After finishing the meal, everyone except Wen Lirui gathered in the main hall.
Wen the Old Madam and Wen the Eldest Brother both wore dark, gloomy expressions, while Luo Shi’s eyes nearly burned holes through the Third Branch.
Wen the Third Brother and Lin Shi didn’t even dare sit down, and Wen Lan pulled Wen Chuizi to the back, shrinking away.
“Third brother and sister-in-law, sit down. Mei-ya, bring two stools for your uncle and aunt,” Fang Shi said.
Wen Mei reluctantly fetched two stools and slammed them down behind Wen the Third Brother with a loud bang.
The couple pressed their lips together but still didn’t dare sit.
“Let’s talk about the division of the family now,” Fang Shi said, looking toward the Old Madam Wen. “Mother, what do you think?”
The Old Madam pulled a long face. “You’re the one with all the ideas in this house. You decide.”
“Fine, then I’ll get straight to the point,” Fang Shi said, turning to Wen the Third Brother and Lin Shi. “There’s only two taels of silver left in the family, one old courtyard, two pigs, and seven mu of farmland.”
“But this split was caused by your own trouble-making, not because we forced you out. The tuition fees for Wen Chengwen and Wen Chengwu haven’t been settled yet, and the family urgently needs money. The old house, livestock, and cash cannot be divided with you. You’ll only get one mu of land—the piece at the tail end of West Mountain.”
Wen the Third Brother and Lin Shi nodded in shame, not daring to object at all.
As Fang Shi said, they weren’t being driven out—they were leaving after causing trouble themselves. Not being kicked out with nothing was already generous.
Wen Ye yawned and squinted. “Then hurry up and write the separation document. Chuizi, go call the village head over.”
Just as Wen Chuizi was about to leave, Fang Shi immediately stopped him.
“Wait. Chengwen and Chengwu aren’t at home. Without their fingerprints on the document, it won’t work. If we’re splitting, everything must be properly handled.”
“They’ll be on break in ten days anyway. No matter how urgent it is, we should wait until they come back,” Fang Shi said. “Third brother, sister-in-law, what do you think?”
“Ah, yes, yes!” Wen the Third Brother quickly agreed.
Because the family was giving them one mu of land, he already felt deeply unworthy of it. He didn’t dare refuse anything Fang Shi said.
But Wen Ye’s lips curled into a cold smile. The separation of the family concerned the Third Branch—what did it have to do with whether Wen Chengwen and the others pressed their fingerprints?
It was clearly an excuse to delay.
But if she forced them to divide immediately now, she would be seen as unreasonable, and even the village head would not side with her.
She would see what tricks they were planning.
Fang Shi continued, “Since it’s settled, let’s get along peacefully for the remaining days.”
“You said earlier that the Third Branch would rest for sixteen years. But in ten days we’ll split anyway, so for these ten days, let’s rotate cooking duties—one turn every two days. Think of it as the Third Branch’s final filial gesture toward Mother. Sister-in-law, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, yes, Second Sister-in-law is right,” Lin Shi quickly replied.
Wen the Third Brother and Lin Shi were both timid people. A small kindness from others made them feel indebted, as if they needed to repay it a thousandfold.
They already felt they were taking advantage by receiving a mu of land after the split.
Now that Fang Shi was speaking so gently, how could they dare refuse?
Fang Shi smiled. “Then it’s settled.”
As soon as Luo Shi heard this, she immediately said, “Then cooking duty started yesterday! I cooked yesterday and lunch today. Tomorrow it’s the Second Branch’s turn.”
Seeing Luo Shi even fighting over such a small advantage, Fang Shi merely smiled and said nothing.
……
After the discussion, the Third Branch returned to their small thatched hut.
Sitting inside their home, they all felt a sense of unreality. In just ten more days, they would finally separate.
“Ah… after the split, where will we live?” Wen the Third Brother sighed. “One mu of land isn’t enough to feed us at all.”
After feeling briefly happy, he began to worry again—and even felt a faint regret.
“Do you think we’ll starve just because we don’t have hands and feet?” Wen Ye raised an eyebrow. “Even if we had no land at all, we could still rent fields. That’s still better than staying here being worked like oxen and horses and not even eating enough. At least no one will sell Sister and me off.”
Lin Shi nodded. “Ye-ya is right. We must split.”
Wen Ye said, “As for housing, we can ask Uncle Shengli. Doesn’t he have a few unused thatched huts? We can borrow them for a while.”
Lin Shi and Wen the Third Brother’s eyes lit up. “I’ll go ask!” Lin Shi said immediately.
Wen Shengli was a quiet, taciturn man, and his wife Zhao Guihua was very close to Lin Shi. They often washed clothes and collected firewood together.
Those huts had been temporary shelters when Wen Shengli first split from his family. Later, he bought land nearby and built a proper courtyard with a tiled roof, so the huts had been left unused ever since.
……
The Shengli household was somewhat secluded at the foot of the mountain, though there was a stream not far to the east, making it convenient for washing clothes.
Lin Shi brought Wen Ye with her to Wen Shengli’s home.
Aunt Guihua and her daughter were mending clothes in the yard.
Guihua’s daughter, Wen Yuer, was fourteen years old. She looked very much like her mother—about sixty percent resemblance—with a round, cute face.
Seeing Wen Ye and Lin Shi, the mother and daughter quickly welcomed them inside.
After hearing that the Third Branch wanted to split and move out, Aunt Guihua slapped her thigh.
“You should have split long ago! As long as you work hard, you won’t starve. Even if you don’t save much money, at least you can eat without having to watch other people’s faces!”
To their surprise, an outsider supported them. Lin Shi felt much less guilty.
Aunt Guihua continued, “After you split, where will you live? Oh right, I still have two thatched huts. If you don’t mind, you can stay there for now.”
Lin Shi was so moved she grabbed Guihua’s hand. “Sister Guihua… I-I came today to ask you to lend us a place to stay for a few months… and you already offered it first… I really don’t know how to thank you…”
“What’s there to thank!” Guihua said cheerfully. “Just go ahead and stay. It’s just a bit small, and the roof is thatched—it leaks in the rain. I’ll have my husband go fix it later.”
“No need, no need. We’ll fix it ourselves,” Lin Shi said gratefully.
Wen Yuer said to Wen Ye, “After you move over, we’ll be neighbors.”
“Yeah, take care of me in the future,” Wen Ye replied with a smile.
Wen Yuer froze slightly.
Because Lin Shi was close with Aunt Guihua, Wen Yuer had also been somewhat kind to the Wen sisters. But unfortunately, both sisters had been so timid they barely dared to speak even when asked ten questions.
Now seeing Wen Ye smile so brightly, she was surprised.
But then she thought about Wen Ye’s recent actions and felt it made sense.
Poor thing—she must have been suppressed for too long and gone a bit mad!
From now on, she must properly guide Wen Ye and not let her continue down the path of “madness” any further.