Chapter 114: Completely disappointed 114

“If you all have no objections, then it’s settled,” Old Man Ye continued as he grabbed the money, “There aren’t many copper coins left in the house, the bulk of it comes from what the eldest and the second son brought back from their wages yesterday. I’ve decided that the youngest son shouldn’t take this money, and the two households should split it equally.

The houses each family lives in should go to each respective family. The youngest still needs to get married, and Wenqing and Wenyu can temporarily live in his house; it doesn’t matter much. However, they need to move out soon so as not to hinder the youngest’s marriage.

What’s left are the chickens, ducks, pigs, and household utensils for eating and working. As for us, the old couple, we don’t need them. Just split it into three parts; continue to feed the pigs like this, wait a few days to sell them, and then divide the money.

The remaining grain in the house should be divided based on the number of people; later, we’ll weigh to see how much grain there is and my wife will set an amount for adults and children. No matter what, we will have to last until the next harvest season.

As for how life will unfold after this, that will be up to you.”

Everyone agreed on the division of the family, but He Shi was seething with anger.

Due to the Clan Leader’s presence, He Shi had to wait until Old Man Ye finished speaking before she said, “I disagree.”

At her words, everyone was momentarily stunned.

“Old woman?” Old Man Ye could hardly believe it; this was the fairest method he had thought of.

“Everyone else’s division is fine, but don’t forget, Mistress Li, a concubine who hasn’t even given birth to a son, what right does she have to divide the family?” He Shi said.

He Shi had suffered a lot when she was younger and had not yet gotten her revenge on Mistress Li–how could she be content to let Mistress Li split up and live a good life on her own!

“Old woman, I’ve already planned this matter, so stop talking about it,” Old Man Ye insisted.

…

Ye Jiu didn’t have a say in the division of the family property, but it was quickly settled clearly and cleanly.

He Shi then went to arrange a meal for the dividing of the family, and although no lunch was usually eaten at noon, the division feast was a village custom, and since the Clan Leader was present, the meal was indispensable.

However, with anger churning inside her, He Shi’s face remained cold throughout the process.

While He Shi was arranging the meal and Old Man Ye was inside chatting with the Clan Leader, Zhao Shi burst into the main house and blurted out, “Father, our family’s division is so unfair?”

At that moment, Ye Gaoshui followed her in and said, “Zhao Shi, go back home.”

“I won’t go back! Why should I? That’s a full hundred taels of silver. Why should our family miss out? I can’t just watch all that silver get taken away so senselessly; otherwise, how will we get by with just a few coins?” Zhao Shi argued.

Old Man Ye’s face darkened immediately, his look towards Zhao Shi growing harsher, “Zhao Shi, that hundred silver taels belong to Jiujiu, and it has nothing to do with the family finances. It’s her money; she wants to use it for the youngest’s marriage out of consideration for her siblings’ love. Why should it be divided among you?”

“Dad, you can’t say that. Although that silver was earned by my sister, in all these years, every penny our family earned went into the public pot. Why should the money she earned be hers alone? Even if the Clan Leader weighed in, there would be no logic to that!” Zhao Shi argued.

In the past, she would have resisted even before the division, let alone now that the family had already split.

Silver in one’s own hands is truly one’s own; everyone wants to live better days, and she was not going to be like Mistress Zhang, so foolishly seeking a reputation for filial piety and enduring everything without complaint.

“You…” Old Man Ye was left speechless by Zhao Shi’s words.

Faced with such a brazen daughter-in-law, he, being a man, couldn’t lower himself to argue with a woman and could only look at Ye Gaoshui, “Second son, do you really also want a share of this money?”

Ye Gaoshui lowered his head, his silence saying it all.

At the door, Ye Jiu felt her disappointment growing heavier by the moment.

Ye Jiu herself was a treasure and didn’t care about such a small amount of money. She had originally wanted to pull the entire family up into prosperity, but things always went contrary to wishes.

The bonds between people truly cannot withstand scrutiny; slowly, all efforts become meaningless.

If it were only Zhao Shi behaving this way, Ye Jiu wouldn’t be heartbroken because people are naturally selfish, and she had no blood relation to Zhao Shi. However, Ye Gaoshui was her own brother, directly related by blood under the same father and mother.