“Yes, Father.”
Before the village head could even speak, Li Xin hurriedly answered.
He turned and limped toward the room.
After only a couple of steps, a small stone suddenly flew out from the side and smashed straight into his knee.
“Ah—!”
Li Xin collapsed onto the ground, clutching his bleeding knee and rolling around in agony.
“What happened?!”
Everyone jumped up in shock. Old Man Li rushed to his youngest son’s side.
When he saw the blood soaking through Li Xin’s trouser leg, the worry in his eyes was unmistakably genuine.
This was his most beloved son—the scholar of the family. If his leg was crippled, what would happen to his future?
“It was you!”
“It was you, wasn’t it?! You bitch—you harmed my son!”
Seeing the bloody hole in his son’s leg, Old Man Li’s eyes turned red with rage. He grabbed a stool beside him and hurled it toward Xia Wanyue.
That wretched woman! This was the Li family’s hope! In just two months, his youngest son was supposed to sit for the exam. He had promised he’d definitely pass and become a certified scholar this time—now it was all ruined!
Xia Wanyue grabbed Aunt Zhang’s hand, pulling her down with her as she dodged aside. The stool scraped past them and smashed into the ground.
With a loud crack, the long bench split cleanly in two.
Old Man Li tried to rush forward again, but the village head quickly restrained him.
“Old Man Li, are you crazy?!”
“She hurt my Xin’er—my Li family’s hope! I’ll kill her!”
Old Man Li roared, eyes bloodshot. He had pinned all his hopes on his youngest son, twenty years of support, all for the sake of changing the family’s fate. And now—it was all gone.
“What proof do you have that I did it?”
“I was standing right here, so far away from Li Xin. Who saw me hurt him?”
Xia Wanyue helped Aunt Zhang to her feet and spoke coldly.
A faint smile flickered in her lowered gaze.
Yes—she had done it.
Divorce by repudiation? Not a chance.
She would only accept a mutual separation—and she would take all three children with her.
Didn’t the Li family treat Li Xin as their hope of rising in the world?
Then she would destroy that hope.
A cripple who hadn’t even passed the lowest scholar exam—how would he ever become a xiucai, let alone an official?
She stepped forward lightly, stopping two paces from the helplessly enraged Old Man Li. In a breath so soft only the two of them could hear, she whispered:
“Either you let me take the three children and leave…or your whole family dies. Your choice.”
She let out a soft, mocking chuckle.
“Tsk, tsk… twenty years of studying and you still couldn’t even pass the child scholar exam. Useless. And you call him the Li family’s hope? Looks like your family is finished.”
After threatening him, Xia Wanyue straightened up and put on a frightened expression.
“Father, please don’t be angry. It really wasn’t me.”
The words were light and perfunctory—clearly insincere.
Old Man Li was stunned by her words. He stared at her with bloodshot eyes, his trembling hand raised to point at her, so furious he could barely speak.
“You… you…”
Meeting Xia Wanyue’s icy gaze and seeing the seriousness in her eyes, Old Man Li finally faltered.
“Fine—fine! I’ll let you take those three little beasts and get out of the Li family. From today on, the Li family has nothing to do with you anymore. Even if you starve to death outside, don’t come begging at my door.”
“From now on, we sever all ties.”
“Don’t worry. In that case, let’s write a formal severance letter as well.”
“If we’re cutting ties, we cut them clean.”
Xia Wanyue stepped back two paces and wiped her face in disgust.
Standing too close just now, Old Man Li’s spit had sprayed onto her face. The stench of a mouth that hadn’t brushed its teeth in years nearly made her throw up.
Old Man Li looked around at the injured people before his gaze finally landed on Li Daya.
“Go. Go to your Third Uncle’s room and bring the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.”
Li Daya nodded, glanced at Xia Wanyue, and hurried into Li Xin’s room, returning with the writing tools.
She handed them to Old Man Li.
Old Man Li jerked his chin toward the village head and said bitterly,
“Village head, I’ll have to trouble you with this.”
“My third son is injured and can’t write like this. This matter… I’ll need your help.”
The village head hesitated as he took the items.
“This… why don’t you all think it over again? Yue-niang, you’re a woman with three children. How are you going to survive?”
“Yes, Yue-niang,” the village head’s wife also grabbed her hand.“There’s a terrible drought right now. We don’t even know if the crops will survive. Why not wait a couple more months—at least until the harvest?”
“How can a woman with three children survive outside?”
If the drought continued, the rice might not even fill its grains. The land was already cracked dry. Leaving now was practically a death sentence.
At least staying here meant a mouthful of food. Outside—no one knew what would happen.
Aunt Zhang also hurried to persuade her.
“Yue-niang, think again. Don’t be impulsive. Even if you can endure hunger, what about the children?”
“Aunt Zhou, Aunt Zhang, Village Head—I know you mean well. But leaving might mean death, and staying here will definitely mean death.”
“If we leave, we might live. If we stay, we will die.”
“You don’t need to persuade me anymore. I’ve made up my mind.”
The two aunties sighed and said no more.
After what had happened today, staying would only bring endless trouble. Leaving would at least give her some peace to recover.
Seeing that neither his wife nor Aunt Zhang could change her mind, the village head stopped trying.
“Since you’ve all thought it through, then I’ll write it.”
“Wait,” Xia Wanyue said.“Village head, I only accept a mutual separation—not a repudiation letter.”
She thought it over briefly. She had no feelings for that dead Li Ke anyway—mutual separation was better.
A household split would still leave lingering ties. A repudiation letter would harm her reputation—something she didn’t care much about, but her children would.
Mutual separation cut things cleanly and preserved her name.
“Is that acceptable, Father?”
Xia Wanyue stared straight at Old Man Li, as if the moment he shook his head, she could rip it right off his neck.
“…Do as she says.”
Old Man Li didn’t dare meet her eyes and lowered his gaze to the ground.
The village head sat down with the paper and brush. Soon, the separation letter and the severance letter were written.
Three copies were made—one for Old Man Li, one for Xia Wanyue, and one kept by the village head.
“Come. Everyone sign and press your fingerprints.”
Whether willing or not, everyone stepped forward to press their thumbprints. Even those unconscious in the room had their hands taken and pressed onto the paper.
“Take your things and get out!”
Old Man Li collapsed onto a stool after saying that, all the strength draining from his body.
Xia Wanyue carefully put away the documents and turned toward her room.
“The things inside belong to the Li family. Don’t even think about taking them.”
“…Go watch her.”
Li Shi spoke, then lowered his voice to Miao-shi.