Thanks to the readers for the tips and votes. －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ Niu Er heard Da Fa speak, and one phrase he uttered—"You think that's all it takes to get a divorce"—indicated that he wasn't entirely against the separation; he simply wasn't willing to let Hong Xia leave with the children so easily. This Da Fa, truthfully, wasn't really after money; money was definitely something that could placate him.

Under normal circumstances, Da Fa wouldn't concede so easily, but Niu Er had stated that if they divorced, he would hand over the property deed. If he refused, Da Fa wouldn't get the deed in his hands. Da Fa urgently needed that money because he had lost heavily at the gambling den before the New Year, and now, with interest, he owed nearly twenty taels of silver. The deadline given to him was today; if he didn't repay the debt, they threatened to cut off his hand.

That was why he had rushed over to claim the deed. Originally, the deed belonged to the Zhou family. If Hong Xia refused to give it up, he was fully prepared to divorce her. But now that Niu Er had spoken this way, Da Fa felt uncertain. If he divorced his wife now and Hong Xia's family came to cause trouble, especially if they insisted the land be left for Yuan Bao, the clan elders and relatives would surely agree. If that happened, losing the deed would genuinely lead to his hand being cut off.

Now that Hong Xia was offering a divorce in exchange for the deed, he felt securing the deed and saving his hand was the priority. After all, he had grown tired of Hong Xia over the years. When she first married into the family, she was young, gentle, considerate, attuned to his needs, and fond of dressing up; she was quite beautiful, and they had enjoyed several years of loving marriage. But as time wore on, their life grew increasingly difficult, and Hong Xia had started neglecting her appearance, turning into a typical worn-out housewife. Seeing her had become tiresome. He preferred the revelry outside, and having indulged in illicit affairs for so long, he sometimes couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

However, Da Fa wasn't entirely foolish. He observed his two brothers-in-law and father-in-law standing in the courtyard, and noted Hong Xia's firm stance today. Usually, when he threatened divorce, she would meekly obey. But today, when he mentioned putting her away, there wasn't a trace of fear on her face; she must have conspired with her family beforehand.

If that were the case, agreeing so readily would be letting them off too lightly. His eyes darted around, settling on Niu Er nearby. He hatched a plan and announced, "Divorce is possible, give me the property deed, but Yuan Zhu and Yuan Bao are children of the Zhou family. I must take them back. If you disagree, I'll divorce Hong Xia, and Yuan Bao will still be mine. Whether the deed goes to me or Yuan Bao then, it won't be your concern anymore, unless..."

Hong Xia flared up at Da Fa's words. "Unless what? Da Fa, I’m telling you, I will take Yuan Zhu and Yuan Bao with me even if I die. Don't even dream of taking them. If you want to divorce me and take them, I won't agree—I haven't done anything wrong."

Niu Er knew Da Fa was trying to leverage a small gain, so he spoke deliberately. He held Hong Xia back, realizing that Da Fa sensed Hong Xia’s strong desire for divorce. The more agitated Hong Xia became, the more demands Da Fa would make. Only by appearing unconcerned would Da Fa hesitate to press his advantage too hard.

Niu Er pondered for a moment and said, "Since you don't like my suggestion, then go ahead and divorce Hong Xia. If you want the children, take them. It will lighten Hong Xia’s burdens. However, although your family's land has nothing to do with Hong Xia anymore, she is still Yuan Bao’s mother, and we are Yuan Bao’s maternal uncles. I will pay a visit to your clan elder and ask him, or one of your relatives, to hold onto that property deed for safekeeping."

Niu Er knew Da Fa desperately wanted the deed, so he intentionally phrased it that way, deliberately pulling Hong Xia up and suggesting Da Fa should go write the divorce papers. Indeed, upon hearing Niu Er, Da Fa grew anxious and quickly said, "Wait, wait, brother-in-law. If you want a divorce, fine, but it can't just end like this. That property deed is fundamentally ours, the Zhou family's. You people must offer some additional compensation, right?"

Everyone in the courtyard looked at Da Fa with extreme revulsion. What use was this man? He didn't care about his wife, and he didn't even want his own biological children; he only cared about some land deeds. Such a man was worse than swine or dogs.

Niu Er intended to make Da Fa state his price himself. While they were prepared to spend some money to settle this matter, if they offered it first, Da Fa would certainly demand an exorbitant amount. If Da Fa named his price, they could negotiate, making the eventual cost much less painful.

Niu Er looked at Da Fa and asked, "Then, besides the property deed, what else do you desire?"

"At least give me thirty taels of silver. Yuan Bao is the sole male heir in our family; I could sell him for more than that. Moreover, I raised Yuan Bao for so long, and now I’m handing him over to your Lin family. This request of mine isn't excessive, is it?" Da Fa said with a shameless grin.

"Thirty taels? Da Fa, do you know how much thirty taels is? Even if Yuan Bao stays with Hong Xia, he is still your son. Are you truly planning to sell your child to our Lin family? If so, you will never see him again," Niu Er countered.

"Brother-in-law, thirty taels isn't much. We still have Yuan Zhu. I’ll sell both children to your Lin family. Yuan Zhu is just a girl, but she’s old enough to be a little maid now. I could sell her to a wealthy household for ten or twenty taels, don't you think?" Da Fa said, fearing Niu Er would refuse due to the high price.

Niu Er knew thirty taels was certainly not a small sum, but if Da Fa insisted, they couldn't completely refuse. If they could resolve all these issues in one payment, it might be worthwhile, though he wasn't sure if Hong Xia would agree.

Hong Xia, standing nearby, was stunned when Da Fa immediately demanded thirty taels. Where would she get thirty taels? If she had it, this swine-like man would have already taken it. Niu Er considered that if Hong Xia agreed, he would advance the money for her.

Niu Er felt Hong Xia needed time to consider and said, "How about this: you come back this afternoon. Such a large sum of money isn't something one can produce immediately. Besides, our family members need to discuss it."

"Fine, brother-in-law, I’ll leave for now. I'll return this afternoon. Make sure you have the money ready, or I’ll take both children this afternoon, and don’t blame me then," Da Fa finished before departing.

After Da Fa left, Niu Er turned to Hong Xia and asked, "Hong Xia, what do you plan to do? Are you willing to come up with these thirty taels?"

"How can I not? If he takes the children, he truly will sell them. Who knows how miserable they will be? Second Brother, please help me. I originally planned to give Da Fa money month by month, but looking at him now, if he doesn't get the money today, he won't stop. You advance this thirty taels for me, and I’ll have it deducted from my wages. I won't take any wages for a month, only food and lodging, until it’s all paid off. Second Brother, I beg you." Hong Xia moved as if to kneel.