northernbook Chapter 25 The Family Division Turmoil
Chapter 25 The Family Division Turmoil
Mr. Shen looked incredulous. He never expected that a little girl who had never been to school could say something so insightful.
The land deeds and house deeds all belong to the Lin family. He was afraid of gossip from the neighbors, so he didn't go to the yamen to make changes or have the village head notarize them. If the eldest brother insists on making a big fuss, he will indeed be at a disadvantage due to the rumors.
He glared at his granddaughter and said, "Xiao Tang, I advise you not to be arrogant at such a young age. It's not your place to interfere in the affairs of your elders."
Shen Xiaotang nodded obediently, "Master is right. So, do you agree to the division of the family property or not?"
Mr. Shen fell silent.
He devoted himself to raising his sons and grandsons for many years, hoping that one of them would be successful, pass the imperial examination with top honors, and lead his family out of their peasant background, out of Guihua Village, and into a life of wealth and prosperity.
That's why he took advantage of his eldest son, who looked down on him for being simple-minded, and made him and his wife take on all the farm work.
Without the eldest son and his wife, who will do the housework? How will the whole family afford to spend money?
Seeing that his father remained silent, Shen Qingchuan became anxious, realizing that his father was unlikely to give in easily.
“Father, if you don’t agree, I will go to the village head tomorrow and let him make the decision.”
"you dare!"
Mr. Shen immediately scolded him again before reluctantly saying, "Give me two days to think it over. When dividing the family property, we need to consider what to divide, right?"
What if the village headman distributes all the land and houses to the eldest son?
Although the property originally belonged to the Lin family, it was something he earned by enduring the disgust of marrying into the family and bearing the reputation of being a gigolo for several years. He had borne so much, how could he let this ungrateful person take it away?
Now that he has many children and grandchildren, he needs to prepare more family property for them.
As for the eldest son, he was unfilial and insisted on separating from the family, so don't blame him for being ruthless.
“Since you insist on separating, then we’ll give you the old house at the west end of the village. You two are capable, so go and cultivate a few acres of wasteland at the foot of the mountain to start planting. We’ll give you two hundred catties of grain for now, and we’ll share some more with you when we have the next harvest. We’ll also give you a set of kitchen utensils and farm tools each.”
No discussion, just a decision!
Shen Xiaotang almost burst out laughing when she heard this. Her grandfather was really good at scheming. He swallowed up all the family property left by his first wife's family and only gave her father a dilapidated house that was already half collapsed. She heard that it only had two thatched huts.
They're using such a small amount of stuff to scare their big family.
They have absolutely no shame!
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingchuan and Liu felt a chill run down their spines.
Father is showing no mercy whatsoever. He thinks he can get rid of them with just two half-collapsed thatched huts and two hundred catties of grain?
“Dad, the six brick and tile houses we live in now were left to me by Mom. As your son, I shouldn’t argue with you about living there. You can also give me those two dilapidated thatched huts in the old house, but no one has lived there for more than 20 years and they’ve collapsed long ago. At least give us some money to repair them, right? Mom left me sixteen acres of fertile land, and you won’t give me even one acre. That’s not fair, is it?”
Dividing the family property like this is no different from kicking them out with nothing.
Father has always been concerned about his reputation. Isn't he afraid that if the neighbors find out, it will ruin his image?
Mr. Shen looked impatient. “Brothers, we only have these two houses. It would be the best if we could give you one of them. Your brothers don’t even have thatched huts or abandoned houses. We only have twenty acres of land. There are so many men in the family. They still need to study and make a living. If we give you a few more acres, you can stop studying and stop eating. You might as well starve to death.”
"Don't act innocent after getting the benefits. We can't let you take all the credit. If you want a share, then share; if not, then forget it!"
After saying that, Mr. Shen patted his bottom and went straight back into his house.
They didn't leave the eldest son and his wife any room for discussion.
With a dark expression, Mrs. Sun was no longer willing to play the good guy and turned to follow her husband away.
Shen Xiaotang wanted to try to get something more for her parents, but her father made a clean break without any room for discussion.
His actions were clearly intended to force his parents to back down and abandon the idea of separating the family so that he could continue to serve the whole family like a slave.
It's true what they say, birds of a feather flock together; the grandfather's calculations are even more shrewd than the third aunt's.
Shen Xiaotang held her younger sister's hand and followed her dejected parents back into the house.
Liu remained silent, sitting quietly by the bed as tears streamed down her face.
Seeing his wife crying so hard, Shen Qingchuan felt heartbroken and could only sigh.
“Father has indeed lost his conscience by eating the children of the deceased, but I am still his son. I can’t really take him to the authorities, can I?”
Liu cried and said, "I didn't say you should sue him, but Father is too bullying. The fields and houses were left to us by Mother. We didn't originally intend to keep them all. We would have accepted two dilapidated houses, but he wouldn't even give us an acre of good land. He had the nerve to say he would give us two hundred catties of grain first, and then distribute some more next season. If he doesn't give us enough this time, we won't get any next time."
"Who doesn't know that reclaimed wasteland is low-grade land with the worst harvest? Besides, there's practically no land left to cultivate near the village. The men in a family need to go to school and eat, so why should we be sacrificed to make way for everyone else?"
She married into the family and worked hard for six or seven years without complaint. The old couple must have no conscience at all!
Shen Qingchuan nodded and sighed, "In the end, it's still Father's favoritism."
Shen Xiaotang said indignantly, "Master's favoritism has been going on for more than a day or two. No matter what, this family needs to be divided up as soon as possible." Otherwise, her family will be sucked dry by this family of leeches sooner or later.
Liu wiped away her tears and said aggrievedly, "But this is all we get? No land, no money. Isn't this pushing us to the brink of death?"
"Father, Mother, don't worry, I have a way."
The couple was taken aback, and immediately asked in a low voice, "What method?"
Shen Xiaotang lowered her voice, leaned close to their ear, and whispered to them.
In the main house.
Mrs. Sun plopped down on the stool, looking displeased.
"Father, we have several sons, and only two houses in total. If we give one to the eldest son, what will happen to the rest of them?"
Mr. Shen said with a stern face, "If we don't give him a place, and things get out of hand, we might not even be able to keep where we live now. Besides, all we get is a house and two hundred catties of grain. Anyone with a brain would shut their mouth and never dare to mention dividing the family property again."
Before long, the second and third sons couldn't contain themselves any longer and knocked on the door of the old couple's house to inquire what their parents had given their eldest brother, but they were kicked out.
The next day, before dawn, Shen Qingchuan, as usual, carried a shoulder pole to town to deliver tofu and eggs. After breakfast, Mr. Shen led his sons and grandsons to the school. Liu cut pig feed, Shen Xiaotang cooked, and Xiaoyu fed the chickens. Everyone tacitly refrained from mentioning it again, as if the events of the previous night had never happened.
At noon, news suddenly spread through the village. Gou Dan, who lived at the village entrance, ran into the Shen family and said that Shen Qingchuan had been invited to repair a house in town. He was lost in thought and accidentally fell, breaking two ribs.
The person has been taken to the village entrance.