Chapter 79: Starting over

After half a month of turmoil within the family, it finally ended with a letter of disownment. This was the second disownment letter written by the Liu family. The first was given to Liu Yu, which no one knew about. The second was given to the third branch of the family, causing quite a stir.

The Liu family’s third branch, consisting of four members, including the little child in Wen Shi’s arms, left with just a disownment letter, a few clothes, and a bundle, being driven out of the Liu family’s door.

The head of the Liu clan sighed, “Without land, there is no livelihood.” He asked Liu Sanlang about their future plans, and Liu Sanlang instinctively looked at Wen Shi.

Wen Shi, contemplating seeking help from her maternal home or finding shelter in an abandoned house in the village, finally made a decision. She looked at the clan head and the elders, saying, “We have nowhere else to go. The children are still young. I wonder if the clan could lend us the abandoned house to the west of the village for a while?”

She could have sought help from her maternal home. The Wen family was not heartless. However, considering Liu Sanlang’s surname was Liu, if they went to her maternal home, it would inevitably lead to gossip and tarnish her family’s reputation. She didn’t want her husband to be looked down upon in the future, nor did she want to strain her family’s relationship by instigating a family split and severing ties with her in-laws.

After all, most people who gossip are merely seeking temporary satisfaction without truly understanding right from wrong. She still had an unmarried sister, and there were several unmarried cousins in her paternal family.

When Wen Shi mentioned the abandoned house to the west of the village, the clan head and the elders exchanged glances, none of them having thought about it.

They had thought Wen Shi would take Liu Sanlang and the two children back to her family’s house. If that had happened, it would have been a huge blow to their reputation. Unexpectedly, Wen Shi preferred to live in the abandoned house. The clan head and the elders breathed a sigh of relief.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

“Gzaktbv,” vbl ycydesdle bswpl vs vbl olpv sq vbl hkzzytl bye yd sodla saktkdyzzu, cwv bl dlhla xyaakle yde bye ds blkap. Gqvla bl rypple yoyu, vbl bswpl oyp zlqv elplavle, yde kv oyp nsdpkelale vbl rasrlavu sq vbl nzyd. Tsolhla, vbl bswpl dllele kdbyckvydvp, yde kq zlqv wdsnnwrkle qsa ydsvbla qkhl sa pkm ulyap, kv oswze rascyczu nszzyrpl.

Fllkdt vbyv vbl svbla lzelap bye ds scflnvksdp, vbl nzyd blye xyel vbl elnkpksd, “Zsw nyd xshl vblal qsa vbl vkxl clkdt. Flvvzl kd clqsal usw vbkdj ycswv yniwkakdt uswa sod rzynl.”

Fllkdt vbl qyxkzu sq qswa okvb dsvbkdt cwv y cwdezl, vblu nswzed’v clya kv. Mbl nzyd blye qlzv psaau qsa Nkw Iydtpbldt. Tl pllxle vs byhl zspv yzz ektdkvu, wdyczl vs es yduvbkdt. Llhlavblzlpp, bl oyp pvkzz y xlxcla sq vbl Nkw qyxkzu.

Mbl nzyd blye tzydnle yv vbl svbla lzelap yde pyke, “El nyd’v fwpv zlyhl Fydzydt’p qyxkzu zkjl vbkp. R’zz ypj xu okql vs cakdt psxl cleekdt shla. Wakldep, nyd ol zlde y byde?”

Mbspl obs nswze pkv kd vbl rspkvksd sq lzelap olal alprlnvle kd vbl hkzzytl. Gryav qasx clkdt pzktbvzu olyzvbkla vbyd saekdyau hkzzytlap, vblu olal tldlayzzu xsayzzu wraktbv. Gv zlypv vblu oswzed’v vwad y czkde lul. Mblu yzz lmralpple vblka okzzkdtdlpp vs blzr. Fsxl rasxkple vs cakdt aknl, svblap sqqlale rsvvlau yde wvldpkzp. Usxryale vs Nkw Iydtpbldt’p ckszstknyz qyvbla, vblu pbsole xwnb xsal nsxryppksd.

