Chapter 4: Harboring Murderous Intent

Wen Changming stared at Wen Nuan in disbelief. He couldn’t fathom that she would dare to suggest severing their father-daughter relationship. This was the same daughter who had always relied heavily on him since she was a child.

“I think you’ve truly lost your mind! I am your biological father! And you actually want to cut ties with me?”

Unfazed by the shock on Wen Changming’s face, Wen Nuan felt no lingering attachment to this despicable man who called himself her father.

“If you weren’t my biological father, this wouldn’t be such a hassle!”

“You… you are utterly incorrigible! This is outrageous! A grave act of un-filialness!”

Wen Qing was only two months younger than her—Wen Changming, that scumbag, had started cheating so early!

Recalling the things Wen Qing had said earlier, Wen Nuan began to piece together a bitter truth. Perhaps, even before marrying her mother, this pair of shameless lovers had already been entangled. But if that was the case, why had Wen Changming insisted on clinging to her mother?

Questions flooded Wen Nuan’s mind, and she silently vowed to uncover the truth someday.

At that moment, Wen Changming’s face was dark with anger, his expression severe. The furrowed brows made his displeasure unmistakable.

Before he could speak, Wen Nuan pressed on, her tone unwavering:

“My mother’s dowry from back then—I remember her telling me about a brown wooden chest…”

She deliberately mentioned the dowry chest to put pressure on Wen Changming, to force him to concede. As expected, before she could even finish, Wen Changming interrupted her hastily.

“No need to say any more. I agree!” Wen Changming finally relented, his voice laced with frustration. “We’ll sever our ties. Your mother’s belongings—you can take them. But that wooden chest isn’t at home right now; you’ll have to wait a bit for that.”

He continued, trying to mask his unease, “Also, your job must be transferred to Wen Qing. After all, she’s your sister. You’ve already registered for the Rural Re-education, so keeping the job won’t do you any good!”

Wen Changming’s tone was firm, but there was an edge of desperation. The items in that chest were sensitive—too sensitive. If word about them got out, it could bring disaster upon the Wen family.

It was clear to him now: Wen Nuan was resolute in severing ties, and she truly had the nerve to follow through on her threats.

To prevent Wen Nuan from taking drastic actions, Wen Changming had no choice but to placate her for now.

“No problem at all!” Wen Nuan replied with a sly smile. “But until all the paperwork is finalized, I’ll still be living here. For now, hand over the 1,200 yuan.

Oh, and don’t forget the relocation stipend. Also, you’ll need to compensate me with some extra ration tickets. After all, I’m the one going to the countryside in Wen Qing’s place. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Seeing that Wen Changming had agreed, Wen Nuan seized the opportunity to push for more demands. After all, as the saying goes, even a mosquito is meat—it would be foolish to let this chance slip by.

As for the job transfer? Wen Nuan inwardly scoffed. They could dream on if they thought she’d give up her job to Wen Qing.

Wen Changming, eager to resolve the situation and get rid of Wen Nuan as soon as possible, didn’t bother haggling over a few tickets.

“It’s not unreasonable,” he said quickly. “I’ll have your Aunt Tan gather them for you. But don’t expect too much—there aren’t many tickets left in the house. You’ll have to make do with what we’ve got.”

“That won’t be a problem, as long as you don’t hold back anything!” Wen Nuan said with a mocking smile. “I’ll trouble Aunt Tan to fetch the money and tickets. In the meantime, I’ll draft the separation document, and we’ll sign and seal it. After that, I’ll take it to the newspaper for publication.”

Wen Changming, already irritated, was further provoked by Wen Nuan’s insistence. Gritting his teeth, he retorted, “You’re in quite a rush, aren’t you?”

Unfazed by his sarcastic tone, Wen Nuan shot back without hesitation. Since she had already made her decision, there was no reason to waver.

“Of course, I’m in a hurry. I can’t wait to get away from shameless and despicable people like you all. Every minute spent here feels unbearable.”

“Then go ahead and leave right now! We, the Wen family, can’t afford to keep a ‘great Buddha’ like you here!” Wen Changming snapped, his voice dripping with fury.

Wen Changming, furious and speaking without thinking, barked, “Hah, you think I care if you live here? If I could deliver everything to you right this moment, I’d kick you out right away!”

“Fine! You wait. By tonight, I’ll get everything for you. Just don’t regret this later!” Wen Changming growled, feeling trapped. Despite his attempts to suppress his anger for now, a dark resolve had already formed in his heart.

There was no way he could bear to let this ungrateful wretch walk away with so much money.

“Regret? Never. You can rest assured!” Wen Nuan replied with a smirk. “Now, if you please, Team Leader  Wen, hand over the 1,200 yuan, along with the tickets and the rural settlement compensation. I’ll have the document drafted in no time!”

Wen Changming squinted slightly, his face taut with frustration. After a brief moment, he stormed back to his room. When he re-emerged, he held a stack of cash in his hands.

