Chapter 47

They were truly desperate and felt great humiliation.

The Xu family, after all, is a large family. Although they have been up to five generations, they still carry the Xu surname.

But now they have to bow their heads to the Song family. The reason is simple, the Song family knows more powerful people than the Xu family, and they also have money, not only money, but Fourth Song Lao Si also has a good reputation in their village.

Because the Song family has opened a workshop and hired many people from the village to work, as well as buying firewood from the village, they have helped nearly half of the village make money.

But the Xu family, besides having a county official, has nothing else to boast about, and this county official is far away, unlike the Wang Yuanwai's family who is right next door and can help with any trouble.

In terms of population, the Xu family does have more people than the Song family. But in terms of influence and background, the Xu family is completely inferior to the Song family.

After the Old Mr. Xu agreed to this divorce, a young member of the Song family smiled at Xu Xiujuan and said, "You should go back and tell them to stop causing trouble, we have agreed here."

The members of the Song family are all good-looking. When Xu Xiujuan suddenly saw a handsome young man smiling at her, she blushed and shyly replied before running back home, no longer in a hurry like when she first arrived.

Those in the ancestral hall couldn't help but roll their eyes when they saw Xu Xiujuan like this, thinking that Old Mr. Xu and Old Mrs. Xu have worked hard for most of their lives, but have now been completely humiliated. From now on, they may not be able to hold their heads up in the village.

The village chief Xu, seeing that they had agreed, sighed helplessly.

This matter is not just embarrassing for the Xu Dashan family, but for the entire Xu family. But now that they have been forced into a corner by the Song family, there is no other way.

If the Song family only had some money, it wouldn't have escalated to this point. The problem is, their relationship with the Wang Yuanwai family in town seems quite good, which makes them cautious.

He looked at the dejected Xu family and the pale-faced Old Mrs. Xu, and said to Song Xingyi, "Brother, now that this matter has been settled, let's let them go back and reflect on it."

Song Xingyi replied, "I will listen to the elder brother. If it weren't for Da Bao today, we wouldn't have acted so harshly. We were also afraid."

Village Chief Xu said, "I know, I know..."

Seeing the Song family about to leave, Wang shi suddenly raised her voice, "You keep saying you love Da Bao, but it's freezing cold, and yet you leave a feverish Da Bao here. This is not loving your child, this is clearly using the child to threaten us! I refuse!"

The child who was originally lying in Li shi's arms suddenly sat up, made a face at Wang shi, and happily ran out.

Li shi said, "We brought the child here because words alone are not enough. At least everyone needs to see how ruthless your family is. But the child is sleeping at Elder Brother Xu's house now, so you don't need to worry. In the future, this child has nothing to do with your family."

After saying this, she watched as the clan chief took out a box from the ancestral hall containing a thick family tree. He found the branch of Xu Dashan, took out a pen, and slowly and heavily crossed out Da Bao's name.

Wang shi finally realized that everything was irretrievable, and finally let out a earth-shattering cry.

"If I had known this earlier, why did we bother? Take her back home quickly and stop embarrassing her here." Village Chief Xu was extremely annoyed by the sharp crying, thanked the clan chiefs, and then invited Song Xingyi and Li shi to their house.

Wang shi cried so much she went limp, and was carried back by Xu Maogen. As soon as they entered the house, they saw the doors and windows in a mess, with belongings scattered all over the floor.

She let out another cry as she slid down from Xu Maogen's back, "Oh my God, they're going to drive me to my death, how can I live like this!"

Back in their own home, Old Mrs. Xu finally caught her breath. She glared fiercely at Wang shi and said, "One by one, go to the main house."

After speaking, she huffed and went back inside.

Xu Maogen, with his neck tucked in, couldn't care less about cleaning up the mess in his own home. He dragged Wang shi with him and followed his parents into the main house.

In the main house, Old Mr. Xu and Old Mrs. Xu sat on the kang bed, and several children huddled in the bed, while the floor was crowded with a group of people.

Old Mrs. Xu's gaze swept over her children and finally settled on Xu Maogen, saying with frustration, "Maogen, you are the eldest in the family. Your father and I were counting on you to support us in our old age. Do you understand?"

Xu Maogen hung his head and replied with a mumble.

