Jin Shanyao fulfilled all of Lu Chi's requests, outwardly smiling gently, but inwardly, a small tree was screaming, roaring, and trembling wildly...
She was reading this book and that book, completely forgetting to look at the laws of this dynasty. No, after this matter is resolved, every member of the family must have a copy of the laws and know them by heart, otherwise they won't even know where they'll suffer losses.
Seeing that Jin Shanyao answered readily, Lu Chi didn't hesitate and immediately offered a solution.
"Sever ties with relatives."
"Severing ties?"
"Yes, it's severing ties with a relative. It requires the village head's signature, a neighbor's guarantee, and registration at the county government."
Jin Shanyao her eyes and muttered softly, "What excuse should we use to sever ties?" Neither branch of the Meng Household is easy to deal with; they won't easily agree to sever ties.
Lu Chi smiled, "Moving household registration, making a living in another place, or being raised by others can all be used as excuses."
Jin Shanyao a deep breath, wishing she could smash her head in. Why hadn't she thought of severing ties with her family when she was fighting for custody? It's true what they say, you only realize how little you know when you need it.
She glanced at Lu Chi sideways and said, "Go and clean up the outhouse."
" Jin Shanyao, you're breaking your promise! You said I didn't need to clean the latrine anymore!" Lu Chi instantly exploded.
Jin Shanyao sneered, "I am your master. I just said there was no need to clean it. Now I'm issuing a new order: go and clean the latrine thoroughly. If you don't clean it properly, I won't give you the antidote."
Lu Chi stood there stunned. Why hadn't he thought of this trick when he was the master? He'd learned it now.
As she entered the room, Jin Shanyao nearly stepped on the two little ones. Meng Anci looked up, his smile gone, and asked, "Auntie, can I take the imperial examination?"
Jin Shanyao one of them in each hand and placed them on the kang (heated brick bed), saying confidently, "Of course we can. Strike the snake at its vital point; if we find their vital point, the problem will be solved."
Following Jin Shanyao's train of thought, Meng Anci wondered, what are the weaknesses of Meng Hongde and Meng Hongyi?
"Found it!" Meng Anzhi's eyes lit up. "My eldest and second uncles dote on my two cousins the most. Let's start with them."
Meng Anci's face darkened slightly. "Money, all they care about is money, they're insatiable."
Jin Shanyao smiled with satisfaction; her teaching hadn't been in vain, and she was finally seeing some results.
The three of them identified the weakness and began to devise a plan. Meng Anzhi made a calming sachet and placed it on her eldest cousin's inevitable route.
Meng Anci, with his secret stash of money, quietly sat in the shadows and hired someone to go to the fortune-telling stalls at the city gate. The fortunes were all about trivial family matters, like brothers turning against each other.
Who wouldn't be happy to get a free fortune telling? In just one day, the little stall was packed with people.
The next day, Little River Village was in an uproar, saying that Tietou from Diao Siniang was unconscious and had not been able to be cured despite consulting three or four doctors. Meng Hongde was extremely anxious.
He only has this one precious child, and nothing can happen to him.
Just when he was at his wit's end, someone said, "Could he be possessed by an evil spirit?"
In the past, Meng Hongde would not have believed these words, but after his third brother's death, he believed them without a doubt.
He didn't have time to put on a cotton coat, and ran towards the county town in his slippers. He was already frozen solid by the time he reached the town gate.
Seeing that the fortune-telling stall was crowded with people, they assumed that the fortune teller was extremely accurate.
Without saying a word, he grabbed the man and ran home. The old fortune teller was blind, and he stumbled and staggered all the way, panting heavily. He could only catch his breath once he got inside.
He first touched Tietou to check his breathing, but found nothing unusual. The old blind man wiped his sweat; in their line of work, showing weakness was the worst thing. He then asked Tietou for his birth date and time.
He started pretending to do some calculations, but he was just a conman trying to make a living. Then, not knowing why Tietou wouldn't wake up, he used the same rhetoric he'd used the past two days.
Do you have any brothers?
Meng Hongde hurriedly said, "I have three brothers in my family, and my youngest brother has already passed away."
