Thinking of this, Jian Xiu suppressed the excitement in her heart and stood up slowly, deliberately putting on a look of grievance and endurance as she spoke to the village head:

“Uncle Lizheng, you’ve seen the situation in our fourth household. If this continues, not only will Zixuan lose his life, but my children and I will also starve to death here.”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenyuan felt even more pity for Jian Xiu.

Then he glanced at Zhang Zixuan—once a strong and upright man.

And now? He was not only skin and bones but also looked sickly and malnourished…

At this rate, forget about recovering; the fact that he was still alive was already a miracle.

With this thought, Zhang Wenyuan turned to Jian Xiu and asked, “Then what do you want to do?”

“Separate from the family. Let our fourth household split off and live independently!” Jian Xiu said without hesitation.

“Separate? Do you even know what you’re saying?” Zhang Wenyuan asked incredulously.

Hearing this, Old Madam Liu( Grandma Liu ) immediately jumped up and shouted, “Separate the family? You’re dreaming! Let me tell you, don’t even think about it.”

What a joke! Right now, almost all the household chores were done by the fourth household.

The chickens, ducks, and pigs were all taken care of by them.

Even though Zhang Zixuan was paralyzed, they didn’t have to take care of him.

All they had to do was give them a single steamed bun per meal.

Sometimes, when she was in a bad mood, she would find an excuse to give them even less—there were days when they only got one bun for the entire day.

All things considered, keeping the fourth household around was actually quite beneficial.

If they were to split off, who would do the farm work?

And when she was in a bad mood, who would she vent her anger on?

Zhang Wenyuan also said to Jian Xiu, “Splitting from the family isn’t that easy. Your children are still young. At least here, you have food to eat. If you separate, you’re just a woman with a few kids, and with Zixuan in that condition… I’m afraid…”

“Uncle Lizheng, you don’t need to worry. Even if we starve to death after splitting off, I won’t blame anyone. But staying here? Every day, we are either beaten or cursed at. The children can never get a full meal. Look at Liu Tou and Qi Tou’s clothes, and look at Er Ya—there’s not a single good piece left on them. And this is only spring. Once winter comes, they won’t even have a cotton-padded jacket to wear. Uncle Lizheng, if we don’t separate, we will die sooner or later. But if we do, we might still have a sliver of hope to survive.”

Saying this, Jian Xiu started crying again, looking utterly pitiful.

“You really want to separate?” Zhang Wenyuan asked again.

“Yes! I’m absolutely sure—we must split!”

“Impossible! Absolutely not! You don’t have the final say in this!” Old Man Zhang and Old Madam Liu said in unison.

This was the first thing Old Man Zhang had said since entering the room.

“As long as the parents and elders are alive, if they don’t agree, how can there be talk of separation?”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenyuan was momentarily speechless.

Although he was the village head, this was, after all, a family matter.

And what Old Man Zhang said made sense.

The imperial law was clear: as long as the parents were alive, any child who tried to split the household and separate property without their consent would be punished.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Jian Xiu, however, had already seen the difficulty of the situation.

She also knew that Old Madam Liu would not agree to the separation so easily.

But who was Jian Xiu?

Whatever she set her mind to, she would accomplish.

Not only would she make Old Madam Liu agree to the separation, but she would also make her take the initiative to suggest it herself.

She refused to agree?

Then Jian Xiu would make her regret it.

Thinking of this, Jian Xiu deliberately said, “Uncle Lizheng, there’s no need to be troubled. If we can’t split the family, then we’ll just make do.”

Hearing this, Village Head Zhang Wenyuan felt relieved.

What a good daughter-in-law—if only the Zhang family could appreciate her.

“Jian Xiu, you should think it over. Not separating is actually better for you,” he advised.

“I understand. Thank you, Uncle Lizheng!”

After settling things, Jian Xiu even smiled as she walked Zhang Wenyuan to the courtyard gate.

But as soon as she turned around, she completely ignored the others and headed straight for the kitchen.

“This woman really needs to be disciplined before she learns her place.”

“Exactly! She was beaten, and I thought she was so tough. But look—now she’s obediently going to cook,” Eldest Sister-in-law Fang sneered.

Seeing Jian Xiu enter the kitchen, Old Madam Liu assumed she had given in. So, she immediately turned her wrath on Er Ya.

“You little wretch! Today, I’m selling you no matter what!”

Old Madam Liu had always found Er Ya unpleasant.

A girl? In her eyes, just a worthless burden.

“Mother… Mother… I don’t want to go to the brothel! I don’t want to go there! Mother…”

Jian Xiu had only just entered the kitchen when she heard Er Ya’s cries for help.

Without hesitation, she dropped what she was doing and rushed outside.

“Let go of her! If anyone dares to touch her again, don’t blame me for being merciless!” Jian Xiu said in a cold voice.

But by now, Old Madam Liu had already forgotten how Jian Xiu had beaten her earlier.

Besides, now that Old Man Zhang ( Father-in-law ) was back, she thought she had support and became even more arrogant.

“You filthy wretch! You and your daughter are nothing but burdens, cheap trash—”

The more she spoke, the colder Jian Xiu’s gaze became.

Unconsciously, Old Madam Liu’s voice grew quieter and quieter until she finally shut up completely.

Old Man Zhang noticed and found it strange.

Turning his head, he saw Old Madam Liu’s swollen and bruised face, and suddenly, he remembered the scene he had walked in on earlier.

So he asked sternly, “Fourth daughter-in-law, did you hit your mother-in-law? Look at what you’ve done to her! I punish your entire household—no food for two days!”

“Ah!”

Before he could finish speaking, Jian Xiu stepped forward and kicked Old Madam Liu aside, then shielded Er Ya behind her.

She glared at Old Man Zhang and said coldly, “I raise the pigs in this house. I take care of the chickens and ducks. I work in the fields too. What right do you have to forbid my household from eating? Let me tell you something—starting today, not only will we eat, but we’ll eat the best! From now on, my household will have a chicken every day, a duck every other day, and soon, I’ll slaughter my pig to nourish my husband.”

Hearing this, Old Man Zhang was so enraged that his hair nearly stood on end. He pointed at her, his voice full of fury.

“You… You dare?!”