Chapter 311 She Will Kill Us

Chapter 311 She Will Be the Death of Us All

He Youfu gave up trying to persuade them. With him and the Veteran Party Branch Secretary as witnesses, a severance agreement was drafted.

They made four copies, with both Jiang Yonghua and Jiang Yu pressing their thumbprints and signing their names, as did the two witnesses, each keeping a copy.

Seeing the relief on Jiang Yonghua and Wang Meili's faces, He Youfu had much to say but couldn't bring himself to speak.

At that moment, he realized that trying to persuade Jiang Yu was pointless. This was her parents' decision.

"If you don't regret it, then let's all go our separate ways," he said, waving his hand.

The Veteran Party Branch Secretary, satisfied with the outcome, left.

Auntie Du, however, didn't leave right away and instead glared at Jiang Yu, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

This made He Youfu roar, "This is my house! I decide who stays and who goes, and it's none of your concern! Even if Jiang Yu and the others get into trouble later, it's me who will be implicated, not you!"

Auntie Du, flustered, said, "I was just saying, why so angry?"

She turned and bolted, only daring to mutter a few curses once she was far away.

Unlike He Youfu, Jiang Yu took it in stride.

She had only come to see He Qianqian; the severance agreement was unexpected.

"Uncle He, I just..."

"Dad!" Chen Xiuying burst in from outside, cutting Jiang Yu off.

"Why haven't you sent them away yet? Uncle said she'll be the death of us all!"

Chen Xiuying, upon hearing that Jiang Yu had come to her house, rushed back home without stopping.

Her in-laws were completely clueless!

He Qianqian had no love for her sister-in-law and usually avoided her, keeping to herself.

But when Chen Xiuying spoke about Jiang Yu that way, she couldn't take it.

"Sister-in-law, Sister Jiang Yu came to see me—it's none of your concern!"

Chen Xiuying rolled up her sleeves and put her hands on her hips.

"This is my house, how is it none of my business? You probably got fired because of her—she's bad luck, she'll ruin you!"

He Qianqian's face turned red with anger. "If it weren't for Sister Jiang Yu, I wouldn't even have this job! How can you say such ungrateful things, sister-in-law? Since I started working, I've added a lot to the family, bought clothes and shoes for you and my brother. Without Sister Jiang Yu, could I afford that?"

Chen Xiuying sneered, "What's the point of saying all this now? The job's gone! I say you should stay away from Jiang Yu and find someone to marry—that's what you should do."

He Qianqian didn't want to deal with her anymore and turned to look at Liu Junmei.

Liu Junmei gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Xiuying, don't say anymore. Go watch Dabao. Today we'll keep Jiang Yu and Tingyue for dinner—you don't need to cook."

Chen Xiuying didn't move, her face gloomy.

"If you won't listen to me, then let's divide the family! My child is still young, I don't want to be implicated by Jiang Yu. Her own father has severed ties with her, so why are you so eager to get involved?"

He Youfu found it absurd and snorted coldly.

"He Guangcai is my only son, what do you mean by dividing the family? If that's how you see it, you won’t take care of your mother and me in the future? That's fine, I've raised He Guangcai for so many years, got him a wife, helped you with the kids—you can pay me back for all this, then we’ll split the family right away!"

Chen Xiuying didn’t expect He Youfu to react so harshly. Her face froze, and her fingers curled up involuntarily.

"I’m just looking out for Guangcai. You keep associating with Jiang Yu—what else can I do besides splitting the family?"

Jiang Yu felt drained just hearing this. Not wanting to trouble He Youfu and Liu Junmei, she took the initiative to leave.

"I’ve got things to do at home, so I won’t bother you anymore."

He Qianqian still wanted to keep her: "Sister Jiang Yu…"

"It’s fine, come over to my place another day. I’ll take you to Dongkelai for a meal."

Despite Liu Junmei’s repeated pleas for her to stay, Jiang Yu gave He Tingyue a look, and the two walked out.

Before they made it to the village entrance, they ran into He Xing.

"Sister, good thing you’re still here."

Jiang Yu smiled at her. At thirteen, He Xing was no longer as skinny as the previous year. Her face had filled out a bit, looking more mature.

Jiang Yu wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt a sense of familiarity with He Xing's appearance.

"Everyone else avoids us like we’re cursed. Why are you so eager to talk to me?"

He Xing said stubbornly, "I don’t care what anyone says. My grandma says Sister Jiang Yu is our family’s savior!"

Jiang Yu’s expression turned thoughtful. She reached out and gently patted He Xing’s head twice.

"What do you need from me?"

He Xing's eyes lit up slightly. "Come with me!"

She led Jiang Yu towards the back mountain, directly up the hill. Jiang Yu knew this area well, but the path He Xing took was one Jiang Yu had never been to before.

She frowned slightly. "Do you usually go up the mountain alone?"

He Xing nodded. "I know this place like the back of my hand, nothing’s going to happen."

Jiang Yu shook her head, "It’s too risky."

Crossing the hilltop, Jiang Yu saw a flat area and couldn’t help but be astonished.

