Chapter 2: Severing Ties

“The child was just throwing a tantrum, and the third one… he’s just too disappointed in him. He was a bit heavy-handed,” said Uncle Song with a sigh.

He shot a glare at Song Sanzhu. “You—be more careful next time.”

“Yes, understood,” Song Sanzhu replied hastily.

“Apologies for making a spectacle in front of you, Lizheng^[1]Village Head.”

Song Laoye let out a deep sigh, then raised his hand to gesture the way. “Lizheng, your timing is perfect. Dalang brought me a pouch of fine tobacco leaves. Let me pack some for you.”

The Lizheng frowned and glanced at Chunsheng. “Better get a physician to take a look at Chunsheng. If he’s suffering from internal injuries, it could turn serious.”

“His own father used to beat him even worse. That blood could’ve just come from him biting his lip. He’ll be fine after some rest,” Old Madam Song said indifferently.

“All right, everyone, go on now, disperse.”
Uncle Song spread his arms and waved them, shooing the crowd away.

“Wait!”

Song Jinxiu cried out loudly as she staggered forward, stopping in front of the Lizheng. “Grandpa Lizheng, I beg you to stand up for us! My grandmother wants to sell me off as a concubine for a funeral! My Big Brother has suffered internal injuries—he’s barely clinging to life!”

“Sanya, what nonsense are you spouting? It’s clearly a good marriage proposal—what do you mean, being sold off as a concubine for a funeral? You’re making it sound so terrifying. And your Big Brother—doesn’t he look fine? How is he ‘barely clinging to life’? Don’t twist the truth and talk rubbish!”

Aunt Song hurriedly cut her off. This child must’ve grown a backbone overnight—how could she speak the truth in front of so many people?

She grabbed Song Jinxiu by the arm and scolded her in a hushed voice, “Family disgrace mustn’t be aired in public. Whatever the issue is, we settle it behind closed doors, understand?”

Song Jinxiu let out a cold laugh. “Family disgrace? Hmph, the original owner was forced to death—what disgrace is left to hide?”

She turned and gave the Lizheng a deep bow. “Grandpa Lizheng, I beg you—please save my Brother and me. If we stay in this wolf’s den any longer, we’ll be driven to our deaths.”

“Sanya^[2]Song Jinxiu, what nonsense are you spouting? With me here, who dares to force you?” Song Laoye finally spoke, his voice heavy with authority. His eyes swept coldly over the children of the third branch.

Under the pressure of the family patriarch’s glare, the young Xiaodi, clutching tightly at the hem of Song Jinxiu’s clothes, trembled slightly. His lips quivered, as if he wanted to cry but didn’t dare to.

Ha, does he think I’m someone who can be scared so easily?

Song Jinxiu stared back with a frosty gaze. “Grandfather, can’t you see my Big Brother is barely hanging on? You’re not thinking of calling a physician—what else could that mean, if not that you’re just waiting for him to die?”

Earlier, she had already checked—her Big Brother had suffered internal injuries, but nothing fatal. Still, in a moment like this, of course she would paint the picture as dire as possible.

“Call a physician? Fine. If you agree to this marriage, not only will I get a physician, I’ll even buy him a wife,” Old Madam Song sneered.

She hadn’t expected this wretched girl to be so stubborn. If she really died, the marriage deal would fall through—and that would be a real problem.

Twenty taels.

Master Zhao was seventy-eight—not seeking a ghost marriage, but a living concubine. He already had a legitimate wife.

He simply wanted a concubine, one who, yes, would eventually follow him into the afterlife—but he was still alive, wasn’t he? So the concubine had to be alive, too.

“I don’t need you to call a physician,”
Song Chunsheng crawled to his sister’s side and turned to the Lizheng. “Grandpa Lizheng, I want to split from the family. I ask you to stand up for us and oversee it.”

“What? Split from the family? I’ll beat you to death first!”
Song Sanzhu roared, lifting his leg to kick again.

Song Jinxiu quickly rushed forward, shielding her Brother and taking the kick herself.

“Hiss—”
A sharp breath escaped her lips as pain surged through her. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

That scum of a Father hadn’t held back at all. If it weren’t for so many people watching, she would’ve kicked him right back.

