Lin Shitou quickly shook his head: "No, no, village chief, why is this child with you? Did he say something to you?"

Lin Fugui really wanted to know what this person was thinking, so he deliberately asked, "What do you think he could say to me?"

"No matter what he tells you, don't believe him. This child is spoiled rotten by his grandfather. He bullies his younger brother all day long and talks back to his mother. I only said a few words to him and he ran away. I searched for him for a long time but couldn't find him."

Er Ya couldn't stand it anymore: "You're talking nonsense. You never even looked for Brother Lin Xiao. It was clearly the two of you who kicked him out."

Li Cuihua jumped forward, her fat face bouncing a few times, and pointed at Er Ya, scolding, "You little brat, go back to your home, what's it to you?"

Er Ya wasn't afraid of her at all. Anyway, with Grandpa Village Chief around, she wouldn't dare do anything to her. She stuck out her tongue at her: "Hehehe, I'm not leaving. You guys are too mean, you even hit Brother Lin Xiao."

Li Cuihua reached out to hit Er Ya: "You brat, why are you so talkative? Today I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents: you can't talk back to adults."

Lin Fugui coughed twice, reached out and pulled Er Ya behind him, and asked Lin Shitou, "Is your wife in charge of your family? Are you even a man?"

Lin Shitou, fearing the village chief's authority, reprimanded Li Cuihua: "The village chief is here; he will stand up for us. How could you lay a hand on a child?"

"Oh ho!" Er Ya was so angry at the couple's blatant lies that she laughed. She tugged at Lin Fugui's clothes.

"Grandpa Village Chief, let's finish our business quickly and leave. I don't want to see them anymore. They're going to hit me. I'm so scared."

Oh dear, I'd been so caught up in this mess that I'd forgotten about it. Luckily, Er Ya reminded me. Lin Fugui said with a long face, "I came here today because of Lin Xiao. Didn't you kick him out and want to separate the family? That's why I'm here today."

Li Cuihua's eyes lit up, and she stuffed the child into Lin Shitou's arms, saying happily, "Village Chief, is it true? That's great! Since you've said so, then let's split this family. You're busy, so we won't keep you from doing your work. Take care, Village Chief, we won't see you off."

Oh dear, she thought the old man was coming to persuade them to bring their burden back, but it turns out he's just a convenient opportunity, like a pillow being delivered to someone who's about to fall asleep. They were all thinking the same thing.

"What do you mean? Didn't you hear what I just said? You guys decide how to divide this."

Li Cuihua said dismissively, "How else can it be divided? Just let him move out."

Lin Fugui was furious: "So you mean that splitting up the family means leaving this child all alone? How can you be so cruel?"

"What else can I do but give him my whole house? He's dreaming. He won't get a single needle away from me."

"Lin Shitou, I won't argue with this woman. You tell me, how do you plan to divide it?"

Lin Shitou muttered softly, "Let's do as the wife of the child wants. My family isn't doing well either. There are old people and young children, and we don't have much to divide. If it really doesn't work, let's move the bed he sleeps in."

Li Cuihua raised her voice eight octaves: "You dare! He moved the bed away. Where will our little treasure sleep when he grows up?"

"Then... then give him the blanket, okay? At least he can call you 'Mom' once."

“Who cares if he calls me mother? I have my own son, and I’ve done enough by raising him for so long. Just think about how much food he’s eaten over the years. I’m already being lenient by not letting him give me money. Lin Xiao, you tell me, how have we treated you?”

Lin Xiao was truly angry. His hands clenched tightly, trembling slightly, his chest heaving violently like a giant balloon about to burst, the veins on his neck standing out shakily, and his face flushed red, from his neck all the way to behind his ears. He looked like an angry Guan Yu.

“You feed me? What kind of food? For the past few years, I’ve been eating leftovers or dishwater. I’ve done every chore in the house, I even washed my little brother’s diapers. I… I’ve never had a full meal.”

"Hey, you ingrate, did you hear that, village chief? We raised him all these years, and it's all our fault. We should have thrown you out after your mother died."

"Father? Is that what you think too?"

Lin Shitou squatted on the ground, remaining silent.

With his last glimmer of hope shattered, Lin Xiao collapsed to his knees with a thud, weeping as he said to Lin Fugui:

"Village chief, I don't want any of their things. Just divide them up quickly. I'll set up my own account, and whether I live or die will have nothing to do with them."

Er Ya felt very uncomfortable, but she couldn't say anything about it. She had originally decided to squeeze them out of them today and make them pay back for all the suffering Lin Xiao had endured over the years.

Now that he's said that, I guess I'll just leave it be. Those two aren't exactly easy to deal with; if I take their things today, who knows how much they'll make Lin Xiao pay back later.

Lin Fugui glanced at the crowd outside. The commotion had attracted quite a few people, who were whispering among themselves at the door. He stroked his beard and said in a conciliatory tone, "I want to establish my authority as village chief in front of them."

"I was originally planning to fight for something for you, but since you've said this, then I'll listen to you. I'll say it here today: from now on, Lin Xiao will no longer be Lin Shitou's eldest son. Whether he succeeds or fails in the future, it has nothing to do with Lin Shitou. From now on, Lin Xiao will be the head of the household. Lin Shitou, do you have any objections?"

Lin Shitou glanced at Lin Xiao and saw that the boy's eyes were full of hatred. He silently shivered.

Just then, Lin Xiaobao sensed that something was wrong and started crying loudly. Lin Shitou quickly comforted the child while saying, "Let's just say this, honey, the baby is hungry, you should go back and feed him."

Li Cuihua looked at him suspiciously: "You wouldn't secretly give him something behind my back, would you? Let me tell you, he's not taking a single pudding today, or we'll get a divorce right now."

"No, look how pitifully your son is crying, go and comfort him."

After sending Li Cuihua away, Lin Shitou said apologetically, "Son, this is the last time I'll call you that. It's my fault for being incompetent. Just be good to you from now on. I'm in a difficult position too. It's not easy for me either. Don't hate your father."

Er Ya said angrily, "How can it be so easy? You can't just say you don't hate him. You hit Lin Xiao Ge to maintain the so-called family harmony. You know what kind of life he lives, but you've never said a word for him. You don't deserve to be his father."

To be continued!