The sounds of the Taoist priests performing rituals died down in the evening, and the number of mourners also decreased.
My grandmother will be buried soon.
Yining looked at the setting sun and saw a ray of sunset light falling from the eaves. In the cold evening, only the main hall was brightly lit.
"Meimei, what are you looking at?" Luo Yihui asked her.
Yining just shook her head and said it was nothing, and the maid in the main hall finally opened the door. Luo Yihui took her hand and walked in behind Lin Hairu.
Chen was sitting in the main hall, with Master Luo sitting beside her, and all the male members of the family were present. Seeing Luo Yihui leading Yining in, Chen's face turned unhappy. She smiled and said, "Sister Hui, Yining is still young. Let Madam take her out to play."
"My sister is well-behaved and won't bother my aunt." Luo Yihui replied with a smile.
Luo Shenyuan sat on Luo Yihui's right and said calmly, "Yining, come to Third Brother."
Yi Ning walked over to him obediently, and her elder sister didn't stop her. She picked up the teacup and drank. Yi Ning didn't know what the two of them had talked about that afternoon, but it must have been related to the division of the family. She raised her head and looked at Chen.
Chen held her breath.
She didn't approve of the family division. She'd been in charge of household expenses for years, and everyone had been living comfortably. While the first wife's expenses were higher, that was understandable. Looking at the long term, the second wife had Luo Yihui, the wife of the Ningyuan Marquis's son, and the Baodi Gu clan. While the Gu family had been keeping a low profile for years, Old Master Gu was still the emperor's tutor. As long as he was around, the Gu family wouldn't decline.
The eldest branch of the family may seem to be thriving, but without support, it will fall apart in a matter of moments.
Chen told Master Luo about this, and Master Luo had already considered it, so he tacitly agreed to Chen's idea. She invited Luo Chengzhang to discuss the future of the mansion. But before they could say much, the cunning men from the second house came up one after another. Luo Shenyuan came in first, followed by Luo Yihui and Luo Yining.
Uncle Luo had long ago told Chen that his second brother had never suffered hardship and had always lived a smooth life. It would be easy to target him.
But if you want to start with Luo Yihui or Luo Shenyuan, that would be difficult.
But since they were already here, there was no point in kicking them out. Chen asked the maid to bring up the account book. She moistened her throat with tea and said, "This household can't be left without a leader for a day. When the old lady was here, I was in charge of many things. I don't think I was good at managing it, but I never made any mistakes. Now that the old lady is gone, there's no reason for us to separate immediately."
She said to Luo Chengzhang, "If you don't mind, I'll continue to manage it. Your eldest brother also means the same thing. When the old lady was still alive, she handed some of it over to Shen Yuan. He's young and impetuous, and I'm afraid that if he can't manage the household affairs well, it will affect his studies. It's better to hand those over to me as well. I'm sure the second house will have enough food, clothing and other expenses."
Yi Ning wanted to laugh when she heard this. The rule, established when Old Master Luo was alive, was that the ancestral property be divided equally between the brothers. But when the Chen family was in charge, everything in the mansion was given primarily to the eldest wife, and the daily expenses of the Luo Huaiyuan brothers were even more substantial. When her grandmother was alive, she turned a blind eye, but finally, unable to bear it any longer, she allowed Luo Shenyuan to take over as the manager, replacing her eldest aunt. With the teahouse now thriving, how could she not manage it properly?
Luo Chengzhang looked at Uncle Luo.
Over the years, there has been a lot of estrangement between the brothers. Although they are brothers from the same family, they have become alienated from each other. What the eldest sister-in-law means is what he means.
If the eldest daughter hadn't discussed it with him, it wouldn't have mattered if she had just given up the first wife's position. It's not that he didn't know about the first wife's affairs, but like the old lady, he thought the safety of the family was the most important thing, so he didn't say anything.
"As for my sister-in-law's matter..." Luo Chengzhang said slowly, "I can't make the decision. You should discuss it with Hui Jie'er."
How could he deal with Chen? His eldest brother just sat there without saying anything.
Chen's face froze. As expected, after Luo Yihui returned, the second branch of the family seemed to have found a leader, and they all became more reserved. She looked at Luo Yihui again and said with a smile, "Sister is a married woman, but with your status, it's not impossible for her to take charge of the Luo family's affairs..."
What Chen meant by this was that she wanted Luo Yihui to leave it alone.
Luo Yihui stood up upon hearing this and smiled, "Aunt is right. Although I'm married, I still have the status of the eldest daughter. My brothers and sisters are still young, and Shen Yuan is busy with his studies. I don't care who will take care of them."
Her words choked Chen's words back. Then she continued, "Of course I don't agree." She bowed to Chen and raised her head. "My father and I have been thinking about it for a few days. Since my aunt has an idea, I also have one. It would be more appropriate to divide the family."
Chen had long guessed what Luo Yihui was planning, but she still felt uncomfortable when she heard it. She smiled and said, "Sister Hui, your words are too heartless. The old lady just passed away, and our two families should be harmonious. Wouldn't it be unfilial to her to divide the family? If she knew about this, she would probably be heartbroken!"
Luo Yihui wouldn't be rebuked by the word "unfilial." She looked at Chen and said, "Because of my great aunt's words, Grandmother didn't even see Yining before she passed away. After Grandmother passed away, you immediately drove her beloved granddaughter to live in a deserted courtyard. I don't know who should be labeled as unfilial! And who is Grandmother grieving for?"
Chen twisted her handkerchief. What Luo Yihui felt most sorry for was her younger sister Luo Yining. Now that she was back, she kept asking her questions. It was like she was talking to her younger sister!
Luo Shanyuan saw that Chen didn't say anything, but stood up immediately.
"Eldest sister, you speak as if you saw it with your own eyes." Luo Shanyuan was Chen's son, so he naturally spoke on her behalf. "Mother asked Seventh Sister to leave that day because she was worried about her health. As soon as she left, Grandmother became angry. Can you blame Mother for that?"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
