Chapter 66 Division of the Family
"Gao Fei is the boss."
After struggling for a long time, Qiu Zhifang finally managed to squeeze out a complete sentence.
"Do you think this is still the old society?" Chen Yun's lips curled up slightly, a mocking light flashing in his eyes, his anger replaced by speechlessness: "The new society doesn't have that idea that the eldest son should inherit the whole family business."
Chen Yun finally understood that Qiu Zhifang wasn't jealous, but genuinely believed that the eldest child should enjoy all the family's resources.
Qiu Zhifang was only focused on wiping away her tears, her dissatisfaction radiating out of a sense of entitlement.
Gao Ming wasn't in Beicheng a few years ago. Although Gao Lan was domineering, she was convinced that Gao's daughter would never inherit any of the family property. In addition, the elderly couple doted on their grandson, so Qiu Zhifang was willing to swallow her anger and not make a scene.
The return of the second son's family brought no joy, only a sense of impending crisis.
When Qiu Zhifang first heard that Chen Yun worked at the factory clinic, she thought that her second sister-in-law was just a country girl like herself. Even when she later heard that her parents were both teachers, she was only a little surprised.
It wasn't until the news spread throughout the alley that Chen Yun became a doctor at the Workers' Hospital that the neighbors envied Dong Qiaoying's second daughter-in-law for having such a good job.
Later, Qiu Zhifang discovered that her in-laws doted on Chen Yun's two children, and she gradually became resentful.
She only saw the two little children wearing new clothes and eating popsicles, but she didn't see how the rest of the Gao family treated Gao Liang and Gao Yi.
Chen Yun looked at Gao Ming.
Gao Ming chuckled softly, "Sister-in-law has been quite busy these days, leaving early and returning late. She probably doesn't know much about the family situation. Otherwise, I'd like to have a proper count with her how much money we've all contributed..."
The roofs of the Gao family's eight houses have been in use for decades, and many of the tiles have developed cracks due to wind and sun exposure. Fortunately, the northern part of the city receives little rain, so there have been no major problems.
A few days after Gao Ming returned home, he discovered that the roof tiles had gaps. After climbing onto the roof to check, he quickly found someone to replace the tiles in all the rooms.
After Li Huguo moved back home, Gao Liang moved into that room. The furniture and bedding in the room were all paid for by Chen Yun and Gao Ming.
The liquefied petroleum gas stove in the kitchen, the new sofa in the main room, and the first color television set in Guanming Hutong.
"I just bought those plates and bowls that you and my brother broke tonight a few days ago." Chen Yun chuckled, getting angrier the more she thought about it. "Mom and I queued for three hours at the store to get this ceramic pot, and we've only used it once. You don't care about things that you didn't pay for!"
Gao Fei's face turned red and then pale, and after stammering for a long time, he finally spoke: "What Erming did should have been done by me, the eldest brother. I'm sorry to Mom and Dad, and I'm sorry to Zhifang!"
“Liangliang’s dad!” Qiu Zhifang raised her tearful eyes, seemingly disagreeing with Gao Fei’s words, and her speech quickened considerably: “What have you done to wrong the family? Over the years, we’ve taken care of everything, big and small, for the family. We haven’t wronged anyone in the slightest!”
Gao Fei's apology seemed to open a floodgate for years of pent-up grievances, and Qiu Zhifang launched into a tirade against everyone in the Gao family.
Chen Yun was speechless with astonishment.
There are truly people in this world who embody the saying "a small favor is appreciated, but a large favor is resented" so vividly.
Qiu Zhifang only remembered that her family hadn't used their connections to get Gao Fei back to the city earlier, but she forgot that it was Gao Tiejun who had to go around asking people and giving gifts to get a spot to return to the city.
She complained that her in-laws were unfair, sending the eldest son to the countryside while Gao Ming got to join the army.
