The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 579 - 577: Seeing People Clearly

Chapter 579: Chapter 577: Seeing People Clearly

Lady Jiang never expected her husband to possess such ambition and was momentarily stunned.

After pondering for a while, Wang Yonggui instructed, "Tomorrow, you go to the old house and casually tidy up two rooms for Eldest Sister and her family to move into."

"But Father..." Lady Jiang wasn’t foolish and could see that Wang Laozhu was still reluctant to part with his eldest niece, wanting her to stay in the new house for a few more days.

Moreover, upon moving to the old house, the Wang Family would at most provide some food; she and her son would have to cook for themselves.

Here, everything was prepared for them, even the medicine was paid for by the Wang Family.

The grandfather was so fond of the eldest niece; he probably wanted to give her extra subsidies.

"Why do you care? Now that we’ve divided the family, each brother manages his own household, and in this house, your husband is in charge, and you must assert yourself! What are you afraid of? Eldest Brother’s wife is already in a precarious situation; if it weren’t for the sake of Jinpan and others, she would have been divorced long ago! Laoshi’s wife is a clever one; it’s you who should take on the role of sister-in-law with some authority!"

"If our Jinpan and Jinshao become Scholars or Graduates in the future, you’ll be the mother of a Scholar or Graduate. Can’t you show a little dignity?"

Wang Yonggui was not pleased seeing Lady Jiang looking fearful and worried about every little thing.

"I... I understand!" Lady Jiang hurriedly replied after hearing what Wang Yonggui said, knowing she was timid by nature. Accustomed to being suppressed by her parents-in-law and sister-in-law, now that she could truly take charge, it was indeed hard for her to break old habits immediately.

"Alright! From now on, just listen to your husband, and that’s all! As for the Elder Sister, you should keep your distance from now on, just maintain appearances. With her nature, once you give her an inch, she’ll cling to you. Eldest Sister-in-law has a bad temper and doesn’t get along with Elder Sister. She certainly won’t bother herself with disappointment."

"Laosi’s wife is shrewd, unlike you, with a soft-hearted nature. Plus, considering what Father allocated to us, Elder Sister will definitely frequent our courtyard. Remember this, no matter what she says, do not agree to it. If she cries, you cry too. If she complains about hard times or talks about needing to find a wife for Mutou, say that it’s the Sun Family’s business, and it’s not appropriate for the Wang Family to intervene! Did you hear me?"

Over the past few days, Wang Yonggui had seen through his eldest sister, not fearing anything except his own wife inadvertently agreeing to something due to her sister-in-law’s tears.

Thus, he preemptively set things straight with Lady Jiang.

Lady Jiang was soft by nature but still had a clear understanding of family matters; it just never fell upon her to speak out.

Hearing her husband speak this way, she quickly nodded, "Head of the household, be at ease! I’ve remembered it all!"

Following the division, they would have to rely on themselves. Their possessions, their money needed to be guarded closely, as in the future, they would have to finance Jinpan and Jinshao’s schooling and save for Jinhua’s dowry.

In the third household, with Wang Yonggui being assertive and Lady Jiang accustomed to compliance, the matter was settled.

There was no need to mention the eldest branch, Wang Yongfu returned to his room and saw Lady Lin crying on the kang bed, but he ignored her and called all his sons in instead.

"We’ve divided the family today, and in front of both your mother and you all, I’ll only say this once, so remember it well! Even though we’ve split, you must still respect your grandparents and your elderly aunt. Whatever was the norm before should remain the norm! One should not be ungrateful, and always remember the kindness your elderly aunt has shown your father and our family!"

Wang Yonggui said with a stern face.

"Father, we will remember!" The three Jinpan brothers hastily nodded.

"Your Elder Aunt is a pitiable person—" Before he could finish, Lady Lin turned over and got up.

"Pitiable? She’s not pitiable at all! How could she have tricked Father into providing for her if she didn’t deliberately put on such a pitiable front? Our family was living well, but it was her, the troublemaker, who stirred everything into this mess..." Lady Lin sneered.

"Shut up! Isn’t the uproar today enough for you? In front of our parents, my face is blushing with shame! Have you considered, once the news of our family’s division spreads, how others will view you, me, and the Jindou siblings? We are the eldest, breaking off from the family without taking any care of our elderly parents. In the future, who knows what others will say about us behind our backs? And yet, you keep rambling on here!" Wang Yongfu said, barely containing his fury.

"I..." Lady Lin said, feeling guilty.

"Dad, don’t be too harsh on Mom! From now on, we just need to be more filial to Grandma and Grandpa and to our old auntie," Jinpan advised.

Now that the division has happened, what else can be done?

Upon this thought, everyone in the eldest’s household fell silent.

Over at the fourth household.

As soon as Wang Yongping returned to the room, he sighed.

Liu Xiaoqiao couldn’t hold back any longer, "Why are you sighing?"

Wang Yongping said with a mournful expression, "Why did we have to divide the household?"

Even now, he was somewhat unable to grasp the reality. Wasn’t it good to have the whole family together? A bustling household, with all hands on deck, sharing meals together.

He didn’t need to worry about anything; as long as his younger sister handled everything, all he had to do was carry out tasks.

Now that the family was split, he had a sense of loss he couldn’t quite articulate.

Liu Xiaoqiao also felt regret at that moment, recalling the earlier thoughts she had when the family was dividing. Now looking back, she felt utterly ashamed.

After a long time, Wang Yongping finally muttered in a subdued tone, "From now on, let’s continue as before. Give the best food first to Mom and little sis, and consult little sis about anything that comes up. Also, we should set aside half of the future profit distributions as retirement silver for Mom. It wouldn’t be right for Mom to have raised us brothers and end up being looked after only by little sis. No matter how much it amounts to, it’s an expression of our filial piety!"

As Liu Xiaoqiao was regretting, she quickly nodded in agreement, "Okay, I’ll listen to Fourth Brother!"

...

Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang returned to their room.

Old Granny Zhang sat on the kang bed and sneered, "See? The division has certainly made it clear who’s who, hasn’t it?"

"I used to say that Laosi’s family were good people, but I didn’t expect they would also be the kind to play dumb while being smart. You were so kind to her, and yet she couldn’t even offer a single kind word in the moment."

Wang Yongzhu truly didn’t take it to heart, and while sorting out the papers pertaining to the division, said, "That’s normal. Who wouldn’t want to manage their own affairs after getting married? To use your words, who doesn’t have their little schemes, all planning for themselves? My sister-in-law is smart; she probably guessed that I have a significant amount of my own money, so she’s not interested in their share, hence, she plainly doesn’t bring it up."

"Everyone has their selfish interests. When dividing a household, taking a larger share means living a better life in the future. Moreover, all that matters for us is that we could separate. Don’t worry, when you’re with your daughter, I guarantee you’ll enjoy the tastiest and spiciest food, and be the happiest old lady in Qilidun!"

Towards the end, Wang Yongzhu winked at Old Granny Zhang.

Old Granny Zhang laughed, "You sly girl! You’re right, it’s better that we divided the household. Without them dragging you down, better days with Chongjin are still to come! I’ll take care of the house for you, and look after the kids!"