"Have we done enough? We've raised Shi Niu better than Tie Niu! But has he ever treated us like elders? He orders us around every day!"
And you, second brother, you have hands and feet, but you don't care about the children or do any work. All you do all day is hide in your room and sleep. Ask yourself honestly, do we owe you something?
This family is officially splitting up today! From now on, we'll each live our own lives, so we don't have to fight amongst ourselves and make things worse!
Old Li had never spoken so much before. This time, he was both angry and anxious, and he blurted out a whole bunch of things like beans, leaving Granny Cao and the others stunned.
Not satisfied with that, Li Tieniu added, "We don't have to separate the family. Since you don't care about my life or death, I won't care anymore. At worst, our whole family will go to the yamen!"
Granny Cao angrily said, "Fine, let's split the family!"
Listen to the eldest son's grievances. Things have gotten so bad that they have no choice but to separate the family. If they live together as a family, who knows how the eldest son's family will upset them? They might just quit!
It's better to separate and live separately than to live together unhappily.
However, “You’re not being filial by talking to your old woman like that. I’m not going to live with you!”
"My second son and Shi Niu are the most sensible, so I'll live with them! Therefore, you must give me two taels of silver as a tribute every year, no less!"
The eldest son's family is hard to control. If she lives with them, she'll be driven crazy sooner or later. It's better to follow the second son and Shi Niu. With the money they give her as tribute, she can live a life of luxury. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Li Laojin and Li Shiniu hummed contentedly. So what if they split up the family property? Look how smug they are!
The mother (grandmother) is always on their side. So what if we split the family property? We'll still get the money, won't we? Anyway, they won't lose out!
Even the village head couldn't stand it anymore. "Two taels? Do you think I'm some rich man? I've made the decision, it'll be one tael!"
He had no idea what Granny Cao was planning—that she wanted Lao Men's family to continue supporting Li Lao Jin and Li Shi Niu! What kind of family division was this!
Li Laojin and Li Shiniu's faces stiffened. "How can one ounce be enough? What will we eat and drink?"
"This filial piety money is for your mother, not for you! You two are grown men, you're not missing any limbs, how could you starve to death?"
"How old are you? Still relying on your older brother and nephew to support you? Look at yourselves, how dare you even say that!"
The village headman wanted nothing more than to beat them with a big stick. Where did they get the nerve?
He didn't say anything before because it was a family matter, and even as the village head, he had no say in it. But now that they're splitting up the family, he has to say something!
Good people shouldn't suffer losses! This kind of lazy and parasitic bad habit shouldn't be allowed to grow in Houshui Village!
Li Laojin and Li Shiniu looked displeased, but after being scolded, they couldn't really argue back.
Anyway, they haven't severed ties. If they can't get food, I don't believe my older brother would abandon them.
Granny Cao was also very dissatisfied. Li Tieniu now had a job, so giving him two taels of silver was a piece of cake.
She interfered out of nowhere and even scolded the boss. If she says anything now, it's like she's just asking for trouble.
Moreover, she couldn't say anything, since the village's tribute money was only one tael, and some people couldn't even afford one tael.
After comparing the two, Granny Cao stopped arguing. "One tael it is, but I can't give you any of the food in the house!"
Before the village head could speak, Old Man Li said, "We don't want the house, but we can't give up the land!"
The reason for separating from the family was to stay away from them; otherwise, we would see each other all the time, and life would not be pleasant.
Granny Cao gritted her teeth. She really didn't want to share the land. Even if she didn't plant it, she could still sell it for money later. But the village head frowned at her, so she had no choice but to agree.
Li Laojin and Li Shiniu didn't care about the land, since they had never worked in the fields before and would never do so in their lives, so it didn't matter to them.
Besides, having one or two taels of silver is not bad; it's enough for them to eat and drink and not starve.
The village head nodded. "Tie Niu, return the one tael of silver and write the family division document now!"
Finally, the family was going to split up, and Li Tieniu was overjoyed. He immediately ran to the outhouse and started digging.
