Chapter 274 - Drough (1/2)

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Although Old Yu didn’t want to rip apart the family, this last event had left a deep scar within him. Today truly was the last straw. Madam Zhang was too malicious. If he continued to live with her, he was afraid that one day he would end up losing his life to one of her unknown schemes.

However, if he steeled himself and forcefully divorced Madam Zhang, his two youngest children, Yu Bo and Yu Caidie, would also be affected. They were both of his flesh and blood. His son’s scholarly career would be negatively influenced and his daughter would have no status with her in-laws anymore.

When the current emperor ascended the throne, he revamped the laws and established peaceful separation as an option. The main idea was to protect women’s rights and raise their status in society. It encouraged women, who were being abused in their husband’s family, to raise the possibility of separating peacefully from the marriage. Peaceful separation was something that was protected by the law.

For the sake of his two youngest children, Old Yu decided to choose to peacefully separate. However, he didn’t expect Madam Zhang’s greed to have no end. She wanted to take all of the Yu Family’s assets with her. He knew what type of person the old woman was. Asking her to take out the money that had already reached her hands was something that even the gods couldn’t do.

Old Yu had lost his will to fight and didn’t want to strive for anything. He weakly shook his head and said, “I only have one request. All of the Yu Family’s assets can only be inherited by the Yu Family’s bloodline.”

The reason why Madam Zhang was shamelessly demanding the assets, other than trying to guarantee her own income in the future, was mostly for her precious youngest son. She had a cold heart. Although Yu Dashan was also blood-related to her, he was nothing compared to Yu Bo. Her youngest son, who had been guided since childhood by her, was the most important person to her.

The paperwork for the peaceful separation was very quickly written out. Old Yu and Madam Zhang both placed their handprints on the document to seal the deal. By the time the two siblings, Yu Hai and Yu Caifeng, heard the news, everything was already done. The two siblings took their father back to the old residence and moved him into the West Courtyard, where Yu Caifeng was currently living. They then invited Doctor Sun from town over to treat him. Sure enough, as Yu Xiaocao previously said, Old Yu had inflammation in his lungs that led to him coughing up blood.

While Doctor Sun was treating the patient, Yu Lichun and some other villagers who had good relationships with Yu Family were all waiting in the West Courtyard. All of them heard Doctor Sun say that Old Yu’s illness wouldn’t have gotten so bad if he had been treated promptly. Old Yu’s body was now weak. If they waited for another two days, he likely would have lost his life and died. Lung inflammation was quite a serious condition and eating medicine alone may not be enough. He also had to lie in bed and recuperate while eating highly nutritious foods. Doctor Sun had also said that Old Yu was getting old, so he might not be able to do much physical labor even if he became well.

Yu Lichun and the other villagers all sighed in sorrow. Everyone cursed Madam Zhang for being ruthless and having a venomous heart. A perfectly healthy man had been turned into an invalid just from delaying his care. Yu Lichun said a few comforting words to Old Yu as he wanted him to heal at ease and not have any other pressures.

Old Yu, who was now at Yu Hai’s place to heal, was quite upset inside. Ever since his previous wife had passed away, this son of his had been neglected. Before they separated from the family, Yu Hai had always done the most work yet received the least. At that time, Old Yu thought that the most capable people were the ones who did the most work. It was right and just for someone to work so much for the sake of the whole family. After they split from the family, Old Yu believed Madam Zhang’s words and focused all of his efforts on his son, who was studying, and his youngest daughter, who had not yet married. He almost didn’t give any assets to Yu Hai.

As a father, for these years, he had truly owed his son too much. However, in the end, the son he neglected the most was the son who came through for him. Old Yu had tried to excel his entire life and now he felt he had no face left.

His mood directly influenced his recovery. Although he ate medicine and nourishing foods every day, Old Yu’s illness continued to stay and he never healed.

Yu Xiaocao would always add some mystic-stone water to her grandfather’s medicine when she decocted it. She was even able to save her oldest uncle from the brink of death, so how come her grandfather never seemed to get better? Yu Xiaocao noticed that Old Yu looked depressed and dead inside. As someone who had lived two lives, she concluded that her grandfather’s mood was influencing his recovery.

She brought the problem up with her father and Oldest Paternal Aunt. The two siblings started to talk to their father. Yu Caifeng supported Old Yu to sit upright on the bed and covered him halfway with a blanket. As she fed him chicken noodle soup, she softly said, “Father, eat some noodles. Xiaocao made this especially for you.”

“There’s no point in eating anything for this body, leave the rest for the children.” Old Yu had heard Doctor Sun say that even if he got better, he wouldn’t be able to do work anymore. Whenever he thought of becoming a dead weight for his son and daughter, anxiety bubbled up in his heart and he couldn’t keep anything down.

Yu Hai said, “Father, the children all have some. Xiaocao stewed a whole old hen and cooked enough noodles for the whole family to eat. Father, you need to recuperate at ease and don’t worry about matters regarding money. Our family has planted vegetables and melons these past two years, so do you think we lack the money to feed you?”

Old Yu moaned, “Even if I get better from this illness, I’ll still be a dead weight. It’s better for me to die....”

“Father, why are you saying this? Are you trying to cut open my and Xiaohai’s heart right now?” Yu Caifeng felt a wave of sorrow hit her after hearing her father’s words. Her eye sockets slowly turned red.