BTYFOV Chapter 36

 Chapter 36: Cutting Ties

I really can't afford to raise that many children

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Madam Zhou opened her mouth, closed her eyes, and fell backward.

Old Qin hurriedly helped his wife.

Qin Feng stood frozen.

Having experienced many hardships, Uncle Zhou quickly reacted and hurried to press his sister's philtrum.

Old Qin gently patted her chest to help her breathe.

Qin Feng realized that his mother had fainted. He grabbed a nearby stool and was about to smash it.

Wang Genbao hid behind Qin Ying.

Qin Feng's hand froze in midair.

Seeing this, Uncle Zhou put his sister down and blocked Qin Feng. "Xiao Feng, calm down, calm down. It's not worth going in for him," he said while trying to take the stool away.

Qin Feng's rage subsided halfway because of the "law." Uncle Zhou easily took the stool from him, then threw it far away, kicking aside surrounding stools and chairs.

Wang Genbao pointed at him and Qin Ying: "Got the guts to smash it here?"

Uncle Zhou's expression changed drastically. He took three quick steps, unexpectedly grabbing Wang Genbao and pushing him toward Qin Feng.

Wang Genbao instinctively struggled, but Qin Feng grabbed his arm and raised his leg to kick his abdomen.

Seeing this, Qin Ying wanted to come over, but Uncle Zhou stopped her.

Qin Feng dragged Wang Genbao toward the yard.

Wang Genbao shouted loudly in both directions.

As his call faded, four young men appeared in the Qin family’s courtyard. They were Qin Feng's cousins.

The four of them rushed up and grabbed Qin Feng.

Wang Genbao, now free, tried to kick Qin Feng, but Qin Feng shook off his older cousin. Wang Genbao wasn't as agile or quick in reaction, and one of his kicks landed on the other's body.

Qin Feng glanced at his three cousins, his voice deep with anger: "Let go!"

The three instinctively let go.

Qin Feng smoothed out his disheveled clothes and felt a cold breeze behind him.

"Be careful!"

Uncle Zhou shouted in alarm.

Qin Feng's body swayed, then he turned around and saw his sister's slap coming down.

Madam Zhou opened her eyes, seeing her daughter hit her son, and instantly took in more air than she exhaled.

Uncle Zhou stepped over and grabbed Qin Ying: "Are you crazy? This is your brother!"

"Does he even see me as his sister?" Qin Ying yelled angrily.

Qin Feng nodded. "I regret not letting Dad and Mom sever ties with you the day you got married."

Qin Ying was momentarily stunned. Was he really this angry? What right did he have to be angry? If it weren’t for him being a foster father who did better than the biological parents, why would the Fu brothers choose to be with him instead of a childless couple? How else would she have raised them for two years without them calling her Mom and Dad?

If it weren't for him running to the Northern Railway Factory and the staff residence every few days, how would Gu Wuyi and Gu Qingkuang have found her parents to get them to adopt them?

Her parents could let Qin Feng adopt, so why couldn’t they help her raise Fu Qingyun and Fu Lingyun?

They always said that sons and daughters were the same and they loved them equally. But now, why did they stop loving her? Her mom even fainted because of her and Wang Genbao—how laughable!

Thinking about this, Qin Ying glared at Qin Feng and turned to her father, "I really can't raise so many children."

"So?" Old Qin, seeing his daughter losing her mind, was not surprised by her actions, so his emotions didn’t fluctuate much.

Qin Ying said, "You help me raise them for a while."

"Are you asking us to raise them forever?" Old Qin asked, not out of malice, but because such situations had been common in the village in recent years. Many people initially hid their daughters at their maternal homes to avoid fines, hoping to try for a son. But once the daughter was sent to her maternal family, it was as if she no longer existed. Some families even had their childless brothers adopt her. If Qin Ying's baby hadn’t been a boy, it would have been fine, but if it had been a boy, the Fu brothers would certainly have become their responsibility.

Qin Ying hesitated. "No!"

Seeing this, Old Qin knew he had guessed right—Qin Ying and Wang Genbao had planned it this way.

"Xiao Feng, what do you think?" Old Qin turned to his son.

Qin Feng replied, "If you want us to raise them, we’ll raise them. What have we become?"

