Upon hearing his words, Zhao knew there was hope! She quickly nudged her husband with her elbow, the meaning of which was self-evident!
She was usually a tough nut to crack, and although Granny Qiu's words were harsh and the surrounding villagers gossiped, she didn't care at all. If she could take this opportunity to sever ties with this sickly man, not only would she get rid of a huge burden, but she also wouldn't have to pay back the money her family owed!
Chen Erjun shrank back, raised his head, glanced at his brother, and then lowered his eyes!
Seeing his behavior, Chen Laohan understood everything! He forced himself to sit up, cupped his hands towards Granny Qiu and the surrounding villagers, and said, "Aunt Qiu, fellow villagers, I, Chen Laohan, have lived this long mostly thanks to your support. Now that I am about to die, I finally understand life! Since you are all here, I will shamelessly ask you to be my witnesses. From this day forward, Chen Erjun and I will go our separate ways."
Upon hearing this, Chen Erjun suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief!
"Brother, what did you say? Are you really going to go this far?"
In Chen Erjun's heart, his older brother had truly been good to him, saving all the good things for him from childhood. Being suddenly abandoned was truly disheartening. Besides, given his current physical condition, was he really planning to fight to the death?
Chen Laohan was now clear-headed; all that had happened before was wishful thinking on his part.
"Chen Erjun, hasn't your wife always wanted to sever ties with me? Well, today you can have your wish! I hope you can live a better life. However, from now on, we'll each live our own lives. You keep an eye on Zhao Shi and don't try anything with my son, Hao'er, or I'll haunt you even in death."
As he said this, Chen Erjun saw the chilling light in his elder brother's eyes and unconsciously swallowed.
Chen Laohan's current emaciated appearance has a truly eerie and frightening feel to it.
"Don't worry, brother, Zhao wouldn't dare. We won't mess with Hao'er." Chen Erjun's voice trembled, clearly frightened.
“Brother… if we sever ties, won’t we have to pay back the money we borrowed from you? You know we’re not doing well, where would we get the money to pay you back? You don’t want to see us every day after we’re separated, do you? Consider this a severance payment!” Although Zhao was a little afraid of Chen Laohan, her joy overcame her fear. Her uncle was about to die! Even if he miraculously survived, he would be a bottomless pit, and her family was unwilling to pay that money! If they severed ties, they wouldn’t have to worry about paying for it, and as for Hao’er, they wouldn’t have to spend money to raise him!
"What did you say? You vicious woman! Paying back debts is a matter of course, and you're already severing ties with your husband, yet you still try to take advantage! Chen Erjun, can't you control your wife? Are you even a man?!" The speaker was Wang, the village head's wife. She had been watching from the crowd for a while, not intending to intervene, but seeing Chen Erjun and his wife so shameless, she was getting angry! Wang also had an older brother, but she always treated him with utmost respect. Compared to him, Chen Erjun was simply despicable!
Upon hearing this, Zhao was about to unleash a torrent of curses, but upon turning around and seeing it was the village head's wife, she swallowed back the "lowly woman" that was on the tip of her tongue. A half-smile instantly settled onto her face.
"Even though you're the village head's wife, you can't say that! This is our own family matter, what does it have to do with you! And you onlookers, go back to your own homes! Why are you meddling in this?"
"Thank you all, please allow me to say something." Old Chen, panting heavily, said, "Chen Erjun, this must be what you wanted, right? From the time you were five years old, I've been working to support you until you got married and had children. In that time, I've certainly spent at least a dozen taels of silver, if not dozens. And the year before last, when your eldest daughter got married without a dowry, I gave you one tael of silver. Last year, when you wanted to farm but didn't have any seeds, I borrowed rice seeds from six mu of your land. And before that, when your youngest son was sick, I paid two taels of silver for his medicine at the county clinic in winter! Isn't that right?"
Chen Erjun, having been called out, dared not refute, and bowed his head, saying, "Yes, what you said is almost right, brother!"
"That's good. I thought you wouldn't acknowledge it! In that case, I'll consider this money as fulfilling my promise to my parents and my feelings for you, and we'll call it even. As for the future, we're no longer brothers!" Old Chen made his decision decisively, then turned to the village head's wife and Granny Qiu, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Madam Village Head, Aunt Qiu, from today onwards, I am severing all ties with Chen Erjun's family. I would appreciate it if you two, and everyone here, could be our witnesses! We will also need the village head and elders to write a letter of severance, so that it will be officially recognized! From now on, our two families will have no relation whatsoever!"
Granny Qiu stood there helplessly. Today, she scolded Zhao Shi and Chen Erjun, not because she wanted them to sever their ties, but because she hoped to wake them up or force Erjun and his wife to take on the responsibility of taking care of her elder brother and Hao'er due to public pressure. Who would have thought it would turn out like this? How can Hanzi survive without anyone to help him?
However, the village head's wife, Wang, readily agreed. With such a troublesome relative, why not cut ties quickly and wait until the New Year? Besides, what would happen to Hao'er if something really happened to Chen Laohan? She'd be eating him alive if those two didn't!
"Don't worry, I'll talk to my old man later and have him write you a letter severing ties, and then have it notarized by the clan elders. That way, Hao'er's safety will be guaranteed!"
"Then thank you, Madam Village Head, thank you, Granny Qiu and all the villagers!" Old Chen knelt on the bed and kowtowed. The villagers quickly helped him lie down, knowing that he was in poor health.
Many people suddenly remembered that when Chen Laohan was young, he was a strong and healthy man who was an excellent carpenter. Many people came to him to make furniture, and his family was very prosperous back then!
But it's only been a few years! Since the bandits came two years ago, almost all of his family members have died. It would be hard for anyone to get over that! His health is also gradually failing. He struggles to survive with his two grandchildren. They go hungry one day and have a full meal the next. It's a miracle they're even alive! But everyone is struggling. Not many people can spare half a pancake like Granny Qiu did.
These days, people sympathize with the weak, and the way people look at Chen Erjun and his wife is somewhat contemptuous.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhao hurriedly urged her husband to go back, looking as anxious as a rabbit with its tail cut off.
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