She was determined to teach this foolish girl a lesson today!
Burning with rage, Old Madam Shen grabbed a broom from nearby and swung it toward Shen Youyou. Startled, Li Shi hurriedly stood up to block her, pleading nonstop:
“Mother, Youyou didn’t mean it! Please don’t hit her—if you must hit someone, hit me instead! She’s just a child, don’t lower yourself to her level!”
Old Madam Shen ignored her entirely. While looking for an opening to strike Shen Youyou, she cursed loudly:
“This is outrageous! How dare you hit your elder! You stupid girl—see if I don’t beat you to death today!”
Shen Youyou was getting fed up too. This old hag just wouldn’t stop, huh?
She reached out directly, gripping Old Madam Shen’s arm tightly, and said coldly:
“Let me tell you something. If you still want this arm, you’d better listen to my mother and obediently give her ten taels of silver for the family separation. Otherwise, I don’t mind crippling your arm.”
Old Madam Shen’s arm hurt unbearably, but she refused to give in. Instead, she started wailing at the top of her lungs:
“Oh heavens! Old man! Eldest son! Come out quickly! This is rebellion! This stupid girl is beating her grandmother! Hurry and come out!”
At her shrill cries, everyone inside the house rushed out. A tall, burly man stepped forward to grab Shen Youyou—only to be thrown to the ground by her with a single counter-move.
What a joke. She had survived in the apocalypse for years and killed countless zombies with her own hands. When it came to combat, ordinary people were no match for her.
Only after everyone had been knocked down did Old Madam Shen finally beg for mercy:
“Let go of me! I’ll agree, alright? It’s just ten taels of silver—I’ll give it to you! But… are you really that foolish girl? How are you not stupid anymore? And since when did you get such strength?”
Shen Youyou had no interest in fighting. Seeing her give in, she released her grip.
“Genuine, no substitutions. What, was I supposed to stay stupid my whole life? That has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and get the money.”
Seeing her daughter so strong and speaking so clearly, tears streamed down Li Shi’s face uncontrollably. She had always believed her daughter wouldn’t stay foolish forever. Thank heavens—just when their family was at its hardest, her daughter had regained her sanity.
Under Shen Youyou’s violent intimidation, Old Madam Shen finally handed over the ten taels of silver. All she wanted now was to get rid of this burden of a family. She added sharply:
“Don’t ever come back asking me for food again. Even if you starve to death outside, I won’t care. Qiu’er, go write a family separation agreement. From now on, the Shen family has nothing to do with Shen He’s family. We’ll cut ties completely—never to interact again!”
Shen Qiu nodded and went inside to write it.
He was the only one in the Shen family who could read and write, so only he could draft the agreement.
Although he felt his grandmother was somewhat heartless, when he thought about how supporting Second Uncle’s family might mean he couldn’t afford his tuition anymore, any sympathy vanished.
This was their fate. No one else could be blamed.
After finishing the document, he brought out two copies and handed them over.
At that moment, Shen He—who had been lying inside—had already been carried out by Shen Youyou and seated on a bench outside. One of his legs was a bloody mess, the injury clearly severe and obviously untreated.
If it was delayed any longer, that leg would truly be ruined.
While inside, he had heard everything that happened outside.
He never imagined his own mother could be so heartless toward him and his family. He had known since childhood that she favored his elder brother, but he could never understand why she despised him so much.
Now that he could no longer earn money, she couldn’t wait to drive them out.
His heart turned completely cold. In that moment, the bond between mother and son was utterly severed.
He had also heard his daughter’s voice. He never thought his Youyou would regain her sanity.
He was truly happy—but the road ahead felt impossibly hard. While he rejoiced at his daughter’s recovery, he was overwhelmed by uncertainty about the future.
Forget it. Even if they couldn’t survive, he would never trouble the Shen family again.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Since they despised each other, why force it?
Shen Youyou looked at them and said:
“Living here isn’t that great anyway. Why don’t you come up the mountain with me? My thatched hut is simple, but it’s a place to stay. At least there won’t be so many awful people jumping around—peace and quiet.”
She truly hadn’t expected to encounter something like this the moment she came down the mountain.
But no matter what, these were the family of this body. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. It wasn’t easy for her to have family—she couldn’t let them die so easily.
In the apocalypse, she had been an orphan. The only person close to her was the orphanage director. After moving to a big city to study and work, she only returned once a year to see the younger kids at the orphanage.
She cherished family deeply.
Though her parents seemed weak, they still had principles. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have protected her, the foolish daughter, or endured hardship day after day, trekking up the mountain to bring her food.
They weren’t hateful.
Li Shi looked at her daughter with relief and said:
“Alright. As long as our family stays together, it doesn’t matter where we live.”
Shen Youyou glanced at the items in the house and said:
“Take all the essentials. Don’t leave a single thing for that old witch!”
Shen Nan immediately became excited.
“Okay! We’ll take everything—listen to big sister!”
As he spoke, he started packing.
After leaving the house, Shen Youyou frowned slightly. How were they supposed to carry so many things and her father up the mountain? She could carry her father at most—but her mother and younger brother couldn’t manage the rest.
Just as she was worrying, Li Shi returned pushing a rickety wooden cart.
Seeing her, Li Shi smiled and said:
“Youyou, come help me lift your father onto the cart. We’ll push him along with the things.”
Although the family had been driven out today, Li Shi felt light-hearted. With ten taels of silver, her husband’s leg could at least be properly treated. As long as it didn’t leave permanent damage, they wouldn’t starve in the future.
They would endure it—better than being bullied in that courtyard.
And her daughter was cured.
For her, this was a day of great joy.
How could she not be happy? How could she not feel relieved?
Thus, the family of four pushed the cart and headed up the mountain.
The road was rough and uphill, but for Shen Youyou—whose strength was extraordinary—it was nothing more than a trivial task.