Chapter 083: I Want to Divide the Family

Chapter 083: I Want to Divide the Family

After leaving Liu Yueru's courtyard, Qingzhou Ruan was so angry that he wanted to go back to the shop immediately but was stopped by Ruan Qinghuan.

"Sister, our cousin has done such a thing; are you still going to let her off?"

Ruan Qinghuan certainly didn't want to. Such a scheme was utterly malicious, and she was truly angry at the moment. Although their relationship had been strained since childhood, Ruan Qinghuan never expected her to go this far.

"I'm not letting her off the hook, but I don't want to upset grandmother."

Recently, grandmother has been unsettled due to the disturbances caused by the second branch's mother and daughter. According to mother, they even had to call a doctor. If this matter escalates, other things aside, grandmother is old, and if something happens to her... it would be too much of a loss.

Qingzhou Ruan clenched his fists until they cracked. His sister's words rang true. Thinking of grandmother, he had to suppress his anger and turned away, heading back to the shop in frustration.

After her brother left, Ruan Qinghuan also turned and walked out. He An shot Jiang Ming a glance and trailed after her.

By the time they returned to the Prime Minister's residence, it was already late. Ruan Qinghuan and He An went directly to Songtao Courtyard. As soon as she entered, she turned and threw herself into He An's arms, not saying a word, just burying her head in his broad chest.

It wasn't that she was particularly sad or fragile; she just wanted to lean on him for a moment.

He An didn't say much either, just held her. Their silhouettes were etched against the window. Xia Lian, who came to serve them for washing, saw this and turned around with the basin, heading to the bathroom.

After a while, she let out a long sigh, and only then did He An speak: "No matter what you decide, I've got your back."

Ruan Qinghuan looked up at him: "I want to divide the family."

**

In the main hall of the Ruan residence, the entire Ruan family had gathered. The matriarch sat at the head, looking slightly weary. Her somewhat cloudy eyes swept over those in the hall, feeling both emotional and somewhat hesitant.

But remembering her granddaughter's words, which made some sense, she thought to listen to everyone's opinions.

Zheng Qiaohui had thought that today's gathering was to discuss her daughter's marriage. She never expected Ruan Qinghuan to propose dividing the family right off the bat, which completely caught her off guard.

"What?" It was like a bolt from the blue. She shot up from her seat, refusing without hesitation: "I disagree. Why should we divide the family when everything is fine?"

She looked at Ruan Chengfu: "Elder brother, for so many years, our second branch has contributed to this family, if not with merit, then with hard work. Now you propose to divide the family, clearly wanting to kick us out after using us. The Ruan family's assets are all in your hands. How are we supposed to live if the second branch is forced out?"

Ruan Chengfu looked troubled, instinctively glancing at his daughter, but then his wife spoke: "Sister-in-law, don't worry. After the division, we naturally won't treat you unfairly. The house in the west of the city and two profitable shops will be enough for your family to live on."

"That's not acceptable. I still disagree." Zheng Qiaohui's face turned pale with anger. Without the Ruan family's wealthy reputation, how would they be any different from ordinary citizens in the capital? Besides, how much prestige could two shops bring?

The more she dwelled on it, the more wronged she felt, and tears sprang to her eyes. Zheng Qiaohui pitifully threw herself at the old lady's feet: "Mother, we are your flesh and blood. How can you be so biased? Chenglin is old now, and you want to kick us out of the house. How can you bear to part with Xiao Rou and Qingchi?"

Mentioning her grandchildren, the old lady's expression softened, and she let out a long sigh.

But over the years, what Zheng Qiaohui had done was truly hard to forgive. The old lady closed her eyes, leaving it all to Qing Huan to handle.

Qingzhou Ruan was impatient: "Aunt, in my opinion, with your current status, you should look down on two shops. Why make it seem like you're suffering so much?"

