Xie Jinhua deliberately spoke loudly:“Mother, just listen to the village chief first. Don’t anger Second Uncle.”
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yongtian whispered into his mother’s ear:“Mother, just handle the situation for now. Don’t provoke Big Brother — we’ll still rely on him and his family for work later.”
Xie Jinhua added in a sly, low voice:“Mother, there will be plenty of chances to sell that wretched girl in the future — no need to rush now.”
Shen Liu Shi opened her mouth, distressed at the thought of the ten taels of silver she would get, then turned to the village chief, shouting:“But that little brat hit me! Look, my arm still doesn’t move! Hitting an elder is a grave offense. We can’t just let this go.”
The village chief was about to scold her when Shen Yu quietly approached Shen Liu Shi and, without a word, pushed up her dangling arm:“Grandma, if I were really that powerful, I wouldn’t have almost been sold by you. Isn’t your arm fine now? I won’t take the blame for disobedience or disrespecting elders.”
Furious, Shen Liu Shi jerked her hand away and, out of habit, raised it to strike. Shen Yu nimbly dodged. The onlooking villagers immediately shouted:
“Hey, didn’t she say her arm couldn’t move? How can she still swing at someone? She’s got some strength left!”“Seriously, this old lady really tries to pin all the blame on her granddaughter — she’s not even her real granddaughter.”“Exactly. Shen Liu Shi usually beats Big Brother’s children, starving them and letting them go hungry and cold. Look at these kids — they’re all so thin. What a rotten heart.”“She even tries to sell her eldest granddaughter. Shen Liu Shi is pure evil.”
The villagers muttered among themselves, all criticizing Shen Liu Shi.
Shen Liu Shi suddenly realized that her arm no longer hurt. What was happening? Just a moment ago, it couldn’t move at all. Seeing she had no excuse left, she could only plop to the ground and wail:“Old man, open your eyes and see! They’re all bullying me, a widow. This whole family has to eat — what’s wrong with selling a worthless girl? Should I just let everyone starve to death? And I’m supposed to kowtow and apologize? What did I do wrong? I have to feed this whole family! Life is impossible…”
The village chief, exasperated by Shen Liu Shi’s shameless tantrum, turned to Shen Yong’an:“Nephew, how do you want to handle this? I’ll follow your decision.”
Shen Yong’an hesitated for a moment, then said:“Second Uncle, I want to separate from this family.”
Shen Yong’an’s family had long been oppressed by Shen Liu Shi, forced to do the hardest work, live in the worst house, and eat the coarsest meals — and still be unsatisfied.
Looking at Shen Liu Shi’s own children: the second son, Shen Yongtian, was skilled at slacking off, always claiming stomach or leg pain to avoid work. His wife, Xie Jinhua, was lazy and gluttonous, always sneaking into the kitchen to eat, growing fat and strong while constantly whining she was too weak to work.
The third son, Shen Yongcai, was studying at the academy, sending letters home with endless excuses for money. All the family’s earnings went to him.
Shen Liu Shi cried poverty daily, finding ways to exploit the eldest son’s family, making them work nonstop so she could earn a few coins for her own sons’ education.
Shen Yong’an had long wanted to break free from this family of vampires. With the village chief’s presence, he hurriedly said:“Second Uncle, you’ve seen how Big Brother’s family lives: hungry, cold, working endlessly, and still nearly sold my daughter while I was away. This is intolerable. If this household can’t accommodate us, please help us divide it.”
Shen Yu, on the side, tugged lightly at her thigh, tears in her eyes, pleading with the village chief:“Second Uncle, yesterday Grandma almost killed me! I was unconscious for a full day and night. Today I just woke up, and she wants to sell me! If Father hadn’t arrived in time, I’d be gone already. Please help us divide the family — we can’t survive like this. Waaa~”
Hearing this, Shen Liu Shi jumped three feet in the air, screaming:“Dream on! Separation? Not unless I die! Not even the Emperor himself could do it!”
Xie Jinhua interjected:“Big Brother, Mother is still alive. There’s an old saying: while parents live, don’t divide the family. You suggesting separation is extremely unfilial. And even if bones break, tendons stretch, we’re still one family, aren’t we?”
Her scheming was clear — only she had a brain like this in the whole village.
Shen Yu rolled her eyes and said calmly:“Fine, if you don’t want to divide the family, then tomorrow we’ll go to the academy and expose how Grandma bullies her stepchildren and tries to sell her granddaughter. We’ll make sure Third Uncle and his scholarly friends know about all the rotten things in this household.”
Little Shen Xiaohao chimed in:“Yes! If Grandma refuses to divide the family, we’ll go to the academy every day.”
Shen Liu Shi panicked. If the eldest son’s family went to the academy and caused a scene, her third son’s reputation would be ruined — he wouldn’t even be able to attend classes. She had to suppress the eldest family somehow.
Her narrow eyes curled in a cold smile:“Fine, if the eldest wants to leave, that’s not impossible. But none of the houses, fields, or property will be yours. Want to divide the family? Get out now. If not now, don’t ever mention it again.”
Shen Liu Shi assumed Shen Yong’an wouldn’t dare leave with nothing — unless he wanted the whole family to starve.
Shen Yong’an and the villagers were shocked. They knew Shen Liu Shi was vicious, but they hadn’t expected her to be this cruel, giving nothing — essentially sentencing the eldest family to die.
The village chief could no longer bear it and said coldly:“My late brother asked me to look after Big Nephew. In the past, you mistreated the eldest family, and I turned a blind eye. But I can’t ignore it today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have face to meet my brother in the afterlife.”
The village chief sighed and continued:“Even clay has some heat. You’ve done inhumane things, hurting Big Brother’s family. It’s reasonable for Shen Yong’an to want to leave. The houses, fields, and grain must be divided — split evenly among the three sons, so they can survive. If you, Shen Liu Shi, don’t agree, then get out of Shen Family Village. Shen Family Village cannot harbor heartless, wolfish people like you.”
Shen Liu Shi immediately flopped to the ground, wailing and rolling:“All of you in this village bully a widow! You won’t let us live! There’s hardly anything in our home — how can I divide it for the eldest family? Life is impossible! I can’t live anymore!”
She wiped her face, got up, and aimed herself toward her second son’s position, smashing into the wall. Unsurprisingly, Shen Yongtian grabbed her.