The safest place in this house is the outhouse, because those few people only care about defecating and don't bother to empty it; they never come here unless there's a reason.
Granny Cao and Old Man Li were dumbfounded. No wonder they couldn't find the money; it turned out Li Tieniu had hidden it here!
What a cunning mind!
Li Tieniu soon dug out a tattered cloth bag, counted out an ounce, and handed it over, saying, "Brother Chen An, Sister-in-law Cheng Yue, this is an ounce, please count it!"
Cheng Yue and Chen An exchanged a glance. It was a pile of money that smelled terrible—not the smell of money, but the smell of excrement…
Why is Li Tieniu so honest? Couldn't he have buried it a little further away?
Chen An could only smile and accept it, saying, "No need to order, we trust you!"
You can't disbelieve it! The smell is so strong, counting them one by one would be torture!
Li Tieniu was deeply moved; what immense trust this was!
The village head, holding his breath, quietly walked out of the courtyard, went home to get paper and pen.
The Li family had few possessions, making it easy to divide them. The division of property was completed in no time.
After the family pressed their fingerprints, Li Laomen and Xia Shi both felt relieved.
The son finally stopped them from sucking his blood! They owe the child, and they will make it up to him slowly in the future!
Li Tieniu didn't want to stay a moment longer and immediately went inside to pack his things. Li Laomen and Xia Shi also busied themselves with the task.
As the village head, Cheng Yue and Chen An felt bad for just standing there, so they helped carry some things.
Seeing their impatient manner, Granny Cao couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks, but since the family had already been divided, Old Man Li and the others pretended not to hear them.
After packing his things and leaving the house, Li Laomen stammered to the village head, "Brother Village Head, do you think we could stay in that dilapidated house at the foot of the mountain for a while?"
Zhao Luoguo used to live there when his house collapsed, but he moved away after his house was repaired, and now the place is vacant again.
The village head had already planned it that way, and nodded, saying, "Okay, but living there isn't a long-term solution. You don't have a house, so you'll have to buy a plot of land and build a new one!"
Actually, that dilapidated house is readily available, it's just a bit run-down and a little out of the way. If you don't mind, you can buy it.
Li Laomen, Xia Shi, and Li Tieniu exchanged glances and thought it was feasible. It didn't matter if it was dilapidated; it could be repaired and people could live in it. It was also conveniently located far from here!
However, they didn't have much money, so Old Li asked hesitantly, "Brother Village Head, how much will it cost?"
The village head pondered for a moment, then said, "Although it's a bit out of the way, the land is quite large. If you want to buy it, five taels will be enough!"
The house itself isn't worth much; as long as it's a homestead, it would normally be worth about six or seven taels of silver. He was trying to help out.
Li Laomen and the others were certainly aware of this, but right now they didn't even have five taels of silver, so they were immediately in a dilemma.
“Uncle Lao Men, Aunt Xia, you can go and collect medicinal herbs. Five taels of silver will only take two or three months. Besides, Tie Niu also gets paid, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Upon hearing Cheng Yue's words, Li Laomen and Xia Shi's eyes lit up, but they were also embarrassed. After their mother-in-law made such a scene, how could they still have the face to gather medicinal herbs?
Cheng Yue knew what they were thinking and smiled, "I can tell who is who, you don't need to think so much, just pick them and I'll take them."
Overwhelmed with emotion, the two choked up and said, "Thank you, niece-in-law! From now on, we'll do whatever you say!"
Cheng Yue: "..."
That's not necessarily true.
Li Tieniu, a tough guy, shed tears. This time, Cheng Yue not only didn't blame them, but also helped them so much. If it weren't for the compensation of one or two taels of silver, they wouldn't even be able to divide their family property!
The village head was pleased. "Alright, let's settle in first. We'll go up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs tomorrow."
Chen Anxin thought to himself, "Let's hurry over there. I need to go home to wash my hands, do laundry, and wash my coins!"
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