The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 574 - 572: Make a Clear Distinction

Chapter 574: Chapter 572: Make a Clear Distinction

Yesterday evening, Lady Lin who had sworn to follow her sister-in-law’s lead, immediately had a change of heart.

Even Wang Yonggui began to breathe more rapidly with anticipation.

If the father were to be allocated to his household, they might receive a substantial amount more, and as for doing business, he shared the same thought with Wang Yongfu, that the business needed to rely on his sister’s reputation to succeed.

Together in business, sharing the profits, and then his own household could gain so much more, how much silver could it possibly cost to support his father for a year? When the time came and the money was in his hands, he wouldn’t have anything to supplement his elder sister with!

Even Liu Xiaoqiao felt a twinge of temptation.

She wasn’t interested in taking advantage of having her father-in-law assigned to her household; what she thought was that, though her Father Liu had instructed her to always follow her sister-in-law’s lead before marrying, things would change upon the division of the family.

Mother Liu had mentioned that the Wang Family was great in all regards, except that one couldn’t make decisions independently living with parent-in-law and sister-in-law.

Once the family was divided, she would be able to make her own decisions as the head of the household.

Moreover, Wang Yongzhu was being extremely fair in the division; she and her mother-in-law would in fact be at a disadvantage.

She also considered that if she did not take this chance to separate during the division, it could be a long wait to do so if she ended up together with her sister-in-law’s family in the future.

Therefore, when Wang Yongzhu raised the question, no one spoke up.

Wang Yongfu, recalling that Lady Lin had wanted to divide and follow his younger sister the day before, was about to speak up, when Lady Lin pulled him back and shook her head at him.

Just as Wang Yongfu was about to inquire what was the matter, he heard Wang Laozhu’s angry voice, "I don’t agree! What do you mean by this? Are you trying to cast me out? Huh? Or do I not deserve to live in the new house and need to be pushed to the old one? Well! So this is your plan, to drive your own father out, to do as you please at home, is it?"

Wang Yongzhu calmly watched as Wang Laozhu finished raging, then she said, "Father must not have heard clearly, as mother has been allocated to me. As for you, with three other brothers, you can choose anyone to live with freely—I’m sure they won’t be undutiful. I only meant to separate a portion for you, to give you some security, not to force you to live in the old house."

"Besides, since we’re dividing the household, everyone will take care of their own smaller families, and naturally, I won’t need to manage the household anymore. From now on, my only concern will be to take care of mother. Rest assured, I have no intention of meddling in my brothers and sisters-in-law’s affairs," she added.

"Exactly, I heard little sister’s division is quite clear and to the point. Dad, don’t worry! In addition to mother and sister seeking to honor you, you have us as well! Our head of family is the most filial, and as the eldest son, when all is said and done, it is right that you should receive our filial care and support," Lady Lin said with a blossoming smile, eager to persuade and fearing her sister-in-law might change her mind.

Wang Laozhu glanced over everyone present; Old Granny Zhang held a cup of water, her eyes downcast, betraying no expression.

The sons and daughters-in-law all struggled to contain their joy, and suddenly the anger within him dissipated.

Sitting down heavily on the kang bed, it took him a while before he spoke, hand covering his face, "Now that you’ve all grown up, I, as your father, am old and useless, unable to manage you any longer! Divide, then, divide it is!"

"Just one thing—your eldest sister has returned home and temporarily has nowhere to live. I know what you are all thinking; you definitely don’t want her living here. Since the old house is vacant and you’ve said it will be given to me, let’s give the old house to your eldest sister’s family for now, providing them a place to shield from the wind and rain, right?"

Continuing, Wang Laozhu seemed to deflate further.

"Furthermore, your eldest sister and her family need an income. Mutou seems like a decent, honest boy, and your sister needs care now, so Mutou can’t leave his duties. How about this? Our family business is starting the season and could use Mutou to help out with odd jobs. If he does well, teach him a few skills, provide him with a craft, so he can support a family in the future."

This was indeed considering every aspect for Wang Yongzhen and his mother.

Once these words were spoken, Lady Lin was the first to back down.

Supporting the father is no problem, but with the father’s attitude, he wants to support the eldest daughter together; who would do that?

For a moment, surprisingly no one responded.

Wang Laozhu looked at his sons who were all silent, was this disdain? He suddenly felt anger rising to his heart, ready to burst into fury.

Wang Yonggui spoke up, "It’s okay to let the eldest sister and her son temporarily live in the old house. As for Mutou learning a craft, Dad, aren’t you a carpenter? Why not pass the carpentry skills on to Mutou? It’s no problem for him to help out with odds and ends once our business starts in the spring, but these skills are the Wang Family’s skills, they should only be passed on to members of the Wang Family!"

As soon as Wang Laozhu heard this, he could also see that Mutou was an honest child. He feared that he wouldn’t learn the business, but following him to learn carpentry and then later finding a good master in town just like last time to guide him, making ends meet wouldn’t be a problem.

He nodded, signifying that an agreement had been reached.

It also meant that Wang Laozhu had agreed to live together with the third branch of the family.

Since the agreement was reached, there was nothing more to say. Wang Yongzhu gestured for Jinhoo to come over and write the division agreement.

Jinhoo was clearly reluctant, he did not want to split the family!

But after all, he was the junior member, and he couldn’t oppose decisions made by the elders, so he could only quietly sit to one side.

He picked up the pen to write as instructed by Wang Yongzhu.

Wang Laozhu was still discontented, "Can’t you wait even a few days longer? Can’t it wait until after the first reunion of the new house is celebrated before splitting?"

Wang Yongzhu smiled, "Let’s prepare the division agreement and inventory before the New Year, and then after the New Year, we can invite the Clan Leader over. It’s better for everyone to split amicably."

Meanwhile, he said to Jinhoo, "Write only sixty taels of silver for this separation; keep seven taels for New Year expenses at home. If it’s not enough, I’ll make up for it, and don’t write about the food at home. We can add it on the day we split..."

When talking about making up the silver, Wang Laozhu suddenly recalled something and slapped the bed frame, "No, this is not the right way to split the house!"

Everyone was momentarily stunned and looked towards Wang Laozhu. The division was going so well, why couldn’t it be done now? What game was he playing at?

"You still have your own private stash! The gold and jewelry that were once bestowed upon us by the Lady, and didn’t you earn money with Shopkeeper Wu from dyeing fabric? Where is that silver? In the presence of parents, there is no private property! This silver of yours is also part of the Wang Family’s, it naturally has to be taken out for division!" Wang Laozhu said while looking towards Old Granny Zhang.

Indeed, Old Granny Zhang who had been as stable as Mount Tai and had not spoken a word since she entered the room, exploded in anger.

"Bloody nonsense! Wang Laozhu, I never thought you were such a person! My whole life, I, Zhang Chuntao, must have been blind not to see it! Other people say that a good man does not eat what is divided from the family, but look at our family; no disrespect, but feel for yourselves, in your conscience, isn’t it true that eight or nine out of ten things here were earned by our Yongzhu?"