"What! If we're going to split up the family, then of course we should put everything together and divide it all up. There's no such thing as 'yours' or 'mine,' we're all family!"
Uncle Xu was indignant, never expecting that Sun Jihai, who seemed to support him, was actually biased towards Xu Zijiang's side!
"Pah! Only you would dare to say that. I never said that! Back then, your parents only left each of you a dilapidated house, some pots and pans, and I remember that the pigs and chickens were already divided up. The land hasn't been divided up yet. That's all you have. If you calculate it carefully, your house has a larger plot of land. Your side should give the team leader some extra money. That's fair."
When dividing the family property, it's important to be fair; no one should take advantage of the other!
Sun Jihai said firmly.
The little old man with gray hair and a beard instantly became kind and gentle, fair and approachable. Upon hearing this, Yu Jiu nodded in understanding.
"If that's the case, it's not impossible, but it has to be fair. Xu Zijiang's parents have already suffered losses before, so we can't let Xu Zijiang suffer losses again. Let's leave aside the pots and pans, but the house really does need to be divided fairly. Also, let's calculate the money spent over the years, shall we?"
Uncle Xu always says how much Xu Zijiang ate and drank at his house before. Today we'll settle those accounts completely. We'll pay back how much money Xu Zijiang ate from them, and similarly, we'll pay back how much money Xu Zijiang gave them over the years. We'll make sure everything is clear.
I don't want anyone to bother us after Xu Zi and I get married, bothering me with nonsense. Grandpa Sun, what do you think?
Yu Jiu brought up the old matter again, determined to deal with Uncle Xu's family once and for all, so they wouldn't keep running around causing trouble and getting on her nerves.
Previously, she and Xu Zijiang hadn't fully settled their relationship, but now that their wedding date is set, she has the right to manage the Xu family's affairs. Let her handle matters that Xu Zijiang shouldn't be involved in!
"What nonsense are you spouting! What money? The little bit of money he gave us isn't even enough to repay our kindness, and you want us to return it to him? That's ridiculous! You haven't even married into the Xu family yet, and you already think you're the mistress of the house? What right do you have to interfere in our family's affairs! No way, you have no right to speak here!"
Uncle Xu was panicked. How could things have taken such an unexpected turn? This wasn't the scene he wanted at all!
"That's right, what are you, a woman, babbling about? You have no right to speak here!"
Xu Ziqi also scolded him, saying that he was in the late stages of male chauvinism and wouldn't even allow women to speak.
“My wife represents me. What do you mean she has no right to speak? Xu Ziqi, when your father speaks, do you have no right to speak either? What are you barking about here?”
Xu Zijiang stood up for Yu Jiu and gave his cousin a good scolding with a dark face.
"you!"
"Alright, stop arguing. Listen to me. Since Xu Liang and his son asked me to be the mediator, and the team leader and Yu Zhiqing have also approved of me as the mediator, then you all have to listen to me. Yu Zhiqing and Zijiang's wedding date has been set, so they are family now, and of course she has the right to speak."
That's what I came here for too—to settle all the accounts between your two families, write them down in writing, and then have a written agreement as proof so that no one can say anything against it. Yu Zhiqing had the same idea as me: let's all calculate how much money and effort we've contributed to each other, make up for any overpayment or underpayment, and even out the accounts.
From now on, we'll each live our own lives and not bother each other.
Sun Jihai said firmly, showing that he had put in a lot of effort and had thought out the future lives of Xu Zijiang and Yu Jiu. Not only that, he even calculated a bill for Xu Zijiang himself.
“Zijiang has lived with you for seven years. It’s only natural that he would help you with your work while he was living there. Let’s not count those. Let’s say he ate twenty catties of your grain every month. In seven years, he ate a total of 1,680 catties of your grain. That number can only be more, not less, right?”
Xu Liang and his son, who had initially strongly opposed the idea, fell silent upon hearing the number. Yes, Xu Zijiang hadn't even received half of that amount of grain, so they were the ones who had gotten a good deal. Therefore, the two decided to listen to Sun Jihai's words again and agreed that they would be happy to receive more than a thousand catties of grain.
"The money for the school registration was paid by Zijiang using his parents' money. You didn't contribute a single penny, right? At the time, there wasn't enough money, and Zijiang almost didn't get to go to junior high school. You made a fuss about this in the team, saying that your family was too poor to afford it. It was only later that Zhuzi's family paid back the money they owed Zijiang's parents and registered him. That's true, isn't it? Everyone in the team knows that."
"So that's all the money he's spent in your family. Now ask Zijiang, how much money have you given to your uncle's family over the years? You should calculate it and give us a number so that everyone knows the total."
Although Sun Jihai was old, he still had a strong voice that could be heard for miles around, attracting many people to come and watch the excitement. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I remember that Xu Liang's family didn't give the team leader a single penny for school. I even cursed them for a long time back then. They were all heartless!"
Xu Zijiang knew better than anyone how much money he had given to his uncle's family.
"Wait a minute, I'll go get a ledger. I've already made some entries."
Xu Zijiang wasn't stupid; he kept a clear record of when and how much money he had given to Uncle Xu's family. He took out the account book and handed it to Sun Jihai to look at.
“After I was discharged from the army, I gave them ten yuan every month for two years, along with some other miscellaneous things. In total, I gave them two hundred and eighty-six yuan.”
"Pah! There aren't that many! And there are whole and odd amounts, Xu Zijiang, you're really stingy, remembering all of this!"
The Xu family was furious. They never expected that Xu Zijiang, a grown man, would not only keep accounts, but would do so with such precision!
"If you don't remember, won't you be able to renege on your debt? Do you think you're the only smart one? Even if the grain is five cents a pound, that's eight hundred and forty yuan. Subtract two hundred and eighty-six yuan, and Xu Zijiang still owes you five hundred and fifty-four yuan."
Now let's calculate again. The year Xu Zijiang's parents passed away, you received a whole year's worth of work points and money from them. There should be records of that, right? Xu Zijiang, how much money and work points did your parents earn in total that year?"
Yu Jiu was very good at math. After quickly finishing the calculations, he calmly looked at Xu Zijiang.
Xu Zijiang remembered it even more clearly, and he clearly stated the two numbers.
"Two thousand three hundred and fifty-four work points plus one hundred and eighteen yuan."
Xu Zijiang's parents were hard-working people, earning seventeen or eighteen work points a day, which was more than enough to support one child and even save a considerable amount of money. So, although he was supposed to be living at his uncle's house, Xu Zijiang actually spent his parents' savings and worked for them for free, making him lose out completely.
"Two thousand three hundred and fifty-four work points, let's say one hundred and seventeen yuan and seventy cents. Ten work points are worth fifty cents. So, five hundred and fifty-four yuan minus one hundred and eighteen yuan and then one hundred and seventeen yuan and seventy cents, leaves three hundred and eighteen yuan and threety cents."
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