Dividing the Family (I)

Dividing the Family (I)

Jiang Xia fell silent for a moment before asking, "If we split the family, where will we move?"

Jiang Xia did not want to stay, but when other people transmigrated, they at least received the original owner's memories. She had received nothing.

Not a single memory!

She did not even know which way led to her maternal family's doorstep. How was she supposed to return to them? So if Zhou Chenglei would not write her a Letter of Introduction, she could only stay.

"The old house from before. It's a decades-old house, very run-down, nothing compared to this one. And it's closer to the sea, so it'll be a little damp. I don't know whether you can bear it." Zhou Chenglei told her the truth and let her choose, lest she could not stand it and make all kinds of trouble.

Jiang Xia did not particularly care. As long as she had somewhere to stay, that was enough. "I'm fine with it."

Zhou Chenglei did not believe she was fine with it. She was not even used to this new house; she would probably find the old house even harder to endure.

Still, if she could not bear it, she could return to her maternal family.

"I'll go talk to Dad and Mom about splitting the family. Go to sleep early."

Then Zhou Chenglei went out.

After Zhou Chenglei left, Jiang Xia waited until her hair was dry, but he still had not returned. He probably would not be coming back to sleep. That was fine too. They were not familiar with each other, and sharing a bed was still rather awkward. She shut the door, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

In her hazy sleep, she felt someone come in and touch her forehead before leaving again.

People with fevers often relapsed in the middle of the night. Zhou Chenglei had been worried, so he came to check on her. Seeing that her fever had not returned, he went back to sleep on the floor in his nephew's room.

The next day, Jiang Xia was awakened by the sound of roosters crowing. The sky was still dark, probably around five-thirty, but she had gone to bed at around ten the night before, so she woke feeling thoroughly refreshed.

Low voices and the sounds of people working had already drifted in from outside. Jiang Xia did not have the habit of lounging in bed, so she got up and went out.

In the courtyard, Tian Caihua was shredding sweet potatoes to cook Sweet Potato Porridge. When she saw Jiang Xia up so early, she froze for a moment, then smiled and greeted her. "Fourth Sister-in-law, you're up so early. You're not feeling well, so sleeping a little more would help you recover."

She was obviously in a very good mood. She already knew that Zhou Chenglei wanted to split the family, so she had decided not to fuss with Jiang Xia anymore.

Mother Zhou was chopping vegetables to feed the chicks. The moment she saw Jiang Xia, her mood soured. The whole family had been broken apart because of her! Still, she asked with concern, "Has your fever gone down?"

Her youngest son had later said last night that he no longer wanted a divorce, only to split the family. No matter how dissatisfied Mother Zhou was with Jiang Xia, she still had to endure it. Otherwise, her son would be caught in the middle, and the one suffering would be him.

Her son had joined the army in his teens and been gone for more than ten years. He had gone to war and survived by the skin of his teeth. He had not returned home to be squeezed between two sides and take their anger.

Others might not feel sorry for her son, but she did!

As long as Jiang Xia was willing to live properly with her son from now on, she would put up with any fault Jiang Xia had.

Who told her son he could not bear to divorce her?

When others showed concern, Jiang Xia was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness. She smiled and greeted her, "It's gone down, Mom. Don't worry. What is Eldest Sister-in-Law making for breakfast? I'll do it!"

Calling Mother Zhou "Mom" still felt somewhat unnatural, but since she could not divorce for the time being, she had to say it even if she was not used to it.

Mother Zhou immediately said, "No need for you to do it. If you don't make more trouble for me, I'll be thanking Amitabha and praying for great fortune!"

The resentment she felt toward Jiang Xia slipped out unconsciously.

Jiang Xia: "..."

Tian Caihua also thought Jiang Xia could not cook and was merely saying it. But they were about to split the family, and after today, she would no longer need to serve them. There was no need to quibble over it.

She was in a good mood today and said with a cheerful laugh, "No, no, it's nearly done. Once I put these sweet potatoes into the porridge and simmer it a little longer, we can eat. Go wash your face!"

