Chapter 2: Severing Ties, Going Home!

“Hey! What are you dazing off for? Get lost already!”

Chen Xuelian was cracking melon seeds, but her eyes remained fixed on Xie Zhao.

Seeing him zone out and then suddenly burst into ecstatic laughter a moment later, she assumed the bastard had come up with some dirty scheme to harass their family again. Her face darkened, and she marched toward Xie Zhao.

Chen Xuelian was the eldest sister of the Chen Family.

Relying on her job at a state-owned enterprise and her marriage to an office director, she was highly confident and possessed a fierce, fiery temper.

She raised her hand to strike him.

But in the next instant, she froze, her hand hanging mid-air.

Xie Zhao looked down, his eyes steady and carrying a sharp, ruthless edge as he stared back coldly.

“I’m not a member of the Chen Family anymore. You still want to hit me?”

Xie Zhao scoffed mockingly.

Chen Xuelian’s eyes widened instantly.

What did he just say?

He’s not a member of the Chen Family?!

“Dad! Mom! Second Sister!”

Chen Xuelian forgot all about hitting him. She spun around and shouted, “Did you hear that? He just said he’s not one of us! He admitted it!”

Chen Donghai and his wife were also slightly taken aback.

An indescribable feeling welled up in their hearts.

It was no wonder they were surprised.

In the first month of the year, their biological son had been found, and Xie Zhao had been sent back to the Xie Family.

Counting it up, a whole year had passed since then.

Over the past year, Xie Zhao had come looking for them several times. Every single time, he had called them by his old terms of address, insisting that he had long since grown accustomed to being a member of the Chen Family.

He had been utterly shameless, drawing nothing but disgust from them.

This time, it was New Year’s Eve.

Chen Donghai had been happily preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner with his family when, out of nowhere, Xie Zhao showed up at their door again.

With red-rimmed eyes, he had claimed he wanted to wish them a Happy New Year because he missed them.

They had long since grown sick of him, and having him ruin their New Year’s Eve was the last straw. In a fit of anger, Chen Xuelian had pushed him down the steps.

Her words had been incredibly harsh as well.

Chen Donghai and the others had expected Xie Zhao to act as shamelessly as before, begging for forgiveness with sweet words. They never expected him to seem like a completely different person in the blink of an eye.

Chen Donghai frowned.

For some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

“Xie Zhao, whatever you have to say, today is not the day. New Year’s Eve is for family reunions. You should be with your own parents.”

Standing to the side, Zhao Lanzhi finally could not help but speak up.

She stared at Xie Zhao. Looking at this boy who was once her son, she did feel a tiny pang of sympathy.

But the moment she remembered how those country bumpkins had dared to swap her biological son, forcing him to suffer so much in the countryside, Zhao Lanzhi’s chest tightened, and her tone turned cold.

“Just leave, and don’t think about coming back to the Chen Family. Your father and I…”

She paused, swallowing the rest of her words before finishing, “We will not accept you.”

Xie Zhao remained silent.

In his mind, the past flashed by like a revolving lantern^[1], reviewing his eighteen years with the Chen Family.

He did not deny that the Chen Family had treated him well over those eighteen years.

At the very least, he had never lacked food or drink, and they had shared happy, laughter-filled moments.

That was why he had clung to that obsession, believing he could still return to the Chen Family and call them “Mom and Dad” once more.

But over this past year…

He had been mocked, neglected, ostracized, and harshly scolded.

It was as if the beautiful illusions of his self-deception were being peeled away piece by piece, leaving behind nothing but the bloody truth.

It was time to wake up.

Xie Zhao took a deep breath.

When he looked up again, his eyes were completely calm.

Snow began to fall again, a vast blanket of white. Large, feather-like flakes drifted down, piling up on the ground.

The youth’s back was straight as a pine tree. His gaze slowly swept across the courtyard where he had lived for eighteen years, finally resting on Chen Donghai and his wife.

“This is the last time I will ever come here.”

Xie Zhao spoke, his voice steady and deliberate, as if he were speaking to Chen Donghai and his wife, but also to himself.

Thud.

He quietly knelt onto the ground.

His knees sank into the fluffy snow, burying his thin joints. The youth forcefully kowtowed three times^[2]. When he stood up, white snow clung to his forehead, making his face look as pale as paper. Yet, upon closer inspection, a feverish flush could be seen on his cheeks.

Chen Donghai and Zhao Lanzhi did not know why.

Suddenly, they felt a bit uneasy.

“I will always remember the eighteen years you raised me. Over these eighteen years, I believe I treated and respected you as my own biological parents.”

Xie Zhao said firmly, “Now that the dust has settled, these three kowtows serve as my farewell to the debt of your upbringing. From this day forward, I, Xie Zhao, will be a stranger to you. We no longer have any relation.”

Having said his piece, he stood up and brushed the snow off his knees.

Without looking at the expressions of anyone in the courtyard, he turned and strode out.

He left without a single shred of regret.

Inside the courtyard.

Chen Donghai and Zhao Lanzhi stared wide-eyed. It was only when their eldest daughter, Chen Xuelian, and second daughter, Chen Xuemei, called out to them that they finally snapped out of it, their expressions shifting into a complex mix of emotions.

In the courtyard, the two depressions left in the snow were already being covered by a fresh, thin layer of white.

Chen Xuelian sneered, “Who knows if he’s acting or not. But at least we’ve finally driven that parasite away and peeled off that plaster^[3]. We can finally breathe a sigh of relief this New Year.”

Chen Xuemei hesitated for a moment, turning to look at Chen Donghai and his wife.

For some reason…

She felt that her parents did not actually hate Xie Zhao as much as she had imagined.

Perhaps… they would regret this in the future?

*

In Shishui Village, by the banks of Dahetan, inside a house plastered with mud and straw, Lin Muyu was holding a needle and thread, sewing clothes for her child.

Today was the eve of the New Year. Even across the river, the lively sound of firecrackers echoing from the village could be heard.

But none of it had anything to do with her.

She knew Xie Zhao did not like her. On their wedding day, he had returned from the county seat drunk. Someone had helped him into her room, and they had ended up sleeping together in a drunken haze.

When he woke up, he was furious, convinced that this was a trick played by the Xie Family and her to force him to stay.

In his rage, he had taken her and left the Xie Family, moving to this deserted spot by Dahetan.

He hated her.

During their year of marriage, they had spoken fewer than twenty sentences to each other. Even when she got pregnant, Xie Zhao never asked a single question about it.

It wasn’t that she didn’t feel resentment.

But the moment she thought of the child in her womb, Lin Muyu would grit her teeth and bear it all.

She thought.

Just endure a little longer.

Once the baby is born, there will be something to look forward to. I can make it through.

She pursed her lips, a faint smile gracing her face. Dappled sunlight filtered through the door, casting a soft glow over her features.

Lin Muyu looked down, gently stroking her belly, her eyes filled with tender affection.

This was her entire hope.

Clack.

Outside the courtyard, the gate was suddenly pushed open, making a sharp, clear sound.

Lin Muyu froze.

It was the end of the year, and New Year’s Eve dinner would be served soon. Who could be looking for her at this hour?

Gathering her needlework and placing it on the headboard, she was just about to get out of bed when the bedroom door was flung open.

The harsh afternoon sunlight flooded into the room, silhouetting the figure standing in the doorway.