Old Mrs. Chen said irritably, "Forget it? You make it sound so easy. Even if we don't separate, I'll make her ride on my neck and poop. I don't believe I can't deal with this brat. If I don't make her suffer a little, I'll have lived this long in vain."
Sun said, "Mother, what you said is all true, but if we divide the family property, won't my eldest brother's family starve to death!"
Old Mrs. Chen said viciously, "They deserve to starve to death!"
Madam Sun gave an embarrassed smile, "Wouldn't that have been a waste of his life? What a pity! Mother, look, my eldest son is of marriageable age too."
Old Zhao's family in the next village happens to have a son and a daughter, but they don't have the money to get their son a wife, so they've spread the word that they can exchange daughters with anyone who has one.
Since Qing'er doesn't want to marry Butcher Li, why don't we arrange a marriage exchange with Old Zhao's family? That way, Da Bao will get a wife, and Qing'er will also have a good future. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?
Chen Zhanshan and Lin exchanged a bitter glance. These people were truly his blood relatives, yet they were all plotting to harm his daughter. How wonderful!
Old Mrs. Chen instantly flew into a rage, pointing at Sun and cursing, "I knew you were talking nonsense, you didn't have anything good in your mouth."
"Your third son hasn't even passed the imperial examination yet, and you're already thinking about getting your son a wife? You're dreaming! Let me tell you, Zhancai's future is the most important thing in our family right now. Everything else can wait."
Sun's smile vanished instantly. "Mother, are you saying that your third son is the most important person, and your grandson's affairs are unimportant?"
When Old Mrs. Chen saw her face darken, she felt a pang of anxiety. This second daughter-in-law was not as gentle as her eldest daughter-in-law.
She was cunning and domineering, and had a loud voice; when she made a scene, the whole village would be drawn to her.
I remember one time when no one was home, I secretly gave my granddaughter Ruolan a boiled egg. She saw me and started crying, screaming, and threatening to hang herself. Nothing I said worked; she kept accusing me of being biased.
There was no other way but to boil ten eggs for her to calm things down.
“My grandson’s affairs are equally important. What I mean is that your third brother will pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, and Da Bao will be a scholar’s nephew. At that time, when we find a wife for Da Bao, all kinds of good girls will be lined up for you to choose from. Don’t you think that makes sense?”
Sun pouted in dissatisfaction, "If the third son never passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, then Da Bao will have to remain unmarried for life!"
"Pah, pah, pah! Shut your jinxed mouth! If Zhancai fails the exam again this year, it's all your fault for talking like that!" Old Mrs. Chen glared at Sun Shi fiercely, wishing she could slap her twice.
Liu Fengjiao glared at him, "Second sister-in-law, you're really talking rudely. My son Zhancai is the hope of our Chen family. How can your son compare to him? You want to arrange a marriage for your son? You're just a turtle trying to ride a phoenix. You're dreaming."
"Liu Fengjiao, what nonsense are you talking about? What's wrong with my son? He's got an arm and a leg. If you dare to belittle him again, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Madam Sun almost roared.
Chen Zhanliang looked displeased. "Sister-in-law, you'd better think before you speak. All the money we've earned over the years has been spent on your husband. If Dabao can't find a wife, we should use your Ruolan as a substitute. What does it have to do with Qingya?"
Liu Fengjiao's face was ashen, and her hands trembled uncontrollably. "You wish! My Ruolan has the body of a young lady; how could she marry a peasant?"
Sun said with a scornful look, "Don't even think about it. Her ambitions are higher than the sky, but her fate is as thin as paper. What a load of bull, Miss."
"You, you're talking nonsense."
...
Old Mrs. Chen's head was throbbing from their noise, and she interrupted them sharply, "All of you, shut up and go to the side."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Qingqing led the village headman in from outside the main gate.
Old Chen greeted them warmly, "Village head, please have a seat."
Wu Baoan didn't waste any time with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Everyone's here. What's going on? Why are you splitting up the family?"
Old Mrs. Chen pretended to wipe away her tears, "Village head, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but this is the family I want to divide up."
Wu Baoan frowned and said, "Auntie, in this day and age, the eldest son's life might not be easy after the family is divided. Why don't you think about it again?"
Chen Zhanshan sighed, "Village head, let's split up. If we don't, Qingya will have to marry Li the butcher. Wouldn't that be sending her to her death for nothing? Even if she starves to death, I can't let my daughter be beaten to death."
Wu Baoan looked at the man in front of him. He was only forty years old, but due to years of hard work, he looked like a sixty-year-old man.
Separating from the family would be seen as unfilial, making life even more difficult.
"Eldest brother, have you thought this through? If we really split up, and Zhancai passes the imperial examination and the court reduces taxes and corvée labor, then it won't have anything to do with you."
Chen Zhanshan nodded. "I understand."
Chen Qingqing pursed her lips gently, "Uncle Village Head, just write the family division document. We, the eldest branch, don't care about scholars or anything like that."
Let alone a mere scholar, even if the third branch of the family passed the imperial examination with top honors, what would it have to do with our eldest branch? My grandparents were so biased, they wouldn't get any benefit from it, it would just be some empty title.
Next spring, I'll send my younger brother to study in town. The children of our eldest son's family are no less capable than others."
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen gritted her teeth in anger, her ribs aching. "You brat, you won't learn until you're faced with a real problem! I'd like to see how long you can keep jumping around without me! Divorce, let's break up right now!"
Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Wu Baoan slowly asked, "Auntie, what are your plans for distributing the land to the eldest son's family, and how will you allocate the family's grain?"
Old Mrs. Chen narrowed her eyes. "Grain? Who has grain left these days? We only have a bag of rice bran left. I'll be kind and give half to my eldest son. Third son's wife, go to the corner of the east room and get that half bag of rice bran."
"Mother, I'm going right now." Liu Fengjiao swayed as she entered the house.
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