The Su family’s second son had just been buried when his wife and children were driven out of the house.
At their feet were a few tattered clothes and two hard quilts filled with black-hearted cotton that the Su family had thrown out.
Su Zhen held her mother, who was crying uncontrollably, while a four- or five-year-old girl with big, fluttering eyes clung to her leg.
She never expected that, having just crossed over into this unfamiliar world, she would face her father’s death and her uncles turning their backs on her.
Quickly digesting the original owner’s memories, Su Zhen felt even more burdened with worry.
Her father had borrowed money for medical treatment and owed five taels of silver to the Gao family.
Her mother, Mrs. Song, was weak-willed, and with a sickly younger sister and a troublesome younger brother, Su Zhen felt the weight on her shoulders was immense.
“Sister-in-law, don’t blame us. The children at home are still waiting to study, and we really can’t afford to repay those five taels of silver!”
“Yes, sister-in-law, go back to your parents’ home! Ah Zhen, hurry and help your mother, leave quickly!”
The Su family uncles were urging them to leave again.
“Cough, cough.”
Perhaps having inhaled a cold breath, the younger sister clinging to her leg suddenly began coughing violently, as if trying to cough up her lungs.
Su Zhen quickly grasped her sister’s small hand and pressed her thumb against the lung meridian acupoint.
Her sister’s coughing finally eased.
“Mother! Sister! Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you!”
A swift figure darted in front of them. Her younger brother, Su Anyu, holding a thick wooden stick as thick as an arm, stood protectively in front of the three of them.
Su Zhen looked up and indeed saw Old Village Chief, supported by his family, appearing at the Su family’s doorstep.
Although this younger brother was reckless and impulsive, he was reliable in his actions. Not only had he brought Old Village Chief, but he had also gathered many villagers.
“Uncle, even if you’re here to plead for them, they still have to leave. Second Brother owed so much money, and the Gao family keeps coming to collect the debt. We really can’t afford to pay.”
Su Eldest crossed his arms, looking as shameless as a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
Before Old Village Chief could speak, Su Zhen stood up and pressed down her brother’s wooden stick. “Who said Village Chief Grandpa is here to plead for us? I invited him to be a witness.”
She glanced at the puzzled Su family members and declared loudly, “We agree to leave and are even willing to sign a severance document. But first, we must divide the family property!”
At the mention of dividing the family, Old Mrs. Su, who had been hiding inside, jumped out, stomping her feet and cursing. “Divide what family! Everything in this house is mine! What right does a little girl like you have to divide the family? Get out of here, the farther the better!”
Old Mr. Su had passed away two years earlier. According to tradition, the family should have been divided then, but Old Mrs. Su had thrown tantrums and refused to allow it, dragging things out until now.
Poor Su family’s second son had worked like an ox for the family during his lifetime, only for his wife and children to be abandoned after his death.
Filled with indignation, Su Zhen snatched her brother’s wooden stick and swept it across the table, sending pots, bowls, and utensils crashing to the ground. “Who said everything in this house is yours? These pots and bowls were bought by my father when he was alive, and the money for building the new house also came from my father’s share! You think we’ll leave without dividing the family? Dream on!”
The Su family men cursed and threatened to beat them, but Su Zhen raised the stick and pointed it at their noses. “Didn’t my father’s debt involve you? If he hadn’t worked himself to exhaustion for this family, how could he have fallen ill? How could he have owed money? If we don’t divide the family, we’ll stay right here. When the Gao family comes, I’ll tell them to collect the money from you! It’s up to you!”
Outsiders wouldn’t care about the details. Without a severance document, Su Second’s debt would remain the debt of the entire Su family, and no one could escape it.
Now the Su family dared not act recklessly, and even began to regret not coaxing them into signing the severance document first.
It was also Su Zhen’s fault—usually quiet and reserved, who would have thought she’d be so fierce when trouble arose!
The old village chief frowned, clutching his stomach, and said loudly, “Su Zhen is right. Her father’s body isn’t even cold yet, and you’re already driving them out. With such heartlessness, will the daughters in your family still find marriage proposals? Will your sons and grandsons hold their heads high in the academy?”
An elderly woman helped up Mrs. Song, who was sobbing uncontrollably, feeling both pity and anger. “Second Son was the most filial while he was alive. How dare you bully his wife and children like this? Aren’t you afraid he’ll come back on the seventh day after his death to settle the score with you?”