“Here’s 200 yuan for the rural settlement compensation, added to the 1,200 yuan you demanded, making it 1,400 in total. Along with this, there are 20 jin of nationwide grain tickets, 10 cloth tickets, 5 industrial vouchers, 2 jin of cotton tickets, half a jin of sugar tickets, and a single bathhouse ticket. When are you planning to hand over your job?”

The largest denomination of currency at this time was the ten-yuan “Great Unity” note^[1]The “Great Unity note”  refers to a historical currency issued in China, particularly during the period of the Chinese Civil War and the early years of the People’s Republic of … Continue reading, so a total of 1,400 yuan made for a hefty stack of bills. Wen Nuan glanced at it without betraying any emotion, though her thoughts churned inside.

So, 1,400 yuan, just like that. Wen Changming had taken it out without hesitation. It was clear that he had much more stashed away.

If that was the case, these savings far exceeded what his salary could reasonably account for. There had to be more secrets hidden in Wen Changming’s affairs than she’d initially realized!

“The document is ready,” Wen Nuan said calmly, placing the papers on the table. “Sign it. As for handing over my job, naturally, that will wait until I’ve retrieved my mother’s dowry.”

Wen Changming took the document from Wen Nuan and inspected it meticulously, his eyes scanning every word with a mix of focus and anger. Yet, despite his intensity, there was no trace of reluctance or regret in his expression.

Wen Nuan observed his demeanor closely, noting every subtle change. There was no sadness on her part; she had long ceased to harbor any hopes for him.

“You’ve certainly thought this through,” Wen Changming remarked bitterly as he set the document down.

Faced with his accusation, Wen Nuan didn’t deny it. Her tone was calm, almost indifferent, as she replied, “Pointless words won’t change anything. Sign it. And not just you—Wen Qing and Tan Xiulian must sign as well.”

“Fine!” Wen Changming gritted his teeth and agreed, his voice filled with suppressed fury.

Wen Changming didn’t hesitate for a moment. He signed his name with a swift stroke and pressed his fingerprint firmly onto the document before passing it to Wen Qing.

Receiving the document, Wen Qing cast a complicated glance at Wen Nuan. She couldn’t believe that someone who had always been so meek and submissive, enduring every insult and beating, could erupt with such intensity now.

“Move faster. I still need to go to the police station to transfer my household registration. Don’t waste my time,” Wen Nuan said coldly, her face emotionless, dismissing Wen Qing’s conflicted gaze with a sharp tone.

At this point, there was no room for hesitation. Even if Wen Qing didn’t want to sign, she had no other choice. With a few quick strokes, she signed her name, pressed her fingerprint onto the document, and then handed it over to Tan Xiulian.

Tan Xiulian, unlike Wen Qing, didn’t overthink the situation. She was eager to see Wen Nuan leave the Wen household as soon as possible and immediately signed her name without hesitation.

Once Wen Nuan had the signed document, she used the excuse of needing to handle the household registration to take the family’s household registration book. Neither Tan Xiulian nor Wen Changming gave it much thought and readily agreed.

After a chaotic morning with no time for lunch, Wen Changming and Tan Xiulian rushed off to work, leaving only Wen Nuan and Wen Qing in the house.

Wen Nuan made a brief visit to Li Haiyang’s home to inform him that everything was fine before returning to pack her belongings.

Even though the official notice for her relocation hadn’t arrived yet, she had no intention of staying in the Wen household any longer.

Wen Nuan hadn’t missed the malicious glint in Wen Changming’s eyes. Having lived this life a second time, her senses had become remarkably sharp.

Perhaps it was a gift from the heavens, but she could now keenly sense others’ true feelings toward her—whether they liked or disliked her.

Regardless of her wariness toward Wen Changming, distancing herself from this place would make certain matters much easier to handle.

“Wen Nuan, what should I say about you? Are you too naive or just too foolish? A mere document can’t sever the ties of blood.”

“And so what? With this document, even if blood ties remain, I have nothing to do with you anymore!”

“Hmph, you’ll regret it eventually! But by then, even if you do regret it, Father won’t let you set foot in the Wen family home again!”

Wen Qing, her face still swollen like a pig’s head, came to provoke Wen Nuan once more. Without hesitation, Wen Nuan snapped back.

“Your face must not hurt enough if you’ve come here looking for attention. Aren’t you afraid I’ll slap you again?”

“You… You wouldn’t dare! If you hit me again, I’ll call the police. After all, you no longer have anything to do with the Wen family!”

“Wow, look at you, already learning to use your newfound freedom against me. I don’t have time for your nonsense—I need to pack. Now get out of my room!”

Wen Nuan finished her retort, raised her hand, and shoved Wen Qing out the door before slamming the flimsy wooden door of her small partitioned room shut.

Yes, a partitioned room.

As Wen Changming’s biological daughter, Wen Nuan didn’t even have a proper bedroom to herself. This small room had once been a storage closet. When Wen Qing moved in, she had claimed the bedroom that originally belonged to Wen Nuan. Left with no choice, Wen Nuan was forced into this makeshift space, where she had lived for ten years.