“Head of the house, dividing the family is fine, but we cannot sever ties!” Madam Zhao screamed.
If they severed ties, who would work the fields in the future?
Who would pay for her son’s tuition?
How could her grandchildren continue to live like townspeople?
“It seems you want me to stir up trouble at the academy after all?”
Meeting Yun Zhu’s half-smiling, half-mocking expression, Lu Ping’s heart sank. He swung his hand and delivered another fierce slap across Madam Zhao’s face. “Are you satisfied now that things have devolved into this?”
When all was said and done, it was still because Madam Zhao and Jingshan had been too impatient!
With Second Son dead, that girl Yiyi was Madam Yun’s only hope. If they wanted to sell the child, couldn’t they have waited until Madam Yun drew her last breath?
At the thought of this, Lu Ping could not help but size up Yun Zhu.
Looking at her appearance now, had she completely recovered from her illness?
“Eldest Brother,” Madam Yun looked toward Lu Jinghai. “Father has agreed to divide the family and sever ties. Go invite the village chief and the two clan elders to act as witnesses.”
Seeing Lu Jinghai standing there frozen, Madam Yang gave him a push. “What are you waiting for? Hurry!”
Lest the old man changes his mind!
According to custom, the first branch should receive the larger share when dividing a family. However, Madam Zhao adamantly refused to give any houses or farm fields to the first and second branches.
“They’re severing ties anyway! On what grounds should they get the family’s assets?” Madam Zhao shouted, standing on tiptoe.
“On the grounds that these assets were earned by Eldest Brother and my husband!” Yun Zhu stated. “We can forgo the house, but we must have half of the farmland! The family owns eight *mu* of top-tier fields and six *mu* of low-tier fields in total. We get four *mu* of top-tier fields and three *mu* of low-tier fields.”
The two elders would live with Lu Jingshan, so according to custom, they should also receive a portion. Yun Zhu would not fight over that, but what rightfully belonged to them could not be shorted by a single fraction!
As for these few mud-brick houses, once the heavy snow arrived, it would become their burial ground anyway!
The Great Clan Elder looked at Lu Jinghai and his wife. “Do you two have any other objections?”
Lu Jinghai and Madam Yang exchanged a glance. He then said, “Great-Uncle, Second Brother’s Wife’s intention is our intention.”
Just as the Great Clan Elder was preparing to announce the outcome of the family division, Yun Zhu spoke up again. “In addition, I won’t fight over my husband’s 100-tael pension; consider it a fund to support Father in his old age. We also won’t take a share of the communal savings. However, those 50 taels were explicitly meant for us, mother and daughter. That ought to be returned to us, shouldn’t it?”
The money in this household had long been drained empty by Lu Jingshan, so 50 taels certainly could not be produced. Still, she would take back as much as possible.
“We don’t have it!” Hearing that money had to be handed over, Madam Zhao’s face turned hideous. “The money was spent long ago! Not a single copper coin will be given to you! If you want money, take my life instead!”
The village chief and the two clan elders all wore expressions of strong disapproval.
Was this Madam Zhao planning to smash a broken pot to pieces, abandoning even the slightest pretense of decency?
Yun Zhu’s expression darkened. “If that’s the case, don’t blame me for taking things to the absolute extreme!”
Lu Ping glared furiously at Madam Zhao. “This house is not yet yours to rule!”
“Madam Yun,” Lu Ping’s voice dropped low, sounding as though he had aged several years all at once. “To be frank with you, the family only has a little over 16 taels left, along with a set of silver jewelry left behind by your grandmother. I’ll give all of these to you, and Third Son will slowly repay the rest. What do you think?”
Seeing Madam Yun’s demeanor today, he could not guarantee whether she would truly cause a scene at the academy.
Madam Zhao’s face looked exceedingly unsightly.
This dead old man—his mother had left behind silver jewelry, yet he had hidden it from her!
Lu Ping rose and went back to his room. When he returned to the main hall, he held a small cloth bundle and a money pouch in his hand.
Yun Zhu took the cloth bundle and opened it to look. Inside were a silver bracelet, a pair of silver earrings, and a silver hairpin. They were all solid silver, estimated to be worth over twenty taels.
Madam Zhao’s features twisted in anger.
Such good items were just given to Madam Yun like this?
Yun Zhu stowed away the silver and the silver jewelry, letting out a slight smile. “There’s still silver in the house.”
