The male supporting character was actually myself.

Everyone, please be the judge. My parents clearly stated that they built this house for me; should I give half to the Cowherd?

The disputes within the Lao Niu family had long been a topic of gossip in Taoyuan Village, but they had never been discussed in such detail in front of so many people.

As soon as Niu Da said this, someone muttered, "Since he said the house is for Niu Da to get married, it really has nothing to do with Niu Lang. Since ancient times, parents have always been the main force in their sons' marriages, with older brothers and sisters-in-law only helping out at most. If Niu Lang wants a house, he should ask his parents for it."

"That makes sense. The two kids were quite far apart in age back then. Sister-in-law Niu always said that she had to save money to build a new house for her younger son so he could get married. The fact that Niu Lang didn't have a house can only be blamed on his bad luck."

"The Niu family demolished their old house and built a new one. After Niu Da got married, the Niu couple lived in a side room with Niu Lang. It seems they really planned to build a new house for Niu Lang separately."

The village chief rubbed his temples and frowned, asking, "Fine, the house has nothing to do with the cowherd, but he should still have half of the land. Why didn't you give him any when you divided the property?"

Niu Dayi slapped his thigh and shouted, "Village Chief, you can't take sides!"

Let's think about it. He doesn't have a share in the house, so haven't we let him live there for free all these years? I haven't let him sleep on the streets, have I?

My parents didn't save much money; it wasn't even enough for medical treatment and funeral expenses. I had to pay out of my own pocket to make the funeral arrangements complete. As their son, shouldn't Erlang do his part? He's still young and can't afford it, so I didn't even bother to calculate the cost for him.

Erlang was only four years old at that time, and every aspect of his life, from clothing and food to housing and transportation, cost money.

If it were fair, and we had given him half the land back then, would he have been able to farm it? Would he have been able to cook? If it weren't for our kind-heartedness and care, he would have starved to death long ago! He grew up from the age of four until he was eighteen when we separated the family property—a full fourteen years!

Isn't this practically raising a brother like a son?

He's my own son. I raised him when he was young, and he still has to support me in my old age. I raised him for fourteen years, and after we separated, he just walked away. What kind of person is that?

"We've all raised children; do you think about how much money we've spent over fourteen years? Even if we sold the little bit of land he's entitled to, how many days could he live on?"

“We don’t even have our own son yet, all because I was exhausted from taking care of my naughty brother-in-law right after I got married, and it made me sick!” Old Mrs. Niu simply sat down on the ground, wiping away her tears and snot, and sobbed, “He has no shortage of food or clothing. I don’t let him suffer from the cold in winter or the sun in summer. I discipline him like a son.”

Let alone how much money I spent, how many clothes I made, how many illnesses and injuries I suffered, and how much medicine I brewed over fourteen years. Just think about how much I had to worry about raising him.

Even so, when the family divided their property, the Cowherd knew he was in the wrong and couldn't repay the immense kindness he had shown us over the years, so he even took one of our old oxen with him. We, who had raised him from a cub, could accept being taken advantage of; how could family members be so calculating?

But he doesn't say it to his face, but he goes around gossiping behind people's backs. Just because of the unfair division of the family property, he said that we mistreated him. Which of the villagers hasn't given us a dirty look and cursed us as heartless and rotten seeds?

Raising someone else's son is just useless!

If we had truly been ruthless back then and ignored him, giving him whatever he deserved, and raised our own child early on, we wouldn't have ended up with an enemy!

Oh God, why am I so unlucky!

Back then, I was too soft-hearted and thought that the eldest brother was like a father and the eldest sister-in-law was like a mother. Brothers should support each other and there was no reason to let my young brother-in-law have nowhere to go. I adopted him. Over the years, we have suffered and endured hardships. The cowherd has grown into a young man and his wings have hardened. He just left and left us, leaving us, a couple, feeling like we are not good people either!

"Village chief, elders, please be our judges and settle this score for us. Who has wronged whom all these years?"

As Aunt Niu sobbed and wailed, the village chief frowned even more deeply.

