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There were clear records to follow; even if they wanted to deny spending so much, it wouldn’t be possible.
After seeing the accounts clearly laid out, Han Shiguo’s mother finally spoke, “For this marriage of Shiguo, he promised the girl’s family forty-eight legs and a ‘three-turn, one-ring,’ which is quite a lot, but most of the money in this house has been earned by him. He’s finally at this age and has managed to marry a wife. Yet, the eldest family stays inside, playing the role of the ‘yin and yang’ voices, complaining that we’ve been unfair. Not just at home, but even out there, they’ve been crying, saying we, as the elderly couple, are biased to the extreme. Now, we’re going to lay it all out for them. Let’s calculate how much unfair treatment you’ve really suffered over the years, or else how could you be so aggrieved?”
Han Shimin quickly said, “Mother, there’s no injustice, it’s… it’s that we’ve taken advantage!”
“Then do you realize you’ve taken advantage?” Han Shiguo’s mother looked at her eldest grandson, Han Jiadong, her eldest granddaughter, Han Jiayue, and the other two grandchildren.
Han Jiadong, the eldest grandson, lowered his head in shame.
But Han Jiayue, being young but sharp-tongued, wasn’t satisfied. “Grandma, what are you talking about? What do you mean by we’ve taken advantage? We didn’t split up, so of course we can use the money that Uncle sends back!”
As for the younger two, one was seven years old, the other four, and they were still too naive to understand. Seeing that their older brother didn’t speak, they kept quiet as well.
“You really raised a good daughter.” Han Shiguo’s mother shot a look at the eldest couple, focusing especially on her daughter-in-law, Li Xia.
Li Xia’s expression turned ugly, and she snapped at her daughter, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
But deep down, Li Xia also felt that her daughter’s words made sense. They hadn’t split up, so why shouldn’t they use the money that the second son earned and sent back?
After all, the accounts had been laid out so clearly, and wasn’t it all because of favoritism toward the younger one, trying to make it right for him?
“Big Brother, you’ve seen it too. We’ve fed them, taken care of them, and not to mention the favor we owe to Shiguo. Look at this, it’s still all owed to them, isn’t it?” Han Shiguo’s mother looked at the old party secretary and the brigade leader, “And now, they still think we’re being unfair. Fine, we’ll let them have it. We’ll split the family up and let them go their separate ways. But before we split, the wedding expenses for Shiguo should be settled, as that’s what he’s entitled to!”
The old party secretary nodded, “It’s only natural, a big tree divides into branches, a big bird finds its own nest. It’s all a reasonable thing. As for raising children, that’s not something that can be considered as public duty, but the wedding expenses should be counted as part of the public’s share.”
“And what about you two? Do you have any objections?” The brigade leader, feeling that it was fair, cast a glance at the eldest daughter-in-law and her husband.
Han Shimin quickly said, “It’s his money that he earned himself, so he should spend it however he wants for his wedding!”
Although Li Xia was holding back her anger, she knew deep down that there was no way to oppose this matter, no matter how much she argued.
Seeing that everyone else had no objections, Han Shijun, the eldest cousin, continued to calculate. After subtracting the household expenses from the total income, there was still 2,400 yuan left.
This 2,400 yuan had to be further reduced by the costs for Han Shiguo’s wedding.
The 100 yuan gift was obvious.
The cost for the “48 legs” (a traditional term for the bride’s dowry, referring to the total number of people involved, usually in terms of a symbolic number of legs like 48) and the “three turns and one sound” (a metaphor for the ceremonial gifts and expenses) also had to be accounted for.
The cost for the “48 legs” came to about 200 yuan.
The “three turns and one sound” referred to a watch, a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a radio—these expenses were significant. To purchase the entire set, it would cost nearly 400 yuan.
Altogether, that made 700 yuan in total.
Han Shijun couldn’t help but click his tongue, thinking that Han Shiguo, his cousin, was really willing to spend such a large sum for a wedding—such a big commitment for a bride!
