The mother of the era is reborn to support her cannon fodder children!

Chapter 193 "Dividing the Family"

Following his aunt's advice, before going to bed, Li Bao told his parents about how Gu Xing'er had stolen his chicken cake and threatened him.

Gu Yuanshan and Huang Xiulan were furious.

The latter immediately went to find Gu Xing'er, but was stopped by Gu Yuanshan.

"Honey, it's late at night, your parents are asleep. Don't be impulsive. Don't get angry, I'll go talk to them about this."

Huang Xiulan was still furious after hearing her husband's words. Her chest heaved violently, and her teeth chattered together.

She wanted to tear Gu Xing'er's face apart!
Gu Yuanshan gave his two sons a look, signaling them to comfort their mother, and then went to his parents' room.

When the elderly couple learned that Li Bao had been wronged, their expressions turned extremely unpleasant.

The old man's face was as black as ink. After a long while, he said, "Let's divide the family property."

Mother Gu was shocked, "Old man?"

"Qingzhou is not married yet."

Here, they won't separate the family until all the sons are married and the daughters are married off.

In a moment of impulse, Gu's father said he wanted to divide the family property, but he didn't regret it. On the contrary, he felt that it was a good thing to do so.

After the family split up, at least on the surface, the only people Gu Xing'er could mess with were the two elderly people.

When the time comes, let the son move out and rebuild the house, or build a wall in the house. That way, the grandson shouldn't suffer anymore.

"Separate." In just a few breaths, he made up his mind.

Gu Yuanshan's heart suddenly raced, his eyes filled with reluctance. "Father, I don't want to separate from the family."

“You don’t want your wife to think about it,” said Gu’s mother.

She was once a daughter-in-law herself, and now that the family is divided, she can be in charge of her own household. What woman wouldn't want that?

“Mother…” Gu Yuanshan called out.

“We’ll separate tomorrow. I’m getting old, it’s time to rest. Managing such a large family is exhausting. After we separate, your father and I will live separately.” Thinking about it this way, Gu’s mother suddenly felt a lightness on her shoulders, as if a huge rock had been lifted.

"Mother." Gu Yuanshan wanted to persuade her, but his mother pushed him out and shut the door on him. "Stop nagging, we'll separate tomorrow."

"..."

When Huang Xiulan learned about the family division the next morning, her eyes widened in shock, and she stammered, "Divide...divide the family? Really?"

"It's true." Gu Yuanshan said with a worried look, "My parents both said so, how could it be false?"

Huang Xiulan's heart pounded, her eyes sparkled, and a surge of joy welled up inside her.

She wanted to laugh, but seeing that her husband's expression wasn't very good, she held it in, trying her best to suppress it, but she just couldn't bring herself to smile.

Gu Yuanshan looked at his wife and said, "Laugh if you want to. It's not uncomfortable to hold it in."

"Pfft—" Huang Xiulan couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her laughter was a bit loud, so she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but the laughter in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Gu Yuanshan: "..."

Tie Dan asked excitedly, "If we split up the family, will we be able to eat meat all the time?"

Huang Xiulan's smile vanished, and she glared at her son. "Dream on! You're always eating meat, where are you going to get meat coupons?"

Tie Dan immediately lost his excitement and muttered, "Yu Bao and Heng Bao can eat meat all the time, but they can't... what's the point of splitting up the family?"

"..."

Suddenly I realized it wasn't a big deal.

Iron Hammer didn't make any noise, obediently climbed onto the small bed, pulled the blanket over his stomach, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

His brother knew that his younger brother often got to eat meat at his third aunt's house, and he looked at him with envy.

Squeezing onto the bed, I nudged him with my elbow and earnestly tried to negotiate with my younger brother, "If Auntie gives you more meat, can you save a piece for your brother?"

Thinking of the meat strips I ate before, my throat churned a few times.

"No." Li Bao didn't open his eyes, just kept shaking his head. He didn't even have enough to eat.

"Brother will pick some sweet fruit for you?" Tie Dan shook his younger brother.

