Chapter 12: The Matter of Family Property

“It was your wife who got hit, and you just turn a blind eye? Are you heartless?!”
“She pinned me to the ground and nearly strangled me to death—you didn’t see it just now!”

Zhang Xiufang was truly panicking now, mixing curses with tears.
She honestly looked like one of those professional mourners hired during village funerals when she was young…

She even bit Yu Laoda’s arm.

Yu Laoda bared his teeth in pain, but still didn’t change his stance.
With how skinny and weak Yu Nuan was, he really didn’t believe she could pin

Xiufang down and beat her up.
His wife had always been the type to twist the truth—to paint black as white.

Yu Nuan glanced at Yu Laoda—he was in his forties, dark-skinned and chubby, with a simple, honest face.
From what she knew, this might be the first time he had ever stood up for something.

Old Man Yu and Old Lady Yu’s noses turned red with emotion.
Their eldest son had always been the most honest.

But ever since marrying this wife of his, she had completely taken over the household, and he let her do whatever she wanted.
Today, he finally seemed to have found his conscience.

The elderly couple also wanted to settle things peacefully.
In the village, people saw each other every day—no need to let outsiders laugh at their family drama.
Now that the eldest son had made a gesture of compromise, they figured it was time to drop it.

Old Man Yu had always cared about his reputation.
He almost never asked others in the village for help.
If someone helped him one second, he’d rack his brain to return the favor the next.
To put it nicely, he was principled. To put it bluntly, he was emotionally distant…

He also had a soft personality and never wanted to burden his children.
Afraid of being a drag and disliked by his sons,
He had even moved out and started his own kitchen when his daughter-in-law made it clear she didn’t want to support him.

Year after year, when his sons claimed they didn’t have enough food to spare, the grain they gave him kept shrinking.
He simply endured hunger and humiliation, never gossiping or complaining.

When it came time to divide the family property, he didn’t object.
With so many children, he figured it was natural that crowding together would only lead to resentment.
Following that logic, he let them split everything.

In the end, the two elderly parents and little Yu Nuan were given only one small plot of land.
All of this had been quietly decided among the elder brothers.

When the old village chief found out and tried to stand up for him, Old Man Yu just stayed silent.

Yu Nuan summed up Old Man Yu’s personality: too proud, too softhearted, and completely inept at dealing with people.
He was the kind to “swallow broken teeth along with the blood.”

They say people who sleep in the same bed turn out alike—Old Lady Yu was no different from her husband.
In the hands of her daughter-in-law, she was just someone to be pinched and kneaded into whatever shape was convenient.

“Yu Nuan, maybe we should just let it go?”
Old Man Yu finally spoke to her. He knew Yu Nuan had been wronged,
But the marriage hadn’t gone through, and the scar on her head…
Though he didn’t know how she got it,
He was sure of one thing: his eldest daughter-in-law hadn’t managed to touch her head earlier.

“Mother, do you also think what Big Brother said is right?”
Yu Nuan turned to the old woman behind her, who was holding a baby.

Old Lady Yu’s face was ashen. Her lips moved slightly, and in the end, she gave a small nod.

Yu Nuan sighed inwardly.
She felt helpless, but there was no way she was letting this chance slip by.

Village Chief Li looked at Old Man Yu and Old Lady Yu with a disappointed and angry expression.
With personalities like that, how could they ever keep their pack of wolf-like children in line…

“Yu Nuan, go ahead and speak.”
Though disappointed, the old chief still firmly stood on their side.
As long as Yu Nuan didn’t agree to reconciliation, he would absolutely stand up for her.

“Uncle Li, I refuse!”
Strangely, the moment Yu Nuan said these words, the old village chief looked noticeably relieved.

“You damned girl, still refusing? I don’t even want to give you the chance anymore!”
Zhang Xiufang lifted her head, hair in disarray, and spat.

Pointing at Yu Nuan, she cursed,
“I kindly arranged a match for you,
So what if Wang Jinlong gambles a bit? That’s only because he doesn’t have a wife to rein him in!
Once you marry him, I bet he’ll listen to you. Marriage is just about making it work over time!”

As soon as she said that, several women around her rolled their eyes.
If marriage is so easy to “make work,” why don’t you marry off your own granddaughter to him?

