Wealthy beyond measure, yet you call me a sister-supporting-brother demon?

Zhou Changshui went to the private school in town to find Zhou Changsen by moonlight. Zhou Changsen was about to sleep in the dormitory when he saw his second brother arrive.

Zhou Changshui wore a soft headscarf, a brown short-sleeved shirt, dark brown trousers, and a pair of worn-out cloth shoes. Because he was traveling at night, he had stepped into a puddle, and his cloth shoes were still covered in mud. There was a palm-sized patch on the knee of his trousers. He was dressed like a commoner.

Upon hearing the sound, the roommates all saw Zhou Changsen's second brother, Zhou Changshui.

Zhou Changsen frowned, his face dark, and pulled his second brother into the courtyard, lowering his voice to say, "Second brother! Didn't I tell you not to come to the private school to find me? Just send a message if you need anything! You've gone too far today, not only coming to the academy, but also coming to my dormitory!"

Now all the students in the dormitory have met Second Brother and know that he comes from a commoner family!

Zhou Changshui was about to retort to him. He disliked his younger brother. The family gave him all the good food and clothes, and spent so much money to support his education. He was just a little brat, yet he dared to treat him badly.

However, remembering what the fortune teller had said, he instantly regained his composure. His younger brother was his lucky charm, and his future wealth and prosperity depended entirely on this brother.

Zhou Changshui forced a smile. "I have no choice. It's urgent. Father sent me to find you. Tomorrow we need to sign a divorce agreement with my elder brother, and you'll need to sign and put your fingerprint on it too."

"what?"

Zhou Changsen exclaimed in surprise.

"Go ask your husband for leave first, and I'll explain it to you in detail on the way."

Zhou Changsen didn't have time to think about whether his classmates looked down on him. He quickly went to ask his teacher for leave and went back with Zhou Changshui.

"Second brother, what exactly happened? Eldest brother is very filial, how could he sever ties with us?" Three days ago when we went back, eldest brother was still being a loving and filial son to our father.

“Oh! My eldest brother is such an ingrate, so heartless! He injured his back in the logging team, and he blamed Dad for not treating him in time. He blamed Dad for wanting to separate him from us, and he disowns us and wants to sever all ties with us. Dad got angry with him, and he agreed to sever ties with us. We will officially sign the severance agreement tomorrow.”

Zhou Changsen struggled to process his second brother's words. How could this be? It's only been three days! His eldest brother is filial; how could he suddenly want to sever ties with his family?

However, what he was most concerned about was whether he could still attend his Confucian classics class. "Second brother, what about my Confucian classics class..."

"It's probably too late for you to attend. Father has already spent thirteen taels of silver to treat your elder brother's injuries, and he's going to give him the six acres of land on the hillside. The remaining money is going to be used to pay for your tuition next year and to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. I don't think the family has the money to send you to the Confucian Academy."

A chill ran through his body, and Zhou Changsen felt a sudden sense of helplessness and despair. He had already told his classmates when he returned to the private school that he also wanted to attend the Confucian classics' class. Some classmates already thought he was a poor wretch who liked to boast, and he had tried his best to appear respectable and maintain his pitiful self-esteem. Now that his classmates knew he couldn't attend the private school class, and seeing his second brother's patched-up clothes, who knew how they would ridicule him?

For ten-year-old Zhou Changsen, the sky was falling. He didn't care about his older brother anymore and just thought about how to get Old Man Zhou to agree to let him attend the Confucian Master's class.

When the two returned home, Zhou Changsen said to his father, "Dad, are you not going to give me the lessons on Confucian classics anymore?"

Old Zhou sighed, "Your elder brother is a jinx. After this incident, the family has already spent thirteen taels of silver on him, leaving only forty taels in savings. Although he should repay us four taels after the severance of ties, I estimate he won't be able to do so anytime soon unless he sells the land immediately. Even with those four taels, the family only has forty-four taels in savings. Thirty taels were spent on the great scholar's lessons, leaving fourteen taels. That won't be enough for your school expenses next year. Son, let's not listen to that great scholar's lessons anymore. Just focus on your teacher's lessons, and you'll pass the imperial examination just as well!"

When Zhou Changlin was alive, he and Yuan Pan'er farmed their forty mu of land. In addition, Zhou Changlin earned money by chopping firewood and doing odd jobs in town. They could save about twenty taels of silver a year.

But now, they only have 34 mu of land left, and they are two fewer laborers. It's hard to say how much money they can save in a year, so they can only be careful with their money.

Zhou Changsen's eyes were filled with despair. "Father! If you don't give me the Great Confucian lessons, I'll jump into the river!"

Old Zhou was stunned; he had no idea that the Confucian classics were so important to his son.

Old Zhou was terrified. What if his son really jumped into the river? This was his family's lucky star for academic success.

“Son, I know you love studying and are eager to improve yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll sell everything I own to support you. Tomorrow, after the severance of ties, I’ll have your elder brother repay the four taels of silver, plus the three taels of filial piety he received this year, making a total of seven taels. I’ll have him pay it tomorrow. If he can’t pay, I’ll use his land as collateral! Whenever you need money, I’ll sell that land to support your studies.”

When Zhou Changsen heard that his father would pay for his lessons with the great Confucian scholar, his tense heart instantly relaxed, and he had time to understand the ins and outs of the matter.

It turns out that his elder brother injured his back. Everyone in the village said how filial he was, but in his eyes, it was nothing special. His brother's injury would cost a huge sum of sixty taels of silver. Where would his parents get sixty taels of silver? Wasn't he just forcing his parents? Can this kind of person be considered filial?

It's good to sever ties with relatives! It's a pity I won't be able to eat my eldest sister-in-law's cooking anymore. My second sister-in-law's cooking is terrible and not clean, but that's just how it is.

Then he thought about how his second brother could be so lazy and shirk work, and he couldn't help but worry that the family's income would probably decline day by day.

Zhou Changlin instructed Yu Chuan to go and explain the situation to Zhou Hanjiang.

Zhou Hanjiang is the eldest member of the Zhou family in terms of seniority. He and Zhou Laohan's father are brothers, and he is Zhou Laohan's third uncle.

Zhou Hanjiang liked Zhou Changlin's family the most. In his words, Zhou Changlin was upright, loyal, and his wife was sensible. Naturally, all the children he raised were good.

As Zhou Hanjiang listened to Zhou Yuchuan, the veins on his forehead throbbed. What kind of bastard Zhou Chunqiang had done?

If Zhou Chunqiang really did what he did, his Zhou family would be the subject of gossip and criticism.

"Yu Chuan, don't worry, I'll back you up! Come on! Let's go find that heartless bastard Zhou Chunqiang! We're not separating, we're not breaking off our family ties!"

Zhou Yuchuan grabbed Zhou Hanjiang's arm. "Third Grandfather, my parents have been heartbroken by my grandparents and are determined to sever ties with them. You don't need to try to persuade them."

Zhou Hanjiang couldn't help but sigh. What a kind, sensible, and filial person Zhou Changlin was! He always put his parents first, yet he was forced to this point. Those two bastards, Zhou Chunqiang and Wang Chunxiang, were stabbing Changlin in the heart with knives!

"No, I can't let your parents act impulsively. How will you survive if you're separated like this?! Your father's injury still needs treatment, and it'll cost a fortune. I have to find that idiot Zhou Chunqiang!"