After Transmigration, I Picked Up A Husband and Daughter
Chapter 148 Compensation Goods

Chapter 148: Chapter 148 Compensation Goods

"I want to ask those present here," Fang Qin began, her voice strong and clear, "when Ziling was two years old, he nearly drowned in a tub at the hands of his stepmother. At four, he was heartlessly abandoned in Clear Water Town. Until he was nineteen, a leg injury was left untreated, resulting in a lifelong disability, all because the household was too miserly to part with several taels of silver. When he could no longer work, he was cruelly thrown out of the house to fend for himself. Can this be called maternal kindness?"

She paused, scanning the crowd, and continued, "As for Jiang Youfu, his character is despicable, attempting to assault me. It was fortunate that Ziling came to my rescue. Yet Youfu, infuriated and ashamed, grabbed Ziling by the neck and cursed him as a harbinger of disaster. Is this what we call respectful brotherhood?"

What about Ziling’s father, a man who appears not to directly partake in any of these outrageous deeds? What role did he truly play behind this succession of evils? Was he complicit, silently abetting those lurking in the shadows, or merely a turtle shrinking from the evils around him, too cowardly to move forward? Does his silence and inaction also nourish the soil of these wicked deeds, silently yet effectively?"

Thus, facing his mother’s ruthless criticism, his father’s passive evasion, and his brother’s lack of respect, Ziling’s life was filled with unspeakable pain and torment. And at the end of all this suffering, he was expected to bear the burden of caring for the elderly and raising a child not related to him by blood. Isn’t this a great irony and sorrow? Don’t the onlookers find it utterly absurd and disheartening?"

Among the crowd, at Fang Qin’s deafening and resonant words, there was nothing but astonishment.

Silence weighed down on everyone’s hearts like a heavy slab.

The crowd was not entirely ignorant of Lady Zhao’s ill-treatment of the Jiang brothers—after all, the role of a stepmother is a difficult one, and strictness and severity are often inevitable.

However, they had never imagined that Lady Zhao’s actions would be so vile that they defied everyone’s expectations.

Jiang Xunzhong, as the head of the family, seemed exceptionally weak and powerless, a state that evoked a sigh of pity. In such a situation, who would be willing to continue contributing money and labor to such a family?

Su Yu spoke again, her voice firm and beyond dispute, "I do not expect anyone here to seek justice for me. Even if this matter were to go to the government, we have nothing to fear."

Having said this, she gently prepared to help Ziling stand up and leave, as if all was settled.

However, at that moment, Su Yu’s movements abruptly stopped, and her eyes shimmered with a decisive glint, "Oh yes, since the mother-in-law insists she has not officially divided the family, merely expelled Ziling, then today is an excellent opportunity. Let us resolve this unfinished matter of division once and for all, under the watchful eyes of everyone here."

As these words were uttered, the crowd was once again taken aback.

The village chief was the first to recover from the shock, quickly concurring, "Good, clear division is also beneficial to avoid trouble later on."

Every word Su Yu had spoken previously struck his heart, making the village chief feel suffocated.

Facing such family strife, even he, as the village chief, felt an unprecedented sense of disgust and disdain.

Lady Zhao, confronted with this unexpected turn of events, was obviously caught off guard.

What seemed like an advantageous situation had suddenly turned on its head. Facing the threat of asset division, she could no longer hide her anxiety and disarray.

"Divide what? I’ve already given them enough. Houses, fields, grain, haven’t they all received their share? What else is there left to divide?" she retorted, her voice betraying a lack of conviction.

Su Yu’s lips curled slightly, her tone resolute and challenging, "Naturally, the silver coins haven’t been distributed yet. I heard that you have a daughter who became a rich family’s concubine, greatly aiding the household’s finances. By rights, her contributions should also be shared equally. If we are to divide, Mother-in-law, there’s no need to hide anymore."

Lady Zhao heard the words, her anger flaring, and her voice rose high, "Nonsense! Where do I have any secret stash of silver?"

Su Yu smiled without answering; her goal was to infuriate the other party. As for the old lady’s so-called "savings," they were, to her, not worth mentioning.

Lady Zhao always felt a chill in Su Yu’s smile, mistaking it for the other party plotting to take her silver coins, and thus she was eager to escape this unsettling situation.

"Alright, since it has come to this, let’s ask the village elder to draft a document for the division of the family. From this point on, we will live separately."

Su Yu had no objections to this, as it aligned perfectly with her original intention—to maintain a distance without interfering with each other.

However, the village elder expressed opposition, speaking bluntly, "Aunt Zhou, dividing the family isn’t as simple as just talking about it. Ziling’s wife is right, if you’re going to divide, it should be done fairly and reasonably. How can you just drive one family out and consider it settled? Both sides should sit down together and negotiate a resolution."

"If a true division is to happen, then we must invite an impartial person to tally the property and record it clearly without favoring any side."

The village elder’s words struck like a heavy hammer, shattering Aunt Zhou’s last ray of hope.

Aunt Zhou internally cursed her luck; she had intended to use the opportunity to rid herself of a burden, but had instead dug a hole for herself.

If they followed the village elder’s suggestion, not only would it give the young woman an undue advantage, but she would also have to reveal and divide her privately accumulated savings. How could she swallow such an indignity?

In Aunt Zhou’s mind, it was as if countless abacus beads were colliding at high speed, producing a continuous crackling sound, each noise representing a moment of deep contemplation.

Her gaze lowered as she weighed the pros and cons of splitting the family, the scales in her heart wavering indecisively.

In the main house, Jiang Wangshan had never been very reliable, but Xie Xinghua was a truly competent woman. The tedious household chores—from laundering and drying clothes to the meticulous preparation of meals, to lighting the warm stove in winter—were all inseparable from her hands.

If the family really split, Aunt Zhou asked herself where she would find the energy to deal with all this in her old age.

Not to mention Xie Xinghua’s three daughters, who, although considered "money-losing goods," were still clever and smart. They didn’t need much for their living expenses, yet each was hard-working, and perhaps they could even bring back a considerable dowry when they married.

The thought tightened Aunt Zhou’s heart; the cost of division was too great.

Then there was the issue with the third house. Youfu’s departure felt like cutting flesh from her own heart, and Fang Qin was not one for hard work. But Dazhuang, after all, was her own grandson, the one true bloodline continuation Youfu had in this world.

If she truly let the third house stand alone, leaving Fang Qin to manage the household on her own, with her temperament, it was uncertain whether she would attract trouble. If some unsavory character got involved and she took her precious grandson and disappeared, that would be a blow Aunt Zhou could never bear.

After much thought, Aunt Zhou concluded that it was best not to divide the family.

She spoke firmly, "Let’s put an end to this talk of dividing the family now."