Chapter 530 - 531: Harsh Words
Chapter 530: Chapter 531: Harsh Words
It was the same old trick. These people threatened to report him to the officials at the drop of a hat. Did they think they could do whatever they wanted just because they were his parents and elders?
Zhuang Datou wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. "Do as you please," he said nonchalantly. "I’m not going to take the imperial exams in this lifetime anyway. At worst, I’ll be reprimanded by the County Magistrate and given a beating with wooden boards. If that’s what you want, go right ahead."
"Aren’t you afraid?" Zhuang Tian asked through gritted teeth.
"What is there to be afraid of? If I keep getting tangled up with this massive family of yours, my life will end sooner or later, and this family will eventually fall apart anyway. I might as well get it over with quickly."
Faced with such a stubborn Zhuang Datou, the Zhuang family really couldn’t think of any other way.
They could also hear the commotion coming from next door. Earlier, they had considered going out to make a scene themselves, but considering Zhuang Datou’s temperament, doing so would only ruin their family’s reputation even further.
"Fine, I agree to your terms. Give me the fifty-five taels of silver right now." Zhuang Tian held out his hand.
The rest of the Zhuang family standing behind him wanted to say something, but in the end, they could only lower their heads and listen.
Zhuang Datou chuckled softly. "That’s not how things work. Later, we need to find a few highly respected elders and a clerk to draw up the family division deed and list all these conditions. Otherwise, if I just hand the silver over to you with no written proof, what happens if you go back on your word?"
Zhuang Tian opened his mouth, wanting to argue that he wasn’t that kind of person. However, seeing Zhuang Datou’s all-knowing gaze, he ultimately sighed, losing most of his fighting spirit.
Seeing that they had yielded, Zhuang Datou finally let go. "You can go outside and watch the commotion if you want. While you’re at it, you can see if the Huang family manages to squeeze anything more out of Huang Pingguo."
The Zhuang family looked at Zhuang Datou with bewildered expressions, unable to figure out what he was plotting.
Only Zhuang Tian noticed something. He hadn’t seen this son for many years, and in that time, he had grown up and become successful. It was just a pity that he had grown estranged from the family.
The family opened the door and walked out. Instead of making a huge fuss like before, they quietly followed behind Zhuang Datou and stood there watching the spectacle.
Over there, Lu Cuihua was still being utterly unreasonable, relentlessly listing all of Huang Pingguo’s supposed faults. Huang Pingguo just let her vent. He even endured it whenever Huang Cuihua got too angry and slapped him a few times.
The Zhuang family couldn’t help but glance at Zhuang Datou. They wondered if they had been too soft on him.
Zhuang Datou felt their gazes on his back and curled his lips into a mocking smirk. He was no Huang Pingguo.
Not far away, Lin Wei also noticed their group. Seeing Zhuang Datou’s gaze sweep over, he gave a slight nod.
Zhuang Datou paused in surprise. He knew exactly why Lin Wei was here, and this realization made him even more resolute in his previous decision.
He and Huang Pingguo had followed the family all the way through their exile, but they hadn’t actually been of much use on the journey. Besides, given their status, serving their masters was simply their duty; there was no great debt of gratitude to speak of.
On the contrary, they were heavily favored because of Dongmei and the others. It was glaringly obvious who the master and madam valued more. How had he failed to see that before?
He lowered his head, a self-deprecating smirk tugging at his lips. He thought, "In truth, I’m just as selfish as the rest of them."
He knew full well that everything their family had now was brought by Dongmei. Yet, for the sake of his ridiculous pride, he had allowed her to suffer so much during this time.
Now that he had calmed down, he realized that between husband and wife, he was actually the one who couldn’t live without Dongmei.
Huang Pingguo had truly had enough. Even with the village chief stepping in to mediate, these people were still relentlessly hounding him.
In the crowd, Lin Wei and Aunt Li were also watching the situation unfold. Their presence here already represented the stance of the master and madam.
Zhu Ziqiang spoke to Huang Pingguo earnestly. "Steward Huang, if you hesitate to make a clean break, you will only bring chaos upon yourself. Sometimes, a man must be decisive."
Having listened for quite a while, he understood that this was a family dispute. Everything had to be handled by Huang Pingguo himself.
It was just that these two families had brought a terrible atmosphere to the village since their arrival. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have wanted to stick his neck out like this.
From what had just transpired, he finally understood clearly: Gu Kaiyuan and his wife had returned to back up those two girls. If Huang Pingguo and the others made the wrong choice, their futures would likely be ruined.
He had no idea what these two families were thinking. Their children had such bright futures ahead of them, yet they were constantly holding them back. It was no wonder they were doomed to be poor for the rest of their lives.
If his own boy had such good fortune, he would have offered heaps of tributes to their ancestors. Who knows, they might even have had the chance to elevate their family’s social standing.
Zhu Ziqiang quickly reeled in his wandering thoughts. It was just a daydream. Unfortunately, aside from Zhuang Datou and a few others, all the trusted aides by Gu Kaiyuan’s side had signed indentured servitude contracts. He couldn’t bear to let his own child be sold into slavery.
Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo really didn’t know how to appreciate their blessings. Having the chance to secure such good positions, they should have been secretly thanking their lucky stars instead of making fools of themselves like this.
Huang Pingguo finally made up his mind. "I don’t care what you say; you must move out within three days. If you refuse to leave, don’t blame me for disregarding our family ties."
"You heartless wretch! You actually want to kick us out?" Lu Cui’s crying paused for a moment. "If you want us to leave, fine! But you must buy us a house and land. Otherwise, we aren’t going anywhere."
Zhuang Datou turned to look at Zhuang Tian. Just listen to that—what a familiar tactic. The two families had probably colluded on this before they even arrived.
This was likely the ultimate goal of both families. No wonder they had sold their houses and land to move their entire households here. They were fully intent on exploiting them.
Huang Pingguo sneered. "I don’t have that kind of wealth. If worst comes to worst, you can take your silver back, buy your land again, and I’ll even cover your travel expenses."
"Are you trying to send this entire family to our deaths?" Huang Qianlao dropped his act as well. "There is no room for negotiation on this matter. It must be done exactly as your mother said."
"Suit yourselves," Huang Pingguo retorted. "I don’t have a single copper coin on me anyway. All I have are these few rooms. If you don’t want to leave, then just stay here. I’ll be the one to leave. How about that?"
The Huang family panicked at this. What use was this house to them? They couldn’t eat it, and they couldn’t drink it.
What they wanted was a house of their own, land of their own, and ideally, a good job to boot.
Yet, Huang Pingguo hadn’t agreed to a single one of those demands. And from the sound of his tone, he had no intention of providing for their food and drink in the future either.
"Then how are we supposed to live?"
Hearing this question come from Huang Pingan, his younger brother who had always been doted on at home, Huang Pingguo’s resolve only hardened. "Didn’t you sell your house and land? You definitely aren’t short on silver, so how could you possibly starve to death?"
"You are incredibly unfilial!" Lu Cuihua was about to start wailing again. However, Huang Pingguo completely ignored them. He walked straight into his room, packed a bundle, and headed out the door with it in hand.
"Where are you going?" The Huang family panicked, reaching out to grab him.