Volume 2 Chapter 94: Divorce

  Tu Gen couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is indeed the truth. Last time Er Gouzi was very diligent, picking and peeling chestnuts with all his might. I've never seen him work so hard for the family..."

  "Yeah, at home you can give him money..." Chunhua laughed at him, "You even took away all the hard-earned money he made, leaving only a few cents for him. He can't blame you, this kid is really stingy. I think he still attaches great importance to money, maybe in the future he'll make a small fortune..."

  Tu Gen just couldn't stop laughing, "That's really the ancestral tomb emitting green smoke! If I could marry that little wealth god, it would be a blessing that can't be asked for. Otherwise, I'd even be willing to let him become the son-in-law of the Zhong family..."

  "You're talking nonsense again, I can let go but you can't..." Chunhua said with a smile.

  The whole family laughed and chatted, but the Cow Old Root's home was really turned upside down.

  Niu Laogen has made up his mind this time, and has already prepared a donkey cart to send Tian Guilhua back to her parents' home. Tian Guilhua is crying bitterly, with a mouthful of old blood, and the broken teeth are bleeding profusely, which is very distressing. However, at this moment, she is really scared. At such an old age, if she is sent back to her parents' home, it would be humiliating, not to mention how many white eyes (sneers) she would receive. Her mother's family has several sisters-in-law who are not easy to get along with. Even if she occasionally returns to her parents' home, if she is really sent back, how can she live?

  So, she didn't want to lose face either. She was really scared in her heart. She hugged Niu Laogen's thigh and wouldn't let go. No matter how angry Niu Laogen got and wanted to kick her away, she still wouldn't let go. She cried out loud, calling "son" and "daughter", making a scene that the whole village could hear.

  The old cow was afraid of being laughed at, so he had already closed the big gate. At this time, his three sons were also outside, and they were all anxious with red eyes, "Dad, dad, let us in..."

  Niu Laogen's face was all gloomy, he glared at Tian Guifang with hatred and shouted: "… Get out of here and pack your things, get lost!"

  "Where would I dare to go? My hands are holding on tight, and all I can do is cry. 'I married into this family at 14, gave birth to children, managed the household, no merits but hard work... Old Root, I know I was wrong... please forgive me this time... we're old, what's the point of struggling? Our children are grown, let's just live out our days together... if you drive me out now, aren't you pushing me to death?! Old Root, I haven't done anything to wrong you... I know I went too far this time, but it was for our daughter's sake, that Zhong family doesn't even want to acknowledge us... waaah, please forgive me this time... if not, the whole village will laugh at us, my brothers and sisters-in-law will think what?! And our three sons in the village, how can they hold their heads up? Even little Shui, my dear grandson... now everyone's laughing at us... aiya, Old Root, if you want to drive me out, might as well take a knife and kill me instead..."

  Tian Guihua was both nose and tears, just wanting to let Niu Laogen say it back to her heart. In this life, she had never seen Niu Laogen so ruthless before, this time, she was really scared.

  The three sons of the Niu family were thinking about whether to knock on the door and come in, but they were also afraid that Old Man Niu would get angry. They were anxious and didn't know what to do, so after some thought, they decided to find a ladder and climb over the wall into the courtyard first.

  Niu Laogen has now made up his mind to hate Tian Guihua, no matter how much she cries and pleads, he refuses to back down, his mouth growing more resolute in its determination to send her away. Seeing Tian Guihua's tantrum, he is furious, grabbing her hair and clothes, not even letting her pack her things, directly throwing her onto the donkey cart, angrily shouting: "You good-for-nothing, I'm sending you back to your parents' home! Your stuff will be thrown back tomorrow, do you want to cling on and refuse to leave until our Niu family is ruined?!

  Tian Guihua cried even louder, but in her heart she was extremely resentful of Niu Xiaohua and Niu Laogen's ruthlessness. She had already disliked this daughter, and now that she had been dragged down by her, she hated her even more, gritting her teeth with rage.

  She followed Niu Laogen for so many years, but in the end, not even a daughter she gave birth to can compare to her. The emotional debt of all these years is just written off like that; this old man must be heartless to treat her like this.

  The three sons of the Niu family finally crawled in, almost pouncing on Niu Laogen and embracing him: "Dad, don't be muddle-headed, mom was wrong, but considering so many years of relationship, spare her this time..."

  "Dad, I'm begging you..."

  ……

  Three sons chorused in unison, and Niu Laogen's heart, which had been filled with hatred, slightly moved when he saw the three sons' pleading faces. He sighed and said, "Don't persuade me anymore, all of you go back..."

  Three sons refused to leave, each holding onto Niu Laogen and refusing to let go. Niu Laogen was unable to move at this time. Tian Guihua finally felt a sense of relief in her heart, thinking that after all, it was still her sons who were reliable, and they were all leaning towards her at the critical moment. And as for that daughter, she didn't make a sound in the house, which made Tian Guihua even more resentful.