Wang Genbao hid behind the Qin family brothers. "You don’t want to raise them? Fine, then we’ll just abandon them. I’ve checked, and abandoning foster children is also a crime. We’ll have the police arrest all of us. Not only will you have to raise them, but you’ll also have to help us raise three kids."

Qin Feng’s fists clenched.

Hearing this from the doorway, Cousin Zhou turned around and shouted, "Are you even human?"

"I’m not human, so what?" Wang Genbao retorted.

Cousin Zhou was so angry that his chest hurt, his vision blurred, and he hurriedly leaned on the door frame.

Qin Feng, on the other hand, was no longer angry, because Wang Genbao reminded him of the scoundrels from his past life who borrowed money and never repaid it.

"Don’t you fear retribution?" Qin Feng couldn’t help but ask.

Wang Genbao sneered. "There’s so much retribution in the world, what do we need the police for?"

"Fine!" Qin Feng had really had enough. "Dad, go get the village chief and our elders."

Old Qin asked, "Are you really going to raise them?"

"If you don’t agree, when your daughter has the child, go to the public security bureau and confess. Then we’ll have to raise five kids." Before today, Qin Feng couldn’t bear to watch his hopeless sister go to jail, because she was his sister, someone he had lived with for twenty years. However, Qin Feng knew that after today, even if Qin Ying died in front of him, he could remain indifferent.

Qin Feng also believed his parents could handle it, especially his mother, who wouldn’t faint again.

Old Qin asked, "Aren’t we supposed to go to the public security bureau?"

Qin Feng thought to himself that the police only dealt with severing ties with foster parents, not biological parents. The courts didn’t support severing those ties because they were naturally formed.

However, in rural areas, people didn’t care much for the law, placing more importance on ancestral customs.

"You go get them first, then we’ll go to the public security bureau," Qin Feng coaxed his father.

Old Qin walked out.

Wang Genbao looked very pleased with himself.

Qin Ying wore a satisfied expression.

Uncle Zhou saw their demeanor and clenched his fists as well.

If they liked to show off, then when he returned to the shop, he would show off for them. He would make sure that everyone in their neighborhood knew that Wang Genbao had tens of thousands of yuan in savings. If that didn’t happen, he wouldn’t be surnamed Zhou.

Qin Feng noticed his uncle’s darkening expression from the corner of his eye and feared that he might collapse from the anger. "Uncle, go rest in the house for a while. You can come back in a bit."

"No, I’ll stay right here," Uncle Zhou said, looking at Qin Feng's cousins. "You guys are actually associating with people like this?"

Qin Feng’s oldest cousin couldn’t help but reply, "And if we associate with you and Xiao Feng, will you help us make money?"

Uncle Zhou was left speechless.

Qin Feng said, "Uncle, don’t say any more. It’s a personal choice, as long as we don’t regret it later."

The Qin men nearby found it amusing—who would regret making money?

Seeing this, Qin Feng stopped wasting time.

More than ten minutes passed, and the village head, the party secretary, the squad leader, and the distant relatives from the Qin family all arrived.

Qin Feng directly said, "I’d like to trouble everyone to write a severance letter for us to cut ties with Qin Ying, and please, uncles, aunts, and elder gentlemen, help us witness this."

As soon as these words were spoken, Madam Zhou regained consciousness.

Old Qin suddenly turned to Qin Feng, his face filled with disbelief.

Qin Ying screamed, "What did you say?"

Qin Feng’s expression remained calm. "If your ears are deaf, I’ll repeat it again. If you leave Qingyun and Lingyun at our parents’ house today, then we’ll sever ties with you. From now on, whether you live or die, it has nothing to do with us. If you become rich, we won’t envy you. If you become so poor that you can’t even afford food and come begging at our door, we won’t even give you a sip of water. Think carefully." He pointed at Wang Genbao. "Is it worth it for a man like this?"

Qin Ying turned to look at Wang Genbao.

Wang Genbao hesitated for a moment, but when he saw her belly, he gritted his teeth and said, "All the money we’ve earned is in your hands. What are you afraid of?"

