Chapter 72

Huang Hehua didn’t expect her eldest son, this simple fool, to actually resist. She pointed at his nose and scolded, “You little brat, what do you want to do? You’re daring to defy your mother now?”

Li Jianjun’s lips twitched, but he finally spoke, “Mom, are you trying to drive us to our deaths?”

“Who’s driving you to your deaths? Has Jianbin already sent someone to the mountain to search? If they couldn’t find him, what can I do about it? As for Xiangdong, that kid probably knows where he’s gone. I bet he’s somewhere enjoying life, with someone serving him!”

Li Jianjun listened to his mother’s words, feeling a sharp pain in his heart. In that moment, he made up his mind. “Let’s split the family!”

Huang Hehua stared at him, her eyes widening. “What? What did you say?”

“I said, let’s split the family.”

Huang Hehua, upon hearing this, sat down with a thud and burst into tears, “Li Jianjun, I raised you with my own hands, and now you’re telling me you want to split the family?!”

Li Jianjun looked at his father and took a deep breath before saying, “Dad, since my second and third brothers are here, I’ll say it all at once. I want to split the family!”

Li Xiangxi quickly stood next to his father. “Yes, we in the eldest family want to split.”

Li Dashi looked at the chaotic scene before him and sighed helplessly.

“Second son, go bring the team leader and the old party secretary here. We’ll settle the family division today.”

When Huang Hehua heard this, she jumped up in shock, “Old man, are we really splitting the family?”

“Let’s do it. A tree that’s too big needs branches; it’s only a matter of time.”

Li Jianjun immediately ran to the village committee to find someone. After all, he knew his mother would never let him get the upper hand.

After a while, Li Jianjun brought Li Jianbin and the old party secretary, Li Guilan, over.

Li Guilan coughed twice and said, “Big Brother, are we really splitting the family?”

“Brother, living together in one big household, there are bound to be conflicts. But after splitting, it might be better for everyone.”

Li Guilan nodded, understanding. Since the eldest son left the family, there had been constant quarrels. It really had become a problem.

“Alright, how do you want to divide the family?”

Li Dashi spoke, “Let’s leave the house as it is for now. The money for building the house was from the third family. As for the third family, they’ll eat some losses, but the room on the east side is still theirs. They won’t come back to live here, but since the house was built by the third family, the adjoining storeroom belongs to them.”

Li Jianguo looked at the house and shrugged. It didn’t matter to him. He probably wouldn’t come back to live here, but he could stay for a couple of days during the holidays.

“As for the eldest family, the two rooms on the west side are theirs. The yard is small, but if it’s more convenient, they can build a wall on the east side and add a gate.”

Liu Xinghua immediately looked at the east side of her house. If they built a wall, the yard would probably only be about four or five square meters, and they could build one more room. But when both brothers marry, there might not be enough space. Still, she gritted her teeth and thought, for now, this would have to do.

“The remaining two rooms will go to the second family. Everyone should be fine with this, right?”

Zhang Laidi thought for a moment. Since they were moving to the city, leaving one room for their two daughters would be just right. Once both daughters marry, the space would be freed up.

“As for the bowls and chopsticks, we’ll have your mother divide them evenly. But we only have one pot, and after splitting, we’ll keep it. If you want to borrow it, you can, but you’ll need to figure that out yourself.”

“The stove can be shared, but anyone who wants to use it together will need to build their own stove. It’s not my problem. Each family will provide their own firewood.”

“As for the grain, I’ll have your mother divide it into four portions—one for each family.”

“As for the money…” Li Dashi looked at Huang Hehua. “How much money do we have left?”

Huang Hehua’s eyes rolled around, and she responded in a sorrowful voice, “There’s no money left. I spent 800 yuan for the third one for his work.”

Liu Xinghua’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Mom? You actually spent 800 yuan on buying work for the third one?”

“What do you understand? Do you think work just falls from the sky? Besides, this money was given to me by your second and third brothers as respect, so I can spend it however I want.”

Liu Xinghua couldn’t hold back her tears. Her mother’s favoritism was beyond reason.

Li Dashi furrowed his brows. “Alright, dear, how much money do we have left?”

Huang Hehua turned her head, walked into the room, and after a while, came back with a small cloth bundle. Li Meili recognized the bundle—it was the same one her grandmother had once used.

Li Dashi took the bundle, opened it, and counted. “One hundred twenty-three yuan and eighty-four cents.”

Li Meili’s heart felt clear as day. She knew her grandmother had hidden money and quickly signaled to her mother to retreat.

Liu Xinghua, ever quick-witted, immediately understood and blocked Li Meili’s path. “Mother, is that true? I’ve heard that the third daughter-in-law gives you 200 yuan every year. It’s been 18 years. You don’t spend money on meals, and the third daughter-in-law sends you clothes every season. Where has all the money gone?”

The others in the room, except for Li Dashi and Zhang Jianguo, showed surprised expressions. After all, 200 yuan a year for 18 years was no small amount.

Huang Hehua stiffened her neck. “Why should I report to you about where I spent the money?”

At this point, Li Meili had already sneaked into Huang Hehua’s room and was frantically searching through the bed. Finally, she found the cloth bundle hidden in the mattress.

With the bundle in hand, she quickly ran out.

Just as she reached the door, however, she was stopped by Zhang Laidi.

Zhang Laidi sharply asked, “Meili, what are you doing in your grandmother’s room?”

At that, all eyes turned toward her.

Seeing Li Meili holding the cloth bundle, Huang Hehua sprang up, her claws reaching for it.