Chapter 1569 - 1558: Honest Fool

Chapter 1569: Chapter 1558: Honest Fool

Ye Xia felt even more compassionate after hearing Niu Xue Mei’s words. After all, it was her own younger brother, and she couldn’t just watch him die. She decided that when the family division discussions began, she must argue strongly on behalf of the Third Son to secure more money for his medical treatment.

After breakfast, the village chief of Wang Family Village and the clan elders all arrived. In truth, the division of the Ye Family should not concern the elders of the Wang Family, but the Ye Family was the only non-surname household in the village, and since Old Lady Wang, a villager, had invited them, it was hard for them not to come. Yet, it was mainly the responsibility of the village chief to maintain fairness.

"Old Man Ye, have you prepared all the family assets?" the village chief asked honestly.

"Everything is prepared," Old Man Ye handed a piece of paper to the village chief, "Everything is listed here."

The village chief took a look, calculating the Ye Family’s usual conditions, and found no discrepancies, except that the silver seemed a bit less than expected. Even though Lan Country doesn’t have strong military forces, its geographical advantages make it quite wealthy. Taxes during usual times are not high, and as long as families aren’t lazy, they live fairly well.

With all the land of the Ye Family, there was this little amount of silver. It was understandable for the village chief to be suspicious, so he directly asked, "Is the silver counted accurately?"

"Yes, it’s all correct. I just counted it last night," Old Lady Wang hastily replied, "The family has many people, and Cong Hui needs money for schooling, so we haven’t saved much."

Given her explanation, the village chief couldn’t press further since it was about dividing the family, and he couldn’t just search the house.

Listening to this, Ye Xia frowned a bit. Judging by the look on the village chief’s face, the money her mother listed was minimal. However, when Ye Cong Hui needed those twenty taels for tuition, she didn’t even blink. A year in the county also costs a lot, and her mother even mentioned sending Cong Huang to school the next year. How come there was no money?

Besides, her mother also asked her to pay attention to any unmarried girls in the county. Wouldn’t the girls in the county ask for a substantial dowry? Ye Xia sighed, her mother’s heart, who knows where it’s leaning?

Similarly, both the Eldest Son’s family and the Fourth also suspected their mother of having more money than she claimed. However, one relied on having two sons, and the other relied on the love she received, thus they didn’t express doubts, thinking that the money would eventually be theirs. Not dividing it now was actually favorable!

"Twenty-eight taels of silver, ten acres of good land, six acres of fields, one ox, eight pigs, forty-two chickens, twenty ducks, two hoes, one shovel..." The village chief read out one by one. Except for the unknown amount of silver, the visible items were something Old Lady Wang couldn’t fake.

"Old Man Ye, Old Lady Wang, how do you plan to divide it? If anyone has objections, I will mediate," the village chief suggested.

Old Man Ye remained silent while Old Lady Wang contemplated for a moment and said, "Fourth hasn’t married yet; his dowry and wedding expenses must be deducted first."

"That’s reasonable," the village chief agreed, "How much have you decided to deduct?"

"When the Eldest Son got married, we spent twenty taels on the dowry, and over ten taels on the banquet, so let’s go with that for the Fourth."

"Alright, but there’s not enough silver; we can supplement with land. Ye the Fourth, what do you think?"

"That’s fine, but since the Eldest Son’s child went to school, my future child also needs to go to school, so the tuition money needs to be deducted," Ye Dong stated.

However, Wang Hong and Ye Chun immediately objected. Wang Hong sneered, "I’ve never heard of dividing the family like this; you want school fees when the child isn’t even born? Who knows if you’ll have a boy or a girl?"

Ye Dong wasn’t convinced either, "But your son spent quite a lot of the family’s money, you can’t deny that?"

"By that reasoning, the Third Son isn’t unable to have children in the future; should we also give the Third Son a share?" Ye Xia suddenly interjected, making Ye Dong and Wang Hong fall silent.

They wanted to retort that with Ye Qiu’s condition, who knows how long he could live, let alone have a son? But since it was Ye Xia speaking, and considering she was doing business in the county and might need help in the future, they kept quiet and looked at Old Lady Wang.

The village chief also asked Old Lady Wang, "Old Lady Wang, what do you think?"

Old Lady Wang gave an assuring glance to her youngest son, "This request for pre-born children’s tuition is indeed unreasonable; it won’t be divided."

"Alright, in those cases, do you want the property to be divided equally among the three families, sharing the burden of supporting the elderly, or give the Eldest Son’s family the main share and live with them later?"

"We’ll live with the Eldest Son," Old Lady Wang said without hesitation. She was well aware of the nature of her three sons. The Third Son was the most filial and obedient, but with his declining health and no sons, it was utterly hopeless. The Fourth Son, on the other hand, was too playful, and relying on him for old age seemed unreliable.

Only the Eldest Son, though a bit lazy with his wife, would consider their own interests after the division. Moreover, the Eldest Son’s eldest grandson had already started school, and even the teacher praised him as a clever child with great potential in the future, so staying with the Eldest Son was the best choice. Additionally, she could occasionally help the Fourth Son while living off the Eldest Son’s family.

"Good, if you’ve decided to stay with the Eldest Son, then by the custom, this ancestral house belongs to the Eldest Son’s family. The Third Son and Fourth Son can temporarily stay but must move out soon. The farmland and poultry should be split fifty-fifty with the Eldest Son’s share. Does anyone else have any objections?"

"I do," Ye Xia stepped forward and said, "Village chief uncle, I have a few words for fairness."

The village chief frowned, "Technically, as a married daughter, you shouldn’t interfere in your maternal family’s division affairs, but since Old Man Ye and Old Lady Wang invited you back today, you can say a few words."

"Thank you, village chief uncle," Ye Xia said, facing the bemused gazes of her husband and family, "Everyone in the village knows that my Third Brother has done the most for this family, even the pigs, chickens, and ducks were raised by my Third Sister-in-law and two nieces. Furthermore, my Third Brother is bedridden. Considering his previous contributions to the family and his current condition, can’t my Third Brother receive a larger share?"

Upon hearing Ye Xia’s words, the Eldest Son’s family and the Fourth Son practically hated her. According to her, the Third Son would receive a bigger share, implying they would get less!

After listening, the village chief asked Old Man Ye and Old Lady Wang, "What do you think?"

"I disagree," Old Lady Wang coldly refused, "Who in this world hasn’t fallen sick? Will the Third Son’s family always have to share their possessions if the Eldest Son’s or the Fourth Son’s family becomes ill in the future?"

People murmured amongst themselves. Although her words made sense, they were undeniably heartless. Many shook their heads and sighed for Ye Qiu, knowing the money he earned went straight into the Eldest and Fourth Son’s pockets. Who would believe Old Lady Wang only had that much money? Surely, she would support the Eldest and Fourth Son in the future, while the Third Son’s family earned nothing for years.

It would be alright if the Third Son recovered; with his diligence, he would earn it back eventually. However, it was fearsome that with his current illness, his wife and two daughters would suffer.