Chapter 8: You Can't Take Him Away!

It was the height of summer. Even at midnight, there was at most a faint wisp of wind drifting by, and even that was a warm, stifling breeze. Instead of providing relief, it only added to the oppressive heat.

Tonight, the grand drama unfolding at Li Shiyue's home made the already sweltering night even more heated.

At the edge of the area where Li Village had set up camp—specifically near the giant boulder where Li's father and Qin Tao were lying—there had initially been only a small crowd of about a dozen people watching the commotion at Li Shiyue's house.

However, as the situation progressed, Li Shiyue and her mother went over first, followed by Li's grandmother and Li Wangming. Then, Zheng Meiniang and her two daughters came rushing over, supporting one another in their haste. Finally, the number of onlookers from Li Village grew larger and larger.

Had Li Youfu and the three clan elders not been called over by the villagers earlier, the elderly might not have even been able to push to the front to see clearly.

The drama at Li Shiyue's house unfolded scene after scene, providing a much-needed distraction for the villagers of Li Village, who had been filled with anxiety and fear during their more than half-month journey as refugees. It allowed everyone's spirits to relax somewhat.

"Looking at Sister Chun, she seems dead set on a divorce."

"Why can't Chunniang see reason? If there isn't a man in the family on this road, forget about encountering refugees—even these mountain paths are hard to navigate. It would be better to swallow this grievance for now and deal with it once we reach our destination."

Groups of women huddled in the back, watching the spectacle while heatedly discussing whether a divorce was truly the right move.

"Hmph, Erdan's mother, you're being far too optimistic. You weren't here just now, so you didn't hear what happened up front. This Li Wangguang has even sent his own donkey cart to serve Qin Tao's family. He doesn't even care about his own biological mother anymore; he only knows how to please his lover. He only cares about other people's children and has abandoned his own. On this refugee trail, if we truly encounter bandits, do you think someone like Shitou could survive? He'll likely end up being nothing more than a stepping stone for Qin Tao's family. Would you still want a man like that? If Chunniang doesn't divorce him, it's uncertain whether the three of them will even make it out of Henan Province."

Zhou Lanhua's voice wasn't actually that low, despite her attempt to whisper into Erdan's mother's ear, and she spoke while glancing toward the giant boulder.

"Hey, stop talking! Look, the Scholar is going over."

Li Shiyang, the eldest grandson of Li Youfu, was currently the only person in Li Village who held the academic title of *Xiucai*.

The decision for the entire Li Clan to abandon their ancestral lands and houses to flee together was made because Li Shiyang, who was studying at the prefectural school in the city at the time, had caught wind of the impending danger early.

Upon receiving the news, Li Shiyang traveled rapidly back to Li Village. He spent three days and three nights in meticulous discussion with Li Youfu and the clan elders. Only then did the group make the heart-wrenching decision to leave their ancestral heritage behind, leading the entire clan and village onto the path of refugees.

It was thanks to Li Shiyang's decisiveness that on the fifth day of their journey, the villagers took a lesser-known mountain path. It was there, halfway up a mountain, that they witnessed the horrific scene of a village below being slaughtered by refugees.

The sight was unbearable. Many villagers were struck with terror, their limbs trembling. Some of the more timid women and men were so frightened they vomited bile, and some even soiled themselves on the spot.

That night, no one in Li Village dared to sleep. They pushed on through the night to cross the mountain, and only once they were far away did the fear subside.

Consequently, everyone from the top to the bottom of Li Village regarded Li Shiyang as a man of great capability. Not only was he a scholar with a sharp mind, but he had also shown great righteousness by returning to the village to warn them and leading the entire clan to safety. Wherever Li Shiyang went, the people of Li Village would greet him with respect.

Even the three high-ranking clan elders treated Li Shiyang with great affection.

"Shiyang, you've come?"

The fifth great-uncle greeted the solemn-faced Li Shiyang warmly. Li Shiyang bowed to Li Youfu and the three clan elders.

"Grandfather, we must continue our journey tomorrow. Everyone has slept very little; it would be unwise for them to lack energy tomorrow."