"Don't shake me, I want to sleep. My aunt wants me to come over for breakfast tomorrow morning, so I have to get up early," Li Bao said expectantly. He loves it when his aunt has a day off.

Tie Dan was about to cry, "Why is Third Aunt so good to you?"

His brother grinned foolishly, "Third Aunt said I'm well-behaved."

“I’ll be good too…” Tie Dan said hurriedly.

"No way! Mom says you're a mischievous monkey, even more mischievous than Xiao Jin." Li Bao finally opened her eyes, her gaze full of seriousness.

Tie Dan: "..."

Tie Dan looked at his mother accusingly.

"Mother, it's all your fault, it's all your fault! You've ruined my reputation!" He turned away angrily.

Huang Xiulan laughed in exasperation and patted Tiedan's head.

“Who ruined your reputation? You’re such a troublemaker! If I ask you to do something, how can I ever find you? Yu Bao and Heng Bao both know to help your third aunt with chores. You’re older than them, why don’t you try to lighten my load?”

“I do chores too. I gather firewood, dig wild vegetables, catch fish, and even work in the fields. If you don’t believe me, ask my dad…” Tie Dan retorted, then turned to Gu Yuanshan, who was watching the show, “Dad, say something, don’t you?”

Gu Yuanshan nodded. "Yes."

Tie Dan's dark face relaxed, and he looked at his mother seriously. "Mom, don't speak ill of me in front of Auntie anymore. I can't even afford meat, and if you keep talking about it, I won't even be able to smell the aroma."

After saying that, she went to sleep looking aggrieved, her lips pouting so much they could hold an IV drip.

Seeing the low mood emanating from his brother, Li Bao poked Tie Dan's shoulder with his little finger and said, half reluctantly and half coaxingly, "Third Aunt said she's making fried dough cakes tomorrow, I'll save half for you."

Eh?
Hey!!

Tie Dan was instantly appeased, turned over, and looked at his younger brother with surprise, "Really?"

“I’m not lying.” Li Bao puffed out her cheeks.

Tie Dan tickled his younger brother's armpits, his tanned face beaming with a bright smile, "I'll save any good stuff for you too."

Li Bao dodged his brother's claws, and the thought of the sparrow meat his brother had saved lessened his reluctance.

The next morning, after breakfast, Gu's father brought up the matter of dividing the family property.

The second wife and her husband stood there dumbfounded.

They looked at each other, both of them filled with questions.

Gu Yucheng slowly turned his head to look at his father, "Dad, why did we split up the family?"

“Your mother and I are getting old and want to live a comfortable life. Your children are old enough to run errands, so it’s time for us two old folks to let go,” said Mr. Gu.

He couldn't say the real reason directly, otherwise Gu Xing'er would definitely make a scene, which gave him a headache just thinking about it.

Gu Yucheng opened his mouth and said, "Father, I don't want to separate from the family."

Many people nowadays only need to work; their parents take care of their food and drink. After the family splits up, he becomes the head of the household, and everyone comes to him for everything. He already feels exhausted even before the family splits up.

Father Gu was secretly pleased, but he didn't show it on his face.

The fact that their son is reluctant to separate the family property shows that he and his wife manage the household well, which is the highest praise for them after working hard for half their lives.

Gu Yucheng added, "Qingzhou isn't engaged yet, so why are you dividing the family property? Let's wait until he gets married before dividing it."

Hearing that her second brother's words only mentioned Gu Qingzhou and not her, Gu Xing'er was so angry that she jumped up and down, her voice sharp, "Second brother, what about me? I'm not married either. Aren't I your sister? Why don't you remember me?"

Gu Yucheng: “…”

She spoke her mind, saying, "Your standards are so high, you'd be lucky to get married before you're twenty. Qingzhou is different from you. He's down-to-earth, studious, and hardworking. He was able to find a girlfriend right after graduating from high school."

Gu Qingzhou: "?"

Gu Xing'er dared not provoke her unruly second brother, and instead glared at Gu Qingzhou, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Gu Qingzhou ignored her and only said, "Separating the family property won't affect my marriage. My parents can separate if they want, I have no objection."

