Chapter 96: Dividing the Household

Chapter 96: Dividing the Household

Though Lin Yushu seemed young, he was a strapping lad accustomed to hard work. Lin Shu knew from his wood-chopping stance that he was no stranger to chores at home.

Good—he hadn't let his studies turn him into a pampered young master.

After chopping a small pile of firewood, enough for three or four days, Lin Yushu wiped the sweat from his brow and bid farewell to Lin Shu and Zhou Ye.

"Have you been reading by lamplight lately?" Lin Shu asked.

Lin Yushu first shook his head, then nodded. "I listened to Sister A Shu and stopped staying up late to read. At most, I use the lamp for a little over half an hour."

Lin Shu reminded him to take care of himself and let him go.

Summer was manageable with its long days and short nights, but winter's endless nights would surely tempt the studious boy to sneak in some reading by lamplight.

She had already accelerated her lessons these past few days. In less than a month, this boy would be studying the Four Books and Five Classics—a truly formidable feat.

"A Ye, how well do you remember the characters I taught you today?" Lin Shu asked, noticing Zhou Ye still sketching characters on bamboo strips nearby.

Zhou Ye looked up. "I've memorized them all."

Lin Shu tested him immediately and was pleased to find he could write each character from memory.

Lin Yushu was a promising scholar, but A Ye, with his diligence, was no less capable.

"A Shu," Zhou Ye called out. Unaccustomed to subtlety, he suggested bluntly, "Could you tell a different story next time?"

Lin Shu blinked. "Of course I'll change it. I tell a different short story every day. After teaching you, I can also teach Xiao Pu."

Zhou Ye...

In the end, he relented. "A Shu can decide."

Lin Shu laughed inwardly. Seeing Zhou Ye's usually expressionless face flicker with helplessness, resignation, and even a hint of embarrassment inexplicably delighted her.

"A Shu, my hand doesn't hurt anymore. I want to work," Zhou Ye said.

Lin Shu was both amused and exasperated. "Can't you just sit still? Isn't it nice to sit with me, doing nothing but chatting?"

Zhou Ye looked at her, hesitated for a moment, then spoke honestly. "A Shu, you kissed me yesterday, and you kissed me again today. When I'm alone with you, I can't stop thinking about it. If I think too much, I'm afraid I'll have inappropriate dreams again tonight."

Hearing this, Lin Shu flushed with embarrassment and lightly punched him. "A Ye, you're at it again! Keep those thoughts to yourself! How can you say such things to my face? Aren't you ashamed?"

Zhou Ye endured her flurry of light punches without flinching and explained, "If I weren't honest, you'd be upset with me anyway. Since I'll make you angry either way, I might as well tell the truth."

One was anger, the other was flustered embarrassment. He naturally preferred the latter.

And besides—

Zhou Ye gazed at Lin Shu's cheeks, flushed with embarrassment, and the faint pink tinging the corners of her eyes. She looked exquisitely beautiful.

He loved seeing A Shu shy.

But Zhou Ye didn't realize that after Lin Shu confirmed their relationship today, his gaze had grown bolder.

He thought he was discreetly hiding his secret thoughts, but his intense, burning stare was unmistakable, lingering on Lin Shu's face and keeping her cheeks warm long after.

"You—you should go back to practicing your characters!" Lin Shu glared at him fiercely but found it hard to stay angry.

If anyone else had said the same words as Zhou Ye, it would have felt like teasing or vulgarity. But when Zhou Ye spoke in his earnest, straightforward tone, it seemed as though he was just honestly explaining himself.

The intimate atmosphere in the courtyard didn't last long. Lin Xiaopu returned, bringing news about the Zhao family's household division.

The Zhao family had divided, though "division" wasn't entirely accurate—only Uncle Zhao San was separated from the main household.

Uncle Zhao San's insistence on leaving, even if it meant receiving fewer fields, had angered the two elders. In the end, he was allotted only two mu of land.

