Chapter 23: A Letter of Severance, Slapped Across Your Face!

Zhou Susu felt a sudden surge of tension.

This was hyperventilation syndrome triggered by acute stress disorder! If this continued, the child’s life would be in danger!

"Everyone, get out of my way!"

Clutching the child, Zhou Susu stood up abruptly and rushed toward the house. She had to retrieve the sedatives and oxygen from her hidden space immediately to alleviate An'an’s symptoms.

"Stop right there!"

The aunt from the Zhang family, a woman with a mean-spirited face, saw this and lunged forward, spreading her arms to block the path.

"What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to take the child back inside to keep beating her?" she shrieked. "We’re all watching! Don’t think you can keep abusing An'an!"

"Get lost!" Zhou Susu’s eyes turned red with anxiety as she looked at her daughter, who was struggling in her arms in agony.

"We aren't going anywhere! We have to take An'an away today! We won't let a wicked woman like you harm her anymore!" The uncle from the Zhang family also charged forward, joining his wife to block the doorway.

They were determined to seize this opportunity while a crowd was watching to cement the accusation of "child abuse" against Zhou Susu.

Just as the tension reached a breaking point—

"I’d like to see who dares to move!"

A thunderous roar echoed from outside the courtyard.

Everyone turned toward the voice. Lu Zhan had appeared at the entrance. He happened to be on leave today and had just returned from a meeting at the regimental headquarters. Upon entering the compound, he was met with a scene that sent his blood boiling.

His wife was holding the most important person in his life, surrounded by a group of scum, her face etched with unprecedented anxiety and fury. Meanwhile, his daughter was struggling in his wife’s arms, her little face turning purple.

Lu Zhan felt a surge of rage rush straight to his head. His eyes were ablaze; if not for the discipline of a soldier, he would have charged in and taken them all down.

"C-Commander..." The guard looked at him as if he were a savior.

Lu Zhan ignored everyone. He strode forward, covering the distance in a few quick steps, and stood directly in front of Zhou Susu. He took a swift glance at An'an’s condition before shielding both his wife and child behind him.

"L-Lu Zhan..." Seeing him, Old Lady Zhang’s bravado faltered, but remembering their "plan," she steeled herself to play the victim. "You’ve come just in time! Look at what your wife has done to our An'an! We only came to see the child, and she scared her into this state! She’s a snake-hearted, poisonous woman!"

Lu Zhan said nothing. He merely swept his burning gaze across the faces of the Zhang family. The look in his eyes was so terrifying that the Zhangs felt a chill run down their spines and instinctively stepped back.

"What are you standing there for? Get the child to the clinic!" Lu Zhan barked at Zhou Susu without turning his head.

"Right!" Zhou Susu exhaled in relief. She immediately clutched An'an and went inside, bypassing the clinic for now.

"Hey! You can't let her leave!" The aunt tried to interfere.

"Did I give you permission to move?" Lu Zhan took one step forward, and the aunt’s feet seemed nailed to the ground; she couldn't budge an inch.

After dealing with them, Lu Zhan followed Zhou Susu inside. He watched as she placed An'an on the bed and fed her something; though he didn't know what it was, he trusted her unconditionally.

Lu Zhan turned around, went into the inner room, and grabbed a piece of paper and a small jar of paste. He walked to the bulletin board and slapped the paper onto it.

It was a photocopied "Severance of Kinship" agreement, covered in text and stamped with bright red thumbprints.

The text was crystal clear:
"Zhang Fulai and Wang Guixiang (Old Lady Zhang), villagers of Zhang Village, hereby voluntarily transfer the full custody of their granddaughter, Zhao An'an, to Comrade Lu Zhan. Henceforth, Zhao An'an has no further connection to the Zhang family. Matters of life, death, marriage, or burial shall have nothing to do with the Zhang family. To show our sincerity, the Zhang family voluntarily accepts two hundred yuan in nutrition and compensation fees from Comrade Lu Zhan. This document is in duplicate, signed by both parties, witnessed by heaven and earth, and irrevocable!"

Lu Zhan pasted the document firmly onto the most prominent spot on the bulletin board.

White paper, black ink, red thumbprints. The evidence was undeniable.

The courtyard fell silent once again. Everyone stared at the document—which could only be described as a deed selling a granddaughter—stunned into speechlessness.

They sold their own granddaughter for two hundred yuan?! Were these even human beings?

"Now," Lu Zhan turned around, "who can tell me what right a group of scum, who have severed all ties with the child and accepted money for it, have to stand here and claim they want to see their 'granddaughter'?"

The Zhang family turned pale. They had never imagined that Lu Zhan had kept this up his sleeve, let alone that he would dare to post it in front of so many people!

"You... this is a forgery!" Old Lady Zhang’s mind raced as she began to play the rogue. "We never signed anything like this! It’s you! You forged this yourself to steal our granddaughter!"

"Exactly! It’s fake!" the uncle chimed in. "The thumbprints must be forged!"

They were convinced that if they simply denied it, there was nothing Lu Zhan could do.

"Forged?" Lu Zhan chuckled. "Very well."

He nodded and spoke to the guard nearby: "Go, call Officer Liu from the security department. And while you’re at it, call the Public Security Bureau. Tell them there are people here suspected of extorting a military officer, maliciously disrupting the order of the military district, and now publicly slandering an active-duty officer by accusing him of forging documents. I’d like to see if your tongues remain this sharp once you’re at the police station."

"Also," he turned his gaze toward Sister-in-law Li and the others in the crowd, "I remember exactly who was fanning the flames and spreading rumors. When Officer Liu arrives, you can all go explain yourselves as well."

At these words, the color drained from the faces of Sister-in-law Li and the others. Go to the security department? And the police station?! How had things escalated so far?

As for the Zhang family, the mention of the "Public Security Bureau" made their knees turn to jelly. Even the most shameless among them knew that wasn't a place to act out. If they were dragged in there, they would be going to prison!

Old Lady Zhang wore a look of sheer panic. She hadn't expected Lu Zhan to be this ruthless. He wasn't playing by the rules; he was ready to destroy them. Seeing that Lu Zhan was serious and the guard was already making the call, fear finally took hold. She wanted to throw another tantrum, but under Lu Zhan’s predatory gaze, she couldn't utter a word.

Just as the tension reached its peak—

*Creak.*

The door was opened from the inside by Zhou Susu.

The anxiety and panic were gone from her face. She held a gleaming enamel basin in her hands. Inside was half a basin of murky liquid, topped with a few bubbles, emitting an indescribable, pungent odor.

It was the water she had used to wash An'an’s feet, to which she had casually added a few drops of ultra-concentrated, heavy-duty detergent from her space.