After Transmigration, I Picked Up A Husband and Daughter
Chapter 150: Staunch Denial

Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Staunch Denial

Such moments were like mirrors, best reflecting the ravines and waves within one’s heart.

The warm and courteous smiles of the ordinary days, like thin ice upon warmth, melted instantly at the critical juncture. Those real emotions and calculations hidden in the recesses of the heart, could no longer be restrained, quietly surfacing.

The village chief’s brows were tightly knit, his tone laced with a hint of hesitation not easily noticed: "Aunt Zhou, this... seems somewhat improper."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou’s eyes held a resoluteness as cold as ice, her voice leaving no room for negotiation, "What is inappropriate about it? Since he wishes to sever this relationship, then let it be cut off completely and cleanly, leaving not a trace of attachment."

Uncle Li sighed, attempting to appeal to emotions, "Yufen, after all, Ziling shares the blood of the Jiang Family. By doing this, aren’t you forcing the child onto a dead end?"

"Bloodline? Once this severance document is signed today, within the threshold of the Jiang Family, this person will cease to exist. Uncle Li, let us not discuss this matter further."

Aunt Zhou’s words passed through like a cold wind, leaving no room for negotiation.

Seeing this, Uncle Li could only turn his hopeful gaze towards Jiang Xunzhong, who had remained silent throughout, "Xunzhong, what do you think?"

Jiang Xunzhong, although feeling that Lady Zhao’s actions were excessive, still harbored a glimmer of hope, fantasizing that Jiang Ziling would back down under such pressure and abandon the thought of severing ties.

Therefore, he chose silence, merely turning away gently, his back appearing exceptionally heavy and lonely.

"Ah, you are truly muddled to the core."

Uncle Li shook his head, his tone filled with helplessness and sighs.

Standing to the side, Su Yu looked at Jiang Xunzhong with complex eyes, initially thinking there was still a bit of protection for Jiang Ziling amid the dispute with Lady Zhao, hoping he had not lost all humanity.

But at this moment, that last bit of hope burst like a bubble, leaving behind a cold reality — it was all but superficial hypocrisy.

Just as Su Yu was about to speak, Xie Xinghua suddenly knelt down before Lady Zhao with a thud, shocking everyone present.

Su Yu tensed, wondering what Xie Xinghua intended by this action.

Xie Xinghua’s voice trembled, tears accompanying her words, "Mother-in-law, although Ziling’s proposal to sever the bloodline is an unforgivable act, he also once gave his all for this family, his sweat soaking through his clothes. This house was built brick by brick by Ziling and Changping before that misfortune happened. I beg you, for the sake of their hard work, leave them a place to shelter from the wind and rain!"

Moved to emotion, Xie Xinghua couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, recalling her husband confined to bed, his body so weak he had trouble getting up, his main concern beyond her and their child being Ziling, his younger brother.

If not for that unforeseen disaster, how could their lives have come to such a state today!

Xie Xinghua’s heart ached for Jiang Ziling as well as for her own plight.

Su Yu looked at Xie Xinghua, who bravely stood up, and felt an unprecedented respect surge within her. She decided to etch this emotion deeply into her memory.

However, faced with Xie Xinghua’s earnest plea, Lady Zhao was not only unmoved but became even angrier. A loud slap landed on Xie Xinghua’s face. "Wretched woman, what makes you think you have the right to speak here? Are you suggesting that everything the Jiang Family has is thanks to your half-dead husband and a cripple? Should I be grateful to them?"

The force of the slap was so strong that it sent Xie Xinghua sprawling to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

The air around seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of Xie Xinghua’s pained gasps.

Witnessing their mother’s humiliation, Xie Xinghua’s three daughters immediately rushed forward.

Da Ya and Er Ya quickly shielded their mother, their angry gazes piercing Lady Zhao like swords.

And San Ya, young but fearless of authority, grabbed a broom from nearby and pointed it at Lady Zhao. Her voice was youthful but carried an undeniable firmness, "If you dare to lay a finger on my mother again, I will teach you a lesson with this broom!"

Lady Zhao, confident in the timidity of Xie Xinghua’s family, did not bother to hide her disdain and sense of control, "Teach me a lesson? Had it not been for me keeping you alive, you would have starved to death on the streets by now. What business do you have to be so insolent in front of me?"

Her words were crude and unreasonable, leaving Xie Xinghua simply glaring at her with wide eyes, her heart raging with indignation but ultimately unable to utter a word of rebuttal.

The scene was one of helplessness and sorrow, displaying the complexity and contradictions of human nature in full measure.

Lady Zhao’s laughter contained a mix of sharpness and scorn, her eyebrows slightly raised as if relishing the shame she inflicted with her words.

"What, are you feeling unpleased? If you truly have the ability, just like those young people who strike out on their own, then take these home-wreckers and try making a living out there! But in the end, you lack the courage, always ending up groveling at my doorstep for survival. With your own rice bin nearly empty, you still have the leisure to worry about others’ affairs? Who gave you such audacity?"

Seeing this, Su Yu could no longer hold back her sense of injustice. She frowned slightly, her tone carrying a touch of helplessness and reprimand, "Look at the scars on your arms that have yet to fade. Has the pain so quickly vanished from your memory?"

Her words hid memories of past hardships and dissatisfaction with Lady Zhao’s mocking and ridicule.

"Those two wing rooms, along with the two plots of good farmland behind the house, were all conditions mutually agreed upon when I extended a helping hand to you in your time of need. Uncle Li can bear witness; he was there at the time, a witness to it all. Even though years have passed, and his memory may not be as clear as it once was, the contract is still there, clear as day, with its inked characters and stamped seal. It stands as irrefutable proof—how can it be denied?"

"As for the small house Ziling once lived in, and the paddy fields and rice you mentioned, we are willing to return them all without any objections. However, Ziling has sweated and toiled for this family for many years, and he deserves a fair compensation based on the going labor rate."

A trace of surprise flitted across Lady Zhao’s face, obviously not expecting this argument, but Su Yu continued without pause, "Since the age of nineteen when Ziling was gravely injured, he had been working tirelessly under your command since he was six years old, adding up to a full thirteen years. If we calculate at 365 days a year, at a daily wage of the lowest thirty wen, it amounts to one hundred and forty-two taels of silver, plus 350 wen in copper coins. Out of consideration, I will be generous and round down the figure, asking for only one hundred and forty taels of silver in total. Silver settled, how about that?"

Su Yu finished her speech in one breath and then extended her hand, her attitude resolute as she demanded the owed compensation.

Lady Zhao stood rooted to the spot for a moment, and as she came to her senses, sweat beads appeared on her forehead, her face filled with disbelief.