He's got arms and legs, he won't starve. Even if the family splits up, his parents won't mistreat him.

Gu's mother looked at her youngest son with heartache. No matter what, Qingzhou had been wronged.

Zhao Liuniang also wanted to be in charge, and a look of joy appeared on her face.

After the village leader and other village leaders arrived, the Gu family began to divide their property.

Over the years, after deducting the expenses, the family had only saved about three hundred yuan. The three sons each received fifty yuan, the elderly couple kept fifty yuan, and the rest was reserved for Gu Qingzhou and Gu Xing'er's weddings. There weren't many coupons, so they were divided among the families in small amounts. As for pots, pans, and other utensils, there was only one set, so it wasn't easy to divide them equally. Those who received them had to pay for them. The brigade leader nodded, agreeing that it was very fair.

Gu Xing'er complained, "My brothers each got fifty, why shouldn't I get any?"

The brigade leader already knew about the reputation of the Gu family's youngest daughter; he'd heard she was a troublemaker, and seeing her now, he was right.

"This is the rule in all the surrounding villages; daughters don't inherit any family property," he explained, seeing the dark expressions on the faces of the Gu family elders.

Gu Xing'er: "Am I not a member of the Gu family? Wasn't I born of my mother? Gu Qingzhou and I were born at the same time, so why is he fifty years older than me? Father, Mother, you are biased! Leaders advocate gender equality, but you are sexist!"

Mother Gu tried to explain, "Qingzhou will need to prepare a bride price when he gets married. If we don't have enough room at home, we'll need to build a house. The remaining money is enough to prepare a decent dowry for you..."

“You’re all biased.” Gu Xing’er wouldn’t listen. “I don’t care, I want it too. If you don’t give it to me… I don’t agree to split the family.”

Huang Xiulan had long suspected that separating the family would not be so simple. Look, the troublemaker is stirring things up again.

"Whether you agree or not will not affect the division of the family property," Father Gu said in a deep voice.

After saying that, he looked at the captain and the others, "...I'll trouble you to make this trip."

"What's this?"

The captain and his men didn't linger and got up to leave the Gu family.

"Don't leave! This isn't fair! I don't agree!" Gu Xing'er shouted.

The village officials hurried on their way.

They never dare to meddle in other people's family affairs, for fear of getting themselves into trouble.

In the blink of an eye, the brigade cadres disappeared through the doorway.

Mother Gu looked at Huang Xiulan and asked, "Eldest daughter-in-law, does the eldest branch of the family want to live in the old house, or build a separate house?"

Of her grandchildren, she was most worried about Tiechui and Yuyu. The former was honest and simple, while the latter was young and both were easily bullied.

but.

If you put the two younger ones together, Tiechui is more likely to be bullied. He's a boy and likes to run around, so he's more likely to be kept under his aunt's thumb, unlike Yuyu, who is always with her second brother's wife.

Huang Xiulan was stunned.

Her mind raced, and she knew that her mother-in-law was thinking of her youngest son and was inclined to build a separate house.

She looked at Gu Yuanshan.

“I’m the eldest, I have to take care of my parents in their old age, so I’ll stay,” Gu Yuanshan said.

Mother Gu waved her hand, "No need. You can stay or leave as you please. Your father and I are in good health and can work for a few more years."

She looked at her eldest son and said, "You have two sons, and Alan is getting older. The house at home is not big enough. Why don't you go out and build another house?"

Tie Dan spoke up, "...I also have my own room. Yu Bao and Heng Bao are younger than me, and they both have their own houses."

Li Bao isn't here, so I can't express my opinion.

Mother Gu added, “Don’t hesitate. We’re all from the same village. It’s just a few steps away. You can build your own house… It won’t affect your ability to take care of me and your father.”

Gu Yuanshan pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, let's start somewhere else."

He looked at Gu Yucheng, "Second brother, what about you?"

“Since you’ve already left, we’ll definitely stay,” Gu Yucheng said. “Brother, can you give me your two rooms?”

Even if you give it up, you still have to pay money.

Gu Yuanshan had no objection. "Okay."

