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The members of the Second Branch looked at Su Zhi with hope, as they wished for the family to be divided. Meanwhile, those who were against the division glared at Su Zhi, especially Shen Youfu. He wished Su Zhi would suddenly become mute. Shen Zhang shi and Shen Zhu frowned, while Shen Ziju remained expressionless. He was curious to see what idea Su Zhi would come up with.
Su Zhi paid no attention to how others glared at her. She wasn’t afraid of anything now; she just wanted to vent her frustrations.
“In this cold winter, even if we split the family, Second Brother and his wife won’t have anywhere to move. It would be laughable. It’s better to stay here for now. We can wait until next spring after Fifth Brother finishes the imperial examination before moving out. Right now, we’ll just separate the household expenses and income, and each eat separately. Of course, Second Brother and his wife won’t have to hand over the money they earn to the family. Instead, they can give some to show filial piety to our parents. They’ll also contribute to Fifth Brother’s examination fees and Little Sister’s dowry, just like us. How about that?”
Upon hearing this suggestion, Shen Zigui immediately nodded in agreement.
“Agreed. We won’t skimp on our filial duties. As for what we get from splitting the family, we’ll get what Fourth Brother got back then.”
When Shen Zi’an split the family, it was widely recognized as a biased division. Now, for Shen Zigui to say that they’ll get what Shen Zi’an got, it’s even more disadvantageous. Although his family has many children, Shen Zigui and Li Shi have worked tirelessly for the family over the years. He said this partly because he felt that actively suggesting the division of the family as a son had hurt his parents’ feelings. On the other hand, he also wanted to ask for as little as possible, hoping that his parents would be willing to split them off.
Li Shi, of course, wouldn’t mind and nodded in agreement beside him.
Seeing the Second Branch so eager to split off, Sun Shi suddenly felt jealous. Suddenly, she didn’t want to let them have their way. She exclaimed sharply, “Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, what you’re saying is too easy. You want to separate from the family while asking to claim for less. It’s like letting others see your begging to separate from the family. It’s as if this family has not treated you well. If everyone else doesn’t seperate, but you insist on it, do you think the villagers won’t gossip? They will definitely say that our Shen family forced you to seperate.”
Shen Zhu interjected, “Exactly. That’s why this family can’t split. At the latest, we should wait until Fifth Brother finishes the imperial examination in the capital.”
Shen Zhang shi also added, “Zigui, wait until your Little Sister gets married and your Fifth Brother finishes the imperial examination. By then, they will have established their own families and careers. It won’t be too late to split then. You understand etiquette. You should understand these principles. Let’s not bring up the topic of splitting the family again.”
This was an attempt to steer the conversation back.
Upon hearing this, Li Shi and the others became anxious again. They had just made some progress, but why couldn’t they split the family? This time, they were determined to split, and if they couldn’t, who knew what would happen next? If they had to wait until Shen Zhu got married and Shen Ziju passed the imperial examination, it means waiting for two or three years, or it could be a lifetime of waiting.
Li Shi and Chunyue couldn’t deny the possibility of Shen Ziju failing the imperial examination, but they couldn’t find any rebuttal either, so they both looked to Su Zhi, hoping she could come up with another idea.
Su Zhi knew it wouldn’t be easy. She smiled and said, “Father, Mother, what you said makes sense, but have you thought about this? When Little Brother passes the examination, he’ll become an official, and the whole family will benefit from his success. At that time, in the eyes of others, this family will be even more united. If we were to split, people might think, ‘This family worked so hard to support a scholar, and now they want to split and enjoy the benefits alone?’ Wouldn’t that imply that the official doesn’t want to support his elder brother? Wouldn’t that tarnish Little Brother’s reputation?”
Su Zhi paused, observing the reactions of everyone. With a smile in her heart, she continued, “If we don’t split, the whole family will naturally enjoy the joy and liveliness of living together, but with more people comes more trouble. Little Brother, as an official, will especially want to avoid trouble. If anyone causes trouble, it will be inevitably associated with Little Brother. Who’s to blame for not splitting the family?”
Su Zhi couldn’t be sure how others perceived it, but she noticed Shen Ziju’s fleeting expression, and she thought he cared. That was good; she’d pull him over first!
“So I think it’s better to split sooner rather than later. Even if we, the siblings and their spouses, split, we can still support Little Brother. Wouldn’t that make people praise us for not letting the division distract us, even more so?”
Shen Zhang shi glanced at Shen Youfu and saw that he was actually considering it, lowering her eyes slightly, thinking that this fourth daughter-in-law was quite eloquent. Her words did make some sense. Not only was she starting to feel swayed, but even Shen Youfu was considering it.
At that moment, Shen Ziju stepped forward, helping Shen Zigui up and saying, “Second Brother, please rise. It’s too cold to kneel here and risk hurting your legs. If you truly want to split, then go ahead. I won’t stop you just for my sake.”
Everyone looked at Shen Ziju, and he turned to Shen Youfu, saying, “Father, if Second Brother wants to split, then let him. Consider it a son’s plea to you.”
