Wang Qingsong sat there and sneered, “Sun Xiuhe, where’s your shame? Look at how swollen my sister is!”

Hearing this, Sun Xiuhe put on an innocent expression and turned to Zhao Datian, “Team leader, listen to this. If I had any food, wouldn’t I give it to Xiao Mai? You know how bad the harvest has been. Who in the village has enough to eat? Aren’t there plenty of people with swollen faces?”

Zhao Datian sighed helplessly at her words.

It was true. The entire production team was in the same situation.

Wang Qingsong had no patience for her theatrics and spoke directly, “Sun Xiuhe, this house belongs to my father. The only reason I haven’t kicked you all out is because of Wang An. I don’t want to make things too ugly. But if you really want to leave me with nothing, fine. I have nothing to lose. Tonight, I’ll set this house on fire, and tomorrow I’ll go to the city to find my second brother. Do you believe I’m capable of doing that?”

“You—”

Sun Xiuhe was left speechless and furious.

All the strategies she had prepared earlier now seemed useless.

Yes, someone with nothing to lose is fearless.

If he gets nothing, what can she do if he sets the house on fire?

Besides, he’d be burning his own home. There’d be no one to reason with.

Wang Ping, standing nearby, was stunned. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. They had agreed not to give him anything, so why was he getting a share now?

Seeing their expressions, Wang Qingsong sneered, “Alright, let’s talk about how to divide things. I know exactly what’s in this house. Let’s not make this too ugly.”

He wasn’t without options when it came to dividing the family assets.

Before, he had held back to avoid making things too messy.

Besides, he was still in school, and his younger sister needed someone to look after her.

Sun Xiuhe felt utterly frustrated. She hadn’t even had a chance to use her usual tactics, and now she was left flustered by his harsh words.

Reluctantly, she said, “Fine, let’s divide it. Tell me what you want.”

Wang Qingsong thought for a moment and then said, “Our own clothes, one quilt, a thermos, one chicken, two sets of bowls and chopsticks, one kitchen knife, and a chest for our clothes. Divide the grain according to the number of people. I don’t want anything else.”

As for money, he didn’t know if there was any, so he didn’t bother mentioning it.

Even if there was, she wouldn’t admit to it.

After hearing his demands, Sun Xiuhe felt that most of it was manageable. The grain was unavoidable, but the chicken was out of the question.

If they had to raise new chicks next year, they wouldn’t start laying eggs until the end of the year, which would mean a significant loss of income.

They wouldn’t even have enough for basic necessities like needles and thread.

“The chicken is not happening!”

Wang Qingsong replied calmly, “If not, I’ll kill the chicken tonight, and we can discuss dividing the family tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Sun Xiuhe burst into loud sobs, “This life is unbearable! Team leader, why don’t you just kill us? How are we, a widow and her orphans, supposed to survive?”

Zhao Datian was also feeling a headache coming on.

Even a wise official finds it hard to settle family disputes.

Seeing this, Wang Qingsong asked, “Are we dividing or not? If not, let’s not waste the captain and the elders’ time. We’ll talk tomorrow after we’ve eaten.”

“I—”

This time, Sun Xiuhe was genuinely heartbroken.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “Fine, we’ll divide it as you said. Take it all. If you starve to death outside, don’t blame me, Sun Xiuhe. Everyone here can bear witness.”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Wang Qingsong replied indifferently, then turned to Zhao Datian, “Grandpa Zhao, please handle this. I’ll go get the scale to divide the grain.”

Zhao Datian nodded, “Alright, go get it. Here’s the key to the storeroom.”

Wang Qingsong took the key and headed to the production team’s office, which was formerly the house of a landlord.

“What are you doing here?”

As soon as he entered, he saw two people sleeping on a bed by the granary door. They were the guards for the grain storage.

Neither of them had the key. Only the custodian and the team leader could open the granary together.

The storeroom next door wasn’t as strictly guarded.

“Uncle Qilin! It’s me, Qingsong. The team leader sent me to get a scale to weigh some things.”

Wang Qingsong smiled and responded.

“Oh, go ahead.”

Hearing this, the man lay back down.

Wang Qingsong went to the adjacent room, unlocked the storeroom with the key, and searched around until he found a scale.

After grabbing it, he locked the door and left.

When he returned, Zhao Datian had just finished drafting the agreement.

Seeing him come back, Zhao Datian nodded.

Sitting up straight, he announced, “Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s begin. Today, Wang Qingsong and Sun Xiuhe’s family are dividing their household. The elders are here as witnesses, and we’ll put it in writing. From now on, there will be no further disputes…”

He spoke with solemn authority.

Then he pushed the written document forward, “Both families, take a look. This is what I’ve just written. If there are no issues, sign and fingerprint it. After this, you’ll each go your separate ways.”

Wang Qingsong took the paper, read it, and placed it on the table, “Third Grandpa, it’s fine. I agree.”

Things were different back then compared to later years.

According to the current rules, since his eldest and second brothers had already moved out, and his father had passed away, he should be the head of the household.

Even if Sun Xiuhe was his father’s wife, she would have to listen to him.

But he wasn’t yet an adult.

Even if he were, it wouldn’t make sense to kick Sun Xiuhe out.

Besides, he was often at school, so holding authority over the household was meaningless. It was better to cleanly separate himself now.

To avoid future disputes.

Sun Xiuhe looked at the document and handed it to her eldest son, as she couldn’t read.

Wang Ping read it out loud, grumbling as he did.

After listening, Sun Xiuhe nodded.

Under Zhao Datian’s guidance, they both signed and pressed their fingerprints. Sun Xiuhe simply pressed her thumbprint.

Once it was done, Zhao Datian collected the document and said, “This will be kept by the production team committee. If there are any disputes between your families in the future, the committee will settle them.”

Then he turned to Wang Qingsong, “Qingsong, pack your things and take what’s yours.”

Wang Qingsong nodded.

He got up and went to his room.

He opened his wooden chest and gathered his and Xiao Mai’s clothes.

There weren’t many, just a few sets.

As for the quilt, there was no choice.

Before he could get there, Sun Xiuhe had already taken the newer one, leaving only the older one.

Fortunately, both quilts were about the same thickness.

In the kitchen, he took one of the two kitchen knives—the smaller one. The larger one had already been taken.

After finishing, he returned to the main room and said to Zhao Datian, “Third Grandpa, I’ve packed my things. Please help me weigh the grain.”

Zhao Datian nodded, “Alright. Elders, thank you for your time today. You can head back now. Take care on the way. I’ll help him sort this out.”

If there were disputes, the elders would need to mediate.

But since there were no major conflicts this time, their presence was mostly ceremonial.

The elders stood up one by one and left.