It was still early, and since the Yu family house was in a prime location at the center of the village, Yu Haizong’s shouting quickly drew the neighbors. Soon, the courtyard walls were lined with people peering in to watch the excitement.
“Mother, divide the family! We must divide the family!” Yu Haizong continued to shout, kneeling on the ground.
Yang Suyun knelt beside him, clutching four-year-old Yu Lin and sobbing softly. Yu Yang knelt behind his father with his head bowed, while Yu Qi knelt on his right, looking utterly dazed.
The onlookers began to whisper, discussing the reason behind the couple’s outburst.
“What is Haizong doing? Haiguang has only been dead a few days, and he’s already so impatient to divide the family? How can he face his eldest brother?”
“I never thought Haizong was this kind of person. Even his eldest son’s education was paid for by Haiguang,” someone chimed in.
There was no movement yet from the east room where the old lady lived. Instead, Yu Haiyao and Wu Caixia appeared, putting on a front of trying to mediate the situation.
Yu Haizong, his face twisted in feigned agony, shouted, “Mother, the Second Branch is poor! We can’t afford to support Eldest Sister-in-law and her orphans!”
All eyes turned to Yu Zhile and her two brothers. Zhile and Yu Yue remained expressionless, while Yu Chi preoccupied himself with a wooden stick.
Yu Haiyao was busy playing his part. Seeing the three siblings appear, he hurried to their side, wearing a conflicted expression and looking as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.
A few more minutes passed. Yu Haizong’s family remained kneeling in the center of the courtyard, enduring the ridicule of the villagers, before the old lady finally pushed open the door to the east room.
“Old Second, you’ve set the stage so early in the morning—don’t you have work to do? We’ll talk after work,” the old lady glared at Yu Haizong.
A mocking smile touched the corner of Yu Zhile’s mouth. This was a classic tactic used by the old lady and Yu Haiyao.
Someone shouted from the crowd, “Sister Lan, Old Second can’t wait that long! If Le-ni and Xiao Yue eat one more grain of rice, he won’t be able to stand it!”
A wave of laughter erupted around the courtyard.
The old lady scanned the crowd of onlookers and gritted her teeth. “Your father isn’t home, but since you’re kneeling and begging for a split, I’ll make the decision to separate the Second Branch. From now on, I will be responsible for the care, burial, and marriages of the Eldest Branch.”
“Good! Sister Lan has backbone, unlike Old Second who has no heart!” The old lady’s words were met with applause from the crowd.
Yu Zhile’s cold laughter rang out at an inopportune moment, drawing everyone’s attention. Only then did they notice the kitchen knife in her hand.
“Divide the family! And not a single thing that belongs to my household shall be missing!”
As she spoke, she raised the knife and brought it down. The polished, gleaming blade sliced through a bamboo chair level with her shin with a sharp crack.
In the eyes of many, Yu Zhile had always been a pampered girl. This display of force left many jaws dropping.
Yu Haiyao’s heart skipped a beat. He tried to persuade her: “Le-ni, don’t be unreasonable. You don’t even know how to start a fire. How will you take care of Xiao Yue and Xiao Chi if the family is divided?”
Yu Zhile turned the edge of the blade toward him, her expression a half-smile. The sunlight caught the blade, reflecting onto Yu Haiyao’s face and making him feel slightly lightheaded.
“Yu Zhile, you’ve really lost your mind! How dare you point a knife at your elders?” The old lady was furious. Forgetting the plan she had discussed with her son, she stepped forward to seize the knife.
Yu Zhile raised the blade higher and repeated, “Divide the family. Not a single thing that belongs to my household shall be missing.”
Many of the older generation saw a shadow of Yu Haiguang in her. Years ago, Yu Haiguang had also brandished a kitchen knife with the same life-risking intensity to stop the old lady from skimping on his younger siblings’ food.
If the onlookers remembered, the old lady certainly did too. She gasped for air in her rage. “You… you’re truly rebelling! I must teach you a lesson today!”
“Sister-in-law.” The voice of the Old Village Secretary silenced the old lady instantly.
The Secretary was the man who had personally mentored Old Mr. Yu to become the captain of the town’s deep-sea fleet. The Yu family held him in great respect.
Yu Haiyao forced a smile. “Uncle Zhang, what wind blew you here?”
“Weren’t you making a fuss about dividing the family? I’m here to help you do it.” The Secretary tapped his pipe and entered the courtyard. Following him were the production brigade leader and the Yu clan elders.
The old lady’s expression stiffened but quickly returned to normal. “Just as well. Old Second is clamoring for a split, so let’s just separate the Second Branch.”
“Everything will be done according to Chuanchao’s wishes,” the Secretary said, pulling out a piece of paper and glancing at the crowd. “Everyone else, get to work. Anyone a minute late will have work points deducted.”
