Chapter 65 I will divorce him

Chapter 65 I will divorce him

After the family quickly finished eating the biscuits, Jiang Yutang got up and walked to the cart. When she lifted the cover, her heart sank instantly.

The food on the cart had been completely used up, with only a few packets of unused hot pot base and two small bread rolls left.

She let out a long breath, her gaze sweeping over the desolate night, caught in a dilemma.

"I have something to tell you all." Jiang Yutang walked back to the fire, her voice heavy. "There's only a little food left for tomorrow morning. Once that's gone, it's all gone."

Upon hearing this, the family members' expressions changed. It was already a miracle that they had managed to survive this long; running out of food was only a matter of time.

Cheng Daier suddenly spoke up, her gaze falling on Jiang Yutang: "What about that mysterious merchant you mentioned before? Has he stopped sending you supplies?"

Jiang Yutang paused for a moment before slowly saying, "I didn't see any marks he left, so there must be no support."

"It must be because of cholera; that person was worried about getting infected," Jiang Huaiyu guessed.

Jiang Songzhi quickly reassured everyone, "Don't panic, everyone. Maybe we'll be able to get into the county town tomorrow..."

“Difficult.” Cheng Lanzhou interrupted Jiang Songzhi, shook his head, and said in a tone that was almost cruelly calm.

"At the current pace, we might not arrive by tomorrow. If the team still can't reach the county or town by tomorrow, we'll act on our own and leave the team first."

"Leave the group?" Yun was shocked and asked in a low voice, "That's illegal! If you get caught by the constables, you'll be beheaded!"

Cheng Lanzhou looked up at her, her eyes full of clarity: "Do you want to stay here and wait to die with those infected people, or go to the county or town to seek a glimmer of hope?"

One sentence silenced everyone.

After a moment, Jiang Jiuze nodded first: "I agree."

Jiang Huaiyu and Jiang Sumin echoed this sentiment, clearly having made the worst-case scenario plan.

"Heh, quite decisive indeed." Cheng Dai'er suddenly chuckled, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "The Jiang family is truly straightforward. They hesitate even with their own family members, yet they can be ruthless towards outsiders."

These words were like a needle, instantly piercing the surface of peace between the two families.

She was alluding to what the Jiang family had done to the Cheng family in order to get their daughter to marry into the family.

Jiang Shengan's already bad expression darkened even more, and Jiang Huaiyu clenched her fists, knowing she was in the wrong.

Jiang Songzhi quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Now is not the time to talk about these things! Our two families are currently helping each other. If we start fighting amongst ourselves now, it will really put everyone in danger."

Cheng Dai'er turned her head away dismissively, no longer looking at them, and the atmosphere around the fire instantly became stiff.

The others looked down at the flickering flames, feeling both angry and helpless. The other side was still holding grudges from the past, but at this critical moment of life and death, old grievances would only become a burden.

A night breeze blew by, bringing a touch of coolness.

Just as the atmosphere was at a standstill, Jiang Shengan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his voice low and tinged with sorrow: "I have never done anything outrageous in my life. The only person I owe is General Cheng."

Even if this address of "General Cheng" is a compliment, it still feels like an indebtedness. If it weren't for his family's interference back then, how could the wise and mighty general have ended up in this predicament?

He slowly stood up. Because he had just woken up, his body was still a little shaky, but he still tried his best to straighten his back and looked intently at Cheng Lanzhou.

“I had my daughter late in life, and I have never been willing to let Tang’er suffer the slightest grievance. If she wants the moon, I will never just give her the stars. Back then... back then, I falsely accused you of having an affair with Tang’er, causing you to be wrongly accused and break off the engagement you made when you were young. It was all my fault, and had nothing to do with my daughter.”

"father!"

Jiang Yutang looked up abruptly, tears welling up instantly, her body trembling uncontrollably.

These are the lingering emotions of the original owner: the grievance and gratitude of being protected by her father, as well as the bitterness of past misunderstandings.

Ignoring the others, Jiang Shengan continued to speak to Cheng Lanzhou: "If you still have any complaints, I, this old man, am willing to be your slave, even if it costs me my life. I only ask that you protect Tang'er along the way and not neglect her anymore."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he disregarded everyone's attempts to stop him and, trembling, began to kneel before Cheng Lanzhou!

"Father! You can't kneel!"

Jiang Songzhi, who was standing by his side, reacted quickly and grabbed his father's arm, stopping him firmly.

"Master!" Yun Shi cried as she reached for his arm.

Jiang Jiuze, Jiang Huaiyu, and Jiang Sumin also rushed forward. The three brothers worked together to steady Jiang Shengan, fearing that he might do something impulsive again.

At this moment, Jiang Songzhi suddenly turned around to face Cheng Lanzhou, his eyes reddening: "In the end, what happened back then was something our Jiang family wronged you about. My father is old and can't take any more trouble, so I'll take the blame! Consider it my way of apologizing to you and your family on behalf of my father and our Jiang family!"

Before he could finish speaking, with a "thud," he suddenly knelt down on the ground, his knees hitting the hard surface with a dull thud.

"Big brother!" Jiang Yutang exclaimed and stepped forward to pull him.

Without saying a word, Jiang Jiuzhe strode to Jiang Songzhi's side, knelt down without hesitation, and said firmly, "We brothers were all involved in what happened back then. If anyone should apologize, it should be us all!"

Jiang Yuhuai and Jiang Sumin were stunned at first, but then they realized what was happening. They looked at each other, quickly walked to their elder brothers' sides, and knelt down as well.

Four young men knelt on the ground in a row, heads bowed, but backs straight, without the slightest hesitation.

This sudden scene completely stunned everyone in the Cheng family. Even Cheng Dai'er, who had been keeping a cold face, opened her mouth wide in astonishment, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She had only wanted to vent her anger and complain a bit, but she never expected that the Jiang father and son would make such a big fuss, even going so far as to kneel down and apologize.

Lin turned to look at Cheng Lanzhou beside her, her eyes filled with complex emotions, then sighed softly and remained silent.

The two ladies stood aside, hesitated for a moment, exchanged a glance, and then stepped forward to kneel down.

Mu held the child with her head down. Xiaoxiao didn't understand what was happening. She stared around with her innocent big eyes. Perhaps sensing that something was wrong, she hugged her mother's neck tightly.

Despite her pregnant belly and heavy body, Zhu tried to kneel down, but Jiang Yutang pulled her back.

"That's enough—"

Jiang Yutang's whole body was still trembling with excitement, but her tears had gradually stopped. Her voice, though still choked with sobs, was unusually clear.

"This is all the result of my own actions, and has nothing to do with my family! I insisted on marrying Cheng Lanzhou back then, and now it's my responsibility to resolve this situation myself!"

She stepped forward and pulled her family members up one by one from the ground, almost stumbling backward in the process.

After regaining her balance, she turned sharply to face the Cheng family. Her eyes no longer held any fear, only unwavering determination, and her voice was neither sad nor fearful.

"I will divorce Cheng Lanzhou."