Yang Ruxin looked at Uncle Xiaowu with gratitude and then walked up to Yang Peili, pointing towards the room: "Father, if you don’t give me an explanation for this matter, I definitely won’t let it go." She paused, "The hole in the wall has been opened for a long time now, and don’t even think about covering it up again, unless you tear down the house and rebuild the wall. Otherwise, as soon as the officials from the Governor’s Office come to inspect, they will know the truth."
"Dani..." Yang Peili called out anxiously, "Would it work if I ask your Fourth Uncle to apologize to you? Family shames should not be spread abroad, after all. Moreover, if this gets out, it won’t be good for any of you..."
"Hehe..." Yang Ruxin laughed, "Father, ’family shame should not be spread abroad’? Are you sure that no one else knows about our family’s dirty laundry?" She took a pause, "Do you think an apology will suffice?"
Yang Peili’s brow furrowed even deeper: "Then what do you want?"
"Either have Yang Baichuan and Yang Baifu sent to the Governor’s Office for an investigation, or let our main branch completely sever ties with the Yang Family." Yang Ruxin’s attitude was firm.
"How can that be?" Yang Peili exclaimed in shock.
"How can it not be?" Yang Ruxin’s brows lifted slightly, "There’s no room for negotiation on this matter..."
"But... what about your reputation?" Yang Peili sighed, still somewhat unwilling, "Especially your mother, she’s a widow without a family... How will she manage to stand on her own in the future?"
Yang Ruxin, who had already turned to leave, turned back around and looked seriously at Yang Peili: "Father, is my mother still alive?"
Yang Peili was instantly at a loss for words.
"Father, reputation really isn’t that important to me," Yang Ruxin scoffed coldly, "We haven’t done anything wrong; we are the victims. Why shouldn’t we stand tall and righteous? On the other hand, why should the malefactors who harmed others live so freely? There’s no such logic in this world. So, Father, don’t push me to my limits. It would be best if you make a decision that satisfies me. Otherwise, I truly wouldn’t mind using my own methods to deal with these scumbags. When that time comes, I’ll settle the accounts with the second and fourth branches together."
Yang Peili’s spine involuntarily chilled, recalling the unsheathed, icy gleam of the kitchen knife that had come down without hesitation. He shivered inexplicably and finally empathized with his old wife’s feelings.
Yang Ruxin looked again at Baixiang, who was not far away: "Father, he’s also your son, already in his twenties. Have you thought about his future?"
Yang Peili was taken aback and instinctively glanced at Baixiang: "Xiaowu... he..."
"Actually, I really don’t understand," Yang Ruxin took a deep breath, "The same sons and daughters, why is there such a big difference? They say both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh, but why is it that in the Yang Family, the more filial children get treated worse?"
Yang Peili’s mouth opened, but he couldn’t make a sound.
Yang Ruxin curled her lips into an ironic smile and then turned to walk over to Baixiang: "Uncle Xiaowu, no one will plan for you, unless you work like an ox or a horse in this family until you drop dead, otherwise, you’ll never be free... If you don’t plan for yourself, then you deserve to follow in my mother’s footsteps..." After saying this, she went over, took Xiaofeng’s hand, and turned to leave.
But just as she reached the doorway, she turned back: "By the way, that room belongs to the main branch; I like it just the way it is without a door. I hope you don’t go in or touch anything, otherwise, don’t blame me for coming back here to rage." With that, she calmly left the old mansion.