Upon hearing this, Old Madam Liu immediately shuddered.

She hadn’t expected the village head to speak on Jian Xiu’s behalf.

Thinking about the few dozen liang she had saved, Old Madam Liu couldn’t help but glare at Jian Xiu with hatred.

Seeing that Old Zhang remained silent, Zhang Wenyuan continued, “Just speaking about your Zhang family’s good land, there’s already over ten acres. Not to mention the chickens, ducks, pigs, and the silver you’ve saved—there must be quite a bit, right?”

“There’s no silver saved. The main expenses are for the county school. You know that. Your grandson is attending there too. Every year, it costs over ten or twenty liang, not to mention the ink, paper, and other supplies—those are expenses too.”

“Yes, yes. And look at our family—old and sick, our daily expenses are considerable. Do you think there’s any silver left? Now that Zirong is in this condition, I don’t even know where we can get money to go to the county town!”

Old Madam Liu wiped her tears, looking pitiful.

Hearing this, Fang, who had been crouching beside Zhang Zirong, added fuel to the fire: “Mother, what about Zirong? If there’s no silver, even going to the county town won’t help.”

Zhang Wenyuan: “…” It really is hard to settle family matters.

Meanwhile, Jian Xiu, having finished eating the duck, knew that Zhang Wenyuan was in a difficult position.

She also knew that in her current situation, it was impossible to squeeze a single copper coin out of Old Liu.

So, wiping her mouth, she turned to the village head and said, “Uncle, I don’t expect them to give me much silver. I just want the house at the end of the village and that plot of land. How about that?”

Jian Xiu had already calculated.

That house at the end of the village was the most suitable for her family of five.

More importantly, that piece of land was considered worthless by others.

It was just an empty piece of land.

Frankly, even if it was given away, no one would care.

But for her, it was different.

She had a supermarket, which would make it convenient for her to do business there.

What’s more, the place was quiet and spacious.

She had always preferred peace, and she didn’t like the hustle and bustle of the village.

As the saying goes, “Rely on the mountains, live by the mountains.” Living at the end of the village, she would be closer to the foot of the mountain. Whether she went up or down the mountain, it would be much more convenient.

Most importantly, the land there wasn’t worth much, and there was an old, dilapidated house built by the Zhang family.

It had been abandoned for many years and had fallen into ruin.

But that didn’t matter. With a little repair, it would be far better than the small dark room they were living in now.

After hearing Jian Xiu’s words, Zhang Wenyuan felt even more heartbroken.

He knew full well what kind of place the end of the village was.

No normal family would want to live there.

“Zixuan’s wife, that place is so remote. If something happens, no one will know. It’s too dangerous for you to live there with Zixuan,” Zhang Wenyuan said, concerned.

“Uncle, you don’t need to worry. Staying here is always in the way of my father and mother. After we separate, they will be more at ease,” Jian Xiu replied.

Then, as if recalling something, she continued, “If anything happens, I can always come back to see them. Besides, our family of five can’t live without any money.”

Upon hearing this, Old Liu was immediately startled.

She turned to look at Old Zhang, only to see that he, too, was deep in thought after hearing Jian Xiu’s words.

Seeing his expression, Old Liu knew that his thoughts aligned with hers.

Relieved, Old Madam Liu finally spoke, “Since the village head is here, I’ll just make things clear. The separation was proposed by your fourth branch, so anything that happens from now on has nothing to do with us. Don’t say we’re heartless or ungrateful. Think about the things you’ve done these past few days. Which of them were actions that a human should do? Even if we forgave you, when Zirong wakes up, he won’t let you off.”

“Old Liu, what do you mean by that?” Zhang Wenyuan asked, his voice stern.

“My meaning is clear. Since we’re separating, the fourth branch will no longer have any ties to the Zhang family. Whether they become rich or poor, it has nothing to do with us.”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenyuan raised his finger and pointed at Old Madam Liu. “You… you…”

For a moment, he was so furious he couldn’t find the words.

He turned to Zhang Lao, who had been silently smoking a pipe, and asked, “Old Zhang, is that what you think too?”

Only then did Zhang Lao put down his pipe and reply, “Yes, the separation was proposed by the fourth branch, and we didn’t force them. These past two days, Jian Xiu not only beat her mother-in-law, leaving her badly injured, but also hurt the eldest, and ruined the family’s chickens, ducks, and pigs. You tell me, could I, Zhang Dashan, accept a daughter-in-law like that?”

“You don’t want your daughter-in-law, but what about Zixuan? He’s your own son! Could you really turn your back on him?” The village head asked again.

“Zixuan? Does he have any shame? When his wife was attacking his mother, he didn’t even utter a word. These past two days, I saw him eating up the meals his wife made with great relish. Ask him, did he ever think about us, his parents, at that time?”

Zhang Lao spoke methodically, implying that everything was visible for all to see.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenyuan was left speechless.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu, who had remained quiet, pretended to be confused and asked, “Father, what do you mean by that? Does it mean you don’t want us from the fourth branch anymore?”

“Didn’t you propose the separation yourself? Why are you backing out now?”

“I only mentioned the separation. I didn’t say anything else. But hearing you and mother just now, it seems like you want more than just separating us fourth branch.”

Jian Xiu said with a worried expression.

“You’ve done such a rebellious thing and now you want our forgiveness? Do you really think the Zhang family is so easy to bully?”

“Father, since you’ve said so, I, Jian Xiu, am not the kind of person who shamelessly begs. As long as you give me that land at the end of the village, our fourth branch will never trouble the Zhang family again. Even if we die there, it has nothing to do with you.”

Jian Xiu said, pretending to be angry, but secretly feeling overjoyed.

“Empty words!” Zhang Lao pondered for a moment, then replied again.

“Father, what do you mean by that?”

“It’s easy to talk, but when something happens, you’ll come knocking on our door. I don’t want to be the subject of gossip in the village,” Zhang Lao said sternly.