The final price was twenty yuan.

Twenty yuan was enough to build three mud-brick houses, so Huang Xiulan didn't feel like she was losing out.

After the family property was divided, the men and women of the Gu family went to work.

Gu Xing'er approached Gu Qingzhou.

He reached out his hand and said matter-of-factly, "Give me twenty-five yuan."

"No."

Gu Xing'er's eyes widened, her anger and embarrassment rising. "Why should I?"

"Why do you?"

Not wanting to waste words with Gu Xing'er, he pushed her away, grabbed his straw hat, and ran out the door.

Gu Xing'er staggered backward, bracing herself against the wall to regain her balance. She glared fiercely in the direction where Gu Qingzhou had disappeared, stomping her foot in anger.

He turned to go into Gu Qingzhou's room to look inside, but only saw an iron lock on the door.

He pounded on the door twice in frustration and strode back to his room.

……

Lin Zhao learned from Li Bao that the old family was planning to divide the family property.

“Dividing the family is a good thing,” she said. “Does your family need a pot? I have one here. If you want it, have your mother come and get it.”

Li Bao's eyes lit up. "Third Aunt, I'll go tell her right now."

As he spoke, he rushed toward the old house.

He was still holding the fried dough stick he was eating in his hand.

Seeing this, the twins, fearing that their aunt would snatch Li Bao's fried dough cakes again, shouted at Da Huang and hurriedly chased after her.

Li Bao ran towards the old house and saw Huang Xiulan at the door. "Mom, Third Aunt asked if you want a pot?"

"A pot? I want it." Huang Xiulan handed the farm tools to Gu Yuanshan and hurried to the third room.

They were afraid that if they were even a step too late, the pot would be ruined.

It's hard to get a pot.

Tie Dan was lured away by the fried dough in his younger brother's hand, and before he could react, he appeared at the front door of the third house.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, do you have a pot here?" Huang Xiulan's excited voice rang out.

Lin Zhaozheng was having dinner with the children.

Looking up, I caught a glimpse of my sister-in-law and Tie Dan trailing behind.

"Yes, it's under the kitchen counter. Go check it out, sister-in-law." After replying, she beckoned to Tiedan, "Zhixing, come in. What are you standing at the door for? Come and have some fried dough."

Tie Dan looked surprised and walked in.

"Yu Bao, take your brother Zhi Xing to wash his hands," Lin Zhao instructed, while adding a bowl of white porridge to his plate.

Tie Dan washed his hands, sat down happily, and said shyly, "Thank you, Third Aunt."

Lin Zhao chuckled, "Eat up, there's plenty left in the kitchen, eat as much as you want."

After the man left, she had no shortage of supplies. Her storage ring contained more fruit than she could possibly eat.

Tie Dan thought his third aunt was really good and generous, more generous than any other third aunt in the village.

He had just started eating when Huang Xiulan came out of the kitchen carrying a double-handled iron pot, her face beaming with joy. "Sister-in-law, is this the pot? This is a good pot, are you really willing to give it to me?"

Lin Zhao's expression was indifferent, seemingly unconcerned. "I'm giving this to you as a congratulatory gift for your family's separation."

“The second wife also has some, so sister-in-law doesn’t need to feel bad about it,” she added.

Huang Xiulan was both pleased and embarrassed. "How can I accept this? A pot costs several yuan, and you still need industrial coupons. I'll give you the money."

"It's okay, it's easier for me than for you guys." Lin Zhao didn't think there was anything wrong with it. She had a lottery system, so everything was easy for her.

"If you're too shy, sister-in-law, could you make me a few quilts?" This was ambiguous, so she continued, "I'll provide the cotton and fabric, and you can help me make them."

Huang Xiulan immediately agreed, "Okay!"

Looking at the pot, his mouth was practically stretched to the back of his head.

That way, once the new house is built, we'll have a pot to cook with.

Seeing Gu Zhixing devouring the fried dough, her face darkened. "Gu Zhixing, why are you eating it again? Didn't you just eat it..."

With his mouth full, Tie Dan mumbled, "...I'm not full."

(End of this chapter)