As Song Lian'er was pondering, Zhao Lizheng and the clan elders arrived.
The scholar prepared writing materials, and Zhao, the village head, and the scholar sat at the table prepared in the middle, while the clan elders of the two families, as well as the Qiao and Song families, sat on either side.
After sorting things out, a solemn expression appeared on the faces of Zhao Lizheng and the clan elders.
This is a really difficult matter.
However, the Song family elders quickly realized their position and sat up straight, ready for battle.
They also felt it was excessive to kick a daughter-in-law with children out of the house for a steamed bun, but the Song family had made up their minds, and as the elders of the Song family, they had to defend the interests of the Song family.
Grandma Song and the others knew that there was no need for them to do this.
Are they planning something? Will they benefit from it?
Those of you here have lived a long life and are all shrewd and experienced.
"Stealing is no small matter. As the saying goes, you can guard against anything, but even the most notorious thieves and petty thieves are not as hard to guard against as a thief within your own household. Although there may be some hidden reasons for Qiao's theft, theft is theft, and it can never be cleared up. Being kicked out of the house is already too lenient. How can we ask for more?"
Another elder stroked his beard, looking thoughtful: "Besides, no one would want a daughter-in-law with such a bad reputation. What's the use of getting a divorce agreement? It's better not to get it. If she's bullied, mentioning the Song family's name might earn them some respect."
The Qiao family found this shameless statement both laughable and infuriating.
An elder of the Qiao family said, "A mother begged her mother-in-law repeatedly for food for her critically ill daughter, but was refused. In the end, she had to get food herself, and it was just a steamed bun. Because of this, she was kicked out of the house. The Song family didn't know how shameful it was. If the surrounding villages knew, they would all talk about you behind your backs."
"First, you force people into a corner, then use this reason to drive them to an even more desperate path. Your Song family really went to great lengths to drive away my Qiao family's daughter." Another educated elder pointed out this cruel truth directly.
Not only Song Lian'er, but even the villagers at the door nodded in agreement.
That makes sense.
Old Qiao said with a pained expression, "Just because my daughter is lame and can't work, you all despise her like this. But her leg was clearly crushed by a rolling stone while she was saving her mother-in-law. Heaven and earth bear witness, you have no humanity left."
Old Mrs. Song showed no remorse whatsoever: "So what? As a daughter-in-law, saving her mother-in-law is what she should do. Even if she lost her life, let alone a crippled leg, it would still be Qiao's duty."
“But stealing is absolutely wrong. She did come to me several times to beg for food, and I didn’t mean to kill Song Lian’er. It’s just that this girl is a bit unruly, so I wanted to teach her a lesson. In the end, I would still give her food so that she wouldn’t starve to death. But this woman couldn’t resist. Maybe she wanted to steal food herself.”
Old Mrs. Song spoke with great conviction, her rough, hoarse voice, coupled with her distorted facial expression, making her seem so self-righteous that it made one want to punch her.
Both sides started arguing, standing up and pointing at each other, spitting as they exchanged heated words.
The Qiao family accused the Song family of being dishonest, while the Song family insisted on the theft.
Zhao, the village head, frowned and remained silent for a long time.
He knew that the Song family would never keep the Qiao family alive; the steamed bun was just an excuse.
However, judging from the Qiao family's attitude, they did not want Qiao Shi to stay in the Song family. After all, the Song family had gone to such lengths that it was outrageous and they felt that if their daughter continued to stay in the Song family, she would only suffer.
The main problem now is that the Song family is still unwilling to let Qiao go and refuses to give her a letter of divorce. Of course, what the Qiao family wants is a letter of settlement.
Amidst the commotion, Wang Xiucai had already finished writing the letter severing ties with his family. He gestured for everyone to be quiet and then read the contents of the letter aloud.
The gist of it is that from this day forward, Song Ruier will become the son of Song Lao Er and Chen Shi, and will no longer be in a mother-son relationship with Qiao Shi. She will no longer need to be raised by Qiao Shi, nor will she be responsible for Qiao Shi in the future, nor will she need to take care of her in her old age. She will also no longer be a sibling to Song Lian'er, and the siblings will not bother each other.
The two literate clan elders looked at the document severing ties again and found nothing wrong with it.
"All three of you, put your handprints on here," Wang Xiucai said, with a hint of wistfulness in his voice.
He had lived for fifty or sixty years and this was the first time he had ever seen someone sever ties with a family, especially one that involved a mother and son, or siblings.
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