“Right, because I believe a dog can’t change its habit of eating shit. Your parents want to tell you that if you abandon this family, you’ll have nothing left. So, do you still want to divorce by repudiation? Do you still want a mutual separation?”
Grandma Shen slapped away the hand in front of her. She had seen through this man’s true face over a decade ago.
The love she once felt had long since turned to hatred. If not for her parents and children, she would have parted ways with him long ago.
“Divorce by repudiation—I must divorce by repudiation! Mutual separation is out of the question!”
Shen Zhiqiou was furious. Those things were clearly his, yet they had given her the audacity to act so arrogantly in front of him.
“Fine, divorce by repudiation it is. At my age, I no longer care about reputation!” Grandma Shen was utterly disappointed in this man.
A cold smile hung on her lips. If Xixi hadn’t told her earlier that she saw Grandpa meeting a woman who looked very much like Shen Yue, she wouldn’t have understood why he had suddenly erupted like this.
“Grandma, listen to me!” Shen Xixi saw Shen Wu pull Grandpa Shen aside, clearly very dissatisfied with this outcome. Whether it was divorce by repudiation or mutual separation, their family would end up with nothing.
“Xixi, don’t try to persuade me. Grandma truly can’t take it anymore.”
“Grandma, even if you go through mutual separation or are divorced by repudiation, what good will it do? Father, mother, brothers, and even Third Uncle are still considered Grandpa’s descendants in name. In the future, the duty of filial piety will weigh heavily over everything. If they come to cause trouble every other day, our home will never know peace. Worse yet, Third Uncle’s future studies might be tarnished by accusations of unfilial behavior.”
“Xixi is right. Our reputations may be ruined, but the boys in our family still need to pursue their studies in the future!”
Shen Da Shan spoke up, his fists clenching at the thought of how the old man Shen could still use filial piety to enslave their second branch of the family in the future.
“Then what should we do? If we’re going to cut ties, we must do it cleanly. Otherwise, our family will never have peace!” Liu Taohua also grew anxious.
“Grandma, why not sever kinship ties? If they want the Family Property, we can give them a portion. Mutual separation plus severing kinship ties—that way, we cut all ties cleanly. We can have the clan register updated separately. Didn’t Grandpa have a younger brother who died young, Fourth Grandfather? Let Father and Third Uncle be adopted into his lineage.”
Shen Xixi’s words made Grandma Shen’s eyes light up, and she looked at the others.
Yet she felt some concern. “But your third brother hasn’t returned yet. We don’t know if he’ll agree!”
This was a major decision, and Grandma Shen hesitated, fearing it might affect her third son’s studies.
“Mother, let’s do as Xixi says!” Third Uncle Shen appeared out of nowhere, having overheard their conversation.
His gaze toward Shen Xixi held a hint of curiosity. How had this niece become so clever?
“Hong’er, you heard. Will this affect your imperial examination?”
“Mother, it’s fine. Xixi’s idea is a good one. After severing kinship ties, if we want to remain in the clan register, adoption is the best solution.”
Otherwise, if we were simply removed from the clan register, we’d be like rootless duckweed, without the support of our clan. That would leave us vulnerable to bullying by outsiders.
“Shen Hong, you’ve returned just in time. Your mother is being unreasonable, demanding a mutual separation from your father. Isn’t she just making a joke of your official career? Do you even care about your reputation anymore?”
Grandpa Shen was furious. Neither of his sons was siding with him.
After discussing it among themselves, Grandpa Shen’s family realized that mutual separation offered them no benefits at all, and they began to back down.
Thinking of saying a few words to Shen Hong, he then took the opportunity to step down from the situation.
Later, he would find a way to swindle those House Deeds and Land Deeds.
Shen Hong bowed to the elders around him. “This matter is entirely up to my parents to decide. As a junior, I shall not interfere!”
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“Yes, because I believe a dog can’t change its habit of eating filth. My parents want to tell you that if you don’t want this family, you will have nothing. So, do you still want a divorce by repudiation? Do you still want a mutual separation?”
Grandma Shen slapped away the hand in front of her. She had seen through this man’s true colors more than a decade ago.
As much as she had loved him in the beginning, she hated him just as much now. If not for her parents and children, she would have parted ways with him long ago.
“Divorce by repudiation! I will definitely divorce you by repudiation! A mutual separation is out of the question!”
Shen Zhiqiou was fuming. Those things clearly belonged to him, yet they had given her the courage to act all high and mighty before him.
“Fine, a divorce by repudiation it is. I am at such an age that I no longer care about my reputation!” Grandma Shen was utterly disappointed in this man.
A cold sneer hung on the corner of her mouth. If Xixi hadn’t just told her that she saw Grandpa meeting a woman who looked very much like Shen Yue, she wouldn’t have known why this man had suddenly lashed out.
“Grandma, listen to me!” Shen Xixi saw Shen Wu pull Grandpa Shen to the side. He was clearly very dissatisfied with this result; it meant that whether it was a divorce by repudiation or a mutual separation, their family would end up with nothing.
“Xixi, don’t try to persuade me. Grandma truly can’t endure this any longer.”
“Grandma, even if you have a mutual separation or are divorced by repudiation, what use would it be? Father, Mother, my brothers, and Third Uncle are all still Grandpa’s descendants in name. In the future, the concept of filial piety will outweigh everything. He will come to cause trouble every other day, and the house will never know peace. It might even cause Third Uncle to gain a reputation for being unfilial when he takes his exams later.”
“Xixi is right. It doesn’t matter if our reputations are ruined, but the boys in the family still need to study in the future!”
Shen Da Shan spoke up as well. His fists clenched at the thought that Old Man Shen could still use the guise of filial piety to enslave their Second Branch.
“Then what should we do? If we are to break ties, we must sever them completely, otherwise our family will never have a peaceful day!” Liu Taohua was also growing anxious.
“Grandma, why don’t we sever kinship ties? If they want the Family Property, we can give them some. With both a mutual separation and a severing of kinship ties, the break will be clean. We can be recorded separately in the clan register. Didn’t Grandpa have a younger brother who died young, Fourth Grandfather? Let Father and Third Uncle be adopted into his line.”
Shen Xixi’s words made Grandma Shen’s eyes light up, and she looked toward the others.
However, she felt some concern. “But your third brother isn’t back yet. I don’t know if he would agree!”
This was a major matter, and Grandma Shen hesitated, fearing it might affect her third son’s studies.
“Mother, do as Xixi suggested!” Third Uncle Shen appeared out of nowhere, having overheard their conversation.
His gaze toward Shen Xixi held a hint of scrutiny; how had this niece of his become so clever?
“Hong’er, you heard? This won’t affect your imperial examination, will it?”
“Mother, it’s fine. Xixi’s method is good. After we sever kinship ties, if we want to stay in the clan register, being adopted into another lineage is the best way.”
Otherwise, if they were simply struck from the clan register, they would be like rootless duckweed. Without the support of the clan, they would be bullied by outsiders.
“Shen Hong, you’ve returned at just the right time. Your mother is making a scene and wants a mutual separation from your father. Isn’t she just making a joke of your official career? Do you still want your reputation?”
Grandpa Shen was extremely annoyed; neither of these two sons was siding with him. Grandpa Shen and his side of the family discussed it and realized that a mutual separation offered no benefits at all, so they began to back down.
He expected Shen Hong to say a few words so he could take the opportunity to climb down from the situation gracefully.
Later, he would find a way to trick them out of those House Deeds and Land Deeds.
Shen Hong bowed to the surrounding elders. “This matter shall be decided by my father and mother. As a junior, I will not interfere!”