Chapter 3: Dividing the Family – Is Father Putting on a Show?

Old Master Jiang glared, clearly displeased with Lin Guilan’s sudden question.

“Third daughter-in-law, your family was considered well-off before you married. Don’t you know the rule of not speaking during meals or before sleep?”

“Exactly,” Feng Shi chimed in from the side. “Third daughter-in-law, are you really complaining about having to cook? This is exactly what a new bride should do. When your Miao Ge’er was sick before, as his mother you couldn’t attend to our larger family matters. As your mother-in-law, I’m not unreasonable – didn’t my eldest daughter-in-law help you during that time? You’ve only been doing this for a few days, and you’re already learning to talk back to your father-in-law?”

Since marrying into the Jiang Family, Lin Guilan had been enduring everything. This wasn’t because she feared Old Master Jiang or the Jiang brothers. Since childhood, her father had died early, her mother was soft-natured, and her brother was still young – their family had suffered plenty of bullying from neighbors. Later, her brother gritted his teeth and managed to keep their father’s tofu shop running. During this process, Lin Guilan had contributed greatly. Despite her young age, she was skilled at grinding tofu and coming up with new ideas. The neighbors all said the Lin family seemed to have raised two sons!

Lin Guilan was naturally straightforward with a touch of fierceness. Before marriage, people feared Lin Guilan more than they did the eldest Lin brother. It was precisely because Lin Guilan was capable that Butcher Liu had taken a liking to her, thinking that marrying her would make his pork business more prosperous.

As for why Lin Guilan was now willing to endure humiliation in the Jiang Family, besides fearing Jiang Qingshi would be caught in the middle, there was another reason… she genuinely liked Jiang Qingshi. After all, Jiang Qingshi was a scholar. Although he hadn’t achieved anything notable yet, she believed her husband would eventually become a Scholar!

Since Jiang Qingshi was a scholar, he definitely wouldn’t like loud, harsh women. So from the moment she met Jiang Qingshi, she had been pretending. At first, she even forced her voice to be softer, which exhausted her!

Later, after they had Miao Ge’er, Lin Guilan gradually relaxed her behavior somewhat, but she still feared Jiang Qingshi would grow tired of her, never daring to show her formidable side.

But recently, for some reason, things had become increasingly strange. Previously, Jiang Da and Jiang Er had also held grudges against them and secretly mocked Miao Ge’er for being sickly, but last night Jiang Er’s wife Yuan Yuexian actually dared to curse her husband like that at their doorstep. Had Yuan Yuexian grown some nerve? Yuan Yuexian’s behavior was bad enough, but her father-in-law, who always prided himself on being reasonable, was now pretending to be deaf and dumb. The anger Lin Guilan had been suppressing finally became too much to contain.

Lin Guilan gritted her teeth. Even if her husband came to dislike her for this, she couldn’t care less. Since childhood, the second child of the Lin family had never endured such humiliation!

Lin Guilan slammed her bowl down heavily and looked at Old Master Jiang with a sarcastic smile. “Father, it doesn’t seem like I was the one who started this. Last night, Second Sister-in-law made such a scene that probably all the neighbors heard. Your daughter-in-law is a straightforward person who hates suffering unclear grievances. Should I go outside right now and ask someone if they heard last night’s commotion?”

“How dare you!” Old Master Jiang frowned. “I thought you were someone who understood propriety, but I never expected you to be so shrewish! As the saying goes, ‘Don’t air your dirty laundry in public,’ yet you seem determined to let everyone know about the Jiang Family’s disgraceful affairs!”

“So Father acknowledges this is disgraceful?” Lin Guilan couldn’t help raising her voice. “If this is indeed disgraceful, why should Third Master and I be forced to swallow this humiliation? Who knows who committed this shameful act—sneaking around stinking of filth late at night without any sense of shame!”

Old Master Jiang had never seen Lin Guilan like this before. He had always thought this daughter-in-law was meek and obedient, especially since she brought substantial dowry from her maiden family. He had considered Third Son Jiang lucky to land such a catch. Now, confronted by Lin Guilan’s questioning, the old master was truly taken aback, as if seeing his first formidable and sharp-tongued wife again.

