The affair between a father-in-law and his daughter-in-law is something considered morally transgressive in any era. When such a thing is discovered, it becomes fodder for gossip after meals. Not to mention, in this particular scenario, Third Brother Lu is willingly wearing the cuckold's horns and even sharing his wife with his own father.
Even Sun Xiaoyun and Zhang Xiaocao, who usually dislike drama, were getting excited. They were certain that if this news got out, there wouldn't be a more scandalous event in the next thirty to fifty years. They could already imagine the village gossiping about it. And the ones who would be most affected by this scandal would be the two of them, the sisters-in-law.
After all, if Old Man Lu was engaging in such affairs, who knew if he had ever set his sights on either of them? Just thinking about it made Sun Xiaoyun and the other woman glare at Old Man Lu with fire in their eyes.
The three brothers, Eldest Brother Lu and his siblings, could hardly bear the shock of this news. After regaining their composure, Eldest Brother Lu stated bluntly, "We must divide the household. It has to be done."
The scandal of a father-in-law's affair severely impacts the family's reputation, especially for the young girls in the household. Eldest Brother Lu's daughter was already twelve, and in a couple of years, they would need to discuss marriage prospects for her. Given Third Brother Lu and Liu Cheng'er's shameless behavior, along with Old Man Lu acting like a rutting donkey whenever the mood struck him, it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
When that happened, how would the whole village talk about their family? How would they talk about their daughters? Especially about Panpan. With a mother like that, how difficult would her future path be? Thinking of this, Eldest Brother Lu genuinely felt sorry for the child. Even though Third Brother Lu was worthless, the entire Lu family was fond of Panpan.
Old Man Lu, his face dark, glanced at Zhong Shuyan, who had stripped him of all dignity, then looked at Eldest Brother Lu. He snorted, "Everything in this house was earned by me. If you want to split the family, you can leave with nothing. Don't take a single penny."
After speaking, Old Man Lu looked at his three sons with a smug expression. He was certain they wouldn't agree to leave empty-handed. His Lu family wasn't wealthy, but in Little Hillock Village, they could still rank within the top ten households.
This was something Old Man Lu had always been proud of. In all the surrounding villages, which family could support a scholar in the city and still build up such a family fortune like his?
Over the years, whenever Old Man Lu went out, he held his head high. Of course, he acknowledged that Eldest, Second, and Fourth Brothers had also contributed to the family.
But the saying held true: he was the father. What was his remained his, and what belonged to his sons was also his. He was the helmsman, the head of the household. Old Man Lu believed the family could manage without anyone except him.
And he thought his sons felt the same way.
Eldest Brother Lu looked at his two younger brothers.
Fourth Brother Lu looked at Old Man Lu and sneered, "Eldest Brother, I'll follow your lead. Whatever you say, I'll do."
Second Brother Lu exchanged a glance with Zhang Xiaocao, who gave him a slight smile. Regarding dividing the household, Second Brother Lu and his wife had discussed it countless times before. As they had agreed in all those previous discussions, Second Brother Lu said, "Eldest Brother, my thoughts are the same as Fourth Brother's."
Second Brother Lu was only a year younger than Eldest Brother Lu, but there was a four-year age gap between their eldest children. This was because when it was time for Second Brother Lu to marry, Third Brother Lu's teacher in the city happened to be marrying off his daughter. To curry favor with the teacher, Old Man Lu gave the money saved for Second Brother Lu's marriage to Third Brother Lu instead.
Most of that money had been saved by Second Brother Lu himself, working year-round without rest for two years carrying sandbags at the docks with other villagers. Old Man Lu had promised back then that it was being saved as Second Brother Lu's marriage fund.
At that time, Second Brother Lu still held some hope for Old Man Lu. He believed that no matter how much Old Man Lu favored Third Brother Lu, he wouldn't treat his other son too poorly.
That incident shattered all of Second Brother Lu's remaining hopes for his father. It took him another three years to save up enough money to marry Zhang Xiaocao. This money he saved secretly. Before going to the Zhang family to propose, he was nearly beaten to death over this matter.
His mother had tried to intervene, his eldest brother had too, but he was still covered in wounds.
Second Brother Lu held no attachment to this family. He believed that without Old Man Lu, their larger family would live much better.
Hearing this, Eldest Brother Lu nodded. "Alright. Since that's what you've said, then it's settled. We'll take nothing. We'll move out of this house today. You can live with your third son and third daughter-in-law from now on."
Old Man Lu looked at Zhong Shuyan. She nodded, "I'll move out too."
Eldest Brother Lu and the others couldn't help but smile. Although there was no law in their country forbidding dividing the household while parents were still alive, in practice, people generally adhered to the notion that families shouldn't split while the elders lived.
If a family made too ugly a scene over dividing the household, the ones who moved out and didn't live with the parents would more or less be criticized behind their backs.
