Chapter 19: Decision

“Alright, I’ll give you two choices,” Wen Ruyu spoke again.

“First, I will give this young lady, Suqing, one hundred taels of silver to send her back to her hometown, or find a matchmaker to marry her off to someone else. If she suffers grievances at her husband’s home in the future, I will also stand up for her.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

To be honest, except for Lu Bainian and Liu Suqing, no one expected such an option.

They had thought that the old lady was determined to drive Liu Suqing away and never imagined that Wen Ruyu would be so lenient.

A hundred taels of silver—that was about two months’ worth of expenses for their entire household!

However, even though Wen Ruyu had made such an offer, the two kneeling on the ground did not immediately agree.

Seeing their lack of reaction, Wen Ruyu continued, “The second choice is to split the family.”

The moment she said this, everyone’s hearts tightened.

“Mother!” Lu Songnian immediately stood up, intending to persuade Wen Ruyu.

After all, their mother was still alive. If Lu Bainian split from the family, outsiders would certainly accuse him of being unfilial.

For the sake of a courtesan, he was forcing his mother to divide the household—how would that sound to others?

Wen Ruyu glanced at Lu Songnian and calmly said, “Sit down, Songnian. Let me finish speaking.”

Lu Songnian dared not disobey his mother. He had just stood up, but he immediately sat back down.

“Mother, surely you wouldn’t drive your own son away just like this?” Lu Bainian protested unwillingly.

“If you didn’t secretly buy women and keep them outside, I wouldn’t have to chase you away. Why don’t you ask yourself why you keep making me so angry? You keep doing reckless and shameless things, are you cursing me to die early?” Wen Ruyu slammed the table with a loud bang!

The force of her presence silenced the entire hall.

Lu Bainian felt utterly wronged. Where was the loving mother he used to know?

He even wondered if his mother had been possessed by someone when she was sick, making her suddenly so firm and unyielding.

Of course, Lu Bainian also knew he was in the wrong, so he swallowed his emotions. The more he suppressed them, the more uncomfortable he felt, and eventually, this grown man actually burst into tears in public.

Zhao Shu, watching from the side, had no time to pity her brother-in-law—she was more worried about their mother-in-law’s anger affecting her health.

“Second Brother is still young and doesn’t understand things, Old Madam, don’t take it to heart. Just send this woman away, there’s no need to get angry over this,” Zhao Shu advised.

In truth, Wen Ruyu had already calmed down long ago.

She had pulled out a strand of white hair earlier—she didn’t want any more to grow.

Now, she was mostly putting on a show.

After all, she was Lu Bainian’s mother. If she were to drive her son out, it would be unnatural for a mother in this era to do so without anger. So, she had to act a little.

Hearing Zhao Shu’s words, Wen Ruyu snorted coldly and said to Lu Bainian, “He’s already nineteen. At Songnian’s age, he was already shouldering the responsibilities of the household, and you say he’s still young?”

Lu Bainian wiped his tears roughly with his sleeve, gritting his teeth as he continued crying.

Lu Songnian, on the other hand, slightly lifted his gaze. From his mother’s words, he could tell that she did acknowledge his efforts, and he felt a bit touched.

Wen Ruyu looked down at Lu Bainian and said, “If you want to be with her, then you can’t stay in this house anymore. There isn’t much money at home right now. I’ll give you five hundred taels of silver and twenty acres of land. You can buy a house and live separately. The servants and belongings from your courtyard can go with you. If you sell off your things, you should get another one or two hundred taels.

“You are being forced to split from the family due to your mistakes. I’m already being generous—not kicking you out but instead giving you money and land. I’m showing the utmost kindness. I’m old now and can’t control you anymore. You should leave on your own.”

“I don’t want to split from the family!”

Lu Bainian panicked. He wasn’t married yet, nor did he have a source of income. How could he survive on his own?

Even though he was a spoiled rich boy, he still had some sense.

Besides, even the illegitimate son Lu Ke wasn’t separated from the family. If only he was forced out, people would ask why. Aside from being seen as foolish and reckless, he would also be labeled unfilial.

In Feng Kingdom, where filial piety was paramount, if he left the family, people would criticize him endlessly.

Seeing his distress, Wen Ruyu eased up slightly.

Although Lu Bainian was foolish, he at least had some sense of responsibility, which was a good thing.

So, she said, “Alright. You don’t have to split from the family just yet.”

Upon hearing this, both Lu Bainian and Liu Suqing lifted their heads, looking at Wen Ruyu expectantly.

Wen Ruyu sneered internally—she wasn’t going to make things easy for them.

“I will have someone clean out our old house in the village. Additionally, I will give you two acres of land.”

Lu Bainian and Liu Suqing were still unsure of her intentions.

She continued, “As you said, you will take her and move out. I will give you two taels of silver as initial funds. You two will live in the village. If you can endure for three years, then you don’t have to split from the family.”

Wen Ruyu calculated carefully.

Two acres of land, if properly tended, would be enough for them to survive.

“You won’t need to pay taxes. As long as you can endure the hardship and survive with your own hands for three years, I will allow her to marry into the family.”

She took a sip of tea.

Although she disliked Liu Suqing, forcibly separating them would only make Lu Bainian resent her for life.

A woman’s youth was fleeting. By keeping Liu Suqing from leveraging her beauty for survival, she would inevitably grow anxious.

If she could endure three years of hardship for Lu Bainian, then her background wouldn’t matter—after all, she hadn’t chosen to be a courtesan.

If her character was upright and her heart resolute, she deserved acceptance.

But if neither of them had that determination, then facing hardship would break them up sooner rather than later.

Three years was a strategic period—long enough to test their resolve, but not too long to force immediate separation.

Wen Ruyu knew that even if Lu Bainian agreed, she would have people watch him closely, ensuring he didn’t receive outside help.

At worst, this would give her a period of peace, preventing Lu Bainian from bringing back yet another woman the moment he sent Liu Suqing away.

As for what to do if Liu Suqing was accepted later, she would deal with it then.

The hall fell into silence. Wen Ruyu then prodded Lu Bainian, “What’s wrong? You brought her out here, but you don’t even have the courage to commit? Was everything you said just empty words?”

Lu Bainian clenched his teeth, hesitating.

He wanted to prove himself, but he was still weighing whether he could handle such hardship.

Then, he turned to see Liu Suqing’s tearful eyes gazing at him. He gritted his teeth and finally agreed.

“I will go for the three years, as Mother said.”

Three years of hardship was better than complete separation from the family.

Zhao Shu sighed. “Three years is too long. How could Bainian endure such hardship?”

Wen Ruyu, however, firmly replied, “If he wants to redeem her, he must bear the consequences.”

The decision was final.