Su Zhi looked at Shen Ziju and thought, “This man is really clever. Coming out at this time, he stands to gain the most. He can rid himself of a future burden and make the second branch grateful to him.”
“Do you all want to split? If you do, speak up now.”
Shen Youfu finally spoke up. He admitted that he was partial to his youngest son, and Su Zhi’s words had hit that soft spot in his heart. Seeing that the second branch all wanted to split, and that they wouldn’t get up from kneeling until they did, Shen Zigui was like a stubborn ox; obedient and hardworking, but once he threw a tantrum, he couldn’t be persuaded otherwise. Instead of dealing with that, it was better to split. Over the years, he had indeed felt a bit overwhelmed. If he could split off some people but still receive the same amount of money, he was willing.
Wang shi had also been considering splitting, but upon hearing Su Zhi’s mention of the favorable future scene after Shen Ziju passed the exam, she hesitated. Thinking about how intelligent Shen Ziju was, she was confident he would pass. If he passed the provincial exam next spring, he could become a jinshi in the same year, then go to the capital the following year. As long as everything went smoothly, they would have an official in the family within a few years.
Having an official in the family meant they wouldn’t be just an ordinary household anymore. At that time, everyone in the family would see their worth doubled!
Wang shi looked at her two sons and two daughters, thinking that if they could have Shen Ziju’s support in the future, they could form good relationships and live a different and better life than ordinary farmers. This was why she had always refrained from suggesting splitting the family, and now she felt even more strongly that not splitting was better than splitting.
However, Wang shi did agree with the second household’s desire to split. She thought that having more possessions increased their value, and having more brothers was the same. After Shen Ziju became an official, he would definitely treat his brothers better than those who had not split from the family. The fewer brothers who hadn’t split, the more they would be concerned, after all, they were the ones who had accompanied him through thick and thin!
“Father, Mother, we are the main household and should serve you. Naturally, we cannot split.”
Wang shi’s words disappointed the children, but Shen Zifu felt relieved. As the eldest son, he always believed in taking care of the elderly. He was pleased that his wife was so reasonable.
The third household was even more opposed to splitting. While they wanted to enjoy prosperity with Shen Ziju in the future, they had many children, and those children were still young. If they didn’t split, others would help take care of them. If they did split, both of them would have to work hard to support their four children, which they were unwilling to do!
The third household also made it clear that they didn’t want to split.
Shen Zhu pouted and said, “Second Brother, both Eldest Brother and Third Brother don’t want to split. It’s only you who wants to. What will the villagers say about you later? You’d better not split.”
Shen Zigui replied, “We are all neighbors here. Everyone knows my temperament and what our family is like. What can they say? I will often come back, and we will live peacefully after splitting. Others won’t have anything to say.”
Chunyue interjected, “Once we move out, Third brother won’t have to keep coveting our room.”
The third grandson glared at Chunyue, but she didn’t back down, returning his glare without hesitation. He had pushed her down before, but she hadn’t forgotten. From childhood to now, he had always bullied them. Once they moved out, they wouldn’t have to endure his bullying anymore.
Everyone in the room listened to Chunyue’s words and looked at the third grandson, especially Shen Youfu, who couldn’t stand his grandson. If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t have split Shen Zifu and Shen Zi’an away!
Sun shi awkwardly pulled her son behind her, but inwardly, she was happy. With the second household moving out, there would be an extra room in the house. Now, their household could occupy another room!
Shen Youfu frowned and waved his hand, saying, “Children grow up and make their own decisions. If you want to split, then split! But it’s almost the New Year, let’s not make a big deal out of it. As long as the family knows, it’s fine. Wait until next spring when Ziju finishes the imperial examination, then you can move out. We’ll split your share of the family property at that time.”
Li Shi asked, “Father, I wonder how we’ll continue to pay our respects in the future?”
By asking this, Li Shi wanted to make it clear that their second household’s expenses would be separate from the main house’s from now on.
Shen Youfu glanced at Shen Zhang Shi and said, “Let your mother handle this.”
Shen Zhang Shi replied, “Your respects to me and your father will be like Zi’an’s. One or two silver coins per year, clothes for all seasons, and extra gift money for festivals. As for Zhu’er and Ziju’s marriage and examination expenses, we’ll discuss that when the time comes.”
Shen Zigui and Li Shi nodded eagerly, feeling happy in their hearts. Finally, the family was divided. Although they had to wait until next spring to move out and have their own house, being in charge of their own household was a hopeful prospect.
Shen Youfu was tired after all the commotion. He waved his hand to signal for the grandchildren to leave. He didn’t want to see them anymore. Shen Zi’an came to visit them, left some snacks and fabric, and then went out.
Shen Ziju looked at Su Zhi’s figure. She was wearing a white-based dress with red flowers, although it was made of cotton, it still accentuated her waist, giving her a light and graceful appearance. She looked like a red plum in the snow. Just as someone called out to Su Zhi, she turned her head, revealing a smile on her snow-white face. Her black hair swayed in the cold wind, and it was hard to believe that she was the same ugly and sickly girl from before.