"Did you make these chicken coops?"

The place He Xing brought them to had a rudimentary chicken farm built!

"No, Brother Ye did it. The rabbits I raised before were too prolific—one litter after another. There was no place at home to keep them, and I couldn’t bear to throw them away, so Brother Ye found this place and built chicken coops and rabbit hutches."

Jiang Yu pointed to the wooden hut next to it. "Are there rabbits inside?"

He Xing quickly nodded. "There are at least dozens of rabbits ready for sale now. We have no place to sell them, so Brother Ye told me to ask you."

Jiang Yu paused, thinking Jiang Ye was far too daring.

He dared to secretly set up a breeding farm here, not afraid of being reported!

"The operation can't be expanded further, just maintain the status quo. If someone finds out, it would be disastrous, you understand?"

He Xing nodded vigorously, "That's what Wild Brother said too. Actually, I can't handle more, it's just fine as it is."

Jiang Yu thought she couldn't bring these rabbits back either, so she said, "I'll go back first and call someone over tomorrow."

She would have to ask Lai Liuzi and Tie Niu to come over.

On the way back to the city, Jiang Yu touched the cut-off letter in her pocket and sighed silently.

"Only at times like this do you realize how self-serving people can be."

But she had no right to blame them; people cherish their lives and fear being implicated, what's wrong with that?

It's just that Jiang Yonghua and Wang Meili's attitude made her feel somewhat disheartened.

She smiled bitterly, "This is good too, saving on supporting them and holiday gifts in the future."

He Tingyue held her hand, "If you're not happy, don't fake a smile."

Jiang Yu's smile faded, she pursed her lips, unable to smile.

She buried her face in his chest, muttered, "They were never good to me."

Just like now, knowing she might be in trouble, they were the first to run away.

What does she have to be unhappy about, she should be happier than anyone, finally free from her family's burden.

He Tingyue gently stroked the back of her head, murmured, "I never told you why my parents divorced."

Jiang Yu was taken aback, looking up at him.

She could see He Tingyue was somewhat uncomfortable with those matters, he didn't speak, so she didn't ask.

"When my mom was pregnant with Fei Yan, she found out my dad was cheating, he had a child from an affair, just a year younger than me."

Jiang Yu opened her mouth, anger flashing across her face.

"Beast!" The word slipped out before she remembered it was He Tingyue's father.

He Tingyue chuckled softly, "I've called him that many times. But if he's a beast, why would he care about others cursing him?"

He Tingyue slowly exhaled, even after so many years, he still couldn't move on.

"The drama in my family goes back many years. When my mom was pregnant with me, she fell, had a massive hemorrhage, nearly died. My dad didn't show up until I was born. From then on, my mom's heart grew cold toward him, their marriage was on the brink of collapse."

He Tingyue's mother, Wei Baiyun, longed for freedom, and after years of constant fighting with He Jingyi, she was determined to divorce him.

Thus, getting pregnant with He Feiyan was an accident, she didn't want it.

But after a doctor's examination, her body couldn't withstand an abortion.

Wei Baiyun had no choice but to keep the child.

Surprisingly, during this pregnancy, He Jingyi settled down, focusing on staying home with her, their relationship gradually repaired, sweeter than when they first married.

He Tingyue now recalls, the time when his parents were in love, was a rare moment of warmth in the family.

However, happiness was too fleeting.

"After my mother gave birth to Fei Yan, that woman appeared with her child. She knew that He Jingyi had been unfaithful to her, on the very night she gave birth to me. She was in critical condition, while her husband was in bed with another woman."

Wei Baiyun didn't think twice. He Jingyi knelt down, crying and begging her, but she still chose to divorce him, abandoning her two children and leaving.

As soon as she left, that woman brought her son into the He family, moving in and living there.

He Jingyi never legally married her and never acknowledged her status publicly, but that didn't stop her from acting as Mrs. He.

He Tingyue enlisted in the military at sixteen, leaving behind the suffocating home.

His future was promising, and a major reason he chose to change careers was for He Feiyan.

Wei Baiyun was gone, and He Jingyi was rarely home. Dealing with grandparents who preferred boys over girls and a stepmother with ill intentions, He Feiyan lived a life worse than that of an orphan.

Years later, He Tingyue returned to the He family, only to find his only sister barred from the dining table, sitting at the door like a beggar, hoping her stepmother would give her some scraps.

He Tingyue was furious, trashed the He family home, and, despite his grandparents' curses, he resolutely took He Feiyan and left.

Jiang Yu remembered He Feiyan. Before this, who could have imagined that the cheerful and lively He Feiyan had gone through such things.

What He Tingyue wanted to tell her was: "Even though my family was like this, when I left, I still had feelings that were hard to let go of."

Humans are inherently complex creatures, and not everything is black and white.

So, it's normal for Jiang Yu to feel uncomfortable even though she's not close to her parents and faces their indifference.

"But don't stay sad for too long; it pains me to see you like this."

Jiang Yu smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"He Tingyue, you're becoming quite the smooth talker."