"You can't even handle this family. Now you can't even keep your own grandson safe. It's embarrassing for us all!" Old Mrs. Xu was absolutely furious.

Xu Maogen's head drooped even lower.

The Aunt brought in a pot of hot tea and said softly, "Father, mother, have some warm water first."

After drinking a cup of tea, Old Mrs. Xu calmed down a bit and continued, "Originally, I wanted to rely on the eldest to lead the family. Aren't the elders always the ones in charge? And all the eldest in the family are dull, with only one daughter-in-law who seems capable. I've accepted all the tricks you, Wang Xiuhua, play, because you are the eldest daughter-in-law and it's understandable to have a high temper. But you should never have acted this way! Isn't that your grandson? Aren't you worried about him?"

Wang shi suddenly knelt down with a thud, crying out, "I just wanted Yulan to come back...No, no, mother, this wasn't my idea, it was her, it was her who said it!" She suddenly widened her eyes and pointed a finger at the Aunt.

She covered her mouth in surprise and said, "What are you saying, sister-in-law? How did it become my idea? I haven't talked to you in the past two days."

"It was you, you said that if Da Bao eats well and wears nice clothes, Yulan would feel at ease and wouldn't come back. You said that if Da Bao goes hungry and wears tattered clothes, Yulan, who has a soft heart, wouldn't be able to resist coming back. I heard that, I heard that, I wanted to bring Yulan back, that's why..." Wang shi was on the verge of madness; she knew that if she didn't escape this time, she would truly end up in a divorce.

She angrily said, "Sister-in-law, you need to think before you speak. You claim that I said those words, but do you have any evidence? When did I ever say such a thing to you?"

She turned and knelt in front of Old Mrs. Xu, "Mother, even if the daughter-in-law doesn't get along with the eldest daughter-in-law, she would never say such things! Mother, you have always liked Da Bao's wife. Da Bao is a smart and well-behaved child, how could his grandmother be so malicious as to want to harm Da Bao? And these past few days, his grandmother has been busy preparing for the New Year, while the eldest daughter-in-law has been bedridden. We haven't even spoken to each other!"

As she spoke, she began to cry, "Mother, although the daughter-in-law is stubborn, she also knows the value of human life. In the years she has been married here, she has always been diligent. And she even made new cotton shoes and coats for Da Bao, showing her genuine affection for him. How could she possibly have such thoughts? Mother, you must speak up for the daughter-in-law."

Third Xu San also knelt down and said, "Mother, my wife is not that kind of person at all. Please don't listen to the nonsense of the eldest daughter-in-law."

Old Mrs. Xu looked coldly at Wang Shi and asked, "If you say it was our third's wife who said these things, when did she say it to you?"

Wang Shi cried, "A few days ago, I had a stomachache in the middle of the night and went to the bathroom. I passed by Third Brother's room and I heard her..."

Before Wang shi could finish, she interrupted with a sneer, "So the eldest daughter-in-law also has a liking for eavesdropping on her brother and sister-in-law's conversations in the corner? What my husband and I say in bed at night should stay between us, but the eldest daughter-in-law seems to be eager to listen in."

Wang Shi argued, "You said it to me because you knew I was worried! And by saying such things, you are being cruel to Da Bao! You knew Mother liked Da Bao, so you found a way to harm him!"

In retaliation, she countered, "So are you saying that I caused you to have diarrhea in the middle of the night? Did I also make you squat in the corner of my house at night? But aside from that, it's the eldest daughter-in-law who doesn't feed Da Bao, who doesn't dress him, and who even kicked him out of the house in the middle of the night. And now the eldest daughter-in-law is accusing me of being cruel?"

She finished speaking, wiped away the tears on her face, and looked at Old Mrs. Xu with sadness, saying, "Mother, we were just chatting casually. My husband even mentioned that when the time comes, he would have Dashan take Da Bao to the Song family. If Da Bao cries and says he misses his mother and can't eat, Song Yulan, being soft-hearted, would surely give in. But who knew that not only did the eldest daughter-in-law eavesdrop, but she also misheard. She treated Da Bao so heartlessly, even though he is her own grandson!"

"Yes, Mother, my wife is the gentlest person. You know her best, how could she say such cruel things?" Third Xu San, Xu Maosheng, added, "And with the eldest daughter-in-law bedridden and keeping Da Bao indoors, we would never approve of such actions!"