“Uncle Li, as the saying goes, ‘A marriage is the will of the parents and the word of the matchmaker.’
Even though ‘an elder brother is like a father,’ my parents are still alive.
My sister-in-law overstepped them and arranged my engagement without their consent—”

“What kind of nonsense is this?!
My father disapproved of this marriage, but she still forced it,
pushing Yao Niu to accept it. But Yao Niu refuses!”

Yu Nuan blinked her eyes pitifully. Sister-in-law Zhao pulled her into her arms to comfort her.

Zhang Xiufang pointed at Yu Nuan, sputtering for a while but unable to speak.

How they usually mistreated the old couple was something done behind closed doors.
But now, with so many people watching, this damned girl’s words were as good as saying she didn’t even treat the elders like humans!

If word got out, how could their grandsons and granddaughters ever marry into good families?

Father Yu felt this was a family scandal and hadn’t wanted to make it public.
But now, he had no choice but to speak on Yu Nuan’s behalf:
“Even if my wife and I die,
we will never marry Yao Niu off to Wang Jinlong. I, Yu Gui, do not sell my daughter.
You’d best give up on this idea. Today, I’ll make this clear right here in front of Old Li:
Yao Niu’s marriage is none of you brothers’ or sisters-in-law’s business.”

Yu Nuan felt a warmth in her heart—on behalf of the original host!
In this era, it was rare for someone not to belittle a daughter.

Village Chief Li nodded in appreciation.

Zhang Xiufang’s calculations had failed.
Now what? Even the betrothal gift had a small pack of cookies.
These past days, the grandsons had been sneaking some here and there.
Not only would they need to pay for replacements, but Wang Jinlong likely wouldn’t let the matter go easily…
She clutched her chest in anger.

The next second, she fainted outright from rage at Yu Nuan’s words.

“Uncle Li, since you’re here today,
I’d like to ask you to help oversee the redistribution of the family land.
My little brother must receive his rightful share!”

As soon as those words were spoken, Zhang Xiufang collapsed.

Yu Laoda’s (Eldest Yu) family was completely stunned.

Village Chief Li hesitated for a moment before reacting:
“You’re saying… you want to divide the family property?”

He glanced at the dazed Father and Mother Yu, a bit surprised—was this Yao Niu’s idea?

“Yao Niu~~ you…”

Father Yu was caught completely off guard.

The women in the courtyard eagerly surrounded Mother Yu and played with the puppy, Wang.
In their hearts, they still hoped to bask in some of the Yu family’s good fortune.

If having multiple wives and concubines was the mark of the rich,
then having many children and grandchildren was the pride of a peasant household.

In Fangyuan Village, if there was someone worthy of admiration, Father Yu was one.
To have raised so many children with none dying young—that was a feat.

Even Village Chief Li had lost two children to famine in the early years.
And now with two more sons born late in life, Father Yu was truly blessed with children.

“Property is a big matter. If it’s to be divided again,
then tomorrow we’ll gather the brothers and discuss everything from the beginning.”

Village Chief Li gave Father Yu a look—how can you have so many kids!
His house was at the village entrance, and he had only just heard of Mother Yu’s delivery.

Sigh…
To have so many children yet still be trampled over… truly,
a mother raises seven sons, but seven sons cannot care for one mother…

If Yao Niu hadn’t boldly asked for her little brother’s share today,
Old Yu might never have dared to ask himself.

But that wasn’t really the case.
Yesterday, Father Yu had gone to Eldest Yu’s house,
but the two grandsons there had spewed filth from their mouths,
calling him shameless, indecent, and still having the nerve to ask for food.
His heart had gone cold.

The brothers split the grain twice a year, always at Eldest Yu’s house.
In a few days, it would be time for the second half of the year’s division.
He had hoped they’d give a little extra this time, but who would’ve thought…

“Then I’ll trouble you to make another trip tomorrow, Uncle Li.”
Seeing that Father Yu was deep in thought, Yu Nuan followed up on Village Chief Li’s statement.

Village Chief Li looked at her. She was still the same person, but everything felt different…
Had she suddenly become enlightened?

Yu Nuan felt uneasy under his gaze and quietly turned her face—Old man’s sharp as a fox!

With Village Chief Li present, the eldest Yu family ended up embarrassing themselves,
and even stirred up the matter of property division.

After Zhang Xiufang fainted, her three sons and daughters-in-law hurried to carry her back home.

Yu Laoda (Eldest Yu) was the last to leave.
He stiffened his neck as he approached Father Yu and gave Yu Nuan a glance.
Then he stared at Father Yu and said:
“Dad, is this really your decision?”