Seeing the anxious expressions on Old Man Chen's and his youngest son's faces, Old Mrs. Chen gave them a reassuring look.
She had already made up her mind that since the eldest son was not going to serve in the palace and did not agree to Qing'er's marriage, it would be best to separate the family now.
If we just drive them out, give them two acres of sandy land, and give them less food, that's all we need.
Hmph, if they can't get enough to eat and are starving, then they'll come begging to me. At that point, he'll have no choice but to obediently send his daughter to Butcher Li's house himself.
Old Mrs. Chen gave Chen Qingqing a cold glare and said through gritted teeth,
"Eldest son, since you've decided to move out and live alone, I won't make things difficult for you. You'll get what you're entitled to, and you have no right to fight for what isn't yours."
Chen Zhanshan nodded blankly, "Mother, you tell me, I have no objection to how you divide the sons."
Chen Qingqing was almost stunned by what she heard, and quickly added,
"Grandma, my dad has done more work and suffered more than anyone else over the years. Since you said you wouldn't make things difficult for us, I hope you can treat everyone equally and not say one thing and do another."
"That's natural."
Chen Qingqing disagreed, saying that as the saying goes, "Old people are cunning, old horses are slippery, and old rabbits are hard to catch."
This old woman probably already had a plan in mind to make things difficult for them; she raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Since we are dividing the family property, we need witnesses. Words are not enough; only a written agreement can be effective, so as to avoid future disputes."
Old Mrs. Chen's face darkened. "You brat, I'll let you run wild for a few days. But when you can't even afford to eat, I'll make you kneel on the ground begging me."
She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, whatever you say."
Seeing that she had agreed, Chen Qingqing smiled and said, "Father, Mother, I'll go find the village head and ask him to come and help with the paperwork."
"Go ahead." Chen Zhanshan waved his hand weakly and instructed, "Be polite when you see the village head."
"Okay." Chen Qingqing replied and turned to leave the courtyard.
At this moment, Sun, the wife of the second son Chen Zhanliang, carrying a bamboo basket, led her son Chen Erbao, and her two nephews Chen Han and Chen Jiye into the gate.
"Qing girl, why are you chasing after me like a wolf? What's the rush?"
"Second Aunt, I'm going to find the village head to divide the family property."
Chen Qingqing jogged along, relying on the original owner's memories, and arrived at Wu Baoan's house.
"Uncle Village Head, are you home?"
"Who is it?" Wu Baoan came out in response. He was taken aback when he saw Chen Qingqing, then smiled and said, "Qingqing, is something the matter?"
Wu Baoan was around fifty years old, of average height, and the village head of Nanshan Village. He was an upright and respected village head.
Chen Qingqing said softly, "My grandmother wants to separate from our eldest son's family and would like to ask you to come and be a witness."
"Dividing the family?" Wu Baoan was stunned. "Qing girl, what's going on? Why do you want to divide the family? In this day and age, if your family is separated, you will starve to death."
"Our eldest branch of the family was forced into this situation. In order to support my third uncle's education, my grandmother betrothed me to Li the butcher in Qingshui Town as his second wife. I refused to marry him..."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Chen Qingqing recounted the whole story from beginning to end.
Wu Baoan shook his head helplessly. The Chen family's affairs were indeed complicated. The Chen family owned more than ten acres of land. The second branch of the family was a cunning and sly person. The first branch of the family managed the land, but the harvest was used to support the third branch of the family's education.
Because the third wife was literate, she ate well, dressed well, and lived well. Her daughter, Chen Ruolan, was raised like a pampered young lady in town.
Looking at the children of the eldest son's family, they were all skin and bones, pale and thin, and dressed in tattered clothes.
The Chen couple's favoritism was outrageous; it's truly remarkable that the eldest son's wife has tolerated it for so many years.
He sighed. "Let's go."
......
Seeing the whole family standing in the courtyard, Mrs. Sun felt a little excited.
She had long been fed up with this kind of life. Not to mention food, the second wife's family couldn't even get a bite of meat all year round. Any money the family had was used to support the third wife's family in their old age. She thought it wouldn't be bad to separate and live separately.
She suppressed a smile and walked into the courtyard. "What's wrong? You're separating the family? Does that mean we'll each live our own lives from now on?"
Chen Zhanliang glared at her. "The third son didn't have money to pay for his studies, so Mother found a family for Qing'er. But Qing'er refused to marry him, so Mother got angry and is going to kick the eldest brother's family out."
"Isn't this a good thing? A girl has to get married sooner or later when she grows up. Who is she betrothed to? Why is my brother still unwilling?"
"Butcher Li from Qingshui Town".
"Oh my god!" Sun exclaimed. "That butcher Li is a notorious beast. Even if we starve to death after the family is divided, we can't marry that animal."
Chen Zhanliang pursed his lips. "Who says otherwise? Otherwise, with my brother's temperament, if he dared to disobey Mother, wouldn't he have driven this honest man to his wits' end?"
Sun glanced at Chen Zhancai and his wife with dissatisfaction, feeling angry. They did nothing all day but relied on the whole family to support them.
Now they're even plotting against Qingya! They're inhuman, utterly despicable.
She was somewhat indignant. If the family were to split up, how would the eldest son's family survive? In this day and age, they wouldn't even have anywhere to beg for food.
If she starves to death, wouldn't it be a waste to have such a grown daughter?
She quickly came up with an idea and approached Old Mrs. Chen with a grin. "Mother, why are you so angry? Getting angry will only hurt your health. If you ask me, if Qing'er doesn't want to marry, that's fine, but the family absolutely cannot be divided."
......
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