Seeing the determination on Liu-shi’s face, Gu Dachui felt even more distressed.
What had he done wrong?
He loved his children too. But Chengwen was already a registered student now—the teacher had said his foundation was excellent. Next year, he would surely pass the xiucai exam!
If Nianzhi endured a year or two in the landlord’s household, once Chengwen passed the exam, someone would be there to support her!
“Hmph! You’re a wife our Gu family bought for one tael of silver! If you want a divorce, pay the money back first!”
Old Madam Gu’s face was sharp and mean.
Normally, a respectable girl required two or three taels as a bride price. But Liu-shi had spent several years working as a maid in a wealthy household and had aged into an “old maid,” so she wasn’t worth that much anymore.
“Mother!” Liu-shi said urgently. “For all these years, I’ve borne children for the Gu family and worked both inside the house and in the fields every single day. Even if I’ve earned no merit, I’ve suffered plenty—are those years not worth one tael of silver?”
“Hmph. That’s what you were supposed to do! Stop arguing. If you want a divorce—pay!”
Faced with Old Madam Gu’s relentless pressure, Old Man Gu’s silence, and the eldest household couple sitting back to watch the show, Liu-shi felt her heart being cut to pieces.
Was there truly no way to escape this wolf’s den?
“Fine!” Gu Nianzhi suddenly spoke up. “If Grandpa and Grandma refuse the divorce, then we’ll go to the county magistrate and ask him what crime it is to privately traffic people!”
Gu Nianzhi had no time to play emotional games with these people—and she had no feelings for them anyway.
Hearing that she wanted to report the matter, the village head quickly intervened.
“Old Gu family, Lihua Village has never had a lawsuit since it was founded. Don’t ruin the village’s reputation over your family’s mess!”
If this reached the county magistrate, his position as village head would be finished.
“Hmph! So what if we report it?” Zhang Cuihua scoffed. “They say even upright officials struggle with family disputes. Selling people sounds bad, sure—but it’s still a family matter. The magistrate isn’t going to beat us with boards over it.”
She’d heard that trafficking other people’s children was a serious crime—but selling one’s own child? If they let the second son say it was his decision, even the magistrate couldn’t touch them.
“That’s right, Village Head,” Old Madam Gu added. “These are bad times—every village has families selling children. If you just turn a blind eye, it’ll pass.”
She didn’t want to offend anyone—but she couldn’t bear to let such a fat piece of meat slip away either.
Gu Nianzhi was already eleven. If she let Liu-shi and the girl leave, wouldn’t the Gu family’s decade of grain spent raising her be wasted?
Realizing the Gu family had no intention of letting them go, Gu Nianzhi dragged over a stool and sat beside Liu-shi.
“Grandma, Cousin Chengwen is taking the xiucai exam next year. If word gets out that his family sells children, tell me—what teacher would still dare to accept him?”
Everyone in the Gu family sucked in a sharp breath.
This little bitch—how vicious! She was actually targeting Chengwen!
“Outrageous!”
Old Man Gu slammed the table, flinging the teacup beside him to the ground.
“Chengwen is the Gu family’s hope! How dare you threaten him like this?!”
“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Gu Nianzhi replied calmly.
She looked at Old Man Gu’s furious face, then gave him a provocative smile.
“Besides, once this spreads, I’m afraid no one will dare marry their daughters into Lihua Village anymore.”
That last line was directed at the village head.
Gu Nianzhi had noticed—he wasn’t a bad man, but he didn’t want to get deeply involved. And with the coming famine, she still needed to legitimize the goods in her spatial storage. She had no choice but to force their hand.
Sure enough, both old men fell silent.
After a moment, Old Man Gu sighed. His earlier rage vanished, replaced by a face full of hypocritical sorrow.
“Since you’re unwilling to stay in the Gu family, we won’t force you. Today, I’ll make the decision—Liu-shi, you and Dachui may divorce.”
“Father!”
Gu Dachui dropped to his knees.
“I don’t want a divorce!”
Liu-shi wasn’t particularly beautiful, but her temperament was excellent. She treated him and his parents with devotion and never faltered. If they divorced, where would he ever find another wife like her?
Old Man Gu said nothing as he looked at his kneeling second son. Old Madam Gu was so furious she couldn’t even speak—she shoved Gu Dachui aside.
Gu Tiezhu and Zhang Cuihua hadn’t expected things to reach this point and shrank back, not daring to speak.
Whether Liu-shi divorced or not made little difference to them anyway.
Though Liu-shi added labor to the household, she also brought two extra mouths. If she left, the family would save grain—and the parents would surely give that grain to the eldest household.
Once the matter seemed settled, the village head had someone draft three copies of the divorce agreement and prepared to have Liu-shi and Gu Dachui press their handprints.
At that moment, Liu-shi suddenly stopped.
“I’m taking An’an with me too.”
“What?!”
This time, Old Madam Gu couldn’t sit still.
Gu Nian’an might not be likable, but he was still a Gu grandson. How could Liu-shi take him away?!
“You cheap wench! Taking that little slut and leaving is already enough—and now you want to steal my Gu family’s bloodline? Bah! Don’t even think about it!”
The village head was also troubled.
He’d never heard of a divorced woman taking the household’s son with her.
“Liu-shi, why not forget it? Nian’an is still a male descendant of the Gu family. Staying here won’t treat him too badly.”
“No.” Liu-shi’s voice was firm. “Village Head, please uphold justice. Today, I must take An’an with me.”
The village head looked helplessly toward Old Man Gu.
“Impossible!” Old Man Gu snapped. “Take that girl and leave at once—stop stirring up trouble!”
Gu Nian’an timidly tugged on Liu-shi’s hand.
He didn’t want to stay in the Gu family. He wanted to leave with his mother. Wherever his sister went, he would go too.
Feeling her son’s fear, Liu-shi gently patted his back.
“By law, a divorced woman may take all her dowry with her. When I left my former household, I saved four taels of silver, along with a silver hairpin and silver bracelets given by my mistress.”
Old Madam Gu’s eyes widened.
Seeing Old Man Gu lower his head and say nothing—then give her a subtle nod—she finally realized they would have to return the dowry.
“Oh heavens above! What kind of fate is this? We spent one tael to marry a wife, and now she runs off wanting to empty my house! What sin have I committed?!”
“Sister-in-law,” Zhang Cuihua cried pitifully, “even if you won’t sympathize with Mother and don’t want to endure hardship with the Gu family, you can’t treat us like this! We’re just farmers—where are we supposed to scrape together that much silver?”
Liu-shi did have a dowry—and that silver hairpin had later been given to Zhang Cuihua by Old Madam Gu.
If Liu-shi reclaimed her dowry today, wouldn’t Zhang Cuihua have to return it?
That was the most valuable item in her chest!
Ignoring the family’s wailing and theatrics, Liu-shi continued calmly:
“If the Gu family allows me to take An’an today, I’ll forfeit my dowry. Otherwise, Father-in-law should prepare it immediately.”
Liu-shi knew well—the one who truly held authority in this house wasn’t her sharp-tongued mother-in-law, but her seemingly honest father-in-law.
Forced into a corner, Old Man Gu’s face darkened.
“Very well. As you wish. Take the two children and go.”
Old Man Gu cared deeply about face—he would never allow others to say he had withheld his daughter-in-law’s dowry.
Seeing Liu-shi single-handedly fight the Gu family with words and achieve her goal, Gu Nianzhi stared at her in shock.
Was this really the silent, submissive mother from her memories—the one who endured bullying without a word?
Could she… have been reborn too?
With that thought, Gu Nianzhi began to study Liu-shi carefully.