“As long as the pot is here, I’m staying!”
Su Hongxia’s four explosive words, paired with the dark kitchen knife in her hand, struck the Lu family courtyard like a thunderclap.
The women watching the commotion gasped in fear. Their chatter stopped instantly, afraid the knife might swing the wrong way.
Li Xiulian trembled with rage, her face turning the color of liver.
She pointed at Su Hongxia and shrieked,“You wretched girl! Have you lost your mind?! For a lousy pot you dare point a knife at your own mother? I’ll beat you to death today, you unfilial brat!”
She rushed forward, but Su Jianguo grabbed her tightly.
He wasn’t afraid of Su Hongxia—he was afraid the situation would get out of control and the Lu family would back out, and those two hundred yuan would vanish.
“Stop talking!” Su Jianguo hissed at Li Xiulian. Then he turned with an awkward smile to Lu Huaizhou and Matchmaker Wang, rubbing his hands nervously.
“Huaizhou… Aunt Wang… the girl’s not right in the head. Please don’t take her seriously.”
Matchmaker Wang was sweating with anxiety. What kind of situation was this? The duck that was already cooked was about to fly away!
She hurried forward to persuade Su Hongxia.
“My dear girl, put the knife down. We can talk this out. It’s just a pot—why make such a fuss?”
“It matters,” Su Hongxia replied simply.
Her hand held the knife firmly, but her gaze moved past everyone and landed directly on Lu Huaizhou in the wheelchair.
There was no stupidity in her eyes. No madness.
She was waiting for him to respond.
Lu Huaizhou met her gaze. Complex emotions flickered in his sharp eyes.
From the moment she spoke about the root cause of his leg injury, he knew this woman was not simple.
And now she was demanding what seemed like an ordinary iron pot in such an extreme way.
But the pot represented something more—it meant the tool for cooking, the foundation of survival.
She wasn’t asking for a pot.
She was asking for a guarantee that she could live.
That realization struck Lu Huaizhou like a soft knock against his heart.
He stayed silent for a moment. Just when Su Hongxia’s parents thought he would explode in anger, he spoke.
His voice was as cold and firm as ever.
“Aunt Wang, go call the village secretary.”
Matchmaker Wang blinked. “Why call the secretary?”
“To write an agreement,” Lu Huaizhou said. His gaze shifted to the pale-faced Su Jianguo and Li Xiulian.
“I’ll give the pot. But this marriage has my conditions.”
..
Half an hour later, Village Secretary Su Changshun sat at the Eight Immortals table in the Lu family courtyard, a long-stemmed pipe between his teeth.
On the table were ink, a brush, and a sheet of rough yellow hemp paper.
Su Hongxia’s parents, Matchmaker Wang, Lu Huaizhou, and Su Hongxia sat around the table, while villagers crowded around them in several rings to watch.
Lu Huaizhou pushed a heavy cloth bundle to the center of the table.
Inside were two hundred yuan in large banknotes and a stack of brand-new ration coupons.
He didn’t even glance at Su Hongxia’s parents, whose eyes were shining greedily. Instead, he addressed the village secretary.
“Secretary Su, please witness this. Today I, Lu Huaizhou, marry Su Hongxia, the eldest daughter of the Su family. The bride price is two hundred yuan, plus coupons for the ‘three rounds and one sound,’ and an additional ten yuan to compensate the Su family for an iron pot. All payments settled.”
Su Changshun nodded and took a puff of his pipe.“That’s proper.”
“But,” Lu Huaizhou continued, his tone suddenly colder, making the courtyard feel several degrees colder, “I require the Su family to sign a document.”
“What document?” Li Xiulian blurted impatiently, already reaching toward the money bag.
“A severance document.”
The three words stunned everyone.
The villagers erupted in murmurs.
“Sever family ties?”
“That’s too harsh! Who cuts ties with their parents just because of marriage?”
“Didn’t you hear him earlier? That girl was nearly starved to death at home. Parents like that—cutting ties might be better!”
Li Xiulian jumped up first.
“No! Absolutely not! She came out of my body—how can we sever ties? Lu Huaizhou, don’t go too far!”
“Too far?” Lu Huaizhou sneered, his gaze slicing across her face like a knife.
