But later on, Zhou firmly established his bottom line.

Zhou believed that unless there was a major disaster and the whole family was facing the situation of "starving to death immediately if they didn't sell the land", the family's land must not be reduced any further.

The eldest brother and his wife didn't dare to mention the issue of selling the land anymore.

But even if they don't sell the land, the old couple's preference for the big house is still obvious to all.

When the restaurant in the town was looking for a manager, in order to ensure that the eldest son Xia Youcai could get the job safely, the old couple even put aside their dignity and asked for a favor from their eldest daughter Xia Xuejiao's in-laws.

As a result, the eldest wife rented a house in the town, hired servants, and bought maids. They lived a life comparable to those of truly wealthy families, and no outsiders came to gossip in front of the old couple.

The heads of the other families, firstly, did not know the inside story, and secondly, even if they had a vague guess, they did not dare to reveal it in front of the old couple.

At least, I can't be the one who sticks out.

The eldest brother and his family lived comfortably in the town for two or three years. Then, suddenly, without any warning, the old couple separated!

This incident completely threw Xia Youcai and his entire family off course.

However, when the family just started to divide up, Mrs. Liu had not yet truly realized how great a loss her family had suffered.

The money Xia Youcai earned from the restaurant was actually enough for their expenses in town.

However, if they could steal more from their families, they would naturally be able to save more money.

Although the supply from home has been cut off or reduced, they still have a lot of savings on hand, so they are not in a tight financial situation.

However, there is a huge difference between having a water source and not having a water source.

A few months later, when Liu was checking her accounts one day, she was shocked to find that the cash she had on hand was less than 20 taels.

What can you do with this little money!

Not to mention far away, when Xia Dalang was in Songxi Academy, socializing with his classmates, even if he went out to a mid-range restaurant and had a simple meal, it would cost at least two taels of silver.

Besides, when it’s your turn to host a dinner, do you have the nerve to restrict your guests on how to order dishes?

Jinhua was getting older, and would be eighteen next year. At this age, if she hadn't been engaged, she was essentially left alone. Liu invited the matchmaker over for tea, and she had to give her a few cents as tea money.

While secretly cursing the matchmaker for being heartless and rotten-hearted, Liu had to reluctantly give her money so that the other party would spread the good news about Jinhua and tell her about the rich family.

As for the pension money for the old couple that was not needed before the separation, as well as the daily necessities of life at home, the so-called seven necessities of life, firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, there is no need to mention them.

In the future, Jinhua and Yinhua will get married, and Xia Dalang will go to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Which one of them will not require money?

No matter how I calculate it, the little money I have is never enough!

Liu thought about it and suddenly couldn't help but feel anxious.

Therefore, she urged the eldest son, Xia Youcai, to see if she could coax the old couple into giving them some money to help them. If she could get them to sell a few acres of land, that would be even better.

However, after returning to the village, the eldest brother Xia Youcai kept suppressing Liu and did not allow her to speak freely.

She was just told to flatter her mother-in-law Zhou, to be considerate and caring to her sister-in-law Xia Yujiao, and to be polite to her sisters-in-law. At least she had to do her work on the surface and not leave any room for criticism.

Liu was a little impatient, but Xia Youcai had never been an easy person to talk to, so Liu dared not disobey his orders.

Therefore, although Liu felt aggrieved in her heart, she always kept smiling.

The couple stayed in the village for two days, and Xia Youcai discovered the matter of wheat seedlings and felt that he had figured it out. When the old man mentioned the matter in public, he stopped suppressing Liu and let her do whatever she wanted.

As expected, Liu started jumping up and down.

Moreover, there is Sun from the second house, who is even more lively than Liu.

However, although the first and second wives were both having fun, their demands were completely different.

Xia Youcai, the eldest wife, was thinking about using this opportunity to get the old couple to reunite the divided property. After all, after the division, they only squeezed the old couple, but they didn't dare to do it too blatantly, so the money they could get was really limited.

Seeing that the lives of the other families were getting better and better, Xia Youcai felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

Liu understood the eldest brother's intentions and naturally followed closely - she also felt that her life was not as comfortable after the separation as before. From the perspective of being bullied, she would be bullied the same whether the family was separated or not.

But now that the family business has been split up, the amount of money that can pass through my hands has been greatly reduced. I have truly experienced the feeling of being financially tight, and I never want to go through this again.

However, Xia Yougui and Sun from the second branch did not want to return to the situation before the separation.

The second branch had the largest population, and Xia Yougui always felt that he was the one who suffered the most from doing the work of the whole family. After all, Erlang was already a grown man, and although Sanlang and Silang were still young, they could also serve as half-laborers.

The peach and apricot blossoms were both honest children, willing to work hard and endure hardships. Although the plum blossom was a little younger, it was not the kind of person who would be lazy, play tricks, or act spoiled.

No matter how you look at it, it seems that my family is the one that suffers the most.

Therefore, the second son, Xia Yougui, only wanted to continue the wheat planting business and squeeze some money out of the fourth room and the old couple, but he didn't want to go back to the time before the family split.

The old couple remained silent for a long time, watching as the first and second wives initially targeted the fourth wife, and gradually began to argue over whether or not to return to their life before the separation, without saying a word.

The old man lit a cigarette, and the smoke made it impossible to see his face.

Old Madam Zhou, whose hands were never idle, was now furiously sewing the soles of shoes with a large awl. However, although she was angry, she remained silent.

He just used the awl to poke the sole of the shoe hard, while keeping a stern face and pursing his lips, stretching his thin lips straight, almost forming a straight line.

Mrs. Wu was happy to watch the show, but she noticed that the old couple were in a bad mood, so she didn't say anything and just laughed secretly in her heart.

Xia Youtian and Jiang, the couple from the fourth room, couldn't stand this atmosphere. Although they were sweating profusely and wanted to ask to give up the wheat seeds, they never found a chance.

Liu and Sun were arguing fiercely, and their words were so intertwined that not even a needle could get through, and not even water could get through.

No matter who you are, don't try to interrupt.

However, Xia Youcai and Xia Yougui have always been in cahoots with each other.

Although their wives were arguing with each other in front, the two old brothers quietly put their heads together and started whispering in front of everyone.