Adorable Kids in Space: Lucky Wife is So Carefree

What is supposed to come will still come.

The village chief, clan head, and four elders sat in the middle of the main room, with Tang Laoqi and Tang Dashi sitting side by side to the side. Jiang Shi had originally intended to sit next to Tang Laoqi, but a glare from an elder made her quickly straighten up. The other two children from the eldest son's family had also returned. The three of them, dressed smartly and looking nothing like peasants, stood together, and all sided with Tang Laoqi, Tang Dashi, and Jiang Shi. Tang Ercai's eyes were practically slits, his overnourished face full of disdain and defiance. Once they were all in place, Ru Xiu and the children entered one by one, first greeting the village chief and elders, then standing on the other side. Although their clothes were old and patched, they were clean and tidy, and the children stood tall with clear eyes.

This doesn't look like a family, but rather like two armies facing off.

Everyone has known about Tang Laoqi's family situation for years, and the elders have also heard about the incident that happened to Tang Laoqi's family last night. But seeing such a stark contrast, it's clear that the head of this family is biased towards Hai.

Ru Xiu truly admired the original owner. She could endure such a family for so long, even until she kicked the bucket, and still not get fair treatment from her closest relatives for her children. If Tang Ershi were alive, she wondered what he would think. But Ru Xiu thought: This justice must be served for the original owner, otherwise she would be unworthy of being human.

"Tang Laoqi, as the head of the family, you should tell us how you want the family divided up." The division of the family is always presided over by the clan elders, and the village chief is just a witness.

"According to custom, the family property is divided into three parts: one for my husband and me, and one each for the eldest and second wives. We will live and eat with the eldest wife, and after we pass away, the property under our names will naturally go to the eldest wife." This is the usual way to divide a family property in the village. The elders nodded, and Tang Laoqi wasn't out of his mind.

"The family has eighteen mu of fertile land and seven mu of mountain land. Logically, it should be divided into three parts. However, the second branch is a widow and her children. Ershi's family has just recovered from a serious illness, and Xige is probably unable to take care of things and cannot cultivate the land. Therefore, we will take care of the second branch and not divide the fertile land. All seven mu of mountain land will be given to them."

"Dafu will be getting married in a few years. The current house is just enough for us. The second wife should move to the old house, which is more spacious."

I initially thought Tang Laoqi was a coward for life after hearing his first few sentences, but after last night's lecture, I finally realized he had a clear understanding. I didn't expect that he wasn't unclear-minded, but rather that his heart had already strayed to the north.

Everyone in the village knows that the mountainous areas can't produce grain, and Tang Laoqi's old house has been uninhabited for over a decade and is already in a dilapidated state.

"What do you two, Da Shi and Er Shi, have to say?" For farmers, their land and houses are the most important things. We should always listen to each other's opinions; if no one has any objections, there's no need to start a dispute.

"The eldest son's family is entirely decided by his parents." Anyone can say nice things when they've gained an advantage. Tang Dashi had Jiang's triangular eyes, a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, but his chin was full of fat and he was also very fat. He looked like a compass that was about to fall over at any time, which was quite comical.

"The second branch of the family will naturally listen to their parents. However, the value of fertile fields and mountain land is different. The clan elders can help calculate how much silver should be added. As for moving to the old house, the second branch has no objection. However, the old house has not been inhabited for more than ten years. We would like to ask the clan elders to find an experienced craftsman to take a look. It would be best if the clan elders personally handed over the materials and the amount of silver needed to the craftsman. We will move in as soon as the house is repaired."

“You second branch of the family are our servants, why should we pay you extra money?”

“You little beggars don’t deserve land. You should just go begging with a broken bowl.”

“You don’t even deserve to live in the latrines. We won’t give you a single copper coin.”

Tang Dafu and Tang Ercai already looked down on the second wife's family, and were even more jealous of their handsome faces. In addition, Zhang and Jiang often cursed and muttered behind their backs, so they naturally picked up the same words from them.

Last night, when people learned that the Tang family was going to split up, many came to watch the spectacle. Anyway, there was little work to do in the fields after the autumn harvest, and the courtyard was full of people. They all erupted in anger when they heard such hurtful words.

"Is Ershi really the Tang family's biological son? The eldest son's family has always treated the second son's family like servants! No wonder they don't give him food or clothing."

"Look at the eldest son's family, they're all chubby-bellied and dressed like young masters. They don't look like a family at all!"

