Father Xu immediately reacted, rushing over to stop Old Mrs. Xu. "Mother, you can't do this! If you take it, how will our family survive? You can't be so biased!"
Old Mrs. Xu stopped, looking at Father Xu in disbelief. "What did you say? I'm biased? You ungrateful wretch, if it weren't for me, you would have starved to death long ago. You..."
She turned, aiming her anger at Mother Xu. "You blind woman, did you whisper poison in my son's ear? My son isn't like this."
"Enough, Mother. Please leave, and don't come over unless necessary in the future. During festivals, I won't shortchange you and Father on what is due for filial piety."
Old Mrs. Xu suddenly rushed to the middle of the courtyard and sat on the ground, crying loudly. "Oh, this old woman is going to die! My own son wants to sever ties with me for an outsider. Waaah..."
This was the first time Father Xu had acted so forcefully against Old Mrs. Xu's wishes, making it very difficult for her to accept.
Mother Xu, standing nearby, couldn't help but secretly wipe away tears. She shakily reached out and whispered to Father Xu, "Husband, perhaps you should just give the things to Mother. Why cause such a scene?"
"No!"
Before Father Xu could object, Xu Jianing, who had been holding back, spoke up unhappily. "Mother, you can't keep indulging them like this."
"Uncle's family is much better off than ours. Why haven't we seen them send us anything? Why should they always get their way!"
If they wouldn't let them live comfortably, then no one would.
In a fit of anger, Xu Jianing walked to the main gate and threw the courtyard door wide open.
She guessed many people had finished eating and were preparing to go work in the fields, so she deliberately shouted outside, "Aunts, Uncles, Elders, everyone come quickly! My own Grandmother is here to force us to death!"
Although Xu Jianing and her family lived in a remote corner, her shout was heard by many people preparing to leave.
Soon, people gathered around.
A plump-looking old woman asked curiously, "Ning'er girl, what's going on? Has your grandmother come here to cause trouble again?"
The old woman's voice was neither too loud nor too quiet, just enough for the people inside the courtyard to hear.
Old Mrs. Xu stopped crying and jumped up. "You old woman, what nonsense are you spouting? What do you mean 'again'? Go away, don't listen to this little girl talking nonsense."
That old woman was no easy person to deal with and quickly retorted sharply, "What's wrong? Do you think we are blind? Weren't you just sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum? At your age, aren't you ashamed?"
Old Mrs. Xu rushed over in a few steps. "What did you say? Watch me tear your mouth apart!"
Soon, the two women were wrestling.
Just then, Xu Da Bo arrived with a few people. "Stop it! Mother, why did you come to Second Child's house without even eating? Come on, let's go back."
Seeing her eldest son, Old Mrs. Xu seemed to find her backbone and complained aggrievedly, "Eldest Brother, this old woman can't go on living. Your brother wants to sever ties with me and stop me from coming here."
"And this little girl, she doesn't care about family shame, calling all these people over to watch the spectacle. What kind of behavior is that?"
Xu Da Bo frowned. He walked over to Father Xu and asked, "Second Brother, no matter what, this is our mother. How could you say such a thing as severing ties?"
"Our mother?" Father Xu snorted. "That's *your* mother! Shouldn't you be asking her why I want to sever ties?"
"My good Mother, hearing your family's girl say I went hunting, she came here demanding things without even eating."
"She not only wanted the leftover Chicken Soup but also wanted everything I hunted to take back to you. Don't you know the situation of our family? We only have this meager supply of food left; search if you don't believe me."
"She called my wife blind and called my child a useless little girl. Is that something a real mother would do? Ning'er wasn't wrong; she is trying to force our entire family to death!"
Xu Da Bo gave a weak smile. "Second Brother, Mother is confused, don't take it to heart. You know she's always been like this."
Father Xu ignored him and turned to Mother Xu beside him. "Su Niang, all these years, I've made you and the children suffer grievances following me."
"Eldest Brother, you are right, this isn't the first time this has happened."
"I was truly muddled, always thinking we were one family, so I let her take things. But look at the people in your family, and then look at us—aren't we all thin and sickly?"
Xu Da Bo couldn't smile anymore. He quietly reminded him, "Second Brother, whatever the issue, let's discuss it privately behind closed doors as one family. It's not good to let outsiders watch the joke."
"No need for such trouble. It's all been said anyway; a few more words won't matter. Eldest Brother, you will have to take care of Mother and Father from now on. This was agreed upon when they divided the property. We won't neglect our filial duties during festivals. Please take Mother back!"
Old Mrs. Xu was unwilling. She hadn't gotten anything this time, so how could she just go back like that?
She resorted to her old trick, sitting on the ground and wailing loudly, muttering curses under her breath, not a single kind word among them.
Many of the onlookers couldn't stand it and started whispering amongst themselves. The sound wasn't loud, but it made Xu Da Bo lose face.
"Alright, Mother, let's hurry back. Father and the others are waiting for you to eat. We also need to get to the fields soon; don't delay important matters. Once Second Brother calms down in a few days, things will be fine."
Old Mrs. Xu was unwilling to give up. She quickly stood up and rushed into the Kitchen, only to find it completely clean—not even a stove for boiling Chicken Soup was visible.
She glared fiercely at Father Xu. "Fine, you are ruthless. You pack of ungrateful wretches, I won't come back even if you beg me in the future."
She grabbed Xu Da Bo and started pulling him out.
Before leaving, Old Mrs. Xu didn't forget to throw her weight around. "Aren't you going to disperse quickly? Are you all full and have nothing better to do! Hmph!"
Xu Da Bo was speechless, anger boiling inside him, and he couldn't help but shout, "Mother, quiet down a bit and hurry back to eat."
Only then did Old Mrs. Xu become compliant.
Seeing them leave, the others offered a few words of comfort to Father Xu before dispersing as well.
Only the old woman who had argued with Old Mrs. Xu did not leave in a hurry.
She sighed and said to Father Xu, "Dongyang, don't be upset. People must move forward. Some people are relatives but not truly family. If you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to come to Auntie."
Father Xu's eyes turned red, and he nodded forcefully.
He knew the consequences of his actions; the two families were completely broken now, but he didn't regret it.