Sun had always managed the family's money, which was usually hidden in places Old Man Lu would never expect. Now, it was piled up on the bed so openly that Old Man Lu's eyes widened in disbelief.
He walked over, climbed onto the bed, and cautiously reached out to touch her, only to have his hand slapped away by Mrs. Sun.
"Stop messing around, I'm annoyed!"
Sun glared at him irritably and gathered the money closer to herself.
"Why are you unhappy all of a sudden? You worried when you didn't have money, and you still worry now that you have money. What's there to worry about?"
Since Old Man Lu wasn't in charge of the household, he naturally had no idea what Madam Sun was worried about.
"What do you know? The poor have their own way of worrying, and the rich have theirs. Besides, our family isn't even considered rich right now!"
As she spoke, she sighed again. If she were truly wealthy, she wouldn't be stuck setting up a street stall all this time.
"So what exactly are you worried about?"
Old Lu looked at her intently, puzzled.
The elderly couple rarely had such quiet conversations, because Sun had always been in charge of making decisions at home, unless she was unsure of what to do.
So, Old Man Lu became serious and asked, "You can't bear to part with your daughter?"
“No,” Mrs. Sun shook her head and sighed, “I was thinking, should we divide the family property as well?”
Upon hearing about the division of the family property, Old Man Lu frowned, but did not immediately object. Instead, he asked, "What do you think?"
He respected Sun's decisions in many matters. After all, Sun had managed the household very well during the long period he was away from home, and he believed that she had a reason for everything she did, and that it wasn't just a baseless rumor.
“We didn’t have much money before. If we had really divided the family property, they would probably have all starved to death. But now we have money, and we can live well even if we divide the property. Most importantly, I don’t want them to rely on my third son’s wife forever.”
"The third son's wife is very capable. The family is able to live such a good life now thanks to her. Moreover, she is not only going to do this small business, but she is a person who is going to do big things."
“If we take the eldest and second eldest children with us in everything we do, we’ll be happy, but what will she think? It’s right to lend a hand when the family is in trouble, but we can’t just take it for granted and rely on her all the time, especially since she’s just a woman who has lost her husband and has children.”
"We're still alive and well now, and our family relationships are good. Our eldest and second eldest sons aren't likely to do anything heinous, but who can guarantee they won't in the future? Once people have money, it's easier for them to turn bad."
“It’s not that I don’t trust the first and second wives, but I want to give the third son’s wife a guarantee, a guarantee that she can live in this family with peace of mind. Of course, she’s not the kind of person who would be easily bullied, but she is her, and we are us. As elders, we can’t shirk our responsibilities.”
"Although I told her before that even if she wanted to remarry, our family wouldn't stop her, judging from the way she is, I guess she wants to stay with our third son forever. You know, our third son must have accumulated a lot of good fortune in his past lives to marry someone like her. It's a pity he was short-lived; they were only husband and wife for one night..."
When talking about her youngest son, Mrs. Sun couldn't help but lose control of her emotions and her eyes reddened.
Old Lu was also saddened, but seeing his wife like this, he quickly said, "Look at you, you're just talking, why are you crying? You're both old. Escorting goods is inherently dangerous. When he chose that path, we were all mentally prepared. That's why our family didn't dare to find him a girl from a normal family..."
It's true, back when Lu Baichuan was going to go on a delivery mission, his family was worried that he would never return, so they bought He Jiuniang from a human trafficker. She was beautiful, didn't talk much, and was hardworking.
Most importantly, even if Lu Baichuan got into trouble, none of her family members came to cause trouble.
Everything was under the control of the Lu family, which made things convenient for them but caused He Jiuniang great suffering.
On this point, Madam Sun always felt that she had let He Jiu Niang down.
"Then you should have realized during this time how much better the third son's wife is than girls from ordinary families!"
Sun glared at him unhappily, thinking that this person really knew how to bring up the most sensitive topics.
"Yes, yes, she is indeed a very good person, so I know you want to protect her. In that case, let's separate the family!"
Old Lu went along with her wishes and didn't say anything to refute her.
The Lu family was indeed in the wrong regarding He Jiuniang, so it was better for them to separate.
At least she won't have to worry about this whole family anymore, and she can do whatever she wants from now on.
So, the next evening, Sun and Old Man Lu discussed the division of the family property, and the Lu family was immediately thrown into an uproar.
"Father, Mother! Why do you suddenly want to separate the family property? Is there something we did wrong?"
"Yes, Father and Mother, with our parents still alive, how can we brothers divide the family property?"
"Father, Mother, is there something your daughter-in-law did wrong? We can change it!"
"Yes, why would you split up the family property when everything is going so well!"
...
The eldest and second wives are extremely nervous. How come the younger sister's family was supposed to move out yesterday, but today they have to be separated? What did they do wrong?
That shouldn't be happening!
The Zhang brothers sat to the side without saying a word; this was a matter for the Lu family and had nothing to do with them.
Lu Guilan didn't know what to say, so she just watched from the side.
He Jiuniang guessed that it must be related to her, but she said nothing and waited to see what the old couple planned to do.
After everyone had been excited for a while, Old Man Lu finally spoke up to interrupt: "Your mother and I have already decided on this matter. We will divide the money and live together. However, you will have to pool your own money for food and drink expenses from now on, according to the number of people. The more people, the more money you will spend, and the fewer people, the less money you will spend."
The first and second wives each have three children, while the third wife only has two. If the money is pooled from each household, it would be unfair to the third wife.
"We've already given you all the previous dividends. Today, we're going to distribute the money from the public fund. There are 482 taels of silver left. Take out 2 taels to keep for a prosperous New Year, and distribute the remaining 482 taels to your three households. As your parents, we won't be biased. 160 taels per household, that'll be just enough. From now on, you can decide for yourselves what you want to do with the money."
"As for the land we just bought, it will be divided according to the original plan. The son-in-law's family will also have a share. It will be considered a family business. Those who are required to pay taxes will pay taxes, and those who are required to receive dividends will receive dividends. However, the share belonging to the public treasury will be divided equally among the three of you brothers."
“You should all know that all these businesses in the family were started by the third son’s wife. In the past, when life was hard, she had no choice but to take you all with her. After the family is separated, it’s up to you to do what you want. Don’t think that you can rely on the third son’s wife for everything. You also need to learn to find your own way. Anyway, these businesses in the family are doing well, and we won’t starve for the time being. You can go out and try your luck.”
Old Man Lu said so much in one breath, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, feeling that he had made himself clear enough.
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