The Secretary held great prestige in the village; with a single look, he dispersed the crowd’s interest in the spectacle. The Yu family, along with the elders and brigade officials, entered the main hall.
“Lele, you read it.” The Secretary ignored Yu Haiyao’s outstretched hand and handed the letter directly to Yu Zhile.
Yu Haiyao’s expression turned sour, and he nudged Wu Caixia with his elbow.
“Uncle Zhang, what does a young girl know? Better to let Haiyao read it,” Wu Caixia said immediately, taking the cue.
Ignoring her, Yu Zhile began to read the letter aloud. The letter detailed the total amount of stipends Yu Haiguang had sent back from the army over the years, as well as the balance remaining. The communal family funds were also clearly recorded.
“One thousand five hundred yuan and the ancestral house are to be given to the Eldest Branch. The remaining one thousand yuan is to be split into three equal parts. The five rooms in the West Wing belong to the Second Branch, while the Third Branch keeps the current house. Grain and other supplies are to be divided per person,” Yu Zhile read out her grandfather’s arrangements.
Wu Caixia exploded instantly. “Why should the Eldest Branch get fifteen hundred yuan? Why?!”
Hearing this distribution, Yu Haiyao dropped his act as well, objecting vehemently. The old lady was clearly dissatisfied as well, her face turning ashen. “Where am I supposed to find a thousand yuan to give them?”
The main hall was dim to begin with, and with the smoke from the Secretary’s and elders’ pipes, no one noticed the old lady’s eyes darting upward.
“Sister-in-law, this is Chuanchao’s wish,” the Secretary sighed.
The old lady took a stance of ‘a dead pig fears no boiling water.’ “I don’t care whose wish it is. If the money isn’t there, it isn’t there.”
Deep-sea fishing was risky. She didn’t know that every time Yu Chuanchao went to sea, he left a “will” with the Secretary. The contents were family division terms, with the asset balances updated year by year.
“Then how much is left?” The Secretary took a long drag from his pipe.
The old lady held up two fingers. “Only two hundred left.”
“Sister-in-law, Haiguang’s hazard pay over all these years amounts to more than that,” the Secretary reminded her.
Yu Zhile snorted and looked down at her knife. Just then, Yu Chi handed her a whetstone. She began to make a scraping sound against the stone, occasionally smiling coldly at the old lady’s favorite grandson, Yu Fu, who was so terrified he hid behind Wu Caixia.
“Le-ni, what are you doing?” Wu Caixia barked.
Yu Zhile calmly repeated herself: “Not a single thing that belongs to my household shall be missing. Otherwise… heh.”
Yu Fu burst into tears, clutching Wu Caixia’s leg and wailing, “Mom, she’s so scary!”
“There’s only a thousand total!” the old lady gritted out, her gaze looking as if she wanted to carve Yu Zhile into a hundred pieces. Her heart was bleeding; several hundred yuan was enough to build a brick house for her brother’s family. The thought of giving it to these people who weren’t even related to her by blood was agonizing.
Yu Zhile saw Yu Yue tap his fingers on his wheelchair armrest and said directly, “Split it.”
No matter how reluctant she was, the old lady had to take out the money. She gave Yu Zhile five hundred and the Second Branch only one hundred and fifty, deducting a dozen or so yuan under the guise of “retirement support.”
Once the money was split, the brigade leader divided the grain by head. As for the pots, pans, and other miscellaneous items, the old lady made the decisions. Having just lost several hundred yuan, she was feeling the sting and only gave each household two plates, two earthenware jars, and enough bowls and chopsticks for their numbers.
She planned to eat with Yu Haiyao, so the chickens and ducks were left to the Third Branch, along with the family’s only iron pot.
A family division agreement was hastily written. The three branches pressed their thumbprints on it, and the document was kept at the brigade office.
“Old Second, build your own stove after work. Don’t use mine,” the old lady said coldly. She then rolled her eyes directly at the three siblings. “Move out quickly. Looking at you makes me sick.”
Seeing her poor attitude, Yu Haiyao didn’t bother to smooth things over. He was very unhappy with this division and harbored resentment toward the Secretary, the brigade leader, and the elders as well.
The Secretary glanced at him, ignored him, and then signaled for Yu Zhile to follow him out.
Yu Zhile told Yu Yue to take Yu Chi back to the room to pack, then caught up with the Secretary. After walking a short distance, both stopped in silent agreement.
“Though your household registrations will be separated, it’s only temporary. When your grandfather returns, a new document will need to be written,” the Secretary said in a low voice. “Your step-grandmother is a harsh woman, and your young aunt’s husband has some influence in town. Try to avoid her in the future and don’t let yourselves be bullied.”
