From an outsider’s perspective, the proposed plan to divide the family property was completely fair and reasonable.

Clan Leader Zhao agreed.

Zhao Yongwen had no objections, and Sun Meiping nodded as well.

Li Cuihong, on the other hand, was completely lost.

She didn’t understand what this division meant for their household.

Her eyes were fixed on the huanghuali wood box in Zhao Daqing’s hands, and all she could hear in her mind was, “The silver will be divided into three shares.”

She had already started calculating in her head—if the silver was split into three, how much would their family get?

Could they, like that tight-lipped Qian Chunhua, finally afford to eat meat every day?

Zhao Yongqiang, being sharp-minded, immediately realized the problem.

If they didn’t divide the family, all the silver in that box would eventually be his.

But once the division was done, he’d only get a third.

That was a terrible deal.

“Father, I don’t agree,” Zhao Yongqiang stood up angrily.

“Why not?” Before Zhao Daqing could speak, Clan Leader Zhao looked at him in surprise and asked.

Zhao Yongqiang spoke confidently, “First, Third Brother has been attending private school all these years and spent so much silver, but hasn’t contributed a single coin to the household. He shouldn’t get a third of the family assets. In fact, he should repay all the silver he used.”

“Second, Third Brother hasn’t been living in the village long-term. We live close to Father and Mother, and all the burden of caring for them will fall on us. Naturally, we should receive a larger share.”

To be fair, Zhao Yongqiang’s twisted reasoning left Clan Leader Zhao momentarily speechless—he kind of had a point.

Zhao Daqing was so furious that he started coughing violently.

He quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief to hide the blood.

“The silver used for Third Brother’s schooling came from the second son’s earnings as a bodyguard. It had nothing to do with you,” Zhao Daqing said firmly. “If you want to talk numbers, your three children have been raised entirely on household funds. Should we tally up how much that cost?”

“And now that the family is being divided, caring for us parents is everyone’s shared responsibility. We won’t rely on you alone. Just look—wasn’t it Third Brother who brought the doctor this time?”

To be honest, now that Zhao Daqing had given up on his eldest son, he was thinking more clearly than ever.

His words left Zhao Yongqiang unable to respond.

Seeing this, Clan Leader Zhao quickly made the decision, “Alright, then we’ll proceed as discussed. Third, prepare ink and paper and write the division agreement.”

“Wait,” Zhao Daqing raised his hand—he wasn’t finished.

Zhao Yongqiang frowned at his father, suddenly filled with dread.

This version of his father was unfamiliar to him—not the one who used to listen to everything he said.

Now he had his own ideas.

Zhao Yongqiang was afraid—afraid that whatever came out of his father’s mouth next would make things even worse for him.

And sure enough, the worst-case scenario unfolded.

Zhao Daqing continued, “There’s still 210 taels of silver left in the family fund. When the second household cut ties and left, they paid us parents a one-time pension of 200 taels. But that 200 taels was deducted by the eldest son’s family.”

“The total compensation you paid the second daughter-in-law was 400 taels. 200 of that went toward the pension. The remaining 200 was borrowed from me. Third, calculate it: with the silver your eldest brother borrowed, how much is left in the family fund?”

Zhao Daqing couldn’t work out the math himself, but he had made up his mind: his eldest son would have to bear the consequences of his own mistakes.

He would no longer clean up after him.

As soon as Zhao Yongqiang heard his father bring up the compensation silver, he knew he’d pushed too far.

His father was treating this as a cold transaction, with no emotional attachment left.

Zhao Yongwen began calculating aloud: “The 200 taels given by Second Sister-in-law to Father and Mother shouldn’t be counted as household funds. That belongs to them personally.”

Everyone in the main room nodded in agreement.

“Then we add back the 200 taels Big Brother borrowed—making it 410 taels in total.”

Zhao Daqing added, “This morning, the 15 taels Eldest son paid to compensate the second daughter-in-law for the destroyed land—and this afternoon’s 10 taels for medical expenses, which were paid by Third Sister-in-law. I’ll repay you.”

He took out 10 taels of silver from the box and handed it to Sun Meiping.

Sun Meiping hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted it.

With the silver in her own hands, she could still use it to support her in-laws if needed.

But if it ended up in the hands of the eldest couple, there was no way they’d ever give it back—and the old couple might as well wait to die.

Zhao Daqing thought the same.

His collapse earlier had shown him the true nature of the eldest couple.

Zhao Yongwen continued, “Add back the 15 taels Big Brother used this morning, subtract the 10 taels for the doctor—household funds now total 405 taels.”

Zhao Daqing asked, “So how much does your big brother owe the household?”

Zhao Yongwen replied, “Big Brother owes the household 215 taels, and owes our parents 200 taels—for a total of 415 taels.”

Everyone in the room gasped.

Four hundred and fifteen taels.

The eldest household had drained that much from the family?

It turned out the old man had just been lenient with them all this time.

Now that he was calculating seriously, the number was frightening.

Zhao Yongqiang panicked, “Father, you can’t count it like that! You’re going to destroy us—destroy our whole family!”

By the end, his voice was choked with emotion.

Li Cuihong was no longer confused.

She was shell-shocked by the figure—owing 415 taels.

She looked at Zhao Yongqiang in disbelief as if asking, Is it really that much? How come I didn’t know?

Zhao Daqing shook his head.

Seeing this child he had once valued acting like a scoundrel, he couldn’t help but ask, “Then you tell me—where exactly did I miscalculate? What shouldn’t be included?”

Zhao Yongqiang opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.

All the numbers were based on real events.

Zhao Daqing sighed. “You reap what you sow.”

Every one of those expenses was the result of his eldest son’s own doing.

If they hadn’t tried to swap children, hadn’t abused Qingsong, there never would’ve been that 400-tael compensation.

If they had repented after being exposed and behaved better, there wouldn’t have been slander, and they wouldn’t have destroyed someone else’s land.

It was all his own fault.

He had enabled them.

Every time, he protected them and helped them through, which only led them further down the wrong path.

Zhao Daqing was full of regret.

They were all his children—he never wanted the eldest to turn out like this.

Seeing Zhao Yongqiang speechless, Clan Leader Zhao didn’t waste any more time.

He announced the result directly: “There are 405 taels in household funds. Divided among three households, that’s 135 taels each. But Eldest still owes 415 taels.”

In other words, the entire household fund had already been borrowed by Zhao Yongqiang. To divide the family and split the silver, he’d have to pay it all back first.

Which was impossible.

Li Cuihong had finally woken up to reality.

She remembered one thing: this family division meant they’d get 135 taels—but would still owe 415.

This… this division was a joke.

All it gave their family was a pile of debt.

Li Cuihong couldn’t take it anymore.

She dropped to the ground, flailing her legs and beating her thighs as she howled, “I can’t live like this—I can’t! The Zhao family is trying to kill us!”