Damn it, this bastard really was the lowest of the low.

“Your old man isn’t even dead yet, and you’re already thinking about splitting the family and taking the property? Don’t even dream about it!” Song Sanzhu shouted.

“Grandpa Lizheng, you saw it yourself—right in front of you, our Father kicked us like that. If we stay in this house any longer, he’s going to beat us to death sooner or later!”
Song Chunsheng knelt on the ground, knocking his head against the floor repeatedly.

“Please, Grandpa Lizheng, stand up for us—we want to split from the family.”

Song Laoye spoke with displeasure, “Chunsheng, I believe I’ve never treated you unfairly. It’s one thing for you to be angry with your Father, but this temper of yours—don’t you think it’s a bit much? Do you think splitting the family is something you can just say on a whim?”

Song Chunsheng ignored him and continued to knock his head against the ground with loud thuds. “Please, Grandpa Lizheng, save us—we want to split from the family.”

Ever since they drove away their Mother, he no longer wanted to stay in this household.

The stepmother was no easy person. This time, she tried to sell Sanya—what about next time? Would it be Wuya?

That’s why he had to break away. It was the only way he could think of to protect his younger sisters.

Song Jinxiu frowned. In truth, for her, whether they split from the family or not didn’t really matter—as long as her body recovered. She believed she could live freely, no matter what.

But still…

She glanced at her younger sister and Xiaodi. The two were still little and couldn’t always take care of themselves. Their stepmother was vicious, their Father heartless, their Grandparents devoid of compassion…

Forget it. Since Big Brother wanted to split from the family, then so be it.

Song Jinxiu pulled her younger sister and Xiaodi down with her, and they all knelt together.

She said firmly, “Please, Grandpa Lizheng, stand up for us.”

The Lizheng looked over at Song Laoye. “Shitou, the children are clearly set on this. What do you think should be done?”

Song Laoye’s face darkened, turning ashen.

He spoke coldly, “Chunsheng, let me make it clear—so long as I’m alive, there will be no division of the family. If you truly want to leave, you’ll go with nothing. Do you still want to split?”

“Fine. Since Grandfather insists we leave with nothing, then let’s sever all ties.”
Song Chunsheng’s voice rang out, firm and resolute, his gaze unwavering.

“You unfilial wretch, now you even want to cut off ties?”
Without another word, Song Sanzhu raised his leg to kick again.

“Stop! Sanzhu, what do you think you’re doing? I’m standing right here—are you planning to beat the boy to death in front of me?”
The Lizheng glared furiously at his nephew.

He wasn’t blind to what this man had done—his shameless affair with Widow Sun while still married, divorcing his Wife to remarry, and now mistreating his children from the previous marriage.

He had turned a blind eye before, believing that even a wise official would struggle to judge family affairs. As long as they kept things quiet, he could pretend not to see.

But now that these children had come pleading before him, he could no longer look away.

The Lizheng swept his gaze over the entire family—each face fierce as wolves and tigers, staring at the children not like kin, but like enemies.

“Then let the ties be severed,” he declared, his voice final.

The severance document was personally drafted by the Lizheng. The clan head and elders all signed it, and it was formally announced in the ancestral hall before the forebears.

Song Jinxiu now truly understood the power of the clan system.

In Songjia Village, nearly everyone shared the same surname and bloodline—aside from a few families who had settled there while fleeing famine, all belonged to the same clan.

The Clan Head held the highest seniority and prestige, and wielded considerable authority. There were clan elders, an ancestral hall, and even two mu of clan-owned land.

Even though the Song family was extremely unwilling, with the clan elders’ approval, they had no choice. No matter how much they resisted, in the end, they still had to sign the severance document.

Clan affairs didn’t need to go through the official government. As long as the Clan Head and elders convened the ancestral hall and passed the matter, it carried the same legal weight as an official ruling—contracts were binding.

Of course, if things escalated to the level of the magistrate, then clan rules had to bow to state law.

Even so, the power of the clan remained something no individual could resist—unless one was expelled from the clan altogether.