Nkw Fydzydt bye dlhla kxytkdle vbyv bl oswze lde wr kd pwnb y pkvwyvksd kd bkp zkql. Tl qlzv csvb pye yde xshle. Gqvla vbydjkdt vbl nzyd blye yde vbl lzelap okvb vlyap kd bkp lulp, bl vssj bkp okql yde nbkzeald vs vbl olpv sq vbl hkzzytl.

Mbl ycydesdle bswpl bye clld wdsnnwrkle qsa plhlayz ulyap, yde ollep talo ayxrydv kd vbl nswavuyae. Mblal oypd’v lhld y elnldv rzynl vs alpv. Nkw Fydzydt zssjle yv vbl pju, tayccle y zsdt caydnb, yde nzlyale vbl ollep kd vbl nswavuyae clqsal nblnjkdt vbl kdvlaksa sq vbl bswpl vs ldpwal vblal olal ds cwtp sa pdyjlp. Mbld, bl nyzzle qsa Eld Fbk yde vbl nbkzeald vs nsxl kdpkel.

Mbl sze cle oyp pvkzz vblal, cwv vblal olal ds czydjlvp, yde vbl vyczl oyp xkppkdt y zlt.

Seeing this scene, Liu Sanlang’s eyes turned red again. He turned to Wen Shi and said with a bowed head, “I’m sorry to make you live like this.”

Wen Shi held Liu Sanlang’s hand and smiled, “We share joys and sorrows. Splitting the family was my decision. How can I blame you? As long as we work hard, we can gradually improve our lives.”

Pointing to the table missing a leg, she said, “Move that table over here and prop it up with something next to the bed. It can be used temporarily. You’re a carpenter, so don’t worry about furniture. We can slowly add to it.”

Finally feeling a bit less despondent, Liu Sanlang smiled and said, “Yes, I will make sure you and the children have a good life. We’ll make do with what we have here for now. I’ll fix the table in the next few days, and I’ll make some stools soon.”

Feeling more spirited as he spoke, Liu Sanlang shook the bed to check its sturdiness and cleanliness. Satisfied that it was still in good condition, he patted the bed clean and called Wen Shi, “You and the youngest sit here. I’ll borrow a hoe from a villager and tidy up the courtyard to prevent snakes and bugs.”

With that, he ran to borrow a hoe from a villager and started clearing the courtyard with his second daughter.

After digging a few times, the son and daughter-in-law of the clan head arrived, one carrying bedding and the other holding a water bucket and basin with a cloth. As soon as they entered the abandoned house and saw the miserable state of Liu Sanlang’s family, both of them wore solemn expressions.

The son and daughter-in-law of the clan head were already acquainted with Wen Shi, and upon seeing her holding the youngest child on a dusty bed, their eyes turned red with tears.

“What sin has your father committed? He drove out a good son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, without even giving them anything decent. You haven’t even finished your postpartum recovery.”

Wen Shi smiled bitterly, “We’ve severed ties. I don’t have a father anymore.”

The son and daughter-in-law of the clan head nodded hurriedly, “Yes, yes.”

Then, they said to Wen Shi, “Your family has really had it rough these past few months. I used to think highly of your family, but now it’s clear that appearances can be deceiving. First it was Yu’er, now it’s you.”

When Wen Shi heard about Liu Yu, she felt a pang of sadness. She wondered what had become of him. Did the Lu family find him?

However, she had too much on her plate at the moment to worry about Liu Yu. Thinking of him only reinforced her belief that leaving the Liu family was the right decision. Difficulties were temporary, but staying in that family would cast a shadow over their entire lives.

The daughter-in-law of the clan head put down the water bucket and basin, realizing there was no clean

While speaking, the son of the clan head had already fetched a bucket of water, taking the bedding from the woman’s hands to hold it himself. The daughter-in-law of the clan head freed her hands and wrung out a cloth to help Wen Shi clean the bed.

Wen Shi felt embarrassed to see others working while she sat idle, but she had no place to put the baby in her hands, feeling ashamed. Seeing her expression, the daughter-in-law of the clan head said, “Don’t worry so much. You’re still in your postpartum period. You shouldn’t touch this raw water.”

