"Little Quanzi, the clan chief is asking you a question, are you deaf?"

Old Man Shen's two uncles were also impatient, and seeing that he was silent, they couldn't help but scold him.

“What happened today was wrong on the part of the Chen family.”

Seeing that he couldn't get any answers from Old Man Shen, the clan chief turned to look at Shen Yu'an.

Shen Yu'an then recounted the whole story to the clan leader and all the grandfathers.

The clan chief and several elders had ashen faces.

They had known for a long time that Old Man Shen and Mrs. Chen were unreasonable, letting the second wife's family do all the work while the first, third, and fourth wives got all the benefits. Their favoritism was boundless.

Now that she has driven her second son to his death, she still has no intention of letting him go.

“Anger, tell Grandpa what you want. Don’t be afraid, Grandpas will stand up for you.”

Shen Yu'an knelt down with a thud: "Great-grandfathers and grandfathers, my father toiled like a beast of burden his whole life and never received a good reward. Now that he's about to die, they won't even let him into the house. My grandmother said she was afraid that his death at home would bring bad luck. Now that my father has fallen ill, my mother is also sick from grief, and my second brother..."

Shen Yu'an choked up a little: "My second brother left home to join the army when he was fifteen. Yu Lan was also sold by them. Although Yu Qing was switched at birth and escaped a disaster, the dowry given by the family was accepted by the grandmother. Now the family comes to the door every day to ask for her. Yesterday, my second sister just arrived home, and my grandmother wanted to beat her with family discipline. My father couldn't bear to see my second sister being seriously injured as soon as she got home, so he took the beating for her."

"Now that Father has passed away, please ask the clan elder to make arrangements for us, let Father enter the house first, and set up a mourning hall for him."

Elder Shen nodded, saying that it was only right to set up a mourning hall for the deceased.

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen immediately objected, saying, "I disagree. Yushu is about to take the prefectural examination. It's too unlucky to set up a mourning hall at home. What if it disrupts Yushu's fortune?"

Elder Shen frowned: "Then how do you intend to dispose of the second son's body?"

"What's the point of settling him? Just bury him on a mat. We don't have any extra money to buy him a coffin."

Shen Yu'an looked incredulous. He had known since he was a child that his grandmother was biased and that she disliked his father, but he never expected that even after his father died, she would not only not be sad, but would not even be willing to buy him a coffin.

"Grandma, since you are so heartless, let's divide the family property. Give us the money and we'll take care of Father ourselves."

At this point, Chen was also impatient: "Go ahead and divide it up, anyway, you won't get anything from the house."

Shen Yu'an kowtowed to the clan chief and several elders and said, "Our second branch has suffered too much. Please, Grandfather Clan Chief, do us a favor and give our second branch a way to survive. We want to divide the family property."

The clan chief was stumped upon hearing this.

The clan chief knew some things. Three years ago, the higher authorities conscripted soldiers from the village. Each family had to provide one able-bodied man. Many families paid ten taels of silver, while those who couldn't afford the silver could only contribute men.

Shen Quan and Chen pushed Shen Yu'an forward.

Just then, Shen Yu'an fell ill. Zhou felt sorry for her son and went to beg Chen for help, but Chen refused. Shen Yutang left in place of his brother without saying a word.

At that time, Shen Yutang was only fourteen years old. The eldest son of the first wife was older than Shen Yu'an, and another son was older than Shen Yutang. One of the sons of the third wife was also older than Shen Yutang. Even if it were up to the second wife, it wouldn't be her turn.

Yu Lan was also married off to an old widower by Chen Shi when she was fourteen years old. On the day she left, Yu Lan cried so bitterly that the whole village saw it.

Yu Qing was also sold for thirty taels to a man whose wife had died. It was said that his wife had been beaten to death by him.

Chen seized control of the second wife and exploited her without hesitation.

That being said, the practice of not separating the family while the parents are still alive is unprecedented in Shangqing Village.

Seeing that the clan chief was having trouble making a decision, and with more and more villagers gathering around and discussing the matter, Shen Danru pulled Shen Yuyan down to kneel on the ground as well.

After discussing it for a while, the clan chief and several elders finally made a decision: "Little Quanzi, have you thought it through? Do you agree to divide the family?"

Old Man Shen felt like he was being roasted over a fire. He didn't dare to lift his head, but he still managed to utter the two words, "Agreed."

Clan Chief Shen then looked at the Chen family.

At first, Madam Chen also thought of kicking them all out, but Madam Niu whispered to her, "Mother, this family cannot be divided. If it is divided, how will the second branch of the family be able to take care of you?"

Of course, Niu had her own ulterior motives. If the family split up, who would do the housework? Her mother-in-law certainly wouldn't, and could she really rely on that lazy woman from the third wife's side? In the end, it would most likely fall on her shoulders.

Chen thought it made sense.

She finally outlived her mother-in-law and took charge of the household. Her son and daughter-in-law should serve her; how could they be separated from her?

“I disagree. I’m old, and they have to take care of me.”

After saying that, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Besides, if they move out, who will do the housework?"

The villagers couldn't stand it anymore and cursed her for being shameless, saying she only felt satisfied after driving her entire second wife's family to their deaths.

Although the clan chief was old, his ears were very sharp, and he heard every word Chen said.

He had already guessed that Chen would disagree, and his face showed some anger:

"Do you understand the principle of filial piety? If the mother is not kind, how can they be filial? The second branch has moved out to live separately, and there is no one to do the work at home. Are the first and third branches dead? It's settled then. Xiao Quanzi, go and sort things out. What do you plan to divide among the second branch? Also, how much silver, grain, and land do you have at home? You should also give a share to the second branch."

"What? We still need to divide the goods and money?"

When Chen heard that they were going to divide the items, she became really anxious. Her facial features contorted into a grimace, and her triangular eyes became even more prominent.

Shen Danru observed the family. The eldest uncle looked most like Chen Shi. She had never seen the third and fourth uncles, but their children all had some resemblance to Chen Shi and Old Man Shen in their facial features.

Only Shen Cheng was the most handsome in the family. He looked neither like Old Man Shen nor Chen Shi, and he was also tall, a head taller than his other brothers.

Looking at the children of the second wife, although Shen Yulan and Shen Yutang had never met them, Shen Yu'an, Shen Yuyan and she were all good-looking and did not look like members of the Shen family at all.

It's unusual that Shen Cheng, the best-looking member of the family, is so disliked by Old Man Shen and Madam Chen.

unless,

Shen Cheng is not a child of the Shen family.

Before Clan Chief Shen could speak, the Second Elder, Shen Quan's second uncle, said coldly, "What kind of family division is it if you don't divide the property?"

Chen stubbornly replied, "There's nothing of theirs in the house. They can go wherever they want. They can just leave. They'll have nothing to do with the Shen family anymore."

Hearing her say that, the second old man was also furious: "You don't deserve to be a mother. Shen Cheng is gone, and I haven't seen you shed a single tear. Now you're making things difficult for his children. Look at this family. Only the second wife is decent enough. You're all confused. You'll regret this in the future."