Chapter 45: We Don ‘t Want to Break Off Our Relationship

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Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation     Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qiao Shicheng’s eyes were red from anger.

“Why? I’m her father. Even if I break off my ties, I’m still her father. Why can’t I come and look for her?”

“Oh, you’re quite unreasonable. When the Tian family bullied her back then, why didn’t you go to the Tian family to cause trouble like this?”

“I, I didn’t know about this.” He instantly felt guilty.

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“And after knowing? Have you been there?”

“She’s already divorced, so what I can do?”

“Your Qiao family bullies the weak and fears the strong. You’re a tyrant in your own nest and only know how to bully your own family.”

“This good-for-nothing would rather adopt someone else than help her family. She would rather give money to outsiders than her own family. Why can’t I

come and settle scores with her?”

“I bought those two children and placed them by her side for her to raise. I gave the beggar money because I wanted to be kind. I asked her to give it to them. What does my money have to do with the Qiao family?

“I don’t like you guys, so what if I don’t let her give it to you? Compensate you? I remember that she earned 100 catties of wheat for your family and worked like a cow at your house.”

“She started working when she was little until she was fourteen. Just a while ago, you sold her for ten taels of silver. How did she make you lose money? What? At that time, the mayor was the witness.”

“Are you still trying to cheat? If you sell her, she won’t belong to your family anymore. You old fart, don’t have any ideas about my people. Be careful or I’ll make your family suffer a lawsuit.”

Lu Sanniang bombarded the Qiao family members with a barrage of attacks, causing them to be dumbfounded. They no longer had the arrogance they had before they came.

“I, I… You’re unreasonable!”

This sentence almost made everyone present laugh. Lu Sanniang pointed at Qiao Shicheng’s nose.

“Everyone, take a look. This shameless old man sold his daughter and broke off his ties with her. Now, he’s jealous when he sees her setting up a stall. He even wants his daughter to give him the money. Everyone, please judge. Why? Who owns this stall? It’s mine, and even the taxes are collected from me. How did it become the Qiao family’s? Ah?”

“That’s right. Your Qiao family is too shameless. If you break off your ties then so be it. In the future, you’ll be strangers. Why can you still keep thinking about your daughter’s money? This stall belongs to Boss Lu. Boss Lu only has the

final say in the money he earns.”

“That’s right. Even if this stall really belongs to Madam Qiao, it has nothing to do with your family. Why are you so stubborn?”

“That’s right, that’s right. Why is the Qiao family so unreasonable? They’re still pretending to be obedient after getting a bargain. After your daughter marries, she’ll no longer be a member of the Qiao family. It’s their duty to be filial to you, but you can’t say anything even if they’re not filial. You don’t put hopes on your son, but you suck your daughter’s blood all day long!”

“You guys, you guys!”

Qiao Shicheng’s eyes turned black and he wanted to faint. At this moment, the Qiao brothers, Qiao Jiang and Qiao He, gave their wives a look and the two immediately urged their children to kneel down in front of Qiao Mai.

“Auntie, Auntie, I beg you. Don’t ignore the Qiao family. We can’t afford to eat anymore.” These words sounded scripted.

Before Qiao Mai and Lu Sanniang could speak, the crowd was filled with accusations.

“What do you mean you can’t afford to eat? The last time you came, your clothes were new and you had a silver hairpin on your head.”

“That’s right. We all saw it. Stop pretending to be poor. Even if you can’t afford to eat, don’t come here and call yourself poor. It’s your father who’s incompetent. Your aunt already sold herself and now she’s in someone else’s house.”

“I’ve never seen such a shameless family.”

The faces of the Qiao family were being roasted by the people of Tianshui Town, but they only wanted to get money for themselves, so they had to endure it.

At this moment, the mayor arrived. The guards cleared the way and the old man walked out from the crowd.

“How dare you, Qiao Shicheng?! You’ve come to the town to cause trouble before. I’ll let you off once, but I won’t let you off the hook a second time. Men, tie me up and take me to the county government office for interrogation.”

His words scared the members of the Qiao family and they quickly knelt down. “Sir, we’re innocent!”

