After Transmigration, I Picked Up A Husband and Daughter
Chapter 205: The Dust Settles

Chapter 205: Chapter 205: The Dust Settles

"The two elders still need to raise and support Dazhuang, I’ll need to weigh all aspects thoroughly."

The village chief had barely finished speaking when he added, "First and foremost, of course, we must inventory all the household possessions."

"Obviously, the Silver in the chest is no exception."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou’s expression suddenly changed as she blurted out, "No!"

Her refusal was categorical, well aware that once the inventory was made public, she would have to face a significant loss. Those Silver Taels, imbued with past joys and sorrows, might be gone from her forever.

However, before the village chief could speak again, Jiang Xunzhong strode forward and snatched the chest, his gaze resolute: "What’s the problem? Since you want to divide the family, yet you’re so stingy with the Silver, how does that make sense?"

In front of all those gathered, Jiang Xunzhong was determined to show the rational and responsible side of himself, not wishing any longer to be seen as weak and incompetent.

He smoothly pulled an axe out of the chest and tossed it aside, his voice definitive, "Then let’s do it now, let the village chief count everything fairly and decide how to divide it. Three sons, one died young, another became estranged due to a misunderstanding, and one lies ill in bed, uncertain of life or death. We, as an old couple, should have been enjoying our twilight years, but now even the livelihood of Dazhuang must be managed by us. Although this Silver is the pension left by my deceased husband and doesn’t necessarily have to be included in the division, out of consideration for the familial bonds, I can’t bear to see Xie Xinghua and her child suffer. Let the village chief judge the situation and make a decision."

Jiang Xunzhong’s words unfolded before everyone like a scene from an emotionally charged play, his helplessness and sacrifice resonating with every person present.

Especially when mentioning that the Silver was the pension of Aunt Zhou’s late husband, the weight of it was not just in the measure of Silver, but it also touched the soft spot in everyone’s hearts, leaving the village chief overwhelmed with emotion and complexity.

At that moment, the village chief furrowed his brow, revealing a hint of difficulty and helplessness in his eyes.

This inheritance clearly belonged to the deceased and had no ties to the Jiang Family, and Aunt Zhou’s insistence on not handing it over seemed to have some justifiable reasons.

But as things had escalated to this point, like an arrow strung to a bow, they had to be released; the village chief could only feign calm, quietly calculating how best to resolve the unexpected turmoil.

Aunt Zhou’s gaze slid sideways, lightly sweeping over her husband, a flicker of surprise and bewilderment crossing her eyes.

After many years of marriage, she had never expected her husband, who always played the good guy, to have such a tactful approach.

Any unpleasant task that might offend others, he would always push onto her, resulting in her acquiring a reputation as a shrew and being frightened of her husband among the neighbors, while he maintained a conciliatory demeanor.

But now, he was no longer evading, and this hidden astuteness made Aunt Zhou feel an unprecedented sense of estrangement and depth.

A chill crept up her spine, and Aunt Zhou suddenly felt as though the man she had relied on all these years was an enigmatic being.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she had ever really known the man beside her.

The turmoil in Jiang Xunzhong’s heart, Lady Zhao’s doubts, and dissatisfaction had long since been brewing.

Recalling their first meeting, back then, because of the rumors that she brought bad luck to her husband, she was shunned, and no one in the entire village dared to approach her easily.

Alone and burdened with two young children, life was a constant struggle, always on the brink of poverty.

She had heard, by chance, that she had a substantial compensation fund in her hands, and suddenly felt this might be the opportunity to solve her current predicament.

The two started out together, and indeed there were sweet and warm times initially; that sum of silver coins was like timely rain, easing many of their hardships.

However, with the birth of Changxi, Lady Zhao’s attitude toward the two sons grew increasingly cold, worsening day by day.

Despite the growing tension at home, Jiang Xunzhong, in order to maintain the peace, chose to endure and avoid.

The villagers often laughed at him for being henpecked, but they also praised him as a good man who did not want to stir up trouble.

In these assessments, he found a strange sense of balance and comfort, and even when faced with Lady Zhao’s harsh criticism and occasional physical altercations, he always bore it in silence.

Jiang Xunzhong was able to endure in part because he did not have to rely entirely on farming for a living; his life was relatively comfortable, free from too much hardship.

It wasn’t until one day that Lady Zhao revealed that the family’s silver taels had nearly run out due to Changxi’s marriage that he suddenly became aware that something was amiss and started to take serious care of the long-neglected fields with Xie Xinghua and her three daughters.

What he hadn’t expected was that Lady Zhao had secretly hoarded a large amount of silver, enough to allow the family to live carefree for generations.

Thinking about how many years they had shared a bed and how distant their thoughts were, Jiang Xunzhong’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.

At this moment, each harboring their own thoughts, they quietly waited for the village chief to announce the division of the family Property.

With a list in hand and lips slightly pursed, as if weighing the pros and cons, the village chief slowly spoke, "The items in your house are so badly damaged that it makes little sense to divide them."

"As for the property, aside from the room each of you occupies, only the kitchen and woodshed are left. I think the kitchen should remain with the two elders, and the woodshed should belong to the main house. With this division, does anyone have any objections?"

No sooner had he finished speaking, Xie Xinghua, who got the woodshed, naturally had no complaints.

Aunt Zhou had intended to object, but was stopped by a subtle look from Jiang Xunzhong; the protest that reached her lips ultimately turned into a silent swallow, and it seemed everything was thus settled.

Seeing that neither side had objections, a gentle smile appeared on the weathered face of the village head, his voice carrying a touch of seasoned warmth as he slowly said, "Since there are no objections, let’s happily conclude the ownership of the old house like this, putting a satisfactory end to a major concern for our village."

As for the allocation of the land, the village chief’s gaze swept over the crowd as if looking for everyone’s reaction before he slowly began, "As for the land, according to tradition, the Sky Character Land, being the highest quality, naturally counts as one piece; the Earth Character Land, slightly inferior, totals four pieces; the Ren Pride Land, suitable for ordinary farming, is two pieces; and finally, the more remote and barren He Character Land, is three pieces. In my personal opinion, the Sky Character Land should still be left to the two elders. After all, everyone has seen the contributions they have made to the village over the years."

Jiang Xunzhong’s brow slightly relaxed, a hint of solace flashed in his eyes, and Lady Zhao’s tightly clasped hands also gradually loosened. The two exchanged a reassuring look, silently grateful that the village chief could still honor the past.

However, this sense of gratitude had not yet fully taken root in their hearts when it was shaken by the village chief’s following words.