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He simply couldn’t understand it—what had gotten into Old Master Zhao, who had always been so reasonable? Why was he causing so much trouble lately? Was it old age? Senility? A perfectly fine family had been thrown into constant turmoil because of him. And then there was his wife, who was nothing but a troublemaker.
As for Third Zhao, though he wasn’t much to begin with, the changes in him these past few years were plain to see.
But what kind of nonsense was this—bullying someone just because they were obedient and quiet? What kind of logic was that?
“Village Chief, shouldn’t we call the clan leader when dividing the family property?”
The village chief glanced at the girl who had tried to drown herself but survived, exhaling a heavy breath. Thank heavens she hadn’t died—otherwise, their Laomuzhu Village would have been left with no reputation at all. “Yes, we’re looking for him now.”
When Zhao Zhenyu brought the village chief and clan leader to the Zhao family’s doorstep, Old Master Zhao’s vision darkened at the sight of them. That wretched girl—that damned little wretch!
He had only meant to scare Third Zhao’s family—dividing the household was never his real intention. What a joke! If they split the family, who would do all the work at home? Third Zhao, since he had no sons, might as well stay and labor for the family his whole life. After he died, maybe Second Zhao would take pity on him and burn some paper money for him during the grave-sweeping festivals.
“Village Chief, Clan Leader, Zhenyu is just a child who doesn’t understand anything. She hears a rumor and takes it as fact, stirring up trouble for no reason—even going so far as to drag you two here. It’s nothing serious, really. I just had a little argument with Third Zhao. Was it really necessary to make such a fuss?”
Zhao Zhenyu’s heart sank. ‘Damn it, the old bastard is backing out of his word.’
Zhao Dashu wouldn’t stand for this. If this got out, how would his daughter ever hold her head up again? His daughter was under divine protection—did her father not fear the gods’ wrath? A single lightning strike could reduce him to ashes. “Father, that’s not what you said! Didn’t you tell me to get out and divide the household? I heard it clearly, and so did everyone else here. Zhenyu only went to call them because I told her to. Village Chief, Clan Leader, isn’t it proper for you to be present for a family division?”
“Shut your mouth! I only said those things in the heat of the moment. Was it really worth taking seriously?”
“Then let me ask you this, Father—if I take my child away to rest for a few days, will there still be a place for us to live when we return? Will there still be food for us in this house?”
“It’s the busiest farming season right now—what do you mean ‘rest’? Can’t you rest when things slow down?” Old Master Zhao was now trying to smooth things over, wanting to send the village leaders away first before dealing with the matter.
But Zhao Dashu wasn’t having it. Once they left, his father would go right back to being the same tyrant—who knew if things might get even worse? Hadn’t it always been like this? He gave an inch, and his father took a mile. All these years, whenever he slacked off, his father would just curse at him—no real consequences. People really did pick on the softest targets.
“When things ‘slow down,’ I’ll have to go to the city to find work, or else my mother will be sitting at my door cursing by evening. Besides, spring plowing is already over—right now, it’s just weeding. Why can’t I rest for a few days? All year round, when have you ever let me and my wife take a proper break?”
“Village Chief, Clan Leader—you came at just the right time. Help me judge this fairly. My father and mother accuse my family of freeloading, of being lazy, of not pulling our weight. They say if we don’t work as hard as everyone else, we should just split the household and get out of the Zhao family. But tell me—has my family really been sitting idle in this house? Over and over again, they make us feel utterly worthless.”
Old Master Zhao: “…” He really wanted to beat this damned Third Zhao to death—the man had no respect, no shame. The moment he saw someone backing him up, he started making a scene.
The village chief looked at Old Master Zhao. “Uncle Zhao, everyone in the village knows exactly how Third Zhao’s family contributes. If they were truly freeloaders, what does that say about the others…?”
Truthfully, he had never liked Old Master Zhao—the man was arrogant and looked down on everyone. All these years, he’d never seen Old Master Zhao lift a finger to work. Every time Third Zhao returned, wasn’t it with money and goods? The truly filial ones were the very people the old man treated with contempt. The old master was truly blind—both in eyes and heart.
Old Master Zhao’s face darkened. ‘What nonsense was this? Who did the village chief think he was, a junior daring to lecture him? At the very least, he was still the father of a scholar!
“Village Chief, Clan Leader, thank you for coming today. But with both parents still here, there’s no reason to divide the household. You may both take your leave now.”
Zhao Zhenyu’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach. ‘This old man… he’s really something else.’
Zhao Dashu and Madam Song secretly let out a breath of relief. They truly hadn’t wanted to divide the household—at least, not now.
“Next time you’re unsure about something, don’t send a child to fetch me.” The clan leader was clearly displeased. ‘Did they think he had nothing better to do? This was no joking matter—dividing a household was serious!’ And this Third Zhao—since when had he become so reckless?
“Right, right, Big Brother, it’s my fault for not disciplining the child properly.” As he spoke, he shot Zhao Zhenyu a glare. ‘A child? In another two years, she’d be old enough to marry—how was she still a child?’ This girl was cunning, downright wicked.
The village chief and clan leader left with a final warning: “Third Zhao, you’d better start keeping a tighter leash on that Zhenyu girl. How much trouble has she stirred up these past few days? A proper young lady shouldn’t be turning the household upside down like this. Who would dare marry such a troublemaker in the future?”
“Father, I think Zhenyu is just fine,” Zhao Dashu retorted. “I was the one who told her to fetch them just now. And was jumping into the river really her fault? How can you speak so harshly about your own granddaughter? Have you no conscience?”
Zhao Zhenyu: ‘This rotten old man is pure evil—his conscience was eaten by dogs long ago.’
Every word out of Old Master Zhao’s mouth was met with defiance from Third Zhao, reminding him vividly of the reckless, sharp-tongued, lazy brat his son had been in his youth.
‘Damn it, this is bad—Third Zhao’s gone rogue!’
He couldn’t keep pushing them like this.
“Fine! I’ll give you a few days to rest—three days. Three days at most. After that, everything goes back to normal.”
“Father, I’ll do what I have to do, but let me make one thing clear—if you can’t stand the sight of me, just kick me out. From now on, whatever work Second Zhao’s family does, my family will do the same. His four kids can split their share into four parts—my Zhenyu will handle one. Lihua is still too young. If anyone dares to make her feed the chickens or pull weeds by the river again, I swear I’ll fight them.”
“Three days isn’t enough. There’s not much work in the fields right now anyway. We were the ones who did most of the spring plowing, and I didn’t complain then. But now, I’m taking ten more days off. If you don’t like it, tough. Do whatever you want about it.”
“No way!” Second Zhao shouted, finally snapping. “If everyone just lazes around, acting like lords, who’s supposed to do all the work? Am I just born to slave away for everyone? If Third Zhao isn’t working, then neither am I! This family treats everyone the same—no one’s any better than the others!”
“Father, if Third Zhao gets to rest, so do I. All these years, he’s tired? Well, aren’t the rest of us exhausted too?”
“Enough! Enough!” The old man’s beard trembled with rage. “You’re all a bunch of spoiled lords! Fine, take your rest—your mother and I will do the work ourselves! Happy now?!”