Old Mrs. Xu's gaze fell sharply on Wang Shi, "Wang Xiuhua, do you have anything else to say?"

Wang Shi knew she couldn't defend her wrongdoing and could only hang her head and cry, "I was just temporarily confused. I was worried that Song Yulan wouldn't come back, that Dashan would lose his wife, and Da Bao would lose his mother. She acted out of anxiousness."

"Humph!" Old Mrs. Xu coldly snorted, "Were you worried? Were you thinking of their well-being? Disgusting! Wang Xiuhua, you were only looking out for yourself! Since Song Yulan arrived, you have been jealous of her dowry. Constantly trying to make her feel inferior, this has been going on for a while. It was your family matter, and I didn't want to intervene, but when you asked Song Yulan to buy you clothes and jewelry, didn't I tell you not to overstep? And what happened? They came and told me about it, and I felt so ashamed!"

"You not only held onto Song Yulan's dowry, but also controlled the money she earned. Constantly asking Dashan and Yulan for money and things, did you think I didn't know? It's also my fault for not seeing through you earlier. I should have my son divorced you long ago, to restore the honor of our Xu family!"

"Mother, Mother!! Mother, please don't divorce me!!" Wang Shi was devastated, crying as she crawled over and held onto Old Mrs. Xu's leg, "Mother, I have served you and Father for so many years, raised children and took care of the family. Even if I haven't been a credit, at least I have been diligent, Mother!"

Old Mrs. Xu looked at Xu Maogen and said slowly, "Eldest son, I am giving you two options now. First, divorce this wife. Second, divide the family. You all go your separate ways and do as you please, and your father and I will have no more involvement."

"Mother!!" Xu Maogen stared at Old Mrs. Xu with wide eyes, "Mother, Father.. I won't leave, please don't divide the family!"

As the eldest son, if he were to be separated and laughed at in the future, wouldn't it be embarrassing?

However, Wang Shi held onto hope, believing that if the family were divided, she could be in charge and make decisions on her own without fearing divorce!

With this in mind, tears streaming down her face, she looked at Xu Maogen and sobbed, "Father of my child, please don't divorce me... We've been together for over twenty years, as a husband and wife. I have never done anything to wrong you, Father of my child..."

Of course, Xu Maogen couldn't bear to divorce his wife. Regardless of Wang Shi's actions, she had served him well over the past twenty years. If he were to divorce her, he would have to live alone, feeling the coldness of an empty hearth and bed, which would be unbearable.

Old Mrs. Xu also realized the situation and lowered her gaze, saying, "Eldest son, you need to think carefully about whether your wife or your parents are more important."

"Father, please don't divorce Mother. In the future, I will work hard and earn money to support both of you. Please don't divorce Mother!" At that moment, Xu Dashan, showing filial piety, cried while holding onto his father's leg.

Xu Xiujan stood by coldly, indifferent to whether the family was divided or not. To her, it made no difference as she would eventually marry off.

However, if the family stayed intact, the dowry would be controlled by the elderly, maybe she could even gain more. If the family were divided, her mother and siblings would focus on the eldest brother, leaving no room for her.

Thinking about this, she also started crying, whimpering, "Grandma, I can't bear to leave you, I don't want to go, I want to stay by your side, sob."

Xu Maogen had never been so conflicted before, his mind in turmoil, his eyes blank. After a while, he squeezed out from between his teeth, "I... I won't divide the family!"

Not dividing the family meant divorcing his wife.

Wang Shi let out a mournful cry and collapsed.

*

Leaving aside the unrest in the Xu household, Li shi and Song Xingyi took Da Bao and went to the town instead of returning home. They wanted to take Da Bao to the town's clinic for a check-up and bring back Song Zhixuan, Hutou and Tudan to celebrate the New Year at home.

A perfectly good year was turned into chaos by the Xu family, losing all its festive joy. However, they had to celebrate the New Year as planned, even though they had already delayed the time for giving New Year gifts and arrived home when it was already dark.

At home, Fang shi and Zhang shi were busy frying various meatballs and simmering meat dishes, everything was almost ready except for the dumplings that still needed to be made.