Little did they know that Gao Ming had left home to join the army at the age of fifteen, and while he was on the battlefield facing death at the hands of others, Gao Fei was still studying at school.
Then there's the fact that she even had to wash Gao Lan and Zhou Jianguo's clothes, and that she was forced to move to the dormitory while her in-laws didn't say a word... She even listed all sorts of trivial things, like not getting to eat the stir-fried meat at home one day.
Chen Yun remembered that Gao Ming had mentioned the laundry incident before their marriage when he talked about his family situation. At that time, she thought Gao Lan was extremely arrogant and domineering.
But now Dong Qiaoying just rolled her eyes in exasperation, and then refuted Qiu Zhifang's accusations one by one.
"You're the one washing Gao Lan and her husband's clothes, isn't it because they're paying for it and you're willing to do it?" Dong Qiaoying retorted coldly, "If you weren't willing, would they dare force you to wash them?"
Gao Fei was shocked: "You took money from Gao Lan?"
It was because of this incident that Gao Fei moved to the factory dormitory to avoid his wife suffering, but now he finds out that it's not like that at all.
"Five cents for each piece of clothing!" Gao Lan peeked out from the doorway and abruptly interrupted, glaring at Qiu Zhifang as she spoke: "She even came into our room to get her own clothes and soap, and she used up a whole bar of soap in three days, and I haven't even said anything to her... and she's already acting all wronged!"
Gao Lan was furious next door, her head practically steaming. She had paid money, but in the end, she was wrongly accused of bullying her sister-in-law.
Dong Qiaoying continued, "When you moved into the dormitory, wasn't every piece of furniture bought by me and Gao Fei's dad? Gao Liang and Gao Yi ate at my place every day after school before going home, and we never said a word to them..."
How could Gao Ming, who was thousands of miles away, know the truth about these things? If Gao Fei hadn't asked in shock just now, he probably would have thought that the contents of his elder brother's letter were deliberately misleading.
“Gao Lan and her husband don’t pay for living expenses, but Lao Gao and I have never given her a penny of financial assistance. They also buy flour and oil for the family. What about you?” Dong Qiaoying asked rhetorically.
Gao Fei and Qiu Zhifang did pay for the meals, but twenty yuan was not enough for the four of them to eat and drink. In fact, the old couple had spent a lot of money on their two grandsons.
The food allowance of 35 yuan was increased by 15 yuan only after Gao Ming came back and proposed that each family pay for their own food.
Gao Tiejun added coldly, his face cold: "On the surface, it's thirty-five for Erming and his wife, but they give us two hundred in private. Not to mention Nian'an's grandparents staying at our house, it's more than enough for a few more relatives to come."
"Two hundred!" Gao Lan exclaimed in surprise, her eyes shifting from fear to admiration as she looked at Gao Ming: "Second Brother, what exactly do you do!"
Gao Ming scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed as he faced his sister who had been wrongly accused for years: "I started a transportation company."
"Zhou Jianguo, come quick!" Gao Lan shouted, pulling her husband, who was eavesdropping behind her, to the door: "Quickly learn from your second brother how to make money."
Today was truly a day that allowed Chen Yun to get to know her in-laws all over again.
"You two stand aside!" With a single glance from Gao Tiejun, Gao Lan and Zhou Jianguo immediately lowered their heads and retreated to stand properly by the door.
"Gao Fei, stand up and speak for yourself." Gao Tiejun stood up, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked to the center of the main room to stand still: "Have your mother and I mistreated your family of four all these years?"
Gao Fei hesitated for a moment.
Gao Tiejun scoffed, and even though Gao Fei quickly added, "No," he didn't glance at his eldest son again.
Not daring to complain in person, she used the method of tormenting her own son to attract attention. Gao Tiejun did not believe that Qiu Zhifang was completely unaware of Gao Fei's actions.
He knew about it but did not stop it, and even secretly agreed with his wife's ideas.
