Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, the eldest Old Master Xu spoke up, "Enough, this matter is settled."
"Jingde, go to my place and bring the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Have my wife bring the Clan Leader's seal for you as well. I will write the document. Dongyang, you two can go to the yamen to register it when you have time."
After hearing his arrangements, Xu Dongyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if his father didn't want to agree in his heart, there was nothing he could do to change it.
Everyone knew that the Clan Leader was fair and impartial and always kept his word.
The Clan Leader was clearly siding with their family now, which showed just how excessive the things the First Branch had been doing were.
Seeing that the matter was settled and the hope of gaining an advantage was dashed, Xu Wangshi couldn't help but lower her voice and blame Xu Dongwang beside her, "Are you mute? Say something quickly!"
Xu Dongwang glared at her fiercely, "Now you're satisfied? If you hadn't deliberately instigated Mother to cause trouble, would our brothers have ended up like this? You wretched woman, just wait until I divorce you."
Xu Wangshi was displeased and sat on the ground crying loudly, "You good-for-nothing Xu Dongwang! I served your parents and raised four children to adulthood in your Xu family. If I don't have merit, I certainly have hard work!"
"The children are all grown up now. I haven't done anything outrageous, yet you want to divorce me. I'll fight you!"
Xu Wangshi quickly stood up from the ground and rushed toward Xu Dongyang, and the two began to fight. The scene was particularly chaotic.
"Enough!" the Clan Leader roared, "If you must fight, go back and close the door. What kind of scene is this?"
"It was the right decision for the Second Child to leave this family. Look at all of you; this is completely unacceptable. As soon as trouble arose, you two started shifting blame and fighting."
"You all go back. Just let your father stay behind to discuss the subsequent matters. After all, he is the one who will be signing."
When Xu Wangshi heard this, she realized they were being driven out, which she could not allow.
She immediately stopped arguing and turned her attack toward Old Master Xu, who was hiding silently, "Father, don't forget, you promised that the land where the Second Child currently lives was to be given to my two sons."
"I..." Old Master Xu looked somewhat troubled at the Second Branch members, "I did say that, but wasn't the Second Child's family not separated then?"
"I don't care anyway. You said it in front of your two grandsons, so you can't deny it now. Since the Second family's wife wants to establish her own household and sever ties with us, there's no need for them to occupy this house."
Old Master Xu hesitated slightly. He knew that if he truly did this, any remaining affection between him and the Second Branch would be completely finished.
Xu Dongyang, standing to the side, had been paying close attention to the changes in expression between his father and Eldest Brother.
When Xu Wangshi said those words, not a single one of them came out to object, which chilled his heart to the core.
What was he still hoping for?
Xu Jingde, who had just brought the items over, happened to overhear the last few sentences spoken by Xu Wangshi.
He spoke with some dissatisfaction, "This is truly too much! It's almost dark, where are you expecting their family to live?"
Immediately afterward, he handed all the items he brought to the Clan Leader, "Second Uncle, hurry up and write the document for severing ties. We don't need family like this."
This statement struck a chord with Xu Dongyang.
He said coldly, "We will move, but not right now. Father, please, for the sake of the last bit of father-son affection, allow us to move out tomorrow."
"If that's not possible, then treat it as a temporary rental for one night. Take these five Copper Coins."
Seeing Old Master Xu hesitate to take them, Xu Wangshi rushed over in a few steps, "Father, he is establishing his own household, and we will have nothing to do with him afterward. It's better to take this money than let it go to waste."
Fearing they might change their minds, Xu Wangshi tightly clutched the small amount of money in her hand.
"Disgraceful!" Xu Dongwang muttered before angrily leaving.
Xu Wangshi was not upset and snorted lightly, "Stop pretending, as if you're rich. If you're so capable, don't eat the extra dishes tomorrow!"
Ignoring everyone else's expressions, she continued on her own, "Second Child, you are so wealthy now, shouldn't we settle accounts properly? Mother and Father raised you through hardship; are you just going to ignore that?"
Xu Dongyang truly couldn't stand it anymore, and he spoke in an unfriendly tone, "What else? Are you suggesting that should also be calculated in money? Even if it were calculated in money, it has nothing to do with you."
"How can it have nothing to do with me? We haven't separated from Old Master. The Father's money will eventually belong to my two sons. What belongs to my sons is mine, isn't it? Tell me, does it have nothing to do with me?"
Truly amazing! Xu Jianing truly admired their Second Aunt; when it came to money, her mind was surprisingly calm.
However, for them, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This way, they could completely sever ties with that side.
If she weren't worried about her father feeling uncomfortable, she would have said it long ago. If they are severing ties, they should do it thoroughly. They shouldn't give them any of the customary festival gifts, because no matter how much they gave people like them, they wouldn't gain any favor.
Xu Dongyang also realized this issue.
He asked with a tremor, "Then just name your price. How much money do you want?"
After these words left his mouth, Xu Dongyang could barely stand steady; he felt extremely pained inside.
"This..." Old Master Xu looked at Xu Dongyang with some difficulty.
He was conflicted. If they could really get money from the Second Child, then the Betrothal gifts for his two grandsons would be secured.
But if he truly did this, he would have completely lost this son.
After waiting a long time without hearing the Old Master speak, Xu Wangshi grew anxious, "Father, what are you still hesitating about? Think about your two grandsons. The Betrothal gifts require money, and building a New house requires money, but does our family have any?"
"A few days ago, the Matchmaker said that if we can't produce it, the marriage might fall through. Father, can you bear to watch your two grandsons fail to marry?"
Old Master Xu was completely swayed.
If the marriages of his two grandsons were ruined because of him, the First Branch would definitely blame him. His good days would also come to an end.
He was already about to lose one son; he couldn't lose another son and grandsons.
Thinking this way, he felt it was perfectly natural to secure some benefits for himself before completely cutting ties.
"Second Child, your Eldest Brother's Wife is right. Your mother and I worked hard to raise you and marry you off; you can't leave without any expression of gratitude. I won't object to you establishing your own household, but you must provide one hundred taels of Silver."
"Haha... Fine!" Xu Changyang was furious to the point of rage.
So, all this time, his existence had been a joke!
Spending one hundred taels of Silver to completely sever ties with the Main Residence and buy peace for his family—this deal was worth it!