Although the Zhao family wasn't wealthy, they owned seventeen or eighteen mu of land. Even if divided unfairly due to parental favoritism, as in the Lin family, the least one could expect was four mu. Why would they give him only two?

One mu of land produced barely enough grain to feed one person for a year. It's true Uncle Zhao San's household had only two people, but did that justify only two mu? If they had children later, how would two mu suffice?

"Xiao Pu, is your information reliable? Where did you hear it?" Lin Shu asked, frowning.

Lin Shu had only seen Uncle Zhao San from a distance once—a stern, sturdy man with a somewhat sorrowful look, even more reserved than A Ye. He certainly wouldn't spread news about the family separation.

Aunt Lin was even less likely to talk. From what she'd overheard of Second Sister-in-law Zhao's mockery of Aunt Lin at the Zhao doorstep, it was clear Aunt Lin had endured much hardship over the years. Whether her parents-in-law had mistreated her was uncertain, but her two sisters-in-law had undoubtedly caused her grief.

Though Aunt Lin had her own opinions and made sure she didn't get stuck with extra work, the cutting words were like knives—how could they not hurt?

Despite this, she had never spoken out about her suffering.

Lin Shu couldn't help but think of He Guixiang.

Before their family separation, her mother's situation had been quite similar to Aunt Lin's. But her mother was more gentle-natured, bearing the brunt of labor without complaint. She felt it was her due, so she didn't harbor much resentment from her elder sister-in-law and grandmother-in-law's verbal taunts.

Lin Xiaopu said, "Sis, the news should be reliable. Wang Yingen got it from the village children he plays with."

"Did Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao give Uncle Zhao San anything else?" Lin Shu asked.

Lin Xiaopu shook his head, also feeling Grandpa Zhao was too harsh. "Two mu of land, a bag of coarse rice, a bag of mixed grains, and a set of bowls and chopsticks. He'll move out once he builds a new house."

Lin Shu sighed. Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao were clearly trying to force Uncle Zhao San to back down, never expecting he'd agree to such harsh terms in his determination to leave.

The village houses were thatched huts, relatively quick to build, but even they required foundations and beams. One person couldn't manage it alone; he'd need help from villagers.

And asking for help meant providing at least several decent meals. With only one bag of coarse rice and one of mixed grains, Uncle Zhao San and Aunt Lin might not even have enough to last until harvest. How could they feed others?

When her parents first separated, even with Lin Yao still around and some savings, they struggled. They had to borrow money from neighbors to get by.

If Uncle Zhao San or Aunt Lin came to borrow money, He Guixiang would probably lend it—after all, no one understood the struggles of post-separation life better than her. Besides their family, there was also Aunt Li. Aunt Li was a kind-hearted person and close to Aunt Lin, so she would certainly help out.

Thinking this, Lin Shu felt it was for the best that Uncle Zhao San and Aunt Lin moved out. Life had been too oppressive in the main household. With less emotional pressure, perhaps Aunt Lin would get pregnant soon.

Honestly, having no children seemed fine too—life was what you made of it, wasn't it? But Lin Shu knew others didn't see it that way. Ancient people placed great importance on continuing the family bloodline. Having a daughter was scorned as a "financial burden," and being childless, like Aunt Lin, invited ridicule and placed a heavy yoke on her.

Fortunately, Aunt Lin was strong-willed and not weak, and Uncle Zhao San was a real man. Otherwise, Lin Shu didn't dare imagine how a more timid woman might have fared in such circumstances—perhaps even feeling life wasn't worth living.

Hearing her sigh, Zhou Ye guessed her concerns and comforted her, "Uncle Zhao San is a steadfast man. If he's determined, life will improve. The beginning may be hard, but we can offer some assistance."

In truth, he thought Uncle Zhao San had been too hesitant. If it were him, he would have separated long ago if life was unhappy instead of waiting until now.

The Zhao household Lin Shu and Zhou Ye discussed was currently filled with heavy silence.

None of the Zhao men had gone to the fields today. After such an event, who had the heart to work?