“You treat your own daughter like merchandise, clearly pricing her for two hundred yuan, starving her until she’s skin and bones. Who’s the one going too far?”
He paused, voice turning icy.
“I’ll make it clear today. This document will be written whether you like it or not.”
The murderous aura he carried from the battlefield suddenly spread out, pressing down on Li Xiulian and Su Jianguo until they shrank back in fear, unable to say a word.
“I… I agree.”
A crisp voice rang out.
Everyone turned toward Su Hongxia.
She had already put down the kitchen knife and stood beside the table. Her face still carried that usual foolish expression, but her words were perfectly clear.
“I agree. Write it.”
Lu Huaizhou glanced at her, picked up the brush, and personally began writing on the hemp paper.
His handwriting was just like him—sharp strokes, strong and decisive.
From this day on, Su Hongxia’s life, illness, death, marriage, and funeral matters shall have nothing to do with the Su family.Likewise, the Su family’s elder care, funeral arrangements, and property inheritance shall have nothing to do with Su Hongxia.
Both sides shall have no further relations. Neither party may harass the other for any reason. Violators shall be condemned by the clan and dealt with by the authorities.
Words alone are not proof—this document is hereby established as evidence.
When he finished writing, he handed the brush to Su Jianguo.
“Sign and seal it.”
Su Jianguo’s hand trembled as he looked at the black words on paper… then at the two hundred yuan.
In the end, greed won.
He shakily wrote his name.
Li Xiulian couldn’t read, so she dipped her finger in red ink and pressed a deep fingerprint onto the paper.
Finally, it was Su Hongxia’s turn.
She walked up to the table, picked up the document, and carefully read it from beginning to end.
Then she took the inked stamp, dipped it deeply in red ink, and pressed her fingerprint beside her name without hesitation.
The bright red mark looked like a drop of solidified blood—branded onto the paper and onto the starting point of her new life.
Inside, she sneered.
You think this settles everything? Dream on. One day you’ll be the ones begging me.
Lu Huaizhou watched her decisive gesture as she pressed her fingerprint.
Something stirred in his heart again.
What kind of soul was hidden inside this woman’s body?
The money was paid, the deal settled.
Su Jianguo and Li Xiulian tucked the money away, their faces blooming with smiles as if they had thrown off a huge burden. They didn’t care at all about their daughter’s fate and hurried Matchmaker Wang to finish the remaining procedures.
Su Hongxia turned and walked silently toward the Su family kitchen.
She was going to retrieve what belonged to her.
The ragged cotton quilt. Two sets of worn clothes.
And that pot.
As soon as she entered the dark kitchen, she saw her younger sister Su Hongmei standing by the stove.
In her hands was a chipped clay jar. She was scraping the solidified white lard stuck to the inside of the jar with her finger and secretly licking it.
It was the Su family’s treasure—saved for half a year to make dumplings during the New Year.
Seeing Su Hongxia, Su Hongmei jumped in fright and quickly hid the jar behind her back.
“What are you doing here?!” she snapped fiercely.
“This is our kitchen! You’ve already been sold off—you have no right to come back!”
Su Hongxia ignored her and walked straight to the stove, reaching for the large iron pot.
Seeing this, Su Hongmei rushed forward to block her. One hand guarded the pot while the other pointed at Su Hongxia’s nose.
“You stupid idiot! You actually dare take it! This is our family’s pot—you’re not taking it!”
Su Hongxia stopped and slowly turned her head.
Her gaze fell on the clay jar hidden behind Su Hongmei’s back.
She said nothing. She just stared.
The look made Su Hongmei uneasy.
She hugged the jar tighter.
“What are you staring at? This belongs to our family too!”
Suddenly, Su Hongxia grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
Then she lunged forward.
But instead of grabbing the pot, she moved like lightning and snatched the jar of lard straight from Su Hongmei’s arms!
“You—!” Su Hongmei froze in shock.
Clutching the jar of lard like it was her life, Su Hongxia turned and ran outside.
As she ran, she shouted in her loud, silly-sounding voice:
“Robbery! Hongmei is stealing my dowry! She’s stealing my lard!”
Her cry instantly echoed throughout the entire courtyard.