Chapter 564: Self-Exile from the Gong Family

Chapter 564: Self-Exile from the Gong Family

The Gong household was in complete uproar!

No one knew what the Gong family had agreed on, but in the end, Gong Laoer went with the debt-collecting suppliers to the General of the Western Garrison's residence, politely asking about Gong Qingniang's whereabouts. A helpful passerby told them that Gong Qingniang had left the day before.

Gong Laoer refused to believe it and asked the people at the General of the Western Garrison's residence. The staff there looked at him with disdain, sneering, "You Gong family members drove Miss Gong to the point where she couldn’t even stay in our household anymore! Don’t you have any shame? How dare you come asking questions!"

They tore into him without mercy.

Humiliated, Gong Laoer had no choice but to leave with the suppliers.

Upon returning to the Gong household, faced with the suppliers and the bank manager, Gong Laoer—a seasoned debt-dodger—played dumb: "You heard it with your own ears! Gong Qingniang probably skipped town with the cash! There’s nothing we can do about it!"

The suppliers weren’t fooled.

They and the bank manager crowded around Madam Gong. "Gong Qingniang is still a member of your Gong family, isn’t she? Since she’s run away, it’s only natural that we collect from the rest of you!"

"Exactly, pay up!"

"Pay up now, or we’ll trash this place!"

Faced with the aggressive, menacing creditors, Madam Gong’s eyes fluttered shut as she almost passed out.

As if things weren’t bad enough, the gambling den’s enforcers arrived, demanding payment and threatening to chop off Gong Laoer’s arms to feed to the dogs if they didn’t get the money that day.

With the suppliers, the bank manager, and the gambling den all pressuring them, the Gong family was cornered.

The suppliers declared that if the gambling den took Gong Laoer’s arms, they’d settle for one of his legs.

The bank manager, feigning mercy, said he wasn’t as cruel—since only one limb would remain, he’d just take a foot.

Shaking like a leaf, Gong Laoer knelt before Madam Gong, weeping and begging her to save him.

Madam Gong felt like her heart was being ripped out.

Eldest Gong had been a sickly burden for years—his death barely registered. But Gong Laoer and Gong Laosan were her favorites. With Gong Laosan already in prison with a broken leg, if something happened to Gong Laoer too, it would destroy her!

With no other options, Madam Gong shakily dug out a worn-out pouch from her bosom.

Inside was a yellowed scrap of paper. She carefully unfolded it, revealing messy but readable handwriting:

*"Due to the grave illness of the eldest son of the Gong family, and knowing that I have burdened the entire household with my condition and have little time left, I hereby declare that my branch of the family voluntarily severs ties with the Gong family, establishing a separate household. All debts incurred shall be borne solely by us. This note serves as witness."*

Below was the signature of Eldest Gong, complete with a fingerprint. The date matched the day of his death.

The moment this note was revealed, not only were the suppliers and the bank manager stunned—even Gong Laoer was shocked!

Madam Gong said solemnly, "Your elder brother wrote this on his deathbed. He said his illness had dragged the entire Gong family down, and he was willing to take on the debts and leave the household, ensuring his descendants would bear the burden alone, with no ties to the Gong family. At the time, out of pity, I allowed Gong Qingniang—then just a young girl—to stay with us a little longer… But now, it’s time for her to repay her own debts!"

Madam Gong made it sound noble, as if she’d acted out of compassion. But the Gong family knew the truth: after Eldest Gong’s burial, before she could kick Gong Qingniang out, the girl had displayed extraordinary business acumen. On her very first day managing the shop, she turned a profit, and the earnings only grew from there. So Madam Gong had conveniently "forgotten" to tell Gong Qingniang the truth, using her as their cash cow.

Had Gong Qingniang known her father had already severed their branch from the Gong family, she would never have stayed to break her back for them!

Shaking off his shock, Gong Laoer slammed the table in excitement. "So Gong Qingniang hasn’t been part of our family all along! There’s no reason for us to pay her debts!"

Old Madam Gong nodded, wincing at the thought.

She had originally planned to quickly marry off Gong Qingniang to that widower who had lost several wives, so she could naturally take over the Gong Family Shop under Gong Qingniang's name and settle her second and third sons' debts. Who knew Gong Qingniang would be such a rebel, refusing to listen to anything!

Gong Qingniang neither agreed to marry nor repay the debts, and on top of that, she owed a heap of debt to suppliers and the silver house!

With the main hall now packed with creditors, Old Madam Gong was completely panicked. In her desperation, the only solution she could think of was to swiftly expel Gong Qingniang from the family.

Of course, it pained her to do so, but right now, she had no choice—she had to get rid of some of the creditors first and deal with the rest later!

Old Madam Gong made up her mind. For now, she just needed to survive this crisis. Later, she could always use Gong Qingniang’s father’s dying words to force Gong Qingniang to earn money for them again!

Her plan sounded clever, but the suppliers weren’t convinced. "Does this even have any legal validity? Unless you register this with the authorities, we won’t recognize it!"

Now that Old Madam Gong had already revealed the matter, whether it was officially registered or not didn’t seem as crucial. Her eyes darted craftily—this trip to the authorities could also be an opportunity to visit her third son, who was locked up in prison.

Old Madam Gong quickly agreed, "Fine, let’s go to the authorities right now and get it registered!"

The group went in a noisy crowd to the government office, where the document was officially recorded. Only then did the suppliers and the silver house manager accept it with grumbles as they left.

Now, the only remaining creditors were the enforcers from the gambling den. With no other options left, Old Madam Gong tearfully handed over her last private stash of a thousand taels of silver, barely making a dent in the debt.