Chapter Sixty-Eight
Qin Zhiyu feigned innocence for a moment, then dropped the pretense and began to play with her newly acquired silver hairpin, pouting as she spoke.
“Father, Mother is right. My sister’s heart is no longer with us, and she no longer considers herself a member of the Qin family.”
"The moment she got back, she snatched my things, accused my mother, and disobeyed my father. Humph, now that we're no longer related, Father, you'll finally have some peace and quiet. From now on, my brother and I will take care of you. Just wait and see how good life gets."
Using sophistry was a common tactic of hers, something she knew exactly how to manipulate. However, she never imagined that Qin Zhining was no longer the guinea pig she had been before.
At this moment, while Qin Zhiyu was applying eye drops to Qin Zhining, she remembered how Qin Zhining had beaten her, and she gritted her teeth in anger.
It wasn't until I saw the words on the letter severing ties that I felt relieved, and even the letter seemed so warm and friendly.
Aunt An patted her hand, then turned to Qin Youming, her tone even softer, "Master, don't take it to heart. Zhi Ning's temperament is too fiery; keeping her around is just trouble."
From now on, the four of us will live a good life together. Chengxuan is promising, and Zhiyu is about to marry into the He family. Once we've established ourselves, what kind of life do we want? Wouldn't that be better than living in such a miserable state?"
Qin Youming remained silent, his eyes tightly closed, his chest tight and suffocating. He didn't even have the strength to wave his hand and tell them to shut up.
At this moment, Qin Chengxuan had just returned from running around outside. As soon as he entered the door, he heard Chunlan sighing secretly. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked her what was wrong.
Chunlan recounted how Qin Zhining had demanded the First Madam's dowry and money, and then demanded a letter severing ties with her.
Qin Chengxuan was dumbfounded.
"Severed ties with family? She—she severed ties with family and left? Huh? Just for this trivial matter, she severed ties with family and abandoned her family?"
Qin Chengxuan lost his grip on the birdcage, which fell to the ground. He stood there stunned, his mind blank.
He rushed into the woodshed in the backyard like a madman, but the woodshed was empty, and there was no sign of his sister.
He rushed into his father's study, and as soon as he entered, he saw a freshly printed letter of severing ties with his father lying open on the table.
The handwriting was crooked, yet every word was piercing to the heart.
"Father, how could you—how could you let my sister leave? How could you write a letter severing ties with her?" His voice trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened.
Although he didn't like his half-sister, Qin Chengxuan still couldn't quite accept that she had left the family in this way.
Qin Youming looked up at him, his eyes filled with an overwhelming weariness, and even his voice sounded weak, "It was your sister who wanted to leave, and I couldn't stop her."
"Can't stop him?" Qin Chengxuan clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white, his well-defined hands trembling slightly at his sides.
"You didn't stop her at all!" His throat tightened, and every word seemed to be thorny. "Can't you see how much my sister has suffered in this family?"
Now that she's gone, even ties with her are severed—are you satisfied? Father, although she wasn't my half-sister, and I... I didn't particularly like her, but—but she was still my sister.
Without waiting for Qin Youming to say another word, he turned around and slammed the door open.
He staggered onto the street, heading south along the asphalt road. The wind whipped his clothes behind him, as if if he ran faster, he could catch up with the figure that had resolutely disappeared into the alleyway.
The evening breeze brushed against his face, its coolness seeping into his collar. Qin Chengxuan's eyes finally overwhelmed the heat, and tears fell onto his clothes, leaving a small, damp patch. He
He knew Qin Zhining's personality better than anyone else; once she said she was severing ties with her family, she would never turn back.
From then on, there was no longer that sister who would bicker with him whenever they met, and who would even punch him until his face was bruised and swollen when she got angry.
There will never be another little girl like me, who would secretly follow him around when we met in our ancestral home, clutching a piece of candy and hoping he would glance at her.
In fact, he and this younger sister were not very close, let alone had a deep affection for each other.
But it was precisely this bloodline, though somewhat distant, that caused him a dull ache in his chest, as if something was blocking it.
He just didn't want her to leave, and he didn't want to go home one day and never hear anyone shouting "Brother" at him again.
Qin Chengxuan stood at the street corner, watching the passersby, feeling empty inside. The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, making him look as lonely as a pole about to be blown down by the wind.
He took out the purse that his younger sister had sewed for him in their ancestral home when she was ten years old. He ran his fingertips over the frayed stitches, his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't even cry out.
It was only at this moment that Qin Chengxuan's memories of Qin Zhining were fully restored.
He remembered Qin Zhining, who, from her ancestral home, was only six or seven years old when she learned to do simple needlework for him, her father, her aunt, her older brother, and her older sister.
From small items like knee pads, insoles, and purses, to larger items like headbands, book bags, and clothes, she never stopped sewing.
But the things his younger sister sent back from their ancestral home were never cherished by him, his parents, or his sister. They even mocked her for making such useless and crude things, calling it shameful.
Think back to that time, didn't your younger sister always long for her parents, older brothers, and sisters to praise her and say that she was thoughtful?
Qin Chengxuan stood at the corner of the alley, facing the cold wind of early spring, his heart also feeling icy cold.
So, people are sometimes just like that, they don't cherish the kinship that's right in front of them, but once they lose that blood tie, they feel heartbroken.
Qin Chengxuan was the kind of person who acted like a fool. The thought of his sister leaving the Qin family completely left him with a feeling of emptiness and sadness.
After leaving the county magistrate's office, Qin Zhining returned with several people to the estate gifted by Grand Secretary Zhang.
For convenience, she named the village "Kangzhuang," meaning to walk on the broad road to prosperity.
"Miss, Master Qin issued the letter of severance so readily today; I'm afraid he has ulterior motives. We must be wary of him," said Granny Cheng with some concern.
Qin Zhining nodded, "Of course he has no good intentions. This thousand taels of silver, along with the written agreement and the letter of severance, are probably just a delaying tactic on his part."
He's planning to wait until Qin Zhiyu gets married before turning around and causing me trouble. She paused, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"But he probably forgot that since I dared to ask for a written agreement and sever ties with him, I have a way to make him not dare to openly show his claws against me."
Around dinner time, Chai Shun, Qin Xiaoxiao, and the others returned one after another.
Zhang Ding and Li Er, the two loyal servants, led their families, totaling nearly thirty people, all of whom were as thin as sticks, with empty eyes and numb expressions. Clearly, they had suffered a lot of torment and abuse at the hands of An Qinghe over the years.
"Granny Cheng, quickly brew medicine for them to heal their wounds and restore their health. Also, give each family three taels of silver to buy some clean clothes." Qin Zhining appointed Granny Cheng as her steward of the inner quarters.
Chai Shun was the manager outside.
Qin Wenzheng and the others continued to perform their duties as previously arranged, without interfering with each other.
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