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Seeing that Liao was about to speak without hesitation, Old Master Ren continued, "But I'm not a heartless person. When my father said this, the Ren family only had these coal mines in Yanzhou, and they didn't include the three I later bought in the south. So the coal mines in the south can be divided among you. These coal mines have good prospects. I originally gave them to my second brother to manage, and he knows them best."
Liao's expression finally softened. She knew what Ren Baoming had said before: the two houses should not be divided, and the property should not be divided. Otherwise, she would not have waited until today to propose a division of the family property. However, she did not know that the old man had not only left a word, but also a written document.
You should know that in the Zhou Dynasty, even if the disputes among descendants over the division of family property were brought to the government, the written will left by the ancestors would be the basis for the government to decide on the distribution of family property.
Even though Liao knew their side would suffer if the division was done this way, she couldn't refute it. Otherwise, if Old Master Ren really angered her and used Ren Baoming to pressure them, they wouldn't even be able to get their three coal mines. But Liao couldn't help but feel upset. After all, they were all descendants of the old man. What was the point of favoritism? Wasn't their branch the direct descendant?
In fact, we can't blame Ren Baoming for being partial. In Yanbei, as long as a family has some wealth, the eldest son will take away most of the family property, because this can maximize the guarantee that the family's strength will not be dispersed due to too many descendants, which is beneficial to the long-term development of the family.
"What about the 1.5 million taels that you took out? We can't have to contribute a share too, right?" Liao said with a grim expression.
Old Master Ren said, "Most of this 1.5 million taels came from the coal warehouses in Yanbei. The money from Jiangnan has not been used, and will be borne by Yanbei in the future. However, the 60% profit that is turned over each year includes all of the Ren family's properties. The interest from the coal warehouses in Jiangnan and Jingdu will also be included in this. This is not something I can decide."
Liao curled her lips and said, "The Ren family has been running the business for so many years, so they must have some money in the treasury, right?"
Old Master Ren nodded and said, "We do have some savings, but they've all been spent on coal warehouses in Jiangnan and Jingdu in recent years. If you have any doubts, I'll show you the Ren family's account books over the years. Besides... the Ren family hasn't split up yet. Since the benefits are shared, the risks should also be shared, so my second sister-in-law needs to be careful with her words. In addition, this house, the villa in Yunyang City, and all the land in Yanzhou are considered ancestral property of the Ren family. They will only be passed down to the eldest son of the eldest branch and will not be divided. This is written in my father's will. As for the houses in Jingdu and Jiangnan, they will be divided among you. You can move out of the East Mansion you're currently living in or continue to live there. Even if we split up, we're still a family."
Liao thought what Old Master Ren said made sense, but she just felt uncomfortable. However, what Old Master Ren said was well-founded, and she couldn't find any reason to refute it.
Liao and Second Master Ren exchanged a glance, and Liao said, "We need to discuss this matter further. Even though you're the head of the family, you can't just dictate how the property is divided, right?"
Old Master Ren said tolerantly, "Of course. You can raise any opinions you have. I'll consider any reasonable request. But I still think what father said makes sense. Our Ren family isn't a very large one, so it would be better if we could keep the family together."
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