“If you count all that, it would easily be over twenty liang.”

It could only be said that the Zhang family, with so many people, could only afford to support one scholar.

And it was already a huge burden.

Fortunately, the Zhang family still had more than ten acres of prime land and a few acres of sandy land.

These were all inherited from their ancestors.

This time, Third Brother Zhang Zifu quickly tried to persuade Jian Xiu: “Sister-in-law, this isn’t a good solution. It’s a pity to slaughter the pig now, with the end of the year coming, it could easily be worth two to three hundred, and it’s growing quickly at this time.”

Eldest Brother Zhang Zirong and Second Brother Zhang Zihua immediately spoke up: “Third Brother, why are you wasting your breath on a worthless person like her?”

As they spoke, they raised the prepared hoes and rushed toward Jian Xiu.

“Big Brother, Second Brother, don’t be impulsive, Fourth Sister-in-law is just…”

Before he could finish, Jian Xiu coldly curled her lips at Zhang Zirong and Zhang Zihua, and softly said: “You overestimate yourselves.”

Then, she bent slightly and seized the hoe from Zhang Zirong’s hand, swinging it fiercely at his abdomen…

“Ah…” Zhang Zirong immediately screamed in pain, unable to stand, collapsing to the ground, curling up, looking as though he was in excruciating pain.

Zhang Zifu, watching from the side, saw everything clearly.

Before he could even react, his elder brother had already fallen.

“Are you still coming?” Jian Xiu casually asked Zhang Zirong.

Zhang Zirong: “…”

Everyone else: “…”

“If you’re not going to come, then move aside. I need to slaughter the pig now,” Jian Xiu said emotionlessly.

For reasons unknown, after hearing her words, Zhang Zirong subconsciously stepped aside.

“Good, that’s better! Saves me the trouble of having to act, and then spending dozens of copper coins to hire a doctor—no need for that, right?”

Zhang Zirong: “…”

“You’re rebelling! You’re really rebelling now!” Old Zhang shouted at Jian Xiu.

However, Jian Xiu acted as if she hadn’t heard him and continued walking toward the larger pig.

It had to be said, the pig was indeed raised very well.

If it were Jian Xiu’s own pig, she might have hesitated to slaughter it so early.

Zhang Zifu wasn’t wrong; this was the time when pigs grew the fastest, and slaughtering it now was truly a waste.

But for some reason, when Jian Xiu saw this pig, she inexplicably became excited.

“Zifu, go get the village head!” Old Zhang ordered his third son.

At this moment, Old Zhang had realized something.

That was, the family had to separate—it was inevitable.

If this continued, the people in the fourth house would eat everything in the household.

Yet, Jian Xiu seemed not to hear Old Zhang and continued walking toward the pig.

Seeing this, Old Zhang hurriedly shouted, “I agree to the separation. I agree to separate!”

“Too late!” Jian Xiu said slowly.

Then, with one swift motion, she struck the pig with the knife, and the pig died without making a sound.

Seeing this, everyone in the yard was shocked.

They couldn’t even imagine how it would feel if that blow had been directed at them.

What they didn’t know was that as a highly trained special agent, Jian Xiu was not only familiar with the human body, but also knew the precise acupuncture points on animals.

She knew exactly where to strike to deliver the fatal blow.

“My pig, my pig! Ah, you wretched thing, you wretched thing…”

Old Madam Liu collapsed to the ground, crying loudly, and frantically slapped the earth with both hands, her frustration and anger evident.

“I agree, I agree to separate. You four can leave now,” Old Zhang quickly said.

Now that the pig was slaughtered, if they could separate the fourth house, Old Zhang would still get a little of the pig meat.

If they couldn’t eat it all, they could sell it for some silver and minimize their losses.

Old Zhang’s plans seemed solid, but Jian Xiu saw right through them.

“Your plan is so obvious, it might as well be hitting me in the face. Sorry, I don’t want to separate anymore. Why bother when I’m enjoying the food and comforts here?”

Jian Xiu said lightly.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Old Liu and said, “I remember my mother-in-law saying that when the elders are alive, the family should not separate. If descendants try to separate their households and divide the property while the elders are still around, it’s against the law and they’ll be punished. I’ve always kept my mother-in-law’s words in mind—how could this family separate so easily?”

Old Liu: “…”

“This family will separate, whether we like it or not!” Old Zhang said, his tone final.

However, Jian Xiu wasn’t fooled by that.

Considering their personalities, if she agreed too easily, the fourth house might end up with nothing after the separation.

Once separated, they might even have nowhere to live.

So, even though she was eager to separate, she had to act calm on the surface.

With that thought in mind, Jian Xiu completely ignored Old Zhang’s words, picked up the pig, and walked toward their small dark room.

Seeing this, Old Zhang became even more furious.

At this point, the duck they had stewed earlier was ready.

Right in front of Old Zhang, Jian Xiu started eating it with great relish.

It had to be said that food in ancient times was really delicious.

It was all natural, with no pollution.

“This is really delicious!” Jian Xiu deliberately called out loudly to Old Zhang.

“Old man, look at her, she’s completely turned rebellious! Really rebellious!”

“I’ll remind you, Big Brother seems to be injured!” Jian Xiu said, her tone full of feigned concern.

She hadn’t held back when using the hoe on Zhang Zirong.

Now that she had eaten and drunk her fill, her strength was not as light as it had been the day before.

Hearing this, Fang quickly rushed to her husband, who was lying unconscious on the ground.

“Zirong, are you okay? Don’t scare me!”

Then she turned to Old Zhang and said, “Father, Zirong is in bad shape, quickly get a doctor! Wuwuwu…”

This time, Eldest Daugther-in-law Fang was genuinely panicked.

In the past, she had relied on her husband’s power to act up in the family.

Before, when Zhang Zixuan could still move, their family had some standing in the house.

But since his accident, their situation had worsened.

Thinking about the fourth house, Fang was filled with a sense of dread.