Li shi immediately started assigning people to deliver New Year gifts to the other five families as soon as they arrived home. Since every family had contributed strong young labor for the recent disturbances, the New Year gifts could not be lacking in generosity, they had to be abundant.

Song Zhiyuan and Song Zhicheng ended up slaughtering another pig and provided each family with plenty of pork, along with a bowl of jam, a jar of preserved fruit, frozen pears and persimmons, a large bag of pickled cabbage, a jar of mixed vegetables, and a jar of sesame oil.

A brimming basket full of New Year gifts, enough to show their sincerity.

This time, Song Dingxiang did not go along to deliver the New Year gifts, the men of each family went with Zhang shi and the others. Zhang shi went to visit Third Old Song San's family and came back looking dissatisfied.

"The people from the their family are so inconsiderate, I felt sorry to see them eating the meat we gave her!"

Song Lishi asked, "What did they say this time?"

Zhang shi was almost laughing with anger and said, "That Zhu shi said that if such a thing happens again, don't forget to call them. Do you think that's polite?"

Li shi snorted coldly, "A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory. From next year, we won't let her daughter-in-law from that family come to the workshop, only the daughter-in-law from the Fifth Old Song family will be allowed in, they really have no shame."

Song Dingxiang chuckled from the side, "Actually, according to customs, Third Granduncle's family has already separated, and the misdeeds created by Eight Aunt shouldn't be repaid to Fifth Aunt. This year, I didn't plan on having their family members come to work, it's just about saving face. His wife originally wanted to come, but my mother managed to persuade her to stay home."

Li shi glanced at Song Xingyi, who was focused on making dumplings, and said, "When a family separates, it should look like a separated family. Leaving our family aside, after Big Brother and Second Brother's families separated, weren't they each minding their own business? It's just like them to emulate our family - after separating, the old lady still holds power, thinking she can live as well as our family."

Song Xingyi muttered, "Stop going on like this, just say next year we won't let them come."

Li shi pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at Song Dingxiang.

Song Dingxiang couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Bai shi's belly was already quite large, and Song Zhixuan would only go to the academy after the first month of the Lunar New Year, so he had time to accompany his wife.

He listened to Li shi and the others chatting while explaining to Bai shi, "Isn't my Third Granduncle's family poor because of their own troubles? They don't approve of anything, all they do is bury their heads in the fields but can't grow anything. When they are poor, they feel like everyone owes them. But it's a good thing they stirred up trouble, otherwise Dingxiang would really suffer if she married into the Xu family."

Bai shi nodded, but her hands didn't stop moving as she said, "They say that fortune and misfortune depend on each other. Dingxiang has actually found fortune in misfortune, the good days are still ahead of us, why bother with them? Although Song Taohong is now a county magistrate's wife, who really knows her from so far away? If she had married into the Xu family, would they even consider her once they became prosperous? She reaped what she sowed."

Fang shi sniffed and said, "If it weren't for our second daughter, and for the other girls, I would have really torn off her face. But the more our days improve, the worse she seems to be doing, which makes me feel relieved. Oh, I should have asked how she's doing in the Xu village when I went."

Song Dingxiang couldn't help but smile, "We'll see in a couple of days, anyway. Last year, she didn't look too good when I saw her, who knows about this year. Our family just minds our own business and looks to the future."

She knew the injustice suffered by the original body, but she lacked the ability to address it now. She could only focus on improving her own family's situation first, ensuring her biological parents and grandparents had a good life before thinking about anything else.

If the Xu family didn't fare well, it was fine. But if they did, she actually thought about finding a way to stir things up.

Li shi spoke nonchalantly, "Will she be alright? With our family in such turmoil, I fear things will only get worse for her. Actually, it might be a blessing in disguise. Our eldest girl won't be dragged into this mess. We've faced hardship, but Dabao has taken back the Song name. Even if our Yulan doesn't remarry, with land, a dowry, and a son by her side, she can still have a good life."

"You're right! She still have our support, what do we have to fear?" Fang shi's spirits lifted considerably.

The sight of the bustling family filled Bai shi with joy. Her smile, however, quickly turned into a grimace as she clutched her stomach with a pained "Ouch!"

