Although Lin Wan’s voice was soft, every word carried clearly to the ears of those present.
Old Madam Wu’s eyes widened immediately.
“You little bitch! What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Ignoring her aching back, she scrambled up from the ground and lunged toward Lin Wan, intending to hit her.
Tian Guihua, standing at the gate, was equally surprised by what she’d heard, but she quickly stepped forward and blocked Old Madam Wu’s path.
Lin Wan continued calmly,
“When Grandmother separated my father from the Lin family back then, half the village knew about it. Village Head Zhang even witnessed it personally. How is that nonsense?”
Her voice was stubborn, tinged with deep disappointment and grievance.
“All these years, I’ve always believed that even though our households were separated, we were still family. No matter how often Grandmother came to take things from our home, I accepted it as filial piety.”
“But today, you’ve publicly accused me of being unfilial and completely disregarded your granddaughter’s future and reputation.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s better to sever this family relationship sooner rather than later!”
The Lin family was nothing but a nest of parasites.
They were a burden that had weighed heavily on the original owner her entire life.
The sooner she got rid of them, the fewer problems she would have in the future.
To everyone watching, Lin Wan looked like someone who had endured endless injustice and heartbreak until she could no longer bear it.
Otherwise, how could she possibly utter the words sever family ties?
After all, splitting a household and severing family ties were two completely different things.
Even after a household division, both sides were still considered family.
But once family ties were severed, all connections were permanently cut off.
There would be no future interactions.
A household division still left room for future entanglements.
Only severing ties could end everything once and for all.
Even if someone later tried to use filial piety to pressure her, there would be nothing left to leverage.
Old Madam Wu nearly exploded with rage after being publicly rebuked.
“You little bitch! How dare you threaten me with severing family ties!”
No one present had expected Lin Wan to say such a thing.
Once family ties were severed, she would be completely cut off from the Lin family.
She wouldn’t even be allowed to be buried in the Lin ancestral graves after death.
Without clan relatives to rely on while alive, she would become a wandering ghost after death.
Lin Wan understood perfectly what severing family ties meant in this ancient world.
But to her, none of those things mattered.
The original owner had always been bound by such beliefs and therefore never dared to cut ties.
Yet what had she gained from it?
No care.
No protection.
In the end, she had been framed by these very people, driven off a cliff, and died without even a body left behind.
For Lin Wan, severing ties was non-negotiable.
Originally, she hadn’t intended to do it so soon.
After all, she had only just transmigrated and still needed time to adapt.
But Old Madam Wu had practically delivered herself to her doorstep.
And with so many spectators gathered around…
If she didn’t put on a proper performance now, she’d be letting down the villagers who had just spoken up on her behalf.
Hearing Old Madam Wu’s curses, Lin Wan looked at her with eyes full of heartbreak and disappointment.
Then she spoke firmly.
“If we’re going to sever ties, then we should settle all outstanding accounts and make a clean break.”
Her expression was resolute.
There was no trace of hesitation.
Everyone present could clearly see her determination.
After all, no one would choose to sever family ties unless driven to desperation.
But merely cutting ties would be letting Old Madam Wu off too easily.
Everything the Lin family had taken from the original owner—
She intended to reclaim every last bit.
The things taken while Lin Dashan was alive could be considered his way of honoring his mother.
But everything Old Madam Wu had taken after Lin Dashan’s death?
She would return it all.
Just then, a voice sounded from the back of the crowd.
“What’s going on here? What happened this time?”
Village Head Zhang hurried over from behind the villagers.
He had just returned from inspecting the fields and happened to pass by.
Seeing such a large crowd gathered outside the courtyard and hearing all the commotion, he had come to investigate.
The moment Old Madam Wu spotted him, she slapped her thigh and sat down on the ground, wailing dramatically.
“Village Head! You must stand up for this old woman!”
“My unfilial granddaughter not only attacked me, she even wants to sever family ties with me!”
“I raised her with such difficulty, and now that she’s grown up and her wings are strong, she despises this old woman and wants nothing to do with me!”
“How am I supposed to go on living like this?!”
Her shrill cries were piercing and unpleasant to the ear.
Every word painted Lin Wan as an ungrateful ingrate.
Village Head Zhang frowned deeply.
“If you have something to say, say it properly. Stop screaming.”
Just seeing Old Madam Wu gave him a headache.
Among all the people in Qinghe Village, she was by far the most troublesome.
Mean-spirited.
Unreasonable.
Always relying on her age to bully others.
Every few days she would stir up some new conflict.
To put it simply, if Village Head Zhang mediated ten disputes in a month, Old Madam Wu would probably be involved in eight of them.
His gaze swept across the courtyard and landed on Lin Wan, who was standing there stubbornly, still carrying someone in her arms.
He sighed inwardly.
That girl really had a hard life.
To end up with a grandmother like Old Madam Wu…
Who knew what kind of bad luck she’d accumulated over several lifetimes?
“Village Head, you must uphold justice for me!”
Old Madam Wu continued crying loudly.
“Otherwise, I won’t live anymore!”
Crying, making scenes, and threatening suicide—
This was one of Old Madam Wu’s favorite tricks.
Over the years, Village Head Zhang had seen it countless times.
At first, he had genuinely worried she might do something drastic.
Now, hearing her say “I won’t live anymore” felt about as meaningful as hearing someone ask whether he’d eaten lunch.
He was completely numb to it.
After all, she’d been saying the same thing for years and was still alive and kicking.
By now, Village Head Zhang understood her perfectly.
No one loved causing trouble more than Old Madam Wu.
But no one cherished their own life more than she did either.
Hearing her dramatic declaration, he couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
If this old woman actually died, Qinghe Village would be a much more peaceful place.
Every day she has nothing better to do than stir up trouble.
Of course, as the village head, he couldn’t say such things aloud.
“Auntie Lin, don’t worry.”
“I won’t favor anyone. I’ll handle this matter fairly and impartially.”
He even emphasized the last sentence.
Although he still didn’t know exactly what had happened, he had watched Lin Wan grow up.
She was honest, hardworking, and had endured Old Madam Wu’s bullying for years.
Now Old Madam Wu was claiming Lin Wan had attacked her?
Village Head Zhang didn’t believe a single word of it.
Lin Wan noticed the goodwill in his gaze.
Ever since the original owner’s mother had died, the original owner had raised her younger brother alone.
If not for Village Head Zhang occasionally looking after them, the siblings likely wouldn’t even have been able to keep their house and farmland under Old Madam Wu’s constant oppression.
At the very least, he was a decent man.
Meanwhile, Old Madam Wu remained seated in the courtyard, slapping her thighs and wailing.
More and more villagers gathered at the gate to watch.
Just as Lin Wan was preparing to continue her performance, she suddenly felt someone staring at her.
She lowered her eyes.
And met the gaze of Gu Zhixing, who was still in her arms.
“You’re awake?”
Her voice immediately brightened with surprise.
“When did you wake up?”
His eyes were simply too beautiful.
She had been so focused on acting just now that she hadn’t noticed any movement from him.
Gu Zhixing’s expression was somewhat complicated as he looked at her.
The two stared at each other for quite a while before he finally spoke in a quiet voice.
“When you pinched me just now.”
Lin Wan: ???
When did I pinch him?
Then realization struck.
Her expression instantly froze.
For the sake of making her performance look more convincing, she had indeed pinched herself twice earlier.
Except…
Apparently, those two pinches had landed on Gu Zhixing instead.
No wonder she hadn’t felt any pain.
A moment ago, she’d genuinely thought she was just thick-skinned and unusually resistant to pain…