"I..." Wang Yongzhen was at a loss for words.
"It’s getting late, and I will not mince words! Big Sister, the outcome today is of your own making, it’s not anyone else’s fault! You’ve exploited Father’s guilt and affection, demanding more and more, again and again, until you’ve exhausted all the love and regard Father and the Wang Family had for you."
"Even if you regret it now, it’s too late! If you were wise, you’d preserve the last shred of your dignity and return to the Sun Family!" Wang Yongzhu shattered Wang Yongzhen’s final illusion.
Wang Yongzhen’s body slumped to the ground as she muttered to herself, "How can I return to the Sun Family? What face do I have to return?"
How could she dare to return? Her own husband and brother-in-law had been dragged from the feast by her brothers and thrown out of the Wang Family’s main gate.
Shitou, as well as the two children of her brother-in-law’s family, had all been beaten by her own maternal family’s nephews.
If she returned empty-handed, Old Lady Sun might as well eat her own heart out.
Now that her maternal family had completely abandoned her, what was she to do if her in-laws rejected her as well?
At that thought, something flashed in Wang Yongzhen’s eyes.
Wang Yongzhu believed she had made everything clear to her foolish elder sister, Wang Yongzhen. Whether she understood or not was her own issue, and it had nothing to do with the Wang Family anymore.
Just as she was about to turn back, she had just lifted her foot when Wang Yongzhen threw herself at her feet.
Song Chongjin, quick to react, blocked her with the door bolt at the foot of the steps.
"What are you trying to do? Wasn’t I clear enough?" Wang Yongzhu was truly at a loss for words. This elder sister of hers, while at the Sun Family, had not learned anything useful, but she certainly had mastered the art of sticking around like a piece of taffy.
Wang Yongzhen remained silent, kneeling before Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin, and began to kowtow fiercely, "I know, I am an unfilial daughter, I’ve been a burden on my maternal family! I’ve burdened you! Father disowns me, from now on I have no maternal home, no parents, no siblings! I accept it!"
"I have only one request! Just one request! As long as you agree to it, I swear on my deceased mother that, unless I die, I will never set foot in the Wang Family again! Nor will I let anyone from the Sun Family do so! If I fail to do this, may I die a terrible death!"
Wang Yongzhen was putting everything on the line.
After speaking, her face turned an unnatural shade of red, her breathing became rapid, and her eyes were firmly fixed on Wang Yongzhu.
Wang Yongzhu gazed at Wang Yongzhen without saying a word for a long time.
Feeling uncomfortable under her sister’s scrutinizing gaze, but with this being her only option, Wang Yongzhen clenched her teeth and said, "As long as you can give me the silver..."
"Fine!" Wang Yongzhu nodded.
Wang Yongzhen, whose heart had all but despaired, was suddenly revived with surprise as she looked at Wang Yongzhu.
"I agree to your request! I just hope that you remember what you’ve said today," Wang Yongzhu spoke evenly.
She turned and whispered a few words to Song Chongjin, who gave Wang Yongzhen a look and nodded before heading inside the yard.
Now only the two sisters were at the main gate, looking each other in the eyes, and Wang Yongzhen, under Wang Yongzhu’s clear gaze, suddenly felt ashamed and covered her face, not daring to look up.
Shortly after, Song Chongjin came back with a purse and handed it to Wang Yongzhu.
Wang Yongzhu weighed the purse for a moment, stepped forward, and placed it on the step.
Then, she said only one thing, "Fend for yourself!" After that, she pulled Song Chongjin into the Wang Family home, and with a creak, she shut the front gate again.
Wang Yongzhen grabbed her purse tightly in her hand, clenching it tightly, took a deep breath, glanced at the Wang Family’s courtyard, bit her lip, and with her head down, turned around and left.
Wang Yongzhen ran out of Qilidun and a few more miles, and seeing that there was no one around, she shakily took the purse out of her bosom.
With trembling hands, she opened the purse, inside was a silver note worth five taels of silver, and two silver ingots, also worth five taels each.
Fifteen taels! Tears suddenly welled up in Wang Yongzhen’s eyes, Mutou’s marriage was settled.
Previously, she would have given this purse to her mother-in-law without changing a thing.
But today, for some reason, Wang Yongzhu’s words, "Fend for yourself," kept echoing in Wang Yongzhen’s ears.
Determined, she shakily folded the silver note carefully and then tore a small opening in the lining of her cotton-padded jacket, stuffing the silver note inside.
After doing all this, she nervously looked around, no one was there, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, wiped away her tears, placed the purse back into her bosom, and hurried home.
As for the Sun Family people, they had been driven out of the front gate by the Wang Family, and the nearby villagers pointed and gossiped; faintly, voices carried by the wind could be heard, "See, that’s the shameless Sun Family."
"Right, who has ever seen in-laws like that?"
"How did the Wang Family come to a realization and turn their backs?"
No matter how thick-skinned the Sun Family members were, being pointed at and discussed , Sun Daming and Sun Laoer might have been too drunk to notice, but Sun Shitou’s Wife and Sun Shitou were still young and cared about their reputation in front of others.
Therefore, their faces burned with shame.
Old Lady Sun, seeing that the Wang Family had indeed turned their backs, was at a loss for what to do; she could only slap Wang Yongzhen, then had her beg at the doorstep of the Wang Family. The Sun Family, each supporting the other, covering their faces, went home feeling downcast.
Passing some villagers’ doors in Qilidun, children from those who had gone to the Wang Family today stood at the door, scratching their faces and mockingly saying to the Sun Family, "The shameless Sun Family got kicked out!"
Sun Chutou and Sun Zhentou glared at them and retorted, "Who are you calling shameless? You’re the shameless one!"
"Your Sun Family is shameless! No upbringing! You two are so dirty, don’t even wipe your noses, and you eat with your hands! My mom says you’re like beggars!" Which child from the village was afraid of them? With so many on their side, some mischievous ones even threw stones at them.
"Get lost from our Qilidun! You dirty beggars!"
As long as one child took the lead, the others would follow, and more and more children picked up stones and threw them at the Sun Family members.
Though the stones were not big, they still hurt when they hit.
After suffering a few blows, Sun Family’s Second Child’s Wife couldn’t help but curse loudly, "Who’s these undisciplined wild brats? Born by a mother but never taught by her, throwing stones at people for no reason? Throw another one and see if I don’t smack you with a big ear clap!"
The children were not scared at all, they made faces and ran off.
The adults of Qilidun all pretended not to hear, staying inside their homes and not coming out.
There was nothing the Sun Family could do but curse as they hurriedly left Qilidun.
Finally, there was peace.
Each of them, looking disheveled and embarrassed, sat down on the side of the road to rest.