Chapter Four: Separation of the Family, Part One

The patriarch of the Sheng family had passed away two years ago. Sheng Pozi had three sons and two daughters. Sheng Wanqiu’s father was the second son. The eldest brother was Sheng Dashan, married to Liu Juan, and they had three daughters and one son.

Their three daughters were Sheng Zhaodi, 14; Sheng Laidi, 12; and Sheng Pandi, 10. Their son, Sheng Yaozu, was seven.

The second son, Sheng Daniu, Wanqiu’s father, had two sons and one daughter. Recently, he had gone out to do temporary work, but the employer’s house caught fire, and he died in the blaze, along with two other villagers who had gone to work with him.

The third son, Sheng Dalin, married to Zhang Guihua, had a son and a daughter: Sheng Wenwen, 12, and Sheng Jinbao, 8. Sheng Dalin worked odd jobs at a grocery store in the town, while Zhang Guihua stayed home to care for the children and manage the household.

The eldest aunt, Sheng Chunhua, had married into the neighboring village and had two sons. She shared a fiery temperament similar to Sheng Pozi’s and held a respected position in her in-laws’ household.

The youngest aunt, Sheng Xiaohua, was more gentle in nature. She had just married last year into a scholarly family in town and was said to be doing well. Since her marriage, she rarely returned home, and the original owner had no idea how her life was going.

“Honestly, splitting the family is better for everyone. I don’t think anyone wants to spend money raising us three fatherless children for nothing,” Sheng Wanqiu said.

“My father’s compensation money is for my brothers’ education. I won’t use it for anything else. Let me make that clear from the start.”

At these words, Liu Juan, Sheng Dashan’s wife, changed expression and jabbed her husband lightly. Sheng Dashan looked back at her, his gaze tightening, but he said nothing.

Zhang Guihua kept a neutral expression, pressing her lips together without speaking. Sheng Dalin remained silent, his head bowed, emotions unreadable.

Not only did Sheng Wanqiu observe these reactions, but Sheng Pozi also watched closely and felt her heart sink. Her children were grown now and beginning to have their own ideas.

“Let’s split! Let’s split!” Sheng Pozi declared. “If we’re dividing the family, let’s separate everything. It’ll save me the trouble and thankless work.”

“From now on, I’ll live with Huai’an’s family.”

After saying this, Sheng Pozi seemed drained of all spirit.

“Mother, how can you say that? If we split the family, you should live with our household!” Sheng Wanqiu protested.

“Otherwise, what will people say about us?” Liu Juan objected. If the matriarch went to live with the second son’s family, what would become of her own household? After all, Sheng Pozi was still capable and managed many household affairs inside and out.

“The second son’s family is left without an adult. How are those three children supposed to survive?” Liu Juan argued.

“Your daughters, Zhaodi and Laidi, are both able to work now. As long as you don’t slack off, you can handle things just fine!”

“Eldest brother, what do you say?” Sheng Pozi turned to Sheng Dashan, directly asking.

Sheng Dashan was timid by nature. Before he had a son, he felt ashamed to even leave the house, walking with his head down. After finally having a son, he felt he had regained some pride, but his timid nature remained unchanged.

“Husband, say something!” Liu Juan grew anxious seeing her husband remain silent.

Sheng Dashan lifted his head, lips trembling, and said, “Mother, divide as you wish. I have no objections. Whatever you decide is fine.”

Liu Juan nearly lost her temper. What on earth was this useless man saying? He was utterly useless.

Sheng Wanqiu looked at Sheng Dashan, surprised that this dull and timid man could be so firm in the end, ignoring his wife’s urgings.

“Third brother, what do you and your wife say?” Sheng Pozi then turned to her third son and daughter-in-law.

“Mother, we have nothing to say. We’ll follow your decision,” Zhang Guihua glanced at her husband and spoke first.

“Good! Then let’s split the family!”

“Village head, please help us,” Sheng Pozi said, looking at the village chief.

“All right, since Auntie you want to split, we’ll do it,” the village chief nodded at Sheng Pozi.

Sheng Pozi returned to her room and took out a pouch of money.

“You all know the history, so I won’t say more. There are twelve taels of silver now, divided into four parts. I and your three households each get three taels. Any objections?”

“Your original rooms remain yours. The kitchen in the courtyard belongs to me, but you can build your own kitchen. There’s plenty of space in the courtyard.”

“All the farming tools and dining utensils will be divided into three shares; since I will live with Wanqiu and the others, that counts as one share for me.”

“There are three old hens in the yard; each household gets one. The pig hasn’t been sold yet; when sold at year-end, it will be divided into four shares. I get one, and each of you three households gets one.”

“There are twelve acres of good farmland and eight acres of paddy fields, divided into four shares, including mine.”

“There’s only one cooking pot, which goes to me. Regarding my old-age support, I can still work now, so I won’t ask you for silver. Each of your two households will give me fifty jin of grain annually. If I fall ill and need money, all three households will chip in together. Does that sound fair?”

As Sheng Pozi’s lengthy words trailed off, Sheng Wanqiu and her siblings all had tears welling in their eyes. Their grandmother, though fiery in appearance, had a soft heart and treated each of her children kindly and fairly, never overly harsh or biased.

She should have lived with the eldest brother’s family, but out of consideration for her grandchildren, who were still young, she wished to raise them all together.

In Wanqiu’s mind, she saw how much this grandmother favored her. Wanqiu herself was fiery and resentful, sometimes even mischievous. If anyone bullied her, she would strike first and then argue, chasing people with a stick for miles.

More often than not, it was this grandmother who helped her out of trouble, scolding her a bit but never punishing her physically. In the village, she was considered the best grandmother imaginable.

After all, in those times, sons were generally favored over daughters.

“You’ve all heard what your mother said; I won’t repeat it. I will write it clearly in the separation document. If everyone agrees, I’ll start drafting it.”

The village chief admired Sheng Pozi’s fairness. She divided everything equitably, unlike other elders who favored either the eldest or youngest sons.

Sheng Dalin and Zhang Guihua showed no hesitation; both were sensible and nodded in agreement, confident that their mother’s division was just.

With hands and feet ready to work and land to cultivate, their two children could help with household chores. As long as they worked diligently, life would not be difficult.

Sheng Dashan kept his head lowered, silent, but Liu Juan suddenly burst out.

“Mother, this division is unfair. You and Wanqiu’s family have old and young members. I could let the rest go, but the land cannot be divided like this!”

“You simply can’t handle the work on that land. If it’s wasted, it’s a disgrace!”