After the village chief left, Grandpa Zhao and his wife locked themselves in their room, too furious to come out. Zhao Laoda and his wife were inside trying to console them.

In the second branch of the family, Second Sister-in-law Zhao had two slap marks on her face—one from Zhao Laosan, who had never hit a woman before, and the other from her own husband, Zhao Laoer.

She covered her face and sobbed, while the two children in the house also cried along with her.

"Cry, cry, cry—that's all you know how to do! If you hadn't sowed discord, would Third Brother have caused such a scene over his wife? Would Dad and Mom be this angry? Now the whole village is laughing at our family—I'm too ashamed to even step outside! How did I end up marrying a woman like you?" Zhao Laoer said coldly.

Second Sister-in-law Zhao looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong with a woman like me? Haven't I served you well every day you come home? Have you ever managed anything at home? My hands were tender and smooth back in my parents' home, but ever since I married into the Zhao family, I've had to wash clothes, cook, and work every day—my hands have become rough from all the labor! Have I ever complained even once?"

Zhao Laoer was unmoved. "What woman doesn't cook? Are you special? Eldest Sister-in-law, you, and Third Sister-in-law take turns cooking—how did it become your daily chore?"

Second Sister-in-law Zhao cried, "One day it's cooking, the next laundry and dishes, the day after feeding the chickens and ducks—there's never a day off. I also have to take care of two children. Do you think only you work hard in the fields? No matter how tired I am, I still have to wear a smile and massage your shoulders and legs when you come home. Today, I just said a few extra words in front of Lin Zhaodi. Third Brother slapping me was one thing, but why did you, Zhao Laoer, have to hit me too? Back when we were together, what did you promise me? You said if I married you, you'd never let me suffer or work hard. Is this what you meant by not suffering or working hard?"

Zhao Laoer's anger subsided somewhat after hearing this, but it was replaced by an even more irritable feeling.

He might have felt guilty if she'd said this once or twice, but she brought it up every time, and hearing it over and over again just annoyed him.

He had indeed made that promise back then, but hadn't he treated her well enough?

In other families, women had to work in the fields during busy seasons, but he had never once asked his wife to do so all these years. Was washing clothes and cooking really such a hardship? If she didn't want to do any work at all, why marry a farmer? She might as well have become a concubine for some local masters in town!

But Zhao Laoer didn't dare say any of this now—if he did, she would only make more of a scene, and that would irritate him even more. Instead, he coldly rebuked her, "Why did you have to spread rumors in front of Third Sister-in-law? You know how much Third Brother dotes on his wife!"

Second Sister-in-law Zhao whimpered. "How was it spreading rumors? Wasn't I just saying what the old woman meant? Can you honestly say Grandpa and Grandma don't want Third Brother to remarry? It's only because the family can't afford another wedding for him that they're considering having him adopt a child. But would you be willing to have our child call Third Brother 'Dad' and you 'Second Uncle'? Even if you were, I wouldn't! If Lin Zhaodi had shown me some respect, I might have considered it, but as you saw, she's never been friendly toward me. I was so angry that I let it slip."

Zhao Laoer's expression softened a little. "But you shouldn't have said Third Brother agreed to the adoption. He had no idea about it."

Second Sister-in-law Zhao said resentfully, "How was I supposed to know? I thought Dad and Mom had talked to Third Brother first before asking us."

Zhao Laosan finally calmed down. "Alright, stop crying. What's done is done—what can we do now? But because you couldn't keep your mouth shut, Zhao San is upset with me too. In the future…" He sighed.

In the future, after Zhao San moved out, the brotherly bond would likely grow more distant.

While Zhao Laoer and his wife were arguing, Zhao Laosan and Lin Zhaodi were also in their room, whispering.

Unlike the crying and commotion next door, the atmosphere in their room was unusually still.

For a long time, Lin Zhaodi felt as though she were dreaming.

They'd really split from the family? She and Zhao San had actually moved out…

Lin Zhaodi wanted to laugh, but instead, she cried.