He had endured long enough. He had once naively believed that his parents still loved him, but reality had repeatedly delivered nothing but cold disappointment.
“What?!” Liu Chunhua couldn’t believe it.
What had Shen Dashan just said? Sever ties? He actually said he wanted to sever ties!
In the Dayu region, filial piety was valued, and splitting the household could be tolerated. Although rural families followed the idea that “if parents are alive, don’t divide the family,” it was still common for children who had married and started their own households to separate from the main family, as long as everyone agreed, no one would complain.
But severing ties was different. How much resentment would it take to get to the point of cutting off family completely? Shen Dashan really wasn’t afraid of being judged by everyone for the rest of his life.
Shen Ruo didn’t expect his own father to have the resolve to sever this family tie, and he felt a sense of vindication. After all, during the previous division of the household, Shen Dashan had acted out of filial duty toward their parents. Even when he received nothing in return, he didn’t fight for more, treating it as the parents’ retirement fund. After over twenty years of hard work, he only ended up with three rundown houses, truly a victim of pure injustice.
One of the elder clan members advised: “Dashan, your mother may be sharp-tempered, but who’s family hasn’t argued? If you sever ties, how will others see you?”
“Yes, don’t act rashly! Severing ties is not a small matter.”
Shen Dashan clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in silence.
Liu Chunhua pouted and sat down on the ground, wailing: “You unfilial son! You actually want to sever ties with us? All this time you were pretending to be obedient, you’re just a thankless wolf!”
“I raised you with so much effort, and this is how you repay me? Shen Dashan, you are not human! You’re just an ungrateful beast!”
Shen Dashan’s eyes reddened. The shouting and insults around him seemed to float in the air; he could neither hear nor did he want to hear them. He turned his back, his body trembling uncontrollably. His worn, weathered features aged ten years in an instant.
But when it came to Shen Hong, hearing about the severed ties was a completely different story. He smirked, this suited him perfectly.
He would soon have enough money to move his family to town, avoiding these poor rural relatives entirely. Although Shen Dashan was his elder brother, they had little contact over the years. Shen Dashan had always kept his head down and worked quietly, a rural man he had never respected in his heart.
If the ties could really be severed, Shen Hong would be absolutely delighted.
“Mother, if he wants to sever ties, then we sever them! After all these years, the relationship has grown distant. Big brother wants to sever ties so he doesn’t have to support our parents? I, Shen Hong, will take care of them! Severing ties or not makes no difference.”
Shen Hong helped Liu Chunhua up, thinking back to the time when she had pushed their parents to divide the household and how anxious he had been about what others might think. After all, he was extremely concerned with appearances. In town, he held a respectable job and was well-regarded by the villagers; he didn’t want a stain left in the village because of Shen Dashan.
Now, the proposal to sever ties came from Shen Dashan himself. Such a truly unfilial act brought a huge smile to Shen Hong’s face.
“After the family split, you benefited so much. Isn’t it your duty to support your parents? My father only got three broken houses!” Shen Ruo said coldly. “Even if our family had to skim our own grain rations, every year we still gave gifts to our grandparents with all proper respect. And yet you benefited so much from the division, and you dare to claim that my father suggested severing ties just because he didn’t want to support his parents?”
“Ah, this is unfair to me! Even when the family split, I didn’t get any land or ancestral houses. The ancestral house went to my elder brother; I didn’t get a thing,” Shen Hong said.
“The land followed our grandparents, let’s leave that aside for now. But what about your family’s brick-and-tile house? Who do you think paid for that? Wasn’t it my father who worked hard and saved up the money to build it?” Right after the family split, Shen Hong started building his new house. Where did that money come from if not from his father, working long hours like a laborer?
“At that time, uncle hadn’t even found a job in town yet,” Shen Ruo said. Seeing Shen Hong about to speak, likely to claim he earned it himself, he immediately cut him off.
The villagers watching the commotion murmured among themselves.
Liu Chunhua and Shen Niushan had always favored themselves. When the household split, they only gave Shen Dashan three old houses and nothing else, a decision the three of them had made together.