"The Tang family house is so big that the second son can only live in one room, while the eldest son, who only has two people, occupies four rooms. How can anyone live in the old Tang family house? It's half collapsed and overgrown with weeds! Stray dogs and cats have made their homes there."

Ru Xiu wasn't unaware of the old house's situation, but she wanted a complete separation and didn't want to get close to these troublesome relatives. However, she insisted on having enough money and refused to compromise on what was rightfully hers.

"Where have all these children gone from their studies? You've disappointed us so much." The clan elder shook his head as he looked at Da Shi. He used to think that the two children from the second branch of the family were going to school and would be able to support the family, but now it seems that not only have they not become successful, they've been completely spoiled.

"Did you read it and then forget it? Haha!"

"This is Tang Dafu's third year taking the exam, isn't it? He can't even pass the preliminary exam." The villagers, never ones to shy away from gossip, chimed in with their comments.

"My son Dafu is a reincarnation of the God of Literature; he's guaranteed to pass the exam this year." How could Madam Jiang not help him? Her future wealth and prosperity depended on these two grandsons.

"You peasants, what business is it of yours? Get out of here!" Tang Dafu, cornered, resorted to spitting and making faces at the crowd, offending the entire village.

“Da Shi! Er Shi lost his life because of you. What promises did you make to Er Shi in front of me?” The village chief couldn’t help but speak, his tone earnest, as the eldest son’s family had probably forgotten about this.

"Father, Mother, what Second Aunt said makes sense..." Da Shi realized that if he didn't speak up, the matter couldn't be resolved. He didn't know how the villagers would talk about him in the future, saying that his two good-for-nothing sons were unruly and made him feel ashamed.

"No way, we'll divide it like this. She can take it or leave it. I haven't even settled accounts with her for causing my son's death yet!" Jiang was so angry that she felt a pang of heartache. If she had a stick handy, she would have already swung it over.

"A family of worthless wretch, what do they want to eat like swans!"

"If it weren't for Ershi carrying the big stone, I'm afraid you or Zhang would have killed your eldest son!"

"That's right, that's right. The second wife's main breadwinner is gone, and they don't even take care of her. Instead, they deliberately rub salt into her wounds. Aren't they ashamed?"

"What kind of family is this! Aren't they worried about their daughter not being able to get married in the future?"

"Won't this tarnish the reputation of Tangjia Village? I won't stand for it if my son can't find a wife."

"Chief, send them to live in town." There were those who were indignant, and naturally there were those who would kick someone when they were down; that's how public anger was stirred up.

"Father..." Seeing that the villagers' words were getting more and more outrageous, the clan elders wanted to see how the head of the Tang family would handle the situation. They neither stopped nor refuted them, since what the second branch of the family said was completely reasonable. Da Shi was also anxious and glared at Tang Lao Qi with his eyes.

"Let's do it the way the second wife says!" Tang Laoqi knew that if he didn't speak up, the division of property would definitely not go through, and since his son didn't object, he finally spoke up.

In this way, each household was originally allocated six mu of fertile land and two and three mu of mountain land (the extra one mu was directly given to Tang Laoqi and his wife). At the current price, the fertile land was four taels of silver per mu and the mountain land was one tael of silver per mu, totaling twenty-six taels and three mace of silver. Now that they have been allocated seven mu of mountain land, the second household has to pay nineteen taels and three mace of silver.

When the number was calculated, Jiang and the eldest son's wife were furious, but there was nothing they could do. The younger members of the eldest son's wife gritted their teeth, and even Tang Xin, who was usually not angry, was groaning. Zhang nudged Jiang with her hand, but Jiang didn't dare to make a sound.

The clan was responsible for finding craftsmen to repair the house, and Tang Laoqi and Jiang Shi were in charge of the money. Jiang Shi was so ruthless that she gritted her teeth until they bled.

No one fought over the things in the second house. They were given a set of pots, pans, and farm tools, which were definitely the worst and worthless. Ru Xiu didn't argue about it. She also got three half-grown chicks. The two pigs were hard to divide. It was agreed that the second house would get 30 catties of meat when the pigs were slaughtered for the New Year. Shi Jie was so angry that she gritted her teeth. Usually, she and Le Ge fed the two pigs and more than a dozen chickens. Ru Xiu comforted her by patting her head. Shi Jie only stopped making a fuss when she snuggled up to Ru Xiu.

Finally, another two hundred catties of coarse grains were distributed.