While Old Master Jiang was stunned into silence, Yuan Yuexian couldn’t tolerate Lin Guilan’s veiled accusations. She was never one to back down, having frequently complained about her husband Jiang Wenjiang’s incompetence since marrying him—how he only knew how to seek petty advantages but was utterly useless in important matters. Otherwise, wouldn’t that tavern have fallen into the Jiang Family Fourth Child’s hands for nothing? Setting aside the tavern matter for now, how could she swallow her pride when even Third Son Jiang—that weakling who lost his mother early and only had good looks to show for himself—was now acting superior to her?

“Lin Guilan, you’re utterly shameless! Don’t you know perfectly well why I scolded you like that? Haven’t you noticed things going missing around the house lately? Our Jiang Family used to be well-off, and Father always appreciated elegance, but recently I discovered the vases and antique paintings from Father’s room have disappeared! Later I learned they were sold to subsidize Third Son!”

As soon as Yuan Yuexian spoke these words, the dining table fell silent. Feng Shi’s eyes immediately turned sharp, piercing Old Master Jiang like two nails.

“Husband, is this true?” Feng Shi’s voice still carried its usual coquettish tone, though lacking its typical gentleness. “Didn’t you tell me you had stored those items safely away?”

“This Third Son Jiang uses writing materials daily and keeps the oil lamp burning late into the night! Everyone knows that studying and literacy are luxuries only wealthy families can afford. Have you seen anyone else in our village living like Third Son Jiang? If not for Father’s secret support, how could Third Son Jiang live so comfortably!”

Yuan Yuexian, getting more agitated, stood up with hands on her hips, looking every bit the shrew.

Lin Guilan was taken aback—so Yuan Yuexian had misunderstood her husband like this! But her husband had been using the private funds from her maiden family. How could Yuan Yuexian so blatantly distort the truth? Lin Guilan thought about standing to argue, but just then she felt someone take her hand. Turning, she saw Jiang Qingshi holding her wrist, his clear eyes watching her as he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Was her husband enduring this out of filial piety, or did he have other considerations? But Lin Guilan had always been completely obedient to Jiang Qingshi. Since he stopped her, she remained silent.

Jiang Zhimiao watched the conflict unfold, never expecting that before he could even get two mouthfuls of food, he’d be treated to such drama!

Truly, there was no better vessel than his current small body for being an onlooker to gossip…

At first, watching his mother fiercely debate the group and bravely confront these bullies, he inwardly cheered and waved his short, chubby arms to rally for her (though no one paid him any attention). Gradually, he sensed something was off. They say fathers and sons share a telepathic bond, and it seemed his father had other ideas.

Jiang Zhimiao noticed his father’s brow twitch slightly, yet his eyes remained cold and distant… His father was just too handsome… No, no, getting sidetracked! He felt his dad was about to start performing!

Jiang Qingshi slowly raised his head, taking in the chaotic scene and the several pairs of eyes around him that seemed ready to devour him.

“Father, it’s all my fault for being unfilial. I’ve burdened everyone.”

Old Master Jiang seemed taken aback by Jiang Qingshi’s words and paused. “How did you…”

As Old Master Jiang scanned the predatory gazes around him, a chill ran down his spine. This was bad! The situation was slipping out of his control. If they found out about that matter, he wouldn’t be able to keep the younger generation in line anymore. Where would he put his dignity then? Forget these juniors—even Feng Shi wasn’t an easy opponent. Though she appeared meek on the surface, when provoked, she could be formidable enough to make anyone suffer…

Old Master Jiang gritted his teeth. After all, the third son had been freeloading at home for so long. With his slender arms and legs, he wasn’t much help with farm work. Now that he was finally showing some filial piety, let him take the blame for this mess!

“Since you all already know, I won’t hide it anymore. In my view, the third son is the only one in our family with the potential to become a high official. Though he hasn’t achieved anything yet, what if he makes something of himself in the future? Spending a little money on him now is only reasonable.”

