Back to the ‘70s: My Life as the Trouble-Maker's Bride

Stuart had gradually grown used to Annette hovering around him, occasionally tossing out sweet compliments that made his ears flush red.

Just as the meat was nearly done, Great-Uncle arrived with Little Pillar in tow. Soon after, the village secretary, Mr. Longlife, came with a few other elderly relatives.

Even Richard, who'd been feigning sickness, hobbled out to greet them, and Grace followed, forcing a smile more painful than tears.

The group settled on the kang in Grace's room. Stuart joined them, and they began with small talk—weather, harvests, and the like.

Annette wanted to listen in, curious to see what would be discussed.

But tradition dictated that women didn't sit at the table when guests were over. They had to eat in the kitchen.

Once the dumplings and dishes were served, Annette followed Grace and Aunt Spring to sit on the kang in the kitchen, while the children were gathered around a low table on the floor.

Aunt Spring kept Little Pillar close, lovingly feeding him bits of meat and dumplings.

Grace, however, sat with no appetite. Watching Clara devour her food like a starving wolf, she snapped, "Look at yourself! Has this family never fed you before? Where's Carl?"

Clara barely managed to swallow a dumpling. "How would I know?" she mumbled.

Grace's face darkened further. With the family about to split and her other two sons nowhere to be seen, who would back her up when the drama started?

Annette, on the other hand, was in a great mood. The sparrows were tender, the rabbit savory, and the pheasant lean but flavorful. Even the dumplings burst with juices at the first bite.

But the best part? Watching Stuart take on this mess of a family.

At the men's table, the atmosphere remained cordial. Mr. Longlife took a sip of wine and asked, "So you're staying in Longbridge for good?"

Stuart shook his head. "Not necessarily. If our unit relocates to the testing base, we'll move with it."

Mr. Longlife, being well-informed, raised a brow. "Those experiments of yours… missiles, right? The kind that take down enemies?"

Stuart dodged the topic. "Mr. Longlife, I appreciate you and the others taking time to come today."

Mr. Longlife waved it off. "No trouble at all. With a spread like this, it's better than New Year's!"

Seeing that everyone had eaten, he broached the real issue. "Hopewell, are you sure about splitting the family? Mind telling us why?"

Stuart nodded. "When I left to join the army, the agreement was that my wages would go to the family. Once I married, I could split off."

Most of the elders present remembered this. Originally, the army spot was Carl's, but he'd backed out, and Stuart took his place. The whole village had known about it.

Richard frowned. "That was just so you wouldn't waste money while away. Besides, we're one family. People will laugh at us if this gets out."

Mr. Longlife looked puzzled. "But you're living in the city now and barely come back. Isn't that already like being separate? What's even here to fight over? You can't take the house with you."

But Stuart was prepared. He pulled out an envelope and handed Mr. Longlife a document. "After the split, I won't involve myself in any family matters. I'll send five yuan monthly for elderly care."

Richard's face turned black. He barely kept himself from exploding.

Mr. Longlife slowly read the agreement. Stuart had written a lot. The gist was: other than the five yuan, he wouldn't give a cent more.

Even if Grace and Richard were dying, he wouldn't help.

The document read like a complete severing of ties.

Mr. Longlife hesitated. "Hopewell, are you sure about this? No matter what, they are your parents. Bias and selfishness aside, they did raise you. There's an old saying: they raised you as a child, you care for them in old age."

Stuart remained calm. "I've made up my mind. Mr. Longlife, if you could read it aloud for everyone, and if anyone feels I've gone too far, I'm happy to explain."

Mr. Longlife looked at Richard's livid face. The man was on the verge of exploding. After all, this was his most successful son, and now he wanted to cut ties.

Still, seeing Stuart's resolve, he read it aloud.

Everyone—except Great-Uncle—was stunned.

Richard's face went from black to red, then to a dangerous purple. Blinded by rage, he grabbed a glass and hurled it at Stuart. "You ungrateful bastard! Now that you're successful, you want to sever ties? You're a damn traitor!"

Stuart didn't flinch. The glass hit his forehead, splitting the skin open. Blood streamed down.

He didn't wipe it away, just let it flow, eyes fixed on Richard. "Whether you agree or not, this is how things will be. Today is just about making it official with witnesses."

Richard was beyond caring. "Witness what? That I raised a thankless wretch?"

Great-Uncle finally spoke up. He took out a handkerchief used for wiping Little Pillar's nose and pressed it to Stuart's forehead. Glaring at Richard, he snapped, "Richard, hearts don't go cold in a day. Everyone's seen how you treat Hopewell. Look at what he's done for this family. You should learn to be grateful."

Richard huffed, "What did we do to him? We gave him life—he owes us care in return!"

Stuart pressed the cloth to his wound and calmly replied, "When I was seven, you threw me into the mountains for eating too much. If I hadn't been lucky, I'd have been eaten by wolves."

"And when the famine began, you lured me to the cliff under the pretense of collecting goat droppings—then pushed me off."

The room fell silent.

Mr. Longlife and the other elders stared in disbelief. "Hopewell, you can't be serious."

Richard snapped, "Lies! Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs. How could we ever do something so vile?"

Stuart's gaze was unwavering. "I heard your conversation with Grace that day."

Great-Uncle sighed. "Richard, I was on the mountain gathering firewood that day. I told Hopewell later—your family had it too hard, and your parents thought abandoning a child was the only choice."

Richard's lips trembled. "Uncle…"

Mr. Longlife slammed his hand on the table. "Hopewell, we'll bear witness. From this day on, you owe them nothing—not even that five yuan!"