After Transmigration, I Picked Up A Husband and Daughter
Chapter 149: The Letter of Severance

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: The Letter of Severance

Upon hearing this, Su Yu involuntarily rolled her eyes and internally let out a wry smile, thinking that today there would have been a clean break, yet all her efforts turned out to be in vain.

Aunt Zhou, ever so astute, spotted Su Yu’s dissatisfaction in an instant, and before the younger woman could even speak up, she appeased her, "Don’t worry, we’ll continue as before. It’s just an extra agreement to live our separate destinies, without meddling in each other’s affairs."

Aunt Zhou had originally planned to take advantage of the situation to gain some benefits from Su Yu, but her scheme had not played out as expected, and instead, the sharp gaze of the young woman had fixed on her, as if seeing right through her.

Well then, since that’s the case, it’s better for everyone not to play any more tricks.

"Isn’t this just the same as severing our relationship?"

Su Yu challenged.

Aunt Zhou’s eyebrows furrowed, then she relented, "Alright, let’s do as you say."

"How can that be okay? Ziling is my son, I won’t be the first to consent to severing our relationship."

Jiang Xunzhong, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up.

No matter how much personal desire he harbored, the blood ties of kinship were something he couldn’t renounce.

However, Jiang Ziling replied calmly, "I agree."

Those words shocked everyone in the room.

Jiang Ziling confirmed again, "I agree to sever our relationship."

Jiang Xunzhong’s eyes instantly reddened, "Ziling, I know I’ve let you down too much in the past... but from now on, I’ll try my best to make it up to you. I am, after all, your father, how can you bear to sever our relationship..."

Jiang Ziling looked up, his gaze icy as he stared directly at Jiang Xunzhong, "You’ve never spoken to us brothers of owing or compensation because, from start to finish, your heart held only yourself..."

"Mother had barely been gone a year, I wasn’t even of age yet, and you were already hastily remarrying."

"After Jiang Youfu was born and you thought you had a successor, you turned a blind eye to how this woman neglected us. You were weak, inept... you simply don’t deserve to be our father."

"Do you think the occasional display of a bit of warmth can make up for all the neglect?"

"If it hadn’t been for Jiang Youfu’s death, you probably would still be turning a blind eye, wouldn’t you?"

Jiang Ziling spoke vehemently, his forehead veins bulging, his emotions heightened to the extreme.

Su Yu looked at the man who showed no attempt to hide his anger and determination and felt a surge of indescribable exhilaration.

For those hypocritical parents who were one thing to your face and another behind your back, it was better to tear off that veil of pretense sooner rather than later. Instead of depleting oneself in pain, one might as well stand tall and defiant.

Such courage commanded respect and made her feel a profound sense of gratification!

Each word from Jiang Ziling was like a sharp blade, slicing through the silence of the air and piercing straight into Jiang Xunzhong’s heart.

Lines of mixed guilt and helplessness trailed down his face, his trembling voice full of helplessness, "I, I too had my difficulties..."

This plaintive defense, uttered with a sob, seemed to want to pour out years of bitterness, yet it was stuck in his throat.

Hearing this, Su Yu let out a slight snort of coldness from her nose, a sound laden with too many emotions—dissatisfaction, disappointment, and a faint, barely detectable pity.

Her gaze seemed to penetrate the superficial words, seeing directly to the essence of things.

The dereliction of duty of Jiang Xunzhong as a father could not be covered up by a few words of hardship; the responsibility ultimately could not be shrugged off.

The Old Village Chief watched the scene before him with mixed emotions and ultimately let out a long sigh. He patted Jiang Xunzhong’s shoulder, a gesture of elder care for the younger generation as well as a helpless letting go.

"You deal with this matter for them, I’m not too familiar with the specific circumstances, talking too much might actually be inappropriate, I’ll take my leave first."

As Old Village Chief’s voice faded, he slowly turned around, his steps revealing the world-weariness and exhaustion.

He had originally thought it was just an ordinary family conflict, and being the former village chief, he might have been able to mediate, but the reality turned out to be much more complex than he had imagined.

Ziling’s predicament evoked his sympathy—a life stalked by misfortunes; with a long sigh, he was filled with sentiments about the impermanence of the world.

"Take care,"

The village chief respectfully saw off the Old Village Chief and turned around to re-enter the epicenter of this family storm.

He looked at Jiang Ziling, his eyes holding both expectation and concern, "Ziling, have you really thought it through?"

Jiang Ziling’s response was a firm nod, without a moment’s hesitation, his eyes sparkling with an unprecedented decisiveness, "No regrets."

Hearing this, the village chief sighed again and turned to Fang Qin and Xie Xinghua; the fates of these two women were also being inexorably entangled at this moment.

"What about you? Are you willing to live separately?"

Fang Qin shook her head almost immediately, her decisiveness clearly visible in her action.

She knew her limitations well; relying on life with Aunt Zhou made it difficult for her to let go, not to mention facing the hardships of life alone with a child—the choice would undeniably be foolish for her.

Xie Xinghua, however, was deeply conflicted.

Her heart wavered between a desire to escape from Lady Zhao’s authority and the fear of the uncertainties of the future.

On one hand, she longed for freedom, to rid herself of the persistent oppression; on the other, she feared that life would plunge into endless darkness without the support of her family.

In the end, under Su Yu’s expectant gaze, she slowly shook her head, and at that moment, a subtle sense of loss flashed through Su Yu’s heart—an unfulfilled yearning for a brighter future.

Jiang Wangshan, as the eldest brother, naturally understood what Xie Xinghua’s choice entailed.

If the separation went through, the second branch would surely not stand idly by. Yet, thinking of his sister-in-law’s situation, Jiang Wangshan’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Life is like a play, everyone follows their destiny; he thought sometimes people can only choose for themselves and bear the consequences alone.

Xie Xinghua hadn’t anticipated that her hesitation and weakness would be the prelude to future hardships.

In the end, life returned to its former course, the second branch still doing as they pleased, while the elderly couple, along with the first and third branches, cramped together.

Only now, Jiang Ziling held an estrangement letter in his hand, drawing a clear and cold boundary around this relationship.

Su Yu had thought that all the turmoil could finally come to an end, but unexpectedly, Lady Zhao stirred up new troubles.

Her voice was sharp and cold, "Now that you think you’re capable, wanting to completely leave this home, fine, from today on, you can’t touch anything in the house."

Before Su Yu could fully grasp the weight of those words, Lady Zhao, in rapid succession, continued her onslaught, "The room you live in, the side chambers, the backyard vegetable plot, and your share of the fields and grains—all must be returned. I want to see how you and your wife and children will survive without the support of the family!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ziling’s body shuddered violently, clearly taken aback by Lady Zhao’s sudden and ruthless demands.

This wasn’t about resolving issues; it was about forcing someone into a corner!

Su Yu stood silently aside, keenly capturing the subtle expressions of everyone present, her heart stirring with undercurrents.

She knew a greater storm was impending.