Liu Gaihua immediately glared at him. “On what grounds do you disagree? You’re not even part of our Old Wei family!”
Upon hearing this, Wei Ye let out a cold chuckle. “So you know I’m not, huh? If we’re going to split the family, that’s fine. Then return all the military allowances I received over the years.”
“Don’t even think about it! You ungrateful wretch! We never touched your money. This family division is not up to you. As an outsider, you don’t get a single cent from us!”
After speaking, Liu Gaihua immediately looked at her cousin. “Brother Yong, judge fairly. Am I right or not?”
Liu Yong waved his hand and frowned at Wei Ye.
“Wei Ye, your trouble-making last night already caused a lot of problems in Honghe Village. What else do you want now? If you’re not dividing the family, then what are you trying to do?”
Wei Ye’s sharp, peach-blossom eyes swept over him. “If we are family, then I should have a share of the house and land. If we are not family, then on what grounds did you pocket my allowances? Production Team Leader, you ask me what I want to do? Your calculations are very clever, but I am not a fool.”
Liu Yong was momentarily choked speechless.
The onlookers also began to understand the situation.
Wei Ye might look unruly, but what the Old Wei family was doing was also wrong—taking money while giving nothing in return, and even trying to drive him out.
“You ungrateful wretch! We never took your allowances! Get out right now! You’re not part of the Wei family anyway!”
Liu Gaihua panicked that Wei Ye would ruin their reputation. She grabbed a large broom and swung it at him, trying to chase him out.
Wei Ye, having come from the military, snatched the broom before it landed and threw it fiercely back at her.
“I don’t hit women—but that depends on the person. Try me again and don’t blame me for being rude!”
The broom flew back and Liu Gaihua screamed, squatting down and covering her head. “Ah—!”
Wei Ye stood before everyone, his gaze fierce and sharp.
“Whether you took my allowance or not, a phone call to the post office will make it clear. Military allowances are all recorded! You can’t just talk nonsense and get away with it.”
At that moment, Old Man Wei finally stood up from the back.
He sighed, his honest-looking face filled with helplessness.
“Wei Ye, your father has always treated you like his own son. Raising you wasn’t easy. What your mother said earlier was indeed inappropriate. Now that things have come to this, if you want to split, then we will split. Your father will not shortchange you.”
After speaking, he looked toward Production Team Leader Liu Yong.
“A child cannot be without shelter or land, or he will starve. The two mu of land near the back hill will be given to Wei Ye. As for the three old rooms downhill, my mother is blind and deaf and cannot live alone. He can keep the remaining two rooms. As for the family savings, there is only one hundred yuan left. With five people in the family, that makes twenty yuan each—he will take his share as well.”
“Old Wei! You dare give it to this ungrateful wretch? I won’t allow it!”
Liu Gaihua jumped up again, ready to cause a scene. Those things belonged to their family—why should they go to that ungrateful wretch?
Old Man Wei frowned and dragged her back into the house, saying: “Enough, mother of the child. The boy has had it hard. Let’s just divide it…”
Liu Gaihua screamed and cursed loudly, but no one knew what Old Man Wei said inside the house.
When they came out again, Liu Gaihua had gone silent with a dark expression.
Liu Yong immediately understood that they had reached an agreement.
He said sternly to Wei Ye: “Your father is a good man. Everything that should be divided has been given to you. Go to the Production Team Leader’s office later and sign your name. Everyone here has witnessed this—you will not be allowed to regret it later.”
Old Man Wei’s move was clever. On the surface, he gave things away, but in reality, most of them were useless household items. The only thing that hurt a little was the twenty yuan.
The villagers, however, felt that he was kind and righteous, and many began persuading Wei Ye to accept it. After all, it was rare for an adopted son to receive anything at all.
Wei Ye listened to the noise around him and only felt amused.
Staying in such a family only made him feel disgusted.
“If the Production Team Leader has arranged everything, what else can I say? Then let’s split.”
His tone was casual and indifferent.
Liu Yong finally relaxed. As long as he stopped causing trouble, that was enough. A troublemaker like Wei Ye—especially one still connected to the military—was not someone he wanted to deal with unless necessary.
“Alright, alright. This matter ends here. Everyone disperse. Those who need to work, go back to work…”
Afraid that Wei Ye might change his mind again, Liu Yong quickly dispersed the crowd and brought Old Man Wei and Wei Ye to the Production Brigade office to sign the papers.
It took less than half an hour.
After leaving the office, Old Man Wei sighed all the way, speaking nonstop to Wei Ye.
“In the past, our family has wronged you. Your father had no choice. Your mother has that kind of personality. Now that you’ve split off, it’s not a loss for you. With money in your hands, go find a girl and settle down quickly. A person needs a family to be stable…”
A faint trace of mockery flashed in Wei Ye’s eyes. Weak men always said such things.
Since he had arrived at the Wei family, every time he was mistreated, Old Man Wei had said the same words—always that they were the ones who had it hard, or that others were to blame.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was a kind and honest man who treated him well. But behind closed doors, he was cold and indifferent—more disgusting than Liu Gaihua herself.
“There’s no one here. Stop pretending to be a kind father.”
Old Man Wei choked slightly. He glanced at Wei Ye walking away without expression.
In any case, Wei Ye was not his real son. Let him say what he wanted.
His task was simply to keep Wei Ye here—preferably for life—so they could continue receiving money every year.
That way, not only would their family live comfortably, even future generations would benefit.
That was why he agreed to the family division.
If pushed too hard and the boy ran away, it would be worse. Better to let him take a little benefit, settle down, marry a local woman, have children, and remain rooted here for life.
With this “cash cow,” they would never have to worry again.
……
At the Educated Youth Station,
Su Qiu returned at noon and heard that the entire station was discussing the Wei family’s division.
Zhao Na did not like Wei Ye’s type of person, but after hearing the full story, she frowned.
“The Wei family handled this really badly. Wei Ye is actually quite pitiful.”
Setting aside whether he was their biological son or not, the Wei family had taken so much of his military allowance, and when things escalated, they still wanted to take his medical expenses and then force him out. Clearly, they never treated him like a son. If he had been their real child, would they have done this?
Su Qiu also frowned as she listened. Thinking of Comrade Wei, he must be feeling terrible right now.
He looked tall and strong, but in this era he was only in his early twenties.
Yet no one in the village stood up for him. Everyone sided with Old Man Wei’s family.
No parents, no one to support him—it sounded truly pitiful.
Su Qiu quickly finished her meal and told Zhao Na before heading toward the pig farm.
From what she heard, Wei Ye had been assigned a thatched earthen house at the foot of the mountain, not far from the pig farm.
When Su Qiu arrived, there was no one near the pigsty. Aunt Hua had already gone home to rest.
It was still early before work resumed. Su Qiu took some fruit from her dimensional space, placed it in a cloth bag, and walked toward the earthen house at the back of the mountain.