Nan Yu pointed a finger at Li Guihua, who was still sitting on the ground, clutching her stomach and unable to get up.
Since he was twelve or thirteen, Li Guihua had forced Nan Yu to work the fields and pulled him out of school, so he possessed a fair amount of strength. This kick had been delivered with all of Nan Yu’s pent-up resentment; it was certainly heavy, and it was only natural that she couldn't get up for the moment.
Nan Dashu had never seen Nan Yu like this. Nan Yu had never spoken to him this way before, nor had he ever possessed such an imposing presence. Since childhood, Nan Yu had been a timid, shrinking soul who never dared to get into real conflicts with anyone. Even if a confrontation occurred, one or two threats from the other side would immediately cow him; he didn't dare face people head-on, and, of course, he didn't have the guts to scheme behind their backs either.
To put it bluntly, he was a coward. It was the same as before: when Nan Dashu shouted at him for refusing to let his elder sister be married off for a bride price, Nan Yu had immediately shrunk into a corner. If it hadn't been for his sister’s absolute refusal to marry, which enraged Nan Dashu into grabbing a tobacco pipe to strike her, and Nan Yu stepping in to shield her—resulting in his own head being broken—that would have been the only time Nan Yu had ever shown any backbone, standing up to protect his sister. That strike from Nan Dashu had been delivered with full force; it had even snapped the stem of the tobacco pipe.
Looking at Nan Yu now—standing tall, his face cold as frost, glaring with a formidable, aggressive aura—Nan Dashu truly did not dare to strike again. However, as a father, he still cared about his dignity. Even if he stopped hitting him, he still had to "properly educate" this son who dared to look his own father in the eye.
"Nan Yu! I’m your father! How dare you yell at me like that?"
The reason for Nan Yu’s shrinking nature ultimately came down to the fact that he took after Nan Dashu. Nan Dashu was just a coward, a paper tiger. He was fine with putting on a show of noise and bluster, but when it came to real conflict, he turned timid. He only dared to throw his weight around at home with his wife and children.
But ever since Nan Yu’s biological mother passed away and Li Guihua came to live with them, Nan Dashu had changed. He had become someone who listened to everything Li Guihua said, never daring to say a word against her. Not only did he not dare to criticize her, he even had to endure her berating him. Sometimes, when Li Guihua wasn't satisfied with just scolding him, she would strike him. Not only did Nan Dashu not dare to dodge, he would even lean his face toward her to be hit, and after she finished, he would have to ask if her hand hurt. He was a quintessential henpecked husband.
When Nan Yu’s mother was still alive, Nan Dashu hadn't been like this. Although he had been good to his wife, he wasn't like he was now. For some reason, Nan Dashu had become this pathetic, wife-fearing mess. Nan Dashu was good to Li Guihua and her children, but it was Nan Yu and his siblings who suffered, having been used as servants by Li Guihua for years.
"Stop with the 'I'm your father' talk. I’m asking you a question!" Nan Yu knew Nan Dashu’s nature too well; he wouldn't let him skate by with half-measures.
Aside from letting his sister be married off in a daze because of him, Nan Yu’s greatest regret was never standing up like a man to support his sister, his younger siblings, and himself. It had been the regret of a lifetime; even later, when he had money, he never got the chance to properly care for his siblings. He had let all his loved ones be ruined by that vicious woman, Li Guihua. Whether he had been reborn, transmigrated, or it was just a dream, he would never again let the things he once regretted happen.
Nan Dashu, incited by Nan Yu’s attitude, flew into a rage, raised the broom in his hand, and went to strike again. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to—"
Before he could finish, Nan Yu grabbed Nan Dashu’s wrist and gave him a firm push, sending him stumbling out of the room. Like Li Guihua, Nan Dashu tripped over the threshold and landed hard on his backside in the yard.
Nan Dashu stared at Nan Yu in disbelief. How had his son suddenly become someone so different?
Nan Yu ignored Nan Dashu’s fall, still standing straight, looking down at him coldly. Nan Yu hated himself for not taking better care of his siblings, but he hated his father, Nan Dashu, even more. Li Guihua’s mistreatment of the children had been plain for all to see. Not only did he never speak up for his own flesh and blood, but he was also incredibly cruel to them, often cheering from the sidelines when Li Guihua abused them just to please her. Did a man like that even deserve to be a father? Thinking of this, the coldness in Nan Yu’s eyes practically solidified.
Nan Dashu had tripped over the threshold, but at only forty years old—just entering middle age—he was in good health, and the fall hadn't hurt him. People in the countryside married and had children early in those days; Nan Dashu had married at twenty and had Nan Yu’s eldest sister the following year.
Nan Yu stepped out of the room and stood before the man sitting on the ground. "I’ll ask you one more time: do you want this woman, or do you want your own children?"
Nan Dashu was still reeling from the shock of being pushed by his son. Now, hearing Nan Yu’s aggressive questioning, he completely lost his temper. "You unfilial brat! I’m your own father, and you dare to strike me? You don't need to ask—I choose my wife! So what of it!?"
Nan Yu had known this would be Nan Dashu’s answer, but hearing it with his own ears still made his heart ache with a bottomless, bitter sorrow.
"Are you sure?" Nan Yu asked, expressionless.
"Sure? Of course I’m sure! What are you going to do about it?!" Nan Dashu craned his neck, staring Nan Yu down.
Nan Yu looked into Nan Dashu’s eyes and nodded. "Fine! Since you choose that woman, then let's sever our ties! From this day on, you can keep your so-called wife, and we siblings will no longer need you to care for us! Whether we live or die will have nothing to do with you."
Seeing two small figures carrying large baskets arrive at the yard gate, Nan Yu said gently, "Xiaoxing, Nan Chan, go call the Brigade Leader, the village head, and the party secretary! Tell them we are severing our family ties and ask them to come be witnesses."
Looking at his little sister, who was only six years old and following behind Xiaoxing, Nan Yu’s heart felt even heavier. Their mother had died from a hemorrhage while giving birth to this little sister, and Nan Dashu had harbored an abnormal hatred for her. He had even named her "Nan Chan" (Difficult Birth). Was that even a human name? Was that even something a human being would do?
As soon as Nan Yu finished speaking, it wasn't just the children, Xiaoxing and Nan Chan, who were stunned; Nan Dashu, Li Guihua, and the sister standing behind Nan Yu were all completely frozen in shock.