Chapter 217:
“Alright, the living expenses have been made clear. What’s left is the division of the family property!”
Li Zhengxin stroked his beard and said.
“No way, I disagree. Our Second Son’s Family has no farmland. My parents are asking me for two hundred wen a month because their Second Brother hasn’t come out yet. Isn’t that trying to take the lives of me and my three children?”
Chen Shi jumped out.
“Chen Shi, they are all willing to divide the family. If you’re not willing, you can continue living with your in-laws. As for what you eat and drink while living together, you can’t eat and drink for free; you have to figure out your own ideas!”
“Where can I figure out ideas? We don’t even have farmland!”
“Don’t your in-laws still have some? They can’t do heavy farm work anymore, so you can plant their farmland first, which is enough for you to eat!”
How could Chen Shi be willing? She had never gone to the fields to do farm work in her life. She grew up in the town and only occasionally came back with Li Lei during busy farming seasons to put on a show.
How could she manage all the farmland at home by herself? That would be too tiring!
Exposed to wind and sun, her skin would age! Moreover, wouldn’t all the housework at home become hers alone from now on?
Zhou Shi was even less willing. She frowned, “No way! Several brothers have all divided and gone, and they still hand over grain to us every month!”
“You’ve got a really clever abacus. Not only do you not hand over the monthly allowance, but you also want to shamelessly follow us two old ones to eat and drink, bringing your whole family. How can you have such a thick face?”
She disdainfully glanced at Jiabao and Jiayong. These two boys grew up in the town and weren’t close to her at all!
At this moment, they were looking at her with hateful eyes, treating her as an enemy!
It must be Chen Shi who badmouthed her and the old man in front of them!
Chen Shi wanted to cry but had no tears. This was forcing her and her children to death!
“Mom, are you trying to force us mother and three children to death? We are now homeless, helpless, and have no one to rely on. We might as well die!”
“Hey, Zhou Shi, you can’t say that. After all, Li Lei is your son. Your son committed a crime and ran away, so as parents, you should still help his wife and children!” Zhao Zuzu said.
“Exactly. Although Li Lei is hateful, how can parents be so heartless? No wonder they raised two selfish and ungrateful sons!!!”
These words were unpleasant in Li Depei’s ears, like stabbing a knife into his heart!
“Besides, Chen Shi’s maternal family was imprisoned and had their home confiscated because of their Second Brother Li Lei. She has nowhere to go, so how can you turn your back on her?”
“His mom, shut up. Let’s leave it like this for now!”
How would the village people look at them? Wouldn’t it poke holes in his backbone?
Zhou Shi raised her triangular eyes and glared at him. This old thing was just like that, loving face. Fine, all the bad roles were left to her.
When young, she was young and used her belly to get pregnant and give birth, giving the Old Li Family this brood, ruining her own body!
Now older, he despised her for being old, troublesome, and even despised the ones coming out of her own belly for having no value…
He didn’t even look at himself and what kind of character he was.
If she weren’t magnanimous and tolerant, who could live a lifetime with such a hypocritical and ugly person?
“Hmph, then let her divide out. I have no mood to serve their whole family!”
“Mom, how can you be so heartless? Where can I find that two hundred wen?”
Chen Shi cried out!
Some people looked on with contempt. Although this Chen Shi cried pitifully, if a woman truly had backbone, she could still think of a solution with her own hands and feet!
This was just being used to eating lazily!
Doesn’t want to farm, doesn’t want to hand over silver. Who can blame her for being a city person? It’s normal not to do peasant work!
No wonder Zhou Shi wanted to kick her out. If it were them, they wouldn’t want such trouble either…
“My old arms and legs aren’t in good shape either, and you’re someone who can’t carry on your shoulders or lift with your hands. Hmph! I’ll let you off easy. Then don’t hand over the two hundred wen living expenses to us for now!”
Zhou Shi steeled her heart and said, although losing two hundred wen made her heart ache endlessly!
