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墨書 Inktalez
Later, Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting returned home.
On the way, they saw some vendors on the side of the road and bought some interesting trinkets, planning to play with them together with their younger siblings when they got home. However, upon returning home happily, they discovered that Liu Anfeng had been beaten by two people from the Third Branch.
Seeing Liu Anfeng lying on the bed covered in bruises and groaning, Liu An Ting's expression changed immediately. He put down what he was holding and turned to leave the room, but was stopped by Liu Anzhi, who grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay.
Liu Anzhi pulled him into the next room. Once they were out of earshot of others, he whispered, "What do you plan to do?"
"Go find someone to teach those two arrogant fellows a lesson!" Liu An Ting's usually gentle eyes were filled with anger as he said, "They eat our food and live under our roof, yet now they dare to bully us. In this situation, there's no reason to endure it!"
"Who said you should endure it? But if you just rush over there and get them ambushed, we would end up being in the wrong! If someone finds out, not only will you be blamed, but our parents will also get scolded for 'poor guidance'!"
"Then what should we do?" Liu An Ting turned his eyes away in frustration. "Should we just let our younger brother be bullied for nothing?"
"That won't happen. What about our mother? We can wait for father to return. Father has always doted on our younger brother; he won't ignore this matter." Liu Anzhi replied.
They were not mistaken in their assumptions.
When Liu Fangyi returned home and saw his injured son, he was instantly filled with rage. He didn't even eat dinner and immediately went to the Third Branch. Grabbing the twins by their arms, he dragged them out of the house and threw them onto the ground, pointing at them as he sternly reprimanded them.
Liu Anmeng rushed out, wanting to defend her brothers but was shouted at by Liu Fangyi.
"Don't think I don't know what you did today! Just because I'm not home doesn't mean you can bully them at will! After what happened to Sister Lan earlier, all ties between us have been exhausted. Now that you are in the capital, I have been considerate of your past connections with us; however, that doesn’t mean I will overlook your behavior!"
Liu Anmeng had never seen her uncle look so fierce before and was immediately frightened into tears. She sobbed, "I didn't understand back then; I thought if I waited a little longer..."
"You thought waiting a little longer would be fine? I've heard that excuse many times before. Don't use your age as an excuse anymore! Do you want me to forgive you? Fine! Then return Sister Lan's life to me!"
Mentioning his deceased daughter, immense sorrow struck again, causing this tough man to feel unbearable pain.
Thinking of Sister Lan, thinking of Feng Ge'er, thinking of how he had devoted himself yet allowed his wife and children to suffer bullying, Liu Fangyi felt his insides burning with rage.
What did familial affection matter? What did brotherhood matter? Why should he treat others sincerely while his child had to endure such humiliation? Why should those lazy people thrive while their children trampled on others?
In a fit of anger and hatred, Liu Fangyi lifted his foot and kicked fiercely at the two useless beings on the ground!
Everyone in the courtyard stared blankly at this scene, none daring to intervene. They all understood that whoever stepped into that "battle circle" would likely be caught in Second Master's wrath.
Liu Anmeng felt the same way.
Earlier, she had argued confidently, but as Liu Fangyi's fury spread, she began to feel fear. At that moment, she could hardly think of her two beloved brothers; she quickly shrank back, wishing to escape this terrifying place immediately.
"Stop!"
A trembling reprimand reached everyone's ears. A short, stout woman with dark skin approached with the help of a maid.
It was Matriarch of the Jiang Family.
Upon hearing her voice, Liu Fangyi initially ignored her. It wasn't until Matriarch called out again that he slowly ceased his actions, fists clenched tightly, head bowed as he breathed heavily to let his inner fury gradually subside.
Matriarch paid him no mind.
She hurried over to the twins to check on their injuries.
Liu Anwen and Liu Anwu had been hurt previously. Now, after being subjected to Liu Fangyi's outburst, their injuries worsened significantly, and they were already on the brink of death.
The Matriarch was furious and scolded Liu Fangyi, "I raised you all with great difficulty. The eldest is no longer here, and the family relies solely on you and the third to hold it together. Now that I am old and should be enjoying my life, you are causing such unrest. What sins have I committed to end up in this situation?" Overcome with sadness, she began to weep.
Liu Fangyi listened to the Matriarch repeat words she had said for many years, and he felt no more emotion, only deep helplessness. "They won't die; they'll come back after a while. Why must you cry like this? Where were you when Feng Ge'er was being bullied by them? If I don't intervene, would you even say a word for Feng Ge'er?"
The Matriarch's gaze flickered as she wanted to speak again, but Liu Fangyi waved his hand to stop her.
After enduring for many years, he was already exhausted. He was tired of engaging in empty pleasantries and said directly, "I don't want things to escalate to a point where we destroy each other completely. Therefore, I present you with two options: either we split the family, or you move out and live separately. From now on, finances will be divided; you can use what belongs to the public, but I will no longer provide for you from my side. This way, we can still meet amicably in the future. Otherwise, we might really end up tearing our relationship apart."