The three Lu brothers had been the subject of village gossip for decades; they didn't mind being talked about a little longer. But those words were still unpleasant to hear. Zhong Shuyan's willingness to go with them would significantly reduce the malicious gossip directed their way.
No one enjoys being the subject of rumors.
Zhong Shuyan was willing to go with the three brothers for two reasons. First, this world was excessively harsh towards divorced women. Second, she genuinely felt these three brothers were quite pitiful.
Their originally stable lives had been thrown into chaos by Liu Cheng'er, who had come from another world. If not quite leading to broken families, it was close enough.
Of course, even more pitiable was Liu Cheng'er herself. Her decent life was selected by that so-called Collection System, which had thrown everything into disarray.
"Fine," said Eldest Brother Lu, giving Old Man Lu one last look. He said something to Second Brother Lu, who turned and left immediately.
Dividing a household was no small matter, especially when it involved such a scandal. A single misstep could affect the next generation, so this matter had to be handled properly. The division, especially concerning the farmland, had to be clear. That land was given by the authorities for their livelihood; why should they give it up?
To leave it for that bunch of good-for-nothings?
Moreover, Eldest Brother Lu was not without foresight. Over the years, they had all secretly saved a considerable amount of money. So even if they left with nothing now, none of them would panic.
Watching from the main room, Old Man Lu was dumbfounded. He felt this wasn't right, it was all wrong. Shouldn't Eldest Brother Lu have begged for mercy when he heard the condition of leaving empty-handed?
He had even prepared how to humiliate them when they inevitably pleaded and surrendered. What did it mean for them to just leave like this?
Thinking further, Old Man Lu realized that if they were leaving so readily, they must have hidden money. This made his head buzz. He felt his authority had been challenged.
Old Man Lu chased after them: "Second, Fourth, you better think this through. If you follow your eldest brother out, what kind of life you'll have from now on, I can't guarantee."
Fourth Brother Lu curled his lip: "And following you, was my life so good? Since we were little, when have you ever paid any attention to us three brothers? If it weren't for my mother, my eldest brother, and my second brother, I would have starved to death long ago. You old bastard, you don't actually think you've been good to us, do you?"
"If I didn't look so much like you, I'd think I was picked up from the streets."
As Fourth Brother Lu said these words, his hands were clenched into fists.
"There are no wrong parents under heaven." Old Man Lu naturally knew he was biased, but so what? Even the five fingers on a hand aren't the same length. The palm and the back of the hand have different amounts of flesh too.
Hearing him spout this nonsense, Zhong Shuyan turned around and slapped him across the face. Having taken the genetic repair serum, her current physical strength and agility were far beyond what they were when she had hacked at Old Man Lu before.
Old Man Lu hadn't expected Zhong Shuyan to hit him. He stared at her in stunned silence, still processing what happened, when Zhong Shuyan backhanded him with another slap.
Now both cheeks achieved perfect symmetry, swelling up rapidly.
Zhong Shuyan had already given up on reasoning with him. After all, some reasoning is meant for people to hear. Was Old Man Lu a person? Clearly, he was not.
Lin Xi, standing at the door of the east wing room, started clapping. She felt the ladies in her group chat, young and old, were all fantastic. When facing people who just won't listen, if you can use your hands, really, don't waste your breath.
Lin Xi's applause drew everyone's attention. They all turned to look at her in unison, then froze. They knew a relative named Lin Xi had come. But in the heat of the moment, they had genuinely forgotten about her presence.
Now, seeing Lin Xi, they remembered this relative was in the house. Instantly, their faces flushed with a mix of embarrassment and shame. No matter which realm, in China, there's always the saying "family ugliness should not be publicized."
Zhong Shuyan smiled and beckoned Lin Xi over. Lin Xi walked over calmly.
Liu Cheng'er and Third Brother Lu also seemed to have finished their business at some point. Liu Cheng'er came out dressed, her face carrying an indescribable, alluring charm.
Her gaze, hook-like, fell upon Eldest Brother Lu and the others. They had all taken the Clarity Pills, so facing Liu Cheng'er's seduction, their expressions didn't change in the slightest.
Liu Cheng'er's lips unconsciously twitched into a slight pout. She thought these men, Eldest Brother Lu and his brothers, were truly ungrateful and a bit sick in the head. If it were any other man, they'd have pounced at a single glance from her.
She had given them chances several times, and they acted blind. How boring. But then Liu Cheng'er reconsidered. Having seen too many men who came running at the slightest hint, men like the Lu brothers presented a real challenge.
Still, they needed to be punished. After she slept with them, she wouldn't let them near her for a while. Anyway, her body had been modified by the system. Any man who slept with her would lose all desire for other women afterward.
Put more simply, those men would be afflicted with a kind of "love poison" after touching her. This poison only she could cure. She was their antidote. Without her as the cure, they'd just have to suffer for life!