Just as Lu Ping was about to say something, he saw Yun Zhu looking straight at Madam Zhao. “At least 10 taels more!”
Lu Ping’s expression changed, while Madam Zhao had already begun screeching: “Madam Yun, you black-hearted creature! How dare you even covet this silver? Are you even human?!”
Lu Ping also said, “Madam Yun, these 10 taels of silver are needed to redeem Jinglan. Rest assured, as for the remaining 14 taels, we will definitely gather enough to repay you.”
For an elder to plead so humbly, anyone else would have felt too embarrassed to press further. Yet Yun Zhu would not soften her heart. “Everyone here knows full well how these 10 taels were obtained. Today, this money must be paid back in full!”
Beside them, the village chief and the two clan elders saw how unyielding Yun Zhu was, and they could not help but try to persuade her as well.
The village chief said, “Madam Yun, broken bones are still bound by sinew. Your father has said he will make up the silver later, so let’s forget about these 10 taels for now.”
The Great Clan Elder added, “Yes, yes. We’re all one family, and Jinglan is still waiting at Yingchun Brothel for us to redeem her. Let’s quickly divide the family and go bring her back.”
If a daughter of the Lu family ended up in Yingchun Brothel, it would affect the marriage prospects of every young woman surnamed Lu in the entire village.
“Village Chief, Clan Elders, when we were dividing the family just now, did you see them treat us as family? When Madam Zhao beat my daughter until her whole body was covered in injuries, did she ever think of us as family? My daughter is only five years old; she clearly wanted my daughter’s life!”
Earlier outside, with so many people present, she had not brought this up because she didn’t want curious onlookers inspecting her daughter’s injuries.
In an era with strict boundaries between men and women, her daughter had a crescent-shaped birthmark on her back. What if someone with bad intentions used it against her in the future?
The sheer hatred erupting from the depths of Yun Zhu’s eyes made the village chief and the two clan elders tremble in their hearts.
Madam Zhao had actually beaten Yiyi until her whole body was covered in injuries?
Yiyi was only five years old—how could she bring herself to lay a hand on her?
Recalling Lu Ping’s bias and Madam Zhao’s malice, the village chief and the two clan elders sighed in unison and closed their mouths.
When the elders lacked benevolence, the junior generation would lack filial piety. This family was beyond saving!
Yun Zhu eased her demeanor slightly and said in a cold voice, “So, since ties are severed, don’t ever bring up being one family again!”
Seeing that Lu Ping and Madam Zhao still made no move, Yun Zhu said impatiently, “Since you won’t give it, I’ll go to the academy and demand these 10 taels from Lu Jingshan myself!”
“Madam Zhao, take out the silver right now!” Lu Ping barked furiously at Madam Zhao. “Do you truly want to ruin Jingshan?!”
Madam Zhao turned pale. Reluctantly, she pulled out the silver and threw it at Yun Zhu’s feet. “Take it to buy medicine! You’re practically on your deathbed yet you still stir up trouble! Once you’re dead, I’ll still sell that wretched girl Lu Yiyi into Yingchun Brothel, to be ridden by a thousand men and used by ten thousand…”
*Slap!*
*Slap!*
*Slap!*
Yun Zhu lunged forward and delivered three consecutive slaps across Madam Zhao’s face.
Madam Zhao covered her face and began screaming, “Village Chief! Clan Elders! Did you see that? Madam Yun struck her mother-in-law! She must be drowned in a pig cage!”
Meeting the fierce hostility deep within Yun Zhu’s eyes, Lu Ping felt a jolt of panic and hurriedly pulled Madam Zhao away from her.
The village chief and the two clan elders turned red in the face from anger.
The Great Clan Elder tapped his walking stick heavily against the ground. “Madam Zhao, you are simply unfit to be a wife of the Lu family!”
The Second Clan Elder was equally enraged. “Madam Zhao, are those words a grandmother should say?!”
The village chief suppressed the anger in his heart. “You have already severed ties; Madam Yun cannot be considered to have struck her mother-in-law!”
If someone were to speak about their daughter like that, they would probably have the urge to kill the offender.
Just as this thought crossed the village chief’s mind, he saw Yun Zhu shoot forward like an arrow, striding up to Madam Zhao and clamping one hand tightly around her throat:
“Madam Zhao, you deserve to die!”