Chapter 27 : Preparing to Separate

Su Xieqiu was about to speak when Han Zhenyu stopped her.

He looked at Han Baoguo and Yang Lanhua and said, “I agree to divide the family. How do you want to divide it? Come up with a set of rules.”

Han Baoguo glanced at Yang Lanhua, hesitated, and remained silent.

Seeing that no one was saying anything, Han Zhenyu smirked and said, “You discuss it. I’ll go ask the team leader and some elders in the village to divide the house today.” He then pulled Su Xieqiu away.

When Yang Lanhua saw the two of them leave, she immediately told her youngest son to get help. “Zhenmin, go and call your aunt and uncle, as well as your uncle Baoqiang and aunt Biyun over. Tell them we are going to split the family business and ask them to come as witnesses.”

“Mom, I’ll go right away.”

Han Zhenmin went out and saw that Han Zhenyu and Su Xieqiu hadn’t gone far. He waited by the door for a while before heading to his aunt’s house after the two of them had disappeared.

Han Zhenyu looked back and said to Su Xieqiu, “He should go and call his dear aunt.”

“No matter who he calls, if they don’t satisfy us, we won’t divide this family today. I’ll keep arguing with them.”

Han Zhenyu smiled and asked, “How do you plan to divide it?”

Su Xieqiu wasn’t sure what he was thinking, and they weren’t close enough to make decisions for each other. So, she raised her eyebrows and turned the question back to him. “You’re the head of the family. I’ll listen to you.”

Han Zhenyu chuckled and said teasingly, “Don’t be so polite. From now on, you have the final say in our family.”

Su Xieqiu was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond. The two of them exchanged looks and suddenly laughed.

Han Zhenyu stopped laughing and said calmly, “I don’t want anything from them. I just hope we can divide things more cleanly this time.”

Su Xieqiu understood his meaning. This was exactly what she was thinking: cut them off completely, so they wouldn’t come back to bother them later when they saw they were doing well.

“I’ll make the scene later, and you just act according to the situation.” She could act like a scoundrel, like Yang Lanhua, but Han Zhenyu, as a man, shouldn’t do such a low thing.

Su Xieqiu also wanted to make it known that she wasn’t easy to mess with by dividing the family.

They would be moving out soon, and since Han Zhenyu was often not home, the villagers would have to think twice before trying to bully her.

Han Zhenyu smiled and nodded, “Okay.”

Captain Hongbing had just returned home from the brigade headquarters when he saw them coming. He was a bit surprised when he heard Han Zhenyu wanted to split the family.

When the housing plot was approved yesterday, they had told him to keep it confidential. So why was it being divided today?

But he didn’t ask any more questions and just smiled, saying, “I’ll wash my face, change my clothes, and then I’ll be there.”

“Excuse me, Captain.”

“It’s fine. You guys go back first, I’ll be there soon.”

After the two left Captains house, Han Zhenyu went to invite Han Lei’s father and Sun Dashu’s father. They were well-known figures in the village and weren’t as hostile to Han Zhenyu as others. When he was a child, they felt sorry for him and secretly sent food through their children.

When Han Zhenyu was four, Han Baoguo nearly beat him to death. Han Lei’s father couldn’t stand it, so he secretly sent a letter to Han Zhenyu’s grandfather at night.

That night, Han Zhenyu’s grandfather, along with some men from the village, Han Zhenyu’s uncle, and eldest uncle, beat Han Baoguo severely and took Han Zhenyu home.

Han Zhenyu stayed with his grandmother until he was ten, then returned on his own.

Life at his grandfather’s house wasn’t easy either. His uncle’s children were growing older, and resources were becoming scarce.

Although no one ever rejected him, his household registration was in Sanhua Brigade. For the past few years, all the head rations had gone to Han Baoguo, and no one had ever sent him any food.

So, he couldn’t eat for free at his grandfather’s, took a few clothes, and went back to the Sanhua Brigade.

