"Xiuying, have you really made up your mind? Can't you reconsider?"
"Every family has its conflicts—it's normal. Once things are talked out, you're still family. What kind of family holds grudges overnight?"
Zhang Xiuying was resolute: "Village Chief, please don't try to persuade me anymore. This family is definitely splitting up."
Hearing this, the old village chief and the other two men stopped trying to convince her.
The old village chief sighed. "Then let's split it."
In the middle of the courtyard stood an Eight Immortals table. On it were a biscuit tin, a thick work points ledger, and a small stack of grain and cloth ration coupons.
Xie Lincheng and Xie Jingzhou's families weren't particularly concerned.
Only Wang Guihua stared fixedly at the biscuit tin.
The brigade leader said, "Our family doesn't have much savings. Usually, you all keep your own money. As for the subsistence allowance Fourth Brother sends back, I suppose you wouldn't feel right taking it, would you?"
Xie Lincheng and Xie Wenhua quickly chimed in, "Dad, whatever you decide is fine. We have no objections."
Wang Guihua wanted to ask why it shouldn't be divided, but Xie Wenhua held her back tightly, shooting her a warning look.
Wang Guihua had never seen him look at her like that before. She immediately fell silent.
Seeing that no one else objected, the brigade leader turned to Xie Jingzhou.
Xie Jingzhou said, "Dad, since I gave it to the family, you should keep it. Zhaozhao is still studying and will need money. I don't want this money."
The brigade leader didn't dwell on it. "Then we won't divide this money. We'll keep it."
He also knew that this arrangement was somewhat unfair to Fourth Brother's family. After all, most of the money spent from the common fund usually came from the allowance he sent back. But there was no other way. If they tried to account for every little detail, it would be impossible to settle.
"Work points from previous years have already been balanced. This year's will be calculated per capita and allocated to each of you."
"As for Fourth Brother and his wife, the work points from the autumn harvest will be given to you."
No one objected to this.
The brigade leader continued, "The houses you're currently living in will be assigned to you. The main room on the east side will be kept for your mother and me. The west room will be for Zhaozhao."
"We won't specify who we'll live with in the future. Each of you just needs to give us ten yuan a year as filial support. That way, no one can accuse us of favoritism."
"Do you have any objections?"
The three brothers replied in unison, "We have no objections."
The brigade leader nodded. "The wok for cooking will stay with your mother and me. The rest of the bowls and chopsticks will be divided equally—each of you three brothers will take one share."
"That's all. If you have no objections, sign and press your fingerprints."
Wang Guihua hadn't expected the family division to be settled so simply. What had she gained?
She couldn't help but want to protest again. Why should it be this way?
Xie Wenhua gripped her wrist tightly, gritting his teeth as he said, "If you cause any more trouble, we'll get a divorce."
Wang Guihua's heart sank. All her defiance instantly vanished.
The others glanced at her indifferently but said nothing.
It was too late for Wang Guihua to regret now, and she had even taken a slap for nothing.
After everyone signed and pressed their fingerprints, the old village chief and the others didn't stay long and soon left.
This was probably the smoothest family division they had ever witnessed.
They had also never seen a mother-in-law who didn't control the money.
The brigade leader's voice grew even heavier. "Since we're splitting up, let's make a clean break. The leftover materials from building the house are still here. Today, you'll build the courtyard walls."
Xie Lincheng and Xie Wenhua were speechless. They hadn't felt sad during the division itself.
But now, they felt a pang of sorrow, like children abandoned by their parents.
But no one refuted the brigade leader. Xie Lincheng and Xie Wenhua had already silently started working.
Xie Jingzhou pulled Song Siyi back to their room.
Song Siyi felt somewhat happy inside. She could finally cook on her own stove.
Xie Jingzhou said, "Wife, I was thinking about Uncle Haidong's house in the village—it's still vacant. How about we spend some money to buy it?"
"I have to return to the military unit soon, and building a new house won't be in time."
"Big brother and second brother will definitely need to expand their houses, otherwise there won't be enough space. Buying an existing one means we'll have a place to stay when we come back to visit Mom and Dad."
Song Siyi thought about Uncle Haidong's house. It was indeed quite nice. Uncle Haidong was a mysterious man, said to have gone to Hong Kong, and he had left the house for the village to handle.
The house was truly good, with no issues. Building a house now would indeed take time.
Song Siyi nodded. "I think it's feasible. That house is in good condition, and we can move in right away. It's not far from the old house, so it'll be convenient to come back and see Mom and Dad."
Xie Jingzhou was a man of action. "Then I'll go discuss it with Dad now."
With that, he was already out the door. Song Siyi always felt he was quite excited, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.
"You want to buy Uncle Haidong's house?"
Xie Jingzhou: "Yes. I don't have time to build a house, and the current one is too small and inconvenient. Since we have the means, I don't want to shortchange my wife."
The brigade leader thought it made sense. "The disposal rights for that house do belong to the village, but Uncle Haidong clearly stated that those three blue-brick rooms would cost five hundred yuan to sell."
This was also why the house had been vacant for so long without anyone buying it.
Of course, he also said that all the money would be donated to the brigade to support children who couldn't afford to go to school.
Xie Jingzhou didn't hesitate. "We'll buy it."
The house had only been built a few years ago, and no one had lived there regularly, so it was practically as good as new.
Building three rooms of the same specifications from scratch would cost more than five hundred yuan.
Although it was called three rooms, it didn't include the kitchen, courtyard walls, or other structures.
The brigade leader was straightforward. "Alright, then discuss it with your wife, prepare the money, and I'll go talk to the others."
"Okay."
Xie Jingzhou returned to the room and told Song Siyi.
Song Siyi felt five hundred yuan was a good deal and directly handed the money to Xie Jingzhou.
The news that the two were buying a house quickly reached the ears of the other family members.
Zhang Xiuying and Xie Zhaozhao came to their room.
Zhang Xiuying was a bit worried. "That's not a small amount of money. Will you still have enough to manage after buying the house?"
Song Siyi: "Mom, don't worry. We know what we're doing."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiuying understood. "Alright, then I won't say more. As long as you know what you're doing."
Xie Zhaozhao sat down next to Song Siyi. "Fourth sister-in-law, can I come play with you often in the future?"
Her big eyes sparkled.
Song Siyi nodded. "Of course. Your fourth brother is going to the military unit soon, and I'd be more than happy for you to come keep me company."
Zhang Xiuying, thinking she might be afraid, said, "Uncle Haidong's courtyard walls are very high. Ordinary people can't get in. Just lock the door at night."
"It's only two houses away from ours, so it's still quite close. If anything happens, just shout."
"The neighbors on both sides are decent too."
Song Siyi didn't find her words nagging but rather heartwarming.
"I know, Mom. I'm not a pushover either. Ordinary people can't hurt me."
Xie Zhaozhao said, "Our dad is the brigade leader—who would dare bully my sister-in-law?"
Song Siyi chimed in with a smile, "Exactly."
Zhang Xiuying looked at her daughter-in-law and younger daughter's smiling faces and suddenly felt a sense of relief. Even though they had split the household, it hadn't affected the bond between them.