lcionline Chapter 480
Chapter 480
But even if she severed her kinship publicly, Niu Dali was still her biological father, her blood-related flesh and blood. In that public argument just now, she had used her sweet words to coerce her father into writing a letter of severance. Such an act would spread throughout Qingshui Town within three days. Even if Niu Dali was a weakling, if she continued to defy him, she would inevitably be branded as a disobedient father.
She hadn't cared about her reputation. After all, she had already decided to sell herself to pay off her debts, so what was there to worry about? But her mother, a life of honesty and hardship, now faced disgrace because of her. Those vitriolic comments pierced her heart like a knife; how could her mother bear it? At this thought, her lips pursed, her face paled, and her heart was filled with torment. But if she didn't fight for it, and was kicked out of the house, where would her mother go?
While he was hesitating, Aunt Zhang beside him stuffed the melon seeds in her sleeve and stared at Niu Dali with contempt.
Niu Dali thought he had Niu Jiaojiao and her daughter under control and sneered.
But Aunt Zhang snorted coldly, "I thought you were just a jerk, but at least you were a decent person. Now it seems we overestimated you! You sold your children, bullied your wife, and now you won't even give them a chance to live. It's truly despicable!"
Niu Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the rebuke, swallowing the words that were about to come to her lips. Aunt Zhang was known in town for her quick words and straightforwardness, so having her scold her was more polite than doing it herself. She curled her fingers slightly at her side, meeting Aunt Zhang's soothing gaze. She felt a mixture of emotions, unsure whether to feel grateful for having someone to back her up, or to feel sad about her current predicament.
"you……"
An abrupt voice interrupted Niu Dali's words. He turned his head abruptly and glared at Aunt Zhang fiercely, but she was not afraid to meet his gaze and refused to give him the slightest bit of face. The rage that had been suppressed surged into his heart, and just as he was about to curse, he caught a glimpse of Zhang the Butcher standing behind Aunt Zhang. The man was tall and strong, with a face full of flesh and a fierce look. He was a well-known man with a bad temper in the town, and he protected his wife very well. If Aunt Zhang had not been afraid of this evil spirit, how could she, a mere woman, dare to repeatedly undermine him in public?
At Zhang the Butcher's cold glance, Niu Dali swallowed back the harsh words on the tip of his tongue, his neck still stiff. "Since they have signed the severance and divorce agreements with me, they have nothing to do with the Niu family anymore! The Niu family's things are my business, so stay out of my business!"
Although his tone was somewhat restrained, his attitude remained firm. Besides, no one else had the right to interfere in this matter. Aunt Zhang felt sorry for Niu Jiaojiao's miserable life and was disappointed with Luo Shi for being so submissive. She wanted to argue, but she also knew that she was an outsider and had no right to interfere. As she opened her mouth to refute, a large hand pressed down on her shoulder. She turned around and saw that it was Zhang the Butcher, who was shaking his head slightly to indicate that she should not interfere.
Aunt Zhang and her husband looked at each other, sighed helplessly, and stopped talking.
Seeing this scene, the glimmer of hope that Niu Jiaojiao had just ignited was instantly extinguished, but she also understood that Aunt Zhang had done her best.
Niu Dali looked around and saw that no one spoke. He snorted coldly and waved his hands impatiently at Niu Jiaojiao and Luo Shi: "Since you have severed ties with the Niu family, get out of my doorstep!"
He narrowed his eyes and stared coldly at Niu Jiaojiao, as if the person before him was not his biological daughter, but an unrelated stranger. "Don't forget, we have clearly written it in black and white today. 20 taels of silver must be paid today. If you can't pay, this letter of severance and divorce will be invalid. Don't say that I, as a father, didn't leave you a way out."
He stopped talking abruptly, and the malice in his unfinished words was obvious.
Niu Jiaojiao closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze was as cold as ice. She looked directly at Niu Dali and retorted, "Of course I won't forget, so don't worry about it." As she spoke, she clutched Luo Shi, who was secretly shedding tears, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Niu Dali's eyes flashed when he saw this and he suddenly spoke.
This girl has always been very thoughtful. Somehow, he had a bad feeling in his heart and almost subconsciously spoke out to stop her.
Niu Jiaojiao paused, slowly turned around and stared at him in silence.
Niu Dali sneered and curled his lips, not caring about her gaze at all: "I still don't believe you. So, I will personally take you to the Li Mansion to meet Master Li. I will leave after I get the silver in my own hands."
Niu Jiaojiao's eyes darkened upon hearing this. How could she not understand that Niu Dali was completely severing her path to survival? She had originally planned to get her mother out of this dangerous place first, then scrape together the twenty taels of silver. She would rather die than commit herself to the village bully, Master Li. Now, if Niu Dali were to take her there, she would be trapped, like a sheep in a tiger's mouth, with no escape possible!
Luo Shi panicked when she heard this. She didn't care about the tears on her face. She quickly opened her arms to protect her daughter behind her, her voice trembling: "Da Li, you, you can't do this!
Seeing the panicked look on the mother and daughter's faces, Niu Dali felt secretly pleased with himself, but his attitude became even more resolute. "Didn't we already agree on this? Or are you planning to trick me and run away overnight, not even planning to exchange the money for me?"
At this point, he squinted his eyes at the mother and daughter in front of him. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his guess was right. He made up his mind to personally escort Niu Jiaojiao to the Li Mansion. With this in mind, he stepped forward and reached out to pull Niu Jiaojiao's sleeve.
Chen Shuyan, who had been standing by with his book basket on his back, saw Niu Dali about to get violent. He looked around and saw no one was going to stop him. He made up his mind and rushed forward to block Niu Jiaojiao and her daughter. "Uncle Dali! Jiaojiao is your biological daughter after all. You can't treat her like this!"
Niu Dali ignored Chen Shuyan and waved his hand. Chen Shuyan, a thin boy, could not withstand the push of Niu Dali, a tall and strong adult. He staggered and was pushed aside.
Seeing Niu Dali's hand about to grab Niu Jiaojiao's sleeve, the onlookers looked at the terrified faces of the mother and daughter, and their hearts were filled with pity. But this was someone else's family matter after all, and they had no right to interfere. They could only secretly shake their heads and say, "It's a pity for Jiaojiao to have such a father."
Everyone expected Niu Jiaojiao to be forcibly taken away next. Some people sighed helplessly and were about to turn around and leave when suddenly, a clear female voice broke through the stalemate: "Stop! Don't touch her!"