Font Size:
As soon as Han Jiayue spoke, Jiang Qian glanced at Li Xia, her sister-in-law.
Li Xia pretended not to notice and turned her face away.
It was exactly this action that made Han’s mother’s face turn dark. She immediately snapped at her granddaughter, “Is this how you were raised, with a father but no mother to teach you? What does your uncle’s dowry have to do with you? Is the family lacking in food or drink because of you? You’re asking for a red envelope from your aunt right after she just entered the house? It’s neither New Year nor a holiday. Where did you learn this kind of behavior?”
Li Xia, who had been waiting to enjoy the scene, was now left utterly stunned by the scolding. “Mother, you’re being too harsh. What do you mean by ‘having a father but no mother to teach’? She’s just a child who doesn’t know any better. Do you really have to scold her like that?”
“You raised your daughter to be like this, and you still have the face to speak?” Han’s mother scolded.
Han Shimin felt embarrassed and immediately grabbed a bamboo stick, ready to hit Han Jiayue.
Han Jiayue was terrified, and seeing that Han Shiguo didn’t move, Jiang Qian stepped in to stop him. “Brother, don’t hit her. She’s just a child, fooling around.”
Han Jiayue snapped back, “You don’t have to pretend to be the good person!”
“See if I don’t beat the rebellious girl out of you!” Han Shimin was enraged.
This time, Jiang Qian didn’t try to stop him. Her expression grew colder.
Her family had a good upbringing, and her nieces and nephews, while mischievous, were polite and respectful. They weren’t the kind of children who lacked respect and annoyed others.
So she had no interest in stopping them.
Han Jiayue tried to run, but the door was closed by Han Shiguo.
“Uncle, what are you doing?” Han Jiayue cried out in fear.
But before anyone could react, Han Shimin’s bamboo stick came down. Han Jiayue screamed.
Li Xia, her mother, rushed to stop it, but Han Shiguo stopped her. “We haven’t seen each other in years, and Jiayue has become so unruly and disrespectful. Older sister, you don’t need to stop it. Let older brother teach her some manners. Once she’s learned, she can come over and apologize to her little aunt.”
“Shiguo, Jiayue is still young…” Li Xia’s face was grim.
“Ten years old and still young? If it were earlier, she could already be engaged. It’s time to teach her properly!” Han Shiguo’s tone was cold.
He had ignored the issue about the family division earlier, but now, the moment his little aunt stepped through the door, she dared to be rude—this was crossing the line!
Thus, in front of the whole family, Han Jiayue was given a harsh beating by her father, Han Shimin. She cried and screamed, but no one intervened.
After the punishment, Han Shiguo spoke, his voice and gaze both stern. “Come over and apologize to your little aunt!”
“Get over there and apologize to your little aunt!” Han Shimin threw the broken bamboo stick down and scolded.
Han Jiayue was reluctant, but after that punishment, she had no choice but to come over and apologize to Jiang Qian. “Little aunt, I’m sorry.”
Jiang Qian didn’t particularly like this niece, but since it was her first day in the family, she glanced at her and, though her words were insincere, said, “Did it hurt? Do you need some medicine?”
Li Xia rolled her eyes dramatically. “She’s just a country girl, tough as nails. She doesn’t need medicine!”
Not only had she caused her daughter to be beaten upon entry, but now she was pretending to be a good person!
Jiang Qian nodded. “Then it’s fine.”
She knew that Li Xia’s daughter’s words were not without reason. Moreover, she and Li Xia, as sisters-in-law, would never be close friends—keeping a good distance was best for both of them.
Li Xia was stung by the remark, casting a glance at her sister-in-law.
She appeared delicate, but her temper was certainly not mild!
Han’s mother, being an experienced woman, had certainly observed the relationships between her sons and their wives. She felt a bit irritated and, after giving her granddaughter a glare, snapped, “Warm up the food. After dinner, while it’s still early, we’ll split up the family!”
