Chapter 52.3

Translated by Aviana

Thank you Sntorr, ZainabuAlmasy, and Leier for your support! Bonus Chapter (1/2)

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What sort of family can force their sons and daughter-in-law into such a state where they even had to beg to get separated from the family.

Clan Chief Yang and Village Chief stepped forward to help the husband and wife, but the two refused to get up and remained kneeling on the ground.

With no other choice, the two could only stand by and shake their heads with a sigh. They weren’t quite clear about the third branch’s situation in Yang jia. But, they have nevertheless heard that Yang jia’s third daughter-in-law wasn’t treated favorably in the house. Now looking at the two, they could tell that life at home wasn’t easy for both of them. Several bloody gashes on Yang Tiegen’s face and Yao-shi’s red and swollen face—Clan Elder Yang and Village Chief weren’t blind; naturally, they could see it. But when the person involved hadn’t uttered a word about it, it wouldn’t be easy for them to speak up about it.

Yang laoyezi slumped on his seat, seemingly appearing quite desolate as if he had received an enormous blow. Never had he expected that his always honest and well-behaved third son would actually do such a thing in front of the Clan Elder.

He-shi, who had been eavesdropping from the east room, was unable to endure anymore. She slammed open the door and marched to Yao-shi before thrashing her.

“To think that you would force my son to separate from the family, how dare you! I will thrash you, a hen who couldn’t lay eggs, to the death. You are woman rotten to the core, simply a trash..”

When He-shi dashed over, her momentum was so big that even Lin Qingwan was almost toppled over by her. Fortunately, Yang Tiezhu helped her in time.

Seeing He-shi thrash and curse her daughter-in-law with abusive words, Clan Elder Yang fumed with rage.

But as a grown man, he couldn’t bring himself to intervene in the women’s dispute. With no other choice, he bellowed at Yang laoyezi, “Yang Shuan, you manage this shrew. How did our Yang jia marriage such a shrew into our clan? Truly embarrassing, ah, truly embarrassing, ah!”

Numerous emotions such as sorrow, resentment, fear, and rage washed over Yang laoyezi as he glanced at the chaotic scene in front of him. His lips trembled, wishing to say something, but no word came out even after a long while.

Yao-shi was pinned underneath by He-shi as she lugged her hair and slapped her face. How would Yao-shi, a weak, skinny, and petite woman, be an opponent of furious He-shi. Yao-shi didn’t even have a chance to retaliate as she helplessly let He-shi hit and tug her as she wanted.

When this scene fell into Yang Tiegen’s eyes, the string within him that had been stretched taut all this while finally snapped with a ‘pop’.

He went over his knees and pushed He-shi to the ground. Embracing Yao-shi in his embrace, he roared with reddened eyes, “No one urged me! I, myself, want to separate from the family. With you being like this every single day, you think anyone can even continue to live this way? We, husband and wife, work ourselves to death every single day without any complaint, without fighting back, without retaliating, without retorting. But in return, why can’t even a good word come out of your mouth? If our filial duty could only be returned with unreasonable humiliation and abuses, I might as well be unfilial!”

This was the first time Yang Tiegen, who preferred to be taciturn and transparent at home, had roared thunderously at He-shi in Yang jia in such a manner.

Even a clay bodhisattva has three parts of earthy nature. Let alone humans, especially the ones who had been repressing the emotions for long, and have been bullied to the extent that they were at the end of their tether.

Even a clay bodhisattva has three parts of earthy nature (泥菩萨还有三分土性): It means that even a person with a very good temperament will have a temper and bottom line.

“I want to separate!!”

Yang Tiegen’s heart-wrenching bellow startled everyone in the room into silence, including Yang laoyezi, He-shi, and the eldest branch’s husband and wife….

He-shi slumped onto the ground, unable to come to her senses for half a day.

At the side, Yang-shi was unable to stand watch anymore. She stomped her feet in anger as she pointed a trembling finger at Yang laoyezi.

“Yang Shuan, why aren’t you saying anything? Let laosan and his wife go. Just like your wife, do you want to hound them to death too?”

Laosan: appellation used to address the third child in the family

Yao-shi was curled up in Yang Tiegen’s arms, with her face blue and purple. Her face was swollen to the extent that her eyes were barely visible. Upon seeing that Yang laoyezi still remained indifferent even after such a chaotic situation without an utterance of a single word, Yao-shi closed her eyes, feeling bitter in her heart, and gave a slight bleak smile.

