At the newspaper office, Yun Zhenguo and his sister Yun Youran stood at the reception desk, tense but resolute.
Yun Zhenguo spoke first, his voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible tremor:
“Comrade, could you help us siblings publish a notice to sever family ties? When would it be printed?”
The receptionist behind the desk was a young woman. She looked up at the siblings:
“A notice to sever family ties? The earliest would be this afternoon, the latest by tomorrow morning. It depends on whether you want it expedited.”
“If not expedited, it costs 1 yuan; if expedited, it’s 2 yuan.”
Hearing this, Yun Zhenguo didn’t hesitate. He pulled out two crumpled bills from his pocket.
“Expedite it. Here’s 2 yuan. Please hurry. We want to sever ties with Yun Aiguo and Zhou Miaomiao.”
He glanced at the money reluctantly—it was one of the few possessions he had left. But thinking of their parents’ situation, he gritted his teeth and handed over the money along with the household registration book.
Seeing how reluctant he was, the receptionist took the money and book and examined them carefully.
After checking everything, she looked up at the siblings:
“I’ve received the money and reviewed your household book. You want to sever ties with your parents, correct? Can you tell me why?”
Hearing this, Yun Zhenguo thought of their parents. His expression darkened, and he glared coldly at the receptionist:
“Why ask this? Over the past few years, haven’t people come to your office to sever family ties? Do you ask each one the same question?”
The receptionist immediately understood—it must be that the parents had made mistakes. The children didn’t want to be implicated, so they wanted to sever ties quickly. She hurriedly explained:
“Oh, I understand. In that case, I’ll handle it for you. Don’t worry—the notice can be printed this afternoon. You won’t be dragged into your parents’ problems.”
“Also, you should quickly register for rural work; it’s safer that way.”
Yun Youran didn’t want complications, so she gently tugged at her brother’s sleeve. Then, lowering her voice, she said to the receptionist:
“Comrade, thank you for the reminder. We understand. Please help us expedite the notice.”
The receptionist nodded gently:
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it quickly.”
She expertly filled out the information for the notice while reassuring the siblings:
“Don’t worry; everything will be fine.”
She handed back the household book to Yun Youran. She accepted it gratefully:
“Comrade, thank you so much! We’ll go register for rural work immediately.”
The receptionist smiled and nodded:
“Good luck. If you need further help, come find me.”
The siblings left the office. Just outside, they saw the three Liang siblings arrive. The two sets of siblings exchanged glances and understood immediately—their situations were likely the same.
Liang Yuanchao, noticing his fiancée and older brother-in-law coming out of the newspaper office, realized the circumstances for both families were probably alike.
He quietly said:
“Go handle your matters first. We’ll register for rural work together afterward.”
Hearing this, Yun Zhenguo and Yun Youran exchanged a glance:
“Let’s go! Get it expedited.”
The siblings headed toward the youth registration office, while the three Liang siblings quickly entered the newspaper office.
Inside the lobby, the receptionist thought of the siblings she had just helped, then considered the current political climate, and shook her head.
She looked up again to see three more people at the desk and guessed the situation. She asked as usual:
“Comrades, hello!”
Before she could continue, Liang Yuanjun hurriedly interrupted and lowered his voice:
“The three of us want to sever ties with our parents. Please expedite it. How much does it cost?”
Hearing this, the receptionist understood. She lowered her voice as well:
“Comrades, expedited printing will be this afternoon and costs 2 yuan. Also, I need your household registration book. Do you have it?”
Liang Yuanchao quickly took out the book and handed it over. He added urgently:
“Comrade, please hurry. We’re in a rush.”
Liang Yuanjun also pulled out two 1-yuan bills and handed them over:
“Comrade, please handle this quickly.”
The receptionist took the money and household book and began filling out the notice. She reassured the siblings:
“Don’t worry; the notice will be printed this afternoon. Be sure to register for rural work quickly; it’s safer.”
The three siblings nodded silently, saying nothing further.
“Alright, here’s your household book back. Keep it safe.”
After the receptionist finished, the three took their book and quickly left the newspaper office.
Watching them leave, she sighed:
“Ah…”
Elsewhere, Yun Youyou had purchased many supplies for rural life. Carrying the heavy bundles, she walked into the guesthouse.
The receptionist saw this and realized the girl was going to the countryside, having been pushed out by her family, and hadn’t prepared any supplies herself.
Carrying all those supplies was understandable.
Yun Youyou carried the bundles through the lobby and up to the second floor.
Back in her room, she put the packages down. Inside were just empty boxes to make the bundles appear heavy. She closed the door and lay down, ready to sleep.
The electronic voice of Xingyue sounded in her mind:
“Host, a task has arrived. You need to sell a large amount of grain outside. Upon completion, you will receive 500 points. Points can be used to upgrade the system or exchange for items in other interfaces. Do you accept the task?”
Yun Youyou quickly responded mentally:
“I accept the task. I’m not doing anything anyway.”
“Also, tonight I need to punish the Yun family a little, or else I’ll feel guilty about how they treated the original owner.”
Xingyue’s voice spoke again:
“Congratulations, host. Task accepted. By the way, why did you restore their appearances before?”
Yun Youyou smiled slightly and replied mentally:
“To sever family ties more quickly! Now that ties are cut, there’s no need to restore their appearances again if I want to disfigure them.”