TSWPF -Chapter 175 A Wish

After the group arrived at the ancestral hall, it wasn’t long before Old Li arrived as well.

The moment he stepped inside, he asked the village head why he had been summoned to the ancestral hall.

For a moment, he hadn’t thought of the matter of severing ties with Li Qingling. Seeing that the village head had someone call him here, he was deeply puzzled.

Normally, unless there was something significant, no one would come to the ancestral hall.

The village head glanced at Li Qingling, then turned to Old Li and said, “Do you still remember the matter from before, when you insisted on cutting off relations with Xiao Ling and Xiao Feng?”

This time, there was truly nothing he could do to help Old Li. Everything that had happened was the result of Old Li and his wife’s own actions.

Old Li was stunned for a moment, not yet reacting. Li Laifu, who had come with him, stepped forward and said, “Fourth Uncle, you must be mistaken, right? When did my father ever say such a thing? Xiao Ling is my father’s biological granddaughter, my own niece. How could we possibly sever ties with her?”

He already knew that Liu Zhimou had passed the xiucai exam. He wasn’t stupid—how could he choose this moment to cut off relations with Li Qingling’s family?

If the Huang family found out that he had ties with Liu Zhimou, they would marry Huang Meiniang to him without hesitation.

And if Liu Zhimou went on to pass the jinshi exam, having an official as a relative would make everything much more convenient.

The village head was wrongly accused by Li Laifu, and his expression darkened. He glared at him and said, “Laifu, what do you mean by that? Are you accusing me of lying?”

At this point, he had completely seen through the Li family. They were nothing but ungrateful ingrates, utterly unworthy of his help.

After everything that had happened, even if Old Li came begging for help again, he wouldn’t bother with them.

With just that one sentence, Li Laifu had thoroughly offended the village head.

“No, no, no, Fourth Uncle,” Li Laifu waved his hands and replied with a smile.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying my father never said such a thing. Maybe you remembered it wrong. People forget things sometimes—that’s normal, right?”

Then he turned to Old Li, giving him a meaningful look. “Dad, you never said you wanted to sever ties with your granddaughter, did you?”

Liu Zhimou had passed the xiucai exam—this was a thigh they absolutely had to cling to.

Old Li caught Li Laifu’s hint and nodded at the village head. “Fourth Brother, I really never said such a thing. You must have remembered it wrong.”

On the way over, he had also heard that Liu Zhimou had passed the xiucai exam. With Li Laifu’s signal, he instantly understood—he absolutely couldn’t sever ties with Li Qingling. If he did, their family would gain nothing at all.

Since that was the case, then the village head would just have to be offended.

The village head was so enraged by this father-and-son pair that his chest heaved violently. He never imagined Old Li could be so shameless, biting back at him instead.

“Old Li! If you never said such a thing, how could I have taken it upon myself to make you sever ties with Xiao Ling?” He wasn’t the kind of malicious person who would deliberately destroy someone else’s family.

“If you don’t explain this clearly in front of the ancestors today, I will never let this go!”

Being framed like this truly infuriated him.

Hearing that, Old Li clasped his hands behind his back, squeezing them tightly before slowly saying, “Fourth Brother, I’m afraid you might have listened to someone’s instigation and—”

Before he could finish, the village head shouted, “Bullshit! You’re getting more outrageous the more you talk. Today, I’ve truly seen you for what you are, Old Li!”

He pointed at him, his finger trembling. “Do you dare swear a poisonous oath to the heavens? Did you ever say you wanted to sever ties with Xiao Ling or not?”

Did he really think the village head was some fool to be bullied? If he dared to trample on his head, then don’t blame him for being ruthless.

As for swearing a poisonous oath—Old Li absolutely dared not. He didn’t want his lineage cut off.

Old Li pursed his lips, unable to come up with a good solution. He immediately looked at Li Laifu, signaling him to handle it.

Li Laifu stepped forward with a smile, gently patting the village head’s back. “Fourth Uncle, please don’t be angry. When people get older, getting angry too easily can make them sick.”

His hypocritical concern disgusted the village head. He brushed Li Laifu’s hand away and stepped back, saying coldly, “Don’t come near me. If you have the guts, then swear a poisonous oath in front of everyone. Stop beating around the bush.”

Did they really think that if the tiger didn’t show its fangs, it was just a sick cat? He had been the village head of Niutou Village for so many years—if he didn’t even have this much ability, how could he still be sitting in this position?

“That’s right, swear a poisonous oath and let’s see!”

“If you don’t dare, it proves you have a guilty conscience and wronged the village head.”

“Hurry up and swear. If you do, we’ll believe what you say is true.”

“Look at them hesitating—clearly they don’t dare.”

