Chapter 1571 - 1560: The Honest Fool

Chapter 1571: Chapter 1560: The Honest Fool

And thus, the family division was completed. Ye Qiu listened to the sounds coming from the main room, satisfied, his lips curling into a subtle smile. He had intentionally made Niu Xue Mei sell the fields at this critical juncture, intending to sting his biased mother deeply.

In truth, he wanted to sell the land too, but the family needed vegetables, so they needed land to grow them. Moreover, when he went to the county to prepare meals, he would need vegetables; growing them himself would help save a bit.

The main reason was due to Niu Xue Mei’s deeply ingrained thoughts. He had painstakingly convinced her to sell the fields yesterday to avoid arousing suspicion. Selling the land too would unsettle Niu Xue Mei even further; keeping the land was just to reassure her.

Outside, Niu Xue Mei was still chatting with Ye Xia and Ye Qiu’s husband, Jia Zhihe. "Many thanks to the second sister for speaking on our behalf today. Second sister, please stay and take care of Ye Qiu and the two children, and stay for dinner. Now that we have our own things, let’s kill a chicken to celebrate. After I come back from the county with the village chief, we’ll return."

Ye Xia initially wanted to refuse, but since Niu Xue Mei was leaving, it was indeed difficult to leave a sick person and two children alone. Plus, even if she didn’t eat, her third brother and her two nieces needed nourishment, so she nodded in agreement.

"You go, I’ll be here."

Niu Xue Mei left reassured, while Ye Xia glanced at the room where her third brother lived and said to her husband: "If you’re free, go outside and find a couple of planks to fix this door, and set up an outdoor stove too, so the third brother’s wife can cook in the future."

Since Old Lady Wang had demanded a considerable dowry when Niu Xue Mei married, her father-in-law and mother-in-law initially disliked her and were very critical. However, since she inherited the looks of Old Man Ye and was considered quite pretty, Jia Zhihe treated her well. One year later, she gave the Jia Family a son, and the family’s business prospered after she joined them, so Niu Xue Mei held a high status in her husband’s family. Given this minor issue, Jia Zhihe consented without objection, adjusted his clothing, and went to work.

Ye Qiu opened his weak eyes and smiled appreciatively at his second sister, feeling relieved about entrusting the future care of Niu Xue Mei and her children to them.

Wang Family Village was close to the county, so Niu Xue Mei and the village chief quickly returned after completing all the paperwork at the county government. They then began preparing to kill a chicken for dinner.

Previously, the household chickens were mostly hens since they laid eggs that could be sold for money or used for Ye Conghui and Ye Conghuang, the two brothers. The chicken Niu Xue Mei planned to slaughter was the fattest among the ones divided.

Watching her skillfully slaughter and prepare the chicken, Wang Hong remarked sourly, "Your wife is really extravagant, just killing such a fat chicken. Isn’t the money supposed to be saved for the third son’s treatment?"

Niu Xue Mei didn’t want to respond, as she’s generally outmatched without Ye Qiu’s advice. But Ye Xia couldn’t tolerate it and retorted, "If the elder sister-in-law wants to eat, just kill one yourself, why not? Your family was allocated the most. The third brother is sick; I heard he hasn’t even had an egg these days. Now Niu Xue Mei kills one to nourish her husband, what’s wrong with that? The family has been divided; the elder sister-in-law sure is meddlesome."

"You..." Wang Hong was incensed by Ye Xia’s remarks, yet, she didn’t dare to retort as Ye Xia’s husband’s family was wealthy, and she might need them when her son studied in the county in the future.

Ye Xia understood this mentality and therefore dared to confront her this way. Then she maliciously added, "It’s already past two hours, elder sister-in-law still hasn’t cooked? Or are you waiting for mom to do it? From now on, you’ll need to handle everything at home."

Listening to Ye Qiu’s mention, Wang Hong also felt frustrated. All the chores at the house were previously handled by Niu Xue Mei; she hadn’t done much, but she knew there was a lot of work. The mother-in-law wouldn’t do everything either, and even though the family was split, the father-in-law and mother-in-law were with them, and the household was still under the mother-in-law’s control!

Thinking about this, Wang Hong felt upset, but she couldn’t endure it for the little silver coin her mother-in-law held, considering her two sons’ education relied on the money.

"Lady of the house, why aren’t you cooking by this time? The chickens and ducks need to be fed; hurry up." Wang Hong was just thinking this when Old Lady Wang started shouting, and Wang Hong had no choice but to stomp off.

Ye Xia said while stoking the fire for Niu Xue Mei, "That’s how you deal with her; there will be more work waiting for her in the future. She thought she could still live leisurely like before? There won’t be time to bother you anymore."

Saying this, she frowned, "Although this house is where you’ll stay first, it’s ultimately assigned to the eldest family. If they feel uneasy, they might come to scold frequently. Have you thought about where you’ll live in the future?"

"Yes, I have." Niu Xue Mei replied while chopping vegetables, "When we returned to the village, the village chief told me there’s a hut at the village end. Though dilapidated, it can be repaired and used. He’s willing to lend it temporarily, and if we decide to build a house on that land later, we’ll compensate him for the cost. If we build elsewhere, then we don’t have to."

Ye Xia recalled the hut. It was naturally more run-down compared to the current blue-brick, tiled house, but her third brother’s family was currently living in a room with a broken door, adjacent to a pigsty, not much better. Living separately would mean less hassle, more peace. If she were in that situation, she’d definitely move.

"Did you discuss it with your third brother?"

"Yes, he agreed. I’m thinking of asking someone to repair the roof tomorrow and moving in."

"That’s good. I’ll help you move tomorrow." Ye Xia rarely saw Niu Xue Mei being so decisive and wholeheartedly approved.

"Won’t it affect your family business? We’ve already troubled second sister and brother-in-law all day today." Niu Xue Mei said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Don’t worry." Ye Xia waved her hand, "Our family business has my father-in-law and mother-in-law, and Yu Kun and Yu Feng are grown now; they can help a bit too."

"Alright, then I’ll trouble second sister." Niu Xue Mei didn’t refuse. "When you leave later, take a chicken with you for the children. They’re the ones Cong Ying and Cong Zi caught bugs to raise, especially nourishing."

"I can’t. You need your chickens to lay eggs for money." Ye Xia’s family didn’t lack money to buy chickens, so she didn’t want any.

"It’s alright, we have money for treatment now. Once Ye Qiu gets better, we’ll work hard, and will improve soon enough." Niu Xue Mei said optimistically.

Ye Xia felt slightly reassured upon hearing this, only hoping her third brother would get better soon.

As they were chatting, the big hen went into the pot, releasing a fragrant aroma. Ye Conghui and Ye Conghuang started causing a fuss, saying they wanted to eat chicken too.

Then Ye Xia heard her mother’s scolding voice, "Wang Hong, how are you teaching the kids? Why haven’t you finished cooking? Didn’t you hear the kids are hungry?"