“Father, you’re so biased it’s beyond belief!” Yuan Yuexian’s voice grew even louder as she planted her large foot firmly on the stool. “For generations, our Jiang Family hasn’t produced a single scholar. The third son, looking the way he does, is like a toad dreaming of swan meat—thinking he’s some literary star descended from heaven! All these years, my husband and the second son have slaved away for the Jiang Family, working tirelessly to support this household. We thought it was out of filial devotion to you and Mother, but it turns out we’ve been supporting this useless brother instead!”

The eldest son of the Jiang Family naturally understood which way the wind was blowing. Jiang Wujiang quickly pulled his wife, Cao Xiuying, along and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Old Master Jiang felt a pang of guilt, unable to meet Jiang Qingshi’s eyes, and stammered, “What does a woman know? The third son is…”

“Father!” Jiang Qingshi interrupted with a pained voice. “It’s all my fault. Second sister-in-law isn’t wrong. Now that everyone knows, how can I have the face to stay in the Jiang Family any longer?”

“Good.” Yuan Yuexian seized the opportunity, as if afraid Jiang Qingshi might reconsider his words. “Since you’ve said it yourself, then you should leave the family. From now on, don’t use a single grain or thread from the Jiang Family!”

Goodness, this third son of the Jiangs must have lost his mind to say such a thing. Now was the perfect chance to seize on his mistake and drive him out of the Jiang Family for good.

Now that they had dealt with this Jiang Family Third Child, the couple could finally unite to focus on dealing with Jiang Family Fourth Child and his mother. Although this Third Child wasn’t capable, his wife was certainly no pushover. While Old Master Jiang put on airs and acted important every day, everyone knew the Jiang Family was now like a torn sack—leaking from top to bottom! The old master had previously only doted on that slick-haired Fourth Child, but now he’d even taken to cherishing the Third Child too. If this continued, what little assets the Jiang Family had wouldn’t be enough for those two to squander! They needed to seize upon Third Child’s weakness and quickly eliminate one problem, otherwise there wouldn’t even be a mouthful of soup left in the Jiang Family for their own family!

She had suggested dividing the family assets before, but the old man was stubborn! He insisted the Jiang Family was still a respectable household and that dividing assets would make them the laughingstock of the town! Yuan Yuexian had heard this old-fashioned argument so many times it nearly gave her calluses on her eardrums. If not for the fact that the old man still had some benefits to exploit, she’d have loved to slap that old head of his awake—the Jiang Family was nothing now, who had time to focus on their pathetic affairs all day?

But the old man was too obstinate. Even hinting at dividing the assets would make him fly into a rage, so Yuan Yuexian didn’t dare bring it up again. Now that they’d been caught red-handed, surely even the old man would have nothing to say!

Yuan Yuexian’s mind raced through these thoughts as she stared intently at Jiang Qingshi, crossing her arms in a posture that showed she wouldn’t rest until she achieved her goal.

This sudden turn of events had left Lin Guilan bewildered. As for whether she wanted to divide the family assets—of course she did, even if the Jiang Family couldn’t give them anything… but then again, the Jiang Family was already penniless and had nothing to begin with!

But as a new daughter-in-law, she couldn’t be the one to suggest this. If word got out, everyone would say she was unfilial, and even Third Master would face criticism. She had thought that since her husband was a scholar—and scholars emphasized filial piety the most—even though Old Master Jiang was an old-fashioned biased old man, her husband would surely want to stay by his father’s side to fulfill his filial duties.

But given the current situation… why would her husband admit to these fabricated charges? Was it blind obedience to filial piety, or was this all part of his plan?

A thunderclap seemed to go off in Lin Guilan’s mind. All of Jiang Qingshi’s strange behaviors suddenly replayed in her memory—deliberately letting Yuan Yuexian insult her without letting her retort, intentionally showing up in the morning to help with cooking and serving soup… Though they seemed like casual actions at the time, Lin Guilan now suddenly felt that none of this was as simple as it appeared.

“Absolutely not!”Old Master Jiang slammed the table agitatedly.” “We cannot divide the family! This is the Jiang Family ancestral rule—the family must not separate! If we divide the assets, I would be failing our ancestors!”

Author’s note:

There will be red envelopes in the comments today too~