Chapter 9: Splitting the Family

Chapter 9: Dividing the Family

"Mother, should I step out for a moment?"

As a new daughter-in-law, it was indeed awkward for her to get involved in such matters, but Mother Zhan grabbed her hand. "You’ve already married into our family; you’re a part of this household now. Sit here and listen!"

With no other choice, Tang Qiyue could only sit down.

"There’s only this one house. The three rooms on the east side will be kept for my retirement, and the three on the west will go to the eldest son’s family. We’ll build a wall in the middle, and then the eldest’s family will have their own little home."

No sooner had Mother Zhan finished speaking than the eldest daughter-in-law grew anxious.

"Mother, what do you need so many rooms for?"

She had always coveted the entire house for herself. Besides, she wouldn't just have one son; what would she do when she had more children later?

Big Brother Zhan barked, "Shut your mouth and listen to Mother!"

The house had been built with money Mother Zhan had scraped together. Originally, only the three rooms on the west side were built; the three on the east were added later using money sent back by Zhan Zeyue.

He had barely contributed any labor, so how could he have the face to covet his mother’s house?

But the eldest daughter-in-law wouldn't have it. She would rather be resented by her husband than stay silent. "It’s your business if you don't want to fight for it, but the younger brother has skills and housing provided by the military. Chunying will marry off sooner or later, but what about you? What skills do you have? You only know how to grunt and carry heavy sacks every day. Do you think carrying sacks will build you a house?"

Big Brother Zhan’s eyes turned red, but he knew his wife was speaking the truth. It was precisely because he knew it was the truth that he felt even more furious.

"Even if I work myself to death, I’ll build you a new house. Can you stop coveting things that aren't yours?"

Perhaps it was because Big Brother Zhan rarely lost his temper, but his wife was frightened. She wiped her tears, sat back down, and stopped making a sound.

This scene left Tang Qiyue sighing.

She hadn't expected to face such a situation, but fortunately, she was just a spectator.

"Eldest daughter-in-law, don't pull this stunt. The house on the east side will definitely not be given to you, unless I die one day!"

Mother Zhan’s tone was cold. Having raised three children as a widow and managed to arrange marriages for her sons, she was certainly a formidable woman, and her mind was far from muddled.

"Chunying is not yet an adult; she still has two years before she marries, so she must stay by my side. Although Xiao Ye is in the military year-round, this is still his home. Are you saying that when he comes home to visit, he should have to go out and borrow a place to stay?"

Mother Zhan would not indulge the eldest daughter-in-law.

Seeing that his mother was angry, Big Brother Zhan’s lips trembled; he looked ready to kneel and beg for mercy.

"Mother, my wife is muddled. Mother, you decide how to divide it, but you must live with me!"

Mother Zhan snorted, "You are the one who must provide for my old age, but I am still in good health. I won't live with anyone for now. When Chunying marries, I’ll go to whoever is the most filial. Don't be in such a hurry to declare yourself!"

Zhan Zeyue didn't want any of the household items—he had no use for them—so Mother Zhan didn't divide them for him, giving them all to the eldest brother. Finally, there was the money.

"This is all the money in the house. I’ve divided it into four parts: one for the eldest, one for Xiao Ye, one for Chunying, and one for me. No one is to complain that it’s too little!"

Seeing that neither son had any objections, Mother Zhan had Zhan Chunying call the director of the neighborhood committee to act as a witness and write up a certificate. The family division was thus settled.

However, at the end, Mother Zhan added a reminder: "When Chunying gets married, both of you brothers must contribute your share. You can both do that, right?"

Both Big Brother Zhan and Zhan Zeyue nodded in agreement.

With that, the division of the Zhan family came to an end. There was no melodrama, no chaos—it showed just how important it was to have a fair elder.

Although the family was divided, they still ate together. After all, Zhan Zeyue would be returning to the military soon, so they wouldn't be eating many more meals together.

"Alright, your body is still injured. Go to the room and lie down to rest. You have to take your wife back to her parents' home tomorrow; you can't look all sickly and be a laughingstock!"

Mother Zhan shooed Zhan Zeyue and Tang Qiyue away before turning a stern face toward her eldest daughter-in-law.

"Eldest, you disappointed me today. Do you think no one can see through your little schemes? Xiao Ye isn't stingy, and his wife isn't short-sighted. As long as you treat me well, won't you be the one benefiting from what they give me in the end?"

Mother Zhan poked the eldest daughter-in-law’s forehead, frustrated by her lack of foresight.

Back when the family was poor, she only wanted to find a wife for her eldest son and didn't expect much in terms of background, thinking she could teach her over time. But this petty, small-minded behavior was truly hard to correct.

The eldest daughter-in-law had been feeling aggrieved, but hearing that her mother-in-law still favored their family in private, the grievance on her face vanished instantly. She rubbed her hands together awkwardly.

"Mother, I’m slow-witted. Please, scold me all you want. I definitely won't be this stupid again!"

After all, she was a daughter-in-law she had lived with for many years. Mother Zhan sighed, thinking she would take it slow, and let the matter go.

Setting aside how Mother Zhan educated her eldest daughter-in-law—and incidentally told her to prepare the gifts for the younger daughter-in-law’s return visit—let us look at Tang Qiyue and Zhan Zeyue, who had returned to their room.

The two were truly unfamiliar with each other, and Zhan Zeyue was not one to suffer in silence. He leaned against the bed, watching Tang Qiyue organize her dowry.

The Tang family had been quite generous; the dowry was substantial. Even Tang Qiyue wasn't familiar with it—after all, no one had ever given her anything precious—so she was just checking it against the list.

"Your father really spent a fortune. What exactly does he want to gain from me?"

Just as Tang Qiyue was looking through it intently, Zhan Zeyue suddenly spoke from behind her. Tang Qiyue thought for a moment. "The Tang family wants to connect with the leaders behind you to protect the family's assets, which are in imminent danger."

Zhan Zeyue laughed, his voice filled with mockery.

"The old leaders aren't senile!"

Tang Qiyue knew this too. Otherwise, she wouldn't have seen the Tang family fall apart so quickly after her death in her first life. All of her father’s calculations had come to nothing, and the items sent out through her dowry had all been turned over to the state by Zhan Zeyue.

Thinking of the state handover, Tang Qiyue’s expression changed. She looked sharply at her dowry chest.

Perhaps because she had been staring at the chest for so long without moving, Zhan Zeyue sensed something was wrong.

"What? Regret it?"

Just as he finished speaking, Tang Qiyue turned around abruptly and grabbed Zhan Zeyue’s arm, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Zhan Zeyue, is your military unit very short on funds?"

Even as detached as Zhan Zeyue was, he hadn't expected Tang Qiyue to say such a thing. He didn't lie to her and subconsciously nodded.

Besides, which military unit wasn't short on funds? Their budgets were so limited that they often had to be self-sufficient.

Tang Qiyue became even more excited. "Then, if I donate a large sum of money to your unit, can you guarantee that my younger brother’s political background check will pass 100%? Just enough to let him finish university smoothly!"

Even if Zhan Zeyue were slow, he could tell something was off. He sat up from the bed, staring at Tang Qiyue with sharp eyes.

"You’d better be honest—what kind of scheme are you cooking up?"