She had originally planned to wait until tomorrow, but now she couldn’t be bothered to delay. The sooner they divided the family, the better—everyone could go their own way once it was done.
Though Han’s father didn’t say anything, he agreed with the plan.
So, after reheating the food, everyone gathered together for the last family meal.
Since it was Han’s mother serving the dishes, there was no discord, and everyone ate their share in silence.
Once dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up, they began the division of the family.
Old party secretary Han Zhishu, his cousin Han Shijun, and Jiang Qian’s (Jiang Xiaogu) father-in-law, the brigade leader, were all invited over.
“Today, Han Shiguo just got married, so splitting the family can wait until tomorrow,” said the old party secretary.
“It has to be done sooner or later, so why not just do it today?” Han’s father replied.
The old party secretary said nothing further and simply nodded in agreement.
Han Shijun then took out the account he had made last time. “The accounts were settled last time, so this time, what we’re dividing are the household grains and the pots, bowls, and other utensils.”
Unless there were parents who were exceptionally biased, casually pushing their sons and daughters-in-law out with nothing, the fair and just parents would bring out everything in the house for division when splitting the family.
It wasn’t just the money divided last time; it was also the household grains and daily necessities. Even the firewood had to be divided properly.
As the saying goes, “A broken home is worth a fortune.” Although these things may seem insignificant, if one had to buy them again, they would cost quite a bit. Even if a bowl was chipped but still usable, they would make do with it. Otherwise, buying new ones would require spending money!
So everything had to be divided clearly.
The grain was all weighed, and after being weighed, it was split into three parts.
One portion for Han’s Father and Han’s Mother, one for Han Shimin and Li Xia’s family of six, and the last portion for Han Shiguo and Jiang Qian.
However, it was clear that the six people in Han Shimin and Li Xia’s family would not have enough to eat. If they needed more, they could go to the brigade to buy some. Every year, the brigade set aside some grain for the members to purchase.
Of course, there were limits on how much one could buy. It wasn’t a free-for-all, and this was also to prevent any underhanded dealings.
After the grain was divided, they started dividing the chickens, the remaining eggs, and the household items like the pots, bowls, and utensils.
Everything else was divided, and when it came to the pots, bowls, and utensils, Li Xia couldn’t help but speak up. “Today, Eldest Sister and Second Sister each took a big bowl, and they even took two extra plates!”
Han’s Mother gave her a glance, “The things Eldest Sister and Second Sister took count towards our share.”
“Mother, there’s no need to be like this!” Han Shimin quickly interjected.
Han’s Mother didn’t want to argue, waving her hand, “Just do as I say!”
All the household items were divided thoroughly.
However, there were only two cooking pots in the house. Han Shiguo spoke up, “That one pot, I’ll share with you, Father and Mother. We don’t spend much time at home anyway.”
Han’s Mother and Han’s Father both agreed.
The two cooking pots in the house were brand new, bought with industrial ration tickets sent back by Han Shiguo, and they hadn’t been used for many years yet.
In the end, the division wasn’t entirely equal. Han Shiguo, the youngest son, ended up at a disadvantage. However, he was in the military and had a good salary, so the loss wasn’t significant.
Once the money, grain, and household items like pots and bowls were divided, the only things left to settle were the house and the issue of eldercare.
The house was simple enough. Each of the brothers would get three rooms.
Han Shimin would take the three rooms on the west side, which were the ones they were currently living in. Han Shiguo would get the three rooms on the east side, which were unoccupied and had been built at the same time.
The final matter to address was eldercare.
Li Xia was quick-witted and said, “How should we arrange for eldercare? Since the second one is rarely at home, the responsibility of taking care of our parents will fall on us!”
No one disagreed with this, as it was true that with Han Shiguo being away, any important matters would naturally fall on Han Shimin, the eldest son.
“I’ll give them a hundred yuan every year for eldercare,” Han Shiguo said, adding that he had already discussed this with his parents, and had also mentioned it to Jiang Qian before the wedding.