Chapter - 49 - Separation 2

"Captain, you've seen it yourself. I can't possibly live in this house any longer. My mother-in-law has beaten and scolded me before, and now she's trying to kill me!" Tang Li sobbed as she spoke.

"Minghuan used to work outside, so I had to endure my mother-in-law's abuse as a woman. But now that Minghuan has returned we want to live separately."

"But my mother-in-law, seeing that we're both strong laborers, refuses to allow it! She's even demanding all the money we've saved. If we don't hand it over, she threatens to kill us."

"Captain, everyone in the village knows how my mother-in-law treats Minghuan. Minghuan has sent back all the money he earned working away from home. But my mother-in-law is still unsatisfied and wants to strip us of everything. She's leaving us with no way to survive..."

Zeng Yazhu, listening to Tang Li's heartfelt words, nodded repeatedly, expressing his deep sympathy. He held nothing but disdain for Gu Xiulan's shrewish behavior.

"This family definitely needs to be divided!" Zeng Yazhu declared. "Mrs. Gu, the young couple will live separately. You can no longer manage their finances. They'll provide you with a certain annual allowance, whether you agree or not is up to you. It's settled."

"Give me five hundred catties of grain every year, or I won't agree to split the family!" Gu Xiulan said fiercely. "Zeng Yazhu, you're just the production team leader. You have no say in our family matters. Stay out of this."

"You're a greedy mother, asking for five hundred catties of grain! Letting them both drink northwest wind!" Zeng Yazhu's heart ached.

Seeing Yi Wanjing smirking gloatingly beside him, he snapped, "Fine! I won't interfere with your family split. I'll take care of what your eldest child does."

Yi Wanjing's face fell. Did the captain just threaten him, making him do all the dirty work in the team from now on?

"Mom, in our team, one person can only get 250 catties of food every year. Asking for 500 catties is too much," Yi Wanjing said, holding back his anger.

He rushed to pull Gu Xiulan aside and persuaded her, "Let's ask for two hundred catties. Think about it, the two of them won't be eating at home anymore. This food will be a lot for us. Yi Minghuan has returned after honing his skills and we can't beat him. If you keep causing trouble, he might hit me again."

Gu Xiulan knew her son was right, but she just couldn't let go.

She had always been the dominant one, venting her anger by beating them when she was unhappy. But now, they had turned the tables on her, mocking her and even threatening her with her eldest child.

It was truly infuriating!

Seeing Gu Xiulan's resistance, Yi Wanjing continued to persuade her in a hushed voice.

Finally, Gu Xiulan gritted her teeth, glared at Yi Minghuan and the others, and angrily cursed, "If you won't agree to two hundred catties of grain per year, I'll die before I see myself suffer in front of you cowards!"

Tang Li was fuming with anger and wanted to silence the old woman.

She felt Yi Minghuan tense up, and he said indifferently, "Fine, two hundred catties it is."

Tang Li patted him on the back gently feeling distressed for him, and said softly, "Don't get angry. Let's agree to the two hundred catties in exchange for a year of peace. If you fight with her, she might actually hurt someone when she loses control."

Under Tang Li's comfort, Yi Minghuan's tense body gradually relaxed.

He looked at Father Yi, who had been quietly leaning against the wall with his head down the whole time, and disappointment and coldness flashed in his eyes.

All his hopes and dreams for family affection were shattered!

"We can pay two hundred catties of grain per year. Captain Zeng Yazhu is here as a witness. Let's go ahead and split the family. We can now figure out how to divide the house and the remaining food. Right?" Tang Li suggested.

"The new house in this family was built with Minghuan's money. We should be allowed to get one, don't you think, Captain?" Tang Li added.

"You're outrageous! You want a share of the house and food, too! Damn!" Gu Xiulan scolded. "Now that the family is split, you two get out!"

"Mrs. Gu, don't go too far! You can't split the family without dividing the property!" Zeng Yazhu couldn't tolerate it any longer.

He said with a stern face, "There are only two brothers, Minghuan and Wanjing, in the family. If the family is splitting, it should be divided equally. Of course, the elder one should get a larger share since the old parents have decided to live him. That's the fair way! I'll call the team's accountant to calculate how the family should be divided."

"Thank you, Captain. You're really kind!" Tang Li expressed her gratitude.

While she didn't expect much from Gu Xiulan, she believed in fighting for what was rightfully theirs even if she didn't care about the old items in the house.

If they didn't stand up for themselves, not only would they not be appreciated for their generosity, but they would also be seen as weak and easily bullied.....