It seemed the family division was truly happening. All the older Han brothers and several elder cousins had been summoned. All five Han brothers and their wives were present, yet no one had called for Huo Qingqing, nor did she intend to participate.
Unable to sleep through the noise, Huo Qingqing got up and took her temperature—she was indeed running a fever. Unwilling to take more medicine, she thought of brewing herself a bowl of ginger soup but dared not go to the kitchen. Since the family had invited people over to discuss the division, they would need to prepare meals for them, and the kitchen was likely filled with tension among the sisters-in-law.
She wiped her palms, soles, and armpits with the newly purchased medical alcohol, took half a tablet of Analgin, wrapped herself in the quilt, and went back to sleep.
The commotion in the north room lasted until the early hours of the morning.
By the time Han Jianwu returned, Huo Qingqing was already awake. "Is it over?" she asked.
Han Jianwu didn’t light the lamp, merely grunting in response. He turned on a flashlight to check on the children and frowned. "Did you not notice they’re completely soaked in urine?"
Usually, Han Jianwu was the one who tended to the children at night, holding them out to pee or poop. Changing diapers was simply too exhausting.
Huo Qingqing sat up and lit the lamp. "I wasn’t feeling well, took some medicine, and fell asleep without noticing."
Both children had wet the kang, and the diaper pads were completely drenched. They had kicked off the quilt and rolled outside it to sleep. Fortunately, the kang was warm, or they would have caught a chill.
Han Jianwu remained expressionless, his lips pressed tightly together, clearly restraining his anger. He swiftly changed the diapers, tucked the children back under the covers, and took the wet pads to dry by the brazier in the outer room, ignoring Huo Qingqing the entire time.
Han Jianwu was, of course, furious. That evening, he had been criticized by the entire family.
His brothers and their wives were all permitted to be present by the elders. Mother Han, always concerned with appearances and afraid others would accuse her and Father Han of mistreating Han Jianwu, hypocritically asked, "Shouldn’t your wife come and listen?"
Before Han Jianwu could respond, Fifth Brother’s wife, Liu Chunyan, sneered, "A woman who’s always ready to run off with another man wouldn’t bother with this."
Her remark successfully redirected the family’s anger toward Han Jianwu.
The most domineering of the uncles, Second Uncle, scowled and berated him, "Han Jianwu, you’ve utterly shamed the men of the Han family. That woman has cuckolded you so blatantly, and you still allow her to stay? Are there no real men left in the Han family? Letting a woman trample over us like this—coming and going as she pleases? Do you have any dignity as a man?"
Han Jianwu explained, "Second Uncle, it’s not what you’ve heard. She lent quite a bit of money and food stamps to Zhang Zhiqing and Gao Zhiqing and couldn’t get it back. She set up that situation deliberately to reclaim the debt." By the end, even he sounded unconvincing.
"Nonsense!" Father Han snapped. "Only a fool like you would believe her lies."
Mother Han added, "Fourth Son, if you insist on staying with Huo Qingqing, then you’ll have to live in the west Xia house."
The west Xia house Mother Han referred to was the family’s current kitchen—their oldest, original house. It was a single-room adobe structure located behind the west wing where they currently lived. It was low, dilapidated, with tiny windows and no yard, as the courtyard had been taken over by the west wing.
Han Jianwu said, "Mother, both the east and west wing rooms were built with the allowance I saved from my military service and sent to you. Why should I live in that dilapidated house? One thing has nothing to do with another. My matters with Huo Qingqing are between her and me—what does that have to do with our family division?"
Liu Chunyan cut in again, saying, "Fourth Brother, Mother means that if you just drive Huo Qingqing away, you won’t have to live in the west Xia House!"
Han Jianwu shot a sharp, cold glare at Liu Chunyan and said sternly, "Fifth Brother’s wife, this is my family matter—what business is it of yours?"
Liu Chunyan burst into tears.
At that, everyone began to criticize and condemn Han Jianwu. Several uncles and cousins urged him to take the opportunity to divorce Huo Qingqing, arguing that if she did it once, she’d do it again. They warned him not to listen to her nonsense and questioned what she and that Educated Youth Zhang were scheming to take advantage of him, the fool.
Third Uncle said, "Old Fourth, you’ve always been our pride, but how could you let a woman reduce you to this? Back then, you rejected so many potential matches and insisted on marrying an Educated Youth who can’t carry a load or lift a hand. We could understand your youthful impulsiveness—after five years in the army, you’d seen more of the world and looked down on village girls. Plus, you lied to the Commune official that she was your girlfriend, so you had to marry her. What else could we do but agree? But you know perfectly well she only married you back then to protect herself! Fool, wake up! What kind of life have you been living all these years?"
The ever-peacemaking Elder Brother and Sister-in-law chimed in, "Old Fourth, having a wife like this is no different from having none. You’ve been both father and mother, and in the end, she abandons you and cuckolds you. How can you tolerate this? What are you even holding on for?"
The son of Second Uncle sneered and said, "Maybe city women are more comfortable to sleep with!"
Han Jianwu kicked his cousin and retorted, "Bullshit!"
Good grief—Han Jianwu nearly got into a fight with his cousin again, only stopping when Mother Han shouted at them.
The family elders had come to oversee the division, focusing on major assets like houses and the care and funeral arrangements for the two elders. Smaller items and grain stores were to be divided among the siblings, depending on whether the elders could keep their sons and daughters-in-law in line. If not, it would turn into a free-for-all—whoever grabbed something first kept it. Such scenes weren’t unheard of in Han Family Village.
The division result was: the new compound went entirely to Oldest Brother’s family, including the main house and east wing room. The reason given was that Oldest Brother and his wife had contributed the most to the family—they had helped the parents raise their younger siblings and arrange marriages for them.
This outcome surprised everyone, but since the Han elders agreed, the uncles didn’t bother to object.
That left Second Brother with the east wing room, Third Brother with the west wing room, and Fifth Brother sharing with the elders, naturally living in the north room with them.
As for Han Jianwu’s single-room Xia House in the backyard—whether he accepted it or not was up to him.
The division was blatantly unfair. By rights, it should have sparked arguments, even physical fights. But after Third Brother smashed Second Sister-in-law’s head, neither couple dared to argue further. After all, both families got a three-room wing house each. If the most unfairly treated Old Fourth didn’t complain, why should they?
Sister-in-law was the daughter of Mother Han’s sister, making her and Oldest Brother cousins. Both were smiling but sharp-tongued—they had likely privately negotiated with Mother and Father Han long ago. Their children were grown, and their son was soon to marry. Having an entire new compound would give them more leverage when seeking a bride for him.
Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law had been arguing back and forth, both aiming for the east wing of the new courtyard, but in the end, they both lost to Sister-in-law, who neither fought nor quarreled.
Han Jianwu, who usually rose early, remained in bed. Huo Qingqing thought he might be unwell and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Han Jianwu lay with his back to her and their child, saying, "We've been assigned the kitchen in the backyard."
Huo Qingqing was stunned. She had thought the worst-case scenario would be the house they were currently living in. No wonder Han Jianwu had said last night that they might get the worst house—but who would have imagined it would be the kitchen?
Huo Qingqing said, "As long as it's windproof and rainproof, it'll do."