Chapter 67: Separation 3
When everyone saw Gu Weidong like this, they rushed over to help him.
He frowned, endured the pain in his legs, and was supported by everyone to come to the main room with difficulty.
Seeing this, Uncle Li couldn't bear to watch: "What kind of sin did he commit? How could he be injured like this?"
Chen Youfu also shook his head: "...Do we really want to split up the family?"
The Gu brothers were also embarrassed, and Gu Weiguo hurriedly said, "No, let's not split up."
They were brothers. With injuries like this, they should have been bedridden for at least two months, right? How could they be so eager to split up? Were they so disgusted with their brother's injury that they wanted to abandon him?
Gu Weidong insisted, "Brother, I've actually had this idea of splitting up the family for a long time, but I'm the youngest, so some things are difficult for me to bring up. Now that both of my sisters-in-law want to split up the family, then it's perfect. Let's split up the family."
"We're lucky to have Uncle Li and Grandma Hu here. They're both well-regarded and prestigious people in the Pingxi Production Brigade. They can act as witnesses and help us divide the property so we can each live our own lives from now on."
The Gu brothers couldn't bear to listen: "No, no..."
But the man said goodbye in front, and his wife pulled his clothes and winked at him from behind.
Chen Hongying smiled apologetically and said to Chen Youfu and the others, "Actually, if we were to take this opportunity to divide the family, we could, but Weidong deserves a larger share given his situation."
Liu Zhaodi also nodded and said softly, "...Actually, we don't want to divide it either, but now that I've said it, I thought that since the fourth brother is not feeling well, I might as well give him more. This will be good for him..."
Grandma Hu, Grandpa Li and others listened to Liu Zhaodi's mumbling words for a long time and finally understood.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Taking advantage of the fact that someone is lying on the kang with an injured leg and can't earn work points so that you can give them more points and let them take advantage? Is that what you mean?
She is really good at talking!
However, Miao Xiuju had already decided to split the family, and they were here to bear witness. Even though they felt that the split was unreasonable, they couldn't say anything. They could only look at Miao Xiuju and say, "Grandma Gu, what do you mean by this?"
Miao Xiuju: "Divide it, divide it now. Don't talk about those nonsense. Let's divide it the way it should be divided. No one wants to take advantage of it, and no one wants to suffer any loss. Okay?"
Shen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi were of course happy.
The fourth child's leg is injured and he is about to become a cripple. It would be great if they could divide the property now. If they divide it equally, they will both get the advantage!
Fearing Miao Xiuju might regret it, they hurriedly said, "Well, while everyone's here, let's see how to divide this stuff up."
Gu Weiguo's face flushed red, he felt embarrassed, but looking at the situation, he knew that whatever he said would be in vain.
In the final analysis, he was also thinking about splitting up the family, but dividing it in this way would make people feel embarrassed, but... there was no other way now.
So the brothers and wives of the Gu family all looked at Miao Xiujiu.
Miao Xiuju's expression was very calm.
She had expected all this.
Life is just that simple. When you are young, you give birth to children and work hard to raise them. When the children grow up, you try your best to provide them with a home, find them a wife, and look forward to them having children.
When I finally hold my grandson in my arms, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief, and the children will have to separate.
You suddenly turned around and found that you are no longer a family.
All Miao Xiujiu can do is to be as fair as possible and treat every child fairly.
She looked at Chen Youfu, her voice a little tired: "Youfu, please take out the family division letter I asked you to write earlier, show it to my sons, and then help me read it."
Chen Youfu looked at Miao Xiujiu with some sympathy and took out four pieces of paper, each of which was covered with dense words.
"These are all identical, in quadruplicate. What are your opinions?"
The four brothers each received a portion and looked at it in their own hands. The wives also quickly gathered around their husbands to look at it.
According to the old customs, when dividing up a family in rural areas, there was a custom of drawing the eldest son and the eldest grandson, as well as the relatives. That is, the eldest son and the eldest grandson would get more, and the unmarried younger brother could get more. However, the concept of eldest son and the eldest grandson is not popular now, and the Gu family did not have any unmarried younger brothers, so everything was waived and the property was divided equally.