Shen Dashan was easier to control, but his wife could make trouble, and their eldest son had a hot temper. Back then, Shen Feng was already twenty. Later, Liu Chunhua didn’t dare to constantly order Li Shantao around because Shen Feng was fierce. Then Shen Ruo caused that other incident, they didn’t want to lose face, so they insisted on splitting the household.
At the time, everything was going wrong for Liu Chunhua, and Shen Niushan had even broken his leg falling off a ox. They used all these petty excuses to claim Shen Feng and Shen Ruo had brought misfortune and insisted on splitting off Shen Dashan’s household.
Filial piety was above all. Shen Dashan, though hurt, still obeyed his parents and agreed to the split.
He didn’t expect his parents to be so heartless, not only did they refuse to live with him as the eldest, but when splitting the household, they used the fact that he survived childbirth as an excuse. Any money meant to save for a coffin was kept by them; his family only got three old houses. And that still wasn’t enough, they still called him back to help during the busy planting and harvest seasons!
Shen Dashan helped his parents out of concern, but he later realized that whenever he went, his parents would start slacking off and dump all the work on him.
Finally, he stood firm and refused to continue, claiming illness and staying home to rest.
Why should Shen Hong get a free pass just because of his parents’ favoritism?
At that time, Li Shantao and Shen Feng also made a fuss, defending Shen Dashan’s case during the household division, but it was still impossible to get recognition.
Everyone assumed Shen Dashan was unfilial and unwilling to support his parents, leaving his younger brother to do it, but in reality, it was their parents who abandoned him.
Back then, Shen Dashan couldn’t understand it and chose to remain ignorant, because these were his parents, the people who gave him life and raised him!
He spent five years muddling along like this. Now it was as if he had woken from a dream. He had completely let go of any expectations for his parents.
Now, his wife and child were the most important people in his life.
He could no longer avoid reality, he had to stand up and be a father and husband who could truly take responsibility.
Once he severed ties, he would no longer be Shen Niushan and Liu Chunhua’s son, and would never be oppressed by their concept of “filial piety” again!
Shen Dashan said in a low, firm voice: “I demand a redivision of the household, and then I sever ties! I, Shen Dashan, will start a new family record. From now on, I will have no connection with Shen Niushan and Liu Chunhua.”
Shen Feng could hardly contain himself, his eyes a little misty, his father had really finally stood up.
“Impossible! The household was already divided long ago. How can it be redivided? I won’t agree to this,” Shen Niushan immediately said.
Liu Chunhua stopped crying and whining. Hearing this, she sneered, “Ah, so that’s why you, Shen Dashan, brought up severing ties, you’ve been waiting for me all along!”
Shen Dashan’s gaze was firm as he looked at her. “Every spring planting and autumn harvest, I was the one doing all the work. You never treated me as your son, only as a laborer. The pay for that work isn’t just these three old houses.”
The villagers around him felt a deep pang of sympathy. Shen Dashan did all the hard work, yet his parents favored the younger son. The eldest got nothing, and for so many years he was misunderstood as unfilial. Shen Dashan’s plight was pitiful, his entire household ended up with only three decrepit houses, and even with his brother making money, no one helped ease their hardship.
After all, Shen Hong worked in town and earned three taels of silver a month! Even if he didn’t give money to his elder brother, selling the crops from Shen Dashan’s household at the general store would have helped considerably. Then Shen Dashan’s family wouldn’t have been so poor. Back when the Shen family first split, life for Shen Dashan’s household was extremely hard, anyone who saw it would have pitied them.
It seemed Shen Hong’s show of filial devotion wasn’t genuine.
Just a selfish man! Perhaps even the money he earned working in town came from his elder brother’s sweat and labor!
“Sever ties all you want, but you won’t get a single cent!” Liu Chunhua spat, fully convinced that Shen Dashan’s family had ill intentions, especially Shen Ruo, who had even taken their chickens, ducks, and sheep.
Shen Ruo said calmly, “Village head, I think the elders are tired too. Perhaps the punishment for Shen Fugui should be handed over to the authorities?”
Liu Chunhua could not agree. She didn’t want this taken to the government. Only Shen Hong didn’t yet know exactly what had happened, so he immediately went to ask Shen Ziying. Crying and sniffling, she recounted the whole story to her father, and Shen Hong’s face darkened instantly.
