Chapter 54

“Amazing! The moment the water was poured on him, he actually sobered up.”

“Why didn’t we think of this before? We got beaten up by the lunatic for nothing, and there was nowhere to complain about it.”

“Well, now we have a way to deal with him in the future.”

“This lunatic is actually quite pitiful. Luckily, that young educated youth, Xiao Gu, doesn’t despise him. Look at them—they actually make a good pair.”

“Hey, you know what? They really do. Just like in the movies—talented man, beautiful woman, a match made in heaven.”

“Pah! More like a fresh flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.”

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The onlookers whispered among themselves.

Gu Qinghuan was overjoyed to see that the spiritual spring water actually worked. From now on, if anything similar happened again, she wouldn’t have to worry anymore.

Today, Xu Huai’an’s madness had come at just the right time—it had finally let out a breath of pent-up frustration.

A bucket of water was poured over him, extinguishing his anger. Under the effect of the spiritual spring water, his heart gradually calmed down.

He quickly understood his situation. He had no regrets, but he was worried about implicating Gu Qinghuan. So, he pretended to know nothing, putting on a dazed expression.

No one would seriously argue with a person whose mental state fluctuated between clarity and madness—especially since this was a family matter.

Only Liu Guifang shouted in anger: “You damn lunatic! I won’t let this go!”

Xu Mingshan sighed. He didn’t want others to see his family’s disgrace, so he hurriedly waved toward the door. “Why are you all still standing around? Don’t you have work to do? Are you not earning your work points today?”

With no more excitement to watch, the crowd slowly dispersed.

Only Lin Xiaomeng remained. Upon hearing that Xu Huai’an’s illness was cured, she felt something was off and immediately came over to investigate.

The fortune she had received yesterday had mysteriously vanished.

She had already begun to suspect Gu Qinghuan. Now, after hearing that Xu Huai’an had recovered, her suspicions deepened even further.

After all, the recent changes were all connected to this woman—who should have died long ago.

The onlookers were gone. Now, it was time for a family discussion.

In the main hall, as the head of the family, Xu Mingshan sat in the main seat, his face as dark as charcoal.

Xu Huai’an and Gu Qinghuan stood on one side, while opposite them, Liu Guifang was baring her teeth in anger.

Lin Xiaomeng supported Liu Guifang, standing with her in solidarity, acting like a dutiful daughter-in-law.

The tension between the two sides was obvious—they were practically at each other’s throats. Liu Guifang couldn’t even be bothered to pretend anymore. She glared at Xu Huai’an and Gu Qinghuan viciously, as if she wanted to devour them alive.

Xu Mingshan looked at Xu Huai’an and asked in a deep voice: “Second son, what do you have to say about today’s incident?”

To be honest, today had been quite humiliating. And not just because Liu Guifang had been beaten up by her own son, Xu Huai’an.

They told outsiders how well they had taken care of Xu Huai’an, yet after more than a year under their care, there had been no improvement in his condition.  

But Gu Qinghuan had only looked after him for a few days, and miraculously, his madness had significantly improved—he could even go out and work in the fields.  

It wouldn’t be long before rumors spread through the village, accusing them of mistreating their own son.  

It was truly strange—how had his madness suddenly gotten better?  

Xu Huai’an’s face remained cold. “Dad, you know exactly what kind of life I’ve been living for the past year.”  

“Since you had already given up on me, you should not interfere with my life anymore.”  

“I owe this family nothing.”  

“What Mother did today was utterly heartless—she raised her hand against my wife and hurled insults at my child. She owes us an apology!”  

Xu Mingshan’s old face turned red. Of course, he knew what kind of life Xu Huai’an had endured—he had simply chosen to turn a blind eye.  

If it weren’t for those two children sacrificing their own rations to feed Xu Huai’an, his grave would already be covered in tall grass by now.  

Every day, the family had been scheming about how to get rid of the burden that was Xu Huai’an without facing any blame.  

Never had they expected that things would take such a drastic turn.  

Now that the ugly truth had been exposed so directly, Xu Mingshan felt embarrassed.  

But in his mind, an elder was an elder—no matter what mistakes they made, they never had to apologize to a junior.  

Liu Guifang, meanwhile, shrieked in rage as she lunged forward to strike Xu Huai’an.  

“No way! I’ll beat this unlucky star to death!”  

She had never suffered such humiliation in her life—not only had she been beaten until her face was unrecognizable, but she had also been so terrified in public that she wet herself. She had lost all dignity—how could she ever face anyone again?  

Xu Huai’an glared at her fiercely, his sharp, piercing eyes seemingly saying: “Try laying a hand on me and see what happens.”  

Liu Guifang froze, her hands hovering in midair—neither able to strike nor withdraw.  

In the end, she collapsed onto the floor and began wailing loudly.

“I really regret giving birth to this son! Heaven, why don’t you strike him with lightning?!”  

If this had happened a year ago, Xu Huai’an would have felt heartbroken for his mother and willingly accepted any punishment.  

But the endless darkness of the past year had completely transformed him into someone immune to familial love. Now, all that remained in his heart was an infinite, boundless hatred toward them.  

What did it even mean to be parents? Were they worthy of being called parents?  

He had been such a fool.  

Back then, he sent most of his military allowance home, never allowing himself to spend much.  

After retiring from service, the moment his mother claimed the family was struggling, he handed over his entire discharge pay without hesitation.  

Liu Guifang had played the victim day after day—one day asking for a hundred, the next for fifty—until she had swindled away every last bit of his savings.  

It could be said that every cent he had earned in the military had been given to his family.  

And when he collapsed, when he finally needed his family’s care, what did they do?  

They threw him into a dark, sunless room to die.  

Left him in rags, starving, utterly wretched.  

No one knew how he had survived those endless nights and days. His family’s neglect and abuse had been the final straw that broke him.  

Pain.

Oppression.

Anxiety.

Despair.  

Those emotions had coiled around him like iron chains, dragging him deeper and deeper, until he had become a complete madman.  

In truth, at the start, his illness hadn’t even been that severe. He had been sane for most of the day, fully aware of their cruelty.

The unbearable pain of watching their inhuman actions unfold before him had only worsened his condition.  

If they had taken proper care of him—if they had stayed by his side, comforted him, and guided him through it—perhaps he might have had a chance to recover.  

But instead, they chose indifference.

They chose abandonment.

They chose humiliation.  

Now that he had crawled out from that filth, he was no longer the Xu Huai’an he once was.  

The old Xu Huai’an had been brainwashed since childhood—to respect his elders, love his brothers, care for his younger siblings, and be filial to his parents.  

But the Xu Huai’an of today would abandon all of that, just as they had abandoned him.  

From now on, his sincerity would only be given to those who truly cared for him.