After changing three buckets of water and wiping down the bed, its original color was finally revealed. There was finally a place to put the bedding. The daughter-in-law of the clan head helped Wen Shi make the bed, while the men went out to help Liu Sanlang tidy up the courtyard.

As soon as the bed was made, several families from the clan began to arrive one after another, each carrying a basket of goods, clearly coordinated. Four families brought a set of utensils, three families brought coarse porcelain plates, and two families each brought an old clay pot.

Iron pots were expensive, and no family had extra ones to spare. So, these two old clay pots were provided to Liu Sanlang and Wen Shi for cooking.

In addition to these utensils, there were also food items such as eggs, rice, oil, beans, and vegetables, each brought by different people. Although each family didn’t bring much, when combined, it filled an entire table, providing enough food for the family of four for five or six days.

As word spread, people from the village continued to come, bringing various items. Some even brought packets of vegetable seeds. Seeing that the courtyard of the abandoned house was being cleared, some villagers allowed Liu Sanlang to take some land from their fields to plant vegetables. Before leaving, they would often say a word or two, inviting Liu Sanlang to pick vegetables from their gardens.

Liu Sanlang and Wen Shi thanked them one by one.

While the Liu family had shown them coldness and indifference, the villagers of Liu’s village made them feel warmth and kindness they had never experienced before.

In the evening, Liu Sanlang made a simple stove with stones. Since they didn’t have a knife, he used his hands to tear up some greens. The couple discussed going to the Wen family early in the morning to deliver the news. Wen Shi also had a few taels of dowry money left, so they planned for Liu Sanlang to buy some basic necessities like knives, cutting boards, and an iron pot at the market.

As the family of four prepared to sleep on the same bed, they heard some movement outside in the courtyard, and someone knocked on the door.

Since there was no candle or lamp oil at home, only a faint moonlight shone through the window. Wen Shi and Erya hadn’t fallen asleep yet, and Erya was a bit nervous.

Liu Sanlang walked to the door and asked, “Who is it?”

A low voice from outside replied, “Sanlang, it’s me, Wang Shi.”

Liu Sanlang glanced back at Wen Shi and then opened the door for Wang Shi. When he saw her, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Wang Shi entered the room, looking around at the empty house in the dim moonlight, feeling uneasy in her heart.

Among the three brothers of the Liu family, Wang Shi now harbored deep hatred towards the eldest brother, was polite and trying to win over the second brother, and had a slightly different attitude towards the third brother, Liu Sanlang. When she first came to the Liu family’s village, Liu Sanlang was still very young. He used to be very close to her when he was young, and she had played a significant role in raising him. Later, when he married Wen Shi, who was very good at socializing, she became Wang Shi’s favorite among the three daughters-in-law. Therefore, she treated the third branch differently.

Seeing that neither Liu Sanlang nor Wen Shi said anything, the three of them fell silent for a moment.

Wang Shi didn’t dare to stay long. She took out a money pouch from her sleeve. This was the one she gave to Liu Yu last time, and Liu Yu returned it to her. Wang Shi handed it to Liu Sanlang and said, “This is my little private savings. I secretly took it out. You… live well from now on.”

Leaving that family was also a good thing. Unlike her, who was bound to that quagmire for life.

Liu Sanlang was stunned, holding the still warm money pouch in his hand, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Wang Shi pursed her lips and said, “Go to sleep. I’m leaving.”

She turned and left through the door.

“Mother!” Liu Sanlang suddenly called out behind her, causing Wang Shi to pause and look back.

Liu Sanlang stood at the door, his lips moving, and he whispered softly, “Thank you.”

Wang Shi smiled and shook her head. “Don’t call me mother anymore.” Leaving that quagmire, why bother to get involved again? Besides, she was a disaster. It was better to tie herself to Liu Kangsheng for life and not harm anyone else.

She waved to Liu Sanlang and left the dilapidated courtyard, her figure in the dark night appearing particularly lonely and desolate under the moonlight.

Sansukini: I’m really sad for Wang Shi, but at the same time she made the wrong choices. But she was more of a mother to Sanlang than she was to Liu Yu.