If Shen Fugui ended up with a criminal record in the authorities’ files, he would be labeled a thief’s father. How could he buy a house in town then? And going through the authorities would cost a lot of silver anyway… it was better not to.
“Redividing the household is impossible. You keep saying that Father treated you like a laborer, but there’s no such rule. As the eldest son, helping with the work at home is your responsibility,” Shen Hong said.
“Easy for you to say! Why didn’t you do any of the work?” Li Shantao finally had a chance to speak, sneering.
Shen Hong replied, “I have a weak constitution; our parents were considerate.”
“Do you know Shen Dashan overworked himself to the point of illness? Your ‘weak constitution’ is just an excuse for being a lazy donkey!”
“Eldest sister-in-law, I don’t like hearing that,” Shen Hong said, his face reddening. He hated it when anyone criticized him. Having been pampered all these years, Li Shantao’s words stung.
Villagers liked to praise people for being diligent; if someone lazy got called out, it would become a running joke. Shen Hong didn’t want to be called a slacker, so he always appeared hardworking in public, even pretending to do chores despite claiming a weak constitution.
“Li Shantao! It was you causing all the trouble back then, stirring up chaos. You were the one whispering in Dashan’s ear, weren’t you? Now you dream of redividing the household? Go chase your foolish fantasies!” Liu Chunhua pointed at Li Shantao, scolding him.
Shen Dashan shielded his wife. Li Shantao had always been quick to take offense, and in recent days, he could brood for nights without sleep. He cared for his wife but was clumsy with words and didn’t know how to comfort her. Now, being scolded by Liu Chunhua, he angrily retorted for the first time: “No one pushed me! I decided to sever ties with you on my own!”
“These years, I’ve already repaid the debt of being raised by you! You treated me like a beast of burden, yet in the end, I only got three old houses. Doesn’t your conscience hurt? From childhood until now, you’ve favored Shen Hong, giving him all the good things, leaving me only to work. Am I some child you picked up off the street?”
Liu Chunhua was struck by the force of his resentment, but she had always paid little attention to her eldest son and had never cared. Now that Shen Dashan dared to talk back, she was furious beyond measure.
“I’ll tell you this, you’re no match for Shen Hong! He earns three taels of silver a month. You have nothing but your strength. What money could you ever make? If I had known you, my unfilial son, would turn out like this, you should have been drowned the moment you were born! It would have saved me this anger!” Liu Chunhua’s words dripped with venom and mockery.
The villagers around them felt the full bitterness of the situation. Liu Chunhua’s heart was truly cruel, her eldest son had worked hard for over twenty years without receiving even a single copper coin, and now, disappointed and ready to sever ties, his own mother was still angrily mocking him.
Shen Ziying stepped forward and tugged at Liu Chunhua’s sleeve, signaling her to tone it down. The gossip of the villagers made her cheeks burn. Her grandmother was still angry and couldn’t calm down to think rationally; anything said in this state was careless, making it look like their family was in the wrong.
Shen Hong, working in town and seeing more of the world, had learned a little cunning from experience. No matter how ignorant or reckless Liu Chunhua was, he now understood her ways. She had realized that severing ties didn’t matter, after all, Shen Dashan came from her own womb and carried the blood of the Shen family. He was still her son, and she would have to care for him in the future, or she would be unfilial herself.
“Enough!” Shen Dashan’s angry shout finally silenced Liu Chunhua.
He turned to Gu Yun and said, “Please, Scholar Gu, help me write a letter of severance.”
“To all the villagers present today as witnesses,” he continued, “my family requires nothing. All the labor we’ve done over the years counts as repayment for the kindness of my parents. From this day forward, our two families will have no further connection!”
His voice was hoarse but resolute, each word striking firmly.
“Fine! Sever the ties!” Shen Niushan and Liu Chunhua both looked relieved. Sever the ties, they thought, as long as no property was taken, it was fine. A clean break was even better.
The onlookers stepped back, giving Shen Niushan and Liu Chunhua some distance. They had originally not realized how greedy the two elders were, but now it was painfully obvious.
Since both sides agreed to the severance and with the village head and elders present, Gu Yun quickly drafted the letter of severance and read it aloud.
