Apart from Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli, who were studying in the county, everyone from the Yu family was present.
Even though the two brothers were absent, their father, Yu Laoda, was there, so it wasn’t necessary for them to return for the family division.
The village head asked the three brothers of Yu Laoda if they were certain about dividing the family.
For their parents to divide the family, it also required the agreement of the brothers. If anyone disagreed, mediation would still be necessary.
This was the procedure for family divisions in the village. The village head, being a fair person, naturally needed to ask.
Yu Laoda remained silent, his face gloomy. Yu Lao’er muttered, unsure of what to say, while only Yu Laosan firmly expressed his desire to divide the family.
He spoke with a self-righteous tone, “Since Father says we should divide, we can’t let him down. Let’s divide, then.”
Upon hearing this, Elder Yu and his wife, as well as the members of the eldest branch, nearly spat blood.
The reason for the division was clear to everyone in the Yu family. They understood that the old man actually didn’t want to divide the family. Saying this was like intentionally stabbing him in the heart.
Elder Yu’s wife glared at him viciously. If not for the village head and the Fifth Uncle present to witness, she might have pounced on him to scratch his face.
At this moment, she felt that Yu Laosan was truly hateful—more hateful than the people from the second branch.
Yu Laosan didn’t care. No matter what was said today, the family would definitely be divided.
He no longer wanted to unconditionally support the eldest branch and could care less about whether he would benefit from it in the future. Over the years, in order to support the two nephews of the eldest branch in their studies, his branch had tightened their belts. What benefits had the third branch received?
It wasn’t his sons who were studying, so why should he continue to wrong himself and his sons for an uncertain future?
The village head naturally noticed the displeased expressions of Elder Yu and his wife, but he adhered to the principle of avoiding trouble when possible and chose not to delve into it.
Since it was confirmed that the Yu family had no objections to the division, the process could proceed.
Next came the discussion on how to divide the family.
This still depended on Elder Yu. As the senior-most member of the Yu family, it was up to him to decide how the division would proceed. The village head and the Fifth Uncle were merely witnesses. If the division was unfair, they would provide suggestions and advice.
This was also part of the village’s family division procedure.
Elder Yu, his face stern, instructed Elder Yu’s wife to fetch the family’s land deeds and money.
These were the most important assets of the household, carefully kept by the elderly couple.
Elder Yu’s wife went to the room to retrieve them, and when she returned with the deeds and money, her hands were trembling.
In her heart, these assets were meant for the eldest branch, to support the education of the eldest branch’s two grandsons. If the family was divided, these assets would have to be shared with the second and third branches. In the future, the funds available to the eldest branch would decrease, possibly affecting her grandsons’ prospects. How could this not make her heart ache?
Everyone’s eyes were on the box in her hands, which contained the land deeds and money.
Chen Shi felt her heart bleeding as she gripped her palms tightly.
She truly didn’t want to divide the family. Thinking about how the division would happen today, she felt as though the sky was collapsing. She could already foresee how difficult life would be for the eldest branch in the future.
Only Yu Qin and Yu Jingzong had yet to understand the implications of the division.
They believed that their grandparents favored them, so even if the family was divided, there wouldn’t be much change. After all, the eldest branch wouldn’t suffer losses—at most, they wouldn’t eat from the same pot anymore.
In fact, this would be better. They wouldn’t have to return to the village and eat pickled vegetables with the second and third branches, which had no hint of oil and were terribly unappetizing. Eating in the county was much better.
Elder Yu took the box, opened it, and said to everyone, “The family has a total of 17 mu of paddy fields, 10 mu of dry fields, 30 mu of mountain land, and 90 taels of silver. I’ve decided to divide these into four portions: one for me and the old lady, and one for each of the eldest, second, and third branches. What do you think?”
The village head and Fifth Uncle both nodded in agreement. This seemed very fair.
Since Elder Yu and his wife were still alive, they needed a portion of the fields to support themselves in their old age. According to village customs, they could choose to live with whichever son they wanted in the future, and their fields would be cultivated by that branch.
From the looks of it, it was clear that the old couple intended to live with the eldest branch.
Yu Laoda and the others naturally had no objections. With the village head and others watching, how could they possibly voice dissent?
However, Yu Laosan and his wife suspected that the family’s silver amounted to more than 90 taels. It was likely the old couple had hidden some away for the eldest branch. Frustratingly, they had no way of knowing the actual amount, as only the elderly couple were aware of it.
So whatever they said, that was the total. Even if they had stashed some away, there was no way to search their quarters.
Elder Yu continued, “The 17 mu of paddy fields will be divided into four parts: 5 mu each for the eldest, second, and third branches, and 2 mu for me and the old lady since we’re willing to take a smaller share. As for the 10 mu of dry fields, each branch gets 2 mu, and the remaining 4 mu go to me and the old lady. The 30 mu of mountain land will be split into 10 mu per branch; we’re old and won’t take any.”
