On his way to Nan Yu's home, the Brigade Leader kept thinking about what the man had told him: that Nan Yu had beaten Li Guihua quite severely.
Nan Yu was as thin as a reed and had such a timid, submissive nature; how much damage could he possibly do, even if he did hit Li Guihua? "Quite severely," he thought—how bad could it really be?
But when he reached the gate and saw Li Guihua and her daughter lying on the ground, the Brigade Leader was truly shocked. He finally believed the visitor's claim. Li Guihua’s face was so swollen her eyes were nearly shut, bruised black and blue, with blood at the corner of her mouth and her hair in a disheveled mess. To have beaten her to this extent showed just how ruthless Nan Yu had been.
"Brigade Leader, it’s a good thing you’re here, so I don't have to go looking for you. Since you know the situation in our family, please preside over this: my three sisters and I want to sever ties with Nan Dashu."
The Brigade Leader didn't speak; he shifted his gaze toward Nan Dashu.
Nan Dashu leaned against the doorframe and waved his hands at the Brigade Leader, forcing a smile. "No, no, no, Brigade Leader, don't listen to that little brat's nonsense! How could we sever family ties? No, we aren’t doing that."
In those days, the Brigade Leader was the highest authority in the village, and common folk like Nan Dashu were quite afraid of him.
"Alright, that’s you saying we aren't severing ties in front of the Brigade Leader himself, so I’m going to throw Li Guihua out." As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Yu headed toward Li Guihua.
Nan Dashu was so anxious he slapped his own thigh, but he immediately cried out in pain. Whether it was bad luck or his own aim, he had struck the very spot where he was injured, and the pain nearly made him collapse.
"You brat, are you trying to kill me? How could you force your own father like this?" Nan Dashu yelled at Nan Yu while clutching the doorframe.
Nan Zhi couldn't stand seeing her father in such pain and reached out to help him. But the ungrateful Nan Dashu actually swatted her hand away. What had happened today had already left Nan Zhi feeling miserable, and seeing her father treat her this way made her eyes brim with tears. Still, she had the temperament of a doormat; even with her heart breaking, she didn't say a word.
The Branch Secretary had seen the whole thing and looked at Nan Dashu with disdain. "Nan Dashu, are you truly that ungrateful? Your own daughter wants to help you, yet you refuse her kindness. Are you really trying to force these children to sever ties with you?"
"No, no, that’s not what I meant. Branch Secretary, please don't take it seriously—we aren't severing ties, we aren't."
Things had reached this point, and Nan Yu had no intention of letting Nan Dashu wriggle out of it. Without another word, he reached out and grabbed Li Guihua by the collar.
Li Guihua looked as if she had seen a ghost; she frantically waved her arms to block him, screaming, "Nan Dashu, look at your son! He wants me dead! He’s trying to hit me again! Hurry up and stop him!"
Before the words were even out of her mouth, a sharp "smack" echoed in everyone’s ears.
"Since you’ve already said I’m going to hit you, wouldn't I be losing out if I didn't?" Nan Yu followed up with a backhand slap. "My father already said we aren't severing ties, so get out of here now!"
Watching this, the Brigade Leader and the Branch Secretary exchanged a look. Nan Yu grabbed Li Guihua’s collar, ready to toss her out of the courtyard.
"Nan Yu, you animal! Stop that! Stop it! Damn it, if you want to sever ties, then let's sever them! Put my wife down this instant!"
Hearing this, Nan Yu smiled, though he didn't loosen his grip on Li Guihua’s collar. He didn't turn around immediately; instead, he quickly adjusted his expression before slowly turning back.
"Are you serious?"
He had lived a whole life, and in his previous one, he had done plenty of acting for the sake of business. Since he wanted to sever ties without the villagers gossiping about him and his sisters, he had to put on a convincing performance. His face was filled with sorrow and disbelief.
"Father, are you serious? You really don't want us anymore? We are your own flesh and blood!"
"Weren't you the one who insisted on severing ties?" Nan Dashu was still in a fit of rage and never expected Nan Yu to suddenly change his tone.
"I kept mentioning severing ties only because I wanted you to kick Li Guihua out. My sisters and I truly cannot live with this woman who sells children anymore. But I never truly wanted to disown you as my father! Father, do you really want to cast us aside?"
Nan Yu’s words, matched with his mournful expression, didn't just fool Nan Dashu—they convinced all the onlookers as well. The crowd began to murmur.
"It’s true, isn't it? Who would ever want to acknowledge a woman like Li Guihua as a mother? Look at how she’s tortured these children."
"Look at what they’ve been driven to—they only came up with this 'severing ties' idea because they had no other choice. That Nan Dashu is truly heartless to actually go through with cutting off his own children!"
"And Li Guihua has some nerve, being able to hoodwink Nan Dashu into abandoning his own kids."
"Those poor children, really."
"Tsk, tsk, people like that really exist these days—abandoning their own children for someone else’s wife and kids. If Li Guihua were actually willing to live a decent life with Nan Dashu, she wouldn't be shipping everything from this house to her own family’s home every single day. Look at how poor this place is; it’s all been moved to her side of the family."
"Exactly! When Nan Yu’s mother was alive, even if they weren't particularly wealthy, she took good care of the children. It was nothing like this!"
The crowd’s chatter reached Nan Dashu’s ears, causing his face to flush deeper with every word. But the more it happened, the more his temper flared. He stiffened his neck and bellowed at Nan Yu, "What use are you to me? Huh? Are you keeping yourselves around just to annoy me? To keep forcing my hand like you did today? If I’d known you’d turn out like this, I should have drowned you in a basin the moment you were born!"