The letter required the date, time, place, and the reasons for severing ties. Gu Yun, being upright, wrote that Shen Niushan and Liu Chunhua had favored the younger son, oppressed the eldest, and so on, every grievance listed was caused by Liu Chunhua herself, and all were true.
Shen Hong’s whiskers trembled in anger when he read it. He didn’t expect the letter to even include him: “Disrespectful to elder brother, selfish, monopolizing parental favor.” How could he sign that?!
“Scholar Gu, isn’t this letter of severance a bit unfair?” he pointedly asked.
Gu Yun calmly fanned the paper to dry the ink, then looked up: “I have always been fair.”
In the village, the head and elders relied on Gu Yun for writing documents. He was intelligent and capable, passing the provincial exam at eighteen, and had a top reputation. Since the village head and elders couldn’t write, any official documents or case resolutions were entrusted to him.
If Gu Yun were said to be unfair, then wouldn’t all the previous village decisions he had documented also be considered “unfair”?
Shen Hong had been in town for a long time and didn’t really understand village matters. At this moment, he had no idea that a single remark of his had sparked public outrage.
“What did Scholar Gu get wrong? From what I see, everything is accurate!”
“Exactly, Scholar Gu has always been fair and just.”
The village head, elders, and Gu Yun together formed something like a modern village committee, but with more authority than today’s village officials. If Gu Yun weren’t preparing for further exams, the head would have had to cultivate this talented young man as the next village head of Shenjia Village.
Gu Yun’s expression remained neutral, his eyes fixed on the paper, waiting for the ink to dry.
The letter of severance read like Shen Dashan’s grievance statement. Seeing Liu Chunhua and the others with faces as if they’d swallowed a fly, Shen Ruo couldn’t help but want to laugh.
Gu Yun’s temperament was actually rather amusing.
Shen Ruo now seriously suspected that because Liu Chunhua had once struck Gu Yun several times with a carrying pole, he had “repaid” her by giving her the most space in the letter, adding many lofty, formal statements, essentially saying that Liu Chunhua, as a mother, was unkind, and that was wrong.
But Shen Ruo wasn’t sure if he was overthinking it; after all, Gu Yun was simply stating facts.
“Big brother, this letter of severance will go through the official stamp. How can I survive in town with it written like this…? Besides, no matter how bad our parents are, they still gave birth to you and raised you. This letter absolutely can’t be written like this!” Shen Hong said, seeing that reasoning with Gu Yun was useless, so he spoke directly to Shen Dashan.
What he meant between the lines was that his own filial piety wasn’t like his brother’s. No matter how flawed their parents were, this shouldn’t be written into the letter, and he could make a little display of pity for himself at the same time.
Shen Hong, running a shop in town, knew the art of speaking well. Shen Ruo thought to himself, this man really has a handle on the art of words.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work this time.
Shen Ruo squeezed out a few tears, his gaze sad: “Uncle has been our parents’ favorite since childhood. How could he know how much suffering my father endured? Do you know how many hidden illnesses my father developed from day after day of hard labor? Do you know how many nights he tossed and turned, wondering if he wasn’t good enough to earn your parents’ love? Do you know how difficult it was for my father to support a family of five after being left with only these three dilapidated houses?”
“Father, you’ve worked so hard all these years. From now on, my brother and I will serve you dutifully. We are truly your family.” His words were filled with disappointment toward Shen Niushan and Liu Chunhua as grandparents, and Shen Hong as the uncle.
The villagers watching felt their hearts ache. Many of them were themselves parents or grandparents and began to reflect, had they also shown favoritism toward their own children?
Although Shen Dashan’s request to sever ties is technically unfilial according to law, it was forced by the actions of his parents! Who doesn’t want love from their parents and want their parents to treat them well?
“Shen Hong speaks without feeling the burden. All of our parents’ favor was given to him alone, and he still expects to benefit from everything? With the severance, he’ll finally be rid of a poor relative, he might even be secretly happy.”
“Exactly. I think Shen Hong isn’t so great either. If our family didn’t give him gifts, he wouldn’t take anything from us to sell in his shop. Just like his parents, he’s all about the money.”
