No one expected Xu Dahai to appear at that moment.
Song Xiangyu was kicked to the ground, the kitchen knife flying from her hand, nearly striking Xu Jinfeng's head.
"Xu Dahai, how dare you hit me! You heartless beast! I've worked like a mule for your family, and this is how you treat me! I can't live like this anymore!"
She began wailing, thinking her usual tactic would work. In the past, Xu Fubao had been timid, and Xu Dahai would relent whenever his wife raised her voice, fearing their quarrels would frighten their youngest daughter.
However...
"If you've long wanted to leave, then we'll divorce." Xu Dahai didn't even glance at Song Xiangyu as he coldly uttered the words, walking toward the apricot tree where his daughter sat.
"Fubao, Daddy's back. Don't be afraid." Tears glimmered in his eyes as he bent down to scoop up his daughter.
He had believed that if he worked hard to earn money, Song Xiangyu would treat Fubao better. Never had he imagined that in the few days he had been gone, his little girl had nearly died.
He had overheard everything. His daughter must have suffered greatly, bearing the pain in silence for all these years.
Now that she could speak, his heart ached for her.
Xu Fubao, now in the warm embrace of her tall, strong, and handsome father, felt an unfamiliar sense of safety rise within her.
How she missed her real parents.
What was Heaven doing? Didn't they realize she had gone missing? Why hadn't they come to find her?
Hmph!
Well, this transmigration can count as a trial, I suppose. Once I've endured it and return home, we'll have to discuss this thoroughly!
"Xu Dahai! What… what do you mean? Xu Fubao has been possessed by a demon! She's a wicked spirit—are you going to join in her madness?"
Song Xiangyu's tears dried up as panic set in.
Xu Dahai didn't spare her a glance, and his tone was far from a bluff. Leaving the Xu family had always been part of her plan, but the situation had changed.
If she couldn't sell this little village brat for silver, she couldn't let her live either. Otherwise, Fubao would only become an obstacle in Jinfeng's future.
"Fubao is no demon. The liar here is you!"
Xu Dahai held his silent daughter tightly, his gaze sharp and fierce as he stared at Song Xiangyu before turning to the now-stunned Xu Jinfeng.
"Since you and your daughter have no intention of staying, I won't force you. But pushing my daughter into the river is no small matter."
Xu Dahai then looked down at his daughter in his arms.
"Fubao, don't be afraid. Daddy's here. If you want to report them to the authorities and have them arrested, Daddy will help you."
Report to the authorities?
Xu Fubao blinked her large eyes, her innocent expression endearing.
I would love to report them, but I doubt your mother would allow it.
"Xu Dahai! I'm still alive, and you want to report this to the authorities? Are you trying to shame the family even more?"
Grandma Xu, finally snapping out of her shock, shouted angrily.
Villagers feared the officials, for any household visited by the authorities was surely guilty of a crime, bound for imprisonment.
Why should their family's reputation be ruined over a useless brat?
That wouldn't do!
"Mother, before I left for town, you promised me you'd take good care of Fubao. Now she's nearly lost her life. I'm going to punish the guilty—what's so shameful about that?" Xu Dahai was livid.
He had always known his mother favored his younger brother, Xu Dafu, and his family. Normally, he didn't mind.
But now, his youngest daughter had almost died. She was his bottom line, and this could not be ignored.
Had it been Xu Junming or Xu Juncheng, Grandma Xu would have called the authorities long ago!
"You ungrateful wretch! You've only been gone a few days, and now you've grown a backbone! Fine! Since you're back, let's split the family!"
Grandma Xu's words left everyone stunned.
Split the family?
What kind of drama was this?
Without Xu Dahai's family to do all the work, who would handle the endless chores?
Split the family?
Grandma Xu, suggesting a split?
Her words shocked everyone in the Xu household.
Xu Fubao tilted her head, puzzled.
Could this shrewd woman, a farmer through and through, really bear to lose Xu Dahai, her free labor?
It couldn't be that simple.
Song Xiangyu gasped in fear, unsure of what was happening.
Grandma Xu, suggesting a split? Hadn't she always said there would be no splitting as long as she lived?
What was she thinking?
The two hens had been stewed and eaten. Now three geese and a fat pig were dead.
So much good food was left, and without Xu Dahai's family, surely all of it would be kept for herself and her two grandsons.
What did it matter if they split the family now? Once all the food was gone, she could call Xu Dahai back.
He'd come running like a loyal dog, earning money to support the household again.
Xu Dahai, unaware of his mother's scheming, cautiously asked, "Mother, are you really going to let us split?"
Grandma Xu, resolute, spat angrily, "Don't call me Mother! I don't have a useless son like you! Can't even manage your wife, and now she's ruined our home! What, do you want her to destroy me too? Get out! Take your family and leave!"
Silence fell, the air thick with tension as everyone in the Xu family stood frozen in shock.
Xu Fubao had been thinking of ways to free Xu Dahai from his misery, but she hadn't expected splitting the family to come so easily!
Song Xiangyu, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded.
Xu Dahai had never been favored. If the family split, they would be left with nothing.
What would happen to her and her eldest daughter?
Was she supposed to suffer alongside him?
That couldn't happen!
"No! We can't split the family! All this loss was caused by Xu Fubao, not me! Xu Dahai, if you agree to the split, I'll divorce you!"
Song Xiangyu threatened Xu Dahai.
She couldn't believe that as a woman from the capital, Xu Dahai, a lowly hunter from the village, would ever give her up!
Grandma Xu hesitated, surprised that Song Xiangyu dared to challenge her.
"Xu Dahai, you coward! I don't care if you divorce her or not, but today, we're splitting the family! Dafu, throw out their bedding and belongings!"
The old woman wasn't to be trifled with.
It didn't matter if Song Xiangyu wanted a divorce or even to hang herself—this family would be split today!
Song Xiangyu finally understood. After years of working like a beast of burden for the Xu family, they were now discarding her like an old mule!
Still, she held onto a sliver of hope, turning to Xu Dahai. "Say something—split the family or not?"
She refused to believe that Xu Dahai would be heartless enough to separate from her.
After all, Xu Fubao was still very attached to her. If they divorced, she wouldn't take the girl, and Fubao would be heartbroken!
But Xu Dahai didn't look at Song Xiangyu. Instead, he turned to his daughter. "Fubao, you…"
"Song Xiangyu always beats and curses me, wishing for my death. She doesn't treat me like a daughter, and I don't want her as my mother. Daddy, you should divorce her."
Xu Fubao spoke up, finally voicing her true feelings.
If you divorce her, I promise I'll find you a much better wife.
Xu Dahai, already wavering, was now fully convinced by his daughter's words. "Alright, we'll divorce and split the family!"
What?
Song Xiangyu stood there, utterly stunned, wondering if she had heard wrong.
This lowly hunter had actually agreed to divorce her!
Before she could respond, Xu Jinfeng shouted, "Xu Fubao, if Father and Mother divorce, you'll be left without a mother! Other children will bully you, call you names, and treat you like an orphan! Aren't you afraid?"