1970s: A hot-tempered wife who accompanied a soldier to the military compound and made a fortune.

Chapter 24 is really shameless.
Anyone can act. She lowered her head, took a deep breath, and then looked up, her eyes filled with tears: "Dad, is that what you think too?"

Old Man Liu looked like he was having a hard time making a decision, which disgusted the three women from the second wife's family, but none of them offered him a way out.

The eldest son of the Liu family did not actually want the second branch of the family to separate and live separately. After all, the second son and his wife had received full work points before, and besides, he had no son. Earning more would only benefit his son.

But given the current situation, he probably has no choice.

Old Man Liu knew that the second branch of the family probably already hated the family, so he simply stopped pretending: "Don't blame the family. Right now, we can only look forward. Since you want to take a gamble, I have no choice but to separate you. After that, whether your branch is good or bad, don't blame the family."

What Liu's mother wanted to hear was her father-in-law's words: even if her husband's leg couldn't be cured and he became a cripple, it would be better than being constantly ridiculed by his family.

Over the years, the parents-in-law have been good at putting on a show in front of outsiders, seemingly treating their three sons equally. But whenever there's something to gain, they bring up the fact that the sons don't have any sons, leaving the in-laws with no way to express their grievances.

If they weren't both insightful people, they probably would have died of depression long ago.

The only thing they did to resist over the years was their three daughters' schooling. That time, her husband made a harsh statement: if they didn't let their three daughters go to school, he would be like his older and younger brothers, never working an extra centimeter. That forced her parents-in-law to give in.

The children of the first and third wives can all go to school, but the children of one's own family have to fight for a place.

The fact that her father-in-law was so willing to agree so easily is obvious. It's because he sees that her husband has lost the ability to earn full work points and is afraid that their medical expenses will burden them.

Looking back now, it's really laughable.

Old Man Liu was afraid that his second daughter-in-law would change her mind: "Dongzi, forget it. Eldest son, go and invite the village chief and the party secretary over."

He wanted his second grandson to make the trip, but considering that what he needed to do today wasn't exactly ethical, he decided it was better to have his eldest son do it instead. Liu Shangang hesitated, "Father, is it really appropriate to send the second son away now?"

Old Man Liu raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice with anger, "Do you think that if we wait until his leg can't be cured before we split the money, the villagers won't gossip?"
Besides, didn't you say that Dongzi's job prospects were good, that he could start working as soon as the arrangements were made and the money was in place? Who am I doing this for?"

The eldest son of the Liu family naturally understood his father's intentions, but with this division of the family, the second son's family would be out of control. What would happen to the promise he made to that person?
If things aren't done well, Dongzi's job is just empty talk.

But since his father had already made his decision, he could only reconsider later. He refused to believe that he couldn't find an opportunity. After all, everyone looks out for themselves, and his son's future was more important than his niece's.

Soon, village chief Deng Huaiming, Party secretary Liu Dagui, and Zhang Ailan, the women's director they met on the way, were invited to Liu's home.

As soon as the Party Secretary entered the main room, he frowned and asked, "Fifth Brother, I heard from your eldest brother that he wants to divide the family property. Are you confused?"

The custom in the village is that the family doesn't separate while the parents are still alive. Of course, this isn't absolute; there are some families in the village that have separated, but they are a minority.

Moreover, the second son is still in the hospital with a leg injury. Now that the family is splitting up, even his third uncle, who is from the same clan, can't stand it.

Since things have already come to this, Old Man Liu is now like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water, but he still tries to salvage the situation by saying, "As the saying goes, a big tree branches out, and grown children separate from their families. We're old and can't manage things anymore, so we don't want the brothers to have disagreements in the future and affect our relationship."

Ha, what nice words. Does breaking up now mean it won't hurt feelings? You really have a thick skin.

(End of this chapter)