Li Xia, on the other hand, had a dark look on her face.
But that wasn’t the end of it. There were also additional expenses for other items, as well as the cost of hosting a banquet, so in total, they allocated 800 yuan for the wedding.
“Do you have any objections?” Han Shiguo’s father asked the eldest couple.
“Father, we have no objections,” Han Shimin quickly responded.
Li Xia remained silent.
Li Xia felt like the amount was outrageous—800 yuan for a wedding!
Han Shiguo’s mother looked at her and said, “If you have objections, just say so. Why are you sulking?”
Li Xia stiffly replied, “I don’t have any objections!”
They had kept track of every detail so clearly, even remembering when she once asked for two yuan to visit relatives. What else could she say?
Han Shijun chuckled and continued calculating, tapping the abacus beads as he went. “2,400 yuan minus the 800 yuan for Shiguo’s wedding leaves us with 1,600 yuan. This 1,600 yuan is divided into three parts: one for Han’s father and mother, one for Han Shimin and Li Xia’s family, and one for Han Shiguo himself. Each share is about 533 yuan.”
Hearing that amount, Li Xia’s grim expression finally softened a bit.
The reason was simple—533 yuan was an unimaginable fortune!
However, the money wasn’t immediately divided. Tonight, the matter of the division of the family was just confirmed for now. After Han Shiguo’s wedding, the division would officially take place!
At that time, everything would be split clearly—retirement funds, the family’s grain, and even the kitchenware like pots and pans.
For now, it was best to avoid discussing it, as things were looking up, and it wasn’t the right time yet.
Han Shimin pulled a long face, feeling disheartened. The family was about to split up for good.
Li Xia didn’t sigh. Although she still had some reservations about the division of the family, and wasn’t entirely satisfied, she knew that this was probably the best outcome they could hope for.
Moreover, getting 533 yuan from the division was already a lot.
For all these years, their family’s total income from the land had only been a little over 300 yuan!
Because of this, she couldn’t really say anything against it.
If she spoke out, everyone would think they had taken great advantage—raising four children without spending a penny, and still getting such a hefty sum from the division!
Han Shiguo didn’t even have children yet, but in the future, he’d have to pay for raising them all on his own.
However, Li Xia didn’t think her brother-in-law was at a disadvantage.
It may seem like he was, but don’t forget that Han Shiguo, her brother-in-law, was in the army, and his salary was quite high!
The job was arranged by her sister-in-law, and at the time, the family hadn’t split yet. But from that point on, it would be his job, and there would be no more shares for the family!
Thinking about it this way, Li Xia’s previously good mood vanished. She felt like she had been at a great disadvantage and was frustrated about it.
What she didn’t know was that later that night, Old Han, Han Shijun, and the Brigade Leader went back home and discussed this matter with their wives.
They were all stunned.
Raising four children without spending a penny was one thing, but now, after the family split, they could still get more than five hundred yuan—it was like hitting the jackpot!
It was enough to make people incredibly envious.
Which family gets to split so much money after a division?
It was all thanks to Han Shiguo joining the army and sending money back home all these years. Without that, could they have gotten so much? Not a chance.
Take someone from their village, for example. A couple with one child, after being split from their family, ended up with just two broken bowls and half a bag of grain. They didn’t even have a thatched house to live in!
Compared to that, Li Xia and Han Shimin had practically fallen into a nest of good fortune.
Although Old Han and the others had instructed them not to speak of it, women can rarely keep such things to themselves.
As a result, later on, when Li Xia, the eldest sister-in-law, was crying outside, no one paid her any attention. Some even couldn’t resist making sarcastic remarks, saying: “That job was originally given to your younger brother by his sister, what does it have to do with you? You’ve raised four kids for so many years without spending a penny, and now you’re still not satisfied with the family split and the money? What more do you want?”
They were essentially saying that her greed had no limits, even eyeing someone else’s job!
These words nearly choked Li Xia.
Of course, all of this is a later story.