It has been said that even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. Everyone knows that Niu Da and his wife mistreated Niu Lang. But if you think about it carefully, he lost his parents at a young age and could only live with his elder brother and sister-in-law. They certainly didn't take as good care of him as his own parents.

It's good enough that they're willing to take charge; how can you expect them to handle every little detail?

The remaining houses indicate that they were for Niu Da, and those few small plots of land will require hard work to grow crops to provide for his food and drink...

The two brothers have a rather deep connection.

The younger brother relied on the older brother, Niu Da, for all his food and clothing. Over fourteen years, Niu Lang essentially ate up his own share and also took advantage of Niu Da.

When the family split up, they also took an old yellow ox with them, which was considered a considerable fortune in the village.

Although the ox was old, it could still plow the land, and even if it was sold and slaughtered, it would be worth at least a dozen taels of silver, enough to buy several acres of land.

The cowherd would occasionally play the victim to gain sympathy from everyone, while the couple, Niu Da and Niu, would be looked down upon. Even if they had done something wrong in raising him for fourteen years, it didn't warrant such a heinous crime.

The village chief thought to himself that even if he put himself in Niu Da's position, he might not necessarily do any better than him.

Taoyuan Village was poor, and no family wanted another mouth to feed without doing any work. Besides, this mouth was constantly complaining about how his older brother and sister-in-law treated him badly. No one would be happy in that situation.

Originally, Niulang was poor, and even if they were angry, there was nothing they could do; they couldn't force him to his death. But now that Niulang has climbed up the mountain and made a fortune, he receives large and small packages of twenty taels of silver every now and then. It's understandable that Niulang and his wife would ask for a recalculation of the accounts.

"Oh, you two really haven't given up your evil intentions." Mu Jiuxiu was almost laughing in anger. "Our parents died early. I nominally lived with you, but what kind of work did I not do? You talk about the debt of raising me. The work I did for you all these years could offset those few meals and those few tattered clothes!"

"They swallowed my rightful inheritance, ignored me when I was poor, and now that I'm rich, they're jumping in to try and get a piece of the pie. Keep dreaming!"

Spit was spat on his face, and Niu Da sat down on the ground and howled, "Folks, listen to me and judge this! Fourteen years and I've raised an enemy!"

Born into a poor family with no parents to help him, what child doesn't do some odd jobs? My husband and I never let him go hungry or sleep on the streets. We only asked him to do some housework occasionally, and he still holds a grudge like this!

You, the Cowherd, don't have the life of a young master, yet you expect to be waited on hand and foot? Then you should blame your parents for dying young, and blame yourself for not being born into a wealthy family..."

The old hunter's yard was bustling with noise.

However, public opinion was already leaning more towards Niu Da. After all, children from poor families mature early. It was common for four- or five-year-old children to do what they could at home or even go out to herd cattle and ducks. If the family didn't have the means, the food and clothing were less, and the work was more tiring, how could that be considered mistreatment?

Old Wang's family at the village entrance was dirt poor. Their daughter had been sold to a farmer in the valley to be a child bride; their son was only three years old and wore tattered open-crotch pants to herd geese every day. What could they do if they were born into such a family?

Even biological parents sometimes beat and scold their children, so it's really inconsiderate of an older brother or sister-in-law to hold a grudge.

When you need someone to live, you rely on them; but when you grow up and become independent, you gossip behind their backs. Isn't this a classic case of needing someone to be close to you but not to be distant?

"Niulang, it's not that we're criticizing you, but your brother and sister-in-law really have it tough!"

“Your family wasn’t well-off to begin with. They raised you from a baby, so you should at least know how to repay their kindness. If no one had taken care of you, that little child would have been snatched away by wolves long ago!”

"Yes, you have to have a conscience. Even if you still have your parents, you can't let a four-year-old child run around and play all day and have his food fed to him. It's just that he's now with his older brother and sister-in-law. They've raised him to this age, and even if they haven't done anything special, they've certainly put in a lot of effort."