At the same time, she deeply understood the stark difference between men and women within the clan.

The ancestral hall ceremonies and the compilation of the genealogy were matters that had nothing to do with girls.

Her seven-year-old Xiaodi could enter the ancestral hall; she and her younger sister could not.

While her Brother and Xiaodi kowtowed inside, she and her sister had to kneel and kowtow outside the hall.

All four siblings were forced to leave the family with nothing—without even a change of clothes.

However, upon leaving the Song family, the clan allocated the four siblings a rundown little courtyard. It belonged to the Clan Head’s branch and was a childless household’s abandoned courtyard within the clan.

The four Song siblings kowtowed to the childless household, burned incense, and accepted the inheritance, taking on the duty of maintaining the ancestral offerings. The custom required them to continue the incense offerings for three years.

They were not given any land.

However, the clan elders, considering their situation, provided them with three dou^[3]Dou (a traditional unit of volume). Approximate modern equivalents (varies by dynasty and region): 1 dou ≈ 10 liters (but can range from about 5 to 10 liters depending on the period), So three dou … Continue reading of coarse grain.

They also promised that once the eldest brother’s health improved, they would arrange a position for him as a caretaker of the ancestral hall, allowing him to receive one dou of coarse grain monthly. This would at least help the children survive.

Note:

We have chosen to retain certain Chinese terms in their original form to preserve their cultural essence, emotional nuance, and hierarchical context. These expressions often carry layers of meaning that are difficult to fully capture in English. Below is a list of commonly used terms with their meanings:

Family and Affectionate Terms

•           Gege (哥哥) – older brother; used affectionately between siblings or close male friends

•          Ge (哥) – short form of “Gege”; a casual, familiar way to address an older male

•          Xiong (兄) – elder brother; formal or classical tone

•          Didi (弟弟) – younger brother

•          Meimei (妹妹) – younger sister

•          Jiejie (姐姐) – older sister; used warmly and respectfully

•          Jie (姐) – short form of “Jiejie”; familiar and endearing

•          Xiao (小) – means “small” or “little”; often used before someone’s name to show youth or affection (e.g., Xiao Ming = Little Ming)

•          A- (阿) – affectionate prefix added before a name or nickname (e.g., A’Li, A’Zhen)

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Respectful or Social Titles

•          Shifu (师父) – master or teacher; used in martial arts or apprenticeships

•          Shixiong (师兄) – senior male apprentice or disciple

•          Shidi (师弟) – junior male apprentice

•          Shijie (师姐) – senior female apprentice

•          Shimei (师妹) – junior female apprentice

•          Zhangmen (掌门) – sect or clan leader

•          Zongzhu (宗主) – head of a sect or clan

•          Gongzi (公子) – young master; used for sons of noble or wealthy families

•          Xiaojie (小姐) – young lady or miss; may also refer to a courtesan depending on context

•          Daren (大人) – an honorific for officials or people of high rank (e.g., magistrate, judge)

•          Laoye (老爷) – old master; used to address wealthy or noble older men

•          Furen (夫人) – lady/madam; wife of a nobleman

•          Taijun (太君) – respected elderly lady or matriarch

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Servants and Common Folk

•          Pozi (婆子) – an old woman; often a maid or servant woman, sometimes derogatory depending on context

•          Yatou (丫头) – servant girl; can also be used affectionately for a younger girl

•          Nubi (奴婢) – humble term used by female servants/slaves to refer to themselves

•          Puzi (仆子) – male servant

•          Zahuohuo (杂活活) – odd-jobs person or handyman

•          Nu (奴) – generic term for slave or servant

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Imperial & Government Titles

•          Huangshang (皇上) – His Majesty, the Emperor

•          Niangniang (娘娘) – Her Highness, Empress or imperial consort

•          Taizi (太子) – crown prince

•          Wangye (王爷) – prince or royal duke

•          Wangfei (王妃) – princess consort

•          Guifei (贵妃) – imperial noble consort

•          Laotou (老头) – old man; can be affectionate or teasing depending on context

These terms may appear throughout our translation to preserve the tone and authenticity of the original Chinese text. Thank you for your understanding!