Chapter 273: Chapter 114: Severing Ties (Part 2)

Despite the presence of both witnesses and physical evidence, Chen Wanyue refused to admit to anything.

But whether she admitted it or not was irrelevant.

Chen Song wasn’t going to press the issue with his unmarried niece, much less drag her to the county government.

It wasn’t that he still held any affection for his niece. Any such feelings had been reduced to ashes the moment she ransacked his home.

He didn’t take things to the extreme solely because this era was already unkind to women. They were shackled by strict rules and decorum, unable to step out of line in word or deed... though for Wanyue, these constraints seemed to hold little power.

But that was what *she* thought, not what everyone else did.

If she were truly thrown in jail, her life would be over.

Chen Song couldn’t bring himself to be so cruel, even if it had been any other young woman.

In the end, Chen Song didn’t bind Chen Wanyue and haul her off to the county government. Instead, he headed straight for the east room to find Chen Lin.

The two brothers, Li’an and Shou’an, stood rigidly before the door to the east room.

Li’an’s eyes were brimming with tears, so ashamed he could find no place to hide. Shou’an, meanwhile, was terrified and anxious, like a fledgling caught in a storm with no shelter.

When the brothers saw Chen Song approach, they softly called out, "Uncle."

Chen Song patted the brothers on their shoulders without a word, then pushed aside the door curtain and entered the east room.

Inside the east room, Chen Lin sat alone by the window.

From his seat, he could see everything happening in the courtyard. Yet from beginning to end, he had remained silent, as if the commotion outside didn’t exist at all.

When he saw Chen Song enter, he awkwardly tried to shift himself onto the bed, a fawning smile on his face. "Brother, this has nothing to do with me..."

Chen Song slammed a fist into his face. "This has nothing to do with you, that has nothing to do with you—so what on earth *does*? Chen Lin, you’re a man! A man is supposed to provide for his family and raise his children. You’ve failed to provide for your family, and you’ve failed to discipline your children. You’re halfway through your life, and you’ve accomplished nothing but confusion. Tell me, what’s the point of your existence!"

THUD! THUD! Two more punches landed. Chen Song, incensed by his brother’s lack of fortitude, berated him, "You can’t raise the young, and you can’t care for the old. You’re useless! A pathetic coward!"

Every punch landed with a sickening thud, and the sound made the people outside wince in vicarious pain.

But Chen Lin had it coming.

Not only did the onlookers not think Chen Song was going too far by beating his brother, a man with a broken leg, they genuinely felt that Chen Song was the one getting the short end of the stick.

"Chen Song still looks out for his brother, after all. It’s a shame Mr. Chen is such a good-for-nothing!"

"That whole branch of the family is rotten to the core. They’re a lost cause!"

"It’s just a shame about Li’an and his brother. Those two boys are decent enough..."

A moment later, Chen Song emerged from the east room and called for a villager to fetch Mr. Zhao. He was going to disown Chen Lin.

Mr. Zhao was already at the gate. How could he not be concerned when something this major was happening in the village?

He had gotten worked up over the situation the night before, and with his advanced age, a headache had kept him in bed until noon.

He had just downed a bowl of medicinal soup and forced himself to get up, rushing over as soon as he could.

Mr. Zhao had someone bring out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. "Disowning him is for the best," he said. "With close kin like this, you’re better off without them."

Chen Song dragged Chen Lin out of the room. At the same time, he tossed a ten-tael silver coin onto the table.

"Mr. Zhao, these ten taels of Silver are compensation from Chen Lin for the damages to my home. Now that compensation has been made, I will let the matter rest. However, after what has happened, my heart has grown cold. I no longer wish to be brothers with Chen Lin. Today, I ask you and the other elders here to bear witness as I sever all ties with him. From this day on, we will have nothing more to do with each other."

Li’an wanted to cry out, "Uncle," but his lips trembled, and he swallowed the word.

Hearing what Wanyue had done made even him, her own brother, feel sick with disgust. He wanted nothing more than to slap her face until it was swollen.

’If I can’t even stand it, how can I ask Uncle to just let it go?’

His uncle couldn’t take his anger out on Wanyue directly. But it’s the father’s fault when a child is not taught right, so holding their father accountable was perfectly justified.

’Maybe severing ties is for the best. Once Dad knows there’s no one left to clean up his messes, perhaps he’ll finally learn to live a quiet life. Even Wanyue might finally settle down, now that she’s lost the connection to her uncle’s respectable side of the family.’

"Dasong, why don’t you think it over again...?"

"That’s right, disowning family is a serious matter. You can’t just do it on a whim!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"If the youngsters act up, just give them a harsh lesson. What does that have to do with the adults? Chen Lin’s family is already in pieces—his wife is no wife to him, his daughter no daughter, and his home is no home. Just take pity on him..."

Members of the Chen clan spoke up in mediation. Seeing this, the old matriarch quickly pulled Chen Dachang out from the main hall.