Becoming a stepmother of three children gives me space

The day after Tang Huaian was taken away, the village chief and the legal advisor, who had just recovered from their injuries, were invited to the Tang family to preside over the division of the family.

Tang Hao and his wife, who were at the forefront of the melon-eating, informed Xiao Yunxi that when they arrived at Tang's house, the villagers had blocked it completely, with some even climbing up the wall.

Uncle Tang, who was leaning on a cane and dragging his sick body to the front of the melon-eating crowd, waved at Xiao Yunxi:

“There’s room here.”

When the villagers saw her, they consciously made way for her and urged her to

"Go to the front."

"The view is good over there."

"Go quickly."

The corners of Xiao Yunxi's mouth twitched. Is it really appropriate to eat melons so ostentatiously?

The village chief glared at the younger generation who was shouting the loudest and said, "Just watch the show, why are you shouting so loudly!"

Fortunately, the Tang family had no time to care about it.

"If the boss can divide it, why can't we!"

"I just want a room and 5 mu of land, nothing else!"

"We're going to split up!"

Ma Cuilan pointed at the noses of the third and fourth brothers and cursed:

"Unfilial things, I've raised you for so many years in vain! You can't split up the family!"

After that, he started to throw a tantrum.

"I'm dead!"

Lying on the ground and rolling around, howling like ghosts and wolves, the third and fourth sons' wives were not willing to be outdone.

“Life is unbearable!”

The two of them sat down on the ground, smoke and dust rose up, their thighs slapped each other, and they cried like thunder:

"The third child has been working from dawn to dusk, doing temporary work for so many years, and the child hasn't even had a new piece of clothing. He doesn't have enough to eat and is still hungry. Village chief, please take care of us!"

"The children are hungry and cold, the fourth child has no steamed bread to eat every day, and the fifth child's family eats white flour and meat every day. Who can live like this?"

The two women cried and pulled their children to cry together. The situation was completely out of control.

For unknown reasons, Ma Cuilan and Tang Guochen agreed to split the family business with the eldest brother, even when the eldest brother was not present. Unexpectedly, the third and fourth brothers also joined in the fun and wanted to split the family business.

The women and children were crying, and the village chief was worried. The lawyer thought for a moment:

"The law doesn't stipulate that the family property can't be divided, but your parents are still alive, so it's up to them to decide how to divide the property. If you insist on dividing it, you will have to accept the final distribution, which may be very disadvantageous to you."

The trees are divided into branches, and the children are divided into branches.

Since ancient times, family division has been a common phenomenon, but in feudal society, there were many restrictions.

The ancients attached great importance to filial piety, and dividing the family property was, in a sense, in conflict with filial piety.

The laws of the previous dynasty stipulated that if any descendants set up separate household registrations and divided property while their grandparents and parents were still alive, they would be beaten with the stick 100 times.

Caning and flogging are different.

Caning is done by whipping with bamboo strips, which at most causes flesh wounds. Beating is done by using a large board, and one hit from the board can take half the life out of the person. After 100 hits, the person is likely to be dead.

The law seems very strange, but it is actually related to the previous dynasty's tax and labor service policy.

Some people would divide their property to avoid taxes and labor service. As their household status decreased, the taxes and labor service they had to bear would be much less. Therefore, in order to strengthen the collection of taxes and labor service, restrictive laws would appear.

The conditions for household division in Daxia were more relaxed than those in the previous dynasty.

When parents are alive, they are the ones who decide how to divide the family property. When parents are not around, the elders in the clan are the ones who decide how to divide the family property. If you want to force a separation, the property cannot be divided.

The third and fourth brothers looked at their wives and nodded:

"We don't want the money from our family, but all the money we earned from growing crops over the years should be given to the public, at least a portion should be given."

"This makes sense, so let's divide it now."

Ma Cuilan had no choice but to be forced to divide the family property. It was impossible for her to be stingy. The third and fourth sons were given two acres of land but no houses. The eldest son wanted two rooms and nothing else.

The Tang family was torn apart, leaving only the bachelor, the second son, and the parasite, the fifth son and his wife.

Xiao Yunxi just couldn't understand why Tang Guochen and Ma Cuilan could possibly agree to the eldest scholar's family splitting up? And why were the third and fourth sons joining in the fun?

.......

County,

Tang Huaian looked haggard as he was brought out of prison by his father-in-law. Feeling the warmth of the sun, he felt as if he were in another world.

"The division of the family should be settled. You won't blame me, right?"

"Thanks to my father-in-law's efforts, the dean dropped the lawsuit. I am so grateful that I cannot even begin to blame him."

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Your parents may harbor resentment and threaten them. Don't worry about it. Do your filial duty. The two houses in Tangjia Village are your roots. When you become an official in the future, your evaluation within the clan will be crucial. You must be dedicated to your clan members."

"Follow my father-in-law's instructions."

The division of the Tang family became a hot topic of conversation among everyone after dinner. In the afternoon, the popularity of this matter was completely suppressed by what happened next.

"Who is Xiao Yunxi?"

The villagers who were busy working, as well as the villagers from other villages who came to sell soy milk, all looked up curiously.

There were 7 or 8 people coming, holding long swords, wearing yamen runners' uniforms, and looking ferocious.

"I'm Xiao Yunxi, what can I do for you, sir?"

The leading yamen runner drew his long sword and roared fiercely:

"Capture the criminal Xiao Yunxi. All outsiders, please get out of the way!"

The yamen runners he brought with him drew their knives and tried to surround Xiao Yunxi. The villagers who were busy with their work immediately put down their work and surrounded her.

The yamen runners looked ferocious and cursed loudly with their knives in hand:

"We are the yamen runners of the prefectural city. We have been ordered to arrest the criminals. Anyone who dares to stop us will be killed without mercy."

The villagers refused to budge, threatening to kill their driver if they dared to move. The leader disappeared the instant he stepped forward.

Shouldn't these untouchables be trembling in fear and begging for mercy on their knees? What's the point of looking so eager to fight them?

Is it because I'm not fierce enough?

Or was it because I didn't explain it clearly enough and they didn't understand the seriousness of the matter?

"We are carrying out our official duties, arresting the wanted criminal. Are you planning to rebel?"

Old Lady Lu scratched her ears and muttered:

"Can't you use some fresh words?"

Although her voice was small, it was particularly clear in the quiet environment. The faces of the leading yamen runners were all black. It was really weird. Were these villagers really not afraid?

The workers who were building the house also came with their tools. They were strong and robust, and the yamen runners' hands were shaking a little as they held their knives. Could it be that these people were really going to rebel?

They are yamen runners. If they are arrested openly, they will be beheaded!

Xiao Yunxi remained extremely calm from beginning to end. She knew why these people came. The show was finally about to begin!

"Gentlemen, please put away your swords. Don't scare the women and children. Even if you scare the flowers and plants, it's not good. Let's talk slowly if there's anything we need to say."

The leading yamen runner did not want to anger the villagers.

"We received a report that someone died from eating tofu in Tangjia Village. We need to take you back."

Wow!

The whole place was in an uproar. Could eating tofu actually kill someone?

The villagers from another village who were selling soy milk were so scared that their legs were shaking. They were the ones who brought the soy milk, so Xiao Yunxi wouldn't blame them, right?

That's a murder case, someone will die!

Xiao Yunxi's next words made them breathe a sigh of relief:

"I can cooperate with the investigation..."