Old Mrs. Chen was so angry that her hands trembled, and she began to curse loudly.
"You short-lived wretch, you'll regret this someday. Cut ties with me, cut ties right now. I don't have a son or granddaughter like you."
"Sever ties if you want, who knows who might regret it!"
Wu Baoan couldn't understand why this girl agreed to separate from the family, even if it meant severing ties with her relatives.
Didn't she know that after separating from the family and severing ties, even that little bit of blood ties would be severed?
Wu Baoan looked rather troubled. He had lived for over fifty years and had only ever divided his family property; this was the first time he had ever severed ties with a relative.
He asked again and again, "Auntie, why don't you think about it again, so you won't regret it in the future?"
Old Mrs. Chen said with a mocking expression and absolute certainty,
"Why should I regret it? They should be the ones who regret it. Once my third son passes the county-level exam, he'll be a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level exam), and maybe even a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level exam). Do you understand? Juren receive a salary from the imperial court."
"Sever ties, absolutely sever them. I don't need a son like that or a disobedient granddaughter."
Chen Zhancai urged smugly, "Village head, since the eldest son's family is unwilling to enjoy the good life with me, you should hurry up and write the letter severing ties!"
Chen Qingqing knew that Old Mrs. Chen was exceptionally ruthless; she would do anything, no matter how bizarre, so that her third son could go to school.
Severing ties with relatives is exactly what I wanted; it eliminates all future worries.
“Uncle Village Head, since my grandmother is determined to sever ties with the family, our desperate attempts to persuade her to stay would only make it seem like our eldest branch of the family has ulterior motives.”
To avoid any appearance of impropriety, you would be kind enough to act as a witness.
"Also, we need to revise the contents of the family division agreement. Since we're severing ties, we don't need to give that one tael of silver as a filial tribute anymore."
“You’re right. Once the letter of severance is written, we’ll be like strangers from now on, each going our own way, and there’ll be no more filial piety money.” Wu Baoan nodded in agreement.
Old Mrs. Chen gritted her teeth, "So be it. I'll never see them again. I want to see what this brat is capable of. They'll all starve to death if they leave the Chen family."
Seeing that both sides had made up their minds, Wu Baoan wrote a letter of severance of kinship, and both parties pressed their fingerprints on it. Each party kept a copy, and the village kept a copy as evidence.
Looking at the letter severing ties in his hand, Chen Zhanshan felt a pang of heartache, tears welling in his eyes. He knelt down and respectfully kowtowed three times to Old Man Chen and his wife.
His forehead touched the ground, tears dripping onto the yellow earth. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Father, Mother, your son will not be able to be by your side to fulfill his filial duties from now on. Take care, and I wish you good health and all the best."
Old Mrs. Chen's face was gloomy as she roared, "Get out! Get out of here right now! I want to see how you can live without me!"
Chen Qingqing laughed inwardly, finally distancing herself from these oddballs.
"Don't worry, we'll never get in your way again, and we won't eat a single grain of rice from your house."
You should think about how you're going to live from now on, since no one will be as hardworking and dedicated as my father.
No one else will be like my mother, who not only had to wash the whole family's smelly clothes, but also had to serve you three meals a day.
From now on, you'll have to handle these things yourself!
After she finished speaking, she gave Old Mrs. Chen a provocative smile.
Old Mrs. Chen's heart skipped a beat; it seemed she had acted a bit hastily. However, the thought that they would kneel before her and beg for forgiveness in a few days made her feel relieved.
She snorted coldly, her face unfriendly, "You brat, the day comes when you're crying. Don't come crawling to me like a dog."
At that point, it won't be as simple as just marrying you off to Butcher Li.
I'm going to sell you to a brothel so you can experience all the suffering in the world.
Chen Qingqing scoffed, "Old woman, keep dreaming!"
Hearing Old Mrs. Chen curse her daughter like that, Chen Zhanshan gritted his teeth in anger. He felt guilty for letting his parents down, and his heart ached with guilt.
For such vicious curses to come from one's own mother, what kind of heartless person would treat their granddaughter like that?
He gave a bitter smile. "Mother, don't worry, even if I lead my wife and children to wander the world, I will never sell her."
Everything has settled down.
Wu Baoan sighed helplessly, "Uncle Chen, Auntie, I'm going to say something I shouldn't, please don't take offense."
You have supported the elderly and children's education for so many years, and Zhan Shan and his wife have always worked hard without complaint.
You really shouldn't have tried to take advantage of Qing'er. As parents, what parent would willingly push their child into a fire? Don't you agree?
Old Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes, looking displeased.
"Don't talk like that, it's easy for you to say. What good is a good-for-nothing? Our Chunni got married so that Zhancai could study, and we're doing just fine. It's only his daughter who's being pretentious."
Alright, you've witnessed what you needed to witness. There's nothing more for you here. Go back!
Wu Baoan turned pale with anger. This old lady Chen was truly a scoundrel who only used people when she needed them and discarded them when she didn't.
Although he was dissatisfied, he still patiently said, "Qing'er, life must be tough right after you separated from your family. Try to comfort your parents."
If you encounter any difficulties, remember to come to my house. I will definitely help you if I can.
Chen Qingqing took a large hen from Chen Han and handed it to him, expressing her gratitude with a smile.
"Uncle Village Head, thank you for today. Here, take this chicken."
Wu Baoan waved his hands repeatedly to decline, saying, "This is unacceptable. How can I accept your chickens?"
“Uncle Village Head, please don’t refuse. If it weren’t for your fairness today, we probably wouldn’t even have a place to stay. Please accept this small token of our appreciation.”
"Alright then, I'll take the chicken, but don't be so polite next time."
Wu Baoan's eyes were full of smiles. He had dealt with people all his life and his judgment of people was always accurate.
This young girl is quite worldly-wise and capable; the Chen family will definitely regret it in the future.
He gave a few more instructions before picking up the old hen and turning to leave.
When Old Mrs. Chen saw her give the chicken away, her eyes almost turned red with anger. "You think you can live a good life with this? What a spendthrift!"
Chen Qingqing glanced at her sideways, "These are my chickens. I can give them away to whomever I want. It's none of your business."
Old Chen's heart was bleeding. Such a big old hen, and that brat gave it away without even blinking an eye. Does she even care about her grandparents?
She immediately adopted the authority of an elder and scolded, "You brat, you have no manners at all. How dare you talk to your grandma like that?"
Chen Zhancai also looked pained, "You traitor! We haven't eaten meat in the family for half a year, and you actually gave away such a fat hen! Are you out of your mind?!"
Liu Fengjiao chimed in, "That's right. Even if you call her a money-loser, the eldest son doesn't like it. He treats her like a precious gem. There will come a day when he'll be crying."
Chen Qingqing chuckled lightly, "Whose grandfather are you, and whose grandmother are she? We've already signed a letter severing ties. From today onwards, we're not even family anymore. Do you have the right to interfere in my family's affairs? Don't act like elders and exploit people if you have nothing to do with it."
Old Chen choked so hard his face turned ashen, and he passed out before he could catch his breath.
Old Mrs. Chen screamed in terror, "Old man, don't scare me like that!"
The Chen family members were in a panic, completely flustered...
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