Chapter 38: Crippled or Cut Ties?

Old Madam Su took a severance letter from the drawer of the luohan bed and handed it to her slowly and deliberately.
“Madam Jin, if you want to stay in our family, you have two options: either cripple one of your legs and swear never to betray us again, or sign this letter to sever ties with your son and walk away with twenty taels of silver. Think carefully—which will you choose?”

What? Cripple a leg? Severance letter?

Yan Jia widened his eyes, subconsciously opened his mouth as if to say something, but gradually clenched his fingers and lowered his head, swallowing his words.

If his mother really came back for him, she’d definitely choose to stay with the family, right?

Jin Yuegui finally snapped out of her shock.
“Mother, what do you mean by this? I’m your daughter-in-law! The mother of your eldest grandson, Yan Jia! Are you really willing to watch me fall into the streets, mingling with beggars?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Chunhe couldn’t help but sneer.
“Oh, so you still remember you’re our eldest daughter-in-law, Yan Jia’s mother. Then where was all that loyalty when we were fleeing from famine and had no food to eat? You had the heart to betray us, didn’t you? When you took the money and left, did you ever think we might starve to death? Now that life’s getting better, and we’ve settled down in the capital, you want to come crawling back? There’s no such good thing in this world!”

Jin Yuegui glared at her angrily and snapped, “That’s because I got separated from all of you! What money? I never saw any money!”

No one believed that. The crowd snorted in disbelief.

Old Madam Su cut in.
“Enough. If you make a mistake, you must pay the price—that’s how it’s always been. Jin, if you choose the first option, I’ll let the past go, and we’ll still be one family. But if you choose the second, once you take the money and sign this severance letter, from that moment on, if you ever come to our door again, the Su family will treat you like a stranger. No visitors allowed!”

As she finished, she gave Li Sumei a glance. Li Sumei took out twenty taels of silver notes from the leftover shopping funds today and placed them on the table, weighing down the severance letter.

Jin Yuegui still tried to soften her stance, probing whether Old Madam Su might change her mind. But seeing how ruthless and cold-hearted she was, Jin got angry too. Yet when she saw the silver notes on the table, her eyes immediately turned greedy.

Little Su Huan sighed at the sight.

Having a mother like that… her big brother was really unlucky.

When Yan Jia saw her expression, his heart sank, and he instinctively stepped forward, clutching Jin Yuegui’s hand with red eyes.
“Mother! Are you going to abandon me again?”

Jin snapped out of it, coughed, and gently pulled his hand away.
“Jia ge’er, you’re a good child. I know you’ll have a bright future. But your grandmother and your uncles and aunts don’t welcome me here. How could I dare stay and become a burden to you? For your sake, I’ll sign this severance letter.”

“You’re lying! You can’t sign it! If you sign it, I’ll never acknowledge you again for the rest of my life!”

Yan Jia blocked the table, shouting in anguish.

Looking at his face, which didn’t resemble hers in the slightest, Jin felt a flash of irritation. She stepped forward, rolled up her sleeves, dragged him aside, picked up the silver notes and checked their authenticity. Once satisfied, she happily stuffed them into her clothes and swiftly signed the severance letter. Then she bent over with a smile and handed it to Old Madam Su, buttering her up.

“Mother, since I’ve signed the letter, we’re no longer connected. Don’t worry—I’ve taken the money, and I’ll follow the rules. If nothing else, I’m a woman of my word. But…”

Old Madam Su asked coldly, “But what?”

Jin Yuegui chuckled and tightened her grip on the severance letter.
“Twenty taels is a bit too little. I mean, Jia and I are mother and son. Shouldn’t it be at least sixty taels?”

Yan Jia trembled with rage.
“Mother, do you even care about me?”

How was this any different from selling her son?

Noticing his expression shift, Old Fifth Su quickly pulled him over and restrained him, preventing him from doing anything foolish in the heat of the moment.

“Hey! You’re lucky we’re even giving you silver, and now you’re trying to push for more? Believe me, I’ll snatch that severance letter back or cut off your hand and make you put your fingerprint on it!”

Wu Chunhe slammed the table and stood up, then suddenly drew the butcher’s knife she used earlier from her waist and flung it at Jin Yuegui’s head. Clang! The knife sliced off a lock of her hair and embedded itself deeply into the table.

Jin Yuegui’s face turned pale with fear, and she quickly changed her tune.
“T-then thirty taels! No less than that!”

She had been so happy to get the money that she forgot she was still on Su family territory.

Wu Chunhe paused with the knife still raised and looked to Old Madam Su. A flicker of disappointment passed through the old woman’s eyes, and she said coldly,
“Since you’ve chosen this path, then go live your own life. Let me remind you—those who betray true feelings never meet a good end.”

After speaking, she nodded to Li Sumei, who took out another ten taels and handed it to Jin Yuegui.

Receiving the money, Jin’s fearful expression instantly vanished. She released the severance letter and joyfully stashed away the silver notes.

Night fell.

Old Madam Su picked up the severance letter and tucked it into her robe, then instructed Zhang Xiaolan and Third Brother Su to start cooking.

Wu Chunhe and Second Brother Su headed to the kitchen as usual to help with the prep. Old Fifth Su released Yan Jia and signaled to Yan Qi, Yan He, and Yan Xing to light the lamps, leaving Jin Yuegui and Yan Jia alone to talk things out if they had anything left to say.

In the side room of the main house…

Liu Yingying cradled little Su Huan, while Li Sumei helped Old Madam Su sit on the heated brick bed.

Old Madam Su was getting on in years. After spending the day clearing snow and helping butcher the pig, then handling the Jin Yuegui situation, she was feeling quite drained.

“Let me hold my granddaughter.”

Upon hearing that, Liu Yingying carefully handed Su Huan to her.
“Just don’t try to nurse our Fifth Girl. Third Sister-in-law made her a chestnut goat milk porridge. That chestnut flour is even finer than the face powder I use—it smells amazing. Our Fifth Girl is just waiting for her treat!”

“Yaya~”
Little Su Huan giggled in Old Madam Su’s arms, clenching her little pink fists.

Old Madam Su’s mood lifted instantly. She kissed the tiny fist and asked Li Sumei,
“How much money do we have left?”

Li Sumei was tallying the books. After finishing the records, she gathered all the leftover money on her and from the cash box, counted it up, and reported,
“We spent four taels and eight coins today on shopping in the city. That leaves us with forty-five taels and two coins. After deducting the thirty taels given to Sister-in-law and Jia ge’er as severance money, we still have fifteen taels and two coins. If we only use this for buying grain, it’s enough to get us through the winter. But…”

“It might be due to the snow disaster—more and more refugees are flooding into the capital. It’s getting harder to buy grain in the city. There’s a purchase limit now, and prices have gone up a lot compared to before.”

They were lucky to get grain this time. Whether they could next time was uncertain.

Upon hearing this, little Su Huan licked her tender pink lips.

So even with money, food outside was getting hard to buy?
Maybe she should go up the mountain with Daddy again?

She had digested some merit today, and her spiritual power was much more abundant than before. She could release even more goods now!