Chapter 63: Family Division (I)
Zhang Juexia's words made Wang Guilan cry.
"Old woman, let's accept the child's gift!
Look at you, you're so old and you cry easily, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the children?"
Ye Jishun reached out to help wipe the tears from Wang Guilan's face.
"I'm crying because I'm happy. Xia'er, I'll listen to you and take good care of myself. I'll help you and Bei Xiu take care of the baby when the time comes."
"Um."
Zhang Juexia responded with a smile.
The old couple Ye Jishun said a few words to Ye Beixiu, then happily returned to their old house with their new cotton-padded clothes.
On the way back, Ye Jishun carefully protected Wang Guilan, fearing that she would trip on the uneven ground.
"Master, it's time to make a decision.
The children are grown up now, and they can’t stay with us forever.”
Zhao Xiang kept his word. After returning home, he found a matchmaker and came to the Ye family to propose marriage.
Ye Jishun immediately agreed to the marriage.
After sending the matchmaker away, Ye Jishun said to Ye Yunsheng and his wife earnestly, "I will be your head of the household for this time, and the rest will be handled by yourselves."
Zhao Baofeng was puzzled. "Dad, you are the head of the family, you should handle these matters!"
Ye Yunsheng was about to open his mouth when Ye Jishun stopped him.
“You are the eldest, and family matters should be discussed with you.
When I saw that Bei Xiu bought the wasteland at a reasonable price, I asked your Uncle Ji Dong to buy a piece from him.
It's just outside our village, next to the mountain of Beixiu, just to the right of their house.
The thing your uncle Ji Dong helped me with cost a total of forty taels of silver.
The area at the foot of the mountain is also spacious. That’s what I thought. Your mother and I can occupy three rooms.
Either you or your third brother can still build a yard there."
Zhao Baofeng understood, "Dad, you want to split up the family? We're living a good life, why should we split up?"
"All good things must come to an end. You and the eldest brother have become grandparents-in-law, and after a while you will become father-in-law and mother-in-law.
It's not appropriate for your mother and I to keep you around any longer."
Zhao Baofeng rubbed her hands nervously, "Dad, did I do something wrong? Please tell me, I will change.
Let's not split up, okay?"
"You didn't do anything wrong. It's your mother and I who think it's better to split up the family.
Boss, your mother and I will settle the household accounts today.
Tomorrow morning, call your uncle Ji Dong and ask him to testify for us.
And Xia'er, let Beishan's wife go and call her.
Beixiu is holding onto your second uncle's branch, even though he branched out. But I didn't take anything from him back then, and I always feel bad about it.
His legs couldn't move, so he called his wife to come and listen."
Zhao Baofeng wanted to say something else, but Ye Yunsheng pulled the corner of his clothes and said, "Dad, I will go and invite Uncle Jidong tomorrow morning."
Ye Yunsheng and Zhao Baofeng returned to their room, and Zhao Baofeng pulled him aside and asked, "What happened? Why did Dad want to divide the family?"
Ye Yunsheng shook his head and said, "Since Dad wants to divide the family, then let's do it. We've persuaded him anyway.
No matter how Dad divides it tomorrow, you let the third family choose first, understand?"
"I know, there's a difference between the old and the young. We are the eldest and we should give way to the younger ones."
"I knew you were a reasonable person, but don't worry, Dad and Mom will treat you equally."
Zhang Juexia cut grass in the morning and chopped firewood in the afternoon, and was busy for several days in a row.
Ye Beixiu was so heartbroken that he couldn't even lie down at home.
Zhang Juexia comforted him, "After your leg is healed, I won't do any work."
"I'm afraid the warehouse is full of stuff!"
"That's about right. After all, there are so many new mouths to feed in the family. We have to prepare for a rainy day."
"You are right. I can never win the argument with you."
"Don't blame me, the warehouse is full, I'm going to quit from tomorrow, okay?
I also hope your legs get better soon so you can accompany me up the mountain. Maybe we can find something good there!"
"I'll take you there once my leg is healed."
"Um."
After working for several days in a row, Zhang Juexia was exhausted and went to bed early.
When I opened my eyes the next day, the sun was already high in the sky outside.
Zhang Juexia quickly got up to cook. Before she finished her meal, Li Yiqun came to call her and asked her to go to the old house.
"Sister-in-law, why are you so anxious? What happened?"
Li Yiqun blinked and pulled her away.
"No, sister-in-law, if you don't tell me what's going on, why should I go?"
"You'll find out when you get there."
Li Yiqin dragged Zhang Juexia to the old house, and both of them were out of breath when they arrived at the door.
They took a deep breath at the door before entering the house.
Zhang Juexia arrived at the main hall and looked at the people inside and outside the room, all of whom had serious expressions. He quickly found a stool and sat down.
Seeing that everyone was present, Ye Jishun picked up the account book and said, "There is still 180 taels of silver in the account, for the house we live in now and the one-acre vegetable garden outside.
A while ago I bought some wasteland, I raise ten chickens in the yard, and I have pots and pans at home, so these are all I have left.”
When Zhang Juexia saw Ye Jitong was there, she understood that the family was going to split up!
Li Yiqun secretly winked at her, and she responded with a big smile.
Ye Jishun closed the account book, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, "Your mother and I have this idea, this house will be given to whoever of you brothers wants it.
If you don't want it, you won't suffer any loss. I have already prepared the land for building the house, and the money will be set aside from the public treasury. But construction can only start in the spring of next year."
Ye Jishun looked at the brothers Ye Yunsheng and Ye Yunliang and said, "Brothers should settle accounts clearly so that they can live together for a long time.
You brothers can discuss how to choose?
Your mother and I will try our best to be impartial."
Ye Yunsheng stood up and said, "I'm the eldest brother, so I should give way to my third brother. Let him choose!"
Ye Jishun nodded with satisfaction. "I'm very pleased that you can do this. How about this? I'll tell you what your mother and I think in one breath. After that, you brothers can discuss it among yourselves."
"I spent forty taels of silver to buy the wasteland, and I want to build a house on the flat land below the wasteland.
If all of you brothers want wasteland, remove the land for building houses and divide it equally.
If you don't want it, that's fine too. I'll give you forty taels of silver from the public treasury."
Ye Jishun picked up the teacup and took another sip of water to moisten his throat. "As for the 180 taels of silver on the account, your mother and I set aside 10 taels for building a house.
No matter who of you brothers builds the house, you must set aside twenty taels of silver, and ten taels of silver for Suyun's dowry.
Your mother and I are old, so we’d like to leave you another ten taels of silver for our retirement.
If the wasteland is divided equally, the forty taels of silver will not be deducted, and the rest will be divided equally among the three families of brothers.
If any of you brothers do not want the wasteland, then after deducting forty taels of silver, the land will be divided equally among the three brothers."
Pang Xiujuan stood up and said, "Dad, it was clearly my eldest brother and I who split the family, how did it become three families now?"
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