“Since you both harbor resentment,” Gao Tiejun looked towards the door and, seeing Chen Yun and Gao Ming nod, continued, “then let’s divide the family property today.”
As soon as the words "separate families" were spoken, Chen Yun immediately noticed that Qiu Zhifang had stopped crying and even secretly turned her head to look at Gao Fei.
"Dad, it was Zhifang and my fault today, we..."
Gao Tiejun raised his hand and simply pointed at Qiu Zhifang: "Tell your wife to stop pretending to cry. You two should stand to the side."
The three siblings moved separately and soon stood at three different points around the eight-immortal table.
At Gao Tiejun's signal, Dong Qiaoying went back to her room to get the account book, while Gao Ming went next door to call Lao Jiangtou to be a witness.
"Why do you suddenly want to split up the family property?!"
As soon as Old Jiang stepped into the main room, he exclaimed in surprise, "The Gao family's division of property came without any warning, and apart from tonight, I haven't heard any arguing in the house."
“My eldest daughter-in-law said that we two old folks are biased.” Gao Tiejun pointed to the seat next to him and smiled bitterly: “Anyway, we’ll have to separate sooner or later. While I still have the right to speak, it’s better to separate sooner rather than later.”
Throughout history, countless brothers have fallen out over dividing their family property and never spoke to each other again. The Gao family is neither the first nor the last.
Moreover, Gao Tiejun had long been considering splitting up, and Qiu Zhifang was just the trigger today.
"Sit down."
Gao Tiejun and his two siblings gestured.
Gao Fei and his wife, and Gao Ming and his wife, sat down one after another. When it was Gao Lan and Zhou Jianguo's turn, Qiu Zhifang suddenly asked, "Gao Lan is already married, so why should she be able to divide the family's belongings?"
“Because her surname is Gao!” Gao Ming replied with a cold, deep gaze and an expressionless face.
Gao Fei tugged hard at Qiu Zhifang's arm: "Alright! We'll listen to Dad. We'll divide it however Mom and Dad say."
Old Jiang clicked his tongue twice and gently tapped his pipe on the corner of the table.
"Since ancient times, the division of family property has always been decided by the parents. The daughter-in-law is not allowed to interfere with who gets the property or how it is divided!"
Without further ado, Gao Tiejun produced the most important documents in the family division: the property ownership certificate and the land use certificate.
“The certificates were just issued last year, just two booklets,” Gao Tiejun pushed the two dark green booklets to the middle of the table: “The booklets have my name and Qiaoying’s name on them, and they are temporarily registered under our names… You can see how many rooms there are.”
The family has a total of eight rooms, with two rooms allocated to each of the Gao Tiejun couple.
Qiu Zhifang frowned, her displeased gaze glaring at Gao Lan, then shifting to Gao Ming.
Chen Yun sighed.
Now I don't even want to pretend anymore... my eyes are practically screaming, "Why should we split this?"
Gao Tiejun banged on the table: "I decide how to divide it. Even if you take it to the police station, no one can say a word against me!"
"We'll listen to Dad!" Gao Fei lowered his head, his expression unreadable.
Then Gao Tiejun sighed and said, "But considering that Gao Liang and Gao Yi are getting old, your mother and I will just live in the main room plus the kitchen, and give the eldest son an extra room." He then looked at Gao Ming and Chen Yun and asked, "You two don't have any objections, right?"
Gao Ming and Chen Yun both shook their heads.
The couple hadn't included the house in their initial calculations, and they had no objection to whether it was one room or two.
Chen Yun smiled slightly, pursing her lips.
Ultimately, it's about having money in hand to feel secure... The bankbook in his hand gave Chen Yun complete confidence to shake his head.
Chen Yun's left hand, which was under the table, was suddenly covered by a large, sweaty hand. She quickly suppressed her smile and put on a serious expression.
Qiu Zhifang was quite satisfied, and a smile seemed to appear on her lips.
