Li Father, Li Second, Li Third, and Li Fourth returned home and told their wives about the planned family split tomorrow at noon. Unsurprisingly, everyone was a little dazed. When they heard that not a single penny or item would go to Ye Xiaoxiao, they felt completely at ease.
This way, whatever was split off wouldn’t waste their food. Their desire to push Ye Xiaoxiao out of the family was so strong, it was practically written on their foreheads.
That night, Li Father’s whole body ached so badly he felt like he could bite through the bed frame. But by morning, he was fine again. Was it retribution? No—he didn’t believe it!
Li Mother watched her husband suffer through the night and felt afraid. Sure enough, starting at 7 a.m., she too felt pain throughout her body. Even if she wanted to intervene, she was powerless.
The morning mood struck the wives of Li Second (Chen Xiuying), Li Third (Tian Jiali), and Li Fourth (Ma Yuzhen) at the same time. Their desire was fierce and restless; their husbands were a little scared because they realized the wives were far beyond normal reaction—they weren’t going to be deterred.
One wanted to stay, one wanted to leave, and since it was the day of the family split, everyone had their own errands to run and ignored them completely. Their minds were fully occupied by those matters. Whatever the father-in-law said, they weren’t listening.
The children at home were thrilled to learn that the family would be split and that Ye Xiaoxiao wouldn’t get a single thing. That was exactly what they had hoped for!
After work at noon, Li Second and the others invited several elderly uncles from the clan to the house. Of course, they also included the official witnesses—the old secretary and the brigade leader.
Ye Xiaoxiao placed the younger children in a small, separate courtyard at the foot of the mountain. In reality, this was a cover to allow her to enter her space. The little ones worried about their mother but knew not to cause trouble.
When Ye Xiaoxiao arrived, everyone was already present.
The brigade leader spoke first, “Our tradition here is that as long as the parents are alive, families don’t split. Now, Uncle Li insists on splitting. Let me speak fairly: Tianyou has served in the army for so many years, and the money he sent back has been held by Uncle Li and the others. You should give a portion to your eldest daughter-in-law!”
The brigade leader wasn’t being kind-hearted. With a single sentence, he shifted the blame to Li Father and subtly sided with Ye Xiaoxiao. Her prompting had worked. As a brigade leader, knowing full well Li Father was excessive yet still holding him accountable—this was what a people-elected officer should do, not collude with tyrants.
The elderly uncles nodded one by one, watching the drama unfold. The brigade leader’s fairness was clear—no wonder village family splits always called him as a witness.
Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t comment yet; whether it was fair would only be revealed at the end. Anyone could sound nice at the start, right?
Ye Xiaoxiao subtly signaled the Li family members to speak the truth, letting their true natures show. She wanted them to protect their own food, give her nothing, while she gained a “good reputation.” Later, no thief would covet her household. As for the money—she could take it quietly at night. Why argue openly?
She began laying out the script: “Brigade Leader, you’re right. Splitting a family is about fairness, about reasonableness.”
Li Mother’s headache finally subsided, and her energy returned. Under Ye Xiaoxiao’s subtle suggestion, the usually calm woman became anxious, cutting straight to the point without beating around the bush:
“As long as parents are alive, there’s no splitting! Who wants to split? All are unfilial children. Leave empty-handed, and no one can say a word!”
“Mother, is this Li family village rule, or just Li family tradition? So long as parents are alive, anyone who splits must leave empty-handed?” Ye Xiaoxiao asked in confusion.
Most onlookers were indifferent; as Li Mother said, no matter the family size, if the parents were alive, everyone was tied together—no splitting.
Some parents, however, forced by biased elders, were compelled to split. Anyone looking at the Li family could see it—if it weren’t for being pushed to the limit, who would voluntarily split?
“Mother, so your meaning is, no matter how much Tianyou sends home, not a single penny goes to his wife and children, right?” Ye Xiaoxiao countered, her eyes flashing with anger.
As some observers thought: How could a person be so shameless?
“Filial piety comes first. All the money goes to the parents—is that wrong?” Li Mother didn’t answer directly but asked the crowd.
Everyone’s thoughts were complicated.
No split: give the money to parents—okay. But if the family splits, shouldn’t some be for the children? Li Mother had cunningly cut off the second half of the reasoning, leaving only the first.