The old blind man snorted, about to say "Your elder brother is kowtowing to you," when he suddenly remembered that he didn't even know who his employer was.
So he changed his tune and said, "That's right, your brother is your nemesis."
You are destined for great wealth and prosperity, but your brother is destined to be financially unlucky.
Have you two had an argument recently?
Meng Hongde quickly agreed. The old blind man nodded in satisfaction. "Which brothers don't quarrel? This rhetoric works for everyone."
Upon hearing this, Diao Siniang let out a roar and exploded, "What did I tell you? The second son's family is a poor wretch. I told you to cut ties with them long ago, but you wouldn't listen!"
Wang Guihua, standing to the side, was displeased. "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? What does Tietou's coma have to do with my family? I came to help out of kindness and ended up getting into trouble."
Diao Siniang and the second wife had a long-standing grudge, but they only maintained a superficial harmony. Now, the old blind man exposed their true feelings, and they suddenly revealed everything.
"Pah! If it weren't for your family, my son would still be in a coma."
"If it weren't for my second son's tendency to squander money, my family would have been rich long ago."
Thinking back to the past, when the two brothers got something good, Meng Hongde would always divide it in half between the two families, which made her angry.
Wang Guihua trembled with anger. "Sister-in-law, we've been sisters-in-law for over ten years, and you dare to point your finger at me and curse me because of a stranger's words?"
She had suffered a lot of mistreatment from the first wife's family over the years, but she had endured it because her family was from a different village. She never expected to be publicly insulted like this.
Seeing his wife being scolded, Meng Hongyi felt embarrassed and shielded Wang Guihua behind him, saying, "Brother, where did you find this swindler? Kick him out!"
"He's not a fraud; plenty of people come to him for fortune telling at the city gate."
Meng Hongyi didn't believe it at all. He often went in and out of the county town, and apart from the long queues at the Jin Shanyao Shop, he never saw anyone queuing up for fortune telling.
So he said anxiously, "His calculations are excellent, even more so than the Jin Shanyao's calculations! Don't be fooled."
"Alright, alright, that explains why my son is unconscious. I wonder if it was you and Jin Shanyao who did this."
Meng Hongde recalled their last argument, during which Meng Hongyi said he would find a solution himself, implying that he might be using his son as a pawn.
His face immediately turned cold. "Second brother, we've been brothers for a long time, and you've betrayed me. You can leave now, and we'll never see each other again."
"Big brother!" Meng Hongyi exclaimed in disbelief. He had followed Meng Hongde around since childhood, always playing and laughing together, but he never imagined they would be separated.
At this moment, his heart ached as if it had been pricked by needles. "Brother, when you were little, you said you were cold, so I gave you my clothes. When you grew up, you said you were getting married, so I gave you all my savings."
After the third brother died, you said your wife couldn't hold on and wanted to take back the Meng Household's things, so I went with you to fight them. Now you're severing ties with me for a liar."
Upon hearing the words "sever ties," Diao Siniang's eyes lit up instantly. "Yes, sever ties. Don't bother my man anymore."
Meng Hongyi ignored Diao Siniang and stared intently at Meng Hongde. It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but he broke down in tears uncontrollably.
"Brother, I wanted Guihua to go and curry favor with Jin Shanyao, but she hasn't gone yet. If you don't like it, I won't go. It's just the two of us left in the Meng Household, brother."
Meng Hongde turned his face away, took a deep breath, and said, "Second brother, you know that Tietou is my only son..."
Meng Hongyi was speechless. It was many years ago when the two brothers went up the mountain to cut wood, and Meng Hongde was injured in an accident.
No one knew about this except Meng Hongyi.
Meng Hongyi's hand was grasped by Wang Guihua. "Honey, let's sever ties."
Things have escalated to this point; even if they continue to kiss, they won't be able to see each other anymore.
Meng Hongyi steeled his resolve, "Fine, let's sever ties."
Meng Hongde gave him a deep look, then glanced at his unconscious son. "Call the two kids from the third son's family. We're cutting ties cleanly."
Meng Hongyi's voice suddenly rose, "Brother, even at this point, you still suspect me of colluding with Jin Shanyao!"