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Lu Xinghe’s handsome lips curved into a faint smile. He spoke in a voice only they could hear, “Don’t worry. We’ll take the same path back that we took before.”
Then he turned to look at the courtyard in the distance. “Grandfather, Grandmother, Elder Brother, Second Brother, Fourth Uncle, Yueyue’s foot isn’t feeling well. We’ll go back first. When her foot gets better, we’ll bring her to see you.”
Lu Xinghe’s grandfather, Lu Tiesheng, quickly waved his hand.
“Go on. Go back and rest well.”
Lu Xinghe nodded and carried Chu Yue away.
After they left, the courtyard where Lu Tiesheng and Wang Xuelan lived became lively.
Fourth Uncle Lu Shoucheng looked at Lu Xinghe’s retreating figure and exclaimed in amazement, “I thought Xinghe’s personality would make it difficult for him to find a wife. I didn’t expect that after Chu Shi came into the family, he changed so much.”
Elder Brother Lu Laifu disagreed. “What good is a big change? There’s another mouth to feed. Life will be even harder.”
Second Uncle Lu Laicai nodded. “Brother is right.”
Younger Aunt Jiang Xiuqin whispered, “How much can one girl eat? Maybe having someone to watch over the house will make Xinghe feel more at ease when he’s working outside. Life might be a little easier.”
Second Aunt Zhao Guqin snorted. “Chu Shi doesn’t seem like a hard worker. She can’t even walk a few steps and has to be carried. She’s just a pretty face, how much help can she be?”
“That’s right. She’s just lucky. She happened to run into a wild boar that Xinghe carried back the first day she arrived, and she’s acting like a treasure. Just wait and see. Yun Shi’s hard times are still to come.” Elder Aunt Tian Chunyan said with a smug grin.
Lu Tiesheng looked at his three sons and three daughters-in-law. He waved his hand impatiently. “Alright, alright. You’re all parents and grandparents. Stop gossiping behind people’s backs. Xinghe and his family have already separated. Even with an extra mouth to feed, you don’t have to support them. Just take care of yourselves.”
Elder Daughter-in-law Tian Chunyan’s eyes darted around. She quickly asked, “Father, how are you and Mother thinking about the matter of splitting the family? You two are both so old now. It’s not good for us to keep letting you work for the whole family. We’re all grandparents now. With so many people crammed together in this house, it’s really not appropriate.”
Lu Tiesheng took a puff from his dry pipe and exchanged a glance with his wife. He nodded.
“Split.”
In the past two years, great-grandchildren had been born one after another. The house was indeed too crowded. The sons, daughters-in-law, and even the grandchildren started clamoring for a separation. They even had their own plots of land picked out, and they had already laid the foundations. They just needed to wait for the separation, then they would use the money they received to build houses.
Lu Tiesheng knew that once this family was split, they would never be able to reunite. It was better to let them go their separate ways and have his wife and him live out their peaceful days.
Everyone was overjoyed when they heard Lu Tiesheng’s answer. Their faces all lit up with delight.
Especially the granddaughters-in-law.
It was really uncomfortable to be surrounded by so many people when they first entered the house. They couldn’t do anything without feeling awkward.
Lu Tiesheng tapped his dry pipe and looked at his youngest son.
“Shoucheng, go to your third sister-in-law’s house and tell her to bring her children over tomorrow.”
Lu Shoucheng nodded and went out to Lu Xinghe’s house.
The others exchanged glances. Elder Daughter-in-law Tian Chunyan quickly asked, “Father, why are you calling Yun Shi’s family over for the family separation?”
Lu Tiesheng took another puff of his dry pipe.
“When the third son’s family separated before, they didn’t get anything except the house you helped build. This time, they should get a share.”
When he said that, the expressions on the faces of his sons and daughters-in-law became unpleasant.
“Father, you have to be fair. The third son’s family has been separated for so many years. They haven’t contributed anything to the family. The third son has been gone for so many years. Why should they get a share?” Elder Daughter-in-law Tian Chunyan said.
Second Daughter-in-law Zhao Guqin quickly chimed in, “That’s right, Father. You can’t be so biased. When the third son was still alive, we all supported him so that he could pass the civil service exam and become a scholar. Back then, we were hoping he would succeed so that we could benefit. But in the end, we lost both the man and the money, and he even left us with a huge mess. We’ve done everything we could for him.”
Everyone started arguing. They all disagreed with giving away their hard-earned money and land.
Seeing that his sons wanted to say something, Lu Tiesheng raised his hand.
“Let me speak for a moment.”
Everyone quieted down.
A look of sorrow flashed across Lu Tiesheng’s face.
“First of all, the third son was a capable man. He passed the Imperial exam and became a scholar at a young age. Our family’s fields were exempt from taxes for at least twelve years because of him. That’s a lot of money. Our whole family benefited from him.”
“Secondly, when the third son was still alive, did he ever shirk his responsibilities during the busy farming season? As for Yun Shi, she always volunteered to do the housework because the third son needed to study. She never complained. Now, not only has she given birth to the third son’s three children, but she has also raised them on her own. She’s a great contributor to our family. Even though the third son is gone, I still recognize her as my daughter-in-law.”
As he spoke, he patted his chest.
“You ask me why?” He looked around at everyone, his voice filled with emotion. “They are all my flesh and blood. They are all my children and grandchildren. Why should you have something that they can’t have?”
The sons and daughters-in-law all lowered their heads.
But people always think of themselves. Even if Yun Shi’s family was struggling, it had nothing to do with them now. They had their own lives to live.
Elder Daughter-in-law Tian Chunyan kept winking at her husband.
Lu Laifu was glared at by his wife and had no choice but to ask, “Father, the third son’s family has been separated for so long. They can’t get the same amount as us, can they?”
Just then, Wang Xuelan, who had finished washing the vegetables, came to Lu Tiesheng’s side. She wiped the water from her hands on her apron and looked at her sons and daughters-in-law.
“Your father and I have discussed this. We know you won’t be happy. Tomorrow, you three families can choose the land first. That way, there will be no complaints, right?”
When Lu Xinghe carried Chu Yue home, he startled Yun Cuihe.
“What happened? Why are you carrying her back? Xingping, quickly go open the gate.”
Lu Xingping hurriedly went forward to open the door and took the basket from Chu Yue’s hands, allowing the two of them to enter.
Once inside the courtyard, Lu Xinghe finally set Chu Yue down.
After getting on her feet, Chu Yue limped a couple of steps to a chair and sat down. She rolled up her pant leg and, upon seeing her slightly swollen ankle, felt a bit helpless.
It hadn’t hurt much at the time; how did it end up swollen?
After just a quick glance, she hurriedly rolled her pant leg back down.