Who understands? He traveled through time with a high-spec spatial ability.

At this moment, Qiao Wanjun, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke:

“Mother, you and Father only discussed the current arrangements, not the future. But as the eldest son, it is my duty to serve you both and take care of you in your old age.”

After you two pass away, as the eldest son, it should be my responsibility to see you off in your final days! You and Dad should simply live with us, the eldest son's family.

Xu stared at her eldest son for a long while, her eyes flashing with a complex mix of emotions, including relief and sadness.

But in the end, it all turned into a sigh: "Eldest son, your mother knows you are filial..."

She knew, of course, how filial her eldest son was; she never doubted that.

This gave her some comfort. But if she agreed now, she wouldn't be able to test whether her other two sons were filial.

Therefore, she deliberately did not mention the matter of retirement, nor did she tell them that as long as they took care of their parents in their old age, they could inherit their property.

She just wanted to see what kind of people her three sons were.

Some things just can't withstand the test.

"No need to say anything more. If you have no objections to this division, we'll invite the clan chief to witness it tomorrow. Eldest brother, go get two catties of wine and go to the village head's house tomorrow to ask him to come over."

"Mother, you..."

"Okay, that's it."

Qiao Wanjun had no choice but to shut up.

Qiao Jingjing witnessed all of this and couldn't help but sigh in her heart, "This old lady Xu is really quite interesting!"

Although she had bad habits such as favoritism and sexism, it is undeniable that she was an excellent housekeeper.

Moreover, she is very opinionated and adheres firmly to her bottom line, possessing strong principles that she will never easily change. More importantly, she is also a very decisive and courageous woman, which is truly rare.

The injustice I suffered at noon today has already led me to decide to separate the family by evening.

It has to be said that, given the current situation, splitting up the family is not actually a very worthwhile option for her, but even so, she still chose to split up the family without hesitation.

It's clear that she's a person who has a clear plan in mind.

No wonder the three brothers had such deep affection for her; now that I think about it, there was an element of admiration involved.

The next morning, Qiao Wanjun and Qiao Wanhe went to invite the village head and clan chief respectively.

Qiao Zhengxian, the village head of Daba Village, was a student who had passed the imperial examinations at a young age. He was in charge of the administrative affairs of 100 households and 1890 people in three villages.

I happened to be home today and didn't go to the other two villages. I heard from Qiao Wanjun that the family was going to split up, which is a big deal, so I came immediately. The clan head, Qiao Zongbang, is 81 years old this year and belongs to the same generation as Qiao Zhengguo's father.

Now that the old man is getting old, he has handed over many things to his youngest son, Qiao Zhenghua, who is also the next generation's reserve clan leader.

Old Master Qiao's eldest son passed away a few years ago. Qiao Zhenghua is 50 years old this year and still has plenty of energy. He looks honest, but his eyes reveal a shrewd and cunning nature.

Everyone who was supposed to be invited has arrived.

The Qiao family set up three tables in the courtyard, arranged in a triangular shape.

The patriarch sat at the head of the table, with Qiao Zhenghua standing beside him. Below them sat the village head and Qiao Zhengguo. It was inappropriate for Madam Xu to appear in this setting; it was a man's domain.

The old clan chief sat in a chair, his hands folded on his walking stick.

The sprightly old man spoke calmly, "Zhengguo, you've thought this through before suddenly wanting to divide the family property? This is no joke. I'm just visiting today, so you and your niece-in-law should think it over again."

Qiao Zhengguo dared not be lazy or arrogant in front of the clan chief.

He stood up, bowed respectfully, and replied, "Uncle Clan Chief, it is my fault for troubling you to make this trip. My wife and I have already made arrangements, and the children are also fine. If we hadn't reached an agreement, how could I have invited you here?"

Old Master Qiao knew that he had made up his mind. He was just going through the motions. Asking a question as usual would both show his status and remind everyone that the division of the family was a done deal.

"In that case, let's proceed with the property distribution as you've agreed upon, and have all three parties sign the document. Zhengxian, go to the yamen at noon and get this done for them."

"Yes, don't worry."

At his father's behest, Qiao Zhenghua began writing the family division documents, in triplicate.

After it was written, Qiao Zongbang and Qiao Zhengxian signed their names one after the other. Qiao Zhengguo could not write, so Qiao Zhenghua wrote it for him and then pressed his fingerprint on the name.

Mrs. Xu quietly tugged at her husband's sleeve and gave him a look.

Having received a hint, Qiao Zhengguo called Qiao Zhenghua over and whispered a few words to him. Qiao Zhenghua's expression changed, and he asked in confusion, "Is it really written like that?"

Having received an affirmative answer, he picked up his pen again and added a sentence at the end of the document.

Qiao Zhengxian took the three documents, glanced at them, and then glanced at the adults and children of the family without saying anything. After the ink dried, he carefully folded them and put them in his pocket.

It would take two hours to travel from Daba Village to the county government office by oxcart. Qiao Zhengxian didn't even have time to eat; he decided to set off immediately by oxcart.

Qiao Jingjing seized the opportunity to walk to his side and said with a smile, "Hello, Grandpa Village Head. I have some questions for you. Would you mind staying for a moment?"

Qiao Zhengxian had heard his wife mention that Zhengguo's eldest granddaughter had turned misfortune into good fortune, as the fall had cleared her head.

Seeing that she was poised, intelligent and quick-witted in front of him, he stopped and replied, "Da Ya, what is it? Ask away."

"Grandpa Village Head, do you know if there are any vacant houses for rent in the village? How much would they cost? If Daya wants to fence off a piece of land for reclamation, how much would that cost? And how much would the deed tax be?"

She had thought it through. Since the family division was brought forward, she had to find a way to move out as soon as possible.

Building a house is too slow; we can wait until we have more money. We should think of another business to earn some extra money and improve our family's living conditions.

She could buy more land to grow medicinal herbs and grains, extend the time, and do multiple businesses so that others couldn't tell how much money she was actually making. Then, it would be much easier to transfer the items from her spatial storage without arousing suspicion.

Qiao Zhengxian didn't think she was just making things up, so he assumed she was asking on behalf of an adult.

He replied earnestly, "Girl, there's a small courtyard at the east end of the village that you can rent out for 150 coins a month. It's not cheap, but the house is quite nice; it's three brick and tile rooms. You can move in after a little tidying up."

As for your question about land reclamation, the current dynasty has clearly stipulated that ordinary people who reclaim land will not be taxed for two years. However, since the land belongs to the village, fees will be charged based on the size of the reclaimed land.

"One mu of land costs 500 wen, and the harvest belongs entirely to you. However, you need to complete the formalities; only with an official deed will it truly belong to you."

"Thank you, Grandpa Village Head. Da Ya understands!"

"Oh, you've written it all down?" The village head raised an eyebrow; this girl was quite clever.

"Yes, yes, I've got it all! I'll definitely need to trouble you later, thank you in advance."

Before she could even bow, the village head waved his hand and went off to attend to his business.