My humble days in ancient times

Xu Ruyi comforted him, saying, "Today we are severing our ties with Aunt Tian. We don't want the land, and we won't have to pay Dad's support in the future. Only when this is clearly written down can we avoid further entanglement with them."

The brother and sister whispered to each other for a while and then went into the house.

Xu Qinghe said calmly: "We don't forgive Aunt Tian for what she did. We want to sever our ties with her."

No one had any objection to this, so no one said anything.

Xu Qinghe looked at Xu Dachuan, his throat a little knotted. "We don't want the land anymore, just consider it as alimony for Dad. Although we are still young, Dad doesn't have to raise us, and doesn't have to worry about money for my brother and me to get married. We won't give Dad alimony either. Dad and Aunt Tian are already married, and they will have children in the future. If possible... if possible, let's break up!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

He Tiezhu coughed a few more times.

Xu Ruyi echoed, "What my eldest brother means is what I mean. We will leave the house with nothing, and the land we don't want will be used as retirement money for Dad."

Xu Ruyi, who had been silent for a while, patted his chest and said, "I am the master of my own life. From now on, I don't have to worry about other people's opinions every day. This is really great!"

Tian Yuhe felt unhappy after hearing what Xu Ruyi said, and thought to herself: "Huh, you little bitch, you're such a scoundrel. I'm just waiting to see what kind of life you'll have in the future. There will be a time when you'll cry and wipe your tears. What will you do then? Just wait for your next meal to beg!"

Mrs. Li, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but shake her head slightly after hearing this. She sighed with a worried look on her face, "Alas, these children are still young and inexperienced. They think life is too easy. How could they understand the hardships and difficulties involved..."

At this time, the head of the village saw that no one spoke to stop him, so he cleared his throat and announced loudly: "Since both parties have agreed, then this matter is settled." His voice echoed in the air, bringing an end to the dispute.

Xu Ruyi took out a brush and ink, and the village headman began to write. The headman's handwriting was beautiful, and it read: "From this day forward, Tian Yuhe and Xu Qinghe, Xu Ruyi, Xu Ruyuan, and Xu Qingyan are no longer related. They must each live their own lives. Xu Dachuan and his four siblings are to separate. They must leave the household empty-handed, and their land will be used as a stipend for their support. As they are minors, Xu Dachuan is not required to support them. Note: Starting at age fifty, each of the four siblings must pay an annual support fee of three hundred coins. If the four siblings are unable to support themselves before they turn eighteen, Xu Dachuan is obligated to support them."

The village head read the written document on division of the family property, and everyone understood it.

He Tiezhu thought the note was very good.

Li and Xu Dafu thought the village head's suggestion that Dachuan and the child separate was better; severing the relationship was too harsh. The last option was also good; it at least had a touch of family. Li thought: After all, he's the village head, so thoughtful.

Seeing that no one objected, the village head made three copies, one for each of the four siblings, one for Xu Dachuan and his wife, and one for himself, all of which had his seal.

Generally, disputes among villagers would be resolved by the village head, without the need for official documents. Going to the government was troublesome, time-consuming, and laborious. Furthermore, villagers disliked and feared being associated with the government.

Li was still angry that Tian Yuhe had bad intentions and had caused such a scandal, bringing shame to the family and making her lose face, so she said, "Yuhe, you have to compensate the children."

Tian Yuhe said reluctantly: "I don't have much money."

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "Why don't we report it to the police? We have several witnesses anyway."

Mrs. Li chimed in, "Compensate each child five taels, ten taels in total. It's not much, but it's a token of appreciation. Seeing how scared you've made the child, it wouldn't be unreasonable to buy him some good food and drink to comfort him. Otherwise, let them report it to the authorities and let them make a decision."

Tian Yuhe went to the east room to get the silver and gave Xu Qinghe ten taels.

Xu Ruyi said to the village head embarrassedly: "Thank you for your help, uncle, for accompanying us."

The village head took Xu Dachuan, Xu Qinghe and Xu Ruyi to Huang Guiyun's house.

