Chapter 678: Family

"Why are you frozen? Hurry up, apologize to your father. It’s late, don't make such a fuss."

"Exactly. If he were my son, I would have strung him up and beaten him already."

Yang Xiaohai, incredulous, looked around, staring disbelievingly at these Tanka people, his so-called relatives.

In their eyes, Houwa was not a person at all, merely an item for trade!

Yang Xiaohai's gaze slowly shifted, finally resting on his biological father, Chi Baishui. Bitterness filled his heart.

It wasn't just Houwa! He, his own biological son, was also just something to be exchanged for silver in his father's eyes!

Just then, Chi Baishui noticed Yang Xiaohai hadn't moved for a long time. In front of all the neighbors, he immediately felt humiliated.

He rolled up his sleeves, walked up to Yang Xiaohai, and slapped him hard across the face. "Kneel down!"

Feeling the pain on his face, the bitterness in his heart quickly subsided, replaced by an inexplicable surge of anger that made his scalp tingle.

"I won't kneel! Why should I kneel? You don't deserve to be a father!" Yang Xiaohai pushed Chi Baishui away with both hands, clenching his fists and shouting angrily at him.

"Damn you! You're rebelling!" Enraged and humiliated, Chi Baishui looked around, picked up a wooden plank with nails, and lunged to strike Yang Xiaohai's head.

Yang Xiaohai's mother, his second brother, and his third brother all rushed forward, frantically trying to stop him.

As the situation became somewhat deadlocked, his eldest sister stepped forward to offer their father a way out.

"It's fine, Father. There's no need to sell these three children. Besides, with all this chaos and war, how much money can children be sold for? That silver is enough already."

Hearing this, Chi Baishui put down the wooden plank, but his words became even harsher.

"Let me tell you, Wu Wazi! I am your father! I *will* sell your three children! If you dare to utter another word, I'll sell your wife! A gentleman's word is his bond, and once spoken, cannot be unsaid!"

The moment these words were spoken, Yang Xiaohai's gaze towards Chi Baishui instantly changed. He had never understood why Chun Xiaoman killed his father, but now he finally understood.

It turned out that there were bad people even within families, perhaps even worse than outsiders!

"Alright, Father, stop saying such angry things," the eldest sister said, giving a look to her second and third brothers. They immediately understood and helped their father into the boat's canopy.

"There's nothing more, everyone can disperse now. I apologize to you all, for this small matter that kept you from sleeping well tonight."

After persuading the surrounding Tanka people to leave, she walked over to Yang Xiaohai and, adopting an elder's demeanor, complained to him, "What's wrong with you? We're all family, can't you say something conciliatory?"

Yang Xiaohai hung his head, his cheeks puffed out, and his clenched hands trembled slightly, as if he had already made up his mind.

Seeing his attitude, the eldest sister looked helpless. "Let's leave it at that for tonight. Third Uncle went fishing, so you can sleep on his old boat tonight. We can discuss everything else when morning comes."

After speaking, the eldest sister then pointed to a lonely small boat floating in the sea not far away.

Yang Xiaohai nodded silently, then, taking Houwa and the terrified, pale-faced Zhao Xiumei with him, walked towards the boat.

The boat was small and dilapidated, with some water seeping into the cabin. Yang Xiaohai sat there disheartened, like a statue.

"Husband? What should we do?" Zhao Xiumei leaned against Yang Xiaohai, trembling slightly. She was truly scared.

The surroundings here reminded her of the terrifying things she had experienced while trapped in the bandit's lair.

"This isn't our home, and they are not my family! Let's go home, let's go back to Niuxin Village."

Zhao Xiumei watched as Yang Xiaohai slowly transformed from a statue back into a living person, a strong sense of longing appearing on his youthful face.

"My sworn brothers in Niuxin Village are my true family! Niuxin Village is my true home!"

When he was a beggar, suffering from hunger and cold, he had countless times fantasized about what his family would be like, and how well they would treat him.

But at this moment, he finally sobered up completely. If they had truly cared for him, they wouldn't have sold him in the first place. His previous thoughts had been nothing but wishful thinking!

"How can we leave? Father-in-law took the cart and the silver," Zhao Xiumei said with a bitter expression.

"If he took them, we'll take them back! That silver is clearly ours. How dare they take it without even asking me!"

Yang Xiaohai clenched his fists. "The silver is with Big Sister now. I'll find an excuse to lure her out later, and then you, Houwa, can steal the silver."

"Once we have the silver, we can buy a new cart and horses. After we get the money back, we'll leave late at night while they're sleeping! We'll circle back to Qingqiu."

There was another point Yang Xiaohai didn't mention: if the silver was gone, his family wouldn't join a cult like the Fa Sect.

"Okay!" Hearing this, Zhao Xiumei immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She had indeed not misjudged him.

Just as the two continued to discuss the details, sounds echoed from outside the cabin, and they immediately fell silent.

"Wu Wazi, it's cold. I brought blankets for you and your wife." It was his mother's voice. A hint of tenderness appeared on Yang Xiaohai's face; here, his mother was the only source of warmth.

He went out and brought his mother inside.

"Oh my, how can anyone live in this place? It's leaking, and look how damp it is," Yang Xiaohai's mother complained. Just then, Yang Xiaohai looked at her seriously. "Mother, I'm leaving. Do you want to come with me? I'll take you to Niuxin Mountain to live a good life."

"What? Wu Wazi, Mother's ears are deaf, I can't hear. What are you trying to say?"

Yang Xiaohai led his mother out of the cabin, then gesticulated wildly towards the distant land, finally making her understand his meaning.

"Wu Wazi, why do you want to leave? I just saw you, and now you're leaving?" His mother pleaded tearfully with Yang Xiaohai.

Yang Xiaohai sorrowfully shook his head. He didn't want to be separated from his mother either; here, only his mother treated him with genuine kindness.

"Is it because of your father? We're all family, we should discuss things properly."

Yang Xiaohai tried hard to persuade her, but still couldn't convince her to leave with him. In the end, he could only tell her not to inform his father.

"Alright, I won't tell your father, Wu Wazi. When you reach your destination, remember to write and let us know you're safe. And if you're ever passing by in the future, come back to visit."

Watching his mother turn back three times as she returned to the cabin, Yang Xiaohai saw a light on the distant sea, indicating a boat might be docking. But at that moment, Yang Xiaohai had more important matters to attend to. Under the cover of night, he walked towards his eldest sister's boat.