What the four brothers are seeing now is this family division letter, which is a general description. It roughly states that the old house will belong to the old couple Gu Dayong and Miao Xiuju in the future, and the four brothers will go out and build their own houses. The family savings and food will be divided equally, and other small things that can be divided will be divided in the same way.
The four brothers naturally had no objection, but the household items had to be listed one by one so that they could have a clearer picture.
At that moment, Gu Dayong brought his four brothers and asked Uncle Li and Chen Youfu to accompany them to count everything inside and outside the house. Grandma Hu also accompanied Miao Xiujiu to take out the money and grain and meat coupons that they had saved.
It has to be said that Miao Xiujiu had saved some money from selling ginseng and fish before, and in the end, each of the four families could get twenty-one yuan.
This is not a small amount of money, and the sisters-in-law all looked happy.
With such a sum of money, they didn't dare to be too fussy about other small things. For example, if there were twenty-four bowls at home, the four brothers would each get five, and the remaining four would all be given to the old couple. They no longer calculated how many bowls each family should get based on the number of people in the family.
This kind of inventory is very time-consuming because each item must be listed in the division book after it is counted.
The other older children thought it was quite lively and followed the adults to help count the items. Only Fubao and Gu Shengtian huddled in a corner, feeling lost.
Fubao asked Gu Shengtian in a low voice: "Isn't this our home from now on?"
She was not even seven years old, but she had already been displaced several times, from the nunnery to the Nie family, and from the Nie family to the Gu family. She finally felt that the Gu family was her home. She was familiar with the people here, the grass roots in the cracks of the steps, and even knew how many ant nests there were outside the toilet.
But now, seeing those household items that she once was familiar with being taken out, counted and divided like goods, she suddenly felt that this home was no longer a home.
Gu Shengtian looked at the little Fubao beside him, and suddenly felt sad. He hugged Fubao and said, "Silly Fubao, what are you talking about? This will still be our home in the future!"
Fubao looked at the moved furniture blankly: "But...but..."
She couldn't explain why, but she felt that some things might have really changed.
After much trouble, the division of the family property was finally completed, and each family was quite satisfied. Chen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi felt that they had finally gotten rid of the trouble of the fourth room, Niu Sanni felt that she no longer had to be called stupid every day, and Liu Guizhi thought that her husband could finally do things according to her own ideas.
The four brothers were all satisfied with their wives, so they went over to sign and seal their names. Chen Youfu, Uncle Li, Grandma Hu and several other witnesses also signed and sealed their names. This marked the complete division of the family property.
Miao Xiuju said, "You should build your own house as soon as possible and move out before spring. Before you move out, you can still use my stove. But you need to agree on the time of use for each household so there won't be any conflicts."
Chen Hongying: "Of course, of course. Although we have separated, we are still one family, so of course we have to discuss it."
Liu Zhaodi also nodded quickly, and Niu Sanni was speechless.
Everything was ready. Finally, Miao Xiujiu brought several wives to prepare a separation meal, set off a few firecrackers, and took out four pieces of earth from the old stove. They gave them to the four brothers so that they could use them when building stoves in the future. This was considered a complete separation of the family.
After the separation, Chen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi finally felt relieved. Seeing Gu Weidong being carried into the house in a pitiful manner and lying on the kang, they breathed a sigh of relief.
No need to worry about this anymore, it has nothing to do with them from now on!
Liu Guizhi looked at her man on the kang nervously, her eyes blank.
The man promised her a future, but she didn't know what this future would be like. She couldn't figure it out, whether it was square, round, or flat. She could only look at the man with a blank look.
Gu Weidong saw this, and he asked Gu Yuejin to call his two younger brothers and little sister Fubao in, and then stand in front of the kang.
Gu Weidong looked at his three sons and one daughter and said solemnly, "From now on, we will separate from our eldest, second, and third uncles. Dad will work hard to earn money and work points for you to support your education and your livelihood. Sooner or later, you will be able to eat meat. You must be obedient, study hard, and learn cultural knowledge well. Strive to become useful people when you grow up and bring honor to Dad."
As he spoke, his eyes fell on his three sons: "Fubao is your little sister. She has been wronged these days. You must take good care of her and love her. Don't let her suffer any grievances in the future, understand?"
Fubao was already feeling lost, and now when he heard this, he burst into tears.