Thinking of how the second branch had often caused trouble for his mother and sister over the years, Qingzhou Ruan unconditionally stood by his sister's side. Since she proposed to divide the family, then the family must be divided.

"Qingzhou, I am your aunt. How can you be so rude, speaking to me like this?"

Qingzhou Ruan wanted to argue with her, but was interrupted by his sister: "Qingzhou, help grandmother back to Jingxin Pavilion to rest."

Seeing the old lady about to leave, Zheng Qiaohui stepped forward to stop her, but was blocked by Qingzhou Ruan. She became anxious, grabbing her husband Ruan Chenglin's lapel and shouting: "Why don't you say something? If mother leaves, who will stand up for us?"

Ruan Chenglin's face was ashen: "I agree to divide the family."

"Agree, my ass! This family isn't splitting up. Why should it be divided? We've lived here for almost twenty years, and now you want to kick us out just like that?" Zheng Qiaohui became more and more agitated: "Dream on."

Zhou Yunzhi, used to her tantrums, turned away, annoyed. She didn’t know why her daughter had suddenly proposed dividing the family, but there must be a reason.

Ruan Qinghuan, seeing that the commotion had gone on long enough, took out a stack of documents from her sleeve and placed them on the high table.

She looked at her second uncle with a hint of guilt, but this was the only way. She did this not only because Ruan Xiaoyue harbored hatred towards her, but also because she didn’t want to take any risks.

Given Ruan Xiaoyue’s temperament, she might indeed betray the Ruan family out of her inexplicable hatred for Ruan Qinghuan and her desire to please Pei Chong.

Since the marriage alliance between the Pei and Ruan families was a fact, it was better for the second branch to set up their own household. From then on, the Pei family would only be the in-laws of the second uncle, with no connection to them whatsoever.

He An remained silent throughout, but the moment Zheng Qiaohui glared fiercely at Ruan Qinghuan, his deep, cold eyes turned to ice.

Zheng Qiaohui looked at the documents on the high table, her private seal printed on the first page, and a sense of dread immediately filled her.

Ruan Chengfu, curious, picked them up and flipped through them. When he saw the contents, his face, initially guilty, turned angry. Seeing the total amount on the last page, which was as much as twenty thousand taels, he exclaimed, "This is unacceptable! I wondered why the chief accountant kept saying there were issues with the accounts, and even after checking three times with Qingzhou, we couldn’t reconcile them. It turns out you were secretly embezzling funds!"

Ruan Chenglin, who had initially harbored some resentment towards his brother, immediately stood up and snatched the documents upon hearing this. The private seal on them was indeed his wife Zheng Qiaohui’s. His face darkened as he threw the documents at her, demanding, "What is the meaning of this?"

Caught red-handed, Zheng Qiaohui struggled to explain herself. Stammering, she retorted angrily, "What do you mean? It’s all because you’re incompetent!"

Ruan Chenglin’s face turned pale at her words, and he slapped her.

This slap stunned Zheng Qiaohui. The man who had always been weak and submissive, who wouldn’t respond even after ten sentences, had actually hit her?

Zheng Qiaohui completely lost her mind, shouting without regard for her image, "You’ve grown some backbone, haven’t you? When Ruan Qinghuan got married, the family gave her twenty thousand taels as a dowry, but when it came to our Xiaoyue, it was only five thousand taels. Can you, as her father, swallow that? I can’t stand to see my daughter suffer, so I took the money. What are you going to do about it?"

Seeing his wife’s unrepentant attitude, Ruan Chenglin’s face turned ashen. "I’ve told you many times, that extra fifteen thousand taels was added by Qinghuan’s maternal grandfather."

Zheng Qiaohui spat, "That’s nonsense, and only a fool like you would believe it."

Ruan Qinghuan stood up, not wanting to waste any more words. "Second Aunt, if this matter goes to court, it might affect Xiaoyue and Xiaorou. Would you prefer to sign the family division agreement yourself, or should I involve the Jingzhao Mansion to oversee the division?"