1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

In the courtyard of Old Zhang's house, the two sisters-in-law from the second and third branches of the family were leaning against the wall, each holding a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them open and spitting the shells all over the ground, listening intently to the argument coming from the eldest branch of the family.

The third brother's wife reached out and nudged her second sister-in-law beside her, asking in a low voice.

"Second sister-in-law, do you think eldest brother will give us the house this time? I think this time your wife is making a bigger scene than ever before, she might not be so easy to fool."

The second son's wife pursed her lips and spat the sunflower seed shells out of her mouth onto the ground.

"Hmph, with that good-for-nothing brother of mine, he can't possibly cause any trouble. This matter is inevitable! Besides, when the old lady was dying, she specifically instructed him that Dahe is the eldest grandson of our Zhang family, and the marriage was already arranged. Whether or not the marriage can take place is up to him."

It all depends on whether the eldest brother is willing to give up the house. If this marriage doesn't go through, it's all the eldest son's family's fault. Let's see how they face people in the village then!

Upon hearing this, the third son's family moved closer.

"Second sister-in-law, we made a promise back then! The house was to be transferred, and the east room was to be used for Dahe's wedding. My Erhe is of marriageable age, and you promised me that yourself."

Don't pull out all the stops, thirteen tricks in a row, so your family benefits while we're left out! Let me tell you, you can't do something like turning your back on your excrement!

"What's your rush! I didn't tell you about Lai Xuan!"

The second son's wife rolled her eyes at her impatiently. "You, all you do is jump around and yell at me. If you're so capable, go inside and have a go at Chen Guilan, that big, burly woman! We haven't even gotten the house yet, and look at all your little schemes, swirling around in your head. Talking so early, you have no energy at all. We'll talk about it after we get the house!"

Before they could finish speaking, they heard a sound coming from outside the courtyard gate, followed by a loud and clear voice.

It exploded right in the yard.

Old Chen drove the carriage and stopped in front of Old Zhang's house, leading Chen Gaoshan into the courtyard.

"Who's trying to steal my sister's house? I'd like to see who it is. They have no shame whatsoever!"

Chen Gaoshan followed behind his father. Both father and son were tall and big. When they stood in the center of the yard, they exuded a fierce aura. In addition, they had been hunting in the mountains for many years, so they had a strong presence. Just standing there was enough to intimidate people.

Old Chen looked at the two earthen vats in the yard.

"Zhang Baofu! Get your ass out here right now! Do you really think our Chen family is helpless? That anyone can bully my sister? Come out here right now, or you'll be a coward if you're not a man!"

When Zhang Baofu heard his brother-in-law yell "Awooo!" from inside the house, he was so startled that he jumped.

My head is buzzing.

Upon hearing her brother's voice outside the door, Chen Guilan felt instantly at ease, her tense back straightening up. Her strongest support had finally arrived.

She hurriedly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and grabbed Zhang Baofu, who was still squatting on the ground, stunned and at a loss.

"My brother's here! Get up right now! Who are you trying to fool by squatting on the ground? You have to give me a straight answer today: how is this going to end?! If you don't give me an explanation, I'm going back to my parents' house with my brother right now. I'm not staying in this house anymore, and you can forget about ever seeing your son again!"

"Sanya, Kexin, come out with your mother quickly, your uncle is here!"

The two children quickly followed him out.

Chen Gaoshan looked at his aunt, who looked to be in her thirties, as she came out of the house. Her appearance and height were no surprise, as she was from the Chen family. She looked just like his father.

"Auntie."

"Shanzi, you're here too! Great, now the entire Chen family is finally here."

Chen Guilan felt even more confident.

"Zhang Baofu, stop hiding in the house and come out right now! My brother and nephew are here, how long are you planning to stay hidden!"

Zhang Kexin and Zhang Xiaxia, who were standing to the side, also quickly stepped forward and greeted everyone.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chen Guilan caught sight of her two sisters-in-law looking on with schadenfreude, as if they were watching a spectacle from the sidelines and enjoying the show. This sight made her chest tremble with anger.

"You two still have the leisure to watch the show! Giving birth and eating sunflower seeds, you two are always bickering! Now that the old lady is gone, I want to see who will stand up for you and make decisions for you!"

The second son's wife shrank back, pouted, and whispered her defense.

"Sister-in-law, there's an old saying that the eldest brother is like a father and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. Dahe is no different from your own son. We're all family, so why are we arguing like this?"

"I don't have a family as nice as yours! Your chamber pots are all gold-rimmed, all you have to show off is your mouth! Anyone can say nice things, stop with the useless pleasantries!"

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it and had no choice but to come out, Zhang Baofu could only dawdle and dejectedly inch his way out of the house last.

"Brother, why did you suddenly come back? Come inside and sit down to talk, don't stand outside. The neighbors are all watching. Let's close the door and discuss what's going on."

Not long after, Zhang Lao Er and Zhang Lao San also heard the commotion in the courtyard and came out of their respective houses.

With a smile on his face, Zhang Lao Er quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Yes, Uncle Zhang, come inside quickly. There are many people outside. If the whole family makes a fuss, it will spread the word and make us a laughing stock in front of outsiders."

Seeing Zhang Baofu following their lead, Chen Laonian kicked away the winnowing basket leaning against the wall.

"If your Zhang family is capable of such things, then don't be afraid of being laughed at! Guilan, I've brought your nephew here today to stand up for you. But let me make this clear first: it's up to you to decide whether you still want to continue living with Zhang Baofu."

If you still want to live a good life with him, then let's put everything on the table and talk it out clearly. Now that the old man is gone, if you two want to live a good life together, it's time to separate this family.

Over the years, Guilan has done her best to help your husband and mother-in-law, and to raise her two younger brothers to get married and have children. She has fulfilled her duties as the eldest sister-in-law.

Baofu, you've done a really good job as the eldest brother, no one can really say anything against you. You should put your heart and soul into your own family too.

Old Chen's eyes hardened.

"Guilan, if you're determined not to stay with him, then we don't need to worry about the Zhang family's reputation anymore. We'll settle things however we want!"

The father and son stood in the middle of the courtyard like two large stone slabs, their imposing presence causing the second and third branches of the Zhang family to shrink back, not daring to utter a single word.

Everyone was apprehensive, fearing that the Chen father and son might lose their temper and suddenly unleash a stun gun, leaving them needlessly beaten up – it wasn't worth it.

The third son's wife secretly nudged her husband with her elbow, glancing at the neighbors pointing and whispering outside the courtyard, urging him to quickly find a way to smooth things over.

Her family was about to arrange a marriage for Erhe, but this incident has completely ruined their reputation. Who would want a good girl to marry into their family now?

If the family really separates, who will be willing to work hard and be a workhorse to supplement the family income?

Her son is getting married, and they're all counting on her eldest brother's family to help them out.

Then she secretly gave Erhe a wink, signaling him to sneak out and go to the village to ask the village head, Zhang Guofa, to come over and calm things down and reason things out.

We're all from the same village, so we have to side with our own people.

"His uncle, everything is negotiable. We can talk things out. There's no need to start kicking things right away. It's not a big deal. We can just have a good chat and it will all be over."

Now that things have come to this, Chen Guilan is completely desperate and doesn't care about anything else.

She put her hands on her hips and pointed at the group of heartless people in front of her.