It wasn't just sadness, she was also touched when she heard her father say this.
She suddenly felt that her home was still there and had not been broken up.
Her father, mother and brothers are here, and wherever they are is her home.
She was still their daughter, their little sister.
Seeing Fubao crying, Liu Guizhi couldn't help crying and rushed over to hug Fubao in her arms: "Bao, good baby, good baby, baby..."
She held Fubao in her arms and patted him gently with her hands: "Bao... Bao... don't cry..."
At first, Fubao lay softly in Liu Guizhi's arms and sobbed. Later, after hearing these words, she slowly stopped crying and just listened to her mother carefully.
Liu Guizhi didn't know that she was still concentrating on comforting Fubao, muttering to herself: "Meat, meat...eat meat..."
She spoke with difficulty and unclearly, but if you listened carefully, you could make out what she was saying.
Fubao raised his head from her arms and burst into laughter. Tears still welled up in his clear eyes, but he smiled and said, "Mom, how come you can talk so much all of a sudden?"
Brothers Gu Weidong and Gu Shengtian also noticed it and looked at Liu Guizhi in surprise.
She could say some words before, but very few, only a dozen or so. But now, suddenly, she can say "eat meat", "baby don't cry", "good boy", all these?
Liu Guizhi was also very surprised and stopped crying immediately.
Because of this incident, the whole family felt much better, and Fubao felt even more relieved.
She didn't know why, but now she even had a strange feeling.
AD4
It feels relaxed, as if I was carrying something heavy up a mountain, but now the burden has suddenly been removed, my feet feel relaxed and I can fly up.
——
That night, Gu Weidong called the four children over and talked to them for a long time.
He tried to treat them as adults who could understand what he said, and told them what their father planned to do and what they would do in the future. The children were moved by his words and said that they would study hard, help their parents with work, and love their younger sister.
Fubao snuggled softly in Liu Guizhi's arms, her heart filled with sweetness. This was her home, her lifelong support.
She liked it very much.
That day was very difficult. Liu Guizhi slept with her arms around Fubao. Fubao leaned on his mother's arms with a sweet smile on his face. He had a beautiful dream. He dreamed that the pigs at home gave birth to a group of piglets and that they ate pork belly.
The next day, the original family divided into five periods to make breakfast. Although it was a bit crowded and we had to wait, because we had just separated, everyone was fresh and just needed to make their own porridge. When putting porridge in the pot, we used our own porridge no matter how much or how little. The daughters-in-law felt that they had autonomy and were very happy, so they didn't think queuing for cooking was a big deal.
Miao Xiuju came to the west room specifically to see Gu Weidong. When no one was around, she took out an envelope and handed it to Gu Weidong.
Gu Weidong was stunned: "What is this?"
Miao Xiuju: "This is a silver dollar that Fubao found a while ago. Old Yuan, I heard it's old and worth some money. A few days ago, I ran to the district and found a place to sell it privately for 68 yuan. Fubao found it himself, so I didn't tell anyone else. Only Fubao and Guizhi know about it. Now that we've split up, this is Fubao's money. She's still young, so I'm giving it to you. You can do whatever you want with it."
Gu Weidong had never heard Fubao or Liu Guizhi mention it. He had been counting on the money Liu Guizhi brought from her mother's home, but he never expected that his mother would secretly keep it for herself and get such a sum of money for him.
Gu Weidong felt a little embarrassed: "Mom, if my brother and sister-in-law find out about this——"
Before Gu Weidong could finish his words, Miao Xiuju sneered, "Fubao is a very lucky child. Everyone knows it clearly, except your two silly sisters-in-law. Since they don't understand, why should they be allowed to enjoy this kind of benefit? Besides, we all live together, so how can they benefit enough? There are big fish and wild ginseng, and even that piglet, I'm afraid it was not won by drawing lots due to Fubao's good luck. We can't let them have all the benefits and have everything they want. This silver dollar was found by Fubao and was given to him privately. As his father, you should use it to trade and make money to buy Fubao new clothes and delicious food!"
Miao Xiuju's words left Gu Weidong speechless. He accepted the envelope, feeling grateful, his eyes warm, and warmth echoing in his chest.
