Tang Dayong felt deeply ashamed and resentful.
Tang Laotai wanted to resort to violence, but every time she moved, Tang Tian would scream and cry as if being beaten to death.
The orderly government hall instantly became as noisy as a vegetable market.
The young County Magistrate felt contempt for the Tang family’s behavior. After some thought, he quietly advised, “General Tang, normally this would be your family matter, and I shouldn’t interfere. But since the grievance drum has been struck, I must investigate. You know we undergo annual evaluations, and official reputation is one criterion. I cannot afford to damage mine, and neither can you, General Tang.”
“Perhaps you should consider my suggestion to divorce your wife. Otherwise, if this escalates further, everyone will face difficulties…”
Tang Dayong frowned, beginning to waver.
It wasn’t that he retained any affection for Li Qiushuang and wanted to keep her by his side. Rather, his mother had grown accustomed to Qiushuang’s service, and the three children were his own flesh and blood—he couldn’t let them wander homeless.
But compared to his official career, these concerns seemed insignificant.
Seizing the moment, Tang Tian clung to her mother’s arm and cried, “Mother, Second Grandpa in the village said the capital is where the Emperor lives, with many high officials. Let’s go to the capital and have those officials punish our bad father!”
Li Qiushuang nodded, looking desperately at Tang Dayong as she declared word by word, “If even the capital offers no justice, I will take you children and hang ourselves at the city gate.”
Panic-stricken, Tang Dayong immediately agreed.
“Fine, we’ll divorce then!”
Fearful of missing this opportunity, Tang Tian quickly responded, “Your Honor, since my parents are divorcing, and my father plans to marry the Princess and take Grandmother to enjoy luxury in the capital, shouldn’t our family courtyard—purchased with my mother’s dowry—remain with her and us?”
Before anyone else could speak, Tang Laotai went mad with anguish, throwing herself on the ground in a fit.
“No! Absolutely not! That’s the foundation of our Tang family! No one can touch it! You’re killing me! Robbing me! This little wretch wants to steal my burial money!”
By now, both the spectators outside and the yamen attendants understood the situation completely. Seeing Tang Laotai’s behavior, they couldn’t help but mock her.
“First time I’ve seen someone so shameless!”
“No wonder the daughter-in-law wants a divorce! The mother-in-law is vicious, and the husband is ungrateful! Birds of a feather flock together—all rotten to the core!”
“Exactly! Living off her dowry and still acting entitled! With three young children sick like this, the father should not only return the courtyard but provide additional silver for their support!”
Hearing this, Tang Laotai became even more hysterical, practically scrubbing the yamen’s floor tiles clean with her clothes while spewing endless curses like “little slut” and “jinx.”
The County Magistrate turned away, pretending not to hear.
Tang Dayong burned with such shame he wished he could vanish into the ground. He loudly stopped his mother, then requested the clerk to draft the divorce document, promptly signing it and imprinting his fingerprint.
Li Qiushuang, being literate, gathered her strength to review the document. Only after confirming that the three children and house were indeed left to her did she sign and fingerprint it.
Secretly rejoicing in her heart, Tang Tian saw Tang Dayong preparing to leave and darted out to grab his arm.
“Father, now that you’ve been appointed General, does that mean we’re no longer a Military Household? Since you’re divorcing Mother, does that mean we won’t have to do forced labor for the military camp anymore? Can Big Brother go to school now?”
“Father, since you’re doing a good deed, why not see it through to the end? Please separate our household registration today and give us another path to survival, alright?”
Tang Dayong struggled vigorously, but Tang Tian clung to him like a monkey, holding on tightly.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he couldn’t resort to extreme measures, so he suppressed his anger and requested the clerk to separate the household registration.
The clerk was efficient. Taking Tang Dayong’s official appointment document, he swiftly separated Tang Dayong’s family in no time. The Tangjia Fort household register now only listed Li Qiushuang and her three children, and their status was changed from Military Household to farming household.
Tang Tian tucked the household registration into her bosom, then promptly pulled her mother and brothers to kowtow heavily.
She thanked the impartial official, the skilled clerk, and the righteous villagers who had helped, but didn’t mention Tang Dayong or the Tang family at all!
Tang Dayong’s face turned dark with rage as he led the Tang family out of the county office as if fleeing.
Tang Laotai knew she had embarrassed her son and that Li Qiushuang and her four children had slipped from her grasp, leaving her quite disheartened.
But when Liu Meihua came over and whispered a few words, Tang Laotai immediately took out some copper coins, hired a carriage, and rushed back to Tangjia Fort!
Tang Tian, dragging her dazed mother, supporting her eldest brother, and keeping an eye on her simple-minded second brother, was extremely busy, yet the smile on her face never faded!
Smooth, it was just too smooth!
As long as they were free from the Tang family, she could now fully unleash her abilities and lead her mother and brothers to a life of luxury.
Having survived the brutal apocalypse, the current situation seemed almost too easy.
Of course, she had guessed that Tang Laotai and the others rushing back to Tangjia Fort early were surely plotting to take the family assets.
But she didn’t care. Without these wolves and tigers holding them back, she could earn back any amount of wealth!
However, when she finally dragged her family back to Tangjia Fort at sunset, she was still shocked by the shamelessness of Tang Laotai and the others!
Though Tang Laotai was illiterate, she had mastered the art of leaving a house bare!
The previously well-stocked Tang family courtyard was now stripped of everything except the roof, walls, doors, and windows—not even a blade of grass remained.
Not to mention pots, pans, bowls, utensils, or farming tools; even the half stack of firewood outside the courtyard, which couldn’t be taken away, had been set ablaze.
Against the orange sunset, the wisps of blue smoke were particularly ironic!
Li Qiushuang, who had been barely holding on, could endure no more and fainted once again.
Tang Hai hugged his mother and cried, while Tang Chuan sat on the ground, clenching his fists in hatred, his face turning pale from suppressed anger…
Tang Tian resigned herself to fate and, lifting her sore little legs, was about to seek help.
Fortunately, Second Grandpa Li arrived with his sons and grandsons, along with several villagers.
Third Grandma Tang also emerged, hunched over and leaning on her cane, from the neighbor’s house.
“What a sin!”
Before Tang Tian could explain, everyone had already learned the whole story from the cursing of Tang Laotai and the others, and they had helped extinguish the burning firewood stack.
Third Grandma Tang patted Tang Tian’s head and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, child. Even though your mother is divorced, you still bear the Tang surname and are part of our Tangjia Fort. Settle down and live steadily; no matter how hard it gets, things will slowly improve.”
Tang Tian nodded, her large eyes exceptionally bright.
“Third Grandma is right. I will work hard to earn money, bring a good life to my mother and brothers, and repay everyone for the help you’ve given our family.”
The skinny little girl, looking as if she could be blown over by the wind, made such a solemn promise like an adult, which amused everyone. Of course, no one took her words seriously.
Years later, whenever people recalled this moment, they would sigh deeply for a long time.
Who could have imagined that the words of a little girl would be worth their weight in gold!