Mountain land was the least valuable—it was distributed freely by the village and was used by households for activities like chopping firewood and planting trees.
Hearing this, the village head and others were a bit surprised.
Elder Yu’s division was remarkably fair. He didn’t show favoritism toward the eldest branch. The portions for the eldest, second, and third branches were exactly the same.
Paddy fields were naturally more valuable than dry fields, yet the old man didn’t claim more for himself or give extra to the eldest branch. Even though he took 4 mu of dry fields, it was inconsequential. It seemed as if Elder Yu was willing to suffer a loss himself to ensure his sons had a fair division.
Was Elder Yu truly such a fair and just parent?
Could the rumors in the village about his favoritism toward the eldest branch merely be a misunderstanding?
Elder Yu noticed the expressions of the village head and the others. His face remained stern, but his fingers trembled imperceptibly.
In truth, he didn’t want to divide things this way. However, Yu Li was sitting quietly in the corner of the hall. Her presence was subtle, but whenever he glanced up, her cold, piercing eyes met his. He didn’t dare make the division unfair.
What if she deemed it unfair and tore apart their relationship? Worse yet, what if she went to the county to break Yu Jingde’s legs?
Elder Yu could only swallow his discomfort and continue dividing the silver.
There were 90 taels of silver, which he split into four portions: 20 taels each for the eldest, second, and third branches, while he and his wife took 30 taels. After all, they were elderly and needed more to support themselves. Besides, they had taken only 2 mu of paddy fields earlier, which was indeed a smaller share.
This arrangement still seemed fair.
The village head and others nodded in approval, realizing they were simply witnesses today. Elder Yu was so fair that there was nothing for them to criticize.
After dividing the main assets—the land deeds and silver—they moved on to the house, grain, and other belongings.
Elder Yu stated that the houses would remain as they were, with each branch continuing to live where they currently resided.
This decision placed the second branch at a disadvantage, as their west wing was the most dilapidated part of the Yu household. It was remote, dark, narrow, and covered with thatched roofing that leaked during rain.
The houses for the other branches, in contrast, were much better. They had tile roofs sealed with yellow mud and straw, which neither leaked during rain nor allowed drafts in winter.
The disparity between their houses and the second branch’s was significant.
The eldest and third branches had no objections, but they instinctively glanced at the second branch—or rather, at Yu Li.
The village head and others, unaware of the family dynamics, assumed the eldest and third branches were gauging whether the second branch would mind or perhaps even feeling guilty toward them.
Looking at Yu Lao’er and his wife, the couple sat there silently like a pair of mute gourds, saying nothing. They gave off the impression of being honest people who, even if taken advantage of, would remain silent—causing onlookers to shake their heads quietly.
Fortunately, Elder Yu’s division of the family was fair; otherwise, with the temperament of Yu Lao’er and his wife, they would have been taken advantage of for the rest of their lives.
Yu Li said nothing, her gaze calm as she looked back at them.
Seeing this, the crowd felt somewhat reassured, even the faint trembling of Elder Yu’s fingers steadied a bit.
Only Yu Laoda quickly averted his eyes after a glance, his heart consumed by an intense sense of shame. His teeth clenched so tightly that he tasted the salty, metallic tang of blood in his mouth.
Elder Yu was still afraid that Yu Li might lose her temper. So, when it came to deciding that each branch would continue living in their current housing, he allocated more of the family’s grain, pots, pans, and other tools—such as tables, chairs, and farming equipment—to the second branch. For instance, the large iron pot for cooking was given to the second branch.
Wang Shi wanted to say something but held back when she thought of Yu Li.
In truth, she quite wanted that large iron pot for cooking and frying—it was very practical.
Chen Shi asked, “Father, if the iron pot is given to the second brother’s family, what will we use to cook?”
That iron pot was a good one and very valuable. If they had it, they wouldn’t need to spend money on buying another. How great would that be?
Elder Yu replied curtly, “Of course, you’ll buy your own pot. The money has already been divided among you. If you lack something, go buy it yourselves.”
Chen Shi was momentarily silenced but felt deeply uncomfortable.
In the past, Elder Yu spoke to her gently, not just because of her natal family but also because she had given birth to two outstanding sons. Due to Elder Yu’s favorable attitude, her position in the Yu family had been relatively high. Compared to her two sisters-in-law, she could relax in the house without having to do much work.
Now, Elder Yu’s harsh tone left her feeling humiliated. How would her sisters-in-law view her after this?
Elder Yu had no time to cater to her petty emotions and continued dividing the family’s belongings.
Clearly, he had thought it through carefully the night before, as he was able to account for every item in the household, no matter how big or small, and decide how it should be divided.
Because his division was fair, the process was completed quickly.
No one voiced objections.