A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

Early the next morning, after the Chen family had finished breakfast and the morning mist had just dissipated, Chen Yancheng went to the village head's house on the north side of the village, his feet still wet with dew. After Chen Yancheng explained his purpose, the old man Chen Yongde frowned immediately.

Upon arriving at the Chen family courtyard, they saw Grandma Chen seated at the head of the table, with her three sons and daughters-in-law, and grandchildren all gathered in the main room. Before the family division documents were even written, Chen Yongde stroked his beard and began speaking earnestly:

"Seventh Sister-in-law, and Mancang and his brothers are all here. Please don't find it annoying that I'm saying this. In principle, while parents are alive, the family should not be separated. This is an old custom, and it's also for the sake of family reunion and harmony."

"We farmers only have a good life when we work together. If you want to separate and live separately, people will inevitably gossip."

He turned his gaze to Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen, his tone inevitably carrying a hint of reproach: "Especially the second son, and his wife, the Liu family's matter a few days ago, it was such an ugly affair, it was really outrageous."

You've caused Wanxing such a great injustice, and your mother has had to worry about you too. You're in the wrong here. As elders, you should act like elders.

If your mother was just angry, you should apologize properly, make up for it even more for Wanxing, and coax her to change her mind. That's the right thing to do. Why did you have to escalate to the point of dividing the family property? Isn't this just further damaging the harmony of the family?

Uncle Chen sighed, his face turning red with embarrassment. Aunt Chen shrank behind her husband, her face alternating between pale and flushed. She had been having a very hard time lately. This incident involving her family had become known throughout the village, and now every time she went out, people would point and whisper about her.

Furthermore, her family had been extorted for a full ten taels of silver, and she was too ashamed to go back now. She didn't know how her mother would scold her for being useless, and might even be less tolerant of her. But she really was useless. Thinking of this, Aunt Chen, who was already listless, became even more listless.

She hadn't wanted to separate the family before because she was thinking of introducing Chen Wanxing to Yaozu. Although they were from different generations, Chen Wanxing was an unwanted old maid, and she was doing it for her own good. But Chen Wanxing didn't appreciate it and was so ruthless that she dared not get involved again.

After the uproar a few days ago, she lost all face and dignity, so now she thinks it's good that the family is separated. She will finally have her own home and be able to make her own decisions.

Grandma Chen waited until Chen Yongde finished speaking before replying, her tone resolute and leaving no room for negotiation: "Village head, I appreciate your kindness. This family isn't being divided in a fit of anger; I've thought about it for many days before making this decision."

As trees grow tall, branches spread; as children grow up, families separate—this has been the way since ancient times. Before, I held on to not separating, firstly because my husband passed away early, and I feared I would lose my pillar of support; secondly, it was also because of my search for Wanxing. Now that Wanxing is back, the biggest weight has been lifted from my heart. Looking at this large family, with its ever-growing number of members, it's inevitable that our thoughts will change.

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Aunt Chen's direction. Though she didn't name names, the meaning was clear: "This incident is a lesson. If someone is envious of ten taels today, someone else might be eyeing even more tomorrow."

"Over time, even the best porridge will spoil and become infested with maggots. It's better to separate sooner rather than later, each relying on our own abilities and living our own lives. Accounts will be clear, and relationships will be clean. This old man of mine can finally have some peace and quiet and avoid getting so frustrated."

Seeing that Grandma Chen's attitude was firm and her reasons were clear and reasonable, especially since it involved Chen Wanxing's lost ten taels of silver, which could easily cause discord, Chen Yongde knew that further persuasion would be useless.

He sighed, "Since you've made up your mind, sister-in-law, and none of the brothers have anything to say, then let's divide it up."

The first thing to be accounted for when dividing the family property was the cash. Grandma Chen brought out the box containing the family's money and counted it out bit by bit in front of the clan leader and everyone else: "The family's current silver reserves, including silver ingots of various sizes and loose silver, total thirteen taels and eight mace."

The number made Aunt Chen's eyes twitch involuntarily, but remembering everything that had happened in the past few days and her current situation, she moved her lips but ultimately didn't dare to make a sound.

Grandma Chen said, "This thirteen taels and eight mace is public money. You three brothers will divide it equally, which is exactly four taels and six mace per family."

She paused, then looked at Chen Wanxing: "As for Wanxing's share, as I said before, it's seven hundred coins from my private savings, given to her separately, and has nothing to do with the public accounts."

Just as Chen Wanxing was about to speak, Grandma Chen waved her hand to stop her and continued:

"Don't speak yet, let Grandma finish. Grandma knows you're capable now and don't need a few hundred coins. But this money is different; it's money Grandma secretly saved for you a long time ago. You must take it and don't refuse it."

Chen Wanxing's throat tightened slightly. Knowing that further refusal would only hurt the old woman's feelings, she nodded emphatically, her voice a little hoarse: "Granddaughter will listen to Grandma. Thank you, Grandma."

With the distribution of cash settled, the next crucial matter is the family's farmland.

Everyone in the room straightened their backs unconsciously, their breathing became lighter, and their eyes were all focused on Grandma Chen. The land is the lifeblood of farmers, their ancestral property, and the most tangible thing left to their descendants. It cannot be taken lightly.

Grandma Chen cleared her throat, her expression serious. Without needing blueprints, the fields and furrows seemed to be etched in her mind: "Our family originally had 25 mu of land, plus the land we've acquired over the years. We know from our own family that we can roughly divide it into three grades based on the soil, the ease of irrigation, and the harvest over the years."

The best land is naturally the five mu (approximately 0.33 acres) at the east end of the village, next to the Qingshui River. The terrain there is flat, the soil is thick, and it can be irrigated in drought and drained in flood. It is the apple of our eye. In good years, one mu can yield more than one dou (approximately 0.5 tons) more than other places.

Next are the nine acres on the north slope. The soil is fairly fertile, but it's a bit far from the river, so watering it takes some effort. You either have to wait for rain or carry water from a well or ditch far away. But if you put in enough effort, the harvest is guaranteed.

The remaining eleven mu can only be considered poor land. Six mu are at the west end of the village, where the soil is thin and sandy, and cannot retain water and fertilizer. The other five mu are in the southern depression, where the terrain is low and prone to flooding in the summer when there is heavy rain. The harvest is unstable and depends on the weather.

"Land is the foundation of life; its distribution must be fair, ensuring that no one is disadvantaged and no one is enriched. It must be distributed fairly."

She glanced at her three sons, and seeing that no one objected, she continued, "Here's the arrangement: two families will each receive two mu of good land, three mu of medium land, and three mu of poor land, totaling eight mu. The remaining family will receive one mu of good land, three mu of medium land, and four mu of poor land, also totaling eight mu."

As soon as the plan was announced, there were whispers in the main room. The difference between having an extra acre of inferior land and having an extra acre of good land was clear to the farmers.

Aunt Chen's ears immediately perked up, her eyes darting back and forth between her husband and Grandma Chen, her mind racing as she made her calculations.