Jiang's father appeared gentle and didn't talk much. He didn't interact much with his children, which fit the image of a patriarch in ancient times.

But internally, things are different; he cares for children much more and treats all children equally.

After a night of deliberation, Jiang's mother couldn't come up with a better solution than Shuyun's suggestion. Although she didn't want to separate the family, she had no choice; continuing this stalemate was bad for everyone.

Jiang's parents reached a consensus; all that remained was to notify the rest of the family.

Jiang's father also sent a letter to Jiang Shuwen in the county town, asking him to come home after he returned. A few days before Jiang Qi returned home, he went to the prefectural city on business with the head manager, and it was unknown whether he had returned yet.

Jiang Lan and her sister-in-law had also heard rumors that the family was going to split up, and they felt both uneasy and excited.

She overheard this from her third grandfather's aunt. She had also overheard her father-in-law and Jiang's father's conversation by chance. She didn't know the specifics, but she clearly heard that Jiang Shuyun wanted to separate from the family and live independently with Jiang Qi. Because she was close to Jiang's sister-in-law, considered to be from the same clan, and knew what Jiang Shuyun was worried about, she secretly told her.

Jiang's sister-in-law, who was eager for her sister-in-law to marry into a wealthy family so that she could benefit from the marriage, secretly told Jiang Lan about it.

"Sister-in-law, is this really true? Second brother wants to take sister and live separately from the family. Will our parents agree to that?"

"It should be true. My third grandfather's aunt is my maternal aunt, who is within five degrees of kinship. We are close, and she knew I was worried about you. She overheard our father and third grandfather talking about it and secretly told me."

"Let's keep this to ourselves; don't reveal it yet. Just do what you normally would and let your parents know your stance. That way, they'll start to consider dividing the family property."

Sister-in-law Jiang didn't forget to curry favor with Jiang Lan, saying that if Jiang Lan really married well, she shouldn't forget her as her elder sister-in-law.

Jiang's parents have already made up their minds; they're just waiting for Shuwen to return so the family can divide up the property.

The Jiang family's assets consisted of only twenty mu of paddy fields, twenty mu of dry land, ten mu of woodland, and some cash. The paddy fields were all fertile, worth about ten taels of silver per mu. The dry land was also decent, but not as valuable as the paddy fields, worth only five or six taels of silver. The woodland was the cheapest, as it didn't have many valuable trees, worth only one tael of silver per mu. The Jiang family's woodland lay fallow, only providing some firewood.

Jiang Shuwen returned three days later. When he arrived back in the county town from the prefectural city, he heard that his sister had divorced. The news spread far and wide, and the Fan family began to make a big fuss about finding Fan Wenshan a well-bred young lady.

"Shuwen, once you've finished handing over the work, go home and rest for a few days. There's no rush. You did a good job on this trip to the prefectural city."

The head manager valued Jiang Shuwen highly. The young man was educated, had good handwriting, and most importantly, was quick-witted and clever. He was alert and resourceful, unlike some people who only act when ordered around, which was tiring to watch.

"Thank you, Manager. I was a little worried, not knowing what was going on at home. I'll hurry up and finish this so I can go straight home."

"Go back now, I'll give you four days off."

The head manager had many things to do, so he gave a few instructions and left.

After finishing his work, Jiang Shuwen picked up his bag and headed towards where Uncle Jiang had parked his car.

"Oh, Shuwen, you're back?"

"Uncle Jiang, I just got back today. The manager gave me a few days off so I could go home and visit my family."

"Yes, go back. Your sister is back. The villagers have been gossiping a lot, but with your parents protecting her, they don't dare to go too far."

Uncle Jiang didn't say much; it was just gossip from women, so it didn't matter if he didn't say anything.

Although Jiang Shuwen was anxious, it concerned his eldest sister and was a rather private matter, so he didn't ask too many questions. He decided to go home and ask his parents instead.

Under the moonlight, Jiang Shuwen entered his home.

"Shuwen is back. Did he just return from the prefectural city?"

"Second Sister-in-law, I came back from the prefectural city today. Where are Father and Mother? Where is Eldest Sister?"

"Everyone's inside. Dinner's almost ready. Go wash up. There's no rush. We can talk about it after we eat."

Mu Yi'an knew what her brother-in-law wanted to ask. This matter couldn't be rushed. After dinner, a decision should be made.

"Okay, Second Sister-in-law, I'll go back to my room to wash up first."

Jiang Shuwen returned to the west wing. He had been traveling a long way and smelled bad again.

"Shuwen is back?"

"Yes, Mother. My brother-in-law went back to his room to wash up; he just returned from the prefectural city today."

Upon hearing this, Li Qiuniang quickly went back to her room to check.

When Jiang Shuwen came in after tidying up, he looked much more refreshed, at least he was no longer covered in dust.

"Father, Mother, I'm back."

"Sit down and eat first. After you finish eating, I'll talk to you about something."

After Jiang's father said something, the others didn't say anything more and quietly continued eating.

After clearing away the dishes and settling the children in, the Jiang family gathered in the living room for a family meeting.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, I'll get to the important points. Shuwen, your older sister got divorced for some reasons, and I wanted to let you know."

There are different opinions within the family. As your father, your mother and I love each of you equally.

Whether it's a son or a daughter, they are both our own flesh and blood, and we raised them both from the bottom of our hearts. No matter what happens to you, we will do our best to help you solve it, even if our abilities are limited.

Jiang's father paused for a moment, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.

Apart from Jiang Shuwen, everyone else has calmed down these past few days.

"Father, I support my eldest sister. The Fan family is not a good place to stay. It's better to leave sooner rather than later."

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