Old Man Yang didn't take Tan Shi's words to heart at all. He simply dismissed them as the petty grumblings of a narrow-minded woman.
"Forget it, forget it. Fat Girl's just an unfortunate child. Sooner or later, Granny Wang will come take her away. The kid was just reincarnated into our Yang family for a short stint. Since she calls us Grandpa and Grandma, we shouldn't fuss with her anymore. Let's get to work—it's getting late."
"Hmph! You're just deliberately siding with that fool!" Tan Shi huffed and turned her back, angrily grabbing a handful of rice straw and burying herself in rope-making.
...
Finally, at dusk, after dinner, the Yang family members were gathered in Yang Huazhong's room, summoned there by Sun Shi and Yang Huazhong.
"Qing'er, you don't need to go listen in. Stay in your room and get a good night's rest. Be good."
In Yang Ruoqing's room, Sun Shi was making her bed while turning to give these instructions.
Yang Ruoqing wanted to go eavesdrop, but thinking of Tan Shi's tiger-like face, she feared showing up would only give that old woman another target.
Tonight, her parents were going all-in to request a split from the family, and she didn't want to create complications with her presence.
So she nodded.
"Alright, but you have to promise me—come back afterward and tell me what happened."
Looking at her daughter's eager face, Sun Shi sighed helplessly.
"You little schemer, I really can't do anything with you!"
"Hee hee."
Outside, Liu Shi's voice called out:
"Third sister-in-law, are you in Qing'er's room? Dad and Mom told me to fetch you—everyone's here except you!"
"Okay, I'm coming!"
Sun Shi answered quickly and, after a few more reminders to Yang Ruoqing, hurried out.
Left with nothing to do, Yang Ruoqing lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. From time to time, she could hear vague arguing from next door. There was Tan Shi's voice, Uncle Yang Hua'an, Second Uncle Yang Hualin's, and occasionally Fifth Uncle Yang Huazhou's voice—but her parents barely made a sound.
But Yang Ruoqing understood: some decisions aren't won by who yells the loudest.
Her parents were born with honest, honest-looking faces and weren't good at speaking up or arguing. But because of their integrity and straightforwardness—even a bit of foolishness—when they made a decision, not even a team of mules could pull them back.
The quarrels next door continued through the night. Drowsy, Yang Ruoqing listened while countless thoughts swirled in her head. Gradually, her consciousness faded, her eyelids grew heavy, and she didn't even know when she drifted off—or what decision had been reached.
As soon as she opened her eyes the next morning, she immediately remembered what had happened the night before. She jumped out of bed without even brushing her hair and dashed into the room shared by Yang Huazhong and Sun Shi.
Sun Shi wasn't there. Yang Huazhong was sitting on the bed in a jacket, staring blankly at a few old clothes draped over the bed's footboard, his eyes bloodshot and haggard.
In just one night, Yang Ruoqing felt her "cheap" dad had aged drastically. His stubble had grown out, and he looked more like a man over forty than someone just past thirty.
It wasn't until she stood before him and gently called,
"Dad…"
That his eyes refocused, and he came back to himself.
"Qing'er…"
A genuine smile of joy appeared on his worn-out face—simple and honest.
"Dad, are you thirsty? I'll pour you some tea."
Yang Ruoqing asked. She knew that, by now, Sun Shi was likely in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the Yang family.
"No, I'm not thirsty. Your mother already gave me some water before heading out," Yang Huazhong said, his voice as hoarse as ever. He lightly patted the edge of the bed, signaling for her to sit.
"Qing'er, there's something I need to tell you."
"Okay."
She perked up, expecting news about the family meeting's outcome.
After a few labored breaths, Yang Huazhong finally said with difficulty:
"Once the rice harvest is stored in a few days, we'll split off and live on our own."
Old Man Yang and Tan Shi agreed to let them go.
Yang Ruoqing rejoiced inwardly, her fingers clenching with excitement as she sat with her hands on her lap.
Yang Huazhong caught sight of her unconcealed smile and couldn't help but sigh, a guilty look washing over his face.
At breakfast, Yang Ruoqing learned from Sun Shi what had happened during the family meeting the night before.
At first, Old Man Yang and Tan Shi flatly refused to approve the split. They still insisted on selling Ruoqing to pay for her father's leg treatment.
It wasn't until Yang Huazhong made a firm threat—saying if they sold his daughter, he'd rather die—that the couple's stance softened. But then Tan Shi and Second Uncle Yang Hualin raised a condition: if they were to split off, the third household had to leave with nothing!
Yang Huazhong and Sun Shi gritted their teeth and accepted it!
In the end, it was Fifth Uncle Yang Huazhou who couldn't bear to watch anymore. He jumped in to argue fiercely, almost getting into a fistfight with Yang Hualin. Only then did Old Man Yang relent, agreeing to allocate two mu of irrigated land and two mu of dry land to the third household. However, they were no longer allowed to stay in the west wing. Once the fall harvest was over, the three storage rooms in the rear courtyard would be cleaned out, and the third household would move there.
Two mu of irrigated land and two mu of dry land—for five people's food, clothing, and essentials. After taxes and fees, there would barely be any grain left.
Yang Ruoqing did some mental math. In ancient times, there were no hybrid rice strains, no advanced fertilizers or pesticides, and yields per mu were low. If they encountered a bad harvest, a family of five would certainly go hungry.
Sigh. This was the same as being kicked out with nothing.
"Qing'er, from now on, we're going to have hard days ahead. It's all because your father and I are useless. You, Da'an, and Xiao'an are the ones who'll suffer…"
Sun Shi said, lowering her head and wiping her tears.
Honestly, even though she feared divine punishment for thinking it, part of her had been hoping for the family to split. At least then, she and Qing'er's father could work themselves to the bone to give the kids a better life.
But that was all based on the assumption that Qing'er's father was still healthy. Now that he was crippled, the burden of holding up the family rested squarely on her shoulders. She was afraid—afraid she wouldn't be able to hold it together, and they'd all go hungry.
Seeing her mother's guilt-ridden, helpless expression, Yang Ruoqing pushed her thoughts aside. She offered a warm smile and gently held Sun Shi's rough, calloused hand.
"Mom, don't worry. I'm clear-headed now. From now on, I'll help you too! We'll take care of Dad together, and raise my two little brothers well."
She paused for a moment, then added,
"By the way, Mom, when are we bringing my two brothers back from Grandpa and Grandma's place?"
(End of Chapter)