Mother has always been fair and impartial, never letting anyone take advantage of her, and never showing partiality to anyone. He never expected that today, she would actually harbor such protective thoughts towards Fubao. He choked up, "Don't worry, mother. I will do my best. When the time comes, the children will eat meat, and I will eat meat too, white flour buns, and fire-baked bread with meat."
——
The news of the Gu family's division quickly spread throughout the Pingxi Production Brigade.
When people talk about the Gu family, they naturally have some ridicule in their hearts.
Don’t be fooled by the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gu family talking big in public, as if she is thinking mostly about her younger siblings, but everyone knows the truth in their hearts.
Isn't it because Gu Lao Si broke his leg and can't work that the sisters-in-law want to quickly separate from the family and sever ties? We all understand, so stop pretending.
When someone brought up this matter, they despised and mocked the sisters-in-law of the Gu family, and finally expressed sympathy for Gu Lao Si: "How are we going to live in the future? We have six people in our family, and now we all rely on the work points earned by the fourth brother's wife."
Some people speculated, "I reckon their children won't be able to go to school soon. Why should they go to school? They need to go home and help earn work points for the family."
Some people even thought of Xiao Fubao: "It's not easy for this child. He was separated right after entering the Gu family. It would be fine if he followed any other branch, but he had to follow the fourth branch. The fourth branch is having bad luck right now!"
At this point, everyone was puzzled; "Isn't it said that Fubao is a blessed child and brings prosperity to the Gu family? Why doesn't she bring prosperity to the fourth room?"
As he was speaking, he heard a voice interrupting with a smug voice, "She's not a lucky person at all, she's just a bad luck charm! Wherever she goes, that family suffers misfortune. Look at the Gu family, they were living well, but after she came, they started splitting up the family. What a sin!"
Everyone looked over and saw that this person was Nie Lao San's wife.
Nie Lao San's wife has had both good and bad things happen to her recently. The good thing is that the Gu family is in trouble, the child is almost lost, and the fourth child broke his leg. These are all good things for her. The bad thing is that her pigs have not been very energetic recently, and no matter how she feeds them, they won't gain meat. She was so anxious that she racked her brains to find a solution, and even scolded Sheng Yin, "Didn't you say you are so capable, why don't our pigs gain meat?" But Sheng Yin really didn't know why her pigs didn't gain meat. They were the same pigs, and they were fed the same way, so why wouldn't her pigs gain weight?
At this time, Nie Laosan's wife heard the news of the Gu family's division.
This is a big event in the village, indicating that the brothers are not getting along and can no longer live together.
The more Nie Laosan's wife thought about it, the more proud she became. She stood in the street with her hands on her waist, and after a long argument, spitting all over the place, she concluded with one sentence: "Whoever adopts Fubao will be unlucky!"
The wives, old ladies, and old men on the well platform looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Wang Fugui's wife smiled awkwardly and said, "I think Fubao is a good child. It's impossible that she brought him bad luck..."
Another person also said: "That's right, the Gu family split up, so let them split up. The children should have split up now that they are older. Otherwise, it will be easy for the sisters-in-law to clash with each other. Why do you blame the children for the Gu family split up?"
Grandma Hu curled her lips and chuckled, "If there's another heavy rain tomorrow, you can say that Fubao has brought bad luck to our production team. Anyway, we have mouths on our bodies, so there's no point in saying that!"
Nie Laosan's wife was stunned. She didn't expect everyone to say that. She looked at everyone sarcastically and said, "Oh, you can still talk like that? Back then, my family didn't want Fubao anymore, so the whole production team drew lots to see who wanted him. Didn't you all dare to take him? You treated Fubao like a hot potato. Why are you saying that now?"
It would have been fine if she hadn't said anything, but once she did, everyone got angry. Wang Fugui's wife was even more furious, saying, "Bah! Who can I blame for this? It's all your fault! If you hadn't been nagging me all the time, calling Fubao a jinx, I would have taken him in right away! It's all your fault. You wrongly accused Fubao, calling such a good child a jinx. You've ruined my wonderful daughter!"
Look at Fubao's little face, how cute and pretty it is. Then look at all the benefits the Gu family has gained since Fubao entered the family. She is jealous just thinking about it. What does it matter if he broke his leg temporarily? In her opinion, the most promising person in the Gu family in the future is the fourth child!