After all, she was throwing out several big troubles, and Second Brother Li Lei was the seed that crawled out of her own belly. She still cared about his descendants.
She couldn’t force them to death just to get her pension money!
Now the Second Son’s Family had also divided out, with no farmland, but no need to hand over pension to the two elders, and also rice flour and oil.
After settling the solution for the Second Son’s Family, now it was formally dividing the family property.
“The Old Li Family currently has a total of six mu of paddy fields and twelve mu of fertile land. The Eldest Son’s Family gets three mu of paddy fields and six mu of fertile land.”
Zhenzhu was a daughter, to be married out, and wasn’t allocated village farmland at birth, so naturally she wasn’t included.
After the Village Chief said this, Xiao Zhou Shi was overjoyed.
She finally got back what belonged to her! Her family should have the most.
“Second Brother’s Wife, confiscated, none!”
“Third Child’s Family, one mu of paddy field, two mu of fertile land!”
“Fifth Brother Li Gui lives with Old Li Tou and his wife, combined two mu of paddy fields, four mu of fertile land!”
After saying this, Old Li Tou sighed, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. The family was scattered, and everything he had maintained for a lifetime was gone!
“Do any of you have objections?”
Several families shook their heads, only Chen Shi was helpless!
“Next is the allocation of the houses. Old Li Tou, do you have any plan?”
The Village Chief asked him.
“With these houses, they stay where they originally lived. As for this kitchen, since they’ve divided out, they build their own!”
Actually, among these houses, Oldest Brother and Second Brother had the best. They were renovated at marriage, only Third Child Li Sanmao had a side room. It used to be a latrine pit that was filled in, but Luo Zhi’er didn’t mind.
“Good, the houses follow Old Li Tou’s saying. Those with ability build their own; those without squeeze in. The two elders only have this much ability. Hope you all can build big houses with your own diligent hands!” the Village Chief said.
Old Li Tou and Zhou Shi were stunned!
“What’s left is the family’s belongings, rice flour and grain, pots, bowls, and ladles. Old Li Tou, you divide them yourselves. We’ll just be witnesses!”
Old Li Tou cleared his throat, “Divide rice flour and oil by headcount. Each family five jin of corn flour, each family one pot, each family one jar, bowls and plates each family takes according to population!”
“That row of old jars is for us two old ones. You’re not allowed to take them!”
He was referring to those termite mushroom oils. Actually, at most one jar was full, others empty. She planned to use them for scallion oil.
Give it to him, give it to him!
“Dad, I don’t want that row of jars, but you have to give us one jar of lard.”
Lard, their family had the most of that stuff. Give it to her, give it to her.
Xiao Zhou Shi and Chen Shi quickly asked for it too.
“Farm tools and hoes, you make your own. Us two old ones still need to plant crops. If you need to use them, come borrow from us!”
Xiao Zhou Shi felt she had lost big time. No silver was one thing, but now the belongings had to be made by themselves.
Her eyes turned, Luo Zhi’er’s bought rice flour and meat hadn’t been divided, so she quickly said: “Aren’t there still rice flour?”
“That’s just a few jin, enough for whom? Keep it for your mom to eat! Her body isn’t good!” Old Li Tou said!
“What about the meat?”
“Where is there meat? The dried ones from before were sold long ago!”
“There must be money at least?”
“Don’t you know this better than us?”
Old Li Tou scolded!
Xiao Zhou Shi and Chen Shi were extremely unhappy.
Thinking about it, the family only had one pot, five jin of corn flour. How many meals would that last?
No meat to eat either, no rice flour and oil.
“The mule and sheep at home were bought by me. This should be returned to me, right?” Luo Zhi’er suddenly said faintly.
“In your dreams! That was bought before division. Once bought, it belonged to everyone. Now you’ve divided out, it’s our two old ones’ family property!” Zhou Shi said.
How could they forget this matter.