Huang Guiyun was severely beaten by Xu Shi. She cried for a long time, and just when she was about to wash her face and go to bed, she heard a knock on the door. She opened the door and saw the village head coming. Her heart suddenly started pounding.

Xu Shi heard the noise and hurried out of the east room. He found the village head and Dachuan and his son. His intuition told him that something bad must be wrong. Xu Ruyi and Dachuan had been there before, so why were they here again?

Xu Shi asked with some confusion, "What's going on between the village head and Dachuan at this late hour?"

Seeing Xu Shi's disheveled appearance, the village head realized he had just gone to bed, so he said, "It's so late, everyone should go to bed early. To make a long story short, today Huang Guiyun and Tian Yuhe sent Ruyuan away as a child bride and sold Qingyan. They originally wanted to report it to the authorities, but I think it's best to resolve it privately. Otherwise, give him ten taels of silver as an apology to the child. Let's just leave it at that."

Huang Guiyun rushed over and said dissatisfiedly: "I didn't do anything. Tian Yuhe took all the money. Why are you asking me for money? If you want money, you should ask someone else!"

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "The other person you are talking about is Tian Yuhe, right? She has already given it to him."

Huang Guiyun still looked fearless: "Why should I give you money?"

Xu Ruyi found her throwing a tantrum amusing and said, "There are several witnesses. How about we go to the government office now?"

Xu Shi returned to the house, brought the silver, and gave it to Qinghe, saying, "I'm sorry for causing trouble to the village head and Dachuan."

No one stayed any longer and wanted to go back to warm their bed early!

Huang Guiyun yelled in dissatisfaction from behind: "You're just greedy for money. What have I done wrong? How can you be so embarrassed to ask for so much..."

Xu Shi covered her mouth. "We haven't even left yet, and you, a troublemaker, are already cursing. What do you want to do? You're not allowed to curse even after we've walked away. Why have you been so close to Tian Yuhe recently? Just to sell her child, and you think you're right. Can you have some shame?"

When the matter was resolved, the village head went back to sleep.

Xu Ruyi and the others returned home and cooked some porridge. They were so hungry that they ate it ravenously.

When Li left, she asked for the ransom money she had hoped for, and also warned Tian Yuhe, "From now on, you should live your own lives, and don't try to take advantage of the child again. Stay away from those bad people. I hope you will take care of yourself."

Tian Yuhe naturally understood that the bad guy Li was referring to was Huang Guiyun.

The next day, the siblings woke up early and packed their belongings. After breakfast, they headed to the village to clean the house. Grandpa and uncle, who hadn't been home the night before, came to help. The stove could hold two large iron pots, but there was only one old, worn one, which was still usable after washing. Xu Ruyi washed the pot and boiled some water. They cleaned the house inside and out, wiping everything down several times with a rag. They took the wooden planks used for the bed out to dry in the sun.

Grandma Wu from next door came over with her granddaughter Xu Xiaohua and Uncle Zhang and his wife to help. They cleared the weeds in the yard and then left.

His uncle took Xu Qinghe to town to do some shopping. They bought a pot, some bowls and chopsticks, and other household items like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and coarse rice and flour.

They borrowed a cart to carry the four siblings' clothes, their quilts, and Ruyuan Qingyan's brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. They packed up two backpacks, two baskets, and two sickles, all to take away. They also took the herbs Xu Ruyi had gathered. He's clothes were burned, leaving only a wooden box. Inside, there were a few ornaments: a gold hairpin, an intricately carved wooden hairpin, and two silver bracelets. In the end, the cart was filled with odds and ends.

Before leaving, Tian came over with an oil can in her hand and said, "Take it, and don't say that I'm coveting your things." Xu Ruyi simply took it. She didn't want to make a fuss about it, but after hearing what Tian Yuhe said, she went into the kitchen and took away a few sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Looking at Xu Ruyi's receding back, Tian Yuhe's heart was filled with joy.

Tian Yuhe thought to herself: Xu Ruyi, ah Xu Ruyi, let's see how sharp your tongue will be in the future. There will always be a day when you cry. When you can't survive, you can go begging. Hahahaha...