Chapter 4: The Rise of the Third Family!

With just one motion, the Xiang family’s old man was filled with rage. He threw the hoe from his hand, thankfully missing anyone.

“Has your conscience gone to the dogs?! I’ve raised you all these years, and now you’re saying you want to split the family!”

Seeing the old man’s fury, Mrs. Shi’s anger flared up as well. She grabbed the broom and pointed at the third family’s people, “You want to split the family? Then bring me twenty taels!”

Xiang He couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth. This old woman was completely obsessed with money.

She moved slightly to the side, shielding her family behind her, “We’ve already given you our money. There are no twenty taels, not even if it costs our lives.”

“When did you give me anything? Aren’t all your food and drink provided by me? You’re spending my money!”

Seeing her attitude, Xiang He mimicked her, standing with her hands on her hips, chest out, “What, are you going to take the few coins my mother earns from embroidering pouches every month? My father doesn’t just work outside—he farms, raises livestock, and even hunts in the mountains. Everything he earns goes toward supporting the family. And you still say we didn’t give anything?”

The original body’s memories were still fresh in her mind. This family was definitely not made up of good people!

Xiang He’s fingers subtly moved, and the soul of the original Xiang He outside the door drifted in. As soon as Xiang He made a move, the soul would act in time.

When her soul had left her body earlier, a shadow quickly entered, and the two communicated as souls. The original soul’s fate had ended, and now this strange soul would take her place to stay with the family.

Although she didn’t know who this soul was, she trusted it implicitly.

She had only one request: to protect her family well. Just like now, no matter what, her family had to be kept safe and escape this cold-hearted home.

A money-driven Mrs. Shi, a father who only cared about holding authority, and an older brother always scheming—this time, Xiang He had been forced to marry because of Mrs. Yu’s manipulation.

At this moment, Mrs. Yu was hiding on the side, too scared to speak. While her husband and daughter were confronting the third family, she hoped they would keep arguing and forget about her own daughter’s situation.

However, as the argument between the two old ones escalated, she couldn’t help but get itchy in her mouth. If the third family really split off, wouldn’t the farm work be left for the first household to do?!

Thinking of this, Mrs. Yu became displeased again. She flung her sleeves and was about to step forward to argue, but was stopped by Xiang Lianhua pulling at her sleeve, “Mother, I have something to say to you…”

At the sound of Xiang Lianhua’s voice, Mrs. Yu grew irritated, but when she saw the hand hidden beneath her sleeve, revealing a gleaming silver coin, her attention was immediately captured. She hurriedly pocketed the coin and grabbed her daughter’s hand, leading her into the room.

Xiang He watched the mother and daughter preparing to whisper to each other, the corners of her mouth curling into a mocking smile. Her gaze lazily shifted toward Mrs. Shi, who was baring her teeth.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to split the family, but then pay for the treatment of my father and mother. Both of them are weak and will need to be cared for for a few months. They won’t even be able to get out of bed for many days.”

Xiang He’s father, Xiang Dayong, stiffened, reaching out to pull Xiang He, but she waved her right hand behind her, signaling him not to worry.

Seeing that Mrs. Shi was hesitant, Xiang He stepped forward.

“Also, it’s already autumn, and farming in winter is no easy task. We’ll still be eating and drinking at home, especially since my father and mother can’t work in the fields at all.”

Mrs. Shi grew increasingly irritable. She fumed for a moment, but Xiang Dayong, stubborn as ever, refused to back down.

“Enough! As long as I’m alive, don’t even think about splitting the family!”

“Well, that’s good. Our third family will have someone to support us then!”

Xiang He smiled brightly, and the more she smiled, the deeper Mrs. Shi’s hatred grew. Gripping the broom, she pointed and scolded,

“A little injury, and you’re making such a fuss. Don’t think you’ll eat without working!”

“But the doctor said my father’s hands and feet need medicinal soup. He’ll need a dose every day for three months, which will cost at least fifteen or twenty taels. And don’t forget, us three younger ones have no strength to work.”

