The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

Du Youtian was not satisfied, "But that's too little."

"How much money does it cost to study each year? How much does it cost to support yourself in old age? A steamed bun and a bowl of water a day are enough to eat and drink, but what about studying? If you don't agree to sever ties with your family, then this matter is off." Du Mingxian made it clear that she didn't want to get involved with Chen Lao Er.

Du Youtian had come specifically to annoy her, so how could he let this opportunity pass? "Fine, fine, that's settled."

Once Chen Lao Er gets up, there will be plenty of opportunities to be filial to him in the future. Why wait for Du Youxian, that heartless woman? Listen to her, is a steamed bun and a bowl of water a normal thing to say?

"Then let's find someone to be a witness."

"Does this need to be witnessed?"

"What if you regret not being a witness later?"

"It's just severing ties, what's the need for witnesses? Just have Silang write a letter severing ties."

After a moment of contemplation, Du Mingxian agreed, "My husband's husband happens to be staying at home, and there are other guests at home. Let's invite them out to come and see for ourselves."

"This...does it have to be like this?"

"There's nothing wrong with just looking."

"Alright, go ahead and do it. I'll have the kid come over this afternoon."

"You can come here. I'll take care of your studies, but I won't cover your meals. You'll have to figure that out yourselves."

Du Youtian's eyes widened instantly. "How can this be? The two families live so far apart. It's not feasible to make him travel back and forth every day. Since you promised to take care of his studies, you must take care of this matter."

"How can we manage this? Education already costs a lot of money, and now we need to cover food and drink as well? This is unacceptable."

The more Du Mingxian objected, the more Du Youtian was willing to pressure her. "I don't care, you have to agree to this, or I'll keep kissing you."

"Alright, then let's not sever ties. From now on, you'll have one steamed bun and one bowl of water every day."

"You unfilial daughter, someone should really come and see what kind of face you have."

"Then go outside and shout it. Let others see your true colors. When I was a kid at the Du family, many people in the village still know how you bullied me."

Du Youtian was so choked up he could hardly breathe. "How could you talk like that?"

"If you can act like this as a father, what's wrong with me saying a few words?"

"Okay, okay, we'll take care of the food he eats."

"Okay, I'll go call for help." Du Mingxian was in a great mood and went to call Ling Silang. Xu Daru, Xu Chengwen, and Lin Hu came over, along with Wang Qi, who had come to watch the excitement.

Several people suddenly entered the room. Du Youtian was furious, but he held back his anger. He would wait until Chen Lao Er was brought over before he could make things difficult for Du Mingxian.

The letter severing ties was written quickly, and it clearly stated that the family would only be supported for ten years of education.

Du Youtian was illiterate and was about to sign the letter severing ties when he saw it, but Du Mingxian stopped him, saying, "Don't rush to put your fingerprint on it. Let everyone here see if it means the correct thing first, so you don't come back saying you can't read and that you were fooled by us. After all, this was written by my husband."

Du Youtian did indeed have this idea, but now that Du Youxian had said it, he felt a little embarrassed, but he didn't say anything.

The severance papers were passed around among the group, and all of them agreed that there was nothing wrong with them. There were three copies in total, and Du Mingxian and Du Youtian put their fingerprints on them.

One portion was given to Du Youtian, one portion was kept by Du Mingxian, and the remaining portion was eventually given to Fang Daru. Du Youtian didn't care about any of these.

No sooner had Du Youtian left than Du Mingxian demanded the letter of severance of kinship from Fang Daru.

"Thank you, sir."

Fang Daru didn't quite understand Du Mingxian's actions. "Since I've already acted as a witness, it would be better if I kept this letter of severance of kinship."

"Although he wrote a letter severing ties, he is still my father, and it is impossible to completely sever ties. It just makes him have some reservations."

Du Mingxian knew that filial piety was very important at this time. She was willing to risk everything and not care about anything else, but the people behind her could not. If Ling Silang wanted to pursue an official career, he could not have any blemishes.

If others were to seize upon Du Youtian's past, it would be a fatal blow to Ling Silang's future. Now, the couple are one; their fortunes are intertwined, and their losses are shared.

Fang Daru once again marveled at how good Ling Silang's wife was.

Chen Lao Er arrived in the afternoon, carrying only a thin coat for changing. The inner padded jacket was cotton and was usually worn throughout the winter. Some families would even wear it all winter long, feeling it was clean, and then wear it again next year.

No food was taken.

Du Mingxian knew what Du Youtian meant from his expression, but she still asked, "Did he tell you that I don't provide meals here?"

"Yes." Chen Lao Er lowered his head silently. "He said he'd owe it to me first."

"Yes, there's enough room at home. We've arranged a bed for you in that room." Du Mingxian pointed to the room where Wang Qi and Lin Hu were staying. "Take your things in and put them down first."

"Yes."

When Chen Lao Er put his things down and hurried out of the room, he found Du Mingxian waiting for him. "Madam."

Du Mingxian waved her hand and led the person into Ling Silang's room.

The group sat down. Chen Lao Er was very nervous. It was winter and very cold outside, but the Ling family's house was so warm and comfortable.

"What did he tell you before you came?"

Chen Lao Er told me everything in detail: "He made me come here and insist that I call you 'sister,' and he made me hang around in front of you every day to annoy you. He even gave me a packet of laxatives and told me to secretly put it in my food."

Du Mingxian nodded slightly; this was Du Youtian's usual approach. "Is there anything else to say?"

"He said he would arrange things for me little by little later. For now, that's how it is. He said that since I've just arrived at the Ling family, I can't do anything too outrageous."

"Okay, your mother gave you instructions before you came, right?"

"Mother said that I should listen to you in everything, and that she would handle things well."

Du Mingxian felt that Widow Chen was a smart woman. "Your mother is right. Everything we've done is for your stepfather to see. After you come here, you can study with the other children in the village. If you are good at studying, I will support you. But if you feel that you can't study, you can work as a gofer if you want."

"Or you can tell me if you want to learn something else, but I want to tell you that what we need is loyalty. As long as you are wholeheartedly devoted to us and do your job well, I will not treat you unfairly."

“Your mother is now working for us, and I will cooperate with you if necessary. Go back tomorrow and tell your mother about this.”

Chen Lao Er looked up, puzzled. "I'm going back tomorrow?"

“Yes, we need to go back since we didn’t take any food. Since he told you to call me sister, you should call me sister from now on.”

"Okay, okay." Old Chen was quite excited.

Du Mingxian suddenly realized that she didn't seem to know the child's name. She had always called him "Second Brother" by Widow Chen. "What's your name?"

“I… I used to be called Er Gouzi. My mother said that a humble name would make it easier to raise a child. When I got older, I didn’t want to be called Er Gouzi anymore, so my mother kept calling me Lao Er.”