With that, he ignored the sobbing old woman and resolutely walked out.
The Matriarch cried even harder while holding her two grandsons.
She never expected that after just taking a short nap and waking up, she would find herself in such a situation.
To be honest, the Jiang Family did not like Liu Fangyi.
Back when Old Master Liu was alive, he treated the Matriarch decently enough, but it was merely a relationship of mutual respect. However, he doted on his only concubine, Liu Fangyi's mother.
How could this not make the Jiang Family resent that concubine? Consequently, they grew increasingly displeased with Liu Fangyi as well. They could not bring themselves to like the children from the Second House either.
Over the years, the relationship between Liu Fangyi and the Matriarch had been merely tolerable. Liu Fangyi received a salary and rewards, keeping some for himself while sending the rest back to the ancestral home to ensure that the family lived better. After the incident with Sister Lan, when he brought his wife and children to the capital, he naturally had to take care of his family more, resulting in significantly less money being sent back to the ancestral home.
From beginning to end, whatever amount he gave was accepted by the Matriarch without much gratitude if it was more than expected; if it was less, she wouldn't complain either. After all, it was because of Liu Fangyi that the Liu Family had prospered.
Financially speaking, everything had been peaceful. However, aside from these matters, there had been little other communication between them.
The Matriarch thought that they could continue living like this indefinitely. Who would have thought that a trip to the capital would lead to such turmoil?
Divorce? That is absolutely out of the question! She is still alive; if they were to separate, wouldn't that just make them the laughingstock?
At most, during their time in the capital, they simply wouldn't live here. Once they return to the ancestral home, no one would know where they stayed while in the capital. At least their face would be saved.
Splitting the money? That is not a concern.
For many years, Liu Fangyi has never treated them poorly; the savings from the shop are enough for them to live comfortably in the future...
That night, Third Madam and the Third Master returned home, furious and seeking out Liu Fangyi, trying to clarify right from wrong.
But how could Liu Fangyi allow them to act recklessly?
Since returning home and understanding the cause of the matter, Liu Fangyi sent someone to investigate why the Wenwu Brothers were injured.
He was already working in Jingzhao Prefecture and had some connections. It didn't take long before he found out that the two had developed a gambling habit at some point. After injuring Liu Anfeng, they went to a gambling house. Who would have thought they would lose all the little money they brought with them?
They came in excited but left looking disheveled. The two refused to accept reality and immediately started arguing with the gambling house staff, insisting it was a shady establishment and that they must have cheated.
Seeing someone causing trouble, the gambling house staff were not willing to let it go. They quickly called in some thugs from the shop, cornered the two in an alley, and beat them half to death as a lesson.
Now that the Third Master and Third Madam came to cause a scene, Liu Fangyi laid everything bare. He also mentioned how both of them along with Liu Anmeng were making unreasonable accusations, trying to pin the blame for their injuries on Liu Anfeng.
Liu Fangyi couldn't be bothered with their accusations or doubts. Just like before with Matriarch, he left them with two choices. He stated that by tomorrow morning they must make a decision; otherwise, they shouldn't blame him for turning against them.
"Feng Ge'er’s injuries won't heal anytime soon. Every time I see him in pain, I wish I could take his place. Today I can find your two useless sons to teach them a lesson; tomorrow I can come to you two for an explanation about your poor parenting. If you are not afraid of me, then come at me!"
The usually honest and straightforward man turned into a raging lion when provoked.
The Third Master and Third Madam came with unwavering confidence, but little did they know they would hit a hard wall.
Third Madam Shen initially wanted to "argue her case," but the Third Master, after a moment of thought, decided not to let her continue and quickly pulled her away.
After Second Master got up, Liu Fangyi did not go to the government office but specifically took leave to stay at home, waiting for the Third Branch and Matriarch to express their stance.
The Matriarch originally planned to delay until he left before consulting the He Family to see if there was any room for negotiation. However, seeing the current situation, she realized it could not be glossed over and could only sigh softly, sending a capable maid to inquire about nearby rental accommodations.
Madam Meng Family and Changsun Liu Anyang had not shown up or intervened in this matter. Third Madam Shen was frustrated and unable to persuade the already departed Third Master, so she turned to the Matriarch, repeatedly insisting that this should not be allowed.
The Matriarch, annoyed by her nagging, chose to ignore her and went alone to the Second House to inform Liu Fangyi of her plans, hoping to negotiate for a delay in moving out. After all, with such a large family, they needed to find suitable housing before proceeding.
While the elders were busy with this matter, Qing Wu, accompanied by Dou Mama, set out early in the morning with several books she usually read and writing materials.
Mr. Zheng had already come yesterday, and today she was going to his place for her first lesson. She couldn't afford to be late; otherwise, the teacher would be unhappy.
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