Volume One, Chapter 20: Robbing Half a Household

Shi Zhien was a man of high principles; he did not believe that a family consisting only of daughters was in any way inferior. Sun Guijuan and her husband, however, were biased toward sons. Seeing that Father Tang’s family was comprised entirely of girls, they had allowed the eldest son’s family to bully them, proving themselves to be quite muddled as well.

"Tell me how you intend to divide the household; I will serve as your witness!"

Sun Lanzhi then repeated what she had said before. It was nothing more than each family returning to their own quarters, taking responsibility for their own food and expenses from now on, with the elderly couple staying with the eldest son and the lame uncle going to Father Tang. As for the household items, she hadn't mentioned a single word.

Shi Zhien frowned tightly upon hearing this and glared at Sun Lanzhi. "Is this what you call dividing a household?"

"You call this a division?"

"In the old days, this would be called an eviction!"

Sun Lanzhi turned pale from the sharp rebuke. "Then... then how should it be divided?"

"How? Hmph!" Shi Zhien was too annoyed to deal with Sun Lanzhi. He turned to Father Tang and said, "Father Tang, list your accounts. What in this house did you pay for?"

Upon hearing that he could list his accounts, Father Tang perked up. "Do... do I have to list everything?"

"Nonsense! Since you are splitting up, why should they benefit from your things?"

"That’s true..." A flicker of excitement appeared on Father Tang’s weathered face. He scanned the courtyard and began to point things out one by one.

"This large vat? I paid for it out of my own pocket."

"And this flatbed cart? I paid for it myself and had it custom-made by Wang the Pockmarked from the neighboring village!"

"These two clay stoves, I made them."

"And this..."

As Father Tang went through the list, Sun Lanzhi’s expression grew increasingly grim. By the time the second son’s family finished pointing things out, they were taking away more than half of her household!

Father Tang was an honest man. After looking around again, he pointed to the door painted with blue oil paint and said, "I made this door too!"

Sun Lanzhi felt such a sting of loss she nearly fainted. "You are robbing me! There is no such way to divide a family!"

Shi Zhien glared at her. "Then how do you suggest it be divided? Should they just leave their own belongings behind?"

Sun Lanzhi was only brave when bullying those within her own walls; when truly confronted by a village official like Shi Zhien, she was a paper tiger. Under his cold, sharp gaze, she immediately fell silent.

At this moment, Tang Wangwan stepped forward and pointed toward the shadows of the courtyard wall. "And that 'Big 28' bicycle—my father paid for half of it!"

Inside the house, Tang Jinghai heard this and sat up from the kang with a start. He had intended to return to school this morning, but last night, he had eaten a bowl of pork stewed with glass noodles that his grandmother had secretly set aside for him. As a result, he had started suffering from diarrhea before dawn.

He had already made at least ten trips to the outhouse all morning. His legs were still weak. Tang Jinghai knew his "Big 28" bicycle was likely in jeopardy. He wanted to go out and protect it, but he couldn't bring himself to discard his dignity as a scholar. He felt that bickering and calculating like a village woman was beneath his status. And so, he remained inside, clutching his stomach in agony.

In the courtyard, Sun Guijuan protested, "You cannot take that bike! If you take it, how will my eldest grandson get to school?!"

"Who cares how he gets to school!" Tang Wangwan smiled. "If you don't want us to take it, give us half the money for it."

"I have no money!" the old woman, Sun Guijuan, played the rogue.

Tang Wangwan smiled and walked toward the bicycle. If there was no money, that was fine—she would just dismantle it! If she couldn't take the whole thing, she would take the two wheels!

"Father, are there any other accounts to report?"

"Yes. Your eldest uncle’s family still owes us over 270 yuan. We won't bother with the small change, just pay us back the 270!"

At this moment, the resentment in Father Tang’s heart finally dissipated a little. For so many years, whenever his elder brother and sister-in-law saw them living a slightly better life, they would borrow money under various pretexts. He was a man of thin skin who didn't want to hurt the harmony between brothers, so he had always handed over the money without hesitation. And what was the result? Some people’s hearts simply could not be tamed or warmed.

The crowd was shocked upon hearing this. "My god! Tang Dali’s family owes them that much money? And they still have the nerve to go around saying others eat for free?!"

"Exactly! How heartless..."

In truth, once the decision to split was made, it happened quickly. With the village chief Shi Zhien watching, Sun Lanzhi could not deny the debts. Every time Father Tang pointed something out, the third brother would call the villagers watching the spectacle to help load it onto the flatbed cart. The most enthusiastic helper was the man with the side-parted hair who had called the village chief earlier. His nickname was "Shun the Beggar," which meant he was a drifter who spent his days roaming the streets. Tang Wangwan almost laughed when she heard the crowd call him that.

Shun the Beggar was strong and energetic. After loading the items, he wanted to tear down Sun Lanzhi’s door panels as well, but he was stopped by the village chief. One should always leave a little room for others; in such cold weather, without a door, the wind would howl right into the house!

There is strength in numbers. In less than half an hour, the household was cleanly divided. Father Tang was not good with words and could only thank the villagers who helped. Tang Wangwan, being a young woman, also found it difficult to address everyone. It was the third brother who regained his old silver-tongued charm, waving at the villagers.

"After my second brother’s second son-in-law is discharged from the hospital, I invite everyone to come over and eat red-dyed eggs..."

There was a custom in the village: when a sick person recovered, they would give out red-dyed eggs to those who came to visit—one for each person. They were all from the same village; it was just a matter of lending a hand, and no one really cared about the eggs. They shook their heads, saying it was too polite.

"Third Brother, if there’s anything you need help with, just call us. Don't be a stranger."

"That's right, Third Brother. Next time you split a house, we’ll come help again..."

Tang the Third’s mouth twitched, and he jokingly swung his walking stick at them. "You rascals, you don't know how to say anything nice!"

"Hahaha..."

Laughter broke out in the crowd, and then they dispersed. In the end, Tang Wangwan didn't take the whole bike, but she did take the two wheels back to their own courtyard. The third brother felt that two wheels weren't worth the money and that they were at a loss, so he somehow managed to dismantle the handlebars and throw them onto the cart as well.

Before they left, Sun Lanzhi chased after them. Tang Wangwan just smiled and offered a sincere suggestion: "Bring half the money for the bike, and you can redeem the wheels!"

"Ah..."

"Ahhh! I’m going to die of anger!" Sun Lanzhi collapsed on the ground, throwing a tantrum.

Tang Jinghai walked over on tiptoe, whispering in embarrassment, "Mother? Without the bike, how am I supposed to get to school?"

"You have the nerve to come back and ask me that? Where were you when we were splitting the house just now?!"

"Mother, that was a matter for you women. I am a man of letters..."

"Ah..."

"Ew... has Dali’s wife gone mad? Let's go, let's go, before she tries to scratch us!"

The villagers who hadn't left yet saw Sun Lanzhi’s crazed state and hurried away. Tang Jinghai rubbed his nose, feeling that his mother had brought him great shame. He hung his head and went back inside, feeling quite humiliated.

By the time the division was finished, it was past twelve o'clock at noon. The courtyard was in complete disarray. Tang Wangwan stood there, feeling a bit troubled. She was short on time and needed to hurry back to the county health center. She didn't know if Lu Hang had woken up yet, and she was worried about him.