But he was no longer the poor little boy who would cry when he was beaten as a child.

Later, Han Baoguo beat him again, so he went to the kitchen, grabbed a kitchen knife, and chased him, threatening to chop him. After that, he was never beaten again.

When Han Lei’s father and Dashu’s father heard that they had been asked to be witnesses for the family division, they followed without saying a word.

On the way, Han Zhenyu told them his thoughts again.

The two men knew about the family’s situation, so they sighed and nodded in agreement.

When they arrived at the Han household, the captain was already there.

Yang Lanhua’s brother-in-law, Han Baoqiang (the Team Leader of Team 4), and his wife, Li Biyun, were already seated in the main room.

Sun Dashu’s father, Sun Quan, chuckled and said, “Oh, it’s so lively.”

Han Baoguo immediately stood up and greeted them, “Captain, and the two brothers, please take a seat.”

When Yang Lanhua saw Sun Quan and Han Youming entering, the smile on her face faded slightly, but she still stood up to greet them.

Seeing Yang Lanhua’s indifferent expression, Sun Quan asked jokingly, “Why are you upset, sister-in-law? Are you afraid we’ll eat all your food?”

Yang Lanhua was a bit embarrassed by what he said, so she quickly explained with a smile, “Brother Sun, what are you talking about? You’re such a rare guest, we can hardly invite you normally. I’m just annoyed by these kids, one or two of them always causing trouble, and their father and I are always worried about them.”

She sighed again, smiling bitterly. “I just wanted to keep you here for dinner, but I’m afraid I can’t. I don’t know what happened to Zhenyu’s wife just now, she smashed all the pots and bowls.”

“Oh, Zhenyu’s wife is so timid, yet she dared to break the pot?” Sun Quan looked at her in surprise and asked, “Sister-in-law, how did your family bully her?”

Yang Lanhua was so angry when she heard this, and she was about to explain herself when Han Youming frowned. He looked at her and Han Baoguo disapprovingly and said, “You shouldn’t gang up on a girl who has no relatives here and bully her. We, the Han family, can’t do such a disgraceful thing.”

Su Xieqiu almost burst out laughing after hearing what they said. She hadn’t expected the middlemen Han Zhenyu found to be so humorous. They were in sync, mocking Han Baoguo and Yang Lanhua.

“My big brother, how could we bully her?”

Yang Lanhua slapped her thigh and started crying, “Zhenyu’s wife scolds when she’s unhappy, and gets violent when she’s upset. Meili and Qianyun have been beaten by her several times these past couple of days. She killed and ate our chickens, smashed all the pots and pans, and stole our eggs. She even scolded me and my husband. How are we supposed to live like this?”

Han Zhenyu looked at her with disgust and calmly said, “Why did she become like this? Don’t you know better than anyone? When I’m not home, anyone in your family who’s unhappy takes it out on her, beating and scolding her, and making her work without food. Han Meili cracked her head and lay in bed for two days, and no one cared. Now that she’s fighting back, you can’t stand it. Why don’t you think about how you’ve bullied her in the past? As the old saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when it’s angry. And she’s a living person. She’s almost been beaten to death by you. Shouldn’t she fight back?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Lanhua’s older sister, Yang Chunhua, smiled and took over the conversation. “Zhenyu, I wouldn’t say that. You’re often not at home, how can you know how hard things are at home? Your wife is an educated youth from the city. She can’t carry anything or do heavy work. The few work points she earns in a day aren’t even enough for her to eat. You don’t bring any money or food to the family, so your father, mother, and brothers have to support your wife. Isn’t it her duty to eat what’s available at home and do light work?”

Then she looked at Su Xieqiu with a smile and said, “What a troublemaker you are. You and your younger sister had a few arguments, but you didn’t go out for two days. You really shouldn’t be so angry.”

She touched Han Meili’s red and swollen forehead and said with concern, “I heard that Zhenyu’s wife beat you with a stick? Don’t be so careless in the future. If something really happens, you’ll be scared.”