Tian Caihua deftly poured the shredded sweet potatoes into the plain porridge simmering on the small stove. Then she pushed the firewood farther in to raise the heat and cook the porridge faster.

Once it was cooked, they could have breakfast. After breakfast, they could split the family.

Jiang Xia went to wash her face and brush her teeth. Just as she finished, Zhou Chenglei returned from outside, drenched in sweat. He had clearly just come back from a run.

When Zhou Chenglei saw Jiang Xia up so early, he was visibly taken aback. He asked instinctively, "Why are you up so early? Are you dizzy? Do you still have a fever?"

To receive concern again and again so early in the morning was a feeling Jiang Xia had never experienced before. Even knowing there was not much sincerity in it, she smiled. "I'm fine. Much better."

Seeing that color had returned to her face, Zhou Chenglei said nothing more. He carried two buckets of water away to bathe and brush his teeth.

The porridge would not be ready so quickly, so Jiang Xia helped Mother Zhou chop sweet potato leaves and asked whether they were for feeding the chickens.

At first, Mother Zhou had been afraid Jiang Xia would chop off her own hand. When she saw how quickly and well Jiang Xia chopped, she was quite surprised. "No, they're for cooking pig feed later."

"Oh, pig feed has to be cooked too?"

Seeing that Jiang Xia was interested, Mother Zhou began chatting with her and teaching her a few things.

If her son and Jiang Xia split off to live on their own, Jiang Xia knowing a little more would make things easier for her son too.

Jiang Xia then learned that the Zhou family raised three big fat pigs, one cow, over a dozen chickens and ducks each, and a flock of chicks that had hatched ten days ago.

The pigs needed feeding, while the cow only needed to be led out to graze. Herding the cow was generally work for the children in the family. The ducks only needed to be driven to the beach, where they would find little fish and shrimp to eat on their own, and then driven back later. The chickens could also be released into the bamboo grove in the morning to forage for themselves, though they still needed one feeding at night.

The chicks needed more careful tending. They were fed chick rice, and if they were fed vegetable leaves, the leaves had to be chopped finely. Once they grew bigger, the mother hen could take them out to forage. No one stole them either; every household did things this way. As long as chickens, geese, and ducks were properly marked—for example, by clipping their tails or a tuft of feathers from their heads, or tying string around their legs—it was fine.

After the two of them finished chopping a large pile of sweet potato vines, Jiang Xia cleaned the courtyard. The porridge was ready too, and it was time for breakfast.

Breakfast consisted only of Sweet Potato Porridge, but it was delicious, with the fragrant sweetness and soft stickiness of sweet potatoes, along with the savory aroma of Dried Shrimp. Jiang Xia ate two bowls.

After breakfast, Guang Zong Yao Zu and Little Zhou Zhou slung their schoolbags over their backs and walked to school by themselves. Father Zhou called the whole family into the main hall to discuss splitting the family.

"You brothers have all started families, so it's time to divide the household. Your second brother bought a house in town some time ago, so he was the first to split off. When he bought that house, your mother and I gave him two thousand yuan. We agreed then that when the family split in the future, the family house would have nothing to do with them."

Tian Caihua pressed her lips together. Why was she dissatisfied? Because of this! She and Zhou Chengxin had no education and no jobs. When Zhou Chenglei returned from the army and was reassigned, he could originally have worked at the town government, but he refused. Refusing was one thing, but he had actually given that job opportunity to the second brother, without considering Eldest Brother, who was still at home fishing for a living.

The second brother had been a cadre in the production brigade at the time. He already had a job!

Why had Zhou Chenglei not given the job to his Eldest Brother? Did he look down on him because Eldest Brother had only finished primary school?

Then Zhou Chenglei married Jiang Xia and brought her home. She did not do any housework at all, while Tian Caihua alone cooked for the whole big family, cared for the elderly, and had to care for the two of them as well. Why did she get no benefits at all, yet still have to serve the two of them? Father Zhou continued, "Chenglei said this New House will go to Chengxin. He and Jiang Xia will move to the old house."

Tian Caihua's eyes lit up!