The villagers murmured among themselves. Shen Hong, hearing this, was so angry that his whiskers bristled and his eyes widened, but there was nothing he could do. It wouldn’t do to shout back at a shrew like a street fight, right?
“All right! The letter of severance is written, so this matter is settled. Tomorrow, each of your families will send one person with me to the government office to have it officially stamped!”
The village head’s words were final.
“My chickens, ducks, and sheep must be returned to me!” Liu Chunhua was still thinking about her animals.
“Aunt Chunhua, don’t make trouble,” someone advised. Shen Hong and Shen Ziying shook their heads, signaling for her to stop, since making a scene wouldn’t help, they’d only become the laughingstock of the villagers.
Liu Chunhua felt utterly frustrated.
“All right, everyone, stop gathering here and go home,” the village head said.
Shen Hong led his parents and Shen Ziying away, his face dark as iron. He had no desire to stay and be gossiped about any longer.
Shen Ziying kept glancing back at Gu Yun every few steps, but she noticed that Gu Yun’s gaze was fixed on Shen Ruo! Anger flared even more in her chest. What had Shen Ruo done to make normally aloof and indifferent Gu Yun stare at him like that?
Fuming, she threw the torn handkerchief in her hand to the ground and stomped on it.
Shen Dashan, looking utterly exhausted, greeted his family briefly and went straight into the house to lie down and sleep. Li Shantao went to take care of him. Shen Feng patted Shen Ruo on the shoulder and then went in to check on Liu Shan and Ergou.
Ergou had been terrified today and needed proper comforting.
Shen Ruo didn’t care about the commotion from Shen Hong’s family at all. Once the villagers had dispersed, he went inside to find some medicinal powder. Rural families always had a few bumps and bruises, so even the poorest households kept basic remedies on hand.
He tore off half a sheet of oiled paper to wrap a square roughly the size of a baby’s palm, poured in the powder, tied it up with a thin cord, and went out to give it to Gu Yun.
Gu Yun had intended to follow the villagers, but Shen Ruo called him back, telling him to wait right there.
This was already the second time Shen Ruo had made him wait. And last time, he hadn’t brought the clothes, which were still hanging to dry.
“Here. When you get home, apply this to the wound. It’s not the best medicine, but it will help it heal faster,” Shen Ruo said, handing over the package and giving his instructions.
Gu Yun was always composed and elegant, rarely making rough or abrupt movements in front of others, at least, Shen Ruo had never seen him do so in all these years.
But now, Shen Ruo saw Gu Yun roll up the sleeve of his torn cyan robe, exposing the pale skin of his arm and the wound underneath.
The nail scratches were more than one on his arm. Although small, they had drawn some blood, which had already clotted. The places struck by the carrying pole were swollen and tinged pink.
Gu Yun said, “No need for the powder. The wound would have healed even if I hadn’t looked at it.”
His tone was calm, but the words hit Shen Ruo’s funny bone, and he burst out laughing.
Gu Yun looked at him, tilting his head slightly in puzzlement, silently asking what he was laughing at.
Shen Ruo thought: This male lead is honestly a little naturally cute!
“Keep it, though, it’ll heal faster if you apply a little,” Shen Ruo said, slipping the medicinal pouch into his hand. Their fingertips brushed, and it gave him a slight jolt.
Gu Yun felt the shock too, furrowing his brow.
Shen Ruo quickly explained, “It’s static electricity. The air’s too dry lately.”
“What is static electricity?” Gu Yun asked.
Shen Ruo thought hard about how to explain it: “…Because our clothes are made of different materials, static electricity happens when dryness and fabric rubbing against the body generate a charge. Wearing more cotton clothes can help reduce it.”
Gu Yun nodded, seemingly processing this new term.
Shen Ruo felt a pang of guilt. He realized he needed to be extra careful about what he said from now on. Modern terms couldn’t just slip out of his mouth, if anyone discovered he wasn’t the original person, they might think he was some kind of demon and try to burn him!
“Oh, and your clothes aren’t dry yet. I’ll bring them to you tomorrow,” Gu Yun said.
Shen Ruo: “…”
Just thinking about it made him fidget awkwardly with his toes. Could they not mention that outfit again?