She said this in a series of quick words, but Xiang Dayong didn’t seem to hear any of it, still holding his neck high and refusing to nod in agreement. Xiang He’s expression darkened.

Such a stubborn old man wouldn’t yield to either hard or soft approaches, so it was no wonder Xiang Lianhua was too slow to act!

Xiang He could no longer tolerate it. She extended her leg to kick a long bench to the side, then stomped on it forcefully, and the bench snapped in two.

The force was considerable, and the villagers were all startled.

Seeing her actions, Xiang Dayong’s face turned from red to black.

“What do you mean by this?!”

Xiang He exhaled a sharp breath. The kindness she had shown earlier was gone from her face, and her eyes now held barely contained anger.

“If you don’t agree to split the family, I will make sure the house is in constant turmoil. I’ll make sure of it.”

Her commanding attitude caused Xiang Dayong’s anger to rise until it was about to explode.

“I am your grandfather! How dare you speak so disrespectfully!”

“I’m not speaking disrespectfully,” she replied in a calm tone, her steps slow as she walked forward. A casual smile hung at her lips, but it was chilling enough to make others shiver.

Her final step landed near the discarded hoe. She bent down, picked it up, and tested its weight in her hand. Her gaze flickered for a moment before she lifted the hoe high and slammed it down onto the ground with force. The thick handle snapped, and the other end of the hoe flew back up, heading straight for Mrs. Shi.

Everyone held their breath, with only one set of eyes following the trajectory of the hoe as it soared through the air.

Although the hoe was somewhat dull, if it hit someone, they’d either die or be bedridden for half a month.

Mrs. Shi was so frightened that she couldn’t move, even forgetting to scream. Her eyes were filled with terror, and her mind spun in dizziness. Just as she was about to faint from the fear, the hoe stopped right in front of her, inches from her face.

Her dilated pupils slowly focused, and upon closer inspection, she saw that the girl, Xiang He, had firmly grabbed hold of the broken handle!

Xiang He, however, seemed completely at ease, casually swinging the hoe back and forth as if playing with it. She spoke calmly,

“Don’t be scared. I won’t kill anyone, but I’m really good at tormenting people, just like you’ve tormented me.”

The original body had suffered so much in this household, doing all the dirty and tiring work. The family was constantly covered in dust, while the eldest family was always dressed up and pretty, barely lifting a finger to work. They’d walk around a bit, and then leave everything to the third family.

“Hah—” the old woman sucked in a sharp breath, her legs buckling as she collapsed onto the ground, clutching her chest.

Xiang He’s lips quirked.

“Scared now? Well, of course. You treated our third family like beasts of burden, giving all the good food, useful things, and pretty things to the eldest and second families. What about us? We only got their leftovers, and sometimes not even that—just thrown away.”

“Hah! Your stubbornness in not wanting to split the family is because you don’t want to lose the cheap labor of the third family, right? Without us, who will farm the land? Who will wash the clothes? Who will clean up the house?”

She spoke clearly, and her words hit home. The villagers who had been outside the door had already crossed the threshold, moved by her words.

Everyone in the village knew what was going on. In the past, they had seen Xiang He suffer silently, but now she had spoken up, and even the more sympathetic women were wiping away tears.

Standing behind, Mrs. Su had tears in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion. Xiang Yang and Xiang Yun bit their lips, holding back their tears.

Xiang Dayong, with his cracked lips, remained silent. He slowly dropped to his knees and suddenly slammed his forehead hard onto the ground.

The sound was so loud that Xiang He worried he might hurt himself.

Xiang Dayong straightened his back, his dry mouth opening slightly.

“Ah… Father…” His voice was hoarse, like a desert long deprived of moisture. “I… I want… I want to split the family…”

Seeing him struggle to say just a few words, everyone stood frozen, shocked into silence. They felt as if their bodies were immobilized.

The old man was stunned beyond belief, his hands shaking uncontrollably at his sides.

“You… you can speak now…”