Zhao was furious. How could she let her good life be ruined by the second wife's family of burdens?
Moreover, the second son's wife is a wicked woman. If we don't separate the family, we will suffer at her hands.
He could only say coldly, "Second brother, your leg is crippled. Your eldest brother has already given ten taels of silver, and he still has to support your two nephews' education. You can't be so irresponsible as to burden him."
Besides, as trees grow big, branches spread out; as children grow up, they separate and live their own lives. There's no reason for the eldest brother to support you all!
"No way, no matter what Mother says, I will not separate from the family. With my leg like this, how will I survive if I separate?"
"You unfilial son, you don't listen to your mother at all. You deserve to break your leg and become a cripple!"
You heartless wretch! Having lost all hope yourself, you come here to torment your mother and brother. Aren't you afraid of retribution?!
Seeing that she couldn't reason with Chen An, Zhao pointed her finger at him and started cursing, saying that even her own son couldn't stop her from living a good life!
Chen An's face was grim, and Cheng Yue sneered, "The victim can't tell the truth, but the perpetrator is arrogant and shameless."
Since you don't care whether my family lives or dies, then don't blame me for going to the political school to reason with you!
Chen Ping's head went blank. Cheng Yue's father was a student of the Imperial Academy and naturally knew about the education administration. If he really let her make a scene, even if people didn't believe him, the two children wouldn't be able to establish themselves!
"Second brother, sister-in-law, that's too serious. We're family, after all. If the two children become successful in the future, you'll benefit too, won't you? We can't let things get to this point."
Mother is getting old and has a short temper, please don't take it to heart.
Furthermore, Mother's words about dividing the family property are not without merit. Besides, even if we divide the family property, aren't we still brothers?
Seeing Chen Ping give her a meaningful look, Zhao realized she had acted impulsively and almost ruined things, so she dared not say anything more.
Li Manying followed up, saying, "Yes, you can't write two 'Chen' characters in one stroke. If your two children's reputations are ruined, you won't look good either."
"Besides, sister-in-law, think about it, isn't it great to separate the family? Once you separate, you can be in charge of your own household, and that's what a comfortable life is all about!"
Cheng Yue nodded, "What my sister-in-law said makes sense. It's good to be in charge of the household, but my mother-in-law still has a lot of work to do. It's really tough on my sister-in-law!"
Li Manying took a deep breath. Wasn't this setting a trap for her? Sure enough, she saw Zhao staring at her fiercely.
“Sister-in-law, you’re mistaken. As the saying goes, ‘An elder in the family is a treasure.’ It’s our blessing that our mother-in-law is with us.”
If Zhao hadn't had no choice but to stay with them, she would have loved to leave her with Chen An and his wife. Who wouldn't want to be in charge?
However, since the mother-in-law had a lot of money, and the people followed them, the money naturally belonged to them, so it wasn't entirely without benefits.
Chen Ping also expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, "Our parents raised us, so it's only right that we be filial. Your younger siblings shouldn't talk like that."
Zhao felt comforted; she hadn't spoiled her eldest son for nothing. Looking at her second son, who was useless and unfilial, she felt even more that separating the family was the right thing to do.
Chen An thought for a moment, then continued, "What my elder brother and sister-in-law said makes sense, but how will we live after we separate from the family... sigh..."
Chen Ping understood the implication in Chen An's words and was overjoyed. He said, "Second brother, as your older brother, I naturally can't bear to see you hungry and cold. When we divide the family property, I will definitely give you a large share."
However, you shouldn't reveal the specific reasons for the family division to outsiders. It would damage your nephew's reputation, which wouldn't be good, wouldn't you say?
With things escalating like this, Chen Ping's desire to separate the family has intensified. As long as he can get rid of his second son's family, what does it matter if he gets more money? It's better than dragging them down to their deaths.
Li Manying wore a fake smile, saying that losing a little blood was nothing, as long as it could be distributed, it was good.
