Chapter 21: Exactly What He Wanted

The eldest and second elder brothers’ wives began to talk about how poor their families were, almost to the point of claiming they couldn’t make ends meet. In short, the message was that they wouldn’t help their fourth uncle’s family. Who knew when this sickly ghost would die? What if Qi Wanfeng came to them to borrow money for medical treatment? With their own children to raise, they certainly didn’t want to support the older and younger ones from the fourth uncle’s family.

Both families were eager to wash their hands of Cao Xiangnan’s affairs.

Chen Li’s mind raced. Her biggest worry was that if Fourth Son (Cao Xiangnan) passed away, their family would have to support his family. Her Fifth Son still needed to pass the county and provincial exams to become a successful candidate, and she didn’t want to jeopardize his future. Seeing her husband (Cao A’die) lower his head in silence, she grew anxious in her heart.

“Mother, in my opinion,” said Second Elder Brother’s Wife, Wang Yan, “we should invite the village head (村正 – cun zheng) and the ward head (里正 – li zheng) to be witnesses, to avoid any future entanglements. After this family separation, we’ll live our lives, and Fourth Uncle will live his life. What do you say, Mother?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right, we need to invite the village head and the ward head to be witnesses.” This was exactly what Chen Zhu wanted. She nearly clapped her hands in joy, her worries swept away. This was a great idea.

Cao A’die sat there, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe, a complex look on his face. His drooping eyelids lifted as he glanced at Fourth Son’s family, and he sighed in his heart. He felt guilty and sad, after all, this was still his Fourth Son.

“Husband?” Chen Zhu quickly suppressed her joy when she saw her husband’s silence and asked.

“Hmm.” Cao A’die waved his hand, agreeing to the matter.

“Eldest, go to the ward head’s house and invite him over,” Chen Zhu instructed her eldest son after receiving the answer, finally daring to give the order.

Today, Chen Zhu was determined to separate Fourth Son’s family completely, preferably cleanly. If Fourth Son were to pass away, what if there were any unclear entanglements in the future? They certainly wouldn’t support his children!

When her Fifth Son passed the county exam and became a high-ranking official, she would be the mother of an official and would be adorned in gold and silver. Now, it was crucial to separate clearly from Fourth Son’s family to avoid them becoming a burden in the future.

Cao Xiangnan met Qi Wanfeng’s gaze, a look of reassurance. A look of sorrow appeared on his face, a deathly pallor, as he echoed his mother’s words, “In that case, Mother, please send someone to invite the village head and the ward head. I… I understand too, such a big matter as family separation should have the village head and ward head as witnesses.”

He had been wondering how to sever ties with the Cao family completely, and now a pig-headed teammate (豬隊友 – refers to someone who sabotages their own team) had helped him out.

They were afraid he’d pester the Cao family? He was even more afraid that this family would cling to them in the future! He didn’t want to support such a large family for nothing. The former Cao Xiangnan had toiled like a beast of burden to support this family of ingrates. His money would be better spent feeding dogs than raising such a pack of ungrateful wolves.

He remembered this day in his heart, thinking that one day he would make these people regret it!

“This… Mother, I’ll go.” Eldest Son Cao Fugui hesitated, glanced at his wife, and then turned to walk towards the gate. Cao Xiangnan grasped Qi Wanfeng’s hand, secretly applying force.

Qi Wanfeng reached out and hugged the child beside him. This kind of husband made him feel somewhat unfamiliar, but it was good. Now he had a feeling that even if he and his husband and children left the Cao family, their lives wouldn’t be more difficult than they were here. At that moment, he seemed to feel that there was nothing to fear.