"Now that you have money, even if you don't give him a lot of money as a filial gift, at least make up for all the food you've eaten over the years. It's only right for brothers to help each other out..."

…………

Listening to the sanctimonious hypocrites surrounding him and trying to persuade him, Mu Jiuxiu suddenly remembered a story he had learned in his textbook.

The story is simply about two brothers. The younger brother squandered the family's money, consuming his share and taking a portion from his older brother, causing the family to fall into poverty. Then, when the younger brother finally made something of himself and became wealthy, he sent his older brother a letter mentioning repaying the debt, which made the whole family incredibly happy. In the end, they received nothing but anticipation for how to spend their newfound wealth.

It all comes down to money!

The word "money" has extinguished kinship and humanity. The article criticizes and satirizes the snobbish people, and I have finally seen them myself today. What is even more chilling is that the ignorant villagers still think that Niu Da is right.

Should the natural affection of an elder brother caring for a younger brother be measured in money?

When the Cowherd was penniless, they ignored him; now that he's rich, they jump out crying and shouting, openly demanding money. They truly exemplify greed and snobbery to the fullest extent!

"Alright, stop arguing." The village chief was still troubled by the mountain spirits and wolves, and didn't have time to waste on them. In short—neither of them were good people, neither of them were friendly or respectful!

But all things considered, Niulang does owe Niu Da more.

Chapter Thirty-One: They Came to the Door, Providing an Explanation

The village chief was even more worried about the situation in the mountains and wanted to resolve the dispute as soon as possible. He accompanied the Taoist priest into the mountains and said loudly, "Niu Da did not seriously mistreat his younger brother while raising him, and he did not treat Niu Lang unfairly when the family was divided. From now on, I will beat anyone in the village who talks behind my back!"

In addition, the bond of mutual support between brothers over the years has probably been worn away.

As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. From now on, Niulang and his wife should live a peaceful life in the mountains and not interfere. You two brothers should settle your scores clearly, not let things get muddled. Niulang, give your brother some money as compensation. Let's settle this once and for all and never bring up old grievances again.”

"What they did isn't considered abuse?" Mu Jiuxiu was furious and pointed at the village chief, cursing, "You're saying such things that go against your conscience and show favoritism. Be careful you don't get your comeuppance!"

The village chief gave him a cold glance. "If Niu Da really abused you, you wouldn't have had the chance to live this long."

In impoverished mountain villages, children often die of illness. Even in well-off families, children occasionally die young, let alone in poor families, where it is common for two or three out of ten children to die young.

If Niu Da and his wife had any wicked intentions, they wouldn't need to do anything special. They could just pour cold water on them, starve them for a couple of meals, and once they developed a fever, they would just die within two or three days if left unattended.

Why wait for him to grow up and then come and fight for the family fortune?

“You really should give him some money as compensation.” Master Chiling didn’t want to get involved in these messy things, but after thinking it over, he still reminded him, “You know the reason yourself.”

The second half of the sentence is a direct reference to the wandering ghost who has taken over the body of the cowherd—no matter what, you are occupying the body of someone else's younger brother whom they raised. Regardless of any grudges or affections between the brothers, you have taken over the body and assumed the karma, so you must settle things properly.

Mu Jiuxiu, who was still thinking of arguing his case, felt a little flustered after being looked at by the Taoist priest.

Damn, what did he mean by that? Why do I suddenly feel like he sees right through me? A chill ran down my spine.

"Forget it, forget it. Anyway, we'll keep to ourselves from now on. Let's just wipe the slate clean!" With his heart pounding, Mu Jiuxiu was inevitably a little upset. But then he thought that giving Niu Da and his wife a few taels of silver to get rid of them and buy some peace and quiet wasn't a bad idea.

That way, I won't be bothered by them again after I go to town to live a better life in a few days.

Hearing that he was going to wipe the slate clean, Niu Da and his wife stared intently at the package, afraid of missing out on some rare treasures.