Zhao was now unwilling but had no choice but to agree. She originally didn't want to give away even a single piece of firewood, but now, what could she do?
That wretched second son finally changed his mind; if he goes back on his word, they might end up losing more than they gain.
Chen An and Cheng Yue exchanged a glance and nodded, saying, "Since you've said so, I, as your younger brother, won't make things difficult for you. Let's talk about how this family property should be divided!"
Chen Ping immediately perked up and hurriedly said, "Your sister-in-law has taken out ten taels of silver, and there's not much left in the public account. These three brick houses will be kept for Mother to live in during her old age, so we won't divide them among ourselves."
The sixteen mu of fertile land will be divided into three parts. Mother will get an extra mu, and my share will be given to you, which is ten mu. The remaining two hills, which are connected to dry land, will also be given to you.
"Our ancestral home is still on the hilltop. Although it's a bit dilapidated, it can be renovated and is habitable. It all belongs to you."
Besides the silver in his hand and three brick houses, Chen Ping didn't care much about the small plots of land and hills his family owned.
Especially the two hilltops, apart from some miscellaneous trees and weeds, are not very useful, and the adjacent dry land doesn't grow crops well, so it's just right to give them to Chen An.
Although the Chen family's ancestral home is there, the master said that the feng shui there is not very good, otherwise they would not have come to the village entrance to build a new house.
With most of her family fortune taken away, Zhao felt a sharp pain in her heart, but she couldn't say anything and could only swallow her anger.
"Brother, your sincerity is not enough. How much silver has your husband given to the public over the years? Why don't you share it?"
The ten taels of silver you brought were for the master's medical treatment; they don't count.
We've divided the spoils and have no money left, barely enough to buy anything. Isn't my elder brother forcing me to do something dishonorable?"
Cheng Yue hesitated. She was fine with not sharing the house; she didn't want to live next to this family of oddballs. But she couldn't accept not sharing the money. Did they think she was a sucker?
Chen Ping hadn't expected Cheng Yue to be so difficult to deal with, and seeing that Chen An remained completely silent, he couldn't maintain his amiable demeanor at all.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's do the math. My second brother has only brought back thirty taels of silver in the past ten years."
One portion is for your mother's filial piety, one portion is for your daily needs, and the other portion of ten taels of silver is all for you!
But you must swear that you will never again use your child's reputation as a threat!
Cheng Yue nodded, "Okay, but then again, brother, you've given us your share of the business. If you ever fall on hard times, our mother-in-law will naturally be our responsibility to support her. So what about her share..."
“How could we be down on our luck? Sister-in-law, don’t curse us!” Before Cheng Yue could finish speaking, Li Manying interrupted her hastily.
Their family's life was getting better and better, how could they have fallen on hard times?
Chen Ping never expected that Cheng Yue wasn't satisfied with just receiving so much property; she even had her eye on his mother's share? She must be desperate for money!
"I am the eldest son, so I will naturally take care of my mother in her old age. Even if I really fall on hard times, I will still be able to feed her. I will never push her onto you!"
Zhao was so worried she could kill a fly with her frown. She could live a life of luxury with the eldest son, but with the second son, she would starve to death.
She's not stupid; she knows what choice to make.
Without even thinking, he said, "You guys just mind your own business. You don't need to give us any money as a form of filial piety anymore. It's good enough if you don't bother us when you need something. I will never live with you!"
Cheng Yue was waiting for this very sentence, after all, an unkind and unhelpful elder like Zhao Shi would affect the feng shui of the family, and whoever was associated with her would suffer bad luck.
Upon hearing this, Chen An gave Zhao a deep look and said, "In that case, please trouble you to invite the village headman over, and write down all the other details to be divided, and also draw up a contract."
Before Chen An could finish speaking and before Chen Ping could make a move, Li Manying had already stepped out the door, her steps becoming noticeably lighter as she thought about the family division.
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