Li shi's hands trembled as she unintentionally crushed a dumpling in her grip. Her voice laced with worry, she asked, "What's wrong? It's still too early..."

Yet, there were still half a month's worth of preparations to be done.

"I... I..." Bai shi's face grew pale. "Mom, I think I'm going into labor!"

Thrown into disarray, the family abandoned their dumpling-making to rush to the doctor. They even doubled the previously agreed-upon fee to convince the midwife, originally scheduled for the New Year, to come immediately.

This is Bai shi's first child, a girl with tiny feet. During weekdays, she's mostly inactive, preferring to stay within the yard.

Her appetite is also quite selective, similar to a cat's. Despite growing stronger after spending time in the village, she still seems frail compared to the local girls.

This weakness was evident on New Year's Day when the pain of childbirth lingered. She relied on ginseng soup before finally delivering the baby.

"It's a girl," the midwife announced cautiously, holding the wrapped baby.

"Thank goodness," Li shi responded, placing her hands together in prayer and offering a reward to the midwife with a smile. "It doesn't matter if it's a girl; all the women in our family are strong!"

"Is my wife alright?" Song Zhixuan asked anxiously.

The midwife took the reward money, smiling widely, and said, "Good, all is well, just very tired and needs rest. Let me tell you, this girl in your family is truly raised excellently, beautiful and capable, everyone should praise her. And there's nothing to fear for the first pregnancy, after blooming this time, she will have a chubby little boy next, which is a good omen."

Song Zhixuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your auspicious words, we will invite you again next time."

Bai shi was unaware of everything as she slept, and when she woke up again, her clothes had been changed, and she lay clean and fresh on the warm bed with a rosy baby by her side. Her mother sat beside the bed, playing with the baby's clothes.

"Mom..." Bai shi saw her own mother, and tears immediately fell from her eyes.

Her mother quickly comforted her, "Why crying on such a happy day? Our granddaughter was born on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which is very auspicious and joyful."

Bai shi looked at her daughter, born after a day and night of pain and couldn't help but shed tears again, "She's so ugly, please don't take after me."

Liu shi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Ugly? Your mother-in-law said she will definitely be a beauty in the future, just like her father."

Bai shi agreed with a sound and then worriedly asked, "Mom, I gave birth to a daughter, did my mother-in-law say anything?"

Liu shi smiled and said, "Your mother-in-law is very happy, what's wrong with having a daughter? Have you seen any of their daughters living poorly? I heard that Yulan's fate is a bit lower, but now that she's back home, with support from her family, good days are ahead. Your ability to marry into such a family truly makes your mother happy. By the way, are you hungry? I'll bring you some chicken soup to drink."

Liu shi had just left, and Li shi walked in, smiling and saying, "I knew you were awake when I heard some noise in this room. Are you still feeling weak?"

Bai shi wanted to get up, but Li shi held her down and said, "You still feel a bit weak, and it hurts too."

Li shi said, "The doctor said you have a weak constitution. It's a pity that you have small feet. If you had big feet, you could run and play with Dingxiang and Zi Jin and not be so weak. Don't worry, your mother will take good care of you in the future."

Liu shi also came in with chicken soup, feeding her daughter while saying, "I must have been out of my mind to bind her feet like this. Her father scolded me a lot for this. I used to envy the daughters of rich families who all had small feet. But now, I realize that those rich families have fewer children because they can't run around and end up weak. It's all the mother's fault."

Bai shi quickly said, "It's not the mother's fault. Even if I have small feet, I can still walk around in the yard and do more work to keep myself healthy."

Li shi tucked her in and said, "After giving birth, you must stay at home during your postpartum period. I think you should just stay at home this year. When the child is older and you are stronger, you can accompany the third son for his studies."

Liu shi said, "She should stay by your side to serve you. As for the son-in-law, you both don't need to worry. With me as the mother-in-law, he won't be lacking in food and drink."

Although Bai shi wanted to be by Song Zhixuan's side all the time, she knew it wasn't appropriate in the current situation, so she agreed. This family was really good.

She had no worries living here, and she could chat with several girls of similar age, making life interesting.

While they were chatting, Song Dingxiang came in and said, "Grandma, Song Tao Hong has come to pay New Year's greetings."

——— Author's Note:

Song Dingxiang: What's there to say, I'm busy!!