As soon as one spoke up, another chimed in, "That's right, Third Brother. Our family has always been fair and just, and our parents are never biased. In the past, when we had children, we would go back to work in the fields within a few days. But now, Third Brother's wife is in a special situation. She can't lift a finger and has to stay in the city for a month to recover after childbirth. She won't be able to do any of the housework, and you'll have to take care of her too. So, you won't be able to gather these herbs. If you give them to Third Brother's wife, I'm afraid she won't be able to live with herself."

Tian Zhu's face turned red with anger. His wife had just come back from the brink of death and was unable to move. His family wanted to wash their hands of the matter.

He looked at his mother, hoping she would say something fair, even if she disagreed with the matter, he would accept it as long as she could reprimand his two sisters-in-law.

But his mother acted as if she had a deep-seated grudge against him, and said: "Your eldest and second sisters-in-law are right. You are a father now. You should take care of your own wife and children. You don't have to do the housework. This is already the biggest concession. There is no reason for you to enjoy life in the city while your parents are working themselves to death at home!"

Tian Zhu blurted out in disbelief, "Mother, are you planning to separate me, my wife, and the children from me?"

Tian Zhu's mother frowned: "What nonsense are you spouting? When did I say I wanted to separate the family?"

"Since we're not separating, it's only right that you help us out. I gave you all the money I brought back from working odd jobs for the landlord. If you really need it, please give me this money to tide me over..."

Tian Zhu was interrupted by his mother before he could finish speaking.

"That's the money you gave to your mother as a sign of filial piety. You want it back? You can't even save up any money yourself, so why should you take my money for my funeral? No way!"

Tian Zhu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Mother, you said you'd give me money after my wife gave birth. You said the money, even though it was handed over to the government, was still family. How come you're doing this now..."

"My son has given you all the money he's brought home over the years, and now he urgently needs money. You can't just stand by and watch him die!"

Tian Zhuniang wouldn't listen to him: "Don't threaten your mother! That's my money for my funeral! If you touch my money for my funeral, you're being unfilial and will be struck by lightning!"

Tian Zhu felt extremely bitter, and his eyes were filled with despair.

Normally, his mother valued money more than anything else, but since the family didn't lack food, he didn't care too much about it.

Even though my mother's reputation for being mean and selfish was known throughout the village, which family wasn't like that?

He always thinks of his family, and he would never be so heartless no matter what.

But in reality, he was overthinking it; he was just being delusional.

Tian Zhu wasn't stupid; his wife was still lying in bed, relying on Jishetang for help.

Outside the house, the family was arguing fiercely over this small amount of money.

Since that's the case, let's settle things once and for all!

After all, he had overheard his mother's attitude towards his daughter yesterday, and he was afraid that even if he got the money for the medical treatment, he would regret it later when he returned home.

Tian Zhu took a deep breath, knelt down, and kowtowed three times to his mother.

Tian Zhuniang was startled; her heart suddenly pounded, and she had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Sure enough, what Tian Zhu said next struck her like a thunderbolt.

“Mother, please forgive your unfilial son. My wife and child are still sick, and you are unwilling to spend any money, not even to give them this herbal medicine. You can ignore them, but I cannot. Why don’t we just separate our branch of the family today, and from now on we can live our own lives!”

"When our son earns money in the future, he will save it himself and won't be unable to afford medical treatment for his wife and children! After that, you won't have to worry about the children's food, drink, and other needs."

This was a bolt from the blue for Tian Zhuniang; she immediately felt her authority had been challenged.

Since ancient times, the family has never separated while the parents are alive. Tian Zhu's actions are not only considered unorthodox by his mother, but also outrageous by the onlookers!

Only Ning Yao looked at him with approval and some surprise: This person is actually quite intelligent!

If Tian Zhu's family doesn't separate, let alone the eldest, even the premature little sister probably won't live to adulthood!

Even if she's lucky enough to grow up, she'll probably still be considered a money-losing brat by Tian Zhu's mother, a little girl who might end up being sold for a good price!

If they hadn't run into each other, it would have been fine, but now that they have, Ning Yao doesn't want to see this happen.

Before Tian Zhuniang could speak, his two sisters-in-law became somewhat anxious.

The eldest sister-in-law said with great distress, "You want to divide the family property? Third brother, are you out of your mind! Even when our parents are alive, we don't divide the family property. Are you trying to be unfilial by doing this?!"

The second sister-in-law chimed in, "My dear third brother! You're usually the most filial one. Our parents always praise you for being able to earn money, even more than your eldest and second brothers. Are you really going to fight with your family to this extent for your sister-in-law's sake?!"

"Third brother, you are the one who belongs to the Tian family. Why do you treat our parents so badly for an outsider!"

Tian Zhu's second sister-in-law was eloquent and persuasive; with just a few words, she shifted all the blame for Tian Zhu's desire to divide the family property onto Tian Wangshi.

"Pfft, the third daughter-in-law is an outsider, but the second and eldest daughters-in-law aren't? Sister Zhilan, this is the first time I've heard such a logic, it's quite interesting!"

Tian Zhu's second sister-in-law blushed instantly, looking at the source of the sound with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

It was Lou Yangyang, and standing next to her was Zhilan.

Tian Zhu's second sister-in-law fell silent; she knew she couldn't afford to mess with either of them now.

Tianzhu's sister-in-law secretly pinched her, signaling her to shut up and say less.

She winced in pain, but dared not utter a sound.

However, Lou Yangyang's words drew contempt from the onlookers.

There were all sorts of opinions, and in the end, the topic was steered towards Tian Zhuniang, who was then given a good scolding.

Sister-in-law Tian Zhu stepped in to smooth things over: "Third brother, with things escalating like this today, our Tian family has lost face. Father isn't here, and we can't make decisions about dividing the family property. How about we discuss it again when you all come home another day?"

To everyone's surprise, Lou Yangyang spoke up again: "Are you afraid that the money tree will run away? You said you're working for the landlord, is it those thousands of acres of fertile land outside the city? I've heard that the master of that house pays quite a bit. If you work for a month or two, you'll at least get one or two taels of silver. No one would let go of such a son who can earn money!"

Lou Yangyang took the lead, and the discussion started again in the crowd.

“I know that company! My husband went there too, he was a long-term worker! And they paid him a lot!”

“I went too, but I was just a day laborer. I suppose this brother is in the same boat as me. I took more than two taels of silver home, so he should be doing just as well!”

"They won't even spend a single penny of their two taels of silver on their third daughter-in-law's medical treatment. This family is truly heartless!"

Since things have come to this point, even a normal person would put on a show to save face.

However, for some reason, Tian Zhu's mother not only didn't put on a show, but also directly hurled insults at Tian Zhu!