What man could endure that? Even an eighty-year-old geezer still wants to find a woman for relief!
Liu Cheng'er watched as Eldest Brother Lu ignored her but spoke gently to the thin, plain Sun Xiaoyun beside him. Her gaze toward Sun Xiaoyun instantly turned venomous with hatred.
Due to the influence of a certain "sister" in her previous life, Liu Cheng'er held a natural hostility toward women. If a woman was connected to her men, that hostility turned into pure hatred.
Lin Xi was the only exception. This was thanks to her system categorizing Lin Xi as a "high-quality woman" with a 90% conquest index upon their first meeting. Completing the conquest would even yield a hundred points and a mysterious treasure chest!
As for getting rid of her men's wives, Liu Cheng'er had done plenty of that in her past life. She originally intended to spare Eldest Brother Lu's wife, but now Liu Cheng'er changed her mind.
Any bitch who dared to steal her men deserved to die. Liu Cheng'er had already thought up a hundred and eight ways for Sun Xiaoyun to die. She had already arrogantly claimed Eldest Brother Lu and these other men as her possessions.
Sun Xiaoyun, gentle and meek her whole life, timid her whole life, suddenly rolled up her sleeves and rushed forward. She slapped Liu Cheng'er across the face: "You shameless slut! If you want a man, can't you find one outside? Do you have to come and ruin the men in our own family! Have you ever thought about your own daughter? Have you ever thought about the other women in this family? You are truly vile!"
Zhang Xiaocao ran over, grabbing Liu Cheng'er's hair, while Sun Xiaoyun slapped her face repeatedly. Liu Cheng'er had allocated all her attribute points to flexibility and suppleness. After all, only with a soft body would men like her more, and she herself would be more comfortable. Things like combat power, Liu Cheng'er had never considered. Because the system said if she gained combat power, her body would develop a lot of muscle. Liu Cheng'er couldn't imagine having muscles on her body.
Pinned down and beaten, Liu Cheng'er was struck dizzy, her fair, tender skin left with blotchy marks.
Enduring the pain, she shouted inwardly: 'System, allocate twenty points to my combat power, and another forty points to my charm! I want Eldest Brother Lu and the others to fall at my feet! I want them to kill these two women with their own hands!'
[Understood, Host.]
The Collection System received the command and immediately began applying a filter to Liu Cheng'er. The so-called points were absorbed directly into its own programming.
Thus, in the eyes of Lin Xi and Zhong Shuyan, everything around them seemed to freeze. The wounds and marks on Liu Cheng'er's face instantly vanished. Her skin was whitened by three shades. Her originally somewhat pretty but slightly sallow complexion darkened for a second, then immediately underwent a one-click makeup application, transforming into a completely different appearance.
At the very last second, the logo watermark of a certain photo-editing app even appeared briefly before disappearing.
It has to be said, both Lin Xi and Zhong Shuyan were stunned. So, the Collection System's so-called "increasing charm value" meant using a photo-editing app to give Liu Cheng'er a new makeup look and whitening her skin a bit?
Does this Collection System pay licensing fees to that photo-editing app for doing this?
The purple "Allure" card in Lin Xi's hand flew out. Using the Allure card as a vessel, the Group Chat System, seizing the moment the electronic ripple of the Collection software hadn't yet dissipated, directly invaded it.
With the permissions granted by the Heavenly Dao System, it effortlessly seized the core code.
The Group Chat System directly took control of Liu Cheng'er.
A voice sounded in the ears of Lin Xi, Liu Cheng'er, and Zhong Shuyan.
[Ding~ The Transmigrator Group Chat System is at your service. Ms. Liu Cheng'er, the Color System is currently being separated from you. Progress 10...9...8...]
[Ding, system separation successful. Apologies. Due to improper management by the System Bureau, certain systems that should have been decommissioned performed illegal modifications on you, causing irreversible harm. To express the System Bureau's regret, all damage inflicted by the Color System upon you will now be eliminated. Everything about you will be restored to your original state.]
[Ding~ Detected that Liu Cheng'er's soul does not belong to a native of this dimension. Commencing dimensional correction. Rest assured, Ms. Liu Cheng'er, this Transmigration Group Chat System will safely return you to your original dimension.]
[Ding~ Dimensional transfer initiated. Time remaining 5...4...3...2...1. Goodbye, you jinx.]
[Ding~ The Ancient World: Farmer's Old Matriarch Dimension is initiating self-repair. This repair will eliminate all negative impacts brought about by 'Liu Cheng'er'. The original Liu Cheng'er soul has been captured. Reversing time-space, deploying it into her body from two months ago... Deployment complete.]
[Eliminating the memories and physical forms of Lu Laosan... Ding Xiuwu... Huang Dali... Lu Dagen... and eight others. Repairing, please wait~]
