Transmigrating with a Five Million Dollar Retirement Life

Chapter 3: Opening the Ancestral Hall to Sever Kinship!

"Old Wang, hurry up and return the money to them, or our village might not tolerate your family anymore," the village chief said firmly.

Upon hearing this, Granny Wang angrily took out five taels of silver from her bosom and threw it at the woman, saying, "Here's the money, but give me the contract."

The woman with the mole calmly approached Old Lady Wang with the contract and said, "Don't worry, I'm not like you. Once I get the money, I'll give you what's due. Here, take the contract."

After handing the contract to Old Lady Wang, the woman with the mole turned to the village chief and said, "Now that the money has been returned to me, there's nothing more for us to do here. Village Chief of Qingshui Village, we'll be leaving now."

Before the woman with the mole could finish speaking, and before the village chief could reply, a voice rang out: "Wait!"

The villagers looked toward the source of the sound, and Song Jiaojiao said, "Your matter is resolved, but our matter is not."

"What's going on between us?" The woman with the mole felt a sudden jolt of fear, a bad feeling creeping over her.

Song Jiaojiao looked at the woman with the mole and said, "You came to my house for no reason and tried to take my girl. When I refused, you pushed me to the ground and I was unconscious for a long time before I woke up. What, you're just going to ignore me now that you've injured me?"

The woman with the mole looked at Song Jiaojiao guiltily and said, "This...we didn't mean it. Tell me, how can we resolve this so you can let us leave?"

"Seeing that you've also been deceived, I won't make things difficult for you. Just compensate us for our medical expenses according to the prices of medicine and medical care in the Great Jin Kingdom, two taels of silver," Song Jiaojiao said. As soon as she finished speaking, the woman with the mole's face turned from red to black. She glared angrily at Old Lady Wang, glanced around and saw the villagers holding farm tools, and said to Song Jiaojiao through gritted teeth.

“Even a mighty dragon can't suppress a local snake. I guess I'm just unlucky today, I admit defeat.” After saying that, he walked towards Song Jiaojiao, placed the silver in her hand, and whispered in her ear, “I hope Madam Song will be more careful in the future.” He turned to the man and said, “Let’s go.” He pushed past the villagers and left quickly.

"Song Jiaojiao thanks everyone here. If it weren't for you all taking the time to come, they probably would have succeeded today." After saying that, she bowed to the villagers.

"Wang's youngest daughter-in-law, don't take it to heart. Anyone would have helped in this situation. We're all from the same village. They say a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Take the children and get some rest." Aunt Li, the village chief's wife, looked at Song Jiaojiao with pity and said quickly.

Just then, Song Jiaojiao knelt down with her children in the direction of the village chief: "Please, Uncle Village Chief and all the villagers, do justice for me! I, Song Jiaojiao, and my children want to sever all ties with the Wang family's old house!"

As soon as Song Jiaojiao finished speaking, everyone gasped. In the Great Jin Kingdom, it was rare for brothers to separate from each other, let alone sever ties. You might not find even one in ten or eight villages.

Song Jiaojiao wiped away her tears and said, "Uncle Village Chief, I know this is a difficult matter, but I have no other choice now. If it weren't for the village chief and all the uncles and aunts here today, my daughter would have been taken away by those two. That woman even said... she even said she would sell my daughter to a brothel."

Upon hearing this, the villagers' hearts clenched. Sold to a wealthy family as a maid, there was a chance to redeem her once enough money was earned. Sold to a brothel, however, would truly ruin her life! This old woman Wang was vicious; she could even harm her own granddaughter. If she weren't desperate, how could she have proposed severing ties with her family? Thinking of this, the villagers all felt sympathy for Song Jiaojiao.

"Please, Village Chief, stand up for us, open the ancestral hall, and sever ties with our relatives," Song Jiaojiao's resolute voice rang out once more.

“Wang, have you thought this through? Once the ties are severed, there’s no turning back. Not to mention the distant future, your He Fan’s marriage will be delayed. Outsiders won’t find out that clearly; they’ll just think it’s the younger generation’s fault. Why don’t you reconsider?” The village chief said as he helped Song Jiaojiao and her three children to their feet.

Song Jiaojiao wiped away her tears and said, "Village chief, compared to losing my life, what does this reputation matter? If we don't settle things today, who knows if a few more people will come to my house to rob and beat me in the future? It's already not easy for a weak woman like me to raise three children. Back then, they said we were dividing the family property, but in reality, we were being kicked out. If it weren't for the village taking us in, we wouldn't even know where our bones are now. The only thing I can think of is severing ties. From now on, we'll be two families, and we won't interfere with each other."

The village chief sighed and said, "Since you insist on this, then let's divide it. Fugui, go and invite your third uncle to the ancestral hall to explain things clearly."

Wang Fugui nodded and quickly left.

"I disagree!" Old Mrs. Wang shouted. "You can break off your relationship with those two girls, but not He Fan. He Fan is my grandson of the Wang family. You can't just break off your relationship with him as you please. He is the flesh and blood of my youngest son. My poor youngest son's body is barely cold, and you, you wretched woman, are already trying to drag my grandson away from the Wang family. What are you really thinking?" Old Mrs. Wang spoke with heartfelt emotion, her voice filled with tears, but unfortunately, she was all bark and no bite.

"I don't want to!" Wang Hefan roared. "Ever since my father was conscripted and left, I've been doing more and more work in this family, and eating less and less. My uncles are away from home all year round, so my mother and I do all the work in the fields. My aunt never goes to the fields. After we finish working in the fields, we still have to cook and feed the pigs. As soon as the food is ready, you call us to feed the pigs and chickens. When we come back, there's only some soup left. We haven't had a full meal in all these years. Look at Da Ya and Er Ya, aren't they much smaller than other children their age?" Wang Hefan said, his eyes red.

The villagers looked at the boy, his fists clenched, his body trembling, his eyes red as he struggled to hold back his tears. How much suffering must he have endured to drive him to this state?

"Alright, Granny Wang, you don't need to say anything more. Your youngest son has already died in battle, and I know perfectly well how much the death benefits are. If you continue to cause trouble, then take out the death benefits that belong to the youngest son's family. Let's go, let's go to the ancestral hall." Seeing that there was no room for maneuver in this matter, and also wanting to help Granny Wang, the village chief made the final decision.

Looking at the imposing house, Song Jiaojiao knew she had arrived at her destination. This was the place where the family lineage was passed down. Every brick and tile told the stories of their ancestors. The bloodline of the Quan family continued here, from grandparents to parents, and then to their children and grandchildren. That deep kinship and sense of belonging, like a strong bond, tightly connected every family member.

Standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall is the person of the highest generation in the Wang family, while the lowest generation in the village has to call him Third Ancestor.

The village chief saw the old man leaning on a cane and being supported by Wang Fugui and called out, "Third Uncle."

“In the next life, you have come. Fugui has already explained the whole story to me. Now that it’s decided, let’s begin. Hefan.”

The old man looked at the boy standing next to Song Jiaojiao and called out. Wang Hefan quickly stepped forward and called out, "Third Ancestor."

“Good child, I know you’ve been wronged. Your great-grandfather will stand up for you.”