The clan chief had already taken stock of the Chi family's assets, listing them one by one: "The Chi family currently owns six estates, four hundred acres of fertile land, and twenty shops..."
This number is not considered large among aristocratic families. In the early years when the old Marquis was still alive, before the Marquis's mansion declined, the land was as high as 800 acres and there were dozens of shops. However, in recent years, due to poor management, the family has had to fill the deficit and decorate the storefront, and has sold off a lot of the land one after another.
Of those that remain today, most are operating at a loss.
The clan chief pondered for a moment, then glanced at the two Chi brothers: "According to the old lady's wishes, the shops on Yongning Street and Xingsheng Street will belong to the Marquis, and the rest will be left to you, the second son."
Madam Chi felt only irony upon hearing this.
Everyone knows that the shops on Yongning Street and Xingsheng Street are in good locations and have thriving businesses. Not only can you not count on the profits of the other shops, but you're lucky if you don't have to pay out of your own pocket to make ends meet each month.
It was said to be divided equally, but in reality, only what the eldest son's family left behind was given to them.
Yesterday she told Tang Ning that as long as they could separate the family property, she would be willing to give up every penny of the assets, since she wasn't short of money.
Tang Ning also advised her, "It's rightfully ours, why not take it? Mother is thinking of them, but they might not appreciate it!"
In retrospect, she was absolutely right.
Madam Chi's eyes turned cold. Since that's the case, what belongs to their second branch of the family, she won't take less of a single thing!
She doesn't care about the shop.
Madam Chi blinked, then hesitated before speaking, "Clan leader, the estates and shops can be divided equally, but how should we divide the ancestral home and the servants?"
There's only one Chi residence; it's impossible to divide it in two.
And the household servants, all of whom were used to being waited on, were allowed to be taken away by the old lady?
As expected, the old lady's face immediately turned cold, and her tone revealed a hint of gritted teeth: "Could it be that you still want a share of this ancestral home? I live with the eldest son and the others, the ancestral home should be left to the eldest son's family!"
Lady Hou's eyes flickered, her words carrying a hidden barb: "Sister-in-law, this house can't possibly be divided in two, can it? Where will Mother live? If it's really divided, what will outsiders say about us!"
She slightly curled the corners of her lips, her words carrying a hidden meaning, "I know you're always shrewd and calculating, but if you're too calculating, people will misunderstand you as petty!"
This is a veiled criticism of her background as a merchant, implying she is mercenary and calculating.
Shen Tangning naturally couldn't just stand by and watch her mother-in-law suffer a loss. She curved her lips and said softly, "Auntie is right. The house can't be divided."
Before Lady Hou could even laugh, she abruptly changed the subject, "But that's how the law is: whenever a family divides its property, all assets must be divided equally. If they are not divided equally, the person who commits the act shall be punished with twenty strokes of the cane for every twenty strings of cash." (Note 1)
The Lady Hou's smile suddenly froze, and the old lady's face also turned ugly.
Shen Tangning's eyes widened in surprise, her expression worried: "This punishment is no light one!"
The clan chief's expression changed, and he immediately dared not show any favoritism, looking at her scrutinizingly: "Then how do you want to divide it?"
Shen Tangning smiled slightly: "We're all family, so there's no need to be so calculating. We can do without the house and servants, but we can make up for it in other ways, such as land and shops, and just calculate the value accordingly."
Everyone: "..."
Isn't this considered clear calculation?
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