After Wang Fugui's wife said this, everyone thought about it and felt that it seemed to be the case. They all looked at Nie Laosan's wife with contempt and dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, Nie Laosan's wife thought, "Well, I'd better run away quickly." She said hurriedly, "I still have a fire burning at home and pigs to feed..."
After saying that, she ran away quickly. Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw her like this.
The topic returned to the Gu family again. Everyone thought about this and shook their heads. The eldest and third sons of the Gu family did not act in a very authentic way!
As he was speaking, he saw Fubao and Gu Shengtian coming from the south, each carrying a small bamboo basket.
When everyone saw Fubao and Gu Shengtian, they couldn't help but feel sad when they thought about their father not being able to go to work and earn work points. These two good children were much more sensible than their own naughty child, but they ended up having to deal with such a thing.
Everyone looked at Fubao and Gu Shengtian with pity: "What did you do in the mountains? Gather firewood?"
Compared to Gu Shengtian, Fubao's words were more pleasant. When she saw someone asking, she smiled softly and called "Auntie". Then she said, "It's almost evening, and it's time to cook. My mother has to go to work, so we thought about collecting firewood and making some food for the family first."
Wang Fugui's wife: "Hey, Fubao, where are you cooking?"
Fubao smiled and said, "I'll do it with my brother. We already know how to cook."
Everyone looked at the beads of sweat dripping down Fubao's forehead, making her little face look even whiter, smoother, and more elastic, making people want to pinch it. Her eyelashes were long and curly, blinking as she spoke, which was really beautiful, like a meowing doll displayed in the commune store.
Everyone envied: "Fubao is such a good child, sensible and considerate."
Amidst everyone's envy and sighs, Fubao and Gu Shengtian returned home.
When I got home, I saw that my third aunt Liu Zhaodi had just finished cooking. Baoni was there pouring porridge from the big pot into her own bowl. When she saw Fubao coming, she hurriedly said, "Fubao, do you want to eat?"
Bao Ni is eleven years old this year. She occasionally goes up the mountain to play with Fu Bao and Gu Shengtian. Although their relationship is not as close as Gu Shengtian and Fu Bao, it is still good. It is getting late now. Bao Ni sees that Fu Bao's face is still sweaty. She knows that she is very tired from collecting firewood in the mountains and she is afraid that she must be hungry, so she invites Fu Bao to eat.
Fubao knew that now that they had split up, they were no longer a family, and she couldn't eat other people's food, so she shook her head and said, "Sister Baoni, I'm not hungry. You guys eat first. I'll cook too, and we'll eat when my mother comes back."
Who knew that as they were talking, they heard Liu Zhaodi scolding Baoni outside: "What are you talking about? How much porridge did you cook? You dare to be so generous as to give it to others? Do you not want to eat it or what? How could I give birth to such a money-losing child? She is so ungrateful."
After Liu Zhaodi scolded her like that, Baoni almost cried.
The little girl is eleven years old this year and is no longer a child. She has started to care about her reputation and is thin-skinned.
Fubao saw this and hurriedly comforted Baoni: "Sister, don't take it seriously. Hurry up and take the basin back to the house, otherwise Third Aunt will scold you again."
Bonnie wiped away her tears and lowered her head to continue serving porridge.
Liu Zhaodi was still shouting outside: "Be careful, don't drop a single grain of rice, and scrape it hard for me with a spoon!"
There was a reason why she was so arrogant today. Gu Dayong accompanied Miao Xiujiu to her mother's home, the Gu brothers all went to work, and Niu Sanni didn't know where she went. Anyway, there were not many adults at home. Gu Weidong in the west room was lame, and she could pretend to be dead, so she became arrogant and felt that she could be the king.
Fubao and Gu Shengtian waited until Baoni left before preparing to cook.
Gu Shengtian watched all this without saying a word from beginning to end.
He was older than Fubao, so he naturally understood what was going on. He snorted and said disdainfully, "What good is your porridge? I'll make you die of greed today!"
As he spoke, he took out a colorful pheasant from the bamboo basket.
There's nothing they can do about it, they're just so lucky. As soon as they enter the mountains, they run into a blind pheasant and it flies right into their arms, and they can't dodge it even if they want to!
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