Qin Feng noticed Wang Genbao’s expression and told Qin Ying, "Science has already proven that whether it’s a boy or a girl is determined by the man, not the woman. Wang Genbao doesn’t have this ability. No matter who tells you that you’re carrying a son, it’s still a daughter. Even if you have ten or eight children, it will be the same. Wang Genbao could have ten or eight women, but the result wouldn’t change. If you don’t believe it, try it out!"

Wang Genbao didn’t believe him but said, "If it’s a girl, I, Wang Genbao, will accept it!"

Qin Feng nodded. "Alright." Then he turned to the village head, saying, "Please add this point as well: if Qin Ying has a daughter, she can forget about getting the Fu brothers back."

Qin Ying, in disbelief, asked, "Are you really going to do this?"

"It’s you who want to do this!" Qin Feng said bluntly, "It’s ridiculous that you graduated from middle school. You’re a city dweller now, yet you’re no better than the blind fools in the countryside. They adopt a boy and treat him like their own son. They never think of having another child. But you, on the other hand, treat the adopted children like items you can discard at any time. And you have the nerve to complain that the two children don’t call you 'Mom' or 'Dad'?"

Qin Ying snapped back, "Isn’t that because of you?"

Qin Feng raised his hand, "I’m not arguing with you. Dad, please take the village head and others inside to sign the statement. Uncle, please inform the Zhou family relatives that we’ve severed ties with Qin Ying. We won’t stop them from interacting with her, but they shouldn’t mention her in front of us. Anyone who dares to make me unhappy, I’ll make them regret it." He turned to his cousins, "If any of you dare to say a word for Qin Ying and Wang Genbao, I’ll report you to the industrial and commercial department for profiteering!"

Qin Feng’s cousins turned pale.

Qin Feng’s second aunt, who had been eavesdropping on the wall, couldn’t help but say, "Xiao Feng, we’re all relatives—"

"Are you raising them for Qin Ying?" Qin Feng shot back.

His second aunt was speechless, and his second paternal uncle didn’t dare to say a word.

Qin Feng waved at them, "You can come over too." Then he turned toward the east, "Uncle and aunt, I know you’re there, come on over. Put your fingerprints on the severance letter."

His great-uncle couldn’t hold back and said, "Let’s not get involved. This is your family’s business."

"When I was beating Wang Genbao, why didn’t your son say it was my family’s business? Come here right now, don’t make me say it twice."

The two elderly couples hurried over, fearing that if they upset him, he would actually report them for profiteering.

When the village head and others saw Qin Ying coming back with a big belly, they were shocked. She already had two boys, and yet she was still giving birth, not even afraid of having another girl. Was she out of her mind?

When Old Qin found them and explained that Qin Ying didn’t want to raise the Fu brothers, they weren’t surprised. What shocked them was that Qin Feng had agreed to it so easily.

Hearing Qin Feng ask them to write the severance agreement, they had the feeling of "this is Qin Feng." Without hesitation, they quickly wrote up three copies of the agreement.

One for Qin Feng, one for Qin Ying, and one to be kept at the village.

Everyone present signed and stamped their fingerprints.

When Qin Feng saw his sister pick up the pen, he said, "It’s not too late to apologize to mom and dad now."

Wang Genbao snatched the pen from her, signed his name, and then stamped his fingerprint.

When Qin Ying saw how decisively he acted, she also signed her name.

Qin Feng turned to his mother, his face full of concern.

Madam Zhou waved her hand and, with Old Qin's help, wrote her name and then stamped her fingerprint.

Qin Feng said, "Although the public security bureau doesn’t have a holiday during the New Year, considering my parents, I’ll give you three more days. If you still decide not to raise them after three days, then you can send their things over, and I’ll go to the public security bureau to handle the transfer adoption process." Saying this, he couldn’t help but long for the more thorough adoption laws that would be implemented years later.

Wang Genbao immediately said, "No need to consider!"

"Better think about it." Qin Feng glanced at Qin Ying’s belly. "Nine times out of ten, the boy she’s carrying is just flattering you."

Wang Genbao immediately decided to go back and consult an old doctor for a check-up.

"Qin Ying, let’s go."

Qin Feng suddenly remembered something: "The Fu brothers—"

"They’re your sons, they have nothing to do with us."

Seeing the severance agreement, Qin Feng wasn’t angry anymore. "Fine!" He walked with them to the door and called over the seven children who were playing with sandbags. He told them, "From today on, the Fu brothers will be with you."