  So, when Niu Xiaohua struggled to get up from the house and came out with a difficult breath, Tian Guihua's eyes were venomous. Niu Xiaohua hadn't eaten much in the past two days and had no strength in her body. She could barely walk out and had to lean against the wall. Her face was pale. As soon as she met Tian Guihua's fierce gaze, she trembled, but still bit her lip and said: "...Dad, don't send mom away!"

  Looking at his daughter so weak and still coming out to speak for Tian Guihua, Niu Laogen's heart completely softened. He hastily said: "Xiao Hua, what are you doing out here?! Be careful not to catch a cold, hurry up and rest, otherwise you'll be troubled by illness in the future..."

  "Dad, don't send mom away, please...!" Niú Xiǎo Huā's tears came pouring down, "If it's like this, I'd truly be a sinner, our family would no longer be whole, how could you bear to do that, Dad?!"

  Niu Laogen heard her say this, his originally unbearable heart completely relaxed, he let out a long sigh and said: "The family is unfortunate..."

  Tian Guihua is now crying with her head down, and the three sons also relaxed a bit when they saw this, knowing that Niu Laogen had really softened his heart.

  Niu Laogen looked at the four people who had been left behind, and walked to Niu Xiaohua's side, saying: "Come on, Dad will help you into the house. If your head hurts, don't come out..."

  Niu Xiaohua's lips were bloodless, and she trembled with each step as Niu Laogen supported her, leaving a footprint with each slow step. As she listened to Niu Laogen's words of concern, her heart warmed slightly. With great difficulty, she finally made it into the house and lay down on the bed, and only then did her dark eyes regain some consciousness.

  Niu Laogen stroked Niu Xiaohua's hair and said, "My poor daughter, it's your bad luck to have such a mother. But with me around, I won't let you suffer. The Zhong family may be poor, but they're honest people, especially Dabao. You'll have a hard life marrying into their family, but it won't be difficult otherwise. Don't worry, Dad will take care of everything..."

  It's better to suffer a bit than to be at home and be stared at by Tian Guihua. Besides, although the conditions at home are good, how much of the good food can enter Niu Xiaohua's mouth? Niu Laogen used to know but didn't care about it for the sake of family harmony. Now that things have come to this point, he has to think carefully for his daughter's sake. Although he knows it's not fair to the Zhong family, after all, Niu Xiaohua is his own flesh and blood, so naturally she is more important than anything else.

  Niú Xiǎohuā was anxious, excitedly coughing and saying: "...... Father, I won't marry...... Cough, cough......" Her face turned bright red with anxiety, "...... Just because Dàbǎo saved me, do I have to marry him?! How can I live with myself afterwards?!...... Moreover, it was their family member who saved me, I couldn't...... harm them like that......"

  "Foolish daughter, you only think of others. Have you ever thought about what's more important to you, reputation or life? In my eyes, nothing is more important than your little life. Don't think about anything else, even if I have to beg the Zhong family to take you back home... Your brothers are all married and settled down, but I still worry about you, my only daughter. If you get married well, I can finally rest in peace..."

  Niú Xiǎo Huā's eyes turned sour, and tears came pouring down as she said: "Dad, don't say that, Dad will definitely live a long, long time, and Xiaohua still has to take care of you..."

  "As long as you're doing well, that's the greatest filial piety to me... " Niu Laogen wiped away his tears and said: "Listen to your father, don't think about anything else, don't think about reputation or anything like that. Father just wants you to be good, for you to live a good life, that's the best way to show filial piety to me... Good boy, I know you have a soft heart, but I'm even more worried about you..."

  "Waaah..." Niu Xiaohua burst into tears, crying so hard it felt like her heart was breaking. At home, only her father truly cared for her.

  Niu Laogen patted her hand and said: "Don't be afraid, Dad will support you. Even if the sky falls down, Dad will hold it up for you..."

  "But Da Bao...!" Niu Xiaohua felt guilty and said: "How could I harm someone like this?!"

  Niu Laogen knew he owed a debt of gratitude to Dabao, but there was nothing he could do about it. He knew that Dabao had a good temperament and would not mistreat his daughter in the future.

  "Dad, I won't marry him, even if it kills me...I couldn't bear to harm his family..." Niú Xiǎohuā said sorrowfully: "My life was saved by him, I couldn't...repay kindness with ingratitude like that...Dad, even if I don't get married, I still can't harm his family, I'd rather go to the mountains and become a nun...Waaahhh..."

  Niu Laogen was heartbroken and couldn't hold back his tears. As a father, how could he bear to let her go, even if he really wanted to keep her at home? Niu Laogen was also worried that Tian Guihua would be cruel to his daughter, and now she might even hate her more...

  Before, he more or less always knew what was going on, but now that something like this has happened, she really doesn't dare to leave her daughter at home anymore. It's better if she gets married and leaves, so she won't have to suffer from Tian Guihua's temper. He must settle his daughter's marriage before he closes his eyes, otherwise, who knows how Tian Guihua will ruin his daughter after he's gone? He doesn't trust that old wife of his at all, and is extremely disappointed in her.