Sun Yuzhen took a precious sip of her brown sugar water, smacked her lips, and began to get straight to the point.
“Guifang, you must have seen the scene today where Heqing’s aunt chased him with a kitchen knife. If this continues, someone is going to lose their life! I brought Heqing here to ask you to help him separate from the family.”
Zhang Guifang frowned upon hearing this. It was not that she did not want to help. Ordinarily, when a young man in the village got married and didn’t have enough space, or when a family had internal conflicts and wanted to live independently, her family had often helped organize such divisions. However, the boy in front of her was clearly still a naive teenager. How would he survive living alone? What kind of situation would it be to separate him from the family?
She had indeed seen today’s farce. In all honesty, it wasn’t that she didn’t sympathize with this child who lived under someone else’s roof and had to cater to their every whim. But sympathy aside, officially registering a separate household for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child was simply unreasonable. Even if the village chief agreed, his grandparents might not, and if this really went through, who knew if the Liu family’s reputation would be shredded by outsiders’ gossip.
Seeing Zhang Guifang’s conflicted expression, Liu Yu knew he could no longer remain silent and play the role of the victim.
“Auntie, I didn’t want to leave either. I also wanted to have people to protect me, just like my cousins. But I truly cannot survive in that home anymore. Living without enough to eat or wear is one thing, but I have to endure their humiliation every single day. Since no one there is willing to look after me, it would actually be better to move out and live on my own.”
It was indeed the truth, and Zhang Guifang understood it. She opened her mouth, hesitant, but there was finally a hint of wavering in her eyes.
Sun Yuzhen, who had a quick temper, said, “Oh, Guifang, what is there to hesitate about? We are just asking you to act as a mediator. Whether it happens or not is another matter. Their family is in the wrong anyway. Could the Liu Weibao household dare to hold a grudge against you because of this later?”
Liu Yu seized the opportunity and added, “Auntie, after my parents passed away, I was the only one on my household registration. I don’t even need to move my registration. I only need an abandoned shack; I’d even be willing to pay for it. Besides, I’ll be fifteen at the New Year.”
Zhang Guifang was very conflicted. On one hand, she felt Liu Heqing was truly pitiful; on the other, she was worried her good intentions would lead to a bad outcome, leaving her trapped in the middle.
After deep contemplation, she replied tactfully, “This isn’t an easy matter. Why don’t you wait until my husband returns from town, and I will discuss it with him. Rest assured, if he says it can be done, he will certainly get it done for you.”
After leaving the village chief’s house, Liu Yu followed Sun Yuzhen to stay at her home. He had no choice; after provoking Li Cuihong, there was no way he could return there tonight.
Liu Yu lay on the bed that had been specially prepared for him and let out a long sigh of relief. Based on what he had learned about the village chief and his wife from his great-aunt, he knew this would likely be resolved.
So many things had happened in just two days since he transmigrated. Even as an adult with a mental age of over twenty, he could barely handle it. It was no wonder the original owner hadn’t been able to hang on.
Liu Yu’s heart was a mix of emotions: sympathy for the original owner’s plight, gratitude for his second chance at life, appreciation for his great-aunt and Aunt Guifang for their kindness, and a lingering fear and unease about being in this unfamiliar world.
He had spent the entire day in a state of high tension and was already physically and mentally exhausted. Lying on the clean and tidy bed, he let his mind wander for a moment before falling into a deep sleep.
Liu Yu finally had a good night’s rest. Outside the window, there were no longer any earsplitting, sharp scolding voices. His great-aunt, likely being considerate, left him breakfast and went to work in the fields without waking him.
He ate a boiled sweet potato, drank a bowl of cornmeal porridge, and began to sweep the inside and outside of the house. He wondered how the conversation between Aunt Guifang and the village chief had gone. Just as he was thinking about it, he heard a few knocks on the courtyard gate.
He peeked through the gap in the door and saw it was Aunt Guifang, so he quickly opened the door and welcomed her in.