The villagers chimed in one after another, and Old Li and his son became the targets of everyone’s condemnation.

Old Li’s face darkened like ink. His clenched fists tightened even more. He lifted his head and scanned the crowd, finally fixing his gaze on Li Qingling. He looked at her and said coldly, “Xiao Ling, you say it yourself. Did Grandpa ever say he wanted to sever ties with you?”

Since he didn’t dare swear a poisonous oath, he could only shift everyone’s attention onto Li Qingling.

If Li Qingling admitted that he had said it, he would have a way to turn this situation around.

Hearing this, Li Qingling raised her eyes to look at Old Li, the corners of her mouth curling into a mocking smile. Old Li was trying to drag her into the mess.

He was smarter than Madam Liu—much harder to fool.

Seeing Old Li try to pull Li Qingling down with him only made the village head even angrier.

No matter what Li Qingling said, she would offend one side or the other.

He absolutely couldn’t let Old Li put her in such a difficult position. “Old Li, don’t change the subject. Our issue hasn’t been settled yet!”

He looked straight at Old Li, raised three fingers, and swore to the heavens. “I dare swear to heaven—if even one word I said just now is false, may I be struck by lightning and left without descendants. I’ve sworn my poisonous oath. Old Li, do you dare swear yours?”

He was actually copying Li Qingling’s method—she had used this exact move before to intimidate Madam Liu.

This time, he truly felt that when dealing with scoundrels, one had to use tough measures.

Old Li hated this to the core. The village head was cutting off his retreat. If he didn’t swear, wouldn’t that indirectly prove he had just wronged the village head?

But if he did swear, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. That was a poisonous oath! If it really came true and affected his sons or grandsons, where would he go to cry?

“What? It’s just an oath—so simple. Or are you too scared to swear?” The village head continued to provoke him with words.

Daring to stir up trouble on his head—if he didn’t show them some consequences, he wouldn’t be surnamed Li.

Seeing everyone watching him like it was a joke, Old Li felt both ashamed and furious, yet he truly didn’t know how to answer. The village head had forced him into a dead end, leaving him no way out.

“Who swears poisonous oaths at the drop of a hat? That’s disrespectful to Guanyin Bodhisattva!” Li Laifu frowned. “Fourth Uncle, you too—over such a small matter, why make it into a poisonous oath? My father is very particular about this. He would never casually swear such an oath over something so trivial.”

Hearing this, the village head felt even more displeased. “Hmph. So he can casually wrong others, but can’t casually swear an oath?”

In his eyes, Li Laifu and Old Li were cut from the same cloth.

How ironic—such rotten bamboo could produce such fine shoots. A man like Old Li could actually have grandchildren like Li Qingling and her siblings.

What a pity he didn’t know how to cherish them.

“What did I wrong you about?” Old Li snorted heavily. “If you didn’t have ulterior motives, why would you bring my granddaughter to the ancestral hall? I think you just want to turn my granddaughter into your own!”

Seeing Liu Zhimou pass the xiucai exam, everyone suddenly wanted to claim kinship.

Hmph—utterly shameless.

That was his biological granddaughter, his biological grandson-in-law. How could others covet them?

“You—” The village head was so angry his whole body trembled. Li Qingling feared he might suffer a stroke from anger—that would truly weigh on her conscience.

She reached out and patted the village head’s back, telling him not to be angry. She knew he wasn’t that kind of person.

Old Li snorted heavily again when he saw this. “Xiao Ling, who is your real grandfather?”

He was extremely angry at her siding with an outsider.

He was her real grandfather, wasn’t he? Without him, how could she even exist?

She really didn’t know her place at all.

Seeing the village head’s expression soften, Li Qingling finally lifted her head to look at Old Li. Seeing his furious face, she let out a short laugh. “Whoever treats me well is my grandfather.”

A grandfather like Old Li—she wouldn’t want him even if he were given to her.

She had once held expectations toward Old Li. Unfortunately, he had disappointed her.

After being disappointed again and again, she could no longer harbor even a trace of hope in him.

Hearing this, Old Li pointed at Li Qingling and cursed, “You unfilial brat! How can you talk like that? If it weren’t for me, how could you exist? The blood flowing in your veins is mine!”

He was truly about to be angered to death by her.

He even suspected she was deliberately trying to provoke him.

“No.” Li Qingling’s expression suddenly turned cold. Her gaze was icy as she looked at Old Li, speaking each word clearly: “After my father died, you all drove the three of us—my mother and us siblings—out of the house. When we couldn’t survive anymore, I went to beg you to lend us some coarse rice. Your precious grandson, Li Qingfu, pushed me, smashed my head open, and I nearly died. From that moment on, the life I owed you was already repaid.”

“The life I have now—I begged it back myself.”