Seeing this, the village chief frowned slightly, coughed, and took charge, saying, "Don't try to take more; and don't try to give less. I've decided, it'll be fifteen taels of silver, which the cowherd can afford; and you, Niu Da, haven't lost out."

Upon hearing that it was only fifteen taels of silver, Niu Da and his wife glared and were about to grit their teeth when the village chief glared at them and shut them up. "Trying to ask for more? Be careful you don't die before you can spend the money!"

He then gave them both a wink, indicating that they should stop if they were happy.

The old woman was quick to react and immediately understood that the village chief was worried that they were asking for too much, which would cause a rift and anger the female demon, thus bringing trouble upon themselves.

So she grabbed Niu Da and said reluctantly, "Listen to the village chief, from now on, the villagers must not speak ill of us!"

Mu Jiuxiu was also unwilling. He had just swindled two-quarters of the twenty taels of silver from the fake Taoist priest, and now he was spending it all. It hurt!

Fifteen taels of silver is enough to drink, make merry, and get a good night's sleep with Miss Zhu'er!

He hesitated and didn't want to give it, but the village chief didn't hold back at all and turned to glare at him. "What? You think you're being wronged? Go and do your own honesty. You owe this favor just because you weren't thrown into a mass grave and became a wandering ghost!"

Decades or so ago, let alone how older brothers treated younger brothers, even biological parents could be heartless enough to sell or abandon their children. It was already considered very lucky for a child to grow up healthy and strong without illness or injury.

After being glared at, Mu Jiuxiu rolled his eyes and, to avoid any trouble, took out fifteen taels of silver from his pocket and handed it over. "From now on, we're even. You go your way and I'll go mine. Don't come looking for me to bring up old scores again!"

Born into a poor mountain village, Niu Da and his wife had never been rich. They usually used copper coins and had never seen a silver ingot before. They were overjoyed to hold it in their hands, but at the same time, they were reluctant to part with the small amount of silver.

The Cowherd has a huge bag full of rare and precious treasures!

Who would be content with making a fortune when they only received a dozen or so taels of silver?

Niu Da, holding the silver, kept glancing furtively at the package when his wife grabbed him and pulled him away.

Only after pulling her husband around the alleyway did Granny Niu mutter softly, "What's the rush? The village chief just invited a Taoist priest to exorcise the demon, didn't he? Once they've calmed down, we'll have plenty of opportunities!"

Niu Da thought about it again and realized that his wife was right.

If the female demon is evil, she will be captured by the Taoist priest, and the Cowherd will have no hope. If he is not worried about being retaliated against by the female demon, he will naturally not be able to keep the good things in his bag.

If the female demon is a good Taoist priest who doesn't harm her in the slightest, then no matter how much the Cowherd tries to stop her, he cannot prevent her from fulfilling her duty as his sister-in-law to be filial to her elder brother and sister-in-law.

The cowherd is stingy, but the female demon is incredibly generous once she agrees to this marriage!

The two happily ran back and hid the silver in the chicken coop, keeping a close eye on the Taoist priest's situation.

"Cowherd, we need to go into the mountains again to investigate. Are you still coming?" The old hunter took his bow and arrows and prepared to escort the Taoist priest into the mountains. He was very worried about the wolf king's movements earlier, and he could only feel at ease if he went to check with a large group of people.

Mu Jiuxiu plopped down on a bench in the yard and shook his head like a rattle drum. "No, no, I need to rest first. A fire on the mountain burned down our place. I spent most of the morning searching for her but couldn't find her. I was also chased by wolves for so long. If I don't rest soon, I'll be dead. You guys go."

Anyway, with the old ox around, the fake Taoist priest can't cause any trouble. Let them make a scene.

It's not too late to eat and drink your fill, rest and recover your strength before heading into the mountains to search.

“Young man, let me be clear—if your wife is a kind-hearted demon seeking to repay a debt of gratitude, I will naturally not make things difficult for her; but if she has stained her body with blood and harmed the innocent, I cannot allow her to remain a threat. At that time, you must not…”