As soon as he said this, even the less thoughtful Miaomiao couldn’t help but ask, "Daddy, what does that mean?"

Qin Feng explained, "Your aunt is having a son, and now that she has her own child, she doesn’t want them anymore."

Miaomiao curiously asked, "Has Aunt already given birth?"

Qin Feng shook his head. "Still in her belly. Oh, and from now on, they are no longer your aunt and uncle," he said to his two nieces. "I am no longer your uncle either. From now on, if you face any difficulties, solve them yourselves. Don’t expect me, or your grandparents, to stand up for you. Even if you kneel at our doorstep until your legs break, or threaten your lives, we won’t help you. We’ll only call the police."

The two sisters were stunned, unable to process what they just heard.

Miaomiao tugged on Qin Feng’s sleeve. "Why can’t I see it?"

"I can’t see it either," she added, puzzled.

Miaomiao grew more curious. "How do they know it’s a boy? What if it’s a girl?"

Qin Feng glanced at Wang Genbao with a mocking smile. "Some people don’t believe in fate."

Miaomiao shook his head. "I think it’s a girl."

"That’s my smart son," Qin Feng praised, lifting him up. Then, noticing the pale faces of the Fu brothers, he put Miaomiao down and walked toward them. "Don’t worry. I won’t abandon you."

The two brothers shook their heads in unison.

That wasn’t what they meant.

Previously, when they had helped Wang Genbao come up with money-making ideas, they’d thought that once they turned eighteen, he would no longer be obligated to raise them and would sever ties.

They figured that when his two daughters reached marriageable age, Wang Genbao would have one of them marry a man who would join their household and take their surname. That way, the Wang family’s assets wouldn’t fall into outsiders' hands.

They never expected that Wang Genbao would be in such a hurry to cut them off.

It wasn’t that the brothers were overly pessimistic, but with modern medical advancements, even if the child was a boy, there was no guarantee he would grow up healthy.

Qin Feng misunderstood their silence. "I mean it. You’re both grown up now. You don’t need me to coddle you or carry you. Wuyi can teach you how to use the washing machine, and you can wash your own shoes. As long as I provide you with food and clothes, it’s enough. Raising you for a few more years, I’ll have two more sons. No matter how I calculate it, this deal is worth it."

The brothers exchanged glances, hesitant to speak.

Qin Feng patted their heads gently and then turned to Gu Wuyi. "Take your brothers back inside."

Gu Wu Yi took their hands and led them inside.

Miaomiao held tightly onto Qin Feng’s hand.

“Alright, stay with Daddy,” Qin Feng said, then turned to Qin Ying and Wang Genbao. “Still standing there? Waiting for me to send you off?"

Wang Genbao grabbed Qin Ying’s hand. “We’re leaving!”

“Take your kids with you!” Qin Feng reminded them.

Wang Genbao shot him a look. “You wish! They’re Wang family daughters.”

Qin Feng nodded. “Fine. But when you two die one day, don’t let them come looking for us.”

“You—” Wang Genbao pointed at him furiously.

At that moment, Cousin Zhou couldn’t hold back any longer and grabbed Wang Genbao’s arm. “Haven’t you had enough!?”

Startled by Cousin Zhou’s fierce expression, Wang Genbao pulled away and dragged his daughters off without another word.

Qin Feng turned to his parents. “You don’t blame me, do you?”

Madam Zhou felt overwhelmed with sadness, her eyes welling up with tears. “If you weren’t here, we wouldn’t know what to do. How could we blame you?”

Qin Feng explained, “Everything I just said to them wasn’t to scare them, and it wasn’t said out of anger.”

Old Qin patted his son on the shoulder. “We understand. Don’t worry, we’ll never drag you down.”

Uncle Zhou spoke up. “Xiao Feng, as soon as I get home, I’ll notify all the relatives and friends.”

Qin Feng turned to the village chief and the others.

They were also furious at Wang Genbao’s shamelessness and Qin Ying’s foolishness. Everyone agreed that it wasn’t even lunchtime yet, and since they had no pressing matters, they’d help spread the news to the entire village.

Satisfied, Qin Feng led his family into the house, completely ignoring his eldest and second uncles.

