Chapter 9: This Family Must Be Divided

Ma Guichun spent quite some time in the backyard before finally catching the fattest hen.

She didn’t dare grab a thin chicken, only daring to catch the plumpest one, fearing that Jiang Jiuyue would be dissatisfied with a skinny hen and beat her into the chicken coop.

Soon, the smell of braised chicken wafted from the kitchen.

While watching the fire, Ma Guichun felt nervous, wondering if her braised chicken would satisfy Jiang Jiuyue.

At the same time, she secretly decided that once they finished eating and Jiang Jiuyue was satisfied, she would go talk to Du Jinhua about splitting the family. This family had to be divided!

The fragrant scent of braised chicken spread throughout the yard. Apart from Jiang Jiuyue and her three daughters, everyone else was salivating but didn’t dare make a sound.

Ma Guichun, being a considerate person, also steamed a pot of fragrant rice. She brought it directly to the table, and then lowered her head to call Jiang Jiuyue for dinner.

Jiang Jiuyue was quite satisfied with the performance of her two sisters-in-law. When she came out to eat, she also brought some rough rice along—not much, just enough to make a pot of thin porridge for the family.

Ma Guichun quickly thanked her and returned to the kitchen to cook the porridge.

To be honest, Ma Guichun’s cooking skills weren’t bad. The chicken was tender and fragrant, soft without being tough, and Jiang Jiuyue was quite satisfied. She quickly finished half of the chicken with her three daughters.

Once they were done, Ma Guichun waited until they had returned to their room before daring to bring out the porridge and call everyone to the table.

At first, she hadn’t called Du Jinhua, but the old woman was hungry too. Despite her condition, she struggled to sit up, dragging her useless arm, and made her way to the table.

Du Jinhua’s cold, gloomy gaze swept over everyone at the table. She looked at them all with disdain, thinking that the whole family were good-for-nothing, ungrateful children who had watched her suffer under Jiang Jiuyue’s torment!

Under the pressure of her piercing, murderous gaze, Ma Guichun was the first to snap.

“Mother, what are you glaring at us for? If you hadn’t kept tormenting your third daughter-in-law and pushed her to the brink, would she have treated us this way?”

Chen Cuihong, Ma Guichun’s sister-in-law, had the same idea, and they both placed the blame entirely on Du Jinhua.

“Mother, look at your granddaughter, Chun’er. She’s been beaten so badly. Her face is probably ruined. How will she ever find a husband now?”

Chen Cuihong didn’t dare to hold a grudge against Jiang Jiuyue, so her anger shifted to Du Jinhua instead.

If it wasn’t for the way Du Jinhua had tortured the third daughter-in-law to madness, Jiang Jiuyue wouldn’t be seeking revenge on them, and they wouldn’t have ended up in this miserable situation.

Du Jinhua slammed the table with her good arm, furious. “You two vixens dare to speak to me like this? Who do you think you are?”

The two daughters-in-law weren’t backing down at all. They no longer feared their mother-in-law or tried to please her like they once had.

“Mother, don’t you see what time it is? Now, your third daughter-in-law is the one calling the shots in this family. You think you can still make a fuss? Do you think she won’t crush you with a single hand?”

Du Jinhua was shaking with rage, glancing at her two sons who were sitting in silence. She regretted not having slapped some sense into these two useless boys when they were younger!

“I’ve made up my mind. I want a separate household. I can’t live like this anymore.”

Ma Guichun was the first to voice the idea of splitting the family, and Chen Cuihong quickly echoed, “Yes! Let’s split the family! Why should both of our households suffer like this?”

Du Jinhua trembled in anger. Was all the blame really hers alone?

When they were enjoying the special treatment she had given them, they didn’t say a word of complaint. When Jiang Jiuyue had been doing all the work for them, they didn’t blame her. But now, when Jiang Jiuyue had gone mad, they were pushing all the responsibility onto her shoulders?

However, Du Jinhua also considered the idea of splitting the family.

She couldn’t get rid of that troublemaker, but maybe she could at least separate her out?

At worst, she’d have to give up some of her things, but getting rid of that troublemaker was worth it. When her third son returned, she could always get those things back from him.

“Hmph, fine, I’ll allow the separation, but someone will need to support me, your old mother,” she said.

Ma Guichun and Chen Cuihong exchanged a glance and saw the answer in each other’s eyes.

“Mother, you should go live with the third son. He’s always been the most filial to you, and he’s capable. Unlike us poor country folk who only know how to toil in the fields, he can earn money outside and will be able to take care of you and provide a good life for you,” Ma Guichun said.

Du Jinhua was so angry, she almost grabbed the chopsticks and shoved them into Ma Guichun’s throat.

That wicked woman was trying to make her suffer alongside Jiang Jiuyue!

“You two are dreaming! The family can be split, but your third son’s family must be the one to leave. As long as I’m alive, neither of your households will be allowed to split!”

As the elder, Du Jinhua’s refusal to allow the division of the first and second households meant they couldn’t truly separate. This angered both Ma Guichun and Chen Cuihong.

The meal ended in disappointment, with no resolution to the matter of the family division. After cleaning up the dishes, Ma Guichun and Chen Cuihong huddled together, angrily cursing Du Jinhua.

Jiang Jiuyue, with her excellent hearing, overheard everything they were saying and couldn’t help but smile.

The first and second households wanted to wash their hands of responsibility and shift the blame entirely onto Du Jinhua?

She wasn’t planning on letting them off the hook. If they didn’t do something for her now, they’d regret it when she left this family. Everyone would receive a “gift” from her.

Jiang Jiuyue relaxed on the bed, occasionally pricking up her ears to listen to her two sisters-in-law cursing Du Jinhua in the other room, curious to see if they had any new plans.

After listening for a while, she realized that aside from blaming Du Jinhua for their troubles, they didn’t have much else to say. Yawning, she turned over and fell asleep.

The next morning, Ma Guichun had the chicken stew going. When Jiang Jiuyue woke up, the smell of the chicken soup wafted up to her nose.

After washing up, Jiang Jiuyue decided not to go to the county town today. She would just wait at home for the yamen officer that the village head had promised to send.

By noon, someone finally showed up.

It was a man dressed in yamen officer attire, with a knife hanging at his waist and a smug expression on his face.

Jiang Jiuyue recognized him. According to the original owner’s memories, this man was the village head’s son-in-law, Zhao Kun, a man who abused his position as an officer to act arrogantly.

“Where is Jiang Jiuyue?” Zhao Kun demanded.

Zhao Kun didn’t actually recognize Jiang Jiuyue. Based on what his father-in-law had told him, he thought she was nothing more than a crazy woman, and when he saw Jiang Jiuyue, he assumed she was someone else from the household.

Jiang Jiuyue smiled slightly and courteously invited him in.

“Are you here to find Jiang Jiuyue?” she asked, her smile warm, giving the impression of a gentle woman.

Zhao Kun arrogantly nodded. “That’s right. Jiang Jiuyue, that crazy woman, beat my father-in-law. I’m here to take her to apologize and beg for forgiveness. Where is she?”

Jiang Jiuyue pointed to herself. “I’m here.”

Zhao Kun looked at her with some confusion, but before he could react, Jiang Jiuyue moved swiftly, kicking him to the ground and disabling his two legs.