“Since that’s the case, then let’s divide the household. Eldest Son, Wenyong—you go immediately and invite the clan elders. Wenzhi, you go to the village head’s home and invite him over. We’ll split the family tonight,” Old Master Liang declared.
“Father, it’s already getting late,” Liang Second Uncle said, glancing at the darkening sky. “Isn’t it a bit rushed to divide the household now?”
Qianhua couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated at Liang Second Uncle’s lack of awareness.
Old Master Liang valued reputation above all else—and he feared nothing more than anything affecting Wenzhi’s studies.
Now that Wenzhi had used quitting the private school as leverage, how could Old Master Liang not be anxious? He was probably eager to cast their family branch out as soon as possible.
“Since we’ve decided to divide, the sooner the better. You three hurry up—don’t waste time,” Old Master Liang urged.
Thus, Liang Eldest Uncle and Liang Wenyong went straight to invite the clan elders, while Liang Wenzhi went to Old Hu, the village head, to invite him.
Before long, several clan elders and the village head were all present.
“Brother Dongcai, what’s going on? Why are you suddenly dividing the household when everything seemed fine?” one elder asked.
On the way, the elders had already heard from Liang Eldest Uncle and Wenyong about the household division, and all were puzzled. Dongcai had always managed his family well—why the sudden split?
Unable to hold back, one clan elder voiced everyone’s doubts.
“A big tree grows forks; grown sons must form separate households,” Old Master Liang replied lightly. “The wife and I are getting old. Managing such a big family is tiring. Letting the younger generation live separately will give us some peace.”
Since it was their family affair, the elders didn’t press further.
“Today, the Liang family formally divides households. I ask the clan elders and village head to bear witness. Sorry to trouble you all,” Old Master Liang said, cupping his hands in salute.
He continued, “There’s only this one courtyard. According to custom, the house goes to the eldest and youngest sons. The second son must establish his own household. Second Son, do you have any objections?”
“No, Father,” Liang Second Uncle replied. He had long been mentally prepared.
This was how things worked in the Dayuan Kingdom. In the north, houses went to the eldest and middle sons, with the youngest establishing a new household.
In the south, however, the eldest and youngest inherited the house, while the middle son moved out—though the other brothers were obligated to help build his new home.
As expected, Old Master Liang continued, “The main house goes to me and your mother. The east wing goes to the eldest son’s family, and the west wing to the third son’s family. When your mother and I pass on, the main house will also belong to the eldest son. The third son is currently serving in the army and isn’t home. The second son has injured legs. Shifu, as the eldest brother, you must help build a house for the second son’s family.”
Liang Eldest Uncle nodded repeatedly.
Even without being told, he knew this was his responsibility.
“The money from selling grain originally totaled five taels. Three taels were spent on Qianhua’s medicine after she fell into the water. Two taels remain. No one is allowed to touch this money—it will be reserved for Wenzhi’s studies. As for the grain stored at home, there are five shi left (one shi is about 120 jin). Your mother and I will keep 100 jin. The eldest family has the most people—250 jin. Second Son, your family gets 150 jin. Chen-shi and Wenjie get 100 jin. Any objections?”
Old Master Liang looked at the eldest and second sons.
Both brothers and Chen-shi quickly shook their heads, saying they had no objections.
The clan elders and village head stroked their beards and nodded, finding the arrangement fair.
“The family owns thirteen mu of farmland. These fields were accumulated little by little through years of buying and selling land. Now your mother and I are old and can’t farm much anymore, so we won’t keep any land—we’ll give it all to you three brothers. The land will be divided by the number of adult males. The eldest family has the most men, so they’ll get six mu on the eastern side. The third family will get four mu near the northern side. Second Son, your family will get three mu at the foot of the western hills.”
Old Master Liang divided the land while calmly puffing on his pipe.
Qianhua sneered inwardly. No wonder the saying went: the eldest is cherished, the youngest is pampered, and the one in the middle gets the short end of the stick.
Her father, Liang Second Uncle, was stuck right in the middle—neither loved by father nor mother.
The three mu near the western hills were far from the house, rarely fertilized, and extremely barren—clearly inferior land.
All of it was given to their family.
The land given to the eldest and third families had ample water and fertile soil, with high yields.
Their family wasn’t given a single plot of good land. Wasn’t that blatant favoritism?
Old Master Liang looked fair on the surface, but in truth he favored the eldest and youngest families—after all, they each had sons.
Her father had no sons, only her. No wonder the land was divided this way.
Sigh… forget it.
By Dayuan standards, the eldest already took more than half the family property anyway. Old Master Liang’s division could still be considered decent.
At least there was a small stream near their land, which would make irrigation easier in the future.
Liang Second Uncle and Madam Liu felt deeply uncomfortable.
They had no objections to dividing by the number of male heirs, but they hadn’t expected their usually fair father to give all the worst land to them.
Liang Second Uncle was a filial man. Though disappointed, he didn’t argue.
Madam Liu, as a daughter-in-law, had even less standing to speak up.
“Father, since the land has been divided and the clan elders and village head are here, let’s quickly draw up and sign the land deeds,” Madam Zhu urged.
Knowing her family had received six mu of fertile land while the second family got only poor fields, she feared disputes and wanted the paperwork finalized immediately.
Old Master Liang had the village head write up the contracts.
The eldest and second sons pressed their handprints.
Since the third son wasn’t home, his son Wenjie pressed his handprint instead.
Old Master Liang continued, “The major assets are mostly settled. As for livestock, the pig was bought not long ago and is still a piglet. Your mother and I no longer farm, so we’ll raise the pig. When it’s fattened and slaughtered, each of you brothers will get a few jin of meat. The rest will be sold for silver to cover our daily expenses. As for the chickens and ducks—old woman, distribute some to Chen-shi and Wenjie. When the second family moves out, give them some as well.”
Old Madam Liang didn’t want to give any poultry to the second family.
With Second Son’s temperament, most of it would just end up in Qianhua’s and Madam Liu’s stomachs.
She’d rather save it for her three grandsons.
Still, she replied aloud, “I understand.” As for whether she’d give any, and how much—that would be up to her.
“As for supporting your mother and me,” Old Master Liang went on, “each of you brothers will give us two shi of grain every year. If you don’t have grain, then two taels of silver instead. If we fall ill, you brothers will share the cost of treatment and medicine.”
Liang Eldest Uncle and Liang Second Uncle both agreed at once.
Chen-shi also agreed on behalf of Liang Third Uncle to provide elder-support money and share medical expenses.