Uncle Guai drove the ox cart directly to Shen Meng’s doorstep. Feeling grateful for the two large meat buns she had given him earlier, he seemed full of energy, helping lift each child off the cart and carrying the purchased items into the main room.

“I’ll head home now. Next time you’re going to the county town, just let me know, haha!”

Shen Meng hurriedly grabbed a handful of candies from her bag and stuffed them into his hand.

“Uncle Guai, take these home for your grandchildren to enjoy. And I’ll definitely trouble you again in the future. Jinghao will need to head to the county town again in a few months when it’s time for her to deliver.”

“Oh my, this is too much! Two or three candies would’ve been more than enough.” Though he was elated, he still felt a little embarrassed.

“Take them! You’ve worked hard today. Go home and get some rest!”

Beaming, Uncle Guai stuffed the candies into his pocket, said goodbye to the children and Xie Jinghao, and drove the cart away.

After putting away the day’s purchases, Shen Meng instructed Lu Mingyang to take his siblings to wash their hands. Once they were done, she let them run outside to play.

“Jinghao, let me walk you home. I’m worried you might face unpleasant comments, and it’ll be hard to handle on your own.”

“No need, Sister-in-law. I thought about it last night and realized you were right. I need to stand up for myself—not just for me but for Xiaogang and the child I’m carrying. You’ve worked hard all day, so you should rest.”

Shen Meng studied her for a moment, then packed up the things she had prepared for her and handed her a neatly wrapped bundle.

“Xiaogang, go home with your mother. Come back tomorrow for lunch—Auntie will make braised pork trotters for you!”

“Wow! Thank you, Auntie! You’re the best!”

Xiaogang had spent enough time with the older kids to pick up their knack for sweet-talking. His compliments were as smooth as honey, bringing a smile to Shen Meng’s face.

“What a sweet little mouth you have. Be good, okay? I’ll ask Mingyang to bring you some treats later tonight.”

With a smile, Xie Jinghao took Xiaogang’s hand and walked home.

The Lu household’s atmosphere was heavy and awkward. When Xie Jinghao entered the courtyard, all eyes turned toward her.

She couldn’t help but wonder why everyone was home at this time of day. It was still mid-afternoon—shouldn’t they be at work? Did they not care about losing work points and potentially receiving less food and meat at the end of the year?

Wu Xianglan glanced at her with a mix of guilt and discomfort. Normally, she carried herself with the dignity of an elder sister-in-law, and their relationship wasn’t exactly bad. But after upsetting Xie Jinghao to the point of causing her to risk her pregnancy, Wu Xianglan felt remorseful.

After hesitating for a moment, she forced a stiff smile and asked, “Jinghao, did you go to the hospital? What did the doctor say? You’ve brought back so many medicines—was it serious?”

Wu Xianglan was also a mother, and the thought that she might have caused harm to the child made her anxious. If something did happen, she feared being haunted by guilt every day.

Xie Jinghao blinked a few times and bit her lip, feigning sadness.

“The doctor said the baby was hurt. When the time comes, I might need a cesarean. My body is still aching, so I’ll head back to my room now.”

Wu Xianglan’s face turned pale as she watched Xie Jinghao walk away. At that moment, Lu Jiahe coldly snorted.

“Wu Xianglan, let me make this clear—if something happens to my sister-in-law’s baby and Jiasheng makes a scene, don’t expect me to take your side.”

Wu Xianglan dared not retort. She cast a pleading glance at Zhou Jiaojiao, but the latter ignored her, acting as though none of this concerned her.

Lu Jiahe grumbled and cursed at Wu Xianglan. He had already reprimanded her the night before. While he felt his wife often brought shame upon him, he also believed that a woman who didn’t listen could simply be disciplined. However, no matter what, he wouldn’t let her damage his relationship with his brothers.

Feeling restless, he was further agitated by the thought of skipping a day’s work. Losing a day’s worth of work points meant he’d receive less food at the end of the year—a situation that made him increasingly anxious.

“Mother, if Eldest Brother insists on splitting the family, then so be it. They’ve already been given their share of money and food. Just inform them formally, and it’s done. After all, we’ve already separated our meals, so what’s the difference? But we can’t give Shen Meng any of the private land. That lazy woman can’t possibly manage it properly.”

Liu Sanjin’s heart ached at the thought of splitting the family. Losing the eldest son’s income would significantly reduce their household’s resources. Not only would festival gifts from village or county leaders go directly to the eldest family, but they’d also miss out on the remittances from the military. Without that, they’d have to rely on the three yuan per month she received as pension—a tight budget she found intolerable.

“Mother, Jiaxuan’s situation is urgent. The commune clerk’s position comes with a salary of seven yuan a month. It’s a great opportunity, and many well-connected families are eyeing it. If he misses out, who knows how long it’ll take for another chance like this to come around? Splitting the family doesn’t mean Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law will stop being your children. They’ll still help with anything you need.”

Earlier that morning, Lu Jiaxuan had a private discussion with Liu Sanjin, laying out the stakes. He was deeply worried that if his mother refused to split the family, his dream of becoming a official worker would be shattered.

“Mother, life is long. We brothers will always take care of you.”

Lu Jiahe, seeing the fourth brother and his wife pushing for the split, joined in after some thought.

“Mother, it wasn’t easy for the fourth brother to get this opportunity. You should go ahead with the split. But let me say this—the private land shouldn’t go to the eldest family. And if we’re splitting, the second and third branches should get a little compensation too. It’s not fair for all the benefits to go to the eldest and fourth branches.”

Lu Jiahe rarely cared about family matters, but today he seemed unusually restless.

Liu Sanjin, having reluctantly decided to agree to the split, was caught off guard by her second son’s sudden demand for “compensation.”

“Second Son, what did you just say?”

“Mom, please don’t look at me like that. I am the only one who does manual labor at home. I am not as skilled as the third child, not as educated as the fourth child, and certainly not as capable as my eldest brother. I just want to work and earn regular work points, so that I can have something to eat. But mom, if you live with the eldest child or the fourth child, then won’t our second room starve to death? Give us just a little something to help us out—maybe enough for Xianglan to make new shoes for the kids.”

Hearing this, Wu Xianglan’s eyes lit up. Any resentment she felt toward Lu Jiahe vanished instantly. Though he wasn’t the most considerate husband, at least he was looking out for her and their children.

After Lu Jiahe’s suggestion, the room fell silent. The family’s finances had always been tightly controlled by Liu Sanjin. Now that the prospect of splitting the family was imminent, everyone’s eyes were fixed on her money bag. This realization left her seething with anger.