Yu Zhile nodded. The Secretary gave her a few more words of caution before letting her head home.
Yu Qi was still looking dazed as Yu Zhile passed him. After a long while, he tugged on Yu Yang’s arm. “Brother, now that the family is split, is Sister Le still my sister? Is Brother Yue still my brother?”
Yu Yang felt too much guilt and shame to respond. He was one of the few in the village with a high school education, and it was his Eldest Uncle, Yu Haiguang, who had funded his studies. Today, to keep their own family’s secrets, they had publicly shunned his Eldest Aunt and her orphans. The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt.
“Xiao Yang, Xiao Qi, go help your Sister Le move her things,” Yu Haizong said hoarsely, his face full of pain. “Your mother and I will go clean the ancestral house.”
Yu Haiyao curled his lip. “And here I thought you brothers were so close. In the end, you still listened and caused a split.”
“From now on, my family has nothing to do with yours,” Yu Yang straightened his back and looked Yu Haiyao in the eye.
Seeing her youngest son lose face to a junior, the old lady grew angry again and swung her hand at Yu Yang. “Who do you think you are, talking to your Third Uncle like that? You have no manners!”
Her hand was caught mid-air by Yang Suyun. As the family’s second strongest laborer, Yang Suyun’s grip was powerful. Her eyes were bloodshot as she glared at the old lady. “Old Lady, you aren’t Yu Yang’s biological grandmother. What right do you have to hit him?”
The old lady hated it when anyone brought up Old Mr. Yu’s deceased first wife. With those words, the Second and Third branches had completely burned their bridges.
“Second Brother, what is Second Sister-in-law saying?” Yu Haiyao said, displeased.
Yu Haizong looked at him deeply and stood up for his wife. “It’s the truth. My biological mother died a long time ago.”
“You… you… Old Second, what are you saying?” The old lady’s eyes widened like brass bells, and the finger she pointed at Yu Haizong trembled uncontrollably.
Yu Haizong looked at her calmly. “You never treated the four of us siblings as family. I should have realized that back when our youngest brother went missing.”
While the argument continued in the main hall, Yu Zhile and Yu Yue were methodically packing in the West Wing. They stuffed miscellaneous items into drawers; the furniture would eventually be moved to the ancestral house together.
“Here.” Yu Yue handed her a worn cloth bundle.
Yu Zhile froze, blinking several times to confirm that the progress bar in front of her was real.
[Live Streaming System is loading… 20% successfully loaded.]
In just a few seconds, the bar finished loading, and a pleasant female voice rang in her ears.
“Hello, Host. Welcome to the Cloud Live Streaming System. I am your platform manager, Xiao Yun. On behalf of Cloud Live, I welcome you.”
Yu Zhile instinctively looked at Yu Yue, only to find him looking back at her.
“Our entire savings,” Yu Yue said, pushing the cloth bundle toward her again.
Since the four of them didn’t work for points, they had to pay cash to offset their missing labor. A few hundred yuan seemed like a lot, but it wouldn’t last as long as one might think.
Confirming the female voice could only be heard by her, Yu Zhile didn’t take the bundle. Instead, she pressed the money from the family division into his hands. “From now on, you manage our family’s finances.”
“Fine.” Yu Yue placed all the money into a small wooden box and locked it. “I’ll go pack in the other room.”
“Xiao Bao, go with your brother to see Mom,” Yu Zhile said suddenly.
Yu Chi looked at her, then at Yu Yue, and finally followed him out the door.
Alone in the room, a semi-transparent screen appeared before Yu Zhile’s eyes. The page was filled with various live-streaming rooms, each with different content.
“Host, this is the Cloud Live homepage. The system has prepared your channel bio, and the reservation for your first stream is now open. You can start streaming immediately after selecting your content.”
“Cloud Live is based on popularity (Heat). The higher the Heat, the higher the rewards and the more functions you can unlock.”
“Once you accumulate 100,000 Heat, the system will provide a robot butler tailored to your era.”
“Would you like to enter the beginner tutorial?”
An image of a beautiful woman appeared on the right side of the screen. She had short hair and an air of efficiency. Yu Zhile decisively chose “Yes” and spent ten minutes figuring out the platform’s mechanics.
Cloud Live hosted streamers and viewers from different planes of existence. It was purely popularity-oriented. The more Heat a streamer had, the more Cloud Coins—the platform’s currency—they accumulated. Additionally, 100% of viewer tips went to the streamer.
Streamers could exchange Cloud Coins in the Cloud Mall for resources from their own plane or purchase certain products that exceeded their plane’s technological level. However, low-level streamers faced many restrictions and needed to accumulate Heat to break them.
Yu Zhile immediately chose her old profession: Beachcombing. However, when she saw the intro video the system had automatically generated for her, her lip couldn’t help but twitch.