“Your great-aunt and the others aren’t home, so I won’t come inside,” Zhang Guifang said while standing in the courtyard. “I came to let you know that your uncle has agreed to what you asked about last night.”
“Really?” Although he knew it would likely happen, Liu Yu was still very happy to hear the confirmation.
Zhang Guifang gave him a light pat on the back of his head and said, “Of course it’s true! Would I lie to a kid like you? Get yourself ready; at noon, I’ll take you back to discuss this with your family.”
“Thank you, Auntie and the Village Chief, for being willing to help me.” Liu Yu looked at her with intense eagerness, knowing he would soon be free from a family that felt nothing for him.
Zhang Guifang lowered her voice and said, “Don’t get too happy too soon. The people in your family aren’t easy to deal with. There are some things we outsiders can’t say for you. If you want something, you have to fight for it yourself. Since you want to separate, at least try to save up some foundation for your future.”
Liu Yu knew she was reminding him not to forget to demand more items. There was no way he would forget. Never mind the pots and pans; he absolutely had to demand the return of the few hundred yuan the original owner had handed over. How could they get away with taking the boy’s money and then abusing him?
Liu Yu had no appetite for lunch. He ran to the fields to tell his great-aunt and then followed the village chief toward his own home.
On the road, the village chief carried a small military-green bag with a stoic expression. Liu Yu knew that was just his character, stern and old-fashioned, though he was actually more fair and passionate than anyone else. So, he didn’t pay it any mind and occupied himself by mentally preparing for the upcoming battle.
“Village Chief, are you here for something?” Second Aunt Zhou Hongxia came out to meet them. She had been plucking vegetables outside the yard. Seeing Liu Yu trailing behind, she seemed to guess what was happening and asked with a sheepish tone.
The village chief still didn’t give her a pleasant look. He glanced at her and said, “Yes, I brought Heqing here to discuss something with your family. Is your father-in-law here?”
“Yes, he is! He’s in the backyard. I’ll take you to him,” Zhou Hongxia said, scrambling to her feet to greet them. She smiled, but her heart was thumping. She felt something big was about to happen and decided to find an excuse to take the children far away later to avoid bad luck.
Liu Weibao was shoveling pig manure in the backyard and was quite startled to see the village chief enter.
Before he could think, he greeted him politely: “Yucai, why are you here today? Have you eaten? Would you like to have some at our place later?”
“No need, Uncle. I’ll just eat when I get home. As you can see, I brought Heqing today because I want to discuss something with your family.” The village chief didn’t drag it out and went straight to the point: “Heqing told me he wants to establish a separate household. I thought he was old enough, so I brought him here to discuss it with you.”
Liu Yu silently gave the village chief a thumbs up in his heart. It was no wonder he was the village chief; he was truly efficient and didn’t beat around the bush.
“Huh?” Liu Weibao was stunned for a full half-minute, unable to understand what this meant. Separate? Was it what he thought?
It didn’t matter if he didn’t understand. The village chief dealt with elderly people every day and knew exactly how to communicate effectively, so he repeated himself in detail.
Liu Weibao finally understood and said emotionally: “How can that be? Even if he is a child, our family can still afford to feed him if we cut back on rice. If he really leaves, wouldn’t the reputation of our Liu family be ruined by people in and out of the village? The child is ignorant and just saying things on a whim. You are the village chief; how can you let him act so foolishly?”
“Grandfather, I am not being foolish!” Liu Yu felt his emotions rise. “You say wanting to live independently is foolish, but every day I am beaten and scolded by Auntie and my cousin at will. Every day they eat a full bowl of porridge while I am only allowed half. I am assigned more work than them; why don’t you say a word about them being foolish?”
How many people in this family treated the original owner like a human being? The more Liu Yu spoke, the more his heart ached.
Footsteps approached. Liu Yu turned his head and saw his cheap aunt had returned. She had arrived at the perfect time; without her assistance, it would be very difficult to get things done.
