Chapter 5: The Written Agreement

Xiang Dayong had never spoken since the injury he suffered in his childhood. He had seen the village doctor, but the cause was unknown, and it had remained this way until now. Finally, he spoke his first words.

But his first words chilled the old man’s heart.

Mrs. Su, her tears flowing more heavily, knelt beside him with great pain, pleading, “Please, Father and Mother, allow it. Let’s split the family…”

Xiang Yang and Xiang Yun also knelt, the older one, barely ten years old, appearing as frail as a five- or six-year-old. As for Xiang Yun, his sunken cheeks made it obvious that he was malnourished.

Seeing them like this, the villagers’ hearts ached, but the family itself remained indifferent.

“I… I know… since I was small, you all hated me…”

Watching him struggle to speak, no one interrupted him—not even Mrs. Shi, who was often disliked. She remained silent as Mrs. Yu beside her was whispering something to her, showing no interest in what Xiang Dayong had to say.

Instead, it was the old man who was in disbelief, as the faint words reached his ears, stumbling together into a sentence. These fragmented words made even his tough heart soften.

“Please… Father, let it happen…”

The sound of his voice hitting the ground again echoed, each strike a heavy blow, like sharp arrows piercing everyone’s ears and hearts. It was a firm resolve that could not be ignored.

In such a tense and heart-wrenching moment, those uninvolved were moved, yet the mother showed no reaction, her eyes glowing when she heard Mrs. Yu’s words. With a wave of her wrinkled hand, her face was full of excitement.

“Split! Immediately split the family!”

Her attitude was completely different from before, as if she couldn’t wait to personally send them out the door without a trace of reluctance.

Xiang He looked at her with disdain. “What does Grandfather think? I see the village chief has also come, why not have him be a witness?”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the yard made way, and the village chief, with slow and careful steps, entered. His grandson kindly pulled out a chair for him to sit.

The village chief shook his head with a soft sigh. “Old Fourth Xiang, why don’t we do this? Ask how many people in your family agree to the division. Stalemating like this isn’t a solution.”

Such a fine family, and yet it had come to the point of splitting. It was truly a sad sight.

Xiang He and the others remained silent, quietly watching. Mrs. Shi, however, couldn’t stay calm any longer. She hurriedly went up to grab the old man, saying anxiously, “If we’re splitting, let’s do it! Look at their determination, I think it’ll be troublesome living together after this.”

Mrs. Yu nodded secretly but didn’t dare speak. The eldest uncle pulled her back behind him, saying, “Father, let’s split the family. I’ll take care of the two elders from now on.”

This was said loudly, and the disdain in Xiang He’s heart was clearly reflected on her face.

As one after another spoke in favor of splitting the family, including the usually silent son, who now voiced his opinion for the sake of division, the old man’s stubbornness was completely dissolved. His face, already wrinkled, deepened even further as he weakly waved his hand and turned his face away.

“Let’s split…”

Upon hearing this, everyone had mixed emotions. The happiest ones were Mrs. Shi and the eldest family. Their whispered conversation earlier must have been about how splitting the family would benefit them, and now they couldn’t wait for the third family to be kicked out on the spot.

Xiang He gave them a cold glance, throwing the hoe aside and helping them up, slightly turning her body. “Village chief, what needs to be done for the division?”

“It’s simple, just write it down and press your fingerprints. But you need to ask your old man what he’s going to give you,” the village chief replied.

Without needing to look, Xiang He knew Mrs. Shi would object. She jumped in a rage, “There’s nothing! They’re the ones asking for the division, but they want to take our things? Not a chance!”

Xiang He had already expected this, crossing her arms and saying indifferently, “Let’s not talk about how my mother’s dowry of thirty taels was given to you. The three acres of land in the house were planted by my father, and we’re not asking for much—just one acre of land should be enough for us.”

“Impossible!”

“Right now, you don’t get to decide. What does Grandfather think?”

Whether out of guilt or just too lazy to argue, Old Fourth Xiang irritably waved his hand, “Fine.”

“Not fine! What are you thinking, old man!”

Seeing Mrs. Shi acting like a stubborn hen, Xiang He smiled lightly, “If you don’t give it to us, then there won’t be a division. Anyway, we can still get more later. No rush.”

Her words struck at Mrs. Shi and the eldest family’s heart, and Mrs. Yu, anxious, almost spoke up, but luckily Mrs. Shi, still calculating, dared not oppose the division.

Finally, gritting her teeth, Mrs. Shi said, “Old man, you decide! But the things in this house absolutely can’t be divided!”

“It’s already autumn!”

Old Fourth Xiang knew what his wife was thinking: she didn’t want to give anything at all. However, with so many people in the village watching, if he really didn’t give anything, he’d lose all face.

He calculated in his mind, and since he had already compromised earlier, his posture became even lower. When he saw Xiang Dayong’s injuries, he shook his head and sighed, “One acre of land, two catties of rice, three chickens, and one hundred wen.”

Upon hearing that there was money involved, Xiang He immediately started counting on her fingers. She couldn’t quite figure out the details, but at least something was better than nothing.

Xiang He was somewhat satisfied. She had thought she could only get one acre of land, but to her surprise, the old man still had a bit of conscience, even though it wasn’t much.

But Mrs. Shi was quite dissatisfied and still wanted to throw a tantrum. However, she was stopped by Old Fourth Xiang’s sharp gaze. “If you don’t give anything, then this family won’t split, and there’ll be no more commotion!”

Mrs. Shi immediately fell silent. Compared to these small items, there were other things that were more valuable.

“Fine, I’ll go get the copper coins. Aren’t we supposed to make a written agreement? Hurry up! I don’t want to see these ungrateful people tonight!”

Xiang He smiled innocently, “What a coincidence, we don’t want to see them either.”

“You!” Mrs. Shi saw her provoking smile and, repeatedly suppressing her anger, turned and went back into the house to get the money pouch.

Outside, everyone whispered among themselves. The village chief’s grandson hurried over, holding a rare pen and ink. “Grandfather, let me write.”

“Mm.”

Xiang He moved beside him and watched him write. The terms of the agreement were listed fairly. “Fifth Brother, remember to write clearly: Xiang Dayong is now his own family. When poor, he will not receive help, when rich, he cannot rely on the family. There will be no interference with children’s marriages, and this applies to both sides.”

Xiang Wenxuan was stunned. When did this girl become so articulate…

But he didn’t stop his hand and wrote according to her instructions. Xiang He nodded in satisfaction, “Fifth Brother’s handwriting is really beautiful.”

The sudden compliment made Xiang Wenxuan’s face flush, and his handwriting became a bit quicker.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Yu and Xiang Lianhua, listening to Xiang He’s hurried words to distance herself, were so happy they could hardly contain themselves. They would soon rise to prominence, and once they did, who could resist the temptation to form connections with them?

Xiang He raised her gaze slightly and caught the smug expressions on their faces. She was sure that they would succeed.

With her arms crossed, her fingers tapped gently, and her mind started calculating.

“Is it written? Should Fourth Grandpa and Eighth Uncle take a look?”

Xiang He hid her thoughts and shifted her gaze to the paper. “Fifth Brother, could you read it aloud?”

Xiang Wenxuan paused for a moment, his ears turning red, and he lightly coughed twice. “I’ll read it aloud…”