When the three sons were first told by their father that the family would be divided, they were already shocked. Now, hearing their mother say this, they were left completely at a loss for how to react.
What kind of logic was there in parents choosing to live with their daughter? It would only put their sons in an awkward position.
“Father, Mother, even if the family is to be divided, it should still be us sons who support you. Why would you choose to live with Little Sister?” Lu Zhenghui said. As a scholar, he placed great importance on filial piety. Although he rarely returned home, and his studies had initially been supported by the family, after gaining the ability to earn money himself, he had worked hard to lessen the financial burden on the family and ease his parents’ hardships.
“That’s right, Father. We are your sons. It should be us who support you. How could it be Little Sister’s responsibility?” Lu Zhengguo added.
“Enough. There’s no need to say anything more. Tomorrow, invite the village chief and the local magistrate’s assistant. We’re dividing the family,” Old Master Lu interrupted, making the decision outright.
“The eldest daughter-in-law, go prepare dinner.”
Lu Zhengguo and the others still wanted to argue, but Old Master Lu drove them all out.
Lu Zhengguo followed Lin Gui to the kitchen, while the second and third branches returned to their own rooms.
In the kitchen, Lu Zhengguo sat expressionlessly by the stove, feeding the fire for Lin Gui.
As she cooked, Lin Gui glanced toward the courtyard.
“Brother Zhengguo, if Father and Mother want to divide the family, there’s nothing we can do to stop them,” she said.
Lu Zhengguo’s face remained gloomy.
“This time, Second Brother’s family truly broke Father and Mother’s hearts. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made such a decision—especially not one that involves living with Little Sister.”
A flicker crossed Lin Gui’s eyes.
“You know Father and Mother’s temperaments. Once they’ve made up their minds, they won’t change them. We just need to do our part. If they ever need anything, we’ll help. Whether we live together or not, it’s all the same.”
After hearing her words, Lu Zhengguo’s expression eased somewhat.
“We’ll see what happens.”
Liu Zhaodi followed Lu Zhengjun back to their room. Seeing his dark expression, she spoke softly.
“Ah Jun, I know I was wrong. I’ll change in the future. But Father and Mother won’t give me a chance.”
Lu Zhengjun shot her a cold glance.
“How are they supposed to give you a chance? Those things never belonged to you, yet you took them back to your maiden family. Did you ever discuss it with us?”
“In the past, when you wanted to help your family, did I ever stop you? Those were our own possessions. If you wanted to give them away, fine. But those plants were cultivated by Little Sister. What right did you have to touch them?”
Liu Zhaodi did not argue.
She knew she had angered everyone. If her husband did not stand by her side, she might end up being divorced. That was the last thing she wanted.
“I simply liked those flowers, so I took one. How was I supposed to know my brother would take it to the Plant Association? I truly didn’t know,” she cried.
Seeing her like this, Lu Zhengjun’s expression softened somewhat.
“Father and Mother’s decision to divide the family won’t change now. Even if they end up living with Little Sister, we still have to provide our share of their support.”
“I’ll listen to you,” Liu Zhaodi obediently replied.
But that was not what she was thinking.
She was actually delighted about the family division. Once the household split, wouldn’t everything be up to them?
Meanwhile, Lu Zhenghui and Chen Xin were also discussing the matter in their room.
Lu Zhenghui frowned.
“Father and Mother have decided to divide the family and live with Little Sister. If word gets out, people will think us sons have failed. Otherwise, why would they refuse to live with any of their three sons and instead choose their unmarried daughter?”
Chen Xin, having grown up in a wealthy family, had seen far more of the world than Lu Zhenghui.
When it came to understanding people and situations, she saw things much more clearly.
“It’s perfectly normal for Father and Mother to want to live with Little Sister,” she said.
Lu Zhenghui looked at her in disagreement.
“How is that normal? They have sons. It’s not as though they don’t.”
Smiling, Chen Xin patted his hand.
“Calm down.”
“Father and Mother have sons, yes. But the person they treasure most is Little Sister. Originally, they probably had no intention of dividing the family. After all, Eldest Brother and Second Brother could both help support her. There are so many things to manage at home, and Father and Mother would never let Little Sister do all the work herself.”
“But things are different now.”
“You’ve seen how much Little Sister has changed these past few days. Her abilities as a Floriculturist far exceed those of ordinary ones. I’ve never seen anyone capable of making fruit ripen every few days.”
“Yet even with the family possessing only this little, Second Sister-in-law became jealous and even took Little Sister’s plants to the Plant Association for certification. That’s not something a family member should do.”
“To put it bluntly, if she’s already coveting Little Sister’s things now, what happens when Little Sister develops even more valuable plants in the future? Will she take those back to her maiden family as well?”
After hearing this, Lu Zhenghui let out a long sigh.
Their parents’ attitude toward Little Sister had been obvious since they were children. This time, Liu Zhaodi had touched the one thing their parents could not tolerate—Little Sister’s interests.
Chen Xin continued gently,
“Don’t dwell on it. Whatever Father and Mother want to do, let them. Even if the family is divided, we’re still their children. We just need to continue honoring them properly.”
Lu Zhenghui nodded. He had finally taken his wife’s words to heart.
The three brothers each had their own thoughts, but Old Master Lu and Old Madam Lu had no interest in them.
At that moment, they were sitting in their room, talking with Lu Qianqian.
“Qianqian, since your second brother refuses to divorce Liu Zhaodi, then let them move out,” Old Master Lu said, explaining his plans.
“When we divide the family, the old house will go to the eldest branch. The second branch can find their own land and build a house themselves. As for the third branch, there’s no need to worry. They already own a house in the provincial capital, so we can simply give them a share of silver.”
“As for us, we’ll just keep half of the old house together with the eldest branch.”
Old Madam Lu had no objections to this arrangement.
“The second branch should receive less silver. They already took twenty taels. They think they can still get a full share when the family divides? There’s no such bargain.”
Ever since Lu Qianqian had become a certified Floriculturist, Old Madam Lu had learned that successful certification came with a twenty-tael stipend.
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became.
The Liu family had gotten twenty taels so easily, and she simply could not accept it.
“Father, Mother, just give the house to Eldest Brother. We can build another one,” Lu Qianqian suggested.
The moment she said that, Old Madam Lu immediately objected.
“Build what house? This home was built by your father and me. We’ll give it to whoever we please. Why waste that silver?”
Lu Qianqian smiled.
“Mother, I’m definitely going to grow many more things in the future. The house is already a bit too small. This is the perfect opportunity to build a larger home. I also need a big courtyard for cultivating plants.”