I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 5: Were all the relatives severed?

He had been gone for less than a year when his wife gave birth to a baby girl.

The three women—Gu Yeshi, her mother-in-law, her daughter-in-law, and her two sisters-in-law—insisted that the child wasn't Gu Chenglin's, driving him to jump into the river. In the end, they never even recovered his body.

After that, they refused to raise the child and sent him to his maternal relatives' home in Xinghua Village.

Cheng Lin had been gone for five years. When he returned this time, he was not only covered in injuries, but his family also pulled this stunt on him.

After Gu Chenglin saw Grandpa Xu off, he brought a basin of water from the kitchen into the room and placed it on the kang table.

He was about to wipe Dongfang Jin's face, wanting to let her leave with some dignity. It was his fault; if he hadn't acted on his own initiative, his mother wouldn't have come to make a scene.

Before his hand even touched the water, he noticed that the person had opened his eyes.

"You're awake? I went to catch up with Grandpa Xu, he hasn't gone far yet," Gu Chenglin said excitedly.

"Come back, come back!"

As soon as Dongfang Jin opened her eyes, she saw the oil lamp in the room flickering and emitting a wisp of black smoke, and the room was filled with the smell of lamp oil.

It was pitch black outside, a dark abyss that looked incredibly terrifying.

“Grandpa Xu is the doctor in our Lingwu Village, and he and the resident doctor at Yonghetang in the county are fellow apprentices,” Gu Chenglin said earnestly, standing at the door.

Dongfang Jin sat up, pointed to the other end of the kang table and said, "You, come here and sit down."

Seeing that she was so energetic and didn't seem like she was having a final burst of energy, Gu Chenglin walked over with his cane and sat down.

"Tell me about it. How did you resolve what happened during the day?"

Gu Chenglin stared at her intently, suppressing his questions, and recounted how she had fainted earlier that day.

After saying that, he took out a piece of paper from his chest and handed it to her: "This is the letter of severance of kinship between the Fang family and you. You were unconscious at the time, so I put my fingerprint on it for you."

Well, the clan chief of Fangjia Village said that since you've signed the severance agreement, you can no longer use the surname Fang.

Fang Youshi said, "When they found you, you only said your name contained the character 'Jin,' and you knew nothing else."

"Dongfang Jin, that's my name," Dongfang Jin said directly after hearing his words.

It turned out that after she fainted, the Gu and Fang families quickly made a decision.

Fearing for her life, the Fang family did not take back the 20 taels of silver and tore up the letter of divorce, along with the original owner's marriage certificate with Gu Chenglin and the family's marriage certificate.

The Fang family wrote a letter of severance of ties with Fang Jin on the spot, saying that Fang Jin was not their biological daughter. They took pity on her and were afraid that she would end up in the brokerage business, so the head of the Fang family took her in and raised her themselves.

The child only remembered that his name contained the character "瑾" (Jin), and knew nothing else. Therefore, when the letter severing ties was written, even his surname was omitted.

The village head, elders, and members of the Fang family all signed and pressed their fingerprints, vowing to never have anything to do with Fang Jin again, regardless of future wealth or poverty.

The Gu family was initially unhappy. The Fang family said that she had been staying at the Gu family's house for several days, and no one knew what had happened during that time.

For the sake of her reputation, she had no choice but to stay in the Gu family, which is why she didn't get the 20 taels of silver back.

After the Fang family left, Old Lady Gu from the Gu family's side became unhappy.

People from most of the village said that if Gu Chenglin didn't agree to hand over Fang Jin's dowry, they would invalidate the family division agreement they had written at the clan chief's house.

If Gu Chenglin refuses to pay and insists on leaving, then he should be forced to leave the Gu family with nothing.

Not only that, but they also had to write a letter severing ties with their relatives, and on the letter, they also had to write that they would never see each other again.

Then everyone looked at Gu Chenglin, waiting to see what his choice would be.

However, to the surprise of the Gu family, Gu Chenglin insisted on his own idea: the dowry belonged to Fang Jin, and he would not hand it over without her consent.

Sure enough, his words angered Old Lady Gu, who, in a fit of rage, made Gu Chenglin leave the house with nothing, giving him nothing at all.

Not only were they forced to sign a letter severing ties with their relatives, but they were also forced to leave their clan.

When Granny Gu returned home, she threatened suicide to force the clan head to open the ancestral hall and expel Gu Chenglin from the clan.

……

They are currently living in the home of an old hunter in the village—a thatched hut.

After listening to the explanation, Dongfang Jin asked in surprise, "So, we're both going to be left with nothing now, right?"

Gu Chenglin pursed his lips and nodded: "Not only that, I've also been expelled from the clan. From now on, the honor and disgrace of the Gu clan will have nothing to do with me?"

Clan system? That's rare. You know, a surname with a clan system can only be removed from the clan if the person has committed an unforgivable crime.

Could it be that he refused to hand over his dowry? Haha, this matter is probably not simple.

Furthermore, she didn't see the sorrow of being exterminated from her clan in this man; instead, she saw a sense of relief, like when Fang Jin left.

However: "Your reputation, now that you've been expelled from your clan, is probably..."

Gu Chenglin's eyes were firm: "I don't care about any of that, I'm not participating in the scientific expedition."

When Dongfang Jin heard him say that, she was afraid that this person had some kind of backing. Well, it wasn't time for them to open up to each other yet.

Everyone has secrets.

You mean we're living halfway up the mountain now?

Gu Chenglin emphasized, "It's at the foot of Nanshan Mountain."

Dongfang Jin glanced at him. What difference did it make? She wanted to punch him, but when she saw her own chicken-claw-like hands, she decisively gave up.

She can't beat him yet; not to mention his strength, she's just too short. It's frustrating!

Seeing her puffed-up face, Gu Chenglin felt a strange unease and said, "I know I'm not good enough for you. If you have somewhere else to go, I'll divorce you."

Dongfang Jin: You're quite self-aware. I have nowhere to go right now.

He said curtly, "We'll talk about it later!"

Gu Chenglin pursed his lips, a strange joy welling up inside him: "I've been married before, and I have two children..."

"You have two more children?" Dongfang Jin stared at him with wide eyes, her voice rising and even changing tone.

Seeing her like this, Gu Chenglin's eyes dimmed. So, things are different after all?

Yes, who would agree? He's a widower, not only covered in injuries, but also has two children to raise, and might even have to live with his father-in-law in the future.

Dongfang Jin calmed herself down and silently exhaled: "You, continue."

Fortunately, this man has an heir, so she doesn't have to endure the excruciating pain of childbirth, especially now that we're in ancient times with extremely poor conditions, where a mishap could easily lead to her death.

No, she absolutely cannot have a baby. She can't do this kind of work. She was so scared after witnessing her older sister giving birth that she stopped dating.

That fear is still vivid in my mind; thankfully, this saves me trouble.

Gu Chenglin was confused by her sudden outburst.

"what?"

Dongfang Jin said coldly, clearly annoyed, "Continue. Where's your child? I haven't seen him."

Gu Chenglin was silent for a long time: "They are at his maternal grandfather's house. I hadn't even had a chance to pick them up when this happened."

"how old are you?"

"My son is 7 years old and my daughter is 4 years old."

Upon hearing that Gu Chenglin had a son and a daughter, Dongfang Jin smiled and patted his arm, saying, "A son and a daughter! Not bad, not bad."

Gu Chenglin: "..." What does that mean? She seems very excited, and he doesn't understand it at all.

"You...you don't mind them?"

Dongfang Jin asked with a puzzled look, "What are you complaining about?"

Gu Chenglin placed his hands on his knees, clenching his fists tightly: "Child."