet?
After this incident, we have become sworn enemies with Chen Dazhi's family. If we don't settle things now and leave my father-in-law in the Chen family ancestral hall, who knows what they will do to him.
Thinking of her son who died unjustly, Zhao Ruyun felt a mix of emotions. Some people from the same village would still write back, but there had been no news of Chen Huaixu for so many years.
"Luo Luo, rather than being expelled from the family tree, it's better for us to separate ourselves. I'll listen to you on this matter."
"Okay! Let's go eat first."
...
The next morning, Su Luo changed the dressing on Zhao Ruyun's neck wound, and Aunt Li rushed over in a panic.
"Su Luo, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Su Luo was fine, but Zhao Ruyun and Yan Chuan's external injuries were immediately noticeable.
"I'm sorry, Su Luo. I heard that Chen Dazhi and his family attacked you because of the tofu recipe. It's all my and Lao Li's fault."
We didn't tell anyone outside that you taught us how to make tofu; we only mentioned it occasionally at home. I don't know how Chen Dazhi and Luo Mei overheard. It's all my fault.
Chen Dazhi was a good-for-nothing who idled away his days. If it weren't for the land left by the Chen family ancestor, his family would have starved to death long ago.
“Aunt Li, the whole village will find out about this sooner or later. Chen Dazhi bullies the weak and fears the strong. They suffered a great loss this time, and they won’t dare to do anything to us again.”
Aunt Li was filled with worry. She picked up Yi Huan and said, "Luo Luo, you've made enemies with Chen Dazhi. What are you going to do now?"
“We plan to go to the village chief and ask him to take us to Chen Dazhi’s house so that we can be separated from the family tree and start our own family.”
"Okay! I'll go with you; that way I'll feel more at ease."
Aunt Li put Yi Huan down, took her hand and walked ahead, while Su Luo and Zhao Ruyun led Yan Chuan to the village chief's house.
The whole village knew about Zhao Ruyun and Chen Dazhi's affair, and the village chief didn't say anything but followed Su Luo and the others to find Chen Dazhi.
Chen Dazhi and Luo Mei couldn't get out of bed, and even the most annoying Chen Xique couldn't leave her room.
Where the magistrate was not present, Luo Mei reverted to her vicious nature, cursing and swearing.
The only person in the Chen family who is still able to move is Chen Mengqing. After the village chief and Su Luo finished explaining their purpose, he brought out the family genealogy without saying a word.
"Meng Qing, don't let them split up. If they do, give each of them five taels of silver, or I won't let your father put his fingerprint on it."
Luo Mei knew Su Luo had money, and she wouldn't let Su Luo have her way so easily.
"Mom, that's enough. You've been raising your children with your second uncle's family and your youngest uncle's family for so many years. I'm tired even if you're not."
Because of Luo Mei's vicious reputation, Chen Mengqing was twenty-six years old and still hadn't found a wife. He had asked matchmakers to introduce him to several girls, but they all disliked Luo Mei as their mother-in-law.
In front of the village chief, Chen Mengqing crossed out all the names of his family on the family genealogy, wrote "voluntarily separated from the genealogy," and even signed the document on behalf of Chen Dazhi.
Zhao Ruyun personally went to the ancestral hall to retrieve the memorial tablet of the second son of the Chen family, and carried the tablet back to the tile kiln.
The kiln was not a home, and there was no place to make offerings. Zhao Ruyun covered the memorial tablet with a cloth and put it in a box.
"Second brother, I'm sorry to leave you in the box for a while. When the time comes, Luo Luo and I will definitely get you a better memorial tablet. You must bless Luo Luo and our grandchildren."
Once the house is built, Su Luo will go buy a family genealogy book to write it down. For now, it's better to let Zhao Ruyun stay by herself; it's not appropriate for Su Luo to be here.
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