The house was the biggest part of the family property division. After the three siblings had no objections, the next challenge was deciding who would get which room.
The main rooms are definitely much larger than the side rooms in the second courtyard. Each room in the main room is at least 30 square meters and has much better lighting.
Gao Ming was the first to declare, "Let's just stay in these two rooms for now, we're too lazy to move!"
With a gentle tap of his deft fingers on the back of his hand, Chen Yun immediately understood and said, "Let's stay in these two rooms now!"
In an instant, Qiu Zhifang's gaze towards Chen Yun was no longer so hostile.
"What do you say?" Gao Tiejun asked Gao Fei and Gao Lan.
Gao Fei spoke up: "We already have an extra room, and we feel bad for making Er Ming suffer a loss." He glanced at Qiu Zhifang and then proposed: "We only need one main room and two side rooms with two courtyards."
Gao Fei knew very well that his parents were still biased towards him when it came to dividing the rooms... How could he have the face to accept three main rooms?
Old Jiang's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and he praised with a smile, "Gao Fei does have the air of an elder brother!"
Gao Fei was so ashamed that he quickly lowered his head.
“Then the eldest son will get the second room of the main house and the two side rooms in the two courtyards.” Gao Tiejun paused, making the division clearer: “The room with the side room will go to Erming, plus one side room in the two courtyards, and the rest will go to Gao Lan and Jianguo. You have no objections, right?”
Gao Lan and Zhou Jianguo had no objections. Right now, the three of them were all crammed into one room, and after the family split up, they would even get an extra side room!
“Dad, we need to stay in this main room for now. Moving around is too much trouble,” Qiu Zhifang said.
The house they live in now has an attached side room, and it's obvious why Qiu Zhifang doesn't want to move.
However, no one in the room responded to her.
Gao Tiejun had already written down the specific ownership of the house in the family division agreement, and then the three siblings signed and pressed their fingerprints one by one.
Once a fingerprint is pressed, the ownership of the house is completely determined.
The division of money was much simpler after that. Gao Tiejun planned to return all the money that the three siblings had given to their family over the years to them.
"Here are the ledgers, take a look for yourselves."
The ledger that Dong Qiaoying brought out recorded the money that the three siblings had been handing over to their family since their first day at work.
I remember it clearly, and there is absolutely no room for denial.
As for the old couple's money, no one should even think about taking it.
"Erming, you've sent a lot of money home over the years!" Old Jiang casually flipped through one of the books, then looked at Gao Ming in surprise: "You sent most of your wages from working in the third-tier factory back to Beicheng, didn't you?"
Gao Ming smiled憨厚ly: "Before I got married, I was worried about spending money recklessly, so I simply sent most of my salary home!"
"How many?" Chen Yun asked curiously.
"More than seven thousand." Old Jiang smiled and handed the ledger to Chen Yun, even turning to the last page: "Ten years ago, you wouldn't have dared to even imagine this amount."
Even now, seven thousand is not a small amount.
Chen Yun was also somewhat surprised. Before they got married, Gao Ming had saved up a thousand yuan, which showed just how lucrative the transport team was back then.
Qiu Zhifang suddenly clenched her fists, gripping the ledger tightly.
In all these years, their family has paid less than a thousand yuan for food expenses. Even though Qiu Zhifang couldn't believe it, the accounts were there... There were even records of the months in which they borrowed money from their parents for various reasons.
Moreover... the borrowed money wasn't included in the total amount.
“We have all the post office receipts for the money Gao Ming sent. If any of you don’t believe us, you can check them yourselves.”
Dong Qiaoying's two sentences forced Qiu Zhifang to shut up obediently, but her gaze could not be taken off the thick stack of money that Gao Tiejun handed to Chen Yun.
Dong Qiaoying sneered inwardly. Her eldest daughter-in-law's outburst today had completely ruined her future.