She then pushed the unguarded Yang Tiegen away, took out a rope she had prepared in advance from her sleeve, and hung it over the roof beam.

She didn’t utter a word, nor did she cry; she simply remained silent as she tied a knot.

Her actions frightened everyone. Yang Tiegen quickly stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

“Tiegen’s wife, what are you doing? If you have anything to say, say it properly, alright.”

“Wife, wife… don’t do anything foolish, ah…”

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Tiegen burst into tears.

“Father, haven’t I begged enough? Isn’t it still enough! Do you want to see our entire family of four hang in front of you, ah?!” Seeing Yang laoyezi still continue to remain unresponsive, Yang Tiegen kneeled in front of Clan Elder Yang, “Grand Uncle, I beg you, please help our family. If there was were other means, I truly wouldn’t have done this…”

Clan Elder Yang was beside himself with anger as he stomped his feet, utterly exasperated.

“Yang Shuan, you say something! If you don’t have anything to say now, I will help you speak!”

Yang laoyezi collapsed on the chair with his eyes closed as he shook his hand weakly.

“Third daughter-in-law, come down, I will divide your share….just like laoer’s…”

Upon hearing this, Yao-shi’s hand paused and slowly turned her neck to look at Yang Tiegen to ascertain whether what she had heard wasn’t wrong. Yang Tiegen quickly nodded his head. Tears welled up in both of their eyes as their eyes gleamed slightly in surprise….

Hearing Yang laoyezi agree to separate laosan, He-shi wanted to raise a ruckus again.

Discerning that her mother-in-law wanted to create trouble again, Yao-shi made a tight loop knot on the rope and forced it into He-shi’s hands.

A bruised face approached He-shi’s ear, followed by which came a whisper accompanied by a slight chuckle: “Mother-in-law, come on. Mother-in-law, I know you don’t want me to live…you hate me and want me dead…actually, I also hate you. But you are my mother-in-law; no matter how much you beat or scold me, I can’t retaliate….”

From all the crying earlier, Yao-shi’s voice had become hoarse, just like the sound of sandpaper polishing the wood. And coupled with the smile on her face, she seemed beyond recognition, with her face appearing truly quite strange.

“…Mother-in-law, you want me dead, right? Come… I’ll help you… I’ve looped the rope. You help me put it on…Come on, quickly come… come, ah…”

Yao-shi’s voice was extremely low-pitched and slow. Coupled with that, she had a strange smile on her, making her face look eerily creepy.

He-shi stared at the face that was close to her. Her eyes became wider and wider; she quickly pushed Yao-shi’s hand away, staring at her with terror in her eyes, making her hair stand on end.

He-shi could see that this Yao-shi had gone crazy. She seemed to have become deranged ever since that incident in the morning.

She looked at Yao-shi’s eerie smile and at the rope that was swaying in front of her eyes. And then, when she heard Yao-shi’s incessant voice by her ears, asking her to come, she couldn’t bear any longer and shrieked, frightened, before turning around and rushing back to the east room.

At the moment, Yang laoyezi had no strength to care about his wife. He felt a pain like a knife being twisted in his heart as he looked at the Yang Tiegen, who seemed to be decisive.

“Lao San, have you thought it through?” Yang laoyezi’s voice was inexplicably low and barely audible.

Yang Tiegen nodded resolutely.

Yang laoyezi felt a stabbing sensation in his heart as he replied, “Your third branch doesn’t have a son. Think it through once again. Without a descendant, there would be no one to carry your line, ceasing your family with you.” The complex feelings in Yang Yang Tiegen’s eyes were difficult to hide.

Yang Tiegen felt his heart throb as his face became more desolate.

In the end, his father still tried to suppress him by using his weakness of not having a son. He had thought that only his mother, the eldest brother, and eldest sister-in-law had such thoughts all along. Every day they pester him that there would be no one to carry his family; he should adopt a son from the eldest branch as he would have someone to succeed him and light up an incense stick for him. Unexpectedly his father also had similar thoughts. He merely never said it outright….

“I originally intended to let you adopt a son from the eldest branch. But you and your wife are clamoring to separate from the family. In such a case, laoda might not let you adopt his son. Then, you truly won’t have anyone to continue your line…”

Laoda: appellation used to address the eldest child in the family

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