PFC Chapter 478: Empty people and money
Chapter 478: Empty people and money
Chapter 478
Niu Jiaojiao didn't look surprised. She had longed for this father before. She vaguely remembered Niu Dali carrying her on his shoulders as a child, taking her to the market to buy candy figurines. Back then, his hands were broad and warm, his laughter was hearty. He would shield her from the cold night breeze, and caress her wounds with loving care when she fell. But since when, that gentle father had gradually vanished, replaced by a disgusting man, drained by gambling debts and alcoholism.
Over the years, repeated disappointments had been like a blunt knife cutting through flesh, long since worn away the admiration she had for her father since childhood. But now, looking at the man before her, club-wielding, his face grimacing, her heart still ached. After all, he was the father who had once given her warmth, and the hidden pain of blood ties was far harder to let go than she had imagined.
She closed her eyes, suppressing the emotions surging in them. When she looked up again, there was only a dead silence in them. "Today is the day."
Her voice was as light as a feather, yet it carried a biting chill. "From today on, I will consider my father dead, and you are no longer my father." The words were lost in the noisy voices. The voice was so soft that no one could hear it except Luo, who was very close to her and reached out tremblingly to hug her.
Niu Dali was completely oblivious. After a brief moment of guilt, greed took over again. Although he feared the coldness in his daughter's eyes, he still stiffened his neck and said, "I'm your father! I gave birth to you and raised you, and I won't tolerate your disobedience like this! Besides, I found a good place for you, so why wouldn't you be happy?"
"Then father, do you know that Master Li never treats women as human beings?" Niu Jiaojiao's voice was mixed with the noise of the crowd, but it was clear and piercing.
Niu Dali never expected that such a secret scandal would be exposed by his daughter in public. His face turned red and he opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
Looking at the awkward and greedy man before her, Niu Jiaojiao's last shred of hope crumbled to dust. She turned and supported Luo's trembling shoulders. When her fingertips touched the bloodstains on her mother's back, her eyes suddenly burned. But she knew that from today on, she no longer had to harbor any illusions about this "father."
She stood with her back to the crowd, biting her lower lip tightly, afraid that the vulnerability in her eyes would be seen by others, but her voice was terrifyingly steady: "I promise you, I will go and exchange it for 20 taels of silver for you."
"No! No!" Luo suddenly came to her senses. She trembled and grabbed her daughter's hand, shaking her head desperately, tears streaming down her face. "Even if it costs my life, I will never let you go to that kind of place..."
Niu Dali's eyes lit up, and he took a half step forward while rubbing his rough palms: "Really? Don't regret it! Dad will take you to see Master Li right now--"
He had spent the entire night in the gambling house yesterday. Initially, he had been lucky, hoping to win a fortune, but the more he gambled, the worse his luck became. In the end, not only did he not win any money, he even lost twenty taels of silver.
The gambling house's boss, Sun, gave him only one day to collect the money and threatened to beat him with a nailed wooden board if he missed the deadline. Remembering the painful experience of being beaten to a pulp for failing to pay his gambling debts, he couldn't help but tremble all over, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
Now hearing that this silly girl was willing to exchange silver for him, Niu Dali was overjoyed and couldn't wait to go forward and take Niu Jiaojiao away.
But Niu Jiaojiao reacted very quickly and dodged his outstretched hand by moving sideways.
Niu Dali thought she had changed her mind, and his eyes suddenly turned red with anger. Without saying a word, he reached out and pulled her arm hard.
Niu Jiaojiao quickly took a few steps back, putting some distance between them and him before she spoke: "I can exchange the silver for you, but you have to agree to one condition."
Niu Dali rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Don't waste time! As long as you come with me, I can negotiate any terms!" Luo panicked and rushed forward to protect her daughter, tears welling in her eyes. "No! I won't let you go even if I die!"
Niu Jiaojiao gently patted her mother's trembling back, her eyes fixed on Niu Dali. "I want you to write a divorce agreement today and sign a written agreement. From now on, the three of us, mother and daughter, will have no relationship with you. No matter if we are rich or poor, we will never recognize each other again."
Luo looked up at her daughter in astonishment. Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up in her eyes. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word. She was naturally docile, taught from childhood that "a woman's husband is her heaven." Even when subjected to beatings, scolding, and humiliation in the Niu family, she simply endured it silently, swallowing her grievances. Her daughter's words were like a hammer, hammering down on the values she had clung to for half her life, leaving her speechless with shock.
She looked at her daughter's tender yet resolute face, remembering her son's cries when Niu Dali sold him to pay off his debts, remembering her daughter's years growing up under the shadow of the beatings. Her throat suddenly choked. The words of persuasion on her lips were swallowed back. Her weakness had already cost her children a terrible price—her son's life or death was unknown, and her daughter was forced to pay off her gambling debts. If she didn't sever ties today, the three of them, mother and child, might never escape this abyss.
Niu Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief at her hesitation. She knew her mother too well; those rules of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues had long bound her to them. She had considered severing ties with her father countless times before, but had never dared to bring it up, fearing her mother wouldn't accept it. Now, cornered, she had no choice but to speak out. She had expected her mother to stop her, but seeing her mother, despite her astonishment, subconsciously shielding her behind her, Niu Jiaojiao's tense nerves suddenly relaxed.
The crowd was filled with chatter, each harsh word piercing his ears. The veins in Niu Dali's neck throbbed, his clenched fists trembled, and he was on the verge of exploding. But when he caught a glimpse of his daughter's cold, indifferent eyes, he felt a strange sense of deflation. He spat in hatred, "Break it off! Without you, such a burden, I'll be free and unrestrained!"
At this point, his eyes rolled, and his tone was full of calculation: "But let me be frank, you have to give me the silver first, and then I will write the divorce agreement and the letter of severance!"
Humph, agree first. Once the money is in hand, it will be up to him to decide whether to write it or not, Niu Dali thought to himself.
Niu Jiaojiao wasn't stupid, so how could she not see through his calculations? Her expression turned cold, and her words lashed out like icy blades: "Either you write a letter of divorce and a letter of severance first. Once I enter the Li residence, I'll naturally give you the money. If you refuse, I'll kill myself here, leaving you penniless! Then, I'll see what you'll have to pay off your casino debt!"
Niu Dali's breath hitched at the words. He had never expected his usually submissive daughter to be so resolute. He saw the hatred and determination swirling in her eyes, not a hint of feigned intent, and in a trance, he could actually see her slamming into the mottled earthen wall. His throat tightened, fearing that if he hesitated even a moment, Niu Jiaojiao would fight for her life. He quickly spoke to stop her, his voice trembling, "Okay! Okay! I'll write it right away!"