Cheng Tianhua regretted his words the moment they left his mouth.
He had intended to use Cheng You's potential marriage to his advantage. How could he proceed if she moved out now?
However, having said so much, Cheng You had been waiting for him to say exactly that and wouldn't give him a chance to back out.
"Fine, it's settled! You'd rather have a stepmother and her daughter than me and my brother, and you can't wait to bully us to death, but we can't just sit here and wait to die! If I have to move out, I'll move out. From now on, even if I starve to death, Cheng You will never call you 'Dad' again!"
Zhang Yunmei clearly hadn't expected things to escalate so much and felt a pang of panic.
This was no good deed; it was a hot potato.
If Cheng You and Cheng Wenyu truly cut ties with the family, Cheng Tianhua would surely hate her, an outsider who meddled in their affairs.
For a moment, everyone chimed in, trying to mediate.
"Captain, there are no grudges that last overnight between father and daughter. Your words are too harsh."
"Yes, Cheng You, don't be so stubborn. Talk to your dad properly."
"How can blood relations be severed? Family is still family."
Cheng You let out a cold laugh. "He is family with Song Yulian, not me. If he truly cared about me as his daughter, he would make a choice between me and Song Yulian: it's her or me! With me, she's gone! With her, I'm gone!"
She wouldn't give Cheng Tianhua any room to regret his words and sealed them decisively.
Her statement ignited his anger. "Get out! Get out now!"
He'd rather lose this daughter than bow his head.
Cheng You strode into the house and began packing.
She had been planning to leave for a while and had already packed most of her belongings. All that remained were a few scattered clothes, which she put into bags.
Before long, the room was tidied up completely.
"Hey, Cheng You, are you really leaving?" Zhang Yunmei quickly followed her out.
Cheng Tianhua snorted, wondering how long she could last outside. She'd probably be back in a couple of days.
Sun Xiaowan glared at Song Yulian and quickly ran out.
"Cheng You, wait for me!"
Cheng You's anger was a mix of genuine and feigned. Sometimes she told herself her father wasn't worth respecting, yet at other times, she couldn't control her inner turmoil.
After all, before Song Yulian entered their lives, he had been a very, very good father to her.
"Cheng You, are you really moving out? Where will you live?"
Cheng You offered a wry smile, her head drooping.
"How should I know? I guess no one would be willing to take me in."
Sun Xiaowan looked at her pitiful state with a touch of sympathy.
"Why don't you come and squeeze in with us at the educated youth point?"
Cheng You feigned hesitation. "Would that be too much trouble?"
"What's so troublesome about it? There are only two girls, me and Liping, at the educated youth point anyway."
Cheng You chuckled inwardly. Sun Xiaowan was such a sweetheart.
"Alright then, that's the only option for now."
If Cheng Wenyu was willing to come along, he could stay with Aunt Six temporarily.
If not, he could still live at home; Cheng Tianhua wouldn't drive him away anyway.
Sun Xiaowan patted her head, offering comfort. "Don't worry, you have your own work points, and you can earn money. You won't starve."
Perhaps with Cheng You at the educated youth point, their meals would be even better.
And so, Sun Xiaowan pulled Cheng You to live at the educated youth point.
Duan Liping looked surprised. "Would that be too much trouble?"
Cheng You was being too bold, wanting to sever ties with her family.
If she truly did that, the accusations would likely fall on her.
Parents could be unloving, but one could not be unfilial.
Duan Liping had suffered many grievances at home, but she never had the courage to break ties with her family.
Any slight resistance on her part, regardless of right or wrong, would see everyone siding with her parents and joining in the accusations against her.
That feeling was like everyone being against her, which was unbearable.
Cheng You pouted. "You don't want me to come and stay?"
Duan Liping sighed helplessly. "Of course not. But Cheng You, have you really thought this through? This path might be very difficult."
"It's already difficult in that home. Even if I move out, life won't be worse than before. I understand what you mean, but I'm not afraid."
Cheng You's gaze was resolute, her fists clenched as if possessing boundless strength.
Duan Liping stared, her heart sighing. She couldn't compare to Cheng You; she wasn't as brave.
"Then you can stay here for now."
Perhaps after a few days, when the conflict subsided, she would go home.
But Duan Liping didn't know that Cheng You had been planning this for a long time. Now that she had moved out, she wouldn't easily go back.
She certainly couldn't stay at the educated youth point for long, so she needed to find a place to live permanently as soon as possible, rather than squatting at someone else's home.
She wanted to show everyone that she was truly determined to break ties with Cheng Tianhua, not just talking about it.
Qi Chengyan offered no opinion on the matter, remaining silent while everyone else discussed it.
But by all appearances, he didn't seem happy.
That evening, Cheng You secretly sought him out.
"I won't be staying here for long. Once I find a place, I'll move out."
She thought he was unhappy because he was worried about gossip.
Qi Chengyan's eyes narrowed, and he said sternly, "Cheng You, it's not because of that."
Cheng You pouted. "Then what is it? Ever since I arrived, you've seemed unhappy. I haven't done anything to you."
Qi Chengyan furrowed his brow; she was too willful.
"Have you considered the consequences of moving out?"
In this era, life was already difficult enough with family supporting each other.
What more for her, alone, and with a younger brother who hadn't grown up?
"What consequences? Anyway, I've moved out, and I'm very happy right now."
Why overthink it? She had already fallen out with Cheng Tianhua.
"Happy now, but what about later? Cheng You, you're eighteen, not eight. Even if you move out, your household registration is still with the Cheng family. There are many ways they can control you."
Falling out with Cheng Tianhua now was clearly not a rational move.
Cheng You was impatient with these words. This was just how she did things; it wasn't the first time.
"Anyway, I'm just this kind of person. I've always been willful, you know that! If you don't want me to stay here, then I'll move out!"
How long would she have to wait to find a suitable opportunity to leave?
She couldn't wait any longer.
That home was too disgusting, especially the thought of Cheng Tianhua secretly carrying on with Song Yulian for so many years behind her mother's back made her feel even more nauseous.
But these were things she couldn't bring herself to say.
Cheng You was filled with grievances, tears welling up in her eyes, her lips bitten until they were pale.
This was how she was, scheming relentlessly to escape that filthy family.
From the very beginning, it was destined that she couldn't be a pure and kind girl.
"I'll move to Sixth Grandmother's place tomorrow."
Tears fell, and she sobbed with a quivering lip before turning to leave.