Li Youfu knew Li Shiyang was right. To avoid large groups of refugees and government troops, they had been traveling along mountain paths and small trails.

The mountain paths were difficult to traverse, and they were traveling with entire families—many elderly, women, and children. Only five or six families in the village had donkeys or mules; the rest of the villagers were carrying their belongings by hand or on shoulder poles.

As a result, their progress was slow. It had been over half a month, and they still had not left Henan Province.

Li Youfu nodded, stood up, and beckoned to Li's father. "Wangguang, come here. Let's settle this matter of your family properly."

Observant villagers directed the crowd to gather the torches they had lit, concentrating the light to illuminate the area around Li Shiyue and her family.

Li Youfu stood in the center, flanked by the three clan elders and Li Shiyang. To his left stood Li Shiyue's mother and her two daughters, along with Zheng Meiniang and her daughters. To his right stood Li's father, with Qin Tao by his side. Two steps away from Qin Tao stood Li's grandmother, still leaning on her wooden staff with a face full of fury, supported by Li Wangming.

"Shiyang is right. We must continue our journey tomorrow. We need to resolve your family matter quickly so everyone can lie down and rest. Come, Wangguang, tell us—what is your intention?"

Hearing this, Li's father looked up at Li's mother, who had long since wiped her tears and was standing straight.

Meeting his gaze, Li's mother felt a wave of nausea and averted her eyes.

"Uncle Fu, I do not want to divorce Chunniang. This matter..." Li's father trailed off, lowering his head to look at Qin Tao, who was clinging to his arm. Qin Tao immediately looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, looking innocent and deeply self-reproachful as she called out to him, "Brother Guang."

"It is my fault. I have wronged Chunniang. But Chunniang and I have been husband and wife for twenty years, and we have two children, Shitou and Shiyue. There is still affection between us. As long as Chunniang agrees to let Tao-niang be a concubine and lets Tao-niang give birth to the child in her womb, I will surely treat her and the children well in the future."

"Haha, what a massive joke! My Chunniang will not suffer such an insult!"

Before Li Youfu could say anything, Zheng Meiniang cursed out loud.

"Li Wangguang, you unfaithful man! What did you say when you came to my house to ask for her hand? Have you forgotten?"

Li's mother had already made up her mind to divorce him. Hearing the disgusting words coming from Li Wangguang, she was almost moved to laughter by sheer rage.

"Haha, Li Wangguang, I am definitely taking Shitou and Shiyue and divorcing you! Don't waste time. Just tell us straight—what do you plan to give the three of us? Hurry up and settle this so everyone can sleep; we have to travel tomorrow."

Everyone present could feel the absolute resolve in Li's mother's voice. Having been married to her for twenty years, how could Li's father not know her temperament?

Previously, he had thought that even if his affair with Qin Tao was accidentally exposed on this refugee trail, Li's mother would be somewhat restrained by their circumstances and might endure his and Qin Tao's sordid affair.

But by now, Li's father understood: tonight, the divorce was inevitable.

"...The donkey cart belongs to the Li family; I cannot give it to you. In consideration of our twenty years of marriage, you may take your dowry and your personal clothing. Shiyue is a girl; it is fine for her to follow you. But Shitou is my son. Even if he is simple-minded, he is a male of the Li family. You cannot take him away!"

Hearing his name called, Shitou looked up with a blank expression at his father, who was speaking with a cold face. He did not understand the meaning of his father's words.

Li's mother's heart tightened, and her grip on Li Shiyue's hand began to tremble again.

Through the original owner's memories, Li Shiyue knew exactly how much energy, emotion, and time her mother had poured into Shitou.

Furthermore, with Li's father's cold and callous nature, if the dim-witted Shitou followed him, he would likely be pushed forward in the future to act as a shield for Li's father or Qin Tao's family.

As for why Li's father was insisting on keeping Shitou, Li Shiyue guessed that he was afraid the child in Qin Tao's womb might be a girl rather than a boy.

He was only keeping Shitou as a backup in case he didn't have a son. If Qin Tao gave birth to a boy, Shitou would be abandoned immediately!

Thus, how could Li's mother and Li Shiyue possibly agree to his terms?