“You broke your ties, and I was the witness. You’ve taken the money, but are you not admitting it?”

“We don’t want to break off our relationship anymore.”

“Going back on your word? Alright, return the twenty taels of silver Shopkeeper Lu spent on her, plus the ten taels she gave you to her. Then, the sale contract and the promissory note can be given back to you, and you can take her away.

How about that?”

“We don’t have money.”

“Are you guys trying to fool me? Men, take him away!”

“Sir, we’re innocent. Even if we’ve broken our ties, we’re still her family. How can she give the money to someone else and not help her family?”

The mayor was also angered by their fallacy and laughed. “The money is Shopkeeper Lu’s, and it was Shopkeeper Lu who gave it to others. What does it have to do with Lady Qiao?”

Qiao Shicheng pointed at the stall. “This isn’t Shopkeeper Lu’s. This is hers.” Qiao Mai laughed. “Even if this stall is mine, what does it have to do with you?” “You’re my daughter. The money you earn belongs to the Qiao family.”

“You really are shameless. Hurry up and get lost. Otherwise, I’ll sue you for affecting my business and compensate me for my losses.”

“You unfilial thing.”

The mayor could not take it anymore. He waved his hand at the guards, who rushed over to the Qiao family and tied up Qiao Shicheng, who was leading the trouble.

Qiao He and Qiao Jiang did not even dare to let out a fart. They watched helplessly as the guards took Qiao Shicheng away.

Madam Qiao Lu was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the mayor.

“Sorry, we were wrong. We won’t come again. Please let my husband go.”

“If we don’t teach him a lesson, he will treat the law as a decoration. Breaking off the marriage is just breaking off the marriage. Unless she herself is willing, no one can force her.”

“Kneel down before your sister.”

Qiao Mai looked at the Qiao family members who were kneeling on the ground and sneered. “We’ve cut our ties. Even if you kneel to death today, I won’t say anything good for him. Get lost!”

“You, you cold-hearted woman! He’s your father!”

“In my heart, the Qiao family is all dead. I have no parents, no siblings.”

“You, you, I’ll fight it out with you!”

The war was about to start, and Lu Sanniang shouted at the mayor.

“Old man, stop watching the show. Hurry up and help!”

The mayor smiled and said, “If you didn’t say anything, I won’t help! However, since you’ve asked, I’ll help you with this.”

He waved at the guards again, and the Qiao family was subdued in no time.

For the sake of the law, the mayor did not send them to the county office. Instead, he did it in front of the people.

After beating Qiao Shicheng twenty times, the children were spared, but the others were beaten ten times and dragged to the town sign in the north. They were warned by the guards that they could come to Tianshui Town, but if they caused trouble again, they would not be beaten but sent to jail.

The ox cart stopped in front of Qiao Shicheng. “Big Brother Qiao, are we still taking the cart?”

“Yes, yes. Brother, help us get into the car.”

The others were better off as they could get on the ox-cart by themselves. Qiao Shicheng lay on the ox-cart while the driver sat in front. The ox-cart started moving.

“Give me the money. It’s twenty copper coins for a round trip. If you don’t give it, get out of the car and walk back.”

The coachman was also quite angry. He could not stand the Qiao family’s actions anymore, so he said this.

Left with no other choice, Madam Qiao took out twenty copper coins from the purse at her waist and handed it over to the coachman.

“Brother Qiao, I advised you not to come here before we came over, but you were so stubborn.”

Qiao Shicheng endured the pain in his body and his neck was still stiff.

“I’m her father!”

“You still know that you’re her father? Which parents don’t love their children? Which parent will suck their daughter’s blood? You already sold her but still want to take her earnings?”

“Hmph!”

The coachman knew that he was not convinced. “You still don’t listen to my advice. If you suffer losses in the future, just bear with it. We’re all from the same village, so I’m trying to persuade you. Your family should take care of yourselves. You really don’t know sh*t. You treat the law like a child’s play. What do you think would have happened if you didn’t get beaten up?”

The coachman kept on nagging. He could not stand it anymore.