Old Qin’s brothers suddenly felt an indescribable sense of loss. But then they thought about how their own families might now be wealthier than Qin Feng’s. The severed relationship didn’t seem so bad—it would save them from getting caught in the middle if there were future conflicts between Qin Feng and Wang Genbao.

Once inside, Qin Feng was startled to see the Fu brothers with reddened, tearful eyes.

Not knowing how to comfort children, he signaled to his parents for help.

Old Qin and Madam Zhou, feeling a deep sense of guilt and sorrow, each took one of the boys by the hand and gently led them into the back room.

Gu Wuyi asked, "Dad, are you okay?"

Qin Feng replied, "Do I look like someone who lets others push me around? I’m fine." He gave a quick glance toward the inner room and silently mouthed, “Help your grandparents calm down.”

Seeing this, Miaomiao immediately ran into the room ahead of him.

Just as Qin Feng was about to say something, the clock on the wall chimed at an inconvenient moment.

Noticing that it was already eleven o’clock, Qin Feng asked his uncle to head to the kitchen to prepare lunch while he assisted.

Uncle Zhou sighed and glanced at the meat Wang Genbao had brought. "Should we eat it?"

"Why waste good food?" Qin Feng picked up the basket and headed to the kitchen first.

Unable to hold back, Uncle Zhou quietly said to his son, "Look at your cousin’s composure."

Cousin Zhou shook his head. "Even if I lived another lifetime, I doubt I could compare. Just now, he was furious enough to kill someone, and in no time, he’s calmed down." With that level of self-control, Qin Feng’s future is bound to be remarkable.

Qin Ying always seemed clever—how could she not see that?

Uncle Zhou didn’t know what his son was thinking. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hesitated to explain that it’s simply “a case of not seeing what’s right under your nose.” Or to put it more elegantly, “the onlooker sees things more clearly than the person involved.”

But none of that mattered now.

People need food to keep going—a meal skipped is a stomach growling.

At that moment, nothing was more important than eating.

However, aside from Qin Feng and Miaomiao, no one else had an appetite. Half of the food remained uneaten.

While cleaning up the table, Qin Feng joked, "Perfect! No need to cook dinner."

Madam Zhou said, "Take it back to your place. Your father and I don’t feel like eating."

Having lost a daughter and now distanced from their beloved granddaughters, Qin Feng understood their sorrow. He took the children along and carried the leftovers home.

Back at home, during the New Year holiday, while the village folk were enjoying their downtime, Qin Feng had no such luxury. After locking the front door from the inside and letting the kids roam freely around the house, he buried himself in his study.

Gu Wuyi sent Gu Xiao’er to play with Miaomiao, then quietly pulled the Fu brothers aside and whispered, "Do you really have memories from your past lives?"

The two brothers nodded.

Gu Wuyi was puzzled. "How can this be such a coincidence?"

The Fu brothers shook their heads.

Then Fu Qingyun asked, "Big brother, did something happen? Otherwise, why would the four of us all end up here?"

Gu Wuyi replied uncertainly, "Nothing major, I guess. It’s just that before I died, I was thinking that if there’s a next life, I wouldn’t want immense wealth. I’d just want a warm family—even if I couldn’t have both parents, as long as they treated me well, I’d be happy. Then, when I opened my eyes, my grandpa had just passed away. Could it be that my grandpa is connected?"

Fu Qingyun said, "We didn’t have a grandpa. What about second brother?"

"Your second brother told me before that he drove the car carrying our biological parents, their son, and that woman from the Chu family off a cliff. When he followed them down, he made a wish similar to mine. And when he opened his eyes, he saw me."

Fu Lingyun thought for a moment. "It must be because of the wishes we made before we died. I had the same thought when I committed suicide. And my brother was thinking the same before he was strangled to death by a mentally ill patient."

Gu Wuyi still found it hard to believe. If fate really pitied them so much, why did their previous lives have to be so miserable? "So, are we meant to meet Dad in this life?"

The Fu brothers couldn’t figure it out either.

Fu Lingyun suddenly became curious. "What about Miaomiao? How does he fit into all this? The only person from our past lives who had contact with all four of us seems to be that lawyer. Could he be the Chu family’s long-lost son?"

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