The villagers deeply believed in such things. After a long discussion, the Su family finally agreed to divide the household first and then sever ties.
Amid Su Zhen’s reasoned arguments and Old Mrs. Su’s hysterical tantrums, the second branch ultimately received a dilapidated old house, three acres of barren land, and half a bag of Huai yam that had been stored for who knows how long.
As for money, there was no hope—Old Mrs. Su didn’t have much copper cash to begin with.
Although the Su family’s new house was large, it was essentially an empty shell. Su Eldest was lazy and foolish, and Su Third was a spendthrift—sooner or later, the house would be lost.
Even if they hadn’t driven them out, Su Zhen would have found a way to leave the Su family, or else she’d risk being sold off eventually.
The severance document was personally written by the old village chief. Su Zhen carefully read it twice, signed her name, and pressed her bright red thumbprint onto it.
Her younger siblings followed her example, also signing and pressing their thumbprints.
When it was Mrs. Song’s turn, she wept and wailed, unwilling to put pen to paper. “If we sever ties, how will I, as your mother, support the three of you?”
“Mother, they look down on us. Even if we stayed, there’d be no way to survive. Who knows, if the Gao family comes to collect debts someday, they might just push me and my sister out to be sold!”
Su Zhen wasn’t making empty threats—with these ungrateful wolves in the Su family, they were fully capable of doing just that.
Mrs. Song turned deathly pale with fright and, trembling, signed her name as well.
Tucking the severance document safely away, Su Zhen carried the Huai yam and a few old quilts, leading her younger siblings away without looking back.
Just wait and see—she would make a wonderful life for herself, one that would make these ungrateful wolves in the Su family green with envy and jealousy, begging them on their knees to return to the Su family!
The Su family’s old house was located in the eastern part of the village and had been uninhabited for several years.
Inside, the walls were peeling, and the windows and doors didn’t close properly. All the usable tables and chairs had been moved to the new house, leaving behind only those missing legs or wobbling unevenly. The dishes in the cupboard were scattered haphazardly, each one chipped or cracked.
Several of the side rooms had mostly collapsed, and the kitchen roof was so flimsy that you could look up and see birds flying past.
Still, this was far better than Su Zhen had imagined. As long as they had a place to live and hands to work with, why fear being unable to repay those five taels of silver?
Su Zhen brushed away the thick layer of dust on the table, thinking that her late father had often taken care of this old house while he was alive—perhaps, in some way, he had left his wife and children a shelter from the wind and rain.
Su Anyu was already twelve years old. As soon as he entered the house, he found a rusty sickle, sharpened it a little, and went to the yard to cut the weeds.
The dust inside was heavy, and her younger sister, A-Qiao, covered her mouth and began coughing again.
Su Zhen quickly massaged her fingers and then checked her pulse by placing her hand on A-Qiao’s wrist.
Her lungs and spleen were weak, and her constitution was frail. She had likely taken quite a bit of medicine, but as the saying goes, “medicine is three parts poison.” A child so young couldn’t withstand years of herbal decoctions.
Fortunately, they had just received some Huai yam from the division of the household. If only they had some millet as well, they could cook millet and yam porridge to nourish her little sister.
Mrs. Song watched for a long while before leaning closer. “A-Zhen, you know how to treat illnesses? When did you learn medicine?”
The original host had never studied medicine. The one truly knowledgeable in medicine was Su Zhen, the modern medical student who had crossed over.
However, a little farm girl who knew nothing suddenly becoming a medical expert would surely be seen as a monster.
She needed to find an appropriate excuse to brush it off.
“I don’t really understand much. It’s just that when Father was sick, I watched and asked a lot by his side. The doctor saw I was eager to learn and kindly explained a few things to me.”
Mrs. Song breathed a sigh of relief, took her hand, and carefully advised, “Good child, since you haven’t studied medicine, don’t go treating others. If something goes wrong, we can’t afford to compensate!”
Su Zhen was speechless. So even in ancient times, they feared medical disputes!
The few of them tidied up the house a bit, and in the evening, they boiled a few pieces of Chinese yam to make do. Although the food and lodging were poor, Su Zhen felt at ease—finally, she no longer had to listen to the Su family’s sarcastic remarks.
Just as she lay down to sleep, she suddenly heard loud banging on the door next door.
A young man sounded on the verge of tears. “Father! Mother! A-Lian has a fever, and her whole body is cold! What should we do?”