“You little parasite, you dare to come back!” Li Cuihong’s blood pressure skyrocketed the moment she saw him. She didn’t even notice the village chief standing right there, wishing she could kill him with a hoe on the spot.
Liu Weibao’s face turned crimson with shame, and he roared, “Shut up!”
Li Cuihong trembled, not daring to make another sound.
He had originally wanted to say something to make Liu Yu change his mind and also save face in front of the village chief. Now, because of Li Cuihong’s arrival, all decorum was lost. She had insulted her nephew right in front of the village chief; it was obvious she was used to being arrogant.
The village chief, whose face was already stern, turned as black as ink. He frowned and stared at Li Cuihong for a long time before turning his gaze back to Liu Weibao.
Standing behind him, Liu Yu bent down and pursed his lips, almost laughing out loud. One shouldn’t fear a god-like opponent, but rather a pig-like teammate. He was certain that his grandfather despised Li Cuihong above all else right now, and he himself was probably a distant second.
“Separate then, separate! I’m old and can’t manage things anymore. If he wants to live on his own, let him.” Liu Weibao didn’t want to argue anymore. After that meaningful glance from the village chief, he just wanted to find a hole to crawl into. If word got out that he couldn’t even manage a daughter-in-law and allowed her to bully his own grandson, his reputation of seventy years would be completely destroyed.
Success? It was done? Liu Yu had a basket full of ultimate moves that he hadn’t even used yet, and Li Cuihong had facilitated it with a single sentence. This tool was incredibly useful.
Hearing this, the village chief quickly took out a small notebook and a fountain pen from his bag. Liu Yu knew it was time for the property division. Once the property was divided, he could completely escape this home. He didn’t hesitate and said directly, “Grandfather, when I first came here, I brought 370 yuan. You and Grandma said you would save it for me. I thought that since I was living here, the money would serve as my living expenses. But now that I am moving out, I have to pay for all my food and necessities, so I am wondering if you can return some of that money to me?”
Li Cuihong was really anxious now. Wasn’t the money in her in-laws’ hands meant for her eldest branch’s family? Once it was given out, there was no way to get it back!
Besides, this was 370 yuan, not some small change. How could they just return it? She was as restless as an ant on a hot pan and couldn’t say a word. She headed straight to the kitchen; she had to call for reinforcements!
The old woman was dragged over by Li Cuihong, staring at Liu Yu with gloomy eyes, as if she wanted to peel his skin off. “Heqing, you are the one who insisted on moving out, not because the family didn’t want to support you and forced you out. If you want the money back, just say so; why make such a scene?”
Liu Yu was speechless.
In fact, even now, he couldn’t understand why Li Cuihong hated him, which was understandable, but even his biological grandparents harbored such malice toward him. Liu Yu had no way of knowing the reason.
Regardless, Liu Yu was almost amused by the old woman’s blatant attempt to shift the blame. Did she really think he was a soft persimmon that could be squeezed without making a sound?
“Grandma, you are right. I am here today because I want the money back. It is the last of my parents’ savings. My intention in handing it over was for it to be my living expenses. Who knew that during my time here, I would be left hungry and cold every day and still be beaten and scolded? I think it would be better to live on my own!” Liu Yu delivered a direct blow that caught the old woman off guard.
“You…”
The old woman had never imagined that the eldest grandson, who usually never fought back when beaten or scolded, would become so sharp-tongued. She was momentarily speechless.
Liu Weibao was truly exhausted. It wasn’t enough that Li Cuihong had a pig-like brain, but she had even brought along an accomplice to sabotage him.
“Alright, since it is your money, we wouldn’t intentionally covet it,” Liu Weibao explained. “However, the costs for your father’s tomb, the funeral banquet after the accident, and your living expenses for the past two years all add up to about one hundred yuan, so we can only give you two hundred and seventy.”