Not long ago, Gao Ming mentioned wanting to help his sister-in-law open a small restaurant near her company. That road is full of transportation companies, so as long as the food is good, she won't have to worry about business.
Dong Qiaoying knew Gao Ming's personality very well. Once the brotherly bond faded, he would absolutely not interfere in the affairs of the eldest son's family in the future.
Short-sighted... Dong Qiaoying withdrew her disdainful gaze.
"Qiaoying and I haven't retired yet, and we're not going to work for either of us. As for what happens after we retire..."
"Mom and Dad will live with us from now on!" Qiu Zhifang immediately agreed, showing the highest level of enthusiasm tonight.
Gao Fei also said, "Dad! I'm the eldest son, so it's only right that I take care of you both in your old age and see you off when you die."
"With you?" Dong Qiaoying sneered this time, looking Qiu Zhifang up and down without any mercy: "To be honest, your father and I have been using our salaries to subsidize the family all these years, not to mention savings... Back then, because our eldest son went back to the city, we even owed money outside."
"..."
Everyone can see Gao Tiejun's dedication to his family, and Qiu Zhifang has nothing to say about it.
“Your father and I have been saving half of our salaries for the past few years to pay off the debt, and it will probably take another two years to pay it off…” Dong Qiaoying’s gaze fell on the stack of money in front of Gao Fei: “Logically speaking, this debt should be paid off by you two.”
Qiu Zhifang stopped talking and quietly hid the money in her hand.
“We’re retiring next year!” Gao Tiejun cleared his throat, his tone devoid of any emotion. “That meager retirement pension isn’t even enough for my leg care.” He then pounded his knee. “In a few more years, when my legs become weak and I’m bedridden, I’ll need someone to take care of me.”
"Dad." Gao Fei opened his mouth, but a sharp pain immediately shot through his thigh, and the word "Dad" was uttered with several syllables.
“Gao Liang and Gao Yi will need a lot of money to go to high school, and I don’t have a job.” Qiu Zhifang continued, “My situation is far worse than my younger brother and sister-in-law…”
"Didn't my sister-in-law just say that Mom and Dad should live with you?" Chen Yun laughed, speaking quite bluntly: "I'm afraid she changed her mind after hearing that Mom and Dad still have debts."
"I didn't say that!"
“Of course Gao Ming and I are very willing to take care of our parents in their old age.” Chen Yun pushed the seven thousand yuan back to Dong Qiaoying: “Pay off the debt first, and then our parents will live with us.”
"..."
Gao Lan raised her hand: "If Mom and Dad are willing, I am too."
"Starve to death together?" Gao Ming asked. Gao Lan silently lowered her hand and touched the tip of her nose instead: "That's why I said if Mom and Dad agreed... they definitely wouldn't agree."
"No need to say anything more!" Gao Ming stood up, leaning on the edge of the dining table. "Mom and Dad will live with me, and you won't need to pay any support payments from now on. I'll take care of everything, from food and drink to medical care. Their room will naturally be mine... You don't have any objections, right?"
Gao Lan shook her head.
Gao Fei hesitated for a few seconds, then finally just sighed and stopped talking.
He couldn't even remember why he and Qiu Zhifang had argued today; the only thing that kept echoing in his mind was the word "pathetic."
He was a coward in front of his parents; he was a coward at the factory; and he was even a coward in front of his younger siblings.
Suddenly, Gao Fei remembered why he had argued with his wife earlier that day.
Because... there were chili peppers in the dishes for dinner tonight.
Qiu Zhifang felt that ever since Gao Ming's family came back, she couldn't even decide what to eat at home. As the eldest sister-in-law, she would have to live at the mercy of her younger brother and sister-in-law.
Now that things have escalated and they've split up, she can make all the decisions she wants, big or small!
As he thought about it, Gao Fei realized that he was really quite pathetic.
A bitter smile slowly spread from the corners of his mouth to his heart.
"Since everyone agrees, it's settled then." Gao Ming patted Chen Yun on the shoulder: "We don't need the pots and pans, you can divide them yourselves!"
Just as the couple were about to leave hand in hand, Gao Lan suddenly pushed Zhou Jianguo with all her might, sending him stumbling right in front of Chen Yun.
"Brother, Zhou Jianguo has something to tell you."
After saying that, he immediately turned around, leaving Zhou Jianguo standing there with his mouth agape, unsure of what expression to make.
"Let's talk outside," Gao Ming said, pulling Zhou Jianguo's arm.
Without Gao Ming's involvement, the struggle over pots and pans in the main room became quite fierce. Gao Lan was like a bird released from its cage, excitedly spitting as she argued her case.
Old Jiang was deeply moved.
I thought Gao Lan had changed her personality, but it turns out that she was just being restrained by Er Ming. Without the restraint, she was still the arrogant and domineering Gao Lan she used to be.
Qiu Zhifang didn't even have a chance to speak the whole time.
The people talking in the kitchen, however, spoke in a much gentler tone.
"Did you hear what I said to Mom?" Gao Ming asked.
Zhou Jianguo nodded honestly: "We didn't intend to steal my sister-in-law's business. If she opens a restaurant, we'll sell noodles."
"I didn't blame you for only thinking of my sister-in-law and not for helping you out too?" Gao Ming asked with a half-smile.
Zhou Jianguo dared not lie, and nodded honestly: "At first I was a little resentful, but I figured it out later... Gao Lan and I are just lazy!"
Not to mention Gao Ming, even the neighbors in the entire Guanming Hutong wouldn't believe that Zhou Jianguo and Gao Lan could run a restaurant well.
“But things are different now!” Zhou Jianguo raised his eyebrows, his face lighting up with excitement when he mentioned his adopted daughter: “We have Xiao Juan now, so we have to consider Xiao Juan’s well-being no matter what.”
Gao Ming smiled and nodded.
“It’s good that you think that way! Now that we’ve separated again, if you and Gao Lan don’t find a way to make money, Xiao Juan will only suffer if she stays with you.”
"I see."
"Come to my company the day after tomorrow with Gao Lan, and I'll take you to see the shop."
"You're taking us to see the shop?" Zhou Jianguo asked, scratching his head in confusion.
He had only intended to ask Gao Ming the name of the street, but when Gao Ming just smiled, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: "Could the shop be yours?"
“The shop belongs to the company,” Gao Ming corrected.
Chen Yun immediately added in her mind... "The company's is also the best."
[Anping Transportation Company] is located in an area with many transportation companies. Only a few companies like theirs have an internal canteen, and most employees eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
There was only one shop on the street, which was only a few dozen meters long. As long as you didn't cheat people, making money was almost a sure thing.
There are quite a few people who want to rent the shop, and Gao Ming would have rented it out long ago if he hadn't specifically reserved it for his brother and sister-in-law.
And now... the opportunity to make money has fallen to Gao Lan and Zhou Jianguo.
"Brother!" Zhou Jianguo's eyes lit up, and he clenched his fists and bowed to Gao Ming: "From now on, if you say one, I will never say two!"
"Rent it for three months first. If you don't perform well, I can take it back anytime."
"Don't worry! We'll definitely do a good job."
After making a hasty promise, Zhou Jianguo couldn't wait to turn back and tell Gao Lan the good news.
Chen took Gao Ming's arm and, regardless of what was being said in the main room, smiled and pulled him towards the back.
"You're not blaming me for not fighting for anything?" Gao Ming asked softly.
“I’ll buy it tomorrow. I have a lot of things I want to buy.” Chen Yun smiled, her eyes crinkling. “From now on, I’ll decide whether the plates in the house are round or flat. You just need to bring the money back.”
"Yes, sir." Gao Ming smiled